Tag: Eric Swalwell

Justice Dept: Republican Rep. Mo Brooks may be sued over Jan. 6 speech to Trump supporters

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A Republican congressman’s Jan. 6 speech at a rally ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol is not covered by protections for members of Congress and federal employees, the Justice Department said in a court filing Tuesday — drawing a legal line over attempts to stop the certification of the 2020 election results.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) had argued that he is effectively immune from a lawsuit filed by his colleague Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) that accused Brooks, then-President Donald Trump, and others of fomenting the failed attack on Congress.

Past court opinions and Justice Department legal interpretations have given broad safeguards to protect elected officials who are sued over their public statements. But in the case of Brooks, the Justice Department decided he went too far. Continue reading.

‘You falsely smeared my wife’: Eric Swalwell reveals furious text exchange with Tucker Carlson

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On Friday, The Daily Beast reported that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) posted screenshots of an angry argument between him and Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who wanted to get him on the phone for a call.

“Tucker, I’m hesitant to do that. You falsely smeared my wife on Tuesday and she’s getting death threats,” said Swalwell, referring to a retracted Fox News story alleging that Swalwell’s campaign funneled money to a business employing his wife. “That’s way out of bounds. She’s a pregnant mom of a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. Hit me all you like. But to go after her. That’s just wrong.”

“Carlson responded by calling the Democrat a ‘coward’ and then apparently phoning him a few minutes later,” reported Blake Montgomery. “Swalwell tweeted, ‘I’m just not that into you.'” Continue reading.

Rep. Eric Swalwell says Cruz and Gaetz are like WWE wrestlers and behind closed doors Cruz told him he was doing a great job as an impeachment manager

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California likened several outspoken GOP lawmakers — namely Rep. Matt Gaetz, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Rep. Jim Jordan — to professional wrestlers, saying they were simply putting on an act on social media and television.

Speaking with the anti-Trump group MeidasTouch in a podcast released Tuesday, Swalwell said many of his colleagues were “better suited to work at the WWE” and were trying to give viewers “what they think the fans want.”

He said he had worked with Gaetz before the rise of Trumpism in the US and observed that Gaetz would turn into a character and “laugh at himself about how stupid he had to act to keep the act going.” Continue reading.

Eric Swalwell reveals shocking thing Republican did after refusing to shake DC cop’s hand

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On CNN Wednesday, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) shredded his nearly two dozen Republican colleagues who voted against giving medals to Capitol Police officers who pushed back the rioters on January 6.

“To honor Donald Trump, you now have to dishonor the police, that’s the only explanation I have for you,” said Swalwell. “Officer Fanone and Officer Harry Dunn stopped by my office earlier today unannounced. They popped in, I chatted with them for a while. They told me how much it hurt to watch the vote yesterday where 21 Republicans voted against giving these hero officers the gold medals. They said they wanted to embark on going to those offices to meet the members of Congress, tell them about their experience and hopefully change their minds.”

“So Fanone called me about 20 minutes after he left my office and he was enraged,” continued Swalwell. “He said, is this really how it works around here? … He said that Congressman Clyde, after he refused to shake his hand, pulled out his cell phone and started recording him like he was some sort of criminal, that he had to document the interaction. That’s just where these guys are right now. I saw Clyde on the floor, scared for his life as all of us were, and I saw the brave officers who put their lives in front of ours and everyone else in that building. This is just no way to treat them.” Continue reading.

Eric Swalwell forced to hire private investigators because Rep. Mo Brooks is so scared of his subpoena

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Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) is so terrified of the lawsuit by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) that he has been hiding from process servers for almost a month, just to avoid being subpoenaed.

Brooks was among many Republicans who spoke at the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally that led to the attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

“Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” proclaimed Brooks moments ahead of the crowd attacking Capitol Police and D.C. Metro cops. Brooks is even bragging about his involvement in the Jan. 6 attacks, using it in several Facebook ads for his campaign. But when asked to stand up for his speech and defend his involvement, Brooks is running scared and hiding. Continue reading.

