Tommy Tuberville says U.S. has “way too many people who aren’t working”
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) spoke on the Senate floor about the Farm Bill and his concern that there are too many entitlements in the Democrat’s proposed version of the pending Farm Bill. On Wednesday, he spoke with reporters. Alabama Today asked Tuberville if the proposed Farm Bill with the increasingly generous welfare benefits was encouraging people not to work and hurting Alabama businesses. “There is no doubt,” Tuberville replied. “That is a good question. This Farm Bill, which is around $1.2 trillion in nutrition, snap cards, and all those things. We have got way too many people who aren’t working, and I am for helping those people who need help on a short-term basis, but we have got a lot of people since COVID and even before COVID that don’t want to work.” Tuberville has expressed concern after the U.S. national debt recently passed $33 trillion. “We are putting the people in this country in harm’s way,” Tuberville said. “We are going down deeper in the hole weekly or daily with the debt we have built over these many years. The American people don’t deserve this.” Tuberville said that farmers do need a safety net. “The Farm Bill is very important to farmers,” Tuberville continued. “It is very important to the farmers that we give them a safety net to make sure they make it through tough times, and it is tough times right now. 28% increase in everything that the farmers need to grow the crops and do things that we need to eat. It is a very unbalanced farm bill, and it is unfortunate.” There is a growing concern about the impact of runaway federal spending on the economy. “Sooner or later, we are going to have to bite the bullet and cut back on these entitlements, but right now, the Democrats are in charge, and it is hard to do that,” Tuberville said. The Farm Bill is passed every four years to set U.S. agriculture policy. Decades ago, farm-state members of Congress formed an alliance with members who represented urban areas with high concentrations of poverty; thus, farm programs and nutrition assistance programs were combined into a single bill to have enough support from diverse interests in Congress to pass. Alabama has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation and one of the lowest workforce participation rates, with just 57% of people 16 years and older working. An improving post-global pandemic economy and vigorous economic development efforts by state leaders have been insufficient in recruiting large numbers of Alabamians to rejoin the workforce. Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020, unseating incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D), and is serving in his first term in office. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Multiple lawsuits filed against Alabama officials over systemic discrimination of children with disabilities
Multiple lawsuits were filed yesterday in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama against Nancy Buckner, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Human Resources, and Eric Mackey, State Superintendent of the Alabama Department of Education, claiming flagrant violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Six federal lawsuits were filed yesterday on behalf of children placed in residential treatment facilities in Alabama. The lawsuits allege children with disabilities in these facilities are discriminated against by segregating them in on-site “schools,” denying them educational opportunities equal to their non-disabled peers in regular education settings. A recent probe by the Department of Justice (DOJ) uncovered evidence of the State of Alabama’s systemic discriminatory practices, revealing blatant violations of the ADA. The allegations in these lawsuits are consistent with the DOJ’s findings, highlighting the fact that these children are deprived of meaningