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McCarthy made good on his promise to block former House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell — both California Democrats — from serving on that panel. In addition to keeping Schiff and Swalwell off the Intelligence Committee, McCarthy previously said he intended to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who backed McCarthy but has caused headaches for GOP leadership in the past, also got a slot on the panel. The coronavirus committeeRep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, will chair the special committee investigating the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, McCarthy named GOP members to a third select committee, focused on competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party.

The U.S. government’s system for labeling and tracking classified documents appears to be broken, with potentially serious consequences for the country’s national security, lawmakers, former officials and scholars said Tuesday. Democratic and Republican lawmakers said there was a “systemic failure” if both the Obama and Trump administrations could not keep track of classified documents after their tenures ended. I don’t know how anybody ends up with classified documents. “We clearly don’t have an effective management system to oversee where classified documents go and how they’re retrieved,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. Goitein and others said the recent discoveries of classified documents present a political opportunity for the White House, and possibly Congress, to at last tackle the problem.

A "small number" of classified documents were discovered last week at former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home, according to two letters Pence’s counsel sent to the National Archives obtained by NBC News on Tuesday. Pence's team “immediately” secured the classified documents in a locked safe, Jacob said. The transfer was facilitated by Pence’s personal attorney, who has experience in handling classified documents and was involved with the Jan. 16 discovery. Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley later told NBC News that “no potential classified documents” were found at the offices of Pence’s organization Advancing American Freedom after Pence’s team searched the offices and the former vice president’s home in Indiana. In a statement Tuesday, Comer said Pence reached out to the panel about classified documents found at his Indiana residence.

☆ McCarthy kicks 2 top Democrats who spearheaded Trump impeachment efforts off of the intelligence committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rejected two democrats' bids to be on the intelligence committee. McCarthy said that Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell were not fit to serve on the committee. The two democrats served on it from 2015 to 2019 and headed up impeachment efforts against Trump. Previously, McCarthy had argued that because of Swalwell's past association with a Chinese spy, he should not serve on the committee. He claimed that Schiff "lied to the American public" about his knowledge of the whistleblower at the center of the first impeachment proceedings.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Victoria Spartz, an Indiana Republican, said Tuesday she'll oppose Speaker Kevin McCarthy's efforts to keep a handful of Democrats off key House committees. But he may need the support of a majority of the House to block Omar from Foreign Affairs. Given McCarthy's slim Republican majority, every vote is important. The speaker's plans are widely seen as retaliation against Democrats for kicking Republican Reps. Paul Gosar, of Arizona, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, off their committees in the last Congress over incendiary or violent rhetoric. “Speaker Pelosi took unprecedented actions last Congress to remove Reps. Greene and Gosar from their committees without proper due process.

As speaker, McCarthy has the authority to choose a chairman and Republican members of the panel. Jeffries, as minority leader, can nominate Democrats to serve on the panel, but McCarthy has the power to reject them. He has specifically targeted Schiff and Swalwell who played a major role in the impeachments of former President Donald Trump. Those actions angered McCarthy and for months he has vowed to block Schiff and Swalwell from the Intelligence panel. As recently as Jan. 12, McCarthy told reporters he would not seat Schiff and Swalwell who regularly antagonize McCarthy during cable news appearances.

☆ Hakeem Jeffries tells Kevin McCarthy that it's a 'double standard' if 'serial fraudster' George Santos serves on committees but Schiff and Swalwell get kicked off of the intelligence committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hakeem Jeffries is arguing that Reps. Schiff and Swalwell should be kept on the intelligence committee. The House Democratic leader sent a letter to Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday making the case. He pointed out that George Santos has been "welcomed" by the GOP despite being a "serial fraudster." "The apparent double standard risks undermining the spirit of bipartisan cooperation that is so desperately needed in Congress." "It does not serve as precedent or justification for the removal of Representatives Schiff and Swalwell, given that they have never exhibited violent thoughts or behavior," he wrote.

☆ GOP Rep. Mike Turner, who suggested Trump took about 300 classified documents to write a memoir, calls Biden a 'serial classified document hoarder'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GOP Rep. Mike Turner said President Biden is a "serial classified document hoarder" after more documents were found at his residence. Turner previously suggested Donald Trump had hundreds of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago to help him write a memoir. "Apparently, he's become a serial classified document hoarder," Turner said of Biden Sunday morning on "Face the Nation" on CBS News. I mean the only reason you can think of as to why anyone would take classified documents out of a classified space and home is to show them to somebody." Both incidents have prompted special counsel investigations, but Turner appeared to have more concerns over Biden's classified documents.

