What we know about former Hunter Biden small business husband or wife Devon Archer

Julia Johnson

July 31, 10:44 AM July 31, 10:44 AM

Hunter Biden's former small business associate Devon Archer, who was also a Burisma board member, is scheduled to testify powering closed doorways on Monday just before the GOP-led Dwelling Oversight Committee that is investigating President Joe Biden's family members and their organization dealings.

Controversy erupted in excess of the weekend following the U.S. Attorney’s Business for the Southern District of New York asked for a demo choose to identify a date for Archer to report to prison to serve his 1-12 months sentence for an unrelated fraud conviction.

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This prompted many Residence Republicans to connect with on colleagues to return to Washington, D.C., inspite of Congress staying in recess. "The DOJ is now actively committing the criminal offense of obstructing a congressional investigation," Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) posted on X (previously identified as Twitter). "If Devon Archer is not in the witness chair Monday, we improved haul each and every SOB at the DOJ in advance of congress Every Day to make them fork out for this."

Household Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) known as the timing of the Section of Justice's ask for "odd" throughout a WHD News overall look on Sunday.

Here's what we know about Hunter Biden's previous affiliate who is testifying in advance of the Household Oversight Committee.

Evading the committee

Archer has canceled scheduled depositions with the committee on a few occasions. The committee issued a subpoena for Archer's testimony past month with a deadline of June 16, which he skipped.

Archer's testimony has been sought by the committee because it has "recognized Mr. Archer as possessing information and facts suitable to its investigation."

Historical past with Hunter Biden

His testimony is so crucial to the committee mainly because of his proximity to both of those Hunter Biden and the relaxation of the Biden loved ones, specifically their business enterprise dealings. Archer served alongside the young Biden on the board of Burisma, the Ukrainian power firm at the center of allegations of affect peddling from President Joe Biden and his household. He also worked with Hunter Biden on quite a few other business enterprise ventures as a result of Rosemont Seneca, their investment agency.

Further more, Archer would be the closest business enterprise associate to day to testify in advance of the committee. Dependent on his testimony, he has the greatest potential to implicate the president and his family members members far more than everyone else.

Hunter has praised Archer greatly in the previous

In his memoir, the president's son explained his organization husband or wife as a "self-produced, supermotivated previous faculty lacrosse participant with a disarming allure who'd flown all more than the earth to raise cash for his actual estate financial commitment agency."

Archer introduced Hunter to Burisma

His organization affiliate was truly the a single to recruit him for the Burisma gig, which was found as a substantial conflict of fascination for then-Vice President Joe Biden. This is one of the focal details of the Residence Republican investigation into Biden's alleged affect peddling.

One more company associate of Hunter Biden, however, declined an invitation to join Burisma. Chris Heinz, the stepson of John Kerry, "strongly warned Mr. Archer that doing the job with Burisma was unacceptable. Mr. Archer mentioned that he and Hunter Biden intended to go after the opportunity as people, not as aspect of the agency," a spokesperson told the Washington Publish.

Hunter Biden investigation: Comer unveils 'Biden family’s influence peddling' in Romania and China

Jerry Dunleavy

May 10, 08:59 AM May 10, 09:03 AM

A top House Republican investigator released new financial records from his investigation into “the Biden family’s influence peddling and business schemes” by highlighting bank records related to Hunter Biden-linked business deals in Romania and China.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, released a 36-page memo on Wednesday, noting his committee had subpoenaed four banks and received thousands of records. The report argues the bank records show that “the Biden family, their business associates, and their companies received over $10 million” from companies belonging to foreign nationals, with Republicans identifying payments to Biden family members from foreign companies while Joe Biden served as vice president under former President Barack Obama and after Joe Biden left public office in early 2017.

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“The transactions in Romania and China show related but separate issues identified by the Committee that raise serious questions about financial disclosures and risks to national security,” Comer’s new memo alleged.

Comer said that “the Romanian transactions show evidence of influence peddling and a correlation between Biden family and their business associates’ work and then Vice President Biden’s responsibilities while in office.”

The Kentucky Republican added that his committee “is also providing additional information about the Biden family’s troubling receipt of payments from China, particularly the individual Ye Jianming and his company, CEFC, to show what was from 2015 to 2018 a growing interest by people closely tied to the CCP in cultivating a relationship with the Biden family.”

Comer’s new memo follows a subpoena he sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray seeking information about an alleged bribery scheme tied to then-Vice President Biden and an unnamed foreign national.

The new GOP memo does not detail any foreign payments going directly to Joe Biden. The Washington Examiner reported last year that Hunter Biden spent over $30,000 on escorts, many of whom were linked to ".ru" Russian email addresses and worked with an “exclusive model agency" called UberGFE during a 3 1/2 month period between November 2018 and March 2019. He managed to do so thanks in part to Joe Biden committing to wiring him a total of $100,000 to help pay his bills from December 2018 through January 2019.

Comer had revealed new Biden family financial details in March after he obtained them through a subpoena of Hunter Biden associate Rob Walker's financial records at Bank of America. The House Oversight chairman revealed that “from 2015 through 2017, Biden family members and their companies received over $1.3 million in payments” from accounts tied to Hunter Biden business associate Rob Walker.

Comer said more than $1 million was sent in incremental payments to Hunter Biden, his uncle and Joe’s brother James Biden, and Hallie Biden, the widow of the president’s deceased son, Beau Biden, with whom Hunter was having a romantic relationship in 2017 following his brother’s death, shortly after Walker received a $3 million wire from a Chinese company called State Energy HK.

President Biden denied these details, which Comer considers facts backed by clear evidence.

Hunter Biden’s legal team had indeed seemingly confirmed, and defended, the payments in a March statement.

During an October 2020 debate with then-President Donald Trump, then-candidate Joe Biden also incorrectly claimed that his son never made money from China.

Shortly before the March 2017 Chinese wires from State Energy HK occurred, now-former CEFC leader Ye Jianming met with Hunter Biden on Feb. 14, 2017, in Miami, Florida. It was there that Ye reportedly gifted Hunter Biden with a 3.16-carat diamond allegedly valued at $80,000.

Comer said on Wednesday that State Energy HK “appears to be Ye’s vehicle, at least in part, to launder money and purchase lucrative gifts.” The memo said that “the purported Chinese energy company made over $23 million in purchases from a retail diamond/jewelry business” in 2016 and 2017, including “$2 million in purchases from the Diamond Business” in late 2016 and early 2017. Comer said that “these transactions align with when Ye sent a large diamond to Hunter Biden in Miami.”

Biden White House oversight spokesman Ian Sams said Wednesday that Comer “is loudly and proudly broadcasting a press conference today to continue his long pattern of making absurd claims that President Biden has made governing decisions not in the interest of America, but of the Chinese Communist Party, using baseless claims, personal attacks, and innuendo to try to score political points.”

