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☆ Trump allies dangled a job before a Jan. 6 committee witness that would make her 'financially very comfortable' before her testimony, committee says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The House January 6 committee uncovered evidence that Trump allies dangled a job before a witness. The witness described the offer as a job that would make her "financially very comfortable." The witness described the potential job as one that would make her "financially very comfortable," Lofgren said. The committee, Lofgren added, uncovered evidence that groups associated with the former president helped pay for lawyers for some of the witnesses that testified before Congress. The committee has promised to release its full report and supporting evidence, including transcripts from testimony, in the coming days.

☆ January 6 committee expected to recommend Donald Trump faces at least 3 criminal charges, including insurrection, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The January 6 select committee is expected to criminally refer Donald Trump to the DOJ, The Guardian reported. There could be three recommended criminal charges, including insurrection, per reports. The select committee could also pursue additional criminal referrals, The Guardian, the first to report the story, said. The nine-person select committee is expected to approve the eight-chapter report at its final public meeting on Monday and submit it to the Justice Department, per BBC News. The panel's full report includes justifications for the recommended criminal charges, according to reports.

Former House Speaker John Boehner paid a tearful tribute to Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday at the unveiling of her official portrait in the U.S. Capitol. "My girls told me tell the speaker how much we admire her," Boehner said, choking back tears as he spoke. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., greets former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, during a portrait unveiling ceremony for Pelosi in the U.S. Capitols Statuary Hall on Dec. 14, 2022. Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesPelosi, who in 2007 became the first female speaker of the House, had joked about Boehner’s penchant for tears when she spoke at his portrait ceremony in 2019. She will be succeeded by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the first Black lawmaker to lead a congressional caucus.

CNN —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s official portrait was unveiled in a ceremony Wednesday at the US Capitol, with speeches from old allies and political sparring-mates who reminisced on her historic tenure. The painting, which depicts Pelosi standing before the speaker’s chair in the House chamber and holding a gavel, will hang in the Speaker’s Lobby just off the House floor. Leaders lead, Madame Speaker, and you Madame Speaker, have led,” he said. The announcement came just weeks after her husband, Paul, was violently attacked in the couple’s San Francisco home. Jeffries, 52, will represent a generational change from the current triumvirate of House Democratic leaders, who are three decades older than him.

☆ January 6 committee will make criminal referrals to the DOJ, chair Bennie Thompson says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The January 6 committee has decided on criminal referrals, chairman Bennie Thompson said. Thompson did not provide further details on who or how many referrals the panel plans to issue. "We have made decisions on criminal referrals," the Mississippi Democrat said. Thompson declined to provide details on who may be referred or how many referrals the committee may issue, adding that the panel still has to discuss the matter further. Four lawmakers on the nine-member committee — Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff and Zoe Lofgren — have been focused on whether to issue potential criminal referrals to the DOJ, CNN reported.

☆ The effort to ban members of Congress from trading stocks is mostly dead — at least for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Time has largely run out in this Congress to ban lawmakers from trading stocks. On Monday, he told Insider in a statement that he would "keep pushing to get this debated on the floor and get it passed." Democratic senators formed a working group, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's blessing, to draft legislation to ban stock trading among lawmakers. In the Senate, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told Insider that it was "not yet" time to declare the effort dead, pointing to ongoing discussions. "I support a stock ban for members of Congress," he told reporters in September.

☆ Trump promises to ban lawmakers from trading stocks during his 2024 announcement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump endorsed a ban on members of Congress trading stocks. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle support a ban but progress has stalled during the current Congress. Trump has previously attacked the idea of lawmakers trading stocks before, but his comments on Tuesday appeared to be his most fulsome endorsement of a ban thus far. House leaders have pledged to move forward on stock-ban legislation this month, but it's not immediately clear where negotiations for passing a stock ban stand. While the issue has bipartisan support, lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol have a number of issues to deal with during the so-called "lame duck" session.

He said the spouses of some high-profile lawmakers may need security details in the future, in addition to using home security systems. Court documents allege the suspect had been in search of the House speaker and was on a "suicide mission" with additional targets. However, "there are not enough resources available to me to do that," she said on MSNBC following the attack on Paul Pelosi. “Bloodshed is coming," Swalwell tweeted at the time, foreshadowing the Pelosi attack. The Paul Pelosi attack was foreseeable," Schuman said.

☆ Video: Why Jan. 6 committee is asking Secret Service agent to testify again
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), a member of the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, says that the panel will ask former Secret Service Assistant Director Tony Ornato to testify again.

