(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday announced it will take up a major challenge to a felony obstruction statute the Justice Department has used against more than 300 defendants in their investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Any ruling against the use of the “obstruction of an official proceeding” statute would raise the potential that hundreds of cases that federal prosecutors have brought against rioters they accuse of engaging in some of the more serious conduct that threatened the electoral certification on Jan. 6 could be upended.
The same felony charge is also among the four brought by special counsel Jack Smith in his federal election subversion case against former President Donald Trump.
It’s unclear whether the high court’s decision to take up the obstruction case Wednesday could have an impact on Trump’s ongoing efforts to delay his own case given Trump is not accused of participating in the physical breach of the Capitol.
The appeal stems from a consolidation of three separate cases brought against alleged rioters accused of attempting to disrupt the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 — after a federal judge in the D.C. District Court dismissed the felony count for the defendants by arguing prosecutors interpreted language of the statute too broadly.
That judge, Carl Nichols, is the only judge in the D.C. District Court to have issued such a ruling against the Justice Department’s use of the statute with regards to the Jan. 6 certification, and in April a three judge panel in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in favor of DOJ.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump’s onetime fixer Michael Cohen sought an early end to his supervised release based on case law that may not exist, according to a federal judge in New York.
Cohen, who went to federal prison after pleading guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations, cited three decisions in his petition for early termination of supervised release. However, Judge Jesse Furman said, “As far as the Court can tell, none of these cases exist.”
Furman said he was not alone in being unable to find cases that Cohen cited. He contacted the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which purportedly affirmed each of the decisions, and the clerk there could not find the cases.
Cohen’s current lawyer, Danya Perry, said she could not find the cases either, writing to the judge, “While several cases were cited in the initial Motion filed by different counsel, undersigned counsel was not engaged at that time and must inform the Court that it has been unable to verify those citations.”
Furman ordered Cohen’s former lawyer, David Schwartz, to provide copies of the cases he cited by early next week. He also ordered Schwartz to explain whether Cohen himself played any role in the apparent deception.
“If he is unable to do so, Mr. Schwartz shall, by the same date, show cause in writing why he should not be sanctioned,” Furman said. “Any such submission shall take the form of a sworn declaration and shall provide, among other things, a thorough explanation of how the motion came to cite cases that do not exist and what role, if any, Mr. Cohen played in drafting or reviewing the motion before it was filed.”
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump lost his bid to invoke an immunity defense to E. Jean Carroll’s remaining defamation claim on Wednesday, clearing the way for a trial on damages to begin next month in New York.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Trump waived the defense of presidential immunity because he did not immediately invoke it when Carroll first sued him for allegedly defaming her by claiming she fabricated her account of a mid-1990s sexual assault.
“This case presents a vexing question of first impression: whether presidential immunity is waivable. We answer in the affirmative and further hold that Donald J. Trump waived the defense of presidential immunity by failing to raise it as an affirmative defense in his answer to E. Jean Carroll’s complaint,” the decision said.
Carroll, a former columnist at Elle magazine, successfully sued Trump for defamation and battery and was awarded $5 million in damages. The judge in Carroll’s remaining defamation case against Trump, Lewis Kaplan, has already determined he is liable so the trial will determine how much he should pay.
“We are pleased that the Second Circuit affirmed Judge Kaplan’s rulings and that we can now move forward with trial next month on January 16,” Carroll’s attorney Robbie Kaplan said.
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, immediately said they would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but later offered an “updated” statement, saying, “The Second Circuit’s ruling is fundamentally flawed and we will continue to pursue Justice and appropriate resolution.”
Trump had argued presidential immunity is automatic, but the appellate court said “recognizing presidential immunity as waivable reinforces, not undermines, the separation of powers and the President’s decision making authority by affording the President an opportunity to litigate if he so chooses. Accordingly, we hold that presidential immunity is waivable.”
The court also rejected Trump’s attempt to revive presidential immunity as a defense because it took him three years to bring it up.
“Defendant unduly delayed in raising presidential immunity as a defense. Three years passed between Defendant’s answer and his request for leave to amend his answer,” the opinion said.
President Joe Biden, right, shakes hands with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine as he hosts a meeting in the Oval office of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy capped off a whirlwind day in Washington on Tuesday with a press conference alongside President Joe Biden, who said Ukraine’s “freedom is on the line” as a massive military aid package remains stalled in Congress where Republicans are pushing major changes to border policy.
The two leaders addressed reporters following a meeting in the Oval Office, laying out their vision for Ukraine’s future and what role the U.S. should play in helping the Eastern European nation stave off Russia’s invasion.