The new GOP memo also said Wednesday that, prior to the wire from State Energy HK, Hunter Biden associates Rob Walker and James Gilliar, as well as Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden, “received payments from a Romanian source, and many of the payments were made while Joe Biden was Vice President and working directly on the U.S.’s official policy in Romania.”

The House Republican memo argued that actions in Romania taken by the Biden family and its associates “bear clear indicia of a scheme to peddle influence” from 2015 to 2017, arguing that “while Vice President Biden lectured Romania on corruption and ethics, Hunter Biden received — through Biden associate Rob Walker — over a million dollars from a company controlled by a Romanian individual accused of corruption (Gabriel Popoviciu).”

Comer released bank records showing “the Biden family’s receipt of money from a foreign company reportedly controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, the subject of a criminal probe and prosecution for corruption in Romania.” The payments came around the same timeframe that then-Vice President Biden delivered speeches and met with Romanian leaders in 2014 and 2015 regarding corruption in the country. Comer said his committee “is concerned about the Biden family’s pattern of courting business in regions of the world in which the then Vice President had an outsize role and influenced U.S. policy.”

Vice President Biden gave a May 2014 speech to Romania’s government leaders, where he declared that “corruption is a cancer, a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy.”

“The Committee strongly agrees that corruption poses a national security risk,” Comer wrote. “At the time of Vice President Biden’s speech, one of the most high-profile corruption prosecutions in Romania revolved around Gabriel Popoviciu. Romanian prosecutors charged and convicted Mr. Popoviciu with a bribery related offense, and there has been subsequent litigation in the United Kingdom related to this matter.”

Vice President Biden also welcomed Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House in September 2015, where the two discussed anti-corruption efforts.

Comer wrote that, within five weeks of that meeting, Bladon Enterprises, which is “reported to be Gabriel Popoviciu’s Cypriot company” that he used to conduct business in Romania, “began making deposits into Robinson Walker LLC’s bank account.” Comer said Blandon Enterprises paid Robinson Walker LLC “over $3 million” from November 2015 to May 2017, and that “Biden family accounts received approximately $1.038 million from the Robinson Walker LLC account after Bladon Enterprises deposits.”

The new memo said that sixteen of those seventeen payments were made while Joe Biden was still vice president, and that money was then sent to Hunter Biden associate James Gilliar, Hunter Biden, Hallie Biden, Hunter Biden-linked businesses such as Owasco P.C. and RSTP24 II LLC, as well as to “an unknown Biden bank account.”

Hunter Biden reached out to former FBI Director Louis Freeh in 2016 to see if he could help Popoviciu.

“It appears from bank records the Bidens were using Robinson Walker LLC to conceal that the source of these payments was Popoviciu,” Comer wrote. “The Committee is further concerned that while Vice President Biden advocated publicly for anti-corruption policies in Romania, bank records show Biden family members and business associates were simultaneously reaping in significant amounts of money from a Romanian individual at the center of a Romanian corruption scandal.”

Hunter Biden and his associated businesses are also believed to have received at least $5 million in payments from Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC in 2017 and 2018, and Ye Jianming’s deputy Patrick Ho also agreed to pay Hunter Biden a $1 million retainer. Hunter referred to Ho as "the f***ing spy chief of China" in a May 11, 2018, voice recording.

“The Committee is investigating the corrupt conduct of Ye — and others with ties to the CCP — who used CEFC and Chinese companies to entice Biden family members with millions of dollars in exchange for influence and legitimacy in the United States and abroad,” Comer’s new memo said.

Comer wrote that CEFC deputy Gongwen Dong formed CEFC Infrastructure in Delaware in May 2017, and that Hudson West V, a company directed by Dong which received a $24 million wire from Ye and formed a partnership with Hunter Biden, was the sole equity member of CEFC. A week later, the memo said that Hudson West V “assigned 100 percent of its interest” to the Chinese company Shanghai Huaxin Group. Shanghai Huaxin “funded the CEFC Infrastructure bank account with a significant injection of $10 million from China” in June 2017, Comer said, and then CEFC Infrastructure wired $100,000 to Hunter Biden’s Owasco P.C. on Aug. 4, 2017.

“The Biden family and associates’ activities in coordination with Chinese nationals and their corporate entities appear to be an attempt to engage in financial deception,” Comer wrote on Wednesday.

AOC cries 'fascism' as Republicans advance parents bill of rights

Jeremiah Poff

March 23, 05:04 PM March 23, 05:04 PM

House Democrats took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday to denounce a GOP bill on parental rights, saying the bill was fascist and would lead to book bans.

In a series of floor speeches on Thursday afternoon, House Democrats accused their Republican colleagues of wanting to ban books and prevent children from learning about the holocaust and gay and transgender issues as the House began a heated floor debate on HR 5, the Parents Bill of Rights.

BIDEN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SUED FOR DELAY OF PARENTAL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION IN NEW JERSEY

The bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), would require all public school districts to disclose their curriculum materials to parents, mandate parental consent for participation in student surveys, and prohibit schools from selling student information "for commercial or financial gain." The legislation is one of the top priorities of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and was introduced as HR 5 to commemorate the age of students when they begin kindergarten.

"Extreme MAGA Republicans don't want the children of America to learn about the Holocaust," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on the House floor. "They want to ban a book called Melissa, a book describing in very personal terms the experience of a trans girl beginning to understand her identity ... What's so offensive about Melissa?... Extreme MAGA Republicans don't want your child to learn about the LGBTQ+ experience in America. That's not a decision that extreme MAGA Republicans here in Congress should make."

Liberal firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) likewise blasted Republicans, saying that people wanted the party to "keep culture wars out of classrooms."

"Our children need urgent and aggressive educational solutions," the congresswoman said. "When we talk about progressive values, I can say what my progressive value is, and that is freedom over fascism."

The House is set to begin voting on a number of amendments on Thursday evening. Final passage of the bill is expected on Friday.

Five Republican House primaries to watch in 2024

Brady Knox

March 13, 06:25 AM March 13, 06:25 AM

With 2024 fast approaching, buzz has already begun to surround the Republican House primaries.

While most attention is fixated on the Republican presidential primary for 2024, many forget that all 435 House seats are up for election as well. With Republicans only holding a narrow majority currently, just a few races could decide which party controls the House. Much depends on the quality of Republican candidates, which will be decided earlier in 2024.

2024 ELECTION: 29 HOUSE LAWMAKERS DEMOCRATS FEAR COULD LOSE THEIR SEATS NEXT YEAR

Here are five different races bound to be close, according to the Cook Political Report.

1. Tony Gonzales (TX-23)

Rep. Tony Gonzales became the second congressman in Texas Republican Party history to be censured due to his support for a gun control bill, to codify same-sex marriage into law, and his rejection of a border security bill from fellow Texan Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).

