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WASHINGTON — House Republicans' majority will be smaller than expected, but they're eager to use their new oversight powers and pass a spate of bills to draw contrasts with Democrats and give the Biden administration heartburn. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., joined by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., left, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in Washington on July 21, 2021. A growing number of Republicans say they have their sights set on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, bashing his handling of the border surge. LegislationDemocrats still occupy the White House, so any legislation Republicans pass on a partisan basis won’t be signed into law by Biden. But House Republicans say they will waste no time showing the parties’ stark differences as they battle for control of the White House in 2024.

A White House statement accused House Republicans of planning to go after Biden "with politically motivated attacks chock full of long-debunked conspiracy theories." Hunter Biden never held a position in the White House or on his father's campaign. The House Republicans' probe will begin to unfold next year, as the U.S. political calendar heads toward the 2024 presidential election, in which Biden said he currently intends to seek re-election. More than a dozen House Republicans appeared alongside Comer at a Wednesday press conference, many of them staunch allies of Trump, who announced his own 2024 White House run on Tuesday. The looming House Oversight investigation of Biden will coincide with a House Judiciary Committee probe into allegations of political influence at the Justice Department under Biden.

☆ Ticketmaster meltdown for Taylor Swift tickets sparks outrage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Justice Department and many state attorneys general have made similar complaints over the years. The Justice Department and states allowed the Live Nation Ticketmaster merger to go through despite a 2010 court filing in the case raising objections to the merger. In the filing, the Justice Department said that Ticketmaster’s share among major concert venues exceeded 80%. Past efforts to rein in Ticketmaster control over the ticket market have failed. The Justice Department and the states gave approval of to the Live Nation-Ticketmaster combination, but did call for some oversight.

WASHINGTON — Which party controls Congress next year could have big implications for Twitter — and its new “Chief Twit,” Elon Musk. A Jordan spokesman had no comment about Musk and Twitter, but Republicans expect the company will be more cooperative with any future GOP investigations with Musk at the helm. But upon taking control of Twitter, Musk said he would first form a “content moderation council,” and Yoel Roth, head of Safety and Integrity at Twitter, insisted that the company’s policies on hate speech have not changed. “If Elon Musk has said now that he’s going to start a content moderation board, that was one good sign, but I continue to be concerned about that,” Klobuchar said. Other Democrats are raising national security concerns about how Musk financed the $44 billion Twitter deal.

☆ Lindsey Graham says there are 'gonna be people jumping off bridges in San Francisco by the thousands' if Jim Jordan becomes chair of the House Judiciary Committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

During a speech at a Republican Party dinner in Lima, Graham riled up a crowd of the party faithful. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio is set to chair the House Judiciary Committee if the GOP retakes the chamber. Graham speaks at a Republican dinner in Lima, Ohio as Jordan looks on. Attendees listen as Republican Senate candidate JD Vance speaks at the Republican dinner in Lima, Ohio. Republican Senate candidate JD Vance speaks at a Republican dinner in Lima, Ohio.

☆ Longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks, who told the embattled former president he lost the 2020 election, is testifying to the Jan. 6 select committee today: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Trump White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks is testifying privately to the Jan. 6 committee. Hicks reportedly told Trump he'd lost the 2020 election and did not work on overturning the results. Staff for the select committee declined to comment on Hicks' anticipated appearance. She told Trump that he'd lost and "nobody's convinced me otherwise," according to internal deliberations highlighted in the Trump-centric tome "The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021." The former president called former Trump White House aide Alyssa Farah an "inglorious lightweight" after Farah told CNN that Trump had privately acknowledged losing the election.

☆ Insider asked 38 Republicans whether they're concerned about growing anti-Semitic sentiments in their party. Their responses included silence, deflection, and rehashing old statements.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Insider reached out to House Republican leaders, GOP senators auditioning for the 2024 presidential race, the Republican National Committee, retired GOP lawmakers, seasoned Republican strategists and former Donald Trump administration officials about this disturbing phenomenon. The non-respondents included RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, former Vice President Mike Pence, National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Rick Scott, House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik, Florida Gov. Meghan McCain, the daughter of late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, lashed out at West, Trump and House Republican "idiots" cheering on their reprehensible behavior. "You can say that his particular words in this particular case are not antisemitic," Rosen said Tuesday during Commentary's daily podcast. Nor have they convinced House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan to quit hailing West and Trump as personal heroes.

