“The fact that we’re now even more polarized and toxic and partisan than we were when we created the 9/11 commission is true,” said Tim Roemer, who served as one of the panel’s five Democratic members. The idea that “we can have people work together, accomplish the goals and make forward recommendations to heal the country and strengthen the country is even more important in many […]
By Kyle Cheney
63 posts
She has previously announced her support for both proposals, but Monday’s letter comes just two days after the Senate voted to acquit Trump for inciting the insurrection during an impeachment trial that forced lawmakers to relive the trauma they experienced only a month earlier. Pelosi has also tasked retired Lt. Gen Russel Honore with a review of Capitol security, and he has already recommended an increase […]
In Herrera Beutler’s telling, McCarthy urged Trump to call off the mob, to which Trump initially responded that he couldn’t because it was made up of left-wing extremists — a falsehood that has been debunked by federal investigators. When McCarthy refuted Trump, the former president responded, “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” according to Herrera-Beutler. The comment […]
It’s long been unclear precisely when Trump learned of the danger that Congress and his vice president faced — though it was broadcast all over live television — but Tuberville’s claim would mark a specific moment Trump was notified that Pence had to be evacuated for his own safety. Aides to the former president did not immediately return a request for comment. The House impeached Trump […]
The Constitution’s limited guidance for impeachment says presidents convicted at trial can face two punishments: removal from office and disqualification from holding federal office in the future. Forty-five Senate Republicans have signaled that they are at least open to a constitutional theory that Trump cannot be convicted because there is no office to remove him from. But a broad swath of the legal community, including prominent […]
“The Committees will conduct robust oversight to understand what warning signs may have been missed, determine whether there were systemic failures, and consider how to best address countering domestic violent extremism, including remedying any gaps in legislation or policy,” they continued. The committees are seeking a series of classified briefings beginning in late January to help lawmakers understand the evidence of threats they had collected, both […]
“To see this punk with that shirt on and his anti-Semitism that he has bragged about to be part of a white supremacist raid on this capitol requires us to have an after-action review,” Pelosi said. Authorities arrested the man seen wearing the sweatshirt, 56-year-old Robert Keith Packer of Newport News, VA., and charged him with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds as well […]
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. leaves a House Democratic Caucus meeting. | AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) said Tuesday that she witnessed colleagues escorting people through the Capitol on Jan. 5 for what she described as “reconnaissance” ahead of the next day’s violent insurrection that left five dead. In a 13-minute Facebook video billed as an address to her constituents about the House’s efforts […]
Here’s what you need to know when the House convenes at 9 a.m. Wednesday to begin the process. 1) Why impeach now? Democrats are clear-eyed that impeaching Trump precisely one week before he’s set to leave office might leave some Americans perplexed. But House leaders have emphasized multiple reasons for pushing forward anyway. The top one is the egregiousness of Trump’s conduct. Trump didn’t just make […]
Boebert has made no secret of her intent to bring a handgun to the Capitol complex, where lawmakers are exempt from otherwise strict prohibitions on firearms, so long as they’re stored in the members’ offices and transported safely and unloaded. Democrats considered a change to the rules that would have barred even members of Congress from bringing guns to the Capitol, but the rules package introduced […]
The procedures, if adopted, require Pence to introduce all papers “purporting” to be electoral votes. He is to read them alphabetically by state and offer lawmakers a chance to issue any objections along the way. These longstanding procedures permit as few as two lawmakers — a single House member and senator acting together — to grind the process to a halt, forcing the House and Senate […]
Sasse lambasted the crew of House Republicans who, prior to Hawley, had already promised to lodge challenges to Biden’s victory, labeling them “institutional arsonist members of Congress” who provided no evidence to justify their sweeping attempt. Sasse offered his assessment less than a week before Congress is tasked with certifying Biden’s victory in a joint session of the House and Senate. That Jan. 6 meeting has, […]
There’s little doubt that Biden will be certified as president by the end of the day on Jan. 6 or in the wee hours of Jan. 7, but Trump’s allies could cast a cloud over the process — grinding it to a halt, attempting to force votes on alternate slates of Trump-supporting electors and raising untold objections to the proceedings that could disrupt the traditionally ceremonial […]