He now faces the might of the state Republican Party, with Medina County GOP Chair Julie Clark already joining the race as a primary challenger. In 2020, prior to his censure, he beat Sen. Ted Cruz-backed Air Force veteran Raul Reyes by just seven votes. Now stripped of his state's party support, which is likely to back his opponent, Gonzales faces a tough race.

2. French Hill (AR-02)

Hill, a Little Rock banker first elected in 2014, has recently cast himself as an anti-Trump Republican, going on CNN to call for a GOP presidential challenger to Trump in 2024, voting to certify the 2020 election and establish the Jan. 6 Committee, and bashing former President Donald Trump's claims of election fraud. He was already sobered in 2022 when he won against retired Michael Flynn-backed Army colonel Conrad Reynolds by 59%-41%, despite outspending him by a factor of five and a half.

Another Trump-backed challenger is all but assured to confront Hill again in 2024, although his allies hope that his conservative credentials will help him prevail.

3. Dusty Johnson (SD-At Large)

Despite South Dakota voting strongly for Trump in the past two presidential elections, its only representative, Johnson, has positioned himself as the former president's opposite; a centrist, policy-oriented representative whose personality contrasts heavily with that of Trump. He also voted with Democrats against Trump on several hot-button issues, including overriding Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border, establishing the Jan. 6 Committee, and keeping former Rep. Liz Cheney as Republican conference chair.

With his 2022 showing already underwhelming, Johnson could be in trouble in 2024 if pro-Trump elements of the party decide to put effort into unseating him.

4. Dan Newhouse (WA-04)

Newhouse is one of two remaining Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, with the other eight being defeated in 2022. He was only able to keep his seat after the pro-Trump opposition vote was split in three; he won just 26% of the vote in the primary. If the pro-Trump base can unify around a single candidate, Newhouse will be in deep trouble.

So far, he has relied on a fracturing coalition of centrist Republicans, Democrats, and independents to get by; the latter two of which will be unable to help him in an exceedingly difficult primary.

5. Dan Webster (FL-11)

Webster, 73, once an insurgent Freedom Caucus-backed candidate, now faces a daunting challenge from the right in the form of Laura Loomer, an energetic, pro-Trump firebrand endorsed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). He defeated her by just seven points in 2022, although Loomer has yet to concede, citing election fraud.

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Loomer has cast Webster's age and seeming lack of energy as a central issue, with the incumbent being absent for a number of Congressional votes and failing to raise much money in comparison to Loomer.

With Loomer bound to challenge him again in 2024, Webster faces a difficult race.

Hockey coach experience helps House Majority Whip Tom Emmer in new leadership role

Juliegrace Brufke

March 05, 07:32 AM March 05, 07:32 AM

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) played a key role in building the new House Republican majority. Now, as House majority whip, he's helping to coach it, a familiar position going back to his ice hockey days.

Emmer, first elected in 2014 to Minnesota's 6th Congressional District in the northern and western Minneapolis exurbs, was twice chairman of the House Republicans' campaign arm, where he had a strong run. Heading the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2020, Emmer oversaw the effort that shaved down the House majority that the Democrats won two years earlier, boosting House Republicans' ranks by 14 seats. And in 2022, with Emmer again chairing the NRCC, Republicans nabbed the House majority halfway through President Joe Biden's White House term — although they only have a narrow 222-213 edge over the Democrats.

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Emmer's House Republican colleagues rewarded him by backing him for majority whip in a contest where he beat out rival Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA) on the first ballot and Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) on the second, by a 115-106 vote. That made Emmer the third-highest House Republican leader behind Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).

The majority whip's job is officially to whip House votes for the party's position on leadership, but the role is as much about being the eyes and ears of the conference and knowing how to make members succeed. That's all hard-earned experience from Emmer's eight years in the House, on top of six years as a state representative, his work as a city councilman, and his work as an attorney and establishing a youth hockey team in the 1990s, where the father of seven and onetime collegiate hockey player himself learned how to get people to work together.

Emmer immediately drew on those skills in the opening days of the closely divided House. He helped McCarthy rally the support needed to secure the speaker's gavel amid a group of conservatives threatening to derail the California Republican’s bid. The effort took 15 ballots, and three-and-a-half days, before McCarthy finally won in the wee hours of Jan. 7.

“It's like problem-solving, right? People are entitled to their opinions," Emmer told the Washington Examiner about trying to overcome dissension in the House GOP ranks. "We're entitled to our emotions. We're entitled — all of that is just human stuff, right?"

Emmer recalled working in his office with House Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) to figure out a way to victory for McCarthy.

"We did the [speaker] first vote that Tuesday — I can't remember how many we did before we went to adjourn. And then we ended up in here, Guy and I ended up in here with just a few members," Emmer said. "I won't get into which ones, but having a discussion — and by the way, they were on the opposite side of Kevin. So the discussion was, 'Is there a path?' How do we get there? And at that point, they weren't too inclined to talk that way.”

It helped grease the ultimate agreement that led to McCarthy's eventual win. The rules package that will govern the operations and priorities of the 118th Congress passed the House after McCarthy used it to barter a deal with conservatives in exchange for the speaker's gavel. The 55-page package includes an end to proxy voting as well as a return to the traditional "motion to vacate," which allows any member to bring forward a motion to oust the speaker.

Additionally, instead of an omnibus bill, all 12 appropriations bills will be considered and passed separately. Two new committees also were created: one to investigate China and the other to investigate the "weaponization" of federal agencies under the Biden administration. The rules package further calls for lawmakers to have 72 hours to review bills before voting on them. Moreover, the House side of the Capitol would be reopened to the public.

"It's like, 'You guys can make some significant changes — and significant changes, by the way, that the entire conference agrees with,” Emmer said about GOP House holdouts against McCarthy.

Emmer, who was the 2010 Minnesota Republican gubernatorial nominee, noted that he doesn’t expect his job to be easy over the course of the next two years. But the speaker’s race was a good “practice run” for what’s ahead, noting that hearing out members about their concerns and maintaining strong communication on where members of the conference stand will be a key part of his strategy.

“It was a great practice run for us. I mean, we literally set up our whip team on the fly, the whip counters, we couldn't rely on others to do things on the floor. So we literally stepped it up, put that together. I called it practice," Emmer said. "Imagine this is what we're going to be doing as a whip operation, so just we're going to use it, we're going to do some test things right and see how it works like a fire drill.”

The Minnesota Republican said he believes his background as a hockey coach has also provided him with a skill set that will be beneficial for his new leadership gig.

"A good coach celebrates the team when they're successful and, by the way, takes all the responsibility when they fail. I think that's the No. 1 rule," Emmer said. "And you also have to get your team to believe in the mission that you're setting out to — if they trust in the leadership, and if the leadership knows what they're doing, teams can achieve things that they really never should have been expected to achieve.”

