Biden preemptively pardons Fauci, Milley, Jan. 6 committee members
In the final hours of his tenure, President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons for potential targets of the Trump administration. On Monday, Jan. 20, Biden preemptively pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades — including during the COVID-19 pandemic during President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration.
He also pardoned now-retired Gen. Mark Milley, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump’s first term, and has publicly warned he believes Trump is a fascist. Milley has also been heavily criticized by Republicans for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
President Biden also issued preemptive pardons for members of Congress who served on the Jan. 6 Committee — including former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who Trump has vowed retribution against.
President Joe Biden’s statement
Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy.
Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.
In a statement, President Biden said, “Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy. Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.”
Biden added, “These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”
Reaction from both sides of the aisle
The president also made clear the preemptive pardons are not meant to imply any wrongdoing; rather, they’re meant to provide protection for these individuals. Some Democrats argued against preemptive pardons, including Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who served on the House Jan. 6 Committee.
Some Trump supporters have also spoken out against the pardons, like Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R, who claimed in a post on X that those pardoned Monday are guilty of crimes.
Biden awards Liz Cheney, 19 others Presidential Citizens Medal
President Joe Biden awarded former Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney a Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest U.S. civilian honor, on Thursday, Jan. 2. The accolade recognizes her work co-chairing the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Cheney received the award in a ceremony where her co-chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., also received the honor, as did 18 others.
It comes less than three weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Before his election win, Trump faced federal charges alleging he incited the deadly 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. However, the Justice Department later dropped the charges.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press last month, Trump said both Cheney and Thompson should be in jail. He accused them of deleting all evidence in their investigation.
“I think those people committed a major crime and [Liz] Cheney was behind it, and so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee,” Trump said.
In 2023, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., criticized the Jan. 6 committee. He alleged in a Fox News interview that they did not adequately preserve some documents relating to Capitol security failures.
Committee members deny deleting records, many of which are publicly available as transcripts or videos.
Four former U.S. senators –– Democrats Bill Bradley, Chris Dodd and Ted Kaufman, as well as Republican Nancy Landon Kassebaum –– also received the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Other recipients in Thursday’s ceremony include:
Early LGBTQ rights advocates Evan Wolfson and Mary Bonauto.
Mitsuye Endo, the plaintiff who died in 2006 but led the case overturning the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.
Frank K. Butler Jr., a Navy SEAL whose improvements to medical guidelines for treating injured troops likely saved thousands of lives of U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Democratic senator opposes Biden’s preemptive pardons. Here’s why.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he “strongly opposed” President Joe Biden’s consideration of preemptive pardons for President-elect Donald Trump’s political rivals. Blumenthal described it as a “terrible idea.”
“It would, in effect, be an implicit acknowledgment of some culpability or guilt,” Blumenthal told reporters. “And it would apply only to the top officials, probably leaving the underlings exposed and vulnerable.”
Multiple outlets reported Biden’s senior aides are debating blanket pardons for those possibly targeted by the incoming Trump administration. Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Dr. Anthony Fauci are among possible Trump targets.
Prosecution speculation
Blumenthal said if there is a prosecution, it would be better to create a legal defense fund. This way, the accused can have a strong, bipartisan team of attorneys.
As a former prosecutor, he expressed doubts about getting a conviction on purely political charges.
“I think that pushing back and achieving acquittals, in effect giving the president a black eye when he brings these retribution prosecutions, would be a way to uphold justice,” Blumenthal said.
Trump threatens Jan. 6 investigative committee
President-elect Trump added to concerns about retribution, saying members of the Jan. 6 investigative committee should go to jail.
“For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail,” Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Trump said he wouldn’t direct his FBI director and attorney general to send them to jail.
“I think that they’ll have to look at that. I’m going to focus on drill, baby, drill,” Trump said.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., a former member of the committee, said he did his job and the findings of the investigation should be preserved.
“They’re incredibly concerning,” Aguilar responded to Trump’s comments. “But I also think that within that same interview, he said that he could not tell the American public that their prices were not going to be impacted by the tariffs. So this is somebody who doesn’t keep his word.”
Aguilar said he hasn’t been a part of any conversations about pardons, calling it speculation.