“[Vladimir] Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine,” Biden said. “We must, we must, we must prove him wrong. The United States Congress must act.”
Biden also had this message for Zelenskyy: “Mr. President, I will not walk away from Ukraine and neither will the American people.”
Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for its support and said together the two nations can “strengthen democracy’s arsenal.”
But despite Zelenskyy’s visit, it appears Congress is heading into its winter holiday recess without a resolution on the Biden-backed supplemental aid package that includes billions of dollars for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as border enforcement.
The funding is tied up in a legislative fight as Republicans insist on significant changes to border security and immigration policy, though their exact demands remain publicly unclear.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a staunch supporter of continuing Ukraine aid, wasn’t optimistic the impasse would be broken by the time lawmakers leave for holiday recess. McConnell told reporters earlier Tuesday that it was “practically impossible” to get the funding package across the finish line before Christmas even if an agreement is reached soon.
He also said, however, that addressing the border is key.
“When it comes to keeping America safe, border security is not a side show — it is ground zero,” he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed that, telling reporters, “I’ve … made very clear from day one that our first condition on any national security supplemental spending package is about our own national security.”
“The border is an absolute catastrophe,” he said.
Republicans are putting pressure on the White House to do more in the negotiations, while Biden on Tuesday accused Republicans of holding critical aid hostage.
“If you’re being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you’re doing,” he said.
Biden said his team is working with Senate Democrats and Republicans to try to find a “bipartisan compromise” on border policy, saying Congress does need to “to fix the broken immigration system here at home.”
“Compromise is how democracy works, and I’m ready and offered compromise already,” he said. “Holding Ukraine’s funding hostage in an attempt to force through an extreme Republican partisan agenda on the border is not how it works.”
Asked if he heard what he wanted from lawmakers in his own meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday or if he was more concerned than he was before, Zelenskyy said he felt support but had to “separate” words and action.
“I got the signals, they were more than positive,” he said. “But we know that we have to separate words and particular result. Therefore we will count on particular result.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized House Republicans for planning to leave town at the end of the week for recess.
“They say it’s an emergency at both the border and in Ukraine — you don’t go home for three weeks,” Schumer said.
Some Senate Republicans agree they should stay in town until they can strike an agreement.
“Not negotiating, walking away and letting us go for two or three weeks without negotiating in my opinion is irresponsible. We’ve got to move in real time,” North Carolina’s Thom Tillis told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce.
Earlier Tuesday, during his Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy, Biden announced a $200 million military package under the presidential drawdown authority — a fund that is running low, which is why the administration is requesting more from Congress.
The two had also planned to discuss how they can strengthen the aid Ukraine is getting, and Ukraine possibly joining the European Union.
“Everything we talked about today will help us in the year 2024,” Zelenskyy said afterward. “Today’s discussions in the White House and in Congress across both parties and both chambers, with the speaker were very productive. And I thank you for the bipartisan support as we approach Christmas on behalf of all of our Ukrainian families.”
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, 2023. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — In some of his strongest public comments to date acknowledging criticism of Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza, President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that the country was starting to lose support around the world due to what he said was “the indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a “tough decision to make,” Biden said during a fundraising event, while noting that Netanyahu understands that “he’s got to make some moves to strengthen [the Palestinian Authority] — strengthen it, change it, move it.”
“You cannot say there’s no Palestinian state at all in the future. And that’s going to be the hard part,” he added, according to a transcript of his remarks at a closed-door reception in Washington.
“But in the meantime, we’re not going to do a damn thing other than protect Israel in the process. Not a single thing,” he continued.
Biden said the current Israeli administration is “the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” adding that some members of Israel’s leadership “don’t want a two-state solution,” which is viewed by the U.S. and many other allies to Israel as the most likely pathway to peace.
While Biden and Netanyahu have not seen eye-to-eye on many issues, in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, the president has largely overlooked those differences, standing beside his friend of many decades in solidarity and even traveling to Israel in the early weeks of the war to show his support.
Netanyahu has not directly addressed Biden’s comments, but he has repeatedly defended Israel’s actions in Gaza and rejected condemnation from other countries, saying in November that Israel would “stand firm against the world if necessary.”
“No international pressure, no false allegations about [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers and our state” will impact Israel’s insistence on protecting itself, Netanyahu said at a press conference in November.
At a White House press conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later Tuesday, Biden underscored the brutality of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, calling the group “beyond comparison,” but saying he also believes he has made clear to the Israelis that “the safety of innocent Palestinians is still of great concern.”
“The actions they’re taking must be consistent with attempting to do everything possible to prevent innocent Palestinian civilians from being hurt, murdered, killed,” Biden said.
