Politics

(WASHINGTON) — The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether or not Rep. Matt Gaetz used illicit drugs as a member of Congress, multiple sources familiar with the committee’s work told ABC News.

Committee investigators have inquired about whether Gaetz was under the influence of drugs at parties in Florida after becoming a member of Congress in 2017, according to the sources.

According to a sworn written statement that has been obtained by the Ethics committee, a woman says that in summer of 2017, when she was 20 years old, she attended a party in Florida that Gaetz also attended, which featured alcohol and drugs including cocaine and MDMA, sources familiar with the committee’s work told ABC News.

In the sworn statement, which has not been previously reported, the woman said that in addition to Gaetz, the party was attended by the then-minor who was at the center of a yearslong Justice Department investigation into accusations that the Florida Congressman had sex with her when she was 17, according to sources.

According to the statement provided to the committee, sources said the woman who made the statement — who ABC News is not identifying — said she saw the then-minor naked at the party, which was also attended by adult men other than Gaetz, and that at the party there allegedly were bedrooms that were made available for sexual activities.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, including the allegations that he had sex with a minor. The Justice Department informed Gaetz in 2023 that it was declining to bring charges against him.

Though the statement obtained by Congress references Gaetz, it was not written specifically to the Ethics Committee and is not primarily about the congressman, and the woman does not discuss whether or not she had knowledge of Gaetz’s alleged sexual relations with the then-minor, sources said.

When asked if Rep. Gaetz recalled attending the 2017 party, a spokesperson for the Florida Congressman told ABC News, “No.” The spokesperson also said “no” when asked if Gaetz has used illicit drugs since becoming a member of Congress.

A representative for the House Ethics Committee declined to comment.

The sworn statement places Gaetz at a party with the then-minor, who Gaetz has denied ever having a relationship with and previously claimed “doesn’t exist” when asked about the allegations on Fox News in March 2021.

“The person doesn’t exist,” Gaetz told Tucker Carlson. “I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old, that is totally false.”

In March, Gaetz was subpoenaed as a witness by attorneys representing the former minor in a civil lawsuit brought by Gaetz’s longtime friend, Chris Dorworth, who alleges he was defamed by her and others during the Justice Department’s probe into the matter. Gaetz is not a party to the lawsuit. Gaetz’s deposition is slated for June and could see the congressman asked under oath about allegations that he engaged in sexual activity with the woman when she was a minor.

Last week, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made headlines when he claimed he was ousted because he would not stop the ongoing House Ethics probe into Gaetz.

“I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker,” McCarthy said at an event at Georgetown University. “It’s because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old.”

Gaetz appeared to respond on X, formally known as Twitter, writing, “Kevin McCarthy is a liar. That’s why he is no longer speaker.”

The House Ethics probe into Gaetz has continued to move forward in recent weeks, with investigators reaching out to more individuals, including young women who were allegedly paid by Gaetz’s one-time close friend Joel Greenberg to attend sex parties, sources said.

Committee investigators have asked witnesses whether they had seen or had knowledge of Gaetz using and or purchasing drugs himself, sources said.

News that the committee is asking questions about Gaetz and alleged drug use comes weeks after the Florida congressman grilled President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, about his own admitted drug use during a closed-door session with the House Oversight Committee.

During Hunter Biden’s interview with the committee, Gaetz asked if was “on drugs” while serving on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. The president’s son responded, “Mr. Gaetz, look me in the eye. You really think that’s appropriate to ask me?”

ABC News previously reported that the House Ethics Committee had subpoenaed Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend for testimony, which she sat for in late February.

ABC News also reported that the committee had obtained texts allegedly showing Gaetz setting up a trip to the Florida Keys trip with a separate woman that Greenberg had paid for sex.

A spokesperson for Gaetz told ABC News at the time, “Rep. Gaetz has no knowledge of these activities by Mr. Greenberg and was not involved in them. Rep. Gaetz has never paid for sex. Rep. Gaetz does not know anything about the woman you’re referencing, though he takes thousands of selfies each year.”

Gaetz has criticized the Ethics Committee for “trying to weaponize their process.”

“The Ethics Committee is engaging in payback against me for ousting the person who singularly appointed every Republican — Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz previously said in a statement to ABC News.

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(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday quashed rumors he was considering changes to make it more difficult to oust him from his leadership post, after Republican hard-liners warned it was a “red line” he shouldn’t cross.

Johnson, in a statement posted to X, criticized the current rule allowing a single member to offer a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair as having “harmed” the office and the party’s majority in the House — but said it will stand for now.