Fox News throws GOP leader’s attacks on Eric Swalwell back in his face amid Matt Gaetz sex trafficking probe

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Fox News host Dana Perino on Wednesday put House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on the hot seat over revelations that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is being probed by the FBI for potential sex trafficking charges.

While appearing on Fox News, McCarthy was reminded by Perino of his past statements that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) should be removed from the House Intelligence Committee after revelations that a suspected Chinese spy had infiltrated his office.

“So by that same logic, will you take any action to remove Matt Gaetz from the Judiciary Committee while he’s under investigation by the DOJ over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him?” she asked. Continue reading.

Trump sued by Democrat over mob attack on Capitol

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Former President Trump, his eldest son and several of his allies were sued on Friday by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) over their role in the run-up to the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

The 65-page complaint filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., accuses Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr., Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani of inciting the riot and violating a number of federal and D.C. laws.

Each defendant was among the speakers at a pro-Trump rally that immediately preceded the deadly Capitol breach. The lawsuit depicts the incendiary rally speeches as a tipping point that culminated a months-long disinformation campaign to push the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump. Continue reading.

Rep. Swalwell expertly corners Bill Barr and details evidence of Trump’s crimes

AlterNet logoWhile much of Tuesday’s House Judiciary Committee Hearing with Attorney General Bill Barr was wasted with imprecise and circuitous questions that let him filibuster and avoid accountability, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) managed to use his brief time to zero in on a key issue. He exposed Barr’s excessive fealty and deference to President Donald Trump and effectively debunked the attorney general’s claims to be an impartial defender of the rule of law.

Swalwell began by addressing an issue that had been discussed previously in the hearing without much clarity: Barr’s interference in the sentencing recommendation of Roger Stone.

“Mr. Barr, have you ever intervened, other than to help the president’s friend get a reduced prison sentence, in any other case where a prosecutor had filed a sentencing recommendation with the court?” he asked. Continue reading.

‘Show us the Flynn tapes’: Rep. Eric Swalwell destroys Trump’s ex-intel chief in epic Twitter clash

AlterNet logoRight now there is an online Twitter battle between California’s Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell and President Donald Trump’s former acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell.  Swalwell is winning, handily.

It all started last week when Rep. Swalwell said he didn’t trust Grenell, who was stepping down both as Trump’s Ambassador to Germany and as his acting DNI, after the Senate confirmed now-former Congressman John Ratcliffe. (Ratcliffe is legally ineligible to hold that position, but Senate Republicans confirmed him anyway.) Continue reading.

 

‘Pages of lies’: Democratic lawmaker reveals how Devin Nunes has buried key evidence in the Russia probe

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Rep. Eric Swalwell is convinced that the outgoing GOP House Intelligence chairman has covered for Trump’s wrongdoing.

With President Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen spilling the beans on Trump’s participation in his team’s illicit negotiations with the Russians in a plea agreement with special counsel Robert Mueller, the allegations of collusion are looking more serious by the day. And one person who does not come off looking good amid the whole affair is outgoing House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), who will cease to lead the committee next year as Democrats assume the House majority.

Nunes, a close ally of Trump, has gone to great lengths to twist his committee’s investigative power away from Trump’s ties to Russia and onto the supposed misconduct of federal investigators who were looking into Trump’s ties to Russia, from writing a shoddy, partisan memo that alleged the FBI improperly obtained FISA warrants against the Trump campaign, to traveling to London to try to get British intelligence officials to discredit ex-MI6 spy Christopher Steele’s dossier on Trump.

And the worst part of it all, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) told Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House” on Thursday, is that Nunes was sitting on real evidence of wrongdoing by Trump and his family, could have pursued the matter, and did not.

View the complete November 29 article by Matthew Chapman on the AlterNet.org website here.