Emmer offered a more specific hockey analogy.

“It's recognizing, like I did with every team I've coached, that every player has a role, and if that player is not performing, it affects everybody else," he said. "That comes from the top scorer on the team to the penalty kill guy that's out there for just a few minutes of every game, and you were only as strong as your weakest link. So everybody gets held to the same standard, everybody has the same consequences, and then they all start leaning on each other.”

With the razor-thin majority, Emmer acknowledged that there are likely to be significant hurdles during the course of the next two years, with factors like occasional absences potentially being a problem.

“I think the biggest challenge is going to be human issues," he said. "We've got members who have lives at home and, you know, making sure that people take care of themselves and stay healthy.”

But while Democrats utilized proxy voting during the 117th Congress, making it easier to pass legislation, Emmer said that he is glad that Republicans got rid of the pandemic-era practice. Proxy voting was being abused and shouldn’t have been extended for as long as it had, according to the congressman.

“If you don't want to come to work, then get a different job — proxy voting and Zoom hearings and all of this nonsense should never have happened," Emmer said.

Republicans control the House. Now what can they do?

W. James Antle III

March 05, 04:00 AM March 05, 04:01 AM

Like the Democrats they dethroned, House Republicans have big dreams but a small majority. They would like to cut spending, eliminate inflationary fiscal policies, confront China, secure the border, and hold the executive branch accountable without willing partners in charge of the White House or the Senate.

Some go so far as to see a historic opportunity for entitlement reform, even as President Joe Biden centers his likely reelection campaign around the need to defend Social Security and Medicare from Republican cuts.

"When Republicans only control one half of one of the three branches of the federal government, they are limited in what they can do from a lawmaking standpoint because it is a numbers game, and they simply don’t have the numbers to pass sweeping legislation into law,” said GOP strategist Ford O’Connell. “But that doesn’t mean House Republicans don’t have significant power to change the conversation and direction of policy in Washington, D.C., and across the country, if they can maintain a strategic legislative focus and sound communications discipline.”

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One thing Republicans can do is stop the more partisan elements of the Biden agenda cold. Tax and spending measures must originate in the House, according to the Constitution. Barring massive defections by the more centrist GOP lawmakers representing the most Biden-friendly districts, these bills won’t even make it to the House floor. Reconciliation, the budgetary promise by which the Democrats passed two of Biden’s biggest spending bills, is a nonstarter.

Legislation such as Build Back Better or the shrunken version found in the Inflation Reduction Act won’t make it out of the House. If they somehow did, they would be subject to filibuster in the Senate. The 49 Republican senators may be one fewer than last year, but that is more than enough to blow up bills under a 60-vote threshold.

Republicans argued on the campaign trail that this type of spending was Biden’s biggest contribution to inflation, which spiked to a 41-year high before the Federal Reserve stepped in with an aggressive blitz of interest rate hikes. They will be able to stop it.

Democrats countered with concerns about abortion and Roe v. Wade, which was overturned by a conservative-dominated Supreme Court in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision a few months before the midterm elections. Republicans will similarly be able to thwart Democratic efforts to codify, or go beyond, Roe.

In terms of a positive legislative agenda, House Republicans will have to decide between trying to find measures Biden could sign into law and messaging bills that will put their Democratic opponents on the record ahead of the next elections.

“Legislation that tackles inflation, strengthening the economy, and fiscal sanity are winners, so long as Republicans stay out of the Democrats’ Medicare and Social Security traps,” O’Connell told the Washington Examiner. “Same goes for legislation concerning border security, crime, the Chinese Communist Party, domestic energy security, and government accountability. These are all issues that appeal to Main Street, including independents.”

That’s precisely the trap Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) hope to set in the debt ceiling fight. House Republicans hope to win some spending concessions in exchange for an increase in the federal debt limit. Biden wants a clean debt ceiling hike with no conditions, saying Republicans are willing to default and tank the economy to force Social Security and Medicare cuts.

Republicans did win some spending concessions, with threatened enforcement through sequestration, in 2011 under former President Barack Obama. The circumstances were similar: a Republican House, a Democratic Senate, and a Democrat in the White House. So House conservatives see that as the model.

Biden was involved in those debt ceiling negotiations over a decade ago when he was vice president. No deal was struck before a credit rating downgrade took place. The stalemate probably helped Obama get reelected. And Biden has to wonder if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who took 15 ballots to get elected, really speaks for his conference.

“The American people want to see Washington, D.C., stop with the utter dysfunction that has plagued the city for so long,” Republican strategist Jon Gilmore said. “We need to have real conversations about spending, debt, and putting forward meaningful policies to enact real change. I have confidence in the speaker and his leadership team, and we are all rooting for their success.”

Dysfunction is exactly what Democrats want swing voters to see in McCarthy’s House, exploiting tensions among the various Republican factions.

Oversight of the Biden administration is another sure bet from House Republicans. They now control the committees and have subpoena power. Presidential son Hunter Biden and retired Biden administration chief COVID-19 adviser Anthony Fauci, as well as current officials, are going to be on the receiving end.

Committee hearings don’t have the same bipartisan credibility as they did decades ago. Grilling Attorney General Merrick Garland could be seen as a substitute for governing, pleasing only the base. But some voters also want answers on the border, the FBI, and Afghanistan. Republicans will at least be in a better position to ask the questions.

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With a divided government, most of the next two years will really be about why Democrats or Republicans should be returned to full control. Each will be trying to make the argument that their candidates should be the next president and congressional majority.

“How do we measure GOP House success? Simple,” O’Connell said. “Do Republicans win control of the White House and all of Congress in 2024? If they do, then they have been successful."

McCarthy light-touch leadership differs from his predecessors' top-down approach

Virginia Aabram

March 04, 07:30 AM March 04, 07:30 AM

Even in the moments when it didn’t look like there was any way that Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) would emerge victorious from the grueling speakership race, Washington insiders said he would win.

McCarthy has the ability to overcome just about anything, as his most hard-line detractors found out over the course of four days and 15 rounds of votes. After starting with 20 adamant naysayers that he eventually whittled down to six, the race ended with the gavel in McCarthy’s hand and zero Republican votes against him. The rocky start now has one member comparing him to Rocky Balboa.

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"He's doing great,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told the Washington Examiner a few weeks into the busy new Congress. “I come from Philadelphia, the city of Rocky Balboa. Kevin McCarthy is the Rocky Balboa of Congress. He has overcome so much adversity. And he should be very proud of all he's accomplished.”

McCarthy negotiated his way to the speakership by cutting deals with conservatives that dispersed power over legislation from the majority party's leadership and into the hands of rank-and-file members. It's a stark departure from the role of his immediate predecessors, a job that's second in the line of succession after the vice presidency.