“Recently, many members have encouraged me to endorse a new rule to raise this threshold,” he said. “While I understand the importance of that idea, any rule change requires a majority of the full House, which we do not have. We will continue to govern under the existing rules.”

Throughout the day, the party’s right flank had sought assurances Johnson would not consider a change to the threshold to advance a motion to vacate.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is leading the charge to take the gavel from Johnson, said earlier Thursday he “owes our entire conference a meeting and if he wants to change the motion to vacate.”

“This has never happened in history. And it’s completely wrong. He owes our conference the truth and he owes Republicans answers,” Greene, R-Ga., said. “He’s going to prove exactly what I’ve been saying correct. He is the Democrat’s speaker.”

While Greene addressed reporters on the House steps, Johnson remained on the floor surrounded by conservative hard-liners, who pressed him to commit to not changing the rule.

Standing at the back of the chamber, Johnson was surrounded by GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, Derrick Van Orden, Bob Good, Byron Donalds, Tim Burchett, Scott Perry, Eli Crane, Andy Ogles and Clay Higgins.

Johnson did not comment to reporters when he left the chamber and walked back to his office.

“He was equivocating,” Gaetz reported afterward, saying Johnson hadn’t in that conversation given the answer they wanted.

Gaetz signaled he would join the effort to oust Johnson if the speaker decided to change that threshold, and Boebert flat-out said it’s a “red line” for her, as well — underscoring the delicate balance Johnson faces as he plows forward on the national security bills and simultaneously tries to retain the gavel.

The current rules governing the motion to vacate were part of concessions former Rep. Kevin McCarthy agreed to in order to secure the speakership during 15 rounds of voting at the start of the 118th Congress. McCarthy was ousted by a small faction of his own party after nine months on the job. He resigned from Congress not long after.

“I told [Johnson] changing the threshold of the motion to vacate — that’s been my red line this entire Congress,” Boebert, R-Colo., said. “It’s my red line then, it’s my red line now. I told [him] there’s nothing that will get you to a motion to vacate faster than changing the threshold.”

Gaetz said Johnson “views the Ukraine issue very differently” than him. He’s urging Johnson to opt against holding votes on the bills in the foreign aid package until the Senate passes H.R. 2, the House-passed border bill that has no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law.

“We’re worried about America’s border. He seems to be more worried about Ukraine,” Gaetz said.

Johnson on Wednesday said providing aid to Ukraine as it fights Russian invaders was worth the risk to his job.

“This is not a game. It’s not a joke,” Johnson said. “We have to do the right thing and I’m going to allow an opportunity for every single member of the House to vote their conscience and their will on this. And I think that’s the way this institution is supposed to work. And I’m willing to take personal risk for that because we have to do the right thing and history will judge us.”

ABC News’ Juhi Doshi contributed to this report.

 

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(WASHINGTON) — A ban on the popular social media app TikTok in the United States is now lumped in with Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans’ $95 billion foreign aid package, which would provide funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

House Republican leaders late Wednesday posted legislative text on a fourth and final bill — the “21st Century Peace Through Strength Act” — that’s part of the proposed aid package. The bill includes a modified version of the TikTok ban that passed the House earlier this year, as well as the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act, mandatory sanctions on Iran and more.

The new bill would give TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance 270 days from the date of enactment to divest from the app or face a U.S. ban, according to the proposed legislation. It would also give the president flexibility to offer a one-time extension of 90 days, ultimately possibly providing ByteDance up to a year to divest from the app, according to the bill.

The previous TikTok bill that passed in the House in March gave ByteDance 180 days to divest from the app or face a ban.

Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell endorsed the changes to the proposed TikTok ban and said Wednesday in a statement: “I’m very happy that Speaker Johnson and House leaders incorporated my recommendation to extend the ByteDance divestment period from six months to a year. As I’ve said, extending the divestment period is necessary to ensure there is enough time for a new buyer to get a deal done. I support this updated legislation.”

In a post on X Wednesday night, TikTok said: “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually.”

What happens next?

In its latest guidance, House GOP leadership advised that votes on the four bills in the aid package are expected in the House on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the last votes for the week expected late Saturday. The aid package includes $26.4 billion for Israel aid, including $4 billion to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome defense system; $60.8 billion for Ukraine aid, including $23 billion for replenishing weapons, and $8.1 billion for Indo-Pacific aid.

If each of the four bills passes and Johnson sends them to the Senate as one package — as he’s indicated he would do, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wouldn’t be able to take up the issue of foreign aid without the fourth bill that includes the proposed TikTok ban.