‘Risk and uncertainty’ as Syrian rebels oust Assad after decades in power
Syrian rebels oust dictator Bashar al-Assad, who has fled the country after nearly 25 years in power. And the suspected killer of a health care CEO in New York City is still at-large after eluding a massive manhunt for almost a week. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.
‘Risk and uncertainty’ as Syrian rebels oust Assad after decades in power
It’s the dawn of a new era in Syria. After more than a decade of civil war in the country, President Bashar al-Assad was ousted after rebel groups overtook the capital in a coup on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Now Syria and its people are left with the question of what comes next as countries around the world, including the United States, react to the changing landscape.
Syrians could be seen celebrating in the streets as word spread that Assad had fled the country. State media reported the president and his family landed in Russia Sunday evening and Assad has been granted political asylum in Moscow.
The toppled leader, who had been in power since 2000 and whose family had ruled for five decades, was forced to vacate after rebel forces quickly captured city after city leading to them taking control of Damascus.
Since the civil war broke out in the wake of the pro-democracy Arab Spring demonstrations of 2011, Assad’s forces have been accused of brutal severe human rights violations, including using chemical weapons against their people. They’ve been held responsible for the deaths of more than 5,000 people and the displacement of millions of others.
The rebels who led to Assad’s ouster were headed by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Jolani called the coup “a victory for the whole Islamic nation.”
Jolani’s group used to be linked to Al Qaeda. Though it has cut those ties, the U.S. still designates it a terrorist group.
President Joe Biden spoke from the White House Sunday, calling the end of Assad’s regime a “fundamental act of justice.” Biden added the U.S. will support Syria’s neighbors Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq should any threat arise from this period of transition.
Biden referred to this as a time of “risk and uncertainty.”
“We will remain vigilante. Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” Biden said. “We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days and they’re saying the right things now. But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words but their actions.”
Biden said Assad’s downfall came in part due to allies Iran, Russia and Hezbollah being weaker today than when Biden began his term.
President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement on his Truth Social platform Sunday, saying Iran and Russia are in weakened states right now and calling for the end of the war in Ukraine. However, in a post on Saturday, Dec. 7, Trump said the U.S. should not get involved with Syria, saying, “This is not our fight. Let it play out.”
Iran’s president said it is up to the Syrian people to decide the future of their country.
Amid the time of transition in Syria, the U.S. showed it will continue its efforts against ISIS in the region. U.S. Central Command said it launched a series of airstrikes Sunday targeting ISIS camps and leaders in central Syria, confirming 75 “targets” had been hit. U.S. officials said it will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria.
Trump promises to pardon Jan. 6 rioters on first day in office
In his first network TV interview since winning the election, President-elect Trump touched on some of his biggest campaign promises and his plans to start following through with them immediately when he takes office in January.
In an interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker for Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” Trump said, “A lot of it will have to do with economics. A lot’s gonna do with energy. A lot’s having to do with the border. We’re gonna immediately strengthen up the border and do a real job.”
Trump also doubled down on his promise to pardon Americans jailed for their role in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, saying they had no other choice than to plead guilty. Department of Justice records show more than 1,500 people have been arrested or charged in connection with that attack and nearly 900 have pleaded guilty.
While Trump said he will not tell his nominees for FBI director and attorney general to go after his political rivals, he did share his opinion on what should happen to lawmakers who were on the House’s select committee to investigate January 6.
“Everybody on that committee, for what they did, honestly, they should go to jail,” he said.
After that interview, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY), who was on the committee, issued a statement saying, “Donald Trump’s suggestion that members of congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
Trump did reiterate multiple times during Sunday’s interview he has no plans to go after political rivals, but as we’ve reported here at Straight Arrow News, President Biden is considering preemptive pardons for Cheney and others who were part of the House Jan. 6 investigation, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Police release new images of suspect in NYC deadly shooting
The manhunt for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson enters a new week.
Over the weekend, the NYPD released new images of the apparent suspect. Police identify the man in the pictures as “a person of interest” wanted for questioning for the fatal shooting outside a Hilton hotel Wednesday, Dec. 4.