☆ Trump ally Steve Bannon should get 6 months in prison for defying the House January 6 committee, federal prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Federal prosecutors on Friday recommended that longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon receive a six-month prison sentence for defying the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In a 24-page court filing, federal prosecutors said Bannon should also pay a $200,000 fine for his "sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress." The Justice Department pursued charges against Bannon following a referral from the House recommending a prosecution against the former Trump advisor. After that initial referral, the House went on to hold three other former Trump White House advisors — Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino, and Peter Navarro — in contempt. At the end of the hearing, the House January 6 committee voted unanimously to subpoena Trump to testify.

Share this -Link copiedCommittee votes to subpoena Trump The committee voted on Thursday unanimously to subpoena Trump. Trump would not be the first president to be subpoenaed, nor would he be the first former president subpoenaed by Congress. "Even before the networks called the race for President Biden on Nov. 7th, his chances of pulling out a victory were virtually nonexistent, and President Trump knew it," Kinzinger said. “At times, President Trump acknowledged the reality of his loss. “What did President Trump know?

That's based on a Secret Service email from 9:09 a.m. "The head of the President’s Secret Service protective detail, Robert Engel, was specifically aware of the large crowds outside the magnetometers," Schiff said. A Secret Service report at 7:58 a.m. said, "Some members of the crowd are wearing ballistic helmets, body armor carrying radio equipment and military grade backpacks." On Dec. 26, a Secret Service field office relayed a tip that had been received by the FBI, Schiff said. Trump would not be the first president to be subpoenaed, nor would he be the first former president subpoenaed by Congress.

☆ Two key takeaways from Thursday's Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot hearing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump held a hearing on its latest findings on Thursday. Here are two key takeaways. SECRET SERVICE KNEW ABOUT PLANNED ATTACKNew evidence from the Secret Service obtained by the committee shows the agency knew about the high likelihood of an attack on the Capitol days ahead of Jan 6, 2021. Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said senior advisers received an intelligence summary that included material indicating that certain people would be traveling to Washington, D.C., making plans to attack the Capitol building. "They think that they will have a large enough group to march into DC armed and will outnumber the police so they can't be stopped," an email from the Secret Service sent on Dec. 26, 2020, read.

☆ Trump planned to prematurely declare victory as early as 4 months before Election Day 2020, Jan. 6 committee claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The January 6 committee claimed Trump hatched plans to prematurely declare victory months before the 2020 election. The 2020 election was uniquely susceptible to premature victory claims due to the sheer amount of mail-in ballots. The California Democrat also presented evidence that Steve Bannon had "advanced knowledge" of Trump's intent to declare victory on election night regardless of the outcome of the 2020 presidential race. Trump did eventually follow-through with a plan to prematurely declare victory. For weeks before the 2020 election, officials and journalists warned it might take more time to predict a winner.

The Jan. 6 committee's ninth and likely final investigative hearing Thursday will feature new testimony and evidence, including Secret Service records and surveillance video. ET, will not include any live witnesses, a committee aide said. All nine committee members are expected to lead segments of the hearing. That’s a departure from this summer when each of the eight hearings featured only a few panel members at a time. Part of the committee's charge is to issue legislative recommendations to prevent another Jan. 6 attack, and some panel members Thursday will present on the ongoing threats to democracy that remain.

☆ Next Jan. 6 committee hearing will reveal 'pretty surprising' new material, Rep. Zoe Lofgren says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The committee's ninth public hearing will touch on the "close ties between people in Trump world and some of these extremist groups," Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said in a CNN interview. "There's some new material that, you know, I found as we got into it, pretty surprising." Later that same week, the committee interviewed Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, for about 3.5 hours. Thomas was not videotaped during her interview with the committee, Lofgren said over the weekend in an MSNBC interview. The committee also faces an end-of-the-year deadline to submit a final report to the president and Congress containing its findings.

☆ Nancy Pelosi's congressional stock trading ban has a massive blind trust loophole and is too broad, ethics experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But ethics experts say the bill has a major loophole when it comes to blind trusts, and is too broad. Broadly speaking, a blind trust is a financial arrangement wherein people turn over their assets to be managed by an independent entity to prevent a conflict of interest. Several previously-introduced bills to ban stock trading allow for lawmakers to place their stocks into a blind trust, rather than fully selling off existing stock holdings. "You'd be able to create any kind of a trust you want to, put anything you want into it, and call it a blind trust, even though there wouldn't actually be any way to prove that it is, in fact, a blind trust." Payne also said the blind trust loophole was a "small risk," but that in an optimistic scenario, "that language allows this law to grow for future circumstances that you just can't be prepared for."