While senators could strip out the TikTok portion of the fourth bill, that would require sending the legislation back to the House for another vote.

While Schumer on Wednesday expressed overall support for the House foreign aid package — although not bringing up TikTok, he said he hasn’t looked closely at the text yet.

Sources at TikTok told ABC News they were alarmed by how quickly this legislation is moving and were still trying to formulate their response late Wednesday.

TikTok, which has more than 170 million American users, has said the legislation passed in the House in March amounts to a “total ban.”

In response to ABC News’ request for comment in March, TikTok condemned the proposed bill as an infringement on the right to express oneself freely.

“This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States. The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country,” a TikTok spokesperson said at the time.

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(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — As Florida schools face a growing number of book ban attempts, Gov. Ron DeSantis is scaling back policies that made it easier for people to challenge materials in schools.

In 2022, DeSantis signed HB 1467, which required elementary schools to provide a searchable list of the books accessible to students in libraries or classrooms and allow for public comment on all new materials.

Other recent legislation signed by DeSantis, including the Parental Rights in Education Bill and the Stop WOKE Act, restricts content on race and LGBTQ identities in schools and has further impacted access to classroom materials.

Florida law also allows parents and residents to object to books and have them reviewed and potentially removed from schools.

Since the implementation of these laws, Florida has seen a rise in book banning attempts across the state, according to the American Library Association (ALA) and free speech advocacy group PEN America.

Now, DeSantis has signed HB 1285, which he said will limit the amount of book objections that can be made by people who don’t have a child who is accessing school materials. Parents of children in the school districts or using district materials will still be able to object to an unlimited amount of material.

According to DeSantis, the book transparency efforts were aimed at removing “explicit” material from schools. Critics of these policies argued their vague restrictions would lead to censorship.

In the first half of this school year alone, PEN America found that Florida experienced the highest number of ban cases with 3,135 attempts across 11 school districts.

More than 1,600 of those book banning attempts took place in Escambia County Public Schools, which is currently being sued by book publisher Penguin Random House, authors and PEN America for removing hundreds of books off shelves for review.

These groups found that political groups like Moms for Liberty and politicized individuals are behind large swaths of book challenges nationwide, sometimes demanding the censorship of multiple titles — often dozens or hundreds at a time.

The vast majority of the books impacted by these banning efforts are written by or about people of color and the LGBTQ community, according to the ALA.

DeSantis’ office said the recent change to these policies “protects schools from activists trying to politicize and disrupt a district’s book review process.”

“What’s happened though, is you have some people who are taking the curriculum transparency and are trying to weaponize that for political purposes that involves objecting to normal books,” said DeSantis in a Tuesday press conference. “Some of the books I saw in the teachers lounge, the classic books, there’s people that will try to get to that because they wanna create a narrative. It’s like, ‘oh, all these books, we don’t know what’s lawful or not to have.’ That’s nonsense.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas faced an icy reception from Senate Republicans on Thursday, one day after the swift dismissal of the GOP impeachment case brought against him over his handling of immigration policy and the southern border.

Mayorkas was on Capitol Hill to testify about President Joe Biden’s 2025 budget proposal and make the case to lawmakers for additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

But what unfolded on Wednesday was still top of mind for some Republican senators, who blasted the secretary’s leadership and scorned Democrats for voting down the impeachment articles against Mayorkas as unconstitutional.

“Yesterday, your impeachment trial ensued in the Senate,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said in his opening statement. “I don’t see this as a happy day, or a day I take relish or pleasure in. But it’s a sad day. A sad day in the sense that it’s come to this. This isn’t a debate over policy, it’s a debate over malfeasance, a debate over whether you’ve been telling the truth and whether you’ve been enforcing the law.”

Paul later added, “All I can express is disappointment and bewilderment that the Democrats let you get away with it.”

House Republicans impeached Mayorkas in February, accusing him of willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law as well as breach of public trust.

The Senate, in party-line votes, discarded the charges as not rising to the level of “high crime or misdemeanor” as required under Article II of the Constitution.

All Democrats and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders voted to kill the articles and adjourn in the span of three hours after a Republican senator rejected Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s offer for some debate time on the matter. Later, Schumer pushed back on GOP criticism of the dismissal stating their impeachment case was “hallow, frivolous, political” and amounted to policy disputes rather than impeachable offenses.

Mayorkas had called the impeachment charges “baseless” but largely kept his head down as the proceedings unfolded in the House and Senate.

On Thursday, he told lawmakers he hadn’t read the text of the specific allegations brought against him by GOP lawmakers.