But in a motion to expedite proceedings, Gohmert and the electors revealed that their lawyers had reached out to Pence’s counsel in the Office of the Vice President to attempt to reach agreement before going to court. “In the teleconference, Plaintiffs’ counsel made a meaningful attempt to resolve the underlying legal issues by agreement, including advising the Vice President’s counsel that Plaintiffs intended to seek immediate […]
“Employees who occupy positions determined to make them eligible for the vaccine under these standards will be and/or have been notified of their status separately and provided with logistical information regarding the process for scheduling an appointment for the vaccination,” Monahan said in the memo to lawmakers. He added, “We will continue to keep the House community informed of further supply of COVID-19 vaccine as it […]
GOP lawmakers said the Constitution always contemplated voting in person. A district court rejected the suit, contending that the courts had no power to police an internal congressional dispute. But McCarthy appealed the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, where the matter has been pending since October. Letter, in a notice to the appeals court, said Gianforte and Mitchell’s decision […]
“If this case has not been resolved before the end of this Congress, the Chairwoman will reissue the subpoena to Mazars at the start of the next Congress,” Letter wrote to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. “It remains critically important that the Oversight Committee—and the House more broadly—be able to secure prompt subpoena enforcement without the risk that investigative subjects will thwart […]
The Justice Department had argued that the McGahn suit should essentially be dismissed as moot because the subpoena Nadler issued in 2019 would lose force once the current Congress expires on Jan. 3. But Letter pointed to the House’s long history of permitting litigation to carry over, noting that if each Congress were required to start from scratch, they would simply be forestalling indefinitely answers to […]
The hearing stoked significant concern among election security experts and Democrats that Johnson was providing a platform to Trump’s efforts to delegitimize Biden’s win, particularly as he a weighs a reelection bid in 2022 that would lean on Trump’s supporters. “Whether intended or not, this hearing gives a platform to conspiracy theories and lies. It is a destructive exercise that has no place in the United […]
The move comes as President Donald Trump has refused to concede the election and praised Murphy as she came under withering pressure for declining to aid Biden’s transition to power. On Monday afternoon, lawmakers on the two committees rejected the administration’s proposal. “Every additional day that is wasted is a day that the safety, health, and well-being of the American people is imperiled as the incoming […]
The letter from the lawmakers is an early warning shot ahead of what could be a significant effort by Congress next year to rescind some of Trump’s eleventh-hour policy changes. The 1996 Congressional Review Act gives lawmakers 60 days to overturn major rules issued by federal agencies. The tool had been used just once before 2017, when the Republican-controlled House tossed 16 regulations issued by President […]
“That the president of the United States would place in doubt the idea of the peaceful transfer of power, well it’s not a surprise,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, shown during a news conference on Sept. 24. | Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s refusal to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election could be cured […]
“Our democracy is not self-effectuating — it takes work and a commitment to guard it against those who would undermine it, whether foreign or domestic,” the seven House committee chairs unveiling the bill said in a statement. “It is time for Congress to strengthen the bedrock of our democracy and ensure our laws are strong enough to withstand a lawless president.” The measure, which Democrats have […]
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel is also probing President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to fire State Department inspector general Steve Linick. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel has subpoenaed Michael Pack, President Donald Trump’s appointee to lead the U.S. government’s foreign broadcast media arm. Pack, CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media and a close ally of former […]
U.S. Attorney John Durham. | Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images Four House committee chairs are asking the Justice Department’s top watchdog to open an “emergency” review of Attorney General Bill Barr’s handling of an investigation into the origins of the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe, questioning whether that probe — led by U.S. Attorney John Durham — is complying with DOJ rules intended to avoid influencing an imminent election. “We […]
A House Intelligence Committee official said the panel is still planning to hear from Murphy on Monday and had not yet formally postponed the deposition. Murphy’s 24-page complaint, delivered earlier this month to the House and Senate intelligence panels, described a series of alleged abuses by top DHS officials, including seeking to suppress intelligence about Russia because the reports would make “the president look bad.” Murphy […]
