Tag: Sen. Grassley

Grassley tests positive for coronavirus

The Hill logo

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Tuesday evening that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, hours after announcing that he would be quarantining after a potential exposure.

“This morning, I learned that I had been exposed to the coronavirus. I received a COVID-19 test and immediately began to quarantine. While I still feel fine, the test came back positive for the coronavirus,” Grassley said in a statement.

Grassley, who is 87 and third in line to the presidency, added in a tweet that he was “feeling good” and would continue to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Continue reading.

GOP set to release controversial Biden report

The Hill logo

Republicans are preparing to release a report in a matter of days on their investigation focused on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, a move they hope will put fresh scrutiny on the Democratic nominee just weeks from the election.

The controversial probe, spearheaded by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), is focused broadly on Obama-era policy and Hunter Biden’s work for Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings.

The GOP report, which is set to be released this week, is expected to argue that Hunter Biden’s work impacted Obama-era Ukraine policy and created a conflict of interest given then-Vice President Joe Biden’s work in the area.

‘All I want is a reason’: GOP senator blocks Trump’s nominations until administration explains why it fired watchdogs

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Thursday said he would block two Trump administration nominations until the White House explained why it fired two federal watchdogs.

Grassley had previously sent letters to President Donald Trump asking for explanations after the firings of Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson and State Department Inspector General Steve Linick.

The White House counsel responded to Grassley’s letter in late May about Linick’s ouster, but it “failed to address” the requirement that there be a “good reason” for such a termination, Grassley said at the time. Continue reading.

GOP chairmen stake out turf in Obama-era probes

The Hill logoGOP chairmen are carving out their turf in controversial probes stemming from the Obama administration.

Senate Republicans are set to escalate their investigations on Thursday, when two panels will vote on dueling subpoenas that have significant areas of overlap.

But Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)—who chair the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, respectively — say they are trying to avoid a jurisdictional fight as they prepare to do a deep dive into decisions stemming from the Obama era.  Continue reading.

Grassley says White House response on IG firings insufficient

Washington Post logoA senior Senate Republican criticized the White House late Tuesday for what he deemed an insufficient response to demands from senators to more fully explain President Trump’s controversial recent ousters of two inspectors general.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), a longtime defender of the dozens of independent government watchdogs placed throughout the federal government, released the five-page response from White House counsel Pat Cipollone on Tuesday evening.

Senators had raised concerns about the abrupt dismissal of Michael Atkinson, who had served as the intelligence community inspector general and had alerted Congress to a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival — a chain of events that led to Trump’s impeachment and eventual acquittal in the Senate. Grassley also demanded an explanation for the ouster of Steve Linick, the inspector general for the State Department who had started to investigate alleged misconduct on the part of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Continue reading.

Senate Republicans Suddenly Call For New Biden Probe

A top GOP senator on Sunday announced new actions in a Republican-led investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter — less than 24 hours after the elder Biden’s primary victory in South Carolina.

According to CBS News, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) sent a letter to his colleagues on Sunday, saying he wanted to subpoena witnesses related to Hunter Biden’s role at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Johnson, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) initially launched the investigation in November to back up Donald Trump at the height of his impeachment inquiry. Continue reading.

GOP duo moves ahead with Biden investigation

The Hill logoA pair of influential GOP Senate chairmen are plowing ahead with a wide-ranging probe related to the Bidens and Ukraine, sparking a new round of tensions..

With the months-long impeachment fight in the rearview mirror, Republicans are hoping to speed up their investigation, which has included document requests related to work done by former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden for Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), one of the two GOP chairmen involved in the investigation, said he hoped the end of the impeachment trial would break the “logjam” on their requests for information. Continue reading.

White House brushes off Grassley, GOP concern over Mexico tariffs

‘Trade policy and border security are separate issues,’ Senate Finance chair

After abruptly announcing tariffs on imports coming from Mexico over a migrant dispute, the White House is brushing aside the concerns of powerful Republican lawmakers – including Senate Finance Chairman Charles E. Grassley.

President Donald Trump green-lighted the import fees in an attempt to push the Mexican government to clamp down on the flow of Central and South American migrants moving through its territory toward the U.S.-Mexico border.

But Grassley, whose committee handles trade issues, issued a scathing statement Thursday night, calling the move a “misuse of presidential tariff authority and counter to congressional intent.” An Iowa Republican, Grassley has voiced concerns in the past about the trade battles hurting on farmers in his state who sell to foreign markets.

View the complete May 31 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.

Grassley unintentionally contradicts White House claims that Congress can’t see Trump tax returns

The senior GOP senator and finance committee chair acknowledged the law gives Congress the power to get anyone’s tax returns.

A day after Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s acting White House chief of staff, vowed that congressional Democrats would “never” see the president’s tax returns, the longest serving Republican in the Senate went on Fox News and admitted that Congress does in fact have the authority to access those documents.

House Democrats previously asked the Internal Revenue Service to release Trump’s tax returns by Wednesday this week, as part of their ongoing probes into the many investigations of Trump’s 2016 campaign, inaugural committee, and business matters. When pressed on this during an interview on Fox News Sunday, Mulvaney said adamantly, “Never. Nor should they.”

Grassley, who serves as both Senate president pro tempore and chair of the Finance Committee, said Monday he did not actually want to see Trump’s tax returns but acknowledged that, under the law, he and House Ways & Means Chair Richard Neal (D-MA) have the right to do so.

View the complete April 8 article by Josh Israel on the ThinkProgress website here.

Senate panel cancels votes on Trump court picks amid Flake standoff

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced Wednesday that he is canceling votes on nearly two dozen of President Trump’s judicial nominees that were expected to come up in the Judiciary Committee this week.

The cancellation of the committee’s Thursday business meeting comes as Senate Republicans are in a standoff with outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who has vowed to oppose all court picks until he gets a vote on legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller.

The notification from the Judiciary Committee didn’t specify when, or if, the committee votes on the nominations would be rescheduled. Six circuit court nominees had been expected to get a vote, as well as 15 district court nominees.

View the complete November 28 article by Jordain Carney on The Hill website here.