“I have not read the articles of impeachment,” Mayorkas said as he faced questioning from Sen. Mitt Romney, who responded: “I’d probably want to do that.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., asserted Democrats set a “new precedent” on Wednesday by quashing the trial and asked Mayorkas, “Do you think you’re being silenced because Democrats are terrified of your record and unable to defend you, or because they don’t trust you?”

“Neither, senator,” Mayorkas responded.

In addition to swiping at Mayorkas over impeachment, Republicans pressed him on high numbers of migrant encounters at the southern border and some migrants committed crimes, often pointing to the killing of Laken Riley. Mayorkas declined to comment on the case specifically but said that migrants who “pose a public safety threat or national security are our highest priority for detention” but like administration’s past, the number of encounters at the border have exceeded the number of detention beds available.

Democrats often countered Republicans complaints about Mayorkas and the border by criticizing them for blocking a bipartisan deal that included some of the most comprehensive immigration reforms in decades.

“It’s interesting the nature of my colleagues’ energy and attention when that same energy and attention seemed to lapse when there was an opportunity to do something to provide the kinds of supports, resources and technologies that were requested [and] negotiated in a bipartisan way,” said Sen. Laphonza Butler, a California Democrat.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., also took issue with Republicans blocking the legislation from coming to the floor for debate or a vote.

“The American people are smart, so all of the performative chest-pounding today on border security is utterly disingenuous,” Ossoff said.

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(PHOENIX) — Arizona’s Republican lawmakers made clear on Wednesday, despite the controversy engulfing their state with the revival of a strict, Civil War-era abortion ban — roiling the politics of the key battleground and drawing criticism from top conservatives like Donald Trump — that it’s not the time to move too quickly.

“Legislatures are not built for knee-jerk reactions,” state House Speaker Ben Toma said during a floor session as the GOP majority, with one exception, blocked a Democratic-led effort to fast-track a bill to repeal the 1864 abortion ban that the Arizona Supreme Court recently ruled is enforceable.

“The last thing we should be doing today is rushing a bill through the legislative process to repeal a law that has been enacted and reaffirmed by the Legislature several times,” Toma said.

The 1864 ban, which supersedes a 15-week abortion ban that was enacted in 2022 after a state Supreme Court ruling last week, blocks all abortions except to save the life of the pregnant woman.

Anyone found guilty of violating it will face two to five years in state prison, but Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, said she would not prosecute providers under the law.

Though the ban remains temporarily on hold, Mayes said this week that the earliest it could take effect is June 8, “absent any additional litigation” or legislative action.

While the ban was celebrated by abortion opponents like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser — who called the state Supreme Court decision an “enormous victory for unborn children and their mothers” — it was denounced by abortion access advocates and Democrats.

On Wednesday, as lawmakers reconvened and Democrats sought to move forward on their repeal proposal, advocates on both sides of the issue gathered inside and outside of the state Capitol.

“This is a stain on history that this ban even exists — from a time when the age of consent was 10, from a time when women didn’t have the right to vote,” Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch, a Democrat, told ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze.

Burch’s GOP colleague Dave Farnsworth took another view.

“We have the best law possible on the books right now,” the state senator told Schulze.

Pressed about the ban’s lack of exceptions, Farnsworth said, “Arizona’s a pro-life state and that law was put into place by people that believe in the sanctity of life.”

Toma, the House speaker, said during Wednesday’s floor session that “abortion is a complicated topic — it is ethically, morally complex. I understand that we have deeply held beliefs, and I would ask everyone in this chamber to respect the fact that some of us who believe that abortion is in fact the murder of children.”

That position cuts against some of the most prominent voices in the GOP, who have staked out a more careful position in an election year in which abortion is expected to be a major issue for voters — and as abortion access has won out in races elsewhere in the country.

Leading Republicans like Trump, former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Senate candidate Kari Lake touted their general support for abortion restrictions but said the 1864 ban goes too far.

“It’s all about states’ rights and it needs to be straightened out,” Trump said last week during a campaign stop in Atlanta. “And I’m sure that the governor and everybody else will bring it back into reason and that will be taken care of.”

The state’s Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, has called on state lawmakers to repeal the ban — but shot back at Trump.

“I’m kind of tired of cleaning up Donald Trump’s messes,” Hobbs said on “GMA3” last week. “But, look, this is just political opportunism from these politicians who this is they are getting exactly what they wanted. Donald Trump bragged about getting rid of Roe v. Wade. And this is the consequence of that.”

Since Roe was overruled in 2022 by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices named by Trump, as he often notes, 21 states have banned or severely restricted abortion access.