Biden’s Tuesday remarks appear to go a step beyond his recent comments on the conflict, where he has also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting Israel and its right to defend itself.
During a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday, Biden vowed his “commitment to the safety of Jewish people, and the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is unshakable.”
However, he also cautioned that Israel needs to “be careful” because “the whole world’s public opinion can shift overnight,” adding, “We can’t let that happen.”
Biden may have been alluding to a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that demands an immediate cease-fire — a position opposed by both the U.S. and Israel, though the U.S. did successfully lobby Israel to permit several pauses in the fighting to allow for aid and hostages to move within particular regions of the conflict. While the U.S. was able to veto a similar resolution presented by the 15-member U.N. Security Council last week, it was unable to prevent the Tuesday resolution from being adopted since no country has veto power over the full body. The resolution, which passed in a 153-10 vote with 23 countries abstaining, is not legally binding.
Although Biden’s schedule on Tuesday was dominated by Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington, a White House official said that he would meet in-person for the first time on Wednesday with family members of Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
(WASHINGTON) — House Republicans are teeing up a vote as early as Wednesday to formalize their ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
The resolution will direct three powerful committees to continue investigating Biden to see if there are “sufficient grounds” to impeach him.
House Republicans, since retaking taking control of the chamber in January, have focused their attention on the Biden family’s business dealings, particularly those of the president’s son, Hunter. But they have so far found no hard evidence President Biden was directly involved in or benefited from the practices, as they’ve repeatedly alleged.
Speaker Mike Johnson has defended the probe, characterizing it as a “legal decision,” and previously projected optimism the resolution will pass. But after the historic expulsion of Rep. George Santos, the House GOP has only a three-vote margin of error.
“We have to take the next step,” Johnson said Tuesday at a news conference alongside other GOP leaders. “We’re not making a political decision. It’s not. It’s a legal decision. People have feelings about it one way or the other. We can’t prejudge the outcome; the Constitution does not permit us to do so. We have to follow the truth where it takes us. And that is exactly what we’re going to do.”
House Democrats contend the vote is “the culmination of the extreme MAGA Republican yearlong agenda exacting political retribution on behalf of Donald Trump.”
“It’s painfully obvious that they are trying to hurt President Biden politically to help President Trump get reelected,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Tuesday.
Here’s what to know:
Why are Republicans holding this vote?
The impeachment inquiry has been underway since Sept. 12, when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy unilaterally launched the probe — a move seen as an attempt to appease conservative hard-liners on the verge of their revolt against his leadership.
McCarthy did so without first holding a vote on the House floor. It appeared at the time he wouldn’t have had the necessary support for the measure to pass.
The action was met with backlash from Democrats and the White House, and marked a reversal from McCarthy’s own criticisms of House Democrats for initiating their first impeachment inquiry into former President Donald Trump without a vote. House Democrats did authorize the inquiry a few weeks later, though didn’t authorize an inquiry for his second impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
Now, Speaker Johnson argues they have “no choice” but to hold a vote, saying the White House is obstructing the Republicans’ investigation.
“We’ve come to this impasse where following the facts where they lead is hitting a stone wall because the White House is impeding that investigation now,” Johnson said Tuesday.
The White House has challenged some congressional requests, in part asserting the “Constitution requires that the full House authorize an impeachment inquiry before a committee may utilize compulsory process pursuant to the impeachment power.”
The White House has also said Republicans have already accessed 35,000 pages of private financial records and at least 36 hours of testimony. Ian Sams, the White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, called the impeachment inquiry resolution a “baseless stunt.”
“The American people are yet again going to see a clear contrast in priorities: President Biden who is focused on solving the challenges facing America and the world, and extreme House Republicans who only focus on stupid stunts to get attention for themselves,” Sams said in a statement last week.
What will the vote mean?
Republican leaders said formalizing the inquiry will strengthen their subpoena power to obtain more documents and testimony.
And House GOP Majority Whip Emmer emphasized Tuesday that, “voting in favor of an impeachment inquiry does not equal impeachment.”
“We will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead,” Emmer said. “And if they uncovered evidence, treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, then and only then will the next steps towards impeachment proceedings be considered.”
Moderate Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who said he’ll vote in favor of the impeachment inquiry, was asked Tuesday if a vote to impeach Biden is inevitable if the inquiry is formalized. “I don’t think so,” he responded.
“I may be an outlier on this. I think it’s more important to have this information for the elections, let the voters decide,” Bacon said. “And I don’t know that you’re gonna see a high crime or misdemeanor, but I think the voters deserve to know what did the Bidens do.”