☆ Adam Schiff, Disinformation Man
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

House Republicans are preparing to strip Adam Schiff of his Intelligence Committee seat, and his media allies are rallying to the California Democrat’s defense. Maybe that’s because he was such a useful source against Republicans over the years, as the latest documents released by Twitter show. The media says House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ’s motive for removing the ranking House Intel member is retribution for Nancy Pelosi’s unprecedented decision to strip two Republicans of committee seats in the last Congress. No doubt Republicans want Democrats to meditate on the consequences of their norm-busting. But Mr. McCarthy has offered a good reason for giving the Californian the boot: “Adam Schiff openly lied to the American public.”

☆ Top Democrat Adam Schiff criticizes Biden, saying mishandled classified documents may have been a security risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Adam Schiff addressed the discovery of classified docs in Joe Biden's office and residence. "We have asked for an assessment in the intelligence community of the Mar-a-Lago documents," Schiff said. "I think we ought to get that same assessment of the documents found in the think tank, as well as the home of President Biden." Schiff said it was right that Biden was facing a special-counsel investigation into his handling of classified information. When pressed on whether the White House should've been more forthcoming on the issue, Schiff said he would "reserve judgement" until the investigation had been conducted.

☆ House Oversight chair calls for release of visitor logs from Biden’s Delaware home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., on Sunday asked for the release of visitors logs from President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware in a letter to White House chief of staff Ron Klain. “Given the serious national security implications, the White House must provide the Wilmington residence’s visitor log,” Comer wrote in the letter to Klain. The former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was searched by the FBI last year after multiple attempts to obtain classified documents. The president is cooperating with the Justice Department and National Archives amid the discovery of the classified documents, she said. "He showed no interest in investigating the far more serious situation with about 100 classified documents at Mar-a-Lago with evidence in the public domain of obstruction.

☆ Republicans want Biden home visitor logs - but not Trump's
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Doina Chiacu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Republicans have sought to compare the Biden documents case with that of former President Donald Trump, who faces a federal criminal probe of how he handled classified documents after he left the White House. Comer said he would not seek visitor logs for Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, where more than 100 classified documents were found in an FBI search. There is no legal requirement that U.S. presidents disclose visitors at their home or at the White House. The Biden administration reinstated disclosures of official guests to the White House and released its first batch of records in May 2021. TRUMP VS. BIDEN DOCUMENT ISSUESRepublicans in the U.S. House of Representatives launched an investigation on Friday into the Justice Department's handling of improperly stored classified documents possessed by Biden.

☆ Utah GOP Rep. Chris Stewart rejects notion that Biden was unaware of classified documents found in his possession: 'It just is nonsense'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Stewart rejected the notion that President Biden was unaware of classified documents in his possession. Biden last week said that he did not realize that he was in possession of the Obama-era documents. "I've dealt with classified documents almost my entire life. "This isn't the kind of thing that you just sit on your desk and you think, 'Oh, I forgot that they're classified.' The House Judiciary Committee on Friday announced that it would launch an investigation into the unearthing of the Biden materials.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), said she has personally spoken to Jeffries and recommended that Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., should be the ranking member. “The Republicans made it very clear that the committee is primarily focused on … counter intelligence and economic espionage issues which have been the focus of my own work, especially on the Intelligence Committee,” Krishnamoorthi said in an interview. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., a former CIA analyst who is eyeing a possible Senate bid in 2024, has also expressed interest in the top role on the China panel. But while CAPAC is divided, its members agree that the ranking member of the new panel should be Asian American. Think about that," said one CAPAC member.

WASHINGTON — Aides to President Joe Biden have discovered at least one additional batch of classified documents in a location separate from the Washington office he used after leaving the Obama administration, according to a person familiar with the matter. The initial discovery of classified documents in an office used by Biden after his vice presidency was first reported on Monday by CBS News. It also was not immediately clear when the additional documents were discovered and if the search for any other classified materials Biden may have from the Obama administration is complete. Two sources familiar with the matter said less than a dozen documents with classified markings were found at the office. Trump's possession of over 100 documents with classified markings despite have been subpoenaed for their return is the subject of a federal criminal investigation by the Justice Department.

☆ Biden aides find second batch of classified documents at new location, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Aides to U.S. President Joe Biden have discovered at least one more batch of classified documents in a location separate from a think tank office he used after serving as vice president, news outlets reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The NBC News report said the classification level, number and precise location of the additional documents was not immediately clear. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. A spokesperson for Senator Marco Rubio, the committee's Republican vice chair, said Rubio and Warner had written to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, asking for access to the classified documents. The Justice Department is separately probing Trump's handling of highly sensitive classified documents that he retained at his Florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021.