However, since 2022, voters across the country have also repeatedly cast ballots protecting abortion rights, and exit polling showed that it was top of mind for some voters, as in Michigan’s midterm races.

The Arizona for Abortion Access campaign is working to get a potential constitutional amendment on the state’s ballot in November to enshrine abortion access, which Democrats believe could boost voter enthusiasm and turnout for their candidates. The campaign has said that they have gathered more than 500,000 signatures — surpassing the necessary threshold, but will continue to gather signatures “until the wheels fall off,” a spokesperson told ABC News.

The inititiave would amend Arizona’s Constitution to prohibit the state from legislating against abortion up until fetal viability, which is around 24 weeks into pregnancy; and it enshrines other abortion protections into law.

The Republican-led House counsel in Arizona has, separately, internally proposed a plan to rival the state’s abortion rights ballot initiative by adding ballot initiatives of their own in the wake of what they call “court chaos” on abortion policy, according to a presentation leaked Monday and shared with ABC News. Those plans could be publicly announced as soon as this week, a Republican lawmaker said Wednesday.

Democratic lawmakers also plan to keep pushing repeal.

State senators on Wednesday began the process of taking up another bill to undo the 1864 ban, though the earliest that proposal would likely see a vote is on May 1, as it requires two other readings before a vote can be taken and the Legislature is on a once-a-week meeting schedule.

Arizona voter Desiree Mayes, a Republican at the Capitol on Wednesday to help apply pressure on lawmakers not to repeal the ban, called Trump’s stance on abortion “inconsistent.”

“If you really if you really believe that babies in the womb are precious and valuable, they deserve equal protection,” she said, explaining she doesn’t support exceptions for rape or incest.

Her message to Arizona Republicans like Lake and others distancing themselves from the 1864 ban? “You’re saying you’re pro-life. If you work to repeal this ban, we’re going to make sure all your constituents know.”

Republican strategist Barrett Marson said the failure of a quick repeal showed that Trump and Lake “only have so much sway over far-right politicians,” noting that not one vote changed since they weighed in.

House Democrats will try again, next week, for another vote on their bill.

Arizona state Rep. David Cook, a Republican who voted against fast-tracking the repeal legislation on Wednesday, told ABC News’ Phil Lipof in an interview on “ABC News Live Prime” that conservatives do intend to get behind repeal in the future. He felt the rules weren’t followed Wednesday and he refused to “roll the speaker,” or neutralize the speaker’s objections to move to a final vote.

“We made tremendous progress … in moving forward,” Cook said of internal deliberations in the GOP state House caucus.

“The bottom is that the 1800 law will be repealed,” he said, with a successful vote likely as soon as next week.

Republican state Rep. Matt Gress, who backed repeal on Wednesday, agreed. “There are enough votes in this chamber to repeal the territorial law. It will happen, it’s just a matter of time,” he said on the floor.

But after that, Cook told Lipof, more exceptions need to be enacted in the state’s abortion restrictions, including for rape and incest.

He defended the timeline so far, telling Lipof, “We don’t need knee-jerk reactions to bypass the rules and the normal order of business. This is not an emergency.”

State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, another Republican, said during Wednesday’s floor session that Republicans will roll out their own abortion plan, indicating that action may be through a ballot initiative.

“The ultimate folks who are going to make the call will be the people of the state of Arizona,” he said.

Speaking with ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze, Kolodin suggested he’s not worried that the politics of abortion will imperil his party at the ballot box.

“Voters are smart,” he said. “They would rather vote for somebody that they respect and disagree with than somebody that doesn’t believe in anything.”

Meanwhile, for the women of Arizona seeking abortions, the clock is ticking, providers say.

“We are having conversations with them, letting them know that we’re going week by week,” Dr. DeShawn Taylor told Schulze. “Because there will come a time when we’ll have to stop.”

ABC News’ Isabella Murray contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is wrapping up a three-day Pennsylvania campaign swing in Philadelphia on Thursday with an endorsement by 15 members of the politically famous Kennedy family — a counter to the political threat from RFK Jr.

In speech excerpts released by the Biden campaign from Kerry Kennedy, a daughter of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, she will say another Donald Trump presidency would “horrify” her father.

“We can say today, with no less urgency, that our rights and freedoms are once again in peril,” Kennedy is expected to say. “That is why we all need to come together in a campaign that should unite not only Democrats, but all Americans, including Republicans, and independents, who believe in what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.”

She along with several of her family members have denounced her brother Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s bid for president. The Independent candidate, who officially launched his presidential bid last fall is famously known for espousing conspiracy theories about the efficacy of vaccines.