While House speakers of an earlier era deferred considerably to committee leaders about which pieces of legislation moved or didn't, the first House Republican House speaker in 40 years, former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) strengthened the role considerably. After House Republicans won the majority in the 1994 midterm elections, Gingrich, as the incoming speaker, quickly restricted the power of committee chairmen. Gingrich instead hand-picked the chairmen for the next Congress, in some cases disregarding seniority.

Subsequent Republican House speakers, such as former Reps. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), John Boehner (R-OH), and Paul Ryan (R-WI), further consolidated power in the office. But it was the only Democratic House speaker of the past 28 years, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who operated with what critics deemed imperious powers. She kept in line a sometimes-fractured House Democratic Caucus and wasn't afraid to punish members of her own party who strayed from the fold on votes. The daughter of a World War II-era House member from Maryland who became Baltimore's mayor, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., Pelosi in her two turns as speaker (2007-2011 and 2019-2023) was more of an old-school, big-city war boss than the effete San Francisco liberal critics often characterized her as.

McCarthy, under the new House rules, won't be able to operate so unilaterally. Key rules changes conservatives won in exchange for McCarthy becoming speaker include a provision under which just one House member can sponsor a motion to remove the speaker. (The old rule required a majority of either party to do so, which was put in place by House Democrats when Pelosi became speaker, again, in 2019.)

There also needs to be 72 hours' notice before voting on a bill. Several other procedural changes became part of the House rules package — all of which were aimed at dispersing power in the chamber to rank-and-file members instead of just a few top leaders.

The Republican House majority is 222-213 over the Democrats. That's considerably smaller than the dozens of seats McCarthy had predicted Republicans would gain in the 2022 midterm elections, halfway through President Joe Biden's White House term.

Ironically, the smaller Republican majority probably resulted in a more conservative House than if the hoped-for "red wave" had occurred during the midterm elections in November. Conservatives aligned with the Freedom Caucus used the five-vote majority to withhold support until, for 14 of them, their demands for rule changes were met. The final six ended up voting present after the negotiations went so well that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), one of the final holdouts, said he was "running out of stuff to ask for."

Just a few weeks after the intraparty squabble that came to a dramatic conclusion in the middle of the night, the Republican conference has become a lot more optimistic — at least publicly. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who voted against McCarthy until the last night of votes, told reporters he now thinks McCarthy "is doing a fantastic job — so far" and reiterated that "218 is the magic number," meaning Republicans have to listen to all corners of the party to pass anything.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), the chief deputy whip and one of McCarthy’s most effective allies during the speaker election, said he knew McCarthy was going to win, even when negotiations appeared to be stalling out.

"During the speaker's race, somebody asked me, 'What was your low point in the speaker's race?' I was, like, 'I didn't have any low point. I knew that McCarthy was going to win. It just took some time,'” he said.

McCarthy has been gunning for the speakership for nearly a decade, and his deep experience in the political arena prepared him for the third-top job in the U.S. government. In 1987, he began working for his Bakersfield, California, hometown representative, Bill Thomas (R-CA), and forayed into politics himself with an election to the California statehouse in 2002, quickly rising to Republican floor leader the next year. He then won his election to the House in 2006 and has been on an upward trajectory ever since.

He got a spot on the powerful House Steering Committee as a freshman and was the chief deputy whip by the next term. By 2011, he was the whip, and after 2014, he was the House Republican leader. In 2015, he withdrew from the speakership race, knowing he wouldn't have the votes, and the spot went to Ryan.

“Of course, Kevin can do every job here,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) said, calling him a “great resource” since he has experience in many of the top GOP positions.

Democrats, of course, aren't thrilled with the power exchange since they lost their majority and Pelosi lost her job as speaker. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, will see a lot of changes to his panel since it was one of the central pawns in the negotiations between McCarthy and the conservatives.

"I'm nervous to even think about what might be coming our way," McGovern told the Washington Examiner. He said the addition of several conservatives to the committee was because Republicans "wanted those seats for a reason, and that is to make sure that the bills that come to the floor are as extreme as possible."

On McCarthy's leadership during the first three weeks of the new session, McGovern said he hasn't seen anything substantial come from the GOP, such as bills to address inflation.

"We're not doing anything. He's threatening to default on our debt, which would ruin our economy, so it's safe to say I'm not impressed."

There seems to be at least one basic reason for McCarthy's survival, and that's the simple fact that he's nice. Everyone from journalists to Hill staffers to TV bookers to fellow lawmakers says McCarthy is genuine, pleasant, and enjoyable to work with — something that's not said of everyone in politics.

It's a trait that served him well through decades at the top of the political game, and it may see him through at least one full term as speaker. Much attention has been paid to McCarthy's assent to allowing only one member to bring forward a motion to vacate the chair, triggering an immediate vote on keeping him in the seat he fought so hard for. But one journalist recalled hearing from a Hill staffer years ago, "I believe in three things: God, the superiority of the U.S. Navy, and Kevin McCarthy’s ability to survive."

Juliegrace Brufke contributed to this report.

White House confirms Biden will veto GOP-backed anti-ESG bill

Ryan King

March 01, 03:22 PM March 01, 03:22 PM

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed Wednesday that President Joe Biden will veto the Republican-backed bill rolling back a Labor Department investing rule if it makes it to his desk.

House Republicans advanced a bill Tuesday to undo a Biden administration rule that permits retirement plans to consider environmental, social, and corporate governance, or ESG, in their investment decisions. The veto, which had been widely speculated, could become the first of his presidency.

HOUSE PASSES BILL TO PUBLISH HOW MUCH BIDEN’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS AFFECT INFLATION

"It forces MAGA Republicans' ideology down the throats of the private sector and handcuffing investors as well. The bill would bar fiduciaries from considering significant risks like extreme climate threats and poor corporate governance when they make investment decisions," Jean-Pierre told reporters during a White House press briefing.

Centrist Democratic Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) signaled they will back the bill, which must first clear the Senate to get to Biden's desk. Supporters of the push to scrap the so-called ESG rule argue the policy is "woke capitalism" that undermines retirement accounts for workers, but Jean-Pierre contended it could hamstring investors.

"It would give investment professionals less flexibility to make prudent decisions, meaning they won't be free to maximize the retirement savings for millions of Americans. That would jeopardize the retirement and life savings for police officers, firefighters, teachers, and tens of millions [of] retirees all across the country," she said.

"This is unacceptable to the President and that is why he will veto this bill if it does come to his desk," she added. "President Biden is focused on protecting workers' hard-earned life savings and pensions. And that is what he's going to continue to do."

Under the resolution, the ESG rule “shall have no force or effect" and investment managers are expected to consider financial returns instead of other issues when making decisions. The measure cleared the lower chamber 216-204.

Biden recently announced that he will tap Julie Su to be his next labor secretary to replace Marty Walsh who is leaving to become the next executive director of the NHL Players' Association.