One image shows the masked man in the back of a taxi. Another shows him walking on the sidewalk outside a vehicle. Police are hoping these images, along with others released last week, will help lead to the gunman.
Authorities reportedly traveled to Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 7, and have been searching a lake near Central Park. On Friday night, Dec. 6, reports said investigators found a backpack believed to belong to the shooter. Inside they found two items: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money.
Jay-Z accused of raping 13-year-old girl alongside Diddy
Music mogul Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs. In a civil suit filed Sunday, the anonymous accuser claimed the assault happened in 2000 at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party.
The federal lawsuit was originally filed in October only listing Combs as a defendant, but it was refiled Sunday to include Carter.
Jay-Z, who is married to Beyonce, denied the accusation and said in a statement directed at the attorney who filed the suit, “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!”
Combs’ lawyer also responded, calling the suit a “shameless” publicity stunt.
In September, federal prosecutors in New York criminally charged Combs with racketeering, sex trafficking and other offenses. He is in jail awaiting trial, which is scheduled to start May 5.
Kennedy Center honors Coppola, Grateful Dead, The Apollo
President Biden was among those in attendance — a tradition President Trump did not continue during his first term in office, saying he did not want to be a political distraction as some attendees had threatened to boycott his appearance. As Trump gets ready to start his second term in office, there are questions about whether federal funding for the arts might be on the chopping block.
Reports: Juan Soto, Mets agree on largest contract in pro sports history
Former New York Yankees star outfielder Juan Soto is staying in the Big Apple, but moving leagues in reportedly the largest deal in professional sports history.
But should Soto decide not to opt out, his pay will reportedly go up an extra $4 million a year for the remainder of the deal — meaning in the end, this could be an over $800 million deal.
The agreement also reportedly includes a $75 million signing bonus. Soto’s deal surpasses the record set just last year by Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract.
Note: The headline has been corrected to Assad. A previous version had the incorrect name.
Dr. Fauci, Schiff, Cheney: Biden weighs preemptive pardons ahead of Trump term
The Biden administration is considering issuing preemptive pardons for several public officials, according to sources close to the discussions who spoke with Politico. These pardons could be granted to individuals who senior aides believe may be targeted by President-elect Donald Trump.
The potential pardons could include high-profile figures who have been outspoken against Trump, such as Senator-elect Adam Schiff of California, former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key figure in U.S. health policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The White House is weighing the legal and political risks of offering preemptive pardons to individuals who are not currently facing criminal charges but could be protected from future prosecution if charges were later brought.
Some of those reportedly being considered for pardons have already expressed hesitation. Schiff has said he would “urge the president not to do that,” noting that such a move “would seem defensive and unnecessary.”
In June 2024, Trump posted on Truth Social that the January 6th Select Committee should be indicted, accusing members of deleting and destroying evidence. However, Trump has also stated that he will not target political opponents, asserting his revenge will be his success.
The discussions about potential pardons come after Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, a move that has received mixed reactions. Some Democrats have called on Biden to issue additional pardons.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a statement urging Biden to use his final weeks in office to extend “the high level of compassion he has consistently demonstrated throughout his life.” Jeffries called for pardons on a case-by-case basis for working-class Americans in the federal prison system who have been negatively impacted by aggressive prosecutions for nonviolent offenses.
Harris staffers’ tell-all podcast: Details beyond media headlines
Vice President Kamala Harris’ top campaign staff spoke out in their first sit-down interview since the election on the “Pod Save America” podcast. During the interview, officials offered new details about the campaign’s struggles.
Among the revelations were internal polling data that proved damaging for Harris, the reasons behind the canceled Joe Rogan interview and what staffers believe ultimately led to the campaign’s downfall.
The direction of media coverage has differed sharply, with reports shaped by the political leanings of various outlets.
Left-leaning outlets like CNN and The Associated Press focused on the staffers’ comments about the “price to be paid for a shortened campaign,” emphasizing the impact of a limited campaign timeline.
Meanwhile, right-leaning outlets such as the Washington Examiner and The Daily Wire honed in on internal polling that showed Harris consistently trailing President-elect Donald Trump.
CNN and the AP didn’t make any mention the internal polling in their coverage, while the Washington Examiner and The Daily Wire omitted comments from staffers about the campaign’s limited timeframe.
