Barry Moore supports Lauren Boebert’s call to censure Joe Biden over border crisis
Rep. Barry Moore has joined other leaders to support Rep. Lauren Boebert’s bill to censure President Joe Biden over the border crisis. According to a press release, Moore joined Boebert and other leaders in a press conference to address the resolution. Moore has visited the southern border twice this year. President Biden has not visited the border yet. Some statistics Moore emphasized in his release include: Under President Trump, there were 1,400 children in HHS custody at the border. At one point in June, there were 22,000. Over 1 million illegal aliens have been encountered by CBP since Biden took office, including a record-breaking 180,000 illegal aliens in May. Since Biden took office, CBP arrested 1,413 alien drug smugglers—up from 386 last year. Since Biden took office, CBP arrested 40 alien murderers—up from 3 last year. Since Biden took office, CBP arrested 353 alien sex offenders—up from 156 last year. Since Biden took office, CBP arrested 1,118 aliens for DUIs—up from 364 last year. In just the first four months of Biden’s term, enough fentanyl to kill every American four times over has been interdicted by Border Patrol. Moore stated, “Ensuring the integrity of our borders is one of the most fundamental duties of a president, yet President Biden has destroyed four years of progress at the border to satisfy far-left activists and cheap labor-loving globalists. His reckless determination to reverse every Trump administration policy regardless of the outcome has put every American family and our economy at risk. We must hold President Biden to account for putting politics over the people he has sworn an oath to protect.” Moore stated on Twitter, “President Biden’s dereliction of duty at our southern border is completely unacceptable. Proud to join @RepBoebert in holding Biden accountable for putting politics over the people he has sworn an oath to protect.” President Biden's dereliction of duty at our southern border is completely unacceptable. Proud to join @RepBoebert in holding Biden accountable for putting politics over the people he has sworn an oath to protect. https://t.co/hXhV1H98uQ — Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) June 24, 2021 The bill is supported by: American Principles Project, Citizens for Renewing America, Eagle Forum, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), Heritage Action, and NumbersUSA. Along with Moore, 22 additional Members of Congress joined Boebert to introduce her bill including: Reps. Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Madison Cawthorn, Jeff Duncan, Pat Fallon, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, Bob Good, Paul Gosar, Morgan Griffith, Diana Harshbarger, Jody Hice, Ronny Jackson, Thomas Massie, Alex Mooney, Troy Nehls, Ralph Norman, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Bill Posey, Lance Gooden, Chip Roy, and Randy Weber.
No jail time in 1st riot sentence; Oath Keeper pleads guilty
An Indiana woman on Wednesday became the first defendant to be sentenced in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and avoided time behind bars, while a member of the Oath Keepers extremist group pleaded guilty in a conspiracy case and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in a major step forward for the massive investigation. The two developments signal that the cases against those charged in the deadly siege are slowly advancing, even as the U.S. Department of Justice and the courthouse in Washington, D.C., struggle under the weight of roughly 500 federal arrests across the U.S. And it comes as Republicans in Washington attempt to downplay the violence committed by members of the mob supporting former President Donald Trump. Graydon Young, who was accused alongside 15 other members and associates of the Oath Keepers of conspiring to block the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory, pleaded guilty to two counts: conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding. It was the first guilty plea in the major conspiracy case brought against members of the group. The second charge calls for up to 20 years in prison, but U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said federal sentencing guidelines call for Young to serve between 5 1/4 years and 6 1/2 years behind bars. Prosecutors may seek even less time in exchange for his cooperation against other defendants. Young, 55, of Englewood, Florida, was arrested in February and charged in the sweeping conspiracy case accusing members of the Oath Keepers of coming to Washington prepared to use violence and intent on stopping the certification of the vote. Authorities said in court documents that Young joined the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers in December, writing that he was “looking to get involved in helping …” Later that month, Young reached out to a company that does firearms and combat training about a rifle class for four people, according to the indictment. Authorities say, Young, wearing a helmet and tactical vest, was part of the military-style “stack” seen on camera marching through the crowd before entering the Capitol building. Young’s attorneys didn’t immediately respond to emails sent Wednesday seeking comment. Another Oath Keepers member, Jon Ryan Schaffer, has also pleaded guilty in the riot but was not charged in the conspiracy case. Schaffer has agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify against other defendants. Anna Morgan Lloyd, 49, of Indiana, was ordered by a federal judge to serve three years of probation, perform 120 hours of community service and pay $500 in restitution after admitting to unlawfully entering the Capitol. She pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge under a deal with prosecutors. After the riot, Lloyd described Jan. 6 on Facebook as the “best day ever.” On Wednesday, she apologized to the court, her family, and “the American people,” saying she went to Washington that day to peacefully show her support for Trump. “I’m ashamed that it became a savage display of violence that day. And I would have never been there if I had a clue it was going to turn out that way,” Lloyd told the judge. “It was never my intent to be a part of anything that’s so disgraceful to our American people.” In seeking probation for Lloyd, prosecutors noted that she was not involved in any violence and destruction or preplanning and coordination of the Capitol breach. Lloyd was invited by her hairdresser to drive to Washington to hear Trump speak, her attorney wrote in court documents. U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said he was giving her a “break” but didn’t want others to think that probation — and not a stiffer sentence — would be the norm. “Legally, I could give you the six months, but is that really what we want our judiciary to do?” the judge asked. Lamberth said he struggled with what would be an appropriate sentence for Lloyd because he views the riot as a serious crime. “This wasn’t a peaceful demonstration the way it turned out. It was not an accident,” he said. “It was intended to and brought a halt to the very functioning of our government.” He said he was “especially troubled” by some lawmakers who are seeking to rewrite the history of the Capitol riot. “I don’t know what planet they were on, but there were millions of people in this country that saw what happened on Jan. 6 and that saw what you saw and what you just described: a disgrace to our country,” the judge said. In a letter to the judge asking for leniency, Lloyd wrote that she was a registered Democrat but that she and her husband began supporting Trump in 2016 because “he was standing up for what we believe in.” After her arrest, Lloyd’s lawyer gave her a list of books and movies to help her “see what life is like for others in our country,” Lloyd wrote. Lloyd said she has sought to educate herself by watching movies such as “Schindler’s List” and the History Channel’s “Burning Tulsa” and reading Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy.” “I’ve lived a sheltered life and truly haven’t experienced life the way many have,” Lloyd wrote. “I’ve learned that even though we live in a wonderful country things still need to improve. People of all colors should feel as safe as I do to walk down the street.” Four other people — a Tennessee man, a Maryland man, and a Virginia couple — have pleaded guilty to the same misdemeanor charge in the last two weeks. Earlier Wednesday, another man, Robert Maurice Reeder of Maryland, admitted to entering the Capitol, but his lawyer said he didn’t force his way inside and didn’t damage any property or hurt anyone. Before his arrest, an attorney for Reeder provided federal authorities with a compilation of photos and videos that he took with his cellphone at the Capitol. A video seemed to show Reeder chanting, “Fight for Trump!” and he recorded an assault on a Capitol police officer, according to the FBI. “You
Joe Biden targets law-breaking gun dealers in anti-crime plan
President Joe Biden announced new efforts Wednesday to stem a rising national tide of violent crime, declaring the federal government is “taking on the bad actors doing bad things to our communities.” But questions persist about how effective the efforts can be in what could be a turbulent summer. Crime rates have risen after plummeting during the initial months of the coronavirus pandemic, creating economic hardship and anxiety. Biden’s plan focuses on providing money to cities that need more police, offering community support, and most of all cracking down on gun violence and those supplying illegal firearms. “These merchants of death are breaking the law for profit,” Biden said. “If you willfully sell a gun to someone who’s prohibited, my message to you is this: We’ll find you, and we’ll seek your license to sell guns. We’ll make sure you can’t sell death and mayhem on our streets.” But there are also tricky politics at play, and Biden’s plan shows how few options the Democratic president has on the issue. The steps he outlined are aimed at going hard after gun dealers who break federal law and establishing strike forces in several cities to help stop weapons trafficking. He also said he would seek more money for the agency that tracks the nation’s guns. But the rest of his new strategy boils down mostly to suggestions for beleaguered localities. He’s encouraging cities to invest some of their COVID-19 relief funds into policing and pushing alternative crime reduction steps such as increased community support and summer jobs for teenagers — often both targets and perpetrators of violence. But it’s voluntary. The president has been clear that he is opposed to the “defund the police” movement, which has been effectively used against other Democrats to cast them as anti-law enforcement. “This is not a time to turn our backs on law enforcement,” said Biden, who noted that “crime historically rises during the summer, and as we emerge from this pandemic, the traditional summer spike may be even more pronounced than it usually would be.” But he’s also is trying to boost progressives’ efforts to reform policing, following a year of demonstrations and public anguish sparked by the killing by police of George Floyd and other Black people across the country. While combating crime and overhauling the police don’t have to be at odds, the two efforts are increasingly billed that way. Biden will try to do both at once. But Republicans quickly tried to portray his measures as government overreach and linked them to efforts to rein in policing. “I think a lot of it ties back to this whole ‘defund the police’ movement and some of the disruption we had in civil society last year,” Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said on Fox News. “And I think that’s part of when you start undermining that basic foundation, you start