Sen. Ron Johnson speaks at the start of a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing in March. | Samuel Corum/Getty Images Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson is asking a Justice Department watchdog to probe recently revealed documents that suggest members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team wiped records from their official phones. Records released by the Justice Department this week in response to a Freedom of […]
Spivey emphasized that DHS had been willing to make Wolf’s deputy Ken Cuccinelli available to testify, which she said should have been sufficient since he’s fully versed in the same subjects as Wolf. Thompson said in a statement that Wolf’s refusal to testify at the panel’s annual “worldwide threats” hearing was an abdication at a critical time. “The Committee has not only the authority, but also […]
Schiff’s request comes as the Senate Intelligence Committee, also in receipt of Murphy’s complaint, has asked the department to produce all of the intelligence analyses that Murphy referenced in his complaint, as well as any notes and materials that fed into them. That letter, a bipartisan request from the panel’s acting chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and vice chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), seeks the documents by Sept. […]
The filing was the latest development in the House’s winding quest to access Trump’s financial documents from his accounting firm, Mazars USA. Democrats have said they need them as part of potential legislation to reform financial disclosures and curb corruption. Trump’s decision to maintain ties to his businesses — and evidence provided by his former attorney Michael Cohen that Trump routinely inflated his assets to obtain […]
Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images The House Oversight Committee is preparing to issue a subpoena for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, accusing him of ignoring the panel’s demand for documents related to Postal Service mail delays and contacts with White House officials or the Trump campaign Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) indicated Monday that DeJoy had refused to comply with a request for documents she issued during his testimony to […]
The charge by Maloney foreshadowed a brawl between the Democrat-led committee and the Trump-appointed Postal Service leaders over DeJoy’s appointment. DeJoy told the Senate on Friday that any delays caused by changes he implemented upon taking the role were the result of previously implemented policy changes — which he’s now paused until after the election. But Democrats worry damage has already been done to weaken the […]
Trump has provided no evidence to support the claim, and Yates said under oath that Obama’s only interest in Flynn was to ensure that it was safe to share sensitive national security information with the incoming administration while the FBI was probing concerns that Flynn was attempting to undermine sanctions leveled by Obama in response to Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. “General Flynn had essentially […]
Bulatao had been slated to appear on July 2 but Democrats deferred to a State Department request for a delay on the eve of his testimony, citing the need to review the recently complete inspector general’s report on the Saudi arms sale. Democrats also agreed to postpone the other witness depositions until after Bulatao’s appearance, but by Monday their patience had run out. In a required […]
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Engel has threatened to subpoena for the documents since May, when Johnson’s probe began ramping up. Johnson has indicated that a report on his findings could be released this summer, and his panel is also attempting to obtain testimony from top Obama administration national security and diplomatic officials. He has denied that his investigation […]
“Does the ranking member wish to respond?” asked House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). “No,” Nunes replied. Maloney responded by suggesting that Nunes’s refusal to answer “speaks volumes” and indicated that committee staffers are “in possession of evidence that a package was received.” That evidence, according to committee officials, is in the form of a DHL shipping receipt that was sent to the Intelligence Committee’s […]
But Eisen’s 280-page chronicle of the impeachment era, replete with his inside-the-room knowledge of how the process unfolded, juxtaposes lawmakers’ lofty pronouncements about protecting democracy with the often provincial tensions and messy House politics that drove decisions of national significance. Eisen, who signed up as a House Judiciary Committee attorney in early 2019 with an eye toward impeachment, also describes the hail of early “f— you’s” […]
The measure is a response to what they say is Trump’s effort to ban Muslims from the country, a policy he embraced during his 2016 presidential campaign. Though he never instituted an outright ban, Trump imposed restrictions on a slew of Muslim-majority countries, describing them as security risks. Democrats said the effort was, in practice, an effort to implement Trump’s proposed Muslim ban and cloak it […]
