Category: US House

Republican Ties to Extremist Groups Are Under Scrutiny

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A number of members of Congress have links to organizations and movements that played a role in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.

WASHINGTON — The video’s title was posed as a question, but it left little doubt about where the men who filmed it stood. They called it “The Coming Civil War?” and in its opening seconds, Jim Arroyo, who leads an Arizona chapter of Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia, declared that the conflict had already begun.

To back up his claim, Mr. Arroyo cited Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, one of the most far-right members of Congress. Mr. Gosar had paid a visit to the local Oath Keepers chapter a few years earlier, Mr. Arroyo recounted, and when asked if the United States was headed for a civil war, the congressman’s “response to the group was just flat out: ‘We’re in it. We just haven’t started shooting at each other yet.’”

Less than two months after the video was posted, members of the Oath Keepers were among those with links to extremist groups from around the country who took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, prompting new scrutiny of the links between members of Congress and an array of organizations and movements that espouse far-right beliefs. Continue reading.

West Virginia man arrested near U.S. Capitol with gun, ‘Stop the Steal’ papers in car

Dennis Westover, who told police he had concerns about the integrity of the election, had parked in the middle of an intersection near the Capitol Building.

A 71-year-old West Virginia man was arrested after police found him parked near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., with a gun, 20 rounds of ammunition and “Stop the Steal” paperwork in his vehicle.

The arrest came weeks after supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who had attended a gathering billed by many as the “Stop the Steal Rally” to oppose the election of President Joe Biden, stormed the Capitol. Five people died as a result of the Jan. 6 riot, including a Capitol police officer.

The man, Dennis Westover, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with carrying a gun without a license, possession of unregistered ammunition and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to an incident report obtained by NBC News. Continue reading.

Second officer from Capitol riot dies by suicide, police chief says

“Other harm from this traumatic day will be widely felt but possibly unacknowledged,” the acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department said.

A second police officer who defended the U.S. Capitol during the mob attack on Jan. 6 has died by suicide, the acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department said this week.

Chief Robert J. Contee III told a House committee on Tuesday that Officer Jeffrey Smith, a 12-year-veteran of the Metro Police Department, had killed himself recently. Another officer, Howard Liebengood, who joined the Capitol Police in 2005, died by suicide three days after the attack. Liebengood was 51.

“Other harm from this traumatic day will be widely felt but possibly unacknowledged,” Contee said. “Law enforcement training neither anticipates nor prepares for hours of hand-to-hand combat.” Continue reading.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Theorized Space Laser Beam Sparked California Wildfire

“[T]here are too many coincidences to ignore,” the Republican congresswoman claimed in 2019.

Another unearthed post from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Facebook page shows that her taste for conspiracy theories knows no bounds.

In a post that the watchdog group Media Matters uncovered Thursday, the Georgia Republican posited that solar energy collected in space and beamed back to Earth is what sparked California’s worst wildfire.

Greene, the newly elected congresswoman known for supporting the outlandish QAnon conspiracy theory, posted the bizarre solar energy theory as the 2018 Camp Fire raged in Paradise, California, and became the deadliest and most destructive blaze in state history.  Continue reading.

GOP has growing Marjorie Taylor Greene problem

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First-term Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is increasingly becoming a liability for her GOP colleagues because of a string of controversies that have thrown the conference off message and led to repudiations by Republican leaders.

Greene, a Trump loyalist and a believer of the QAnon conspiracy theory, filed impeachment articles against President Biden on his first full day in office.

She has supported Facebook posts that called for executing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and FBI agents, and in a video that resurfaced this week is seen taunting gun control activist David Hogg a year after he survived the 2018 mass school shooting at his high school in Parkland, Fla. Continue reading.

GOP lawmakers voice frustrations with McCarthy

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House Republicans are voicing frustrations with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), underscoring divisions in the conference in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Those criticizing McCarthy say his messaging has been inconsistent. They note he’s at times criticized former President Trump for his role in the mob attack on the Capitol, only to reverse course later.

They also say McCarthy has sent different messages over Rep. Liz Cheney(Wyo.), the third-ranking House GOP leader, who voted to impeach Trump and now faces calls for her removal from leadership. Continue reading.

Pelosi slams GOP on Greene: ‘The enemy is within’

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday hammered House GOP leaders for putting Rep. Marjorie Greene on the Education Committee, just as revelations have emerged that the Georgia Republican has questioned the veracity of deadly school shootings around the country.

“It is absolutely appalling, and I think that the focus has to be on the Republican leadership of this House of Representatives for the disregard that they have for the death of those children,” Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol.

Pelosi said it’s “beyond the pale” that GOP leaders would place Greene on the Education panel. Continue reading.

Rep. Phillips announces new leadership roles, committee memberships

In the 117th Congress, Phillips will serve on the House Small Business, Foreign Affairs, Modernization, and Ethics Committees and will help lead the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus as Vice Chair 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the 117th Congress begins its work on behalf of the American people, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) today announced his committee assignments along with new leadership positions for his second term. At his request, Phillips will now serve on the Small Business Committee – where he’ll Chair the Investigations, Oversight, and Regulations Subcommittee – along with the Foreign Affairs and Ethics Committees and the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. He will also help lead the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus as Vice Chair. Taken together the assignments reflect an ambitious undertaking for Phillips, who has made it his mission to restore Americans’ faith in government and America’s standing the world. His leadership role on the House Small Business Committee will also allow him to continue his efforts to ensure federal COVID relief dollars are reaching those who need it most.

NEW: HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS

As an entrepreneur and small business owner himself, Phillips will bring valuable experience and a proven bipartisan record of results to the committee, and will remain focused on supporting those small businesses most impacted by the COVID pandemic. In his first term, Phillips authored the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Flexibility Act which helped thousands of small businesses access much-needed PPP funds and avoid further closures and layoffs. Minnesota’s Third Congressional District has more small businesses – generating more in payroll at $11.2 billion annually – than any other District in the state, according to the Small Business Administration.

“Small businesses in our community – from local burger joints to barbershops – are the glue that hold our communities together and power our economy, and they’re in crisis. We must do everything in our power to help them weather the storm so that they can help lead the economic recovery once we are through this pandemic. I’ll have the voices of Minnesota’s small business owners and entrepreneurs in mind as we provide the oversight necessary to ensure federal funds are accessible and equitably distributed and as we lay the groundwork for a prosperous future for our main street businesses,” said Phillips.

Continue reading “Rep. Phillips announces new leadership roles, committee memberships”

A reporter tried to ask Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene about her false claims. The journalist was threatened with arrest.

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At a town hall meeting on Wednesday, WRCB reporter Meredith Aldis wanted to ask Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) a question about the fierce blowback she has faced this week over old social media posts that promoted baseless claims and endorsed violence.

But when Aldis tried to ask her question at the meeting in Dalton, Ga., Greene rebuffed her.

“I’m talking to my constituents,” Greene said, refusing to listen to the reporter’s question or offer any response. Continue reading.

Most House Republicans silent over violent Marjorie Taylor Greene comments as Democrats condemn them

Most House Republicans were silent on Wednesday after CNN’s KFile reported that Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress. 

“These comments are deeply disturbing, and Leader McCarthy plans to have a conversation with the Congresswoman about them,” Mark Bednar, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, said in a statement Wednesday evening. Axios was first to report his comments and the California Republican’s plans to speak with the congresswoman. 

House GOP Whip Steve Scalise said in a statement to CNN, “I’ve consistently condemned the use of violent rhetoric in politics on both sides, and this is no exception. There is no place for comments like that in our political discourse.” Continue reading.