☆ Bills to add muscle to antitrust efforts up for vote in U.S. House
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote late Wednesday on a bill that would update fees companies pay for merger reviews and strengthen state attorneys general in antitrust fights, according to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office. The bill combines measures introduced by Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat, and Representative Ken Buck, a Republican,It would allow state attorneys general to choose which court they want to hear antitrust cases. The measure also lowers the fees paid for antitrust reviews of smaller deals. The reviews are conducted by the U.S. Justice Department's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission. The Senate has passed a bill giving state attorneys general the right to pick the venue for antitrust fights but has not passed a bill to update merger filing fees.

☆ House Democratic leadership finally released the text of their bill to ban members of Congress from trading stocks. Here's what's in it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The text comes after months of back-and-forth between Pelosi and lawmakers, and a vote may come this week. Interest in lawmakers' stock trades rose after Insider's "Conflicted Congress" investigation. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who himself does not trade stocks, said earlier this year that he'd consider barring members of Congress from trading stocks if the GOP wins the House in November. Here's what the bill includes:The bill would ban top officials across all three branches — as well as the spouses and dependent children of members of Congress — from owning or trading stocks, as well as cryptocurrencies. Members of Congress would also be required to file financial disclosures electronically, eliminating a long-standing problem with lawmakers submitting illegible information about their personal finances.

☆ Mitch McConnell is 'proudly' supporting a bill that aims to prevent another Trump-style coup, saying January 6 'underscored the need for an update'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

McConnell endorsed a bill to reform the Electoral Count Act, aiming to prevent another Trump-style coup. "The chaos that came to a head on January 6... underscored the need for an update," he said. The bill's aim is to make it harder to overturn presidential election results. "The chaos that came to a head on January 6 of last year certainly underscored the need for an update," he added. Most significantly, the bill raises the threshold for hearing objections to states' election results up to one-fifth of each chamber; currently, objections require just one person in each chamber.

☆ Fact Check-‘Presidential Election Reform Act’ would not automatically ban Trump from becoming president again
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Experts told Reuters there would need to be a determination that such an amendment would apply to the former president. Some on social media said the bill would ban Trump from running for office and becoming president. One user tweeted on Sept. 20: “Liz Cheney (R) and Zoe Lofgren (D) have jointly proposed a bill that would bar Trump from ever becoming president again. The op-ed also does not state that the bill would automatically disqualify Trump from a future election. The Presidential Election Reform Act would not automatically bar Donald Trump from serving again as president if re-elected.

☆ U.S. House Democrats release framework for bill to restrict members trading stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - U.S. House Democrats on Thursday released a framework for legislation that would restrict lawmakers and other senior government officials, including the Supreme Court, from trading in stocks. "These stories undermine the American people's faith and trust in the integrity of public officials and our federal government. Members of the public may ask, are our public officials acting in the public interest or their private financial interest?" The House may consider the legislation next week, according to a schedule announced by the House Majority Leader on Thursday. The White House has said President Joe Biden would leave it to Congress to decide the rules on members trading stocks.

☆ The House may finally vote — next week — on legislation to ban members of Congress from trading stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

House Democrats just teed up a potential vote next week on a congressional stock trading ban. "Across the entire federal government, there have been significant stories regarding financial conflicts of interest in relation to stock trading and ownership," Lofgren wrote. A ban on senior government officials, including members of Congress and their immediate families, from trading cryptocurrencies. The House is voting for just 3 days next week, leaving little time for members to consider the new legislation. Several prominent proponents of a stock trading ban recently told Insider that they'd been largely left out of Democratic leadership's legislative plans.

"If your aim is to prevent future efforts to steal elections, I would respectfully suggest that conservatives should support this bill," Cheney said on the floor. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who chairs the Jan. 6 committee, called GOP opposition to the bill “sad.”“I’m not surprised at anything they do. The Senate bill includes some differences. The House bill also allows candidates to sue in federal court to enforce the lawful certification, which numerous Senate Republicans say is a nonstarter. “I think once people get an opportunity to see what our bill encompasses versus the Senate bill, I think you’d see people moving to our side,” Thompson told reporters.

☆ Just 9 House Republicans broke ranks to vote for a bill from Liz Cheney and House Democrats that aims to prevent another January 6. All of them are retiring.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The bill amends the Electoral Count Act and clarifies the vote-counting role of the vice president. Senators introduced their own bipartisan bill two months ago, and some say this is just a messaging bill. "The ambiguity around the Electoral Count Act was the overwhelming rationale behind objections" on January 6, he said, indicating his support. The Senate introduced its own separate bill to reform the Electoral Count Act in July, and it now has ten co-sponsors from each party, a good indication of potential success. Here are the 9 House Republicans who voted for the bill:

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