Trump has assailed Stone’s prosecution as politically motivated, even though the Justice Department repeatedly defended it and Attorney General William Barr called it “righteous.” Democrats described Stone’s pardon as an unprecedented abuse intended to reward a close ally of the president for frustrating the efforts of investigators looking at Trump’s knowledge of a Russian interference effort that damaged his 2016 opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary […]
“Given the seriousness and specificity of these threats, as members of congressional leadership and the congressional intelligence committees we believe it is imperative that the FBI provide a classified defensive briefing to all Members of Congress and that the briefing draw on all-source intelligence information and analysis, consistent with due regard for the protection of sensitive intelligence sources and methods,” they continued. The FBI acknowledged receiving […]
The confrontations in Portland are generating national scrutiny as the state’s governor and Portland’s mayor have asked the federal agents to leave — and been denied. “What they are doing is sharply escalating the situation,” Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union. “Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it’s not helping the situation at […]
A source familiar with the exchange confirmed that McCarthy and Stefanik were among a group of GOP lawmakers who shared a ride on Air Force One in late May, as Trump traveled to observe the launch of a SpaceX rocket in Florida. When Trump joined lawmakers, the subject of Stone arose. According to the source, Trump revealed quickly that he intended to extend clemency to Stone, […]
The letter, which is also signed by Sens. Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and others, asks for the documents by July 17. The request for access to Trump’s PDB is the latest salvo in Congress’ effort to shine a light on Trump’s handling of relations with Russia. Trump allies have refused to echo Trump’s claim that the Russian bounty story is a “hoax” […]
Duckworth’s letter is the latest in Democrats’ pressure campaign to unearth more details about the Trump administration’s response to the intelligence that the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence unit, mounted a proxy effort to kill American troops. Trump has repeatedly called the allegations a “hoax” meant to damage him, even as intelligence agencies have affirmed that there is at a minimum conflicting information about it. Though various […]
Now as lawmakers of both parties demand a similar level of detail from Trump, the GOP Benghazi report presents a roadmap of sorts. It’s also a potent talking point for Congress if the White House blocks oversight efforts. Capitol Hill Democrats, in particular, are demanding to know whether Trump received intelligence indicating Russia paid Taliban-linked militants to assassinate American servicemembers. Trump has denied ever being briefed […]
But such extreme measures have fallen out of favor over the years, as Congress has relied instead primarily on litigation to enforce its subpoenas and officials across government have acknowledged the unappetizing prospect of using force to impose its will. It’s even trickier when applied to a coequal branch of government, which may have its own privileges and protections to assert. But calls for reviving inherent […]
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Speaker Nancy Pelosi is demanding that the Trump administration brief all House members on the allegations that Russians have been paying Afghan militants to assassinate U.S. soldiers, pointing to recent news reports and conflicting statements by President Donald Trump on the matter. The New York Times reported on the intelligence assessment, which indicated that senior White […]
Three previous attempts to bring him in were aborted. The first, in spring 2019, was canceled after Barr refused to submit to questioning from committee staff, in the weeks after he released the report of special counsel Robert Mueller. The second occurred in March, when the coronavirus crisis led the House to call off most committee proceedings. The hearing was rescheduled for early June, but Barr […]
Former adviser to President Donald Trump, Roger Stone. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images A prosecutor who withdrew from the Roger Stone case after Justice Department leaders intervened to recommend a lighter sentence intends to testify before Congress that he and his colleagues were repeatedly pressured to cut Stone “a break,” and were told that it was because of his relationship with President Donald Trump. “What I heard […]
State Department aides have pushed back on suggestions that Pompeo or Bulatao acted improperly, alleging that Linick himself was the one acting improperly. Pompeo recently told reporters Linick was a “bad actor” in the department and wasn’t adequately fulfilling the role of inspector general. State Department officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Bulatao‘s planned appearance before the House committee. Steve Linick. […]
Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the No. 3 House Democrat, told CNN Thursday morning that the House “ought to consider” subpoenaing Bolton to hear his allegations under oath. “I really believe that we may need to get to the bottom of this. Not so much for impeachment. I don’t care about impeachment,” Clyburn said. “It’s for preserving this electoral process that we have, because this president […]