☆ Democratic Lawmakers Ask Justice Department to Publish Data on Corporate Crime
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

A trio of Democratic lawmakers is asking the U.S. Justice Department to publicly disclose data related to its prosecution of corporate crime. ), comes after a top Justice Department official said data showed a decline in corporate criminal prosecutions. “We need to do more and move faster.”Sen. Durbin serves as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which plays an oversight role over the Justice Department. The federal government hasn’t published a comprehensive report on corporate crime trends since 1979, the Democratic lawmakers said Thursday. A Justice Department report titled “Illegal Corporate Behavior” recommended that the agency start publicizing enforcement data through the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

☆ Meghan McCain lashes out at 'idiots' in the GOP for backing Kanye West despite the rapper's antisemitic comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meghan McCain slammed the GOP for backing Kanye West after his antisemitic comments. She called the House Judiciary GOP "idiots" after they left up a tweet lauding West. West then switched to posting from his Twitter account that day, writing that he was "going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE." The tweet was removed from the platform, and West was locked out of his Twitter account on Sunday. McCain also hit out at West in an Instagram post, calling his antisemitic language a "cancer" that is "everywhere."

☆ Trump support for Jan. 6 rioters is bad. But another former president was worse.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Steven Lubet | Steven Lubet Is The Williams Memorial Professor At The Northwestern University Pritzker School Of Law. His Most Recent Book Is | The Trials Of Rasmea Odeh | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

He likely has encouraged future insurrections by vowing to pardon the rioters who sacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. During Tyler’s presidency, the Whigs actually expelled him from the party when he violated Whig principles. Tyler, like Trump, was a somewhat unexpected president who didn’t originally belong to the party that elected him. But Harrison died one month after his inauguration, making Tyler the first vice president to succeed to the presidency. Like Trump, Tyler had little respect for the party establishment that put him in power.

☆ Fact Check-Democrat-proposed bill aims to expand translation of voting materials, not allow non-citizen voting
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

An amendment struck down by House Judiciary Democrats has led to debate online, with critics claiming the move indicates they support non-citizens voting in U.S. 8770 and Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act are not about expanding voting rights to non-citizens or changing legislation that prohibits non-citizen voting. He said the amendment was voted down because it was irrelevant and unnecessary, adding that the underlying bill had nothing to do with non-citizen voting. “(It) would not have changed a single practical aspect about federal law applicable to non-citizen voting,” he said. This bill was not about the legality of non-citizen voting.

☆ Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler clashed over Trump's first impeachment with Nadler saying Democrats' plans were 'unfair' and 'unconstitutional'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Jerry Nadler also reportedly pushed Democrats to have Trump's lawyers more involved. "It's unfair, and it's unprecedented, and it's unconstitutional," Nadler reportedly told Schiff, according to an excerpt from "Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump." In the end, Schiff's House Intelligence Committee took the lead role in handling Trump's impeachment, a break from the historic tradition of the Judiciary Committee handling such proceedings. "I write the rules of my committee, not you," Nadler reportedly told his colleague once. Schiff, according to the book, retorted, "I don't really care about your resentment.

☆ Democratic ex-cop Demings closes in on Republican Rubio in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Representative Val Demings enters the final weeks of her campaign to unseat Republican U.S. "This race is about Val Demings versus Marco Rubio," said Christian Slater, communications director for Demings' campaign. Allies of Demings acknowledge that she faces political headwinds in Florida including Biden's low popularity. Demings also served as one of the Democratic House managers in Trump's first Senate impeachment trial in 2020. Jose Parra, an adviser to the Florida Democratic Party, said that for Demings to win, she would need to boost turnout among voters in south Florida, including Rubio's birthplace Miami, and lure independents in a vote-rich corridor traversing central Florida.

☆ New York AG's fraud civil suit against Trump hits him right in the ego
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Michael Conway | Michael Conway Was Counsel For The House Judiciary Committee In The Impeachment Inquiry Of President Richard Nixon In In That Role | He Assisted In Drafting The Committee'S Final Report To The House In Support Of The Three Articles Of Impeachment Adopted The Committee. Conway Is A Graduate Of Yale Law School | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil lawsuit filed Wednesday alleging “persistent fraud” by the Trump Organization devastates Donald Trump’s manufactured self-image as a billionaire businessman. James’ civil lawsuit strikes Trump at the two places he is most vulnerable: his ego and his money. James’ lawsuit meticulously lists fraudulent valuations for Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, 40 Wall Street, numerous Trump golf courses and, importantly, Trump’s cash assets. Second, James has sued not only Donald Trump but also Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Allen Weisselberg (the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization) and multiple Trump business entities. All are accused of engaging in a criminal conspiracy to defraud lenders and insurers by inflating Trump’s net worth.