In the interview, David Plouffe, a senior adviser for the Harris campaign, discussed the disconnect between public polls and the internal numbers the campaign was seeing.
“I think it surprised people because there were these public polls that came out in late September and early October showing us with leads that we never saw,” Plouffe said. “It was basically a race that in the battlegrounds was 46-47, 47-48, so that’s not where we started. We started behind.”
Plouffe and other staffers also expressed frustration with the short amount of time they had to define Harris. They said she was largely undefined at the start of the campaign.
“This is where there was a price to be paid for the short campaign, and you can’t even say 107 days because some of that was spent shoring up the Democratic nomination,” Plouffe said. “You really need to have said everything you want to say before early voting, so we had a little more than two months.”
“We had discussions with Rogan’s team, they were great, they wanted us to come on, we wanted to come on, we tried to get a date to make it work, and ultimately we just weren’t able to find a date,” Dillon said.
Staffers also discussed the campaign’s message, which was shaped by internal research suggesting a focus on attacking Trump. They defended the strategy of bringing Liz Cheney on the campaign trail in an effort to appeal to Republicans.
Another topic discussed was an ad released by the Trump campaign, which staffers called “effective.” The ad depicted Harris’ stance supporting taxpayer-funded sex-change surgeries for prisoners.
“It was a very effective ad in the end,” one staffer said. “I ultimately don’t believe it was about the issue of trans rights. I think it made her seem out of touch.”
Despite the campaign’s setbacks, Harris thanked her supporters during a call to donors. However, questions remain about the campaign’s spending, with some reports placing the total at up to $1.5 billion.
The full extent of the campaign’s finances will become clearer next month, following the post-election filing with the Federal Election Commission on Dec. 5.
Controversy follows Trump comments on ‘training’ guns on ‘war hawk’ Liz Cheney
Former President Donald Trump is facing backlash after making comments about and insulting one of his most outspoken Republican critics – former congresswoman Liz Cheney. It happened when Trump sat down with former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson at his final campaign event in Arizona Thursday, Oct. 31.
During the event, they started talking about how Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
That’s when Trump went after the Cheneys’ stance on war and foreign policy.
“I don’t blame him for sticking with his daughter, but his daughter is a very dumb individual,” Trump said. “She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK? Let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.”
Trump added, “You know they’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in a nice building saying gee, well let’s send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy.”
Liz Cheney responded on X, “This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death. We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant.”
This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death. We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant. #Womenwillnotbesilenced#VoteKamalahttps://t.co/URH5s929Sa
“It’s unconscionable. I don’t know how Republican leaders, many of whom served with her and consider her a colleague and friend,” Griffin said. “It’s dangerous, it’s escalatory.”
Liz Cheney was on the house committee investigating the January 6th attack on the capitol and voted to impeach Trump.
Trump endorsed her opponent in the 2022 primary, Rep. Harriet Hageman, who ended up winning.
Trump’s campaign has not commented on what Trump said about Cheney Thursday.
Harris, Trump look for votes in battlegrounds with 2 weeks to go
With exactly two weeks to go until Election Day, both candidates for president are blitzing the battleground states. And we’ve learned how long student loan repayments for about eight million Americans will remain on hold. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.
Harris, Trump look for more votes in battlegrounds with 2 weeks to go
With two weeks to go until Election Day, the presidential candidates are crisscrossing the country trying to pick up any undecided voters that remain.
.@Liz_Cheney: Vice President Harris is going to defend our Constitution. We're not always gonna agree, but I know Vice President Harris will always do what she believes is right for this country. She has a sincere heart, and that's why I'm honored to support her pic.twitter.com/lcFD6MGDSF
“So, I think that we are facing a choice in this election; it’s not about party, it’s about right and wrong,” Cheney said. “And I certainly have many Republicans who will say to me, ‘I can’t be public.’ They do worry about a whole range of things including violence, but they’ll do the right thing.”
In Wisconsin, Harris described her opponent former President Donald Trump as “unstable,” referencing comments made by former Trump cabinet members.