Four reasons the new Republican-controlled House is already in disarray

W. James Antle III

January 04, 06:50 AM January 04, 07:53 AM

What transpired in Pennsylvania’s race for House speaker hasn’t happened on Pennsylvania Avenue — yet.

Nevertheless, intraparty divisions are putting the new Republican House majority’s ability to elect a speaker in doubt.

Conservative defections did lead to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the expected minority leader, receiving more votes for speaker in the early going than Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The House adjourned with no one getting the required majority for the speakership.

GOVERNING VS. GRIEVANCE: THE GROWING REPUBLICAN DILEMMA

Jeb Bush warned that Donald Trump was a “chaos candidate” before the businessman and reality TV star became the Republican nominee and president. This GOP House majority may be the chaos Congress. A few factors are in play as the chamber gets ready to start all over again Wednesday afternoon.

Kevin McCarthy has a conservatives problem

McCarthy has bested former House Speakers John Boehner (R-OH) and Paul Ryan (R-WI) in one regard: He is facing a conservative revolt even earlier than either of them did. Nor is this McCarthy’s first time facing this predicament.

In 2015, McCarthy was poised to succeed Boehner after conservatives pushed the Ohio Republican out of the big chair. But these conservatives weren’t done, threatening to withhold their support from McCarthy. Enter Paul Ryan, who took up the gavel. The Californian stayed on as majority leader, then ascended to the top spot as minority leader when Democrats took the House and Ryan departed for greener pastures.

A subset of conservatives hasn’t warmed to McCarthy in the years since, denying him the votes to become speaker on multiple ballots on Tuesday. Some want reforms to how the House does business, some want a different speaker, and still others just want someone in leadership to pay a price for Republicans underperforming in the midterm elections. It won’t be Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), so McCarthy becomes the logical sacrifice bunt.

The GOP is in transition

Republicans are in the process of a messy breakup with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the party’s business wing. But the transformation into a populist workers’ party isn’t complete.

In the midterm elections, the GOP gained ground with Hispanic and black voters but still lost both blocs, while Democrats largely sustained their momentum with white suburbanites Republicans shed under Trump. This became a problem in a number of key races, with Republicans failing to win majorities in some contests and requiring considerable resources to get over the finish line in others that should have been easily winnable. Republicans ended up losing a Senate seat and having a much smaller House majority as a result.

This has also complicated McCarthy’s pitch to the whole caucus and given populists like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) renewed incentives to oppose him.

Freedom Caucus support isn’t free

The Freedom Caucus was founded when some House Republicans felt the Republican Study Committee had gotten too big to be an effective conservative pressure group within the GOP conference. They were willing to withhold support from legislation as a way of pushing House Republicans to the right on various issues, especially federal spending.

Sometimes, however, that meant legislation would end up passing with Democratic votes even when Republicans were in charge of the House. Other times, it led to resentment among a majority of Republicans who felt they were being run by a minority of the caucus.

Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), the Freedom Caucus’s current chairman, and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), a past one, are applying this tactic to the speaker’s vote. Perry now says McCarthy has missed his window to become speaker. Only five defections are sufficient to defeat the California Republican since the new House majority is so narrow.

Freedom Caucus members overwhelmingly hail from safe red districts, so they are unlikely to be harmed by national perceptions that GOP ideological infighting renders the party incapable of governing.

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing vs. All about the base

Republicans also have a fundamental split over what went wrong in the midterm elections. Some want to pursue a base mobilization strategy, arguing that Senate GOP compromises demoralized conservatives and opposition to things like ballot harvesting handcuffed get-out-the-vote efforts. How important is candidate quality really when Democrats can consistently win the nominees like President Joe Biden and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)?

Other Republicans say the votes were there but that the nominees in too many swing states and districts alienated the people who could have put the party over the top. In Georgia, for example, no other Republican statewide candidate lost besides Trump-backed Senate contender Herschel Walker.

Why does this matter for the speaker’s race? Because which problem Republicans consider most important helps determine what kind of leadership they need for the next two years. It will be the 2024 election before you know it, and every single member of the House will be up.

The House is the first place where these battles will be fought this year as voters look for signs Republicans can coalesce and govern.

Just as the last two Democratic administrations did after losing control of the House, Biden’s team will shine a spotlight on anything showing otherwise.

'Irresponsible and catastrophic': Democratic leader hammers Kevin McCarthy over omnibus opposition

Ryan King

December 21, 05:41 PM December 21, 05:41 PM

Outgoing House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) ripped into Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for working to scuttle the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill being considered in Congress.

Hoyer warned that if the measure fails to clear Congress and avert a government shutdown by Friday at midnight, the consequences would be "catastrophic." Seemingly unfazed by the alleged risks, McCarthy has vehemently opposed the bill and threatened to torpedo legislation from Senate Republicans who back it.

12 WOKE EARMARKS IN OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL

"I don't know what Mr. McCarthy is doing on the deadline. I choose to believe that he understands how irresponsible and catastrophic it will be. He's in a difficult position right now," Hoyer contended, according to a WHD News producer. "The ramifications of playing games with the deadline, and even if ultimately you approve it, the ramifications leading up to the uncertainty that is creating are damaging."

Under pressure from his conservative flank, McCarthy has called for a stop-gap measure to avert a government shutdown so that Republicans can negotiate a longer-term solution after they retake the House in January. Notably, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, did not participate in negotiations for the omnibus, unlike her Republican counterpart in the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted to advance the bipartisan bill along with almost two dozen Republican senators. Some GOP senators such as Kevin Cramer (R-ND) have publicly cast doubt on the ability of their colleagues in the House to get a funding bill through after the January takeover, given the chaotic nature of McCarthy's quest for the speaker's gavel.

"Hopefully, the Senate can move it back tonight. It will save the Senate, which has difficulty in getting things done because ... their rules allow very small numbers up to individual members to slow things down," Hoyer added.

Democratic leaders in the House, including Hoyer and outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), have courted their fellow Democrats to coalesce behind the bill, underscoring increased domestic spending and a handful of liberal wins.

The bill had been negotiated by Senate appropriators Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL), as well as Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who leads the House Appropriations Committee. Both Hoyer and Pelosi are set to remain in the new Congress despite stepping down from their leadership perches.

Boebert says she won't support McCarthy unless there's a check in place to remove speaker

Ryan King

December 19, 06:53 PM December 19, 07:11 PM

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is predicating the prospect of her backing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for speaker on the establishment of a check and balance system on the speakership.

Refraining from outright opposing him, the Republican firebrand stressed that no agreement had been reached for a mechanism to easily remove McCarthy as speaker down the line but kept her options open during an interview Monday with Real America’s Voice at a Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix.

