Category: US House

34 House Democrats call for investigation into Jan. 5 tours by fellow members ahead of attack

Capitol is supposed to be closed to tours

Rep. Mikie Sherrill and 33 other House members want an investigation into access given by fellow House lawmakers to visitors to the Capitol on Jan. 5 before the violent attacks on Congress the next day.

The New Jersey Democrat alleged Tuesday night that members of Congress led guests on what she described as “reconnaissance” ahead of the insurrection on Jan. 6.

A letter issued Wednesday asks the acting House sergeant-at-arms, acting Senate sergeant-at-arms, and United States Capitol Police to investigate “suspicious behavior” on Jan. 5 and changes to visitor access. Continue reading.

Koch network pledges to ‘weigh heavy’ lawmakers’ actions in riots

Other GOP megadonors decline chance to defend Trump or his allies who challenged the election results.

The powerful Koch political network, funders of the Tea Party, will “weigh heavy” the actions of members of Congress in the days leading up to and after last week’s siege of the Capitol when considering future donations, in a sign that the GOP’s megadonor class is uncomfortable with the party’s recent actions.

In a statement to POLITICO, the Koch network said it will take last week’s events seriously when deciding where to put its millions of dollars in spending next election cycle.

“Lawmakers’ actions leading up to and during last week’s insurrection will weigh heavy in our evaluation of future support. And we will continue to look for ways to support those policymakers who reject the politics of division and work together to move our country forward,” said Emily Seidel, CEO of Americans for Prosperity and senior adviser to AFP Action, the group’s super PAC. Continue reading.

Veterans, ex-spies in Congress prominent in fraught week on Capitol Hill

Veterans, ex-spies in Congress prominent in fraught week on Capitol Hill

A bipartisan group of young lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds has been in the forefront of the congressional response to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and the cadre played a central role since then in the second impeachment of President Donald Trump. 

The group, which draws mostly from the Armed Services Committee, protected their fellow lawmakers during the attack. They also used military expertise to detect what they said were unnamed lawmakers who had possibly helped rioters plan their attack the day before.

They spoke of their oath to protect and defend the Constitution, in the military and in Congress alike, as they implored their colleagues to impeach Trump for his role in instigating the mob. Continue reading.

Democrat Ayanna Pressley’s office reveals a disturbing detail discovered during the Capitol siege

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Disturbing details are emerging about the state of Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s (D-Mass.) office amid the U.S. Capitol riots that took place as lawmakers certified the Electoral College vote. 

On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Pressley’s Massachusetts Chief of Staff Sarah Groh revealed to the Boston Globe that the entire panic button unit had been removed from the wall in the Democratic lawmaker’s office. As angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Groh revealed she and her colleagues looked for the panic button as they attempted to lock themselves inside the office. 

That’s when she discovered the button was no longer there. “Every panic button in my office had been torn out — the whole unit,” she told the paper. She also revealed she had previously used the button but received no notification about it being removed. Continue reading.

Here are the House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump

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Ten GOP House members joined Democrats in voting to impeach President Trump on Wednesday for inciting a riot at the Capitol last week. 

It marks the first time in the country’s history that a president has been impeached twice in one term.

It’s also the most bipartisan impeachment vote in the nation’s history. Continue reading.

Rep. Phillips: Why I Voted to Impeach Donald Trump

Neighbors,

Yesterday, the House voted to impeach Donald Trump.

This was an absolutely necessary action, and I’ll tell you why: There is no unity or healing without accountability. 

Far too many of my GOP colleagues are spending more time decrying this impeachment vote than they are condemning insurrectionists and seditionists. They are putting political theater ahead of protecting our democracy. And they are utterly failing to demand that President Trump dissuade those planning violence in his honor and his name. 

Continue reading “Rep. Phillips: Why I Voted to Impeach Donald Trump”

White House readying last-minute $27B spending cuts plan

‘Rescissions’ package can be undone by Biden administration, ignored by Democrats

The Trump administration was preparing a $27.4 billion package of spending rescissions to send to Capitol Hill, likely on Wednesday, which once sent will place a temporary hold on the funds at least until President-elect Joe Biden’s budget team gets situated.

The rescissions request, which allows the executive branch to try to cancel previously appropriated funds if Congress agrees, is almost twice as large as the $15.2 billion rescissions request he sent to Congress in 2018. At the time that package, which ultimately was blocked in the Senate, was the largest in history.

The new cuts package, described by sources familiar with it on condition of anonymity, is also orders of magnitude bigger than the nearly $4 billion in spending items President Donald Trump critiqued in the $1.4 trillion fiscal 2021 omnibus appropriations package.  Continue reading.

House Minority Leader McCarthy exploded at Trump for claiming ‘antifa’ was to blame for Capitol riot: report

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While Americans all over the United States watched in horror as angry Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, President Donald Trump reportedly continues to place blame elsewhere. And when the president claimed antifa was to blame for the deadly rioted he, himself, incited, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) pushed back on Trump’s claim, Axios report. Now, details are emerging about the Republican lawmaker’s heated call with the president.

According to Axios, McCarthy spoke with Trump on Monday, Jan. 12, where he reportedly stood his ground and reminded the president that the 2020 election is “over.”

During the 30-minute call, Trump allegedly deflected and peddled conspiracy theories about the election and what transpired at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. As Trump continued his claims of widespread voter fraud, McCarthy is said to have grown “exasperated” with the president. Continue reading.

When it comes to security clearances, rules for others don’t apply to Congress

GOP hawks fomented rioters but still oversee classified programs

Lawmakers are privy to some of the country’s most sensitive information, from domestic terrorism threats to military operations overseas, regularly receiving briefings in secure rooms in the Capitol complex from federal and military officials with high-level clearances.

But in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, some are asking whether certain members of Congress, including Republican leaders of defense and intelligence panels, would meet even the minimum standards for a government official to hold a security clearance.

“Being cleared requires allegiance to the U.S. Government and Constitution of the United States at a bare minimum,” Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and who fought with the Marine Corps in Iraq, said in a statement to CQ Roll Call. Continue reading.

After US Capitol assault, a different cybersecurity threat emerges

Among so many things that are horrific about last week’s deadly attack on the Capitol building was the fact that it was planned for weeks. In the open. With that in mind, we are left wondering about the cybersecurity questions raised in the aftermath.

When Engadget asked a physical cybersecurity penetration tester what he’d do if assigned to “pentest” the Capitol building during the riot, the response wasn’t comforting. His excitement was palpable. “Oooh, so many cool attacks you could do,” he said, and began listing equipment he’d bring.

But hold on a second: before getting to the attacks, we need to have some real talk about who would do such a thing. It’s a question we’re all asking about many aspects of this unbelievably painful moment. Continue reading.