Darren Indyke, Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer and a co-executor of his estate, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he had no knowledge of the convicted sex offender’s crimes and rejected aspersions that he knowingly facilitated Epstein’s trafficking, according to a copy of prepared remarks obtained by POLITICO. The attorney’s defensive posture in the […]
The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted Thursday to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to be the next Homeland Security secretary, after the Oklahoma lawmaker clashed with committee Chair Rand Paul in a surprisingly tense Wednesday confirmation hearing. The vote — eight senators voting in favor and seven against — fell mostly along party lines, with […]
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) endorsed Rep. Kevin Hern’s bid for the open Senate seat in Oklahoma to replace Sen. Markwayne Mullin on Thursday, as Republicans look to avoid a messy primary in the red-leaning state. Thune called Hern a “proven conservative leader” and supporter of […]
Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday Congress has to “adequately fund defense” amid the military campaign in Iran as he declined to rule out a possible $200 billion emergency Pentagon infusion. Johnson spoke shortly after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to rule out a supplemental spending request of that size at a morning news conference. The […]
Lawmakers are rethinking legislation that seeks to further honor the late activist César Chávez after sexual misconduct allegations have now surfaced decades after his death. President Barack Obama in 2012 created the César E. Chávez National Monument in Keene, California, and lawmakers have been wanting to turn the site into a national historic park. Those […]
It’s Markwayne Mullin’s day of reckoning after a fiery Senate hearing Wednesday. The Oklahoma Republican will likely secure the votes he needs at the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Thursday, though it’s not a sure thing. If things go as expected, he could be confirmed as DHS secretary early next week, Senate Majority […]
Sen. Bernie Sanders is introducing joint resolutions of disapproval Thursday over several U.S. arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Vermont independent’s office tells POLITICO. The resolutions take aim at a combined $658 million worth of munitions sales. Joining Sanders as cosponsors are Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of […]
House Democrats say Attorney General Pam Bondi is attempting to evade a congressional subpoena to testify about the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffery Epstein case. Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Wednesday evening walked out of a closed door briefing with Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, saying the nation’s lead […]
Speaker Mike Johnson is staring down his right flank as he seeks to fulfill President Donald Trump’s demand to extend warrantless government surveillance powers long detested by the conservative hard-liners. Johnson wants to put an 18-month extension of the spy law known as Section 702 on the House floor next week, seeking to advance it […]
Lawmakers rejected legislation Wednesday to compel the United States to maintain a balanced budget, a perennial pursuit of fiscal conservatives that stood little chance of becoming the law of the land. The House voted 211-207 against the resolution that would have launched an effort to amend the U.S. Constitution to bar the federal government from […]