“I think it’s very important that we acknowledge — and I have said publicly that Donald Trump is an unserious man,” Harris said, “and the consequences of him ever being President of United States again are brutally serious. Brutally serious.”
Former President Trump visited North Carolina on Monday where he surveyed the damage created by Hurricane Helene and continued his criticism of the Biden administration’s relief efforts.
“The power of nature, nothing you can do about it, but you got to get a little bit better crew and to do a better job than has been done by the White House,” Trump said. “It’s been not good. Not good. I’m here today in western North Carolina to express a simple message to the incredible people of the state: I’m with you and the American people are with you all the way. We’re going to continue to be with you. We’ll see what happens with the election. And we’re, on January 20th, you’re going to have, I think, a new crew coming in to do it properly and help you in a proper manner.”
Trump made two more stops while in North Carolina Monday, holding a rally and speaking at a faith leaders’ event.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, former President Trump will continue campaigning in North Carolina with a rally in Greensboro, and Vice President Harris will sit down for an interview with NBC News in Washington, D.C.
Blinken in Israel to revive Gaza cease-fire talks after Sinwar death
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel once again — his 11th visit to the region since war broke out between Israel and Hamas a little more than a year ago.
On my way to Israel and other stops in the Middle East for intensive discussions about the importance of ending the war in Gaza, returning the hostages to their families, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people. pic.twitter.com/lIaRUo7Ea2
This visit is the first stop on a wider tour of the Middle East in which Blinken is expected to revive talks for a cease-fire in Gaza in the wake of the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Blinken’s weeklong trip comes as the Middle East braces for Israel’s response to an Iranian missile attack on Tel Aviv earlier this month.
Teen arrested after 2 adults, 3 children killed in shooting at Washington home
Officials with the King County Sheriff’s Office said another teenager who had been injured went to a Seattle hospital. They said that teenager and the teen in custody both live at the home where the shooting happened, but did not know the relationships between those teens and the five people killed.
“I just don’t know the relationships, so I’m going to withhold confirming any relationships, but it does appear to be that this is a family incident,” Deputy Mike Mellis told reporters Monday. “Clearly, a domestic violence incident that involves not only a young man — who’s now in significant trouble — and it involves firearms. Young men and firearms.”
Reports say he has chronic myeloid leukemia, a form of bone marrow cancer, and he’s undergoing treatment at Rikers Island prison in New York where he’s serving a 16-year sentence.
This is just the latest health issue Weinstein has faced behind bars. Last month, he had emergency heart surgery to alleviate a significant amount of fluid in his lungs and heart, and he was hospitalized in July with COVID-19 and double pneumonia.
Student loan payments pause extended for 8 million SAVE plan borrowers
Eight million Americans will be able to continue holding off paying back their student loans for at least another six months, the Department of Education confirmed on Monday.
The Education Department said save enrollees will be placed in an interest-free general forbearance for at least six months pending the outcome of legal challenges to the plan.
Cheapest World Series tickets costing at least $1,000 on secondary market
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have each punched their ticket to the World Series and now if you want a ticket, you’ll need at least $1,000. According to SeatGeek, the cheapest single seat for the Game 1 in LA on Friday, Oct. 25, will cost $1,034.
For Game 2 on Saturday, Oct. 26, also at Dodger Stadium, the least expensive ticket is $1,209.
Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 28 and 29, head back to the East Coast, with the cheapest tickets for Yankees Stadium costing $1,385 and $1,110, respectively. A possible Game 5 is showing the same as Game 4.
And “if necessary,” Games 6 and 7 would be back in LA, with the cheapest tickets going for around $1,300 or more.
As for the good seats behind home plate at Dodger Stadium, those tickets are going for $1,500 or more.
Trump calls for Jan. 6 investigative committee members to be indicted
Donald Trump is calling for the criminal prosecution of members of the congressional Jan. 6 investigative committee, all of whom are his political opponents. The former president expressed his opinion on Truth Social, his social media platform, on Thursday, June 6.
“INDICT THE UNSELECT J6 COMMITTEE FOR ILLEGALLY DELETING AND DESTROYING ALL OF THEIR ‘FINDINGS!’” the former president wrote.
Committee members included former Republican Reps. Liz Cheney, Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, Ill., and Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Calif., Jamie Raskin, Md., Bennie Thompson, Miss., and others.