☆ Senate Intel chair calls for a briefing on classified docs found in Biden office
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, D-Va., is calling for his committee to receive a briefing on the classified documents discovered in an office used by President Joe Biden. Warner has voiced frustration that a briefing for congressional leaders about the classified documents found in Trump’s possession at Mar-a-Lago never materialized. He told NBC News in December, "it’s a bit embarrassing" that a group of eight top congressional leaders was never looped in on the scope of the classified material found at the resort. "Unlike former President Donald Trump, who allegedly obstructed efforts to recover hundreds of classified documents, the handful of classified documents reportedly found at the Biden Center were immediately sent to the National Archives and President Biden is allowing the Justice Department to operate free of political interference," Durbin said. This comes as Jack Smith, a special counsel appointed by the Department of Justice, is investigating Trump for his possession of classified material.

☆ Katie Porter Launches 2024 California Senate Bid, Isn't Waiting on Feinstein
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Katie Porter of California on Tuesday officially announced a 2024 Senate bid. Sen. Feinstein is up for reelection in 2024, but hasn't yet announced whether she'll run for another term. "In times like these, California needs a warrior in Washington," she said in her official campaign announcement on Tuesday. In entering the race, Porter is staking out a lane as an lawmaker who would usher in a different sort of governance. In November, Porter won a tough reelection race, edging out former California assemblyman Scott Baugh by four points (52%-48%).

☆ Biden classified documents: White House won't say why it didn't disclose earlier that records were found
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a bilateral meeting at the North American Leaders' Summit in Mexico City, Mexico, January 10, 2023. "Why didn't the 'Justice' Department announce the Highly Classified documents found in the Biden Office before the Election?" Trump wrote in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. U.S. President Joe Biden attends a news conference at Waldorf Astoria in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia July 15, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters"This discovery of classified information would put President Biden in potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act," Turner wrote.

☆ House Democrats brace for Speaker McCarthy to block their committee assignments in retaliatory strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Warren Rojas | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has pledged to bar three Democrats from sitting on two committees. Republicans are targeting Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, and Ilhan Omar. Democrats declined to speculate on next steps if McCarthy follows through on his plan. Swalwell has served on the Intelligence committee since 2015, and is also a member of the Homeland Security Committee and Judiciary Committee. Staff for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about defending Democratic members' committee assignments.

☆ The House of Representatives will have more guys named 'Mike' than women chairing committees under the new Republican majority
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

House Republicans have announced a new slate of committee chairs for the new Congress. Six of the committees will be chaired by a man named Mike or Michael. On Monday, House Republicans sorted out a number of contested chairmanships, and House Majority Steve Scalise released a list of recommendations for chairmanships that were ratified by the conference on Tuesday. The result: men named "Mike" will outnumber women two-to-one among committee chairs. Under Democratic leadership in the previous Congress, 7 House committees were chaired by women.

☆ Republican Ben Sasse says he's 'sad' for 'needy and desperate' Trump in parting shot before leaving the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP Sen. Ben Sasse offered a parting blow to Trump as the Nebraskan leaves Congress. Sasse, who is moving on to academia, said it's "sad" the former president is so "needy and desperate." The Nebraska Republican also praised Trump for appointing conservative judges. Sasse formally resigned from the Senate on Sunday to become the next president of the University of Florida. Ricketts ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2006, losing handily to then-Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson.

☆ Democratic Rep. Katie Porter is eyeing a potential California Senate run in 2024: Politico
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Rep. Katie Porter of California is eyeing a potential 2024 Senate bid, according to Politico. Dianne Feinstein is up for reelection in 2024, but has not yet announced her intentions. Porter's potential entry into the race would likely offer a huge burst of momentum for progressives. Loading Something is loading. Feinstein, now in her fifth term, is widely expected to retire after the upcoming 2024 cycle, but neither she nor her campaign have commented on her intentions.

There are no active House lawmakers. Other business in the House is paralyzed, as well, and the rules that previously governed the lower chamber have expired. Some members worry they and their staff members will stop receiving paychecks if the new Republican majority remains unable to elect a speaker. Incoming House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., said members are expecting to get paid through Jan. 13. Some lawmakers are asking questions about whether their staffers will be covered by health care if the Republican impasse drags on.

☆ SEC ends insider trading probe of ex-Sen. Richard Burr and brother-in-law without taking action, lawyers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Burr and Fauth had a very short phone call on the same day as the stock sales, the SEC has said in court filings. The Department of Justice earlier had closed a criminal investigation of Burr and Fauth without taking action against either man. The SEC in court filings has said that on Feb. 13, 2020, Burr called his stockbroker and directed him to sell more than $1.65 million worth of stock. Almost three hours later, Burr called Fauth's cellphone for a call that lasted 50 seconds, the SEC has said. A minute or less after that, Fauth called his primary stockbroker, who did not answer, the SEC has said in filings.

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