LAUREN BOEBERT CALLS FOR FOCUS ON POLICY AND NOT BOMB-THROWING NOW GOP IS IN HOUSE MAJORITY

"We have to have accountability here, and without that, Kevin McCarthy's not speaker. There has been no agreements made on that, and how can we believe anything else moving forward? So maybe things will change on Jan. 3," she said.

Boebert made her remarks standing next to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a fellow member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who has been one of the most vehement House Republicans opposed to a McCarthy speakership. Gaetz reiterated his opposition, despite former President Donald Trump backing McCarthy, stressing he would back Trump in 2024 but "will not follow him" on McCarthy.

"President Trump should take a look at what is being said in the House of Representatives right now," Boebert added.

Boebert barely crossed the finish line in her reelection race against Democrat Adam Frisch during the midterm elections. Afterward, she argued the GOP needs to show more "discipline and targeted focus" on policy rather than partisan flamethrowing.

She has also previously been noncommittal about whether she would support McCarthy, who has appear to be staring down nearly half a dozen possible defections already. Traditionally, one needs to clinch 218 votes to become speaker, though that threshold can shrink if members of Congress choose to vote "present." Republicans will have 222 House seats to the Democrats' 213 in the new Congress.

At least one MAGA acolyte, who has been friendly with Gaetz, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), has backed McCarthy, warning her party not to gamble with the speakership given the GOP's razor-thin margins in the House. When asked about Greene saying McCarthy will be a "great speaker," Boebert took a shot at her colleague.

"I've been aligned with Marjorie and accused of believing a lot of the things that she believes in. I don’t believe in this just like I don’t believe in ... Jewish space lasers,” she quipped.

Greene fired back on Twitter, belittling Boebert for her anemic election performance and bashing her for fomenting "high school drama."

"I’ve supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. President Trump has supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. Kevin McCarthy has supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. She just barely came through by 500 votes," Greene tweeted. "She gladly takes our $$$ but when she’s been asked: Lauren refuses to endorse President Trump, she refuses to support Kevin McCarthy, and she childishly threw me under the bus for a cheap sound bite."

At one point, Boebert and Greene reportedly nearly got into a physical confrontation during a heated exchange over Greene attending an event hosted by far-right Nicholas Fuentes.

McCarthy has secured the House GOP votes for the nod to be speaker, but he must win a majority in a full floor vote in January in order to win the gavel.

Rep. Andy Biggs expected to launch leadership challenge against Kevin McCarthy

Juliegrace Brufke

November 13, 08:23 PM November 13, 08:23 PM

Former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) is likely to run against House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to become the next speaker of the House if Republicans lock down a majority in the lower chamber, a member of the powerful conservative group confirmed on Sunday.

Biggs has been critical of McCarthy’s leadership in the minority, voicing concerns that the California Republican won’t prioritize issues important to the far-right flank of the party. CNN first reported the news of Biggs’s likely bid against McCarthy.

“I think we need to have a real discussion about whether he should be the speaker or not,” Biggs told reporters on Thursday.

“I think that his statement recently that we shouldn't impeach Secretary Mayorkas indicates that maybe we're not going to be as aggressive going forward as we should be. I think we need to have a very positive statement of what we're going to accomplish and do, and I haven't seen that yet,” he added. "That's — those are things that I think we should have a very frank discussion internally about, where we're going to be going forward."

FREEDOM CAUCUS THREATENS TO DERAIL MCCARTHY'S SPEAKER BID

The news of Biggs’s expected run comes as House Republicans are slated to hold their leadership elections on Tuesday. A number of both current and incoming lawmakers have been vocal in their calls for the conference to push back its leadership elections until they know the final makeup of the House.

“I think we don't even know if we're in the majority, so I think it's responsible to just look and see where the cards fall right now, and we don't know,” Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) said on Sunday.

McCarthy has continued to express confidence in the likelihood of Republicans taking the majority despite the party falling significantly short of his projection last year that the GOP could pick up 60 seats.

Tuesday’s leadership election is slated to be conducted via closed ballot and will only require a plurality of the conference to secure the nomination. McCarthy would need to reach 218 votes during the floor vote in January, with the projected razor-thin majority making it a steeper climb than previously expected.

GOP wins in these House races will reflect a good election night for Republicans

David Mark

November 05, 07:00 AM November 05, 07:00 AM

While nothing's certain in politics, Republicans winning a House majority on Tuesday is a safe bet at this point.

How big will House GOP gains likely be in upending the current balance of 220 Democrats, 213 Republicans, and three vacancies? Several factors will contribute, including coattails from statewide races for Senate, governor, and other contests and the approval (and, more to the point, disapproval) rating of President Joe Biden. After all, many voters blame Biden and congressional Democrats for the worst inflation in four decades and persistently high gas prices, among other national problems.

COLLAPSING HOUSE? DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY THREATENED BY REPUBLICAN MIDTERM MOMENTUM

Each House district, of course, has its own quirks. And in the 44 states with two or more House seats, each district will have a new shape. Under state-run redistricting processes after the 2020 census, some seats have been altered dramatically, while others are substantially the same.

So, heading into election night, here are 10 races likely to determine how big a margin House Republicans will have. Republicans don't have to win them all, or even most, to win a House majority. But doing so could make the difference between a red wave or a considerably smaller ripple.

Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District

Republicans think they have Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran on the political ropes as he seeks reelection in this northeastern Arizona seat. The district in 2020 would have voted for former President Donald Trump over Biden 53.2% to 45.3%. Republicans are bullish on the chances of Republican nominee Eli Crane, a retired Navy SEAL.

California’s 3rd District

This new House district is arguably the most topographically diverse in the nation. It straddles the California state line with Nevada for nearly 450 miles, stretching from snow-capped peaks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains south to Death Valley, which is the lowest in North America, at 282 feet below sea level. Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley faces Dr. Kermit Jones, a Democrat. Trump in 2020 would have prevailed in the new district, but relatively narrowly, 49.7% to 47.9%. In a more evenly matched election year, this would be a toss-up, but under current circumstances, Kiley is favored to win.

California’s 45th District

This district, straddling inland Orange and Los Angeles counties, includes a plurality of Asian American residents. And the race between Republican Rep. Michelle Steel and Democratic rival Jay Chen, a community college trustee, has turned harshly negative, with charges of anti-Asian bias flying back and forth. Over the summer, Steel, who emigrated from South Korea, accused Chen of mocking her accent, which he denied. Her campaign, a few weeks later, sent out a mailer portraying Chen, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, as a communist sympathizer — because a decade ago, on the Hacienda La Puente school board, Chen voted to adopt a free Chinese-language program offered by the Chinese government.

