Tag: Dick Durbin

Dick Durbin slams Ted Cruz for lying about LGBTQ Equality Act and ‘religious liberty’

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U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Tuesday apparently tried to make a soundbite speech for Fox News while falsely characterizing the LGBTQ Equality Act and its impact on “religious freedom.” Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) was not going to allow Cruz’s political grandstanding get in the way of an important confirmation hearing. 

Cruz, under fire for months now over various scandals, including his role in the January 6 insurrection, has gone as far as doing a photo op showing him holding a case of bottled water after his Cancun excursion when he left millions of his constituents in the middle of a sub-freezing winter storm without power or water.

On Tuesday Cruz tried the “religious liberty” approach, attacking civil rights attorney and champion Vanita Gupta. Continue reading.

Lawmakers rally to defend Mueller after McCabe exit

The following article by Mallory Shelbourne was posted on the Hillwebsite March 18, 2018:

Lawmakers on Sunday rallied to the defense of special counsel Robert Mueller after concerns were raised over his job security following the abrupt firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Friday that he fired the FBI’s No. 2 official in a move that roiled Washington, D.C., and spurred a series of tweets from President Trump denouncing Mueller, McCabe and former FBI Director James Comey.

McCabe said his firing was an attempt to undermine the Mueller investigation into Russia’s election interference and possible collusion between members of Trump’s campaign and Moscow. The president targeted Mueller’s investigation in a series of tweets over the weekend, further alarming many lawmakers.

Democrats on Sunday were calling for proactive measures to protect Mueller and his investigation. Republicans insisted Trump has no intention of firing the special counsel, although the White House also acknowledged Trump is “frustrated.” Continue reading “Lawmakers rally to defend Mueller after McCabe exit”

Inside the tense, profane White House meeting on immigration

The following article by Josh Dawsey, Robert Costa and Ashley Parker was posted on the Washington Post website January 15, 2018:

President Trump on Jan. 14, said “I am not a racist” and blamed Democrats for the delay in passing deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (The Washington Post)

When President Trump spoke by phone with Sen. Richard J. Durbin around 10:15 a.m. last Thursday, he expressed pleasure with Durbin’s outline of a bipartisan immigration pact and praised the high-ranking Illinois Democrat’s efforts, according to White House officials and congressional aides.

The president then asked if Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), his onetime foe turned ally, was on board, which Durbin affirmed. Trump invited the lawmakers to visit with him at noon, the people familiar with the call said. Continue reading “Inside the tense, profane White House meeting on immigration”

Top Dem calls on Trump to speak out about Moore

The following article by Mallory Shelbourne was posted on the Hill website November 12, 2017:

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in a Sunday show interview called on President Trump to speak out about the allegations levied against Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore.

“President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party in America,” Durbin told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Durbin argued Trump has a responsibility to “say more and do more,” noting other members of the GOP who have called on Moore to step aside from the Senate race if the allegations prove true.

“It’s time for the president to do the same,” Durbin said. Continue reading “Top Dem calls on Trump to speak out about Moore”

Durbin Accuses Republicans of Trying to Keep Election Hacking Investigation Secret

The following article by Joseph Marks was posted on the NextGov.com website January 24, 2017:

Senate Republicans want to keep an investigation into Russian tampering in the 2016 election under tight wraps for fear of embarrassing the new President Donald Trump or the Republican party, the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat charged Tuesday.

That accusation, leveled on Trump’s fourth full day in office, helps ensure cybersecurity and Russia’s role in the election will remain highly charged and highly partisan this year.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., described Russian government-backed hacks of Democratic political organizations as an “act of cyberwar” and “a day that will live in cyber infamy,” during an address at the Center for American Progress, echoing President Franklin Roosevelt’s description of Pearl Harbor. Continue reading “Durbin Accuses Republicans of Trying to Keep Election Hacking Investigation Secret”