Former U.N. ambassador and 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley speaks to Iowa residents during a visit in Spirit Lake, Iowa, on Dec. 9, 2023, ahead of the Iowa caucus. (Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu plans to endorse Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican primary on Tuesday night, according to sources familiar — a shake-up in a key early voting state where Haley and a few others have only weeks left to try and catch front-runner Donald Trump.
“I look forward to joining Nikki at her town hall this evening — it’s going to be a lot of fun!” Sununu told ABC News.
According to 538’s polling average, Haley is currently at nearly 19% in New Hampshire; Trump is at about 45%.
An endorsement from Sununu, a vocal Trump critic and popular figure in the state that prides itself on independent-minded voters, could help close that gap ahead of the state’s Jan. 23 primary.
“I have a lot of faith in Sununu,” said Christy Carlson, an undecided voter from Merrimack, New Hampshire. “So whoever he does get behind that endorsement means a lot to me. That’ll be big.”
Linda Webb from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, echoed that: “I have an enormous amount of respect for the governor, and I am hopeful.” She said that she also hopes Sununu appears on the 2024 ticket somewhere with someone.
Back in June, Sununu opted out of throwing his own hat in the race for a White House bid because he felt a crowded field helped Trump. Since then, various Republican hopefuls have essentially been auditioning with Sununu for his endorsement and he narrowed his list down to three governors in the past few weeks: Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
“If I make a decision to get behind a candidate, I’m gonna get behind a candidate. It’s not an endorsement. It’s really a movement that this country is looking for. They’re looking for a message movement,” Sununu said at a Haley event in November.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, has seen her poll numbers steadily tick up in recent months, according to 538.
Still, she and other candidates like DeSantis trail Trump by double digits nationally and in various states, despite Trump’s legal troubles. (He denies all wrongdoing.)
Haley also recently won the backing of Americans for Prosperity Action, a powerful political advocacy group backed by billionaire Charles Koch.
DeSantis, for his part, has been endorsed by the governor of another early voting state, Iowa’s Kim Reynolds; and Trump has a slew of support including from House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) walks with U.S. President Joe Biden down the colonnade to the Oval Office during a visit to the White House Sept. 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Evan Vucci/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet in Washington on Tuesday with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders, a high-stakes visit that the White House said is coming at a “critical time” with additional Ukraine aid being debated on Capitol Hill.
Zelenskyy will sit down with Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson. He and President Biden will also meet at the White House and hold a joint press conference.
“We’re looking forward to this visit,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told reporters on Monday. “It’s a chance for the president to get an update from President Zelenskyy about how things are going on the battlefront but also to make it very clear to President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people that we’re gonna continue to support them, particularly at this very difficult time.”
Billions of dollars requested by the Biden administration to help Ukraine fight Russia’s invasion, as well as to support Israel and Taiwan, are currently in limbo in a battle over immigration policy and the southern border.
Republicans in the Senate are seeking significant changes to asylum and other immigration procedures in exchange for passing the roughly $110 billion supplemental aid package.
Some GOP lawmakers have also become increasingly skeptical of the U.S. continuing to fund Ukraine, despite arguments that it helps weaken Russia, because they think that money could be better spent on domestic issues.
The clock is winding down for both sides to come to a compromise before the holiday recess begins at the end of the week.
“We are running out of resources already in the bank to continue to assist them,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday on ABC’s This Week.
McConnell, the Senate’s top Republican and a staunch supporter of Ukraine, on Monday said border provisions remained top of mind for him and his colleagues.
“When it comes to keeping America safe border security is not a side show it is ground zero,” he said. “Senate Republicans have no more spare time to explain this basic reality. We cannot convince anyone who doesn’t want to acknowledge the glaring facts on the ground. The Senate has to act.”
Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, contended in his own remarks that “Republicans and only Republicans are holding everything up because of unrealistic maximalist demands on the border. I want to be very clear: Democrats very much want an agreement if possible.”
Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on Monday to give a speech at the National Defense University. There, he was introduced by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who described America’s security commitment to Ukraine as “unshakeable.”
Zelenskyy, speaking to students, argued that delays in approving Ukraine aid plays into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hands and those of his “sick clique”.
“America and all free nations need to be confident in themselves in their strengths in their leadership so that dictatorships doubt themselves and their power to undermine freedom,” Zelenskyy cautioned. “When the free world hesitates, that’s when dictatorships celebrate, and their most dangerous and vicious rape.”
Last week, the Biden administration announced a $175 million package of military aid to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority — a fund that is running dry, which is why the administration is requesting more from Congress.
Kirby told reporters Monday he “fully expects” more security assistance for Ukraine to be announced before the end of the month.
