Category: US House

Texas lawyer fired for Capitol assault dumped by pro-Trump groups trying to prove election fraud: report

A Texas attorney who was quickly fired as counsel for an insurance companyafter he posted a video of himself taking part in the Jan. 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that forced lawmakers to flee for their lives is once again out of a job after new clients alleging election fraud fired him too.

Two days after the Capitol riot, attorney Paul Davis was let go by Goosehead Insurance after proudly posting video of himself at the protest that turned into a riot, saying, “The fact that they will not let us inspect any of the ballots or the machines should tell you something. We’re all trying to get into the Capitol to stop this and this is what’s happening, they’re tear-gassing us.”

Since that time, he signed on with lawyer Kellye SoRelle in a lawsuit, described by Above the Law as, “seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.” Continue reading.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn Mocked For Not Knowing Vatican City Is Its Own Country

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The first-term lawmaker didn’t think a new rule about vaccinations in Vatican City sounded legal, even though Vatican City is an independent state.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) isn’t impressing Twitter users with his understanding of international law.

On Thursday night, the first-term lawmaker criticized a recent rule in Vatican City that says any employee who refuses to get the COVID-19 vaccine without a valid medical reason could be fired.

As RawStory notes, Cawthorn has no medical degree, law degree, degree in religious studies, or any of a number of other accreditations that you might think would be useful when talking about this kind of thing. However, that didn’t stop him from denouncing Vatican City’s decision. Continue reading.

Rep. Dean Phillips PSA: Vaccines Near You

COVID VACCINE UPDATE

Hi Neighbors,

Optimism is infinitely stronger than fear, and, while this has surely been one of the most challenging years in many Americans’ lifetimes, the creation of safe and effective vaccines to fight COVID-19 is reason to hope.  

I’ve made it my mission to help get us through this pandemic as safe, economically sound, and prepared for the future as possible. When it comes to vaccines, it’s clear that we need more doses, more vaccination sites, and more health care workers to administer vaccines if we are going to get this virus under control. As your member of Congress, I will continue doing everything I can to ensure our Minnesota leaders have the funding and information they need to get vaccines to Minnesotans as quickly as possible. I’m hopeful we’re on the right path, and I am encouraged by the Biden Administration’s steps to ramp up production and distribution.  

Governor Tim Walz, the Minnesota Department of Health, and our local leaders are responsible for determining eligibility standards and distributing vaccines to Minnesotans. They are the best point of contact for specific questions about our state’s vaccination plan. Data about vaccine eligibility and availability changes quickly, and I know that can be frustrating. We’re in this together, so the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions my team and I have been receiving are below. The information in this update was compiled on February 19, 2021 and will change as more vaccines become available.

Continue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips PSA: Vaccines Near You”

Judge says Capitol riot suspects ‘zip tie guy’ and his mom must stay in custody

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In a blistering opinion Wednesday, a federal judge said a Nashville man and his mother, charged in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, must stay in custody because their release on bail would threaten national security.

Eric Munchel, dubbed “zip tie guy” in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, and his mother Lisa Eisenhart will be held until their trials. Federal prosecutors say they were part of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol to stop lawmakers from certifying the election of President Joe Biden.

Investigators identified Munchel, 30, and Eisenhart, 56, in video footage from the riot. Munchel was seen inside the Capitol carrying plastic handcuffs, wearing a tactical vest, with a taser holstered on his right hip and an iPhone strapped to his chest, facing outward. Continue reading.

While Ted Cruz was rushing back to America, AOC raised $1 million for the people of Texas

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz and right wing extremists Erick Erickson, Dinesh D’Souza, Ben Shapiro, and Donald Trump, Jr., all thought there was nothing a sitting U.S. Senator could do for the millions of people freezing and starving in the Lone Star State.

After massive internet outrage – outrage that was called “cancel culture” today in a rant from Trump Jr. – Senator Cruz hightailed it back to America from his Cancun crash pad at the Ritz Carlton, put out a statement lying about the origins of his Mexico excursion, literally lied some more, and came home to a his Houston home that was empty except for his dog Snowflake and his security guard hanging out in his car in the driveway.

While the Texas Senator was doing all this, a Congresswoman from New York City went to work for his constituents, because someone had to. Continue reading.

With guns as backdrop, Boebert opposes committee firearm ban

Colorado Republican asked for a personal security detail if she’s prohibited from carrying firearms into the Natural Resources Committee’s hearing room

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., asked Thursday to be provided a personal security detail if she’s prohibited from carrying firearms into the House Natural Resources Committee’s hearing room.

Boebert had an assortment of guns arrayed on a bookshelf behind her as she spoke during the panel’s virtual meeting to organize for the 117th Congress.

She said the committee’s chairman, Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., should pay for her security detail personally rather than having taxpayers foot the bill. Continue reading.

Reporter says two GOP lawmakers are being investigated by Capitol Police

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There were allegations that Republican officials are refusing to abide by security rules at the U.S. Capitol, but no investigations had been announced — until now.

Huffington Post reporter Matt Fuller reported that the Capitol Police called him in for an interview, not as a reporter, for their investigation.

According to his Twitter thread, Fuller said, “They have two ongoing investigations that I was witness to: one, the potential assault of an officer by a Member of Congress, the other, Andy Harris.” Continue reading.

L. Brent Bozell IV, descendant of prominent conservative family, charged in Capitol breach

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The son of a prominent conservative activist who denounced the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol but has claimed that Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election has been charged with participating in the riot.

Leo Brent Bozell IV, the son of L. Brent Bozell III, was charged with trespassing and obstruction of an official proceeding in the assault that left five dead, injured more than 100 police officers and delayed the electoral-vote confirmation of President Biden’s victory.

Charging papers made public Tuesday allege that the younger Bozell, 41, appeared on video on the Senate chamber floor during the event wearing a Hershey Christian Academy hooded sweatshirt. Online tipsters identified him as “Zeek” or “Zeeker Bozell” and traced his work as a girls’ basketball coach in Hershey, Pa., the FBI said. Continue reading.

‘People want Armageddon: : GOP insiders say Republicans will move to impeach Biden if they retake the House

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During former President Donald Trump’s two impeachment trials — one for trying to bully a foreign power into interfering in a U.S. election, the other for inciting the violent insurrection of January 6 — it wasn’t unusual to hear Republicans commenting that impeachments are bad because they are so divisive. But journalist Mark Leibovich, in a New York Times articlepublished on February 16, stresses that Republicans in Congress will be singing a very different tune if they regain control of either the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate in the 2022 midterms.

“In a broader sense, officials of both parties have suggested that regular impeachments may just become one of several regular features of a new and bitter normal in our politics,” Leibovich writes. “Previously rare or unthinkable measures could simply start happening all the time.”

Leibovich pointed to Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina as a perfect example of a Republican who flip-flops on impeachment. The former 2016 Trump critic turned devoted Trump sycophant decried both of Trump’s impeachments as an outrage, but he recently suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris could be impeached in the future. Continue reading.

Where things stand on COVID-19 relief measure

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Democrats are aiming to move quickly on a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package and give President Biden a legislative accomplishment early in his tenure.

A multitude of House committees advanced portions of the bill last week, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told colleagues on Tuesday that the plan is for the bill to be considered on the House floor next week.

The bigger challenge lies ahead when the work shifts over to the Senate. The legislation will need every Senate Democrat to vote for it to pass if no Republicans back it. Continue reading.