The endorsement comes as no real surprise. Although he is the fourth Kennedy to run for president, RFK Jr. is the only one to have broken from the Democratic Party. Many of his relatives, like Kerry Kennedy, argue that not only is his run an “embarrassment” but that it could swing a close race in Trump’s come November.

“I’ve listened to him, I know him, I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president,” Jack Scholossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, said in a video on Instagram last summer. “What I do know is his candidacy is an embarrassment.”

Rory Kennedy, RFK Jr.’s sister, told ABC’s Good Morning America a couple of weeks ago that she’s “concerned” voting for her brother will “take votes away from Biden and lead to a Trump election.”

Realistically the candidate, who is currently polling at 7%, according to 538’s average, has a longshot path to getting into the White House. Although his campaign has claimed he has enough signatures to appear on the ballots of eight states, including battleground states North Carolina and Nevada, only Utah has confirmed that he has qualified.

But in a race that is expected to see small margin wins, any votes siphoned away from the president could lead to another Trump presidency.

Biden, who has a close friendship with the Kennedy family, has steered away from commenting on RFK Jr.’s bid, but in a show of force against the candidate, the Democratic National Committee has hired a communications team to combat the legitimacy of Kennedy.

They’ve filed a federal complaint alleging RFK Jr.’s super PAC is working too closely with his campaign. And on a call with reporters in March, DNC surrogates called him “dangerous” and a “spoiler.”

“A vote for Joe Biden is a vote to save our democracy and our decency. It is a vote for what my father called for, in his own presidential announcement in 1968,” Kerry Kennedy is expected to say at Thursday’s announcement. “Our right to the moral leadership of this planet.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The little-seen, $19,000 lectern at the center of a controversy in Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office was made available for viewing on Tuesday night — after a monthslong audit into how the lectern was procured and paid for found that Sanders’ staff potentially violated several state laws.

The governor’s office responded by characterizing the investigation as “a waste of taxpayer resources and time” and called the audit report “deeply flawed.”

“The facts outlined in the report demonstrate what the governor’s office said all along: we followed the law, and the state was fully reimbursed with private funds for the podium, at no cost to the taxpayers,” Sanders’ spokesperson Alexa Henning said in a statement.

A Republican state senator had requested the probe last year after the lectern’s high price tag sparked scrutiny and captured the national spotlight, including a jab from late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

The purchase only came to light when Matt Campbell, a Little Rock attorney and progressive blogger, called attention to Sanders’ office using a state-issued credit card in June 2023 to make a $19,029.25 payment to Beckett Events, a boutique event planning company whose owners are close with the governor.

Lawmakers questioned Sanders’ staff about the audit’s findings in a nearly three-hour hearing at the state Capitol on Tuesday, after the report was sent Monday to prosecuting attorneys.

“I was really hoping that you all would have brought the lectern with you today so we could see it,” Republican state Rep. Julie Mayberry said at that hearing. “We all can agree that $19,000 was spent on an item and no one has really seen it.”

Sanders’ deputy chief of staff, Judd Deere, told lawmakers that she plans to use the lectern now that the audit is complete, previously having not wanted it to be a distraction.

Despite seven “areas of noncompliance” identified in the audit report where the governor’s office potentially violated state laws regarding purchasing, state property and government records, Deere also said no members of the governor’s staff were disciplined for their actions — “nor should they be,” he added.

What’s next then for the dispute also known as #LecternGate?

Arkansas’ Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican, has already indicated he won’t pursue charges — enraging critics — when last week he said that state purchasing laws don’t apply to the governor or other executive branch officials, only to state agencies.

That means the potential for any criminal charges to be filed would likely fall to Will Jones, the 6th Judicial District prosecuting attorney in Little Rock.

Jones said his office is assessing the audit and that their “review is no different than any other file review” sent to them.

Sanders, a former Trump White House official and daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, has been seen as a rising star in the Republican Party.

She was defiant in dismissing the findings, posting a 20-second video edit of the lectern to social media this week that said “COME AND TAKE IT.”

Here are key takeaways from the audit:

Potential violations include tampering with public records

Auditors identified seven “areas of potential noncompliance with state law” that the governor’s office engaged in — including a member of the governor’s office staff shredding the bill of lading for the lectern, which contained details of the shipment and was attached to the delivery crate, potentially violating document retention laws.

They were told in interviews that the shredding was inadvertent.

Auditors also reported that, at the direction of the governor’s deputy chief of staff, an executive assistant added handwritten notes that read “to be reimbursed” on two invoices after Campbell, the blogger, asked for documents surrounding the lectern’s purchase in a Freedom of Information Act request. State Republicans ultimately repaid the cost of the lectern — after Campbell called attention to it.

