Saturday, Sep 14th
Last update09:40:54 PM GMT
Congressional Glance
“I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” Feinstein said in a statement. “That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.”
The White House budget office believes it has found a way to cancel about $3 billion in foreign aid even if it is never approved by Congress, according to a Republican aide familiar with the plan.
Using an obscure budget rule, administration officials are planning to freeze billions of dollars in the State Department’s international assistance budget — just long enough so the funds will expire. The current plan involves about $3 billion, though officials are said to have discussed as much as $5 billion.
It’s been a rough few weeks for Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA). Late in June, the first-term congressman from Virginia Beach was exposed for not having paid his local taxes — an error he blamed on being too “busy” to do so. Now, it appears his campaign may have been involved in a scheme to split the Democratic vote involving forged ballot signatures for an independent candidate.
Last week, WHRO reported that four staffers for Taylor had circulated ballot petitions for Shaun Brown, his 2016 opponent. Brown, whose fraud trial ended in a mistrial on Thursday, is attempting to run this year as an independent candidate. Eager to split the opposition, Taylor’s paid campaign staff helped collect at least 570 signatures to put her on the ballot (1,000 signatures are required for independent candidates in Virginia). Taylor told the Virginian Pilot that he did not “order” his staff to do take part in this underhanded, but not itself illegal stunt.
A court ruled Wednesday that President Trump’s now-defunct voter fraud commission must hand over documents demanded by a Democratic member of the panel.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap (D) filed suit against the commission in November, claiming that he was blocked from receiving necessary documents.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity must hand over the relevant documents by July 18.
US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election this year, in a big blow to Republicans with mid-term elections looming.
Congress' most powerful lawmaker said he would not stand for another term in his Wisconsin district this November. Republicans already face a tough challenge from Democrats to keep control of the lower chamber.
Mr Ryan joins nearly 30 House Republicans who have announced this year they are retiring outright. Democrats need 23 seats to take over the House.
- Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg started testifying before Congress on Tuesday as he looks to fend off the possibility of new regulations as a result of the privacy scandal engulfing his social network.
The 33-year-old internet mogul faces tough questioning from a joint hearing of the U.S. Senate’s Commerce and Judiciary committees.
John Thune, chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, struck an adversarial tone in his opening remarks here.
“In the past, many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have been willing to defer to tech companies’ efforts to regulate themselves. But this may be changing,” he said.
The Justice Department will not retry Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on corruption-related charges, federal prosecutors indicated Wednesday in a court filing.
Menendez’s trial last year resulted in a hung jury, and a federal judge acquitted the New Jersey Democrat and his friend Salomon Melgen on several charges last week.
“Given the impact of the Court’s Jan. 24 Order on the charges and the evidence admissible in a retrial, the United States has determined that it will not retry the defendants on the remaining charges,” a Justice Department spokeswoman said in a statement.
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