breaking apart the bonds that hold us together, and that’s why you see an increase in crime.” Biden announced a “zero tolerance” policy that would give no leeway to gun dealers who fail to comply with federal law — their licenses to sell would be revoked on a first offense. The president has already announced a half-dozen executive actions on gun control, including going after “ghost guns,” homemade firearms that lack serial numbers for tracking and often are purchased without background checks. A number of anti-crime and gun safety groups, including the Brady Campaign and Everytown for Gun Safety, applauded the administration’s efforts. “The president is helping start a much-needed conversation about reducing violent crime. A greater investment in community interventions will help take a bite out of violent crime,” said Paul DelPonte, head of the National Crime Prevention Council. “Strategies that increase public engagement in public safety are proven crime stoppers. Putting more police officers who are trained and certified in crime prevention on the streets of our communities makes sense.” Legislation to expand background checks has so far stalled in the Senate after the House passed it in March, even though Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed then that the Senate would hold a vote on the bill. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy has been negotiating for weeks with individual Republicans to see if there is legislation that could win enough votes for passage. One option is to narrow the scope of the House bill and expand background checks only to commercial sales like gun shows. Most Republicans oppose regulating private sales between individuals, as the House bill would do, but some have said they would support tougher regulation of gun shows. Biden will seek increased transparency on gun data and better coordination among states, and he will push Congress for more money for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the agency responsible for enforcing federal gun laws and regulating gun dealers. The Justice Department is also launching strike forces in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., to help take down illegal gun traffickers. Police officials have said they are struggling with increasing crime and continued tensions between police and communities; some say their calls for support aren’t answered as they take the blame for the spike. Biden noted that $350 billion of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package can be used by cities to hire law enforcement officers, pay overtime, prosecute gun traffickers and invest in technology to make law enforcement more efficient. While crime is rising — homicides and shootings are up from the same period last year in Chicago; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Portland, Oregon; Baltimore; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Houston — violent crime overall remains lower than it was a decade ago or even five years ago. Most violent crimes plummeted during the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic, as people stayed indoors and away from others, then started creeping up last summer. It all comes against the backdrop of the national debate on policing and racism — and as a police reform bill is being crafted in Congress. As a senator, Biden wrote several major anti-crime packages,
Bipartisan senators reach tentative plan on infrastructure
A bipartisan group of senators reached a tentative framework on an infrastructure deal Wednesday ahead of a crucial meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. That’s according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks. Biden has invited members from the group of 21 senators to the White House on Thursday. “The group made progress towards an outline of a potential agreement, and the President has invited the group to come to the White House tomorrow to discuss this in person,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said late Wednesday. Biden’s top aides met with senators for back-to-back meetings on Capitol Hill and later huddled with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as the president reaches for a signature domestic achievement with his sweeping $4 trillion infrastructure plans. The group had been narrowing on a much smaller but still sizable $1 trillion proposal of road, highway, and other traditional infrastructure projects. They have struggled over how to pay for an estimated $579 billion in new spending. “I would say that we’re very, very close, and we’re going to now do the outreach,” Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio told reporters on Capitol Hill as he left an evening meeting with the other senators and White House team. “We have a good, good, balanced group of pay-fors. That was important to both sides, I will say, in good faith, we tried to get there. We didn’t agree on everything, but we were able to get there,” he said. With Republicans opposed to Biden’s proposed corporate tax rate increase, from 21% to 28%, the group has looked at other ways to raise revenue. Biden rejected their idea to allow gas taxes paid at the pump to rise with inflation, viewing it as a financial burden on American drivers. Biden has sought $1.7 trillion in his American Jobs Plan, part of nearly $4 trillion in broad infrastructure spending on roads, bridges and broadband internet but also the so-called care economy of child care centers, hospitals and eldercare. Psaki said the senior staff to the president had two productive meetings with the bipartisan group at the Capitol. The White House team was huddled late into the evening with the Democratic leaders. “We got our framework. We’re going to the White House,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., told reporters. “We wouldn’t be going to the White House if we didn’t think it has broad-based support.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