☆ At least 3 House GOP leaders who dodged January 6 committee subpoenas plan to haul in witnesses for their own investigations in the 118th Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-19 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The January 6 committee deposed over 1,000 witnesses about Trump's 2020 election fraud scheme. Seven House Republicans elected not to answer the committee's questions. Defying this probe could empower Democrats to do the same when Republicans take control in 2023. The highest profile holdouts include House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio, who are vying to become House speaker and Judiciary chairman, respectively, in the next Congress after flipping control of the chamber this fall. January 6 committee investigators are expected to pass along a slate of referrals about uncooperative witnesses to investigators at the Department of Justice, the House Ethics Committee, legal bar associations, and campaign finance watchdogs.

☆ Congress needs to stop day trading, says Senator Mark Warner, a former VC and entrepreneur
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-14 | by ( Alex Kantrowitz | Big Technology | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner says members of Congress shouldn't be allowed to trade individual stocks. "The ability to trade, and particularly on a day trade basis, even if you're not doing anything wrong, it looks bad," said Sen. Warner. Nancy Pelosi's argument for allowing stock trading is that federal representatives should not be restricted from participating in the economy. His transactions took place just a week before the House Judiciary Committee advanced its slew of antitrust bills aimed at Big Tech. As he leaned back in his chair in his Washington DC office, Sen. Warner, a seasoned investor, brought the point home.

☆ Nancy Pelosi's husband just invested millions in 2 tech companies with lots at stake on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-12 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The House speaker's husband, Paul Pelosi, made two million-dollar stock trades. Pelosi's husband buys up more stocksHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, bought stocks in Google's parent company, Alphabet, and in Nvidia Corporation, which designs graphics-processing units for the gaming market. Drew Hammill, the speaker's spokesman, said she did not own any stock and complied with all disclosures, which require members of Congress to post stock trades for spouses and dependent children. Rep. Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas, in a group photo with freshman members of the House Republican Conference on the House steps of the US Capitol on January 4. By federal law, members of Congress have 30 days from when they become aware of a stock trade to formally disclose it.

☆ Legal problems galore await Trump now that he's lost reelection — and, soon, his presidential immunity
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-06 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

"What the Biden Justice Department will do is let the Justice Department be the Department of Justice," Biden said during an ABC News forum when asked what he'd do about the evidence accumulated during the Mueller investigation. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesAccusations of campaign-finance violationsThe most notable Trump campaign money drama of the moment is a doozy. It involves a complaint filed this summer by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center that alleges the Trump campaign "disguised" nearly $170 million worth of campaign spending "by laundering the funds" through companies led by Brad Parscale, his former campaign manager, or created by Trump campaign lawyers. The Trump campaign has denied wrongdoing. They include accusations of illegal solicitation of a foreign national by Donald Trump Jr. and failure to publicly disclose campaign debts stemming from municipal police bills the Trump campaign refuses to pay.

☆ 'Cases up the wazoo for years to come': Legal insiders brace for a world where Trump loses and the ex-president faces down a slew of reinvigorated court fights
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-02 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The Trump campaign did not respond to Insider's questions about the possible legal challenges ahead for the president and his team. Justice Department investigation 'plausible'Could Trump's own Justice Department, at this moment, be criminally investigating the Trump reelection campaign? And that means officials there would "likely be avoiding public investigative steps" even if they were examining Trump campaign activity, Petalas said. Separately, Insider in mid-July reported that the Trump campaign was conducting an internal review of campaign spending irregularities overseen by Parscale. "If I was President Trump, that's what I would be worried about."

☆ Joe Biden and the 51 Spies of 2020
▼ + stars: | 2020-10-19 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Hunter Biden Photo: Patrick Semansky/Associated PressWhy is public trust in American institutions, including the press, in free fall? One reason is the revelation last week that the Biden for President campaign helped to organize the open letter that spread disinformation about Hunter Biden ’s famous laptop computer on Oct. 19, 2020. The House Judiciary and Intelligence committees released portions of a deposition transcript exposing the origins of the statement from 51 former U.S. spies declaring that Hunter’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” The admission came from Mike Morell , former deputy CIA director under Barack Obama . The letter served its political purpose of giving the media and Joe Biden the opening to dismiss the New York Post’s laptop scoop as Russian disinformation. (The letter and the names of the 51 signers can be read nearby.)

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