According to the audit, other potential violations of budgeting and accounting laws include the purchase being applied to operating expenses, though state law prevents equipment that must be capitalized from being expensed, as well as the lectern being paid for before it was delivered.

The governor’s office further failed to notify a state agency of the lectern’s delivery, as required, and did not create a business expense justification statement on the day it was purchased.

Sanders has previously maintained that the lectern’s purchase “went through standard protocol in our office.”

Lectern has no electronic components, despite special features touted

When Sanders came under fire last fall for the lectern’s price tag, relative to other such furniture and equipment, she told reporters it was custom made for her height, was designed “to get the best sound quality” and that it incorporated components to allow multiple media outlets to plug in at the same time.

Auditors reported the lectern features no microphone or any electronic elements.

It does include a light, they said.

The report included a breakdown of the total cost as follows: $11,575 for the lectern itself, $2,500 for a consulting fee, $2,200 for a travel case, $1,225 for freight shipping for the lectern, $975 for freight shipping for the travel case and $554 for a credit card processing fee.

The $2,500 consulting fee had not been previously reported but attracted scrutiny on social media when coupled with a detail from the report that the governor’s office was considering returning the lectern shortly after its delivery because its height did not meet order specifications.

The total $19,000 cost for the podium is notably higher than could be purchased via standard retail means. One retailer previously wrote online that their own lecterns sell for around $7,000. And two political sources outside of Sanders’ office with experience producing podiums and the costs associated with them has told ABC News that $19,029.25 is more than they would have charged or spent on the procurement.

Sanders herself didn’t participate in the audit, nor did the lectern’s vendors

Neither Sanders, who previously said she welcomed the audit, nor the lectern vendors cooperated with the probe, according to the audit report.

Virginia Beckett and Hannah Stone of Beckett Events did not respond to repeated attempts from auditors to contact them via telephone, certified mail and email, the report said, nor did New York-based Miller’s Presentation Furniture, which manufactured the lectern, according to the audit.

Beckett and Stone were previously hired by Sanders’ office to help with advance planning on her gubernatorial inauguration and the 2023 GOP response to the State of the Union address. They were also at the Paris Air Show last June, which Sanders also attended, the same month the lectern was purchased.

Auditors recruited Sanders’ office for help reaching out to the vendors during their investigation. Chief legal counsel for the governor’s office told lawmakers Tuesday she sent two emails to Beckett Events.

Moving forward, an aide to the governor said Tuesday that she doesn’t plan on using the vendors again.

Neither of the vendors immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

No evidence state party planned to reimburse state before FOIA request

Only after Campbell sought additional information about the five-figure purchase with taxpayer dollars was it reimbursed by the state’s Republican Party, with auditors reporting “there was no indication the governor’s office was seeking reimbursement for the cost of the podium and the road case” before the requests.

Sanders’ spokesperson said last fall that use of a state credit card for the purchase was “an accounting error.”

The governor’s deputy chief of staff, however, told lawmakers Tuesday that it was decided later on it would be “preferable” for the lectern to be paid for with private funds via the state Republican Party.

“This body appropriated money that was available for us to use to purchase items. Later on we determined it was preferable that private funds the governor raised be used to reimburse the state,” Deere said. “No taxpayer has been used to purchase this item. So we do not view it as a mistake.”

Notably, the governor’s office had also sought approval before the lectern purchase to increase the state credit card’s spending limit, as opposed to having the Arkansas Republican Party make the purchase themselves.

Campbell, in a statement to ABC News, applauded the auditors’ work which he said proved “what we already knew: that the lectern purchase was illegal and done in the shadiest way imaginable.”

The audit also determined, because of broken protocols, that the lectern belongs to the state of Arkansas.

One Arkansas vendor contacted and quoted a far lower lectern price

Staffers in Sanders’ office told auditors they “could not recall any other quotes being obtained” for the lectern.

However, auditors found that in March 2023, a staff member contacted an Arkansas-based audio and visual equipment dealer and received quotes for podiums up to $1,500, lighting systems up to $1,000 and sound systems up to $3,000.

While auditors said they were ultimately unable to determine the reasonableness of the cost of the podium due to the “custom specifications,” “lack of vendor responses” and “lack of documentation,” they hinted at its high price when compared to similar-style lecterns on the market.

“It should be noted that similar non-customized falcon style podiums can be purchased from online vendors starting at approximately $7,000, as opposed to the $11,575 amount allocated to the custom falcon podium,” the report said.

