Category: US House

House GOP flocks to police event one day after members question Jan. 6 actions

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GOP leader McCarthy does not address comments by Clyde, Gosar or Hice

The day after some House Republicans recast Jan. 6 rioters as victims, called into question a Capitol Police officer’s line-of-duty death and criticized the actions of a Capitol Police officer who justifiably shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, the conference’s leader did not push back on those members and their positions.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy — fresh off a “Back the Blue Bike Tour” ride with members and police — stood with acting Assistant Chief Sean Gallagher of the Capitol Police in the background and defended Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., who was also in attendance at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

“With all due respect, I was right here with Congressman Clyde laying a wreath for a fallen officer outside of his district,” McCarthy said when asked about the comments of Clyde, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., at a hearing Wednesday. Continue reading.

Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg expected to plead guilty next week

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A federal court has scheduled a change of plea hearing for Joel Greenberg, the Florida official and accused sex trafficker at the center of the legal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), indicating he’ll likely enter a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

District Judge Leslie Hoffman announced the hearing on Thursday, scheduling it for Monday, and ordered the parties to submit the terms of any plea agreement prior to the hearing.

The announcement shows that Greenberg is expected to plead guilty to federal charges, but the terms of an agreement — including specific charges he may plead guilty to — have not been made available. Continue reading.

Phillips Questions Special Climate Envoy John Kerry on Building a “Foreign Policy for the Middle Class”

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WASHINGTON, DC – At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) questioned Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry about U.S. diplomacy and the global response to climate change. During the hearing, Rep. Phillips compelled testimony on President Biden’s vision for a “foreign policy for the middle class” and the link between decarbonization and American competitiveness in the global economy.

In his response, Special Envoy Kerry highlighted the job growth and opportunities that would accompany the move away from fossil fuels. 

Watch Here: Rep. Phillips questions Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry

Continue reading “Phillips Questions Special Climate Envoy John Kerry on Building a “Foreign Policy for the Middle Class””

Trump’s ‘purgatory’: WSJ editorial board rips GOP for nixing Cheney while failing to see the bigger for 2022

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The Wall Street Journal editorial board is offering a critical assessment of House Republicans’ vote to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from leadership, warning the move will not nix the party’s problems ahead of the 2022 primary election.

In fact, the board ward the GOP could face deeper consequences in the long term for its failure to address the real problem: the haunting existence of former President Donald Trump, a political nightmare which the publication describes as Trump’s “purgatory.”

In an effort to stay in the former president’s good graces, Republican lawmakers voted in favor of stripping Cheney of her leadership role. But the Wall Street Journal warns that ousting Cheney won’t make lawmakers look better in the eyes of Republican voters. Continue reading.

Republicans are ‘no longer Americans’ because they’ve stopped supporting democracy: Howard Dean

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On Wednesday’s edition of MSNBC’s “The Beat,” former Democratic Party chair Howard Dean outlined the existential threat Republicans pose to American democracy — and suggested that as long as the GOP is on this path, they cannot call themselves American at all.

“I think this is a more serious problem than what’s going on in the Republican Party,” said Dean. “This is a contest to see if our democracy and our country survives. And most Republicans have chosen their power and chosen not to have a democratic country. The lies that have been told, there was a Georgia congressman out there saying there was no insurrection and it was all peaceful and all this stuff. It is not just the lies that Trump won the election. It is the Republican Party that has embraced this lie.”

“I think Liz Cheney deserves a lot of credit,” continued Dean. “I’m sure there will be people that are horrified that I should say that. But what we need is not that we all agree on our vision of America. What we need is honesty and to stand up for core democratic principles. The Republicans have abandoned principles. McConnell has abandoned them. All the backbenchers are carrying on and people from all over the country. The vast majority do not have a spine. If you could find six spines in the Republican Party, I would say you are exaggerating.” Continue reading.

Capitol insurrection forces military’s extremism problem out of the shadows

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Servicemembers and veterans make for prized recruits for extremist organizations

In the late 1980s, Chuck Leek was an aviation electrician stationed at Naval Base San Diego, home of the Pacific Fleet. There, he worked on electrical systems that ran through Navy helicopters. He says he was a “full-on skinhead.”

Leek, now 54, has cut ties with the white supremacist movement and works to bring others out of it. While in the military in California, Leek and two other neo-Nazis he met while in training formed a skinhead gang, rented a house together and began working to recruit other active-duty servicemembers.

Military commanders largely looked the other way. Continue reading.

Rep. Greene aggressively confronts Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, causing New York congresswoman to raise security concerns

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Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene aggressively confronted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday and falsely accused her of supporting “terrorists,” leading the New York congresswoman’s office to call on leadership to ensure that Congress remains “a safe, civil place for all Members and staff.”

Two Washington Post reporters witnessed Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) exit the House chamber late Wednesday afternoon ahead of Greene (Ga.), who shouted “Hey Alexandria” twice in an effort to get her attention. When Ocasio-Cortez did not stop walking, Greene picked up her pace and began shouting at her and asking why she supports antifa, a loosely knit group of far-left activists, and Black Lives Matter, falsely labeling them “terrorist” groups. Greene also shouted that Ocasio-Cortez was failing to defend her “radical socialist” beliefs by declining to publicly debate the freshman from Georgia.

“You don’t care about the American people,” Greene shouted. “Why do you support terrorists and antifa?” Continue reading.

Republicans’ Overthrow of Liz Cheney Risks Worsening Their Headaches

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As the party ties itself ever tighter to Trumpism, some Republicans worry about the implications for 2022 and far beyond. “I don’t think it’s a healthy moment for the party,” said one congressman.

WASHINGTON — As she arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday morning to meet her fate, the soon-to-be deposed No. 3 Republican in the House hinted that she was already eyeing her next role.

“The party is going to come back stronger, and I’m going to lead the effort to do it,” Representative Liz Cheney said as she stepped into an elevator and down to her demise.

Less than an hour later, accompanied by the acclaimed photographer David Hume Kennerly, a family friend, Ms. Cheney returned to her office for an interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie. A sit-down with Bret Baier of Fox News was to follow. Continue reading.

Reporters fact-check McCarthy for saying he doesn’t ‘think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the election’

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is facing a fierce fact-check from journalists after making another revisionist claim about his party’s response to the 2020 election.

On Wednesday, May 12, McCarthy spoke to reporters after attending a meeting with President Joe Biden. While speaking to reporters, the California lawmaker said, “I don’t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election. I think that is all over with. We’re sitting here with the president today.”

The perplexing comment quickly caught the attention of reporters who jumped at the opportunity to fact-check McCarthy for his inaccurate claims. On May 7, former President Donald Trump called the election the “Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020” in a message to his supporters. Continue reading.

GOP downplays Jan. 6 violence: Like a ‘normal tourist visit’

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Republican after Republican on Wednesday repeatedly sought to downplay the violence of the Jan. 6 insurrection, with one Georgia lawmaker likening the mobs overwhelming Capitol Police and vandalizing Capitol offices to a “normal tourist visit.”

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) made the tourist comment, saying that calling what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6 an insurrection “is a boldfaced lie.”

“Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures,” the first-term lawmaker said. “You know, if you didn’t know the TV footage was a video from Jan. 6, you’d think it was a normal tourist visit.” Continue reading.