“We are writing to bring to your attention an issue that could impact the ability of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) and federal Inspectors General to provide effective oversight of over $1 trillion in pandemic-related funds, as well as transparency to the public about how those monies are being spent,” Horowitz and Westbrooks wrote. At issue is the structure of the CARES Act, which split […]
“On June 9, 2020, members of DC National Guard who responded to the protests tested positive for COVID-19, according to military representatives, raising concerns about BOP and other personnel who responded to the protests,” the lawmakers write in the letter addresses to Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal. They’re asking for details by June 17 about which facilities sent officers to the protest responses in Washington […]
The GOP report, based on nearly 60 witness interviews, produced no evidence that Trump or his associates conspired with Russians during the Kremlin’s 2016 interference. The panel also raised questions about the intelligence “tradecraft” used by the Obama administration to determine that Russia favored Trump to win, though that conclusion has since been reaffirmed by special counsel Robert Muller and the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee. “The […]
Linick told lawmakers that he was shocked by his removal, which came abruptly on May 15. He said he had just concluded a coronavirus briefing with staffers that morning when Undersecretary Brian Bulatao and Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, senior aides to Pompeo, asked him for a meeting. “The deputy said to me: The president decided to exercise his power to remove you,” Linick recalled. […]
The brother of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man killed last month by a Minneapolis police officer, will plead with lawmakers Wednesday to implement sweeping restrictions on the use of force by police. Philonise Floyd, according to his prepared statement, described the anguish his family felt after videos surfaced of the officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on his brother’s neck for nearly nine minutes, crying for […]
“If agency employees do not have confidence that their disclosures to IGs will be kept confidential, there will be a chilling effect,” GAO chief Gene Dodaro said in the report, delivered to 10 Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the congressional oversight committees. “Potential whistleblowers may refrain from coming forward with valuable information on instances of wrongdoing if they believe the acting IG is susceptible to pressures […]
The inquiry is the first step by the Democrat-led House to probe the police and military actions taken in Washington, D.C. ahead of Trump’s remarks on nationwide protests over police brutality in the Rose Garden. Trump declared support for peaceful protesters just as law enforcement officials under his command began forcefully removing nonviolent protesters from Lafayette Park, across from the White House, as they organized. Trump […]
Among the officials the committees intend to call are Brian Bulatao, undersecretary of state for management; Lisa Kenna, Pompeo’s executive secretary; senior adviser Toni Porter; assistant secretary for political military affairs R. Clarke Cooper; former deputy assistant secretary Marik String, a legal adviser to the department; deputy assistant secretary of political military affairs Mike Miller; and former deputy assistant secretary for legislative affairs Charles Faulkner. The […]
Graham intends to seek a Judiciary Committee vote on the matter Thursday. The proposal would allow Graham to obtain documents or testimony from any figures referenced in a report by the Justice Department Inspector General’s review of the FBI’s handling of a surveillance warrant connected to that investigation. That probe found corner-cutting, missteps and abuses by officials in the process used to surveil Carter Page, a […]
In fact, the parties started the day miles apart and ended it even further away. The first meeting of the new panel tasked with probing the government’s coronavirus response won’t be remembered for unearthing groundbreaking new policy information — and might not be remembered at all. But it was a visual distillation of the increasing dysfunction that has gripped Congress amid the coronavirus response and threatens […]
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. | Alex Wong/Getty Images Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s select committee overseeing the federal coronavirus response has settled on its first course of action: name and shame. The 12-member committee, which Republicans reluctantly joined Thursday after musing about a boycott, has identified five large public companies that nevertheless applied for and accepted small-business loans meant to aid those struggling to survive amid […]
“After more than a year of unnecessary delay, the ODNI has finally concluded its protracted classification review of the Committee’s transcripts, and it also appears the White House has now abandoned its improper insistence on reviewing key transcripts, which the Committee appropriately rejected,” a House Intelligence Committee spokesman said in a statement. The spokesman indicated that the panel would be reviewing the intelligence community’s proposed redactions: […]