Arkansas lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed doubt about the lectern’s value.

“I don’t think the lectern’s worth $19,000 or $11,500,” Republican state Sen. John Payton said on Tuesday. “But I do think the lesson learned could be worth far more than that if we would just accept the fact that it was bad judgment and it was carelessness.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Speaker Mike Johnson and other House Republican leaders released a $95 billion foreign aid package Wednesday that provides funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan – as Congress continues to grapple with a response to actions taken by Russia, Iran and China that have defied the international community.

The package includes $26.4 billion for Israel aid, including $4 billion to replenish Israel Iron Dome defense system, $60.8 billion for Ukraine aid, including $23 billion for replenishing weapons and $8.1 billion for Indo-Pacific aid.

Johnson, who is facing a small revolt within his own conference and will need to rely on Democratic votes to advance the package, told members to expect a final passage vote on the package Saturday evening. But the path to getting there will be an uphill battle and could potentially cost the speaker his gavel.

Far-right Republicans are mocking Johnson’s plan as the #AmericaLast Act – complaining, for example, that it includes $481 million to pay for housing, medical bills and legal fees for Ukrainian refugees coming to the United States.

“The Republican Speaker of the House is seeking a rule to pass almost $100 billion in foreign aid – while unquestionably, dangerous criminals, terrorists, & fentanyl pour across our border. The border “vote” in this package is a watered-down dangerous cover vote. I will oppose,” Chip Roy, R-Texas, said in a statement on X.

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is threatening to oust Johnson, said in a statement on X, “Speaker Johnson, voted against $300 million for Ukraine before we gave you the gavel along with the majority of Republicans, no one understands why it is now your top priority to give Ukraine $60 billion more dollars. You are seriously out of step with Republicans by continuing to pass bills dependent on Democrats.”

Greene’s motion to vacate the speakership hangs over Johnson’s head — though he has moved forward with his plan undeterred.

While several Republicans are coming out strongly against the plan, President Joe Biden and top Democrats are urging lawmakers to support the bills.

Biden urged the House to pass the package this week, adding that the Senate should “quickly follow.”

“I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed,” Biden wrote in a statement Wednesday.

​​Rep. Rosa DeLauro — the top Democratic appropriator in the House – announced her support for the three bills, noting they “mirror” the Senate’s bipartisan national security package that passed through the upper chamber on Feb. 13.

“After House Republicans dragged their feet for months, we finally have a path forward to provide support for our allies and desperately needed humanitarian aid,” DeLauro, D-Conn., stated. “We cannot retreat from the world stage under the guise of putting ‘America First.’ We put America first by demonstrating the power of American leadership – that we have the strength, resolve, and heart to fight for the most vulnerable people, protect their freedom, and preserve their dignity. I urge swift passage of these bills.”

Republicans are expected to unveil a fourth measure later Wednesday, including the REPO Act, sanctions, the Tik Tok bill, and other measures to “confront Russia, China and Iran.”

And to appease hardliners, the House will also introduce a separate bill on the border that includes “the core components of H.R.2, under a separate rule that will allow for amendments.”

If the package clears the House this weekend, the Senate will have a one-week recess to consider how to handle the legislation when the upper chamber returns on April 29.

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(PITTSBURGH) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday continued his 2024 campaign swing through Pennsylvania, speaking to the United Steelworkers union as he proposed tripling tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum and denouncing the sale of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, promising union workers he will keep it a “totally American company.”

“U.S. Steel has been an iconic American company for more than a century, and it should remain a totally American company,” he said in Pittsburgh. “American-owned, American-operated by American union steel workers, the best in the world. And it’s — that’s going to happen, I promise you.”

The acquisition by Japan’s Nippon Steel took one more step last week when U.S. Steel shareholders approved the $14.9 billion sale, despite opposition from the United Steelworkers union.

The president also accused the Chinese government of “cheating” by overproducing steel and subsidizing the cost, leading to “unfairly low prices” in the global market.

“The prices are unfairly low because China’s steel companies don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese governor subsidizes them so heavily, they’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating. And we’ve seen the damage here in America,” he said.

Biden promised the crowd that he would not let American workers lose their jobs due to the import of Chinese steel, which he noted happened in the early 2,000s in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

While Biden courts the critical voting bloc, his likely GOP presidential opponent — former President Donald Trump — faced a criminal trial in a Manhattan courtroom, which Biden made a veiled reference to in his remarks.

“Under my predecessor — who’s busy right now — Pennsylvania lost 275,000 jobs. I mean, just look at the facts,” Biden said.

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