Trump made the post after a judge sentenced his former chief strategist Steve Bannon to four months in prison for defying a subpoena from the committee. Bannon remained defiant, however, after a judge handed him the sentence Thursday and ordered Bannon to surrender by July 1.
”There is not a prison built or jail built that will ever shut me up,” Bannon said as he walked out of the courthouse. “All victory to MAGA. We’re going to win this. We’re going to win at the Supreme Court and more importantly, we’re going to win on November 5th in an amazing landslide.”
“It is a Total and Complete American Tragedy that the Crooked Joe Biden Department of Injustice is so desperate to jail Steve Bannon, and every other Republican, for that matter, for not SUBMITTING to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs,” Trump added in his Truth Social post.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., spearheaded a Republican-led investigation into what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and wrote in his report the original select committee did not preserve some of the evidence.
Committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., also responded to Trump’s calls for their indictment and denied deleting evidence.
“The ex-president threatening to arrest people shows he does not understand, or does not care, about our system of justice,” Lofgren said on CNN.
The committee concluded its investigation with an 845-page report and a criminal referral against Trump to the Justice Department. Members suggested Trump be indicted on charges very similar to those brought forward by special counsel Jack Smith.
Democrats warn Mayorkas impeachment will come back to bite Republicans
Democrats are warning Republicans that impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will set a new precedent, allowing for cabinet secretaries to be impeached over policy disputes with Congress. The impeachment articles were moved through the Homeland Security Committee Tuesday, Jan. 30. A vote in the House has not been scheduled yet.
“This is a new Democratic Party and we are not going to take this lying down,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., told reporters. “And they better be careful what precedent they are setting because it will come back to bite them.”
Democrats are making many arguments against impeaching Mayorkas. For one, they contend he hasn’t committed any high crime or misdemeanor.
Goldman added that under the precedent Republicans are setting, Attorney General Jeff Sessions or Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen could have been impeached during the Trump administration for the policy to separate children from their parents to deter illegal crossings.
“If the Republicans are going to open the door to impeach a secretary because they don’t like how that secretary is doing his job, well, what happens if there’s another child separation policy?” Goldman said. “There are a slippery slope of any number of disagreements that would then rise to the level of impeachment.”
“I caution people to recognize the importance of misuse of this power,” Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., told Straight Arrow News. “It’s a dangerous precedent and one that we should be very careful with.”
Republicans dispute that this is about policy disagreements, and contend that Mayorkas has purposefully failed to enforce laws passed by Congress, which has led to nearly 7.1 million illegal crossings since the Biden administration took office. They also blame Mayorkas for a dramatic increase in the number of drugs being trafficked into America and a record 106,699 overdose deaths in 2021.
“We will prevail because nobody deserves it more than this man. I call him the architect of destruction,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said. “He knows what he’s done and he needs to pay for his sins.”
Republicans acknowledge that the impeachment is unlikely to go anywhere if and when it passes the House.
The same question gets asked, ‘What about the Senate? Are you just doing something that’s going to wind up being fruitless anyway because of the Senate?’ Well, fine, if that’s what they choose to do, but I have a duty to do.
Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn.
“The same question gets asked, ‘What about the Senate? Are you just doing something that’s going to wind up being fruitless anyway because of the Senate?’ Well, fine, if that’s what they choose to do, but I have a duty to do,” Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., said.
Democrats have come out in unison against the impeachment. So, if Mayorkas is formally impeached, Republicans will have to do it on a partisan basis, which is exactly what the GOP warned against in 2019 during Donald Trump’s first impeachment.
In a sign of how much has changed, former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., criticized then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for moving Donald Trump’s first impeachment through a committee that had not historically handled impeachment investigations.
“She has completely neutered the intelligence committee,” Cheney said in October 2019, according to C-SPAN. “She has said they must be focused on a partisan impeachment process and not their oversight obligations that we have as a body, as an important branch of this government. And they’ll be held accountable for that.”
Democrats are making Cheney’s exact argument now. They said Republicans are not following the proper procedures by going through the Homeland Security Committee instead of the Judiciary Committee, which typically handles impeachments.