California’s 47th District

This is a late-breaking, newly competitive race in a coastal Orange County district, which is good news for the Republicans. Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, a doyenne of the congressional hard Left, faces Scott Baugh, a Republican assemblyman from 1995 to 2000 who led the GOP caucus in Sacramento during the latter part of his tenure. The race tests how much Orange County has really changed politically. Once a Republican redoubt, the suburban county south of Los Angeles has turned purple and even blue in parts over the past several years. Baugh is a traditional, Reagan-style Republican with broad name recognition in the district. Porter, meanwhile, became a Democratic star through the merciless grilling of banking CEOs and other business executives during House committee hearings.

Minnesota’s 2nd District

This southern Minneapolis-St. Paul suburban district is rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. It has become a new concern for House Democrats, with outside groups pouring in advertising dollars in to triage it. Recent polling has been sparse. But a mid-October survey showed Democratic Rep. Angie Craig leading Republican rival Tyler Kistner by a single point. The campaign of Craig, a former healthcare executive, does have a healthy financial advantage over that of Kistner, a Marine Corps Reserve officer. Biden would have won here by 52.5% to 45.4%.

Nevada’s 1st District

Democratic Rep. Dina Titus was on to something in vulgarly describing the contours of the House district where she’s seeking reelection on Nov. 8. “I totally got f***ed by the legislature on my district,” Titus said at an AFL-CIO town hall on December 2021. “I’m sorry to say it like that, but I don’t know any other way to say it.” The new eastern Las Vegas-area 1st District would have backed Biden over Trump by a much narrower margin than the one she’s represented since 2013, covering most of the city of Las Vegas, portions of North Las Vegas, and parts of unincorporated Clark County. Sure enough, a recent New York Times/Siena College poll showed Titus tied at 47% with her Republican opponent, Mark Robertson, a financial planner and military veteran who retired as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. That’s hardly a comfortable place for Titus to be in as the Republicans’ election edge seems to build.

Ohio’s 1st District

If GOP Rep. Steve Chabot can hold on in this Cincinnati-area district, Republicans will not only be in the midst of winning a House majority, but a substantial one at that. Democrats, however, like their chances for this newly redrawn seat, which would have voted for Biden over Trump 53.5% to 45%. The Democratic nominee is Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman.

Pennsylvania’s 7th District

This race between Democratic Rep. Susan Wild and Republican nominee Lisa Scheller, a former Lehigh County commissioner and wealthy businesswoman, is a microcosm of the nation’s evenly divided electorate. In 2020, Biden would have beaten Trump by a hair in this Lehigh Valley District, 49.7% to 49.1%. That’s probably good news for Republicans, with an anxious electorate that's likely more prone to take a chance on challengers rather than keeping incumbents in office.

Rhode Island’s 2nd District

The newly created western Providence and western Rhode Island district has become a cause celebre among House Republicans. They’re currently shut out of House seats in New England, and winning a district in heavily Democratic Rhode Island would help pad their prospective majority and give them bragging rights. GOP nominee Allan Fung, a former mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, has consistently led in recent polls against the Democratic nominee, state Treasurer Seth Magaziner. No Republican has won a House seat in Rhode Island since 1992, so a Fung victory would likely be part of a red wave — or at least a strong election night.

Washington’s 8th District

Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier hasn’t committed any major gaffes or been implicated in scandals during her nearly four years in Congress. But she’s just the kind of relatively low-profile lawmaker who can get washed out in an election wave year if one ends up emerging for Republicans. Schrier faces Republican nominee Matt Larkin, an attorney and official in former President George W. Bush’s administration. The district, based in the eastern Seattle suburbs and part of central Washington, in 2020 would have backed Biden over Trump 52% to 45.3% — a Democratic edge to be sure, but hardly enough political sandbagging to thwart a potential GOP wave.

'All in excess of the airwaves': Trump-aligned Republicans ready program to drown out Jan. 6 hearings

Cami Mondeaux

June 07, 09:32 PM June 07, 09:53 PM

House Republican lawmakers aligned with previous President Donald Trump are planning to host counterprogramming functions in purchase to set the document "straight” forward of the Jan. 6 hearings starting this 7 days, in accordance to a top GOP member.

Republican leadership in the Dwelling will deal with the media at 10:45 a.m., an event that will include Reps. Jim Financial institutions (R-IN) and Jim Jordan (R-OH), each of whom were rejected by Property Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from sitting down on the pick out committee investigating the Capitol riot. Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik of New York, and Republican Convention Secretary Richard Hudson of North Carolina are also scheduled to appear.

WIDOWS OF OFFICERS WHO Committed SUICIDE Soon after JAN. 6 RIOT ATTENDING Hearing

The Capitol Hill stakeout will take area just after the Dwelling Republican conference's weekly meeting. The Jan. 6 committee's summer time hearings, established to commence Thursday, will be just one matter lawmakers discuss, a spokesperson for the Home Republican Meeting informed the Washington Examiner. A consultant for Scalise even went so considerably as to say the stakeout is "not a prebuttal" to the hearings.

Nevertheless, Stefanik, the third-position Republican in the Dwelling, is promising a wider-scale marketing campaign to pick apart the endeavours of the Jan. 6 panel.

"I am operating carefully with President Trump, Leader Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, and my colleagues to support lead Residence Republicans in pushing again versus lame-duck Speaker Pelosi's sham political witch hunt," Stefanik informed WHD News. "Property Republicans will be all about the airwaves location the report straight, telling the American folks the reality, sharing the facts, and inquiring the actual issues, like why Nancy Pelosi is the only human being off limitations from this investigation."

The congresswoman explained she and other leading Republicans are organizing a slew of gatherings and media appearances, according to the report.

The Household pick out committee does have two Republicans, alongside with seven Democrats. Pelosi appointed Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who are equally anti-Trump, to the committee.

Users of the Jan. 6 panel have signaled they intend to draw a line connecting Trump's efforts to problem the outcomes of the 2020 election to the Capitol riot. The violence briefly disrupted the procedure of lawmakers certifying President Joe Biden's victory. Cheney, who is the vice chairwoman, instructed CBS News there was a "properly-structured" conspiracy about that working day.

Trump has castigated the inquiry as a political witch hunt, and his allies are prepared to argue he experienced instructed his supporters to march “peacefully” to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and increase questions about regardless of whether Democratic management did sufficient to prepare safety for that working day, in accordance to WHD News. The committee itself will also be a concentrate on.

"This committee is illegitimate, unconstitutional, and made to punish Pelosi's political opponents," Stefanik told the outlet. "It will not stop an additional January 6th from going on, and it does nothing at all to deal with the many crises People in america are struggling from because of Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi's radical significantly-left agenda."

The summer time hearings occur practically a 12 months immediately after the House committee was formed to look into the riot. Jordan and Banks, barred from joining the panel, have considering the fact that introduced their personal investigation into the Capitol riot to handle “conflicting testimony from that time time period,” they instructed WHD News in January.

The first Jan. 6 hearing Thursday will be a key-time function, when the next hearing has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday. James Goldston, previous president of ABC News, is working with the committee to create the hearings, resources explained to CNN.