(WASHINGTON) — Members of Congress are scrambling to complete a packed to-do list to cap off a hectic year on Capitol Hill.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress are continuing negotiations on a massive foreign aid and security bill, reauthorizing the annual defense authorization bill and reauthorizing a national security surveillance measure. Republicans in the House are also expected to vote this week to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, a divisive effort that could endanger swing-district lawmakers.
The hectic year-end agenda marks a fitting finale to a year that started with a 15-round speakership vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was ultimately ousted from his position months later, near-misses on a government shutdown and a wave of retirements, in part fueled by frustrations over the rancor plaguing both chambers of Congress.
The House of Representatives’ last work day in Washington is Thursday, Dec. 14.
Here’s what to know about Congress’ year-end goals.
Foreign security aid, plus immigration reforms
Bipartisan negotiators are at loggerheads over a sprawling plan that would send security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific while also shoring up law enforcement at the southern border.
Republicans are largely supportive of sending aid to America’s allies in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, but they are looking to extract steep concessions from the White House and Democrats in Congress on border security before forking over the votes to hand Biden a major foreign policy win.
Senate Republicans want major revisions to parole and asylum provisions. House Republicans want even more, and Speaker Mike Johnson has advocated that the Senate work to keep the border provisions as close to those outlined in the House’s even-stricter bill.
Senate Republicans have begun calling on Biden to step in himself to help break the impasse, though immigration is notoriously fraught with political risk, especially as the presidential race ramps up.
“When you’re making law, the President has got to be involved,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who has been leading negotiations for Republicans, said last week. “I’ll let him be able to determine what that really means for him but obviously the White House has got to be engaged in this. If the White House is not engaged into the negotiations, then nothing is going to get done on it.”
Defense bill reauthorization
The National Defense Authorization Act, the $886 billion defense bill that has been passed every year for decades, is also caught up in partisan squabbles over policy.
The compromise bill language does not include a Republican effort to revoke the Pentagon’s policy of paying for servicemembers’ travel to obtain abortions if the procedure is not available in the state in which they’re stationed. The bill also does not include GOP-backed language blocking funding for transition surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender troops.
“This was a total sell-out of conservative principles and a huge win for Democrats,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X.
Some Republicans also have concerns with the NDAA over how the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is being attached to it.
FISA reauthorization
Perhaps one of the trickiest debates is over whether to temporarily reauthorize Section 702 of FISA, which allows the government, without a warrant, to collect vast swaths of communications of non-Americans overseas who message on U.S.-based platforms.
Some members of both parties support the reauthorization as a key national security tool — but others also worry about the civil rights implications given that Americans’ communications can get caught up in the surveillance.
“This is not a nice-to-have. This is Americans lives. This is our allies’ lives. This is continuing the fight in Ukraine, continuing to push Xi [Jinping] back, continuing to put fentanyl manufacturers on their heels. This NDAA has to contain a short-term extension of 702 surveillance authorities,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said last week. “If there is not a short-term extension of 702 in the NDAA, and if there is a three-week period in January in which 702 was shut down, Americans will die.”
“The privacy of Americans should be of the utmost importance to our government, and yet, we have seen too many examples of unchecked, warrantless surveillance of Americans,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said in a statement last month. “An overhaul is necessary to protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights and their sensitive, personal data.”
To satisfy all flanks of the GOP, Johnson is planning to take up competing bills from the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees on FISA. A main difference between the two is how broad to make a warrant mandate.
“My intention is to bring the bills reported by the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees to the floor under a special rule that provides members a fair opportunity to vote in favor of their preferred measure,” Johnson wrote to members.
Biden impeachment inquiry
Republicans are also expected to hold a vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry into Biden over still-unproven claims that he improperly benefited from his family members’ business ventures overseas.
Johnson said he plans to hold a vote to help bolster Republicans’ argument in court should witnesses challenge subpoenas.
McCarthy refused to hold such a vote when he was speaker partially over worries it would put Republican lawmakers representing districts Biden won in 2020 in a bind — but now, swing-district Republicans are coming around to the idea of formalizing the investigations, which are already ongoing.
“It is the legislative branch’s responsibility to assert our responsibility,” Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., said last week. “Without question there are issues of impropriety, and they have to be confronted.”
(NEW YORK) — Former Congressman George Santos is talking to federal prosecutors on Long Island about a plea deal, according to a newly filed court document.
“The parties are presently engaged in plea negotiations with the goal of resolving this matter without the need for a trial,” the filing said.
Santos is due in federal court in Central Islip on Tuesday for a status conference.
A trial had been set for Sept. 9, 2024.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
