Tag: GOP House

House GOP intends to seek Comey interview after August recess

The following article by Olivia Beavers was posted on the Hill website July 30, 2018:

House Republicans are planning to seek an interview with former FBI Director James Comey in September to discuss his decisionmaking during the 2016 election, The Hill has learned.

GOP members of the House Judiciary and House Oversight and Government Reform committees are expected to request Comey’s testimony after lawmakers return from their four-week August recess, according to three lawmakers familiar with the matter.

The Judiciary and Oversight committees, which are leading a joint investigation into the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of State, are eager to press the former FBI chief on a series of decisions he made during the 2016 campaign and after President Trump fired him in May 2017.

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GOP-led House committee rebuffs Trump administration on immigrant asylum claim policy

The following article by Seung Min Kim was posted on the Washington Post website July 26, 2018:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Credit: Alex Brandon, AP

A GOP-led House committee delivered a rebuke of the Trump administration’s immigration policies this week — an unusual bipartisan move that may ultimately spell trouble for must-pass spending measures later this year.

The powerful House Appropriations Committee passed a measure that would essentially reverse Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s guidance earlier this year that immigrants will not generally be allowed to use claims of domestic or gang violence to qualify for asylum. The provision was adopted as part of a larger spending bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security, an already contentious measure because of disputes over funding for President Trump’s border wall.

But one influential Senate Republican and ally of the White House warned that keeping the asylum provision could sink the must-pass funding bill, and other conservatives who support a tougher line on immigration began denouncing it Thursday.

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Meadows backs off impeaching Rosenstein after leadership talks

The following article by Olivia Beavers was posted on the Hill website July 26, 2018:

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, left, leaves the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday after a meeting with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-WI). Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) says he is tabling his efforts to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after having several meetings with Republican leadership, stating that he would instead pursue contempt if the Justice Department (DOJ) does not turn over documents Congress is seeking.

While the impeachment option remains on the table, Meadows told reporters Thursday he now hopes it will be a contempt process rather than impeachment.

When asked what will happen if he does not receive the documents two House committees are seeking by the time the House returns from August recess, Meadows said, “I think the very first order of business would be moving the House to a contempt vote.”

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GOP lawmakers introduce articles of impeachment against Rosenstein

The following article by Olivia Beavers was posted on the Hill website July 25, 2018:

A group of conservative House lawmakers on Wednesday introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the top Department of Justice (DOJ) official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The introduction of the resolution is the latest sign of escalating efforts among conservatives to oust the DOJ’s No. 2 official.

Conservative members led by Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), along with nine co-sponsors, introduced the five articles shortly after a meeting with DOJ officials concerning document production.

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NOTE:  While the articles weren’t moved forward before the House recessed for the summer, the House members have said they plan to pursue it this fall.

House to Codify Guidelines for Virtual Town Halls

The following article by Katherine Tully-McManus was posted on the Roll Call website July 25, 2018:

Measure would provide spending guidance on joint events

Members wishing to conduct joint virtual town halls will get some guidance from legislation set for approval by the House Administration Committee. (Douglas Credit: Graham, CQ Roll Call file photo

New rules are coming to the House for members hosting virtual town hall meetings with constituents back in their districts.

The House Administration Committee takes up a resolution Wednesday that will codify regulations for lawmakers teaming up to do joint town hall meetingson the internet.

The resolution will make changes to the Members’ Congressional Handbook, which lays out the rules and regulations for what House members can spend money on and what they can’t. For joint virtual town halls, the proposed change details how expenses should be split.

View the complete article here.

How a Trump Decision Revealed a G.O.P. Memo’s Shaky Foundation

The following article by Charlie Savage was posted on the New York Times website July 22, 2018:

President Trump claimed vindication in a series of tweets even though newly released documents undermined Republicans’ claims in a dispute over the wiretapping of a Trump campaign aide. Credit: Al Drago, The New York Times

WASHINGTON — When President Trump declassified a memo by House Republicans in February that portrayed the surveillance of a former campaign adviser as scandalous, his motivation was clear: to give congressional allies and conservative commentators another avenue to paint the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian election interference as tainted from the start.

But this past weekend, Mr. Trump’s unprecedented decision, which he made over the objections of law enforcement and intelligence officials, had a consequence that revealed his gambit’s shaky foundation. The government released the court documents in which the F.B.I. made its case for conducting the surveillance — records that plainly demonstrated that key elements of Republicans’ claims about the bureau’s actions were misleading or false.

On Sunday, Mr. Trump nevertheless sought to declare victory. In a series of early-morning tweets, he claimed without evidence that the newly disclosed files “confirm with little doubt that the Department of ‘Justice’ and FBI misled the courts” to win approval to start wiretapping the former adviser, Carter Page, shortly after he had left the campaign amid criticism of his ties to Russia.

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Justice Dept releases surveillance applications for former Trump aide

The following article by Olivia Beavers was posted on the Hill website July 21, 2018:

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday released documents related to the surveillance warrants on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page as part of the federal investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia.

The documents have been at the heart of a controversy over alleged bias at the FBI.

The heavily redacted application materials — 412 pages, including an initial application and several applications to renew the surveillance — indicate that the FBI “believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government … to undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election in violation of U.S. criminal law.”

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Democrats Press GOP for Quick Legislative Response on Russia

The following article by Rachel Oswald was posted on the Roll Call website July 20, 2018:

Several measures in both chambers designed to push back on Putin

Protesters participate in a candlelight vigil in front of the White House protesting President Trump in the wake of his meeting with Russian President Putin. Credit: Sarah Silbiger, CQ Roll Call

House and Senate Democrats are pressuring their Republican colleagues to bring to the floor legislation introduced in response to President Donald Trump’s comments — and revisions to those comments — this week on Russian interference in U.S. elections.

Democratic House leaders released a bipartisan package that includes 17 previously introduced bills that would further restrict the White House’s foreign policy and economic options when it comes to Moscow.

The package (HR 6437) has two Republican cosponsors, including Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who is chairwoman of the House Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. Stefanik, who quickly emerged as a leader on the Armed Services panel, includes cyber in her subcommittee’s portfolio.

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‘USA! USA!’: House Democrats Chant As Republicans Refuse to Vote for Amendment Protecting US Elections

The following article by Christ Sosa was posted on the AlterNet.org website July 19, 2018:

The Democrats stood to their feet after a member described election interference as “one of the most pressing issues of our time.”

Credit: C-SPAN

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) introduced a measure on Thursday to designate additional funding to states for the protection of elections.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) spoke in support of the measure, saying, the federal government should help “slam the door in the face of the Russian bear or any other adversary who seeks to steal the integrity of our elections.”

Hoyer explained that the amendment was about “one of the most pressing issues of our time.”

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One Year Later, Trump And Republicans Continue To Attack The ACA

One year ago, of Trump and Republicans’ health care repeal failed in the Senate. Since, Trump and Republicans have continued to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, making premiums increase across the country. It’s clear why Americans overwhelmingly trust Democrats over Republicans on health care.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans want to keep and improve on the ACA, not repeal it, Trump has continued to sabotage the law.

  • The Trump administration urged a federal court to deem pre-existing condition protections under the ACA unconstitutional.
  • The Trump administration slashed funding for programs that help Americans sign up for health insurance, and promoted plans that do not comply with health care protection standards under the ACA.
  • Trump tried to suspend billions of dollars in risk-adjustment payments, which would have created more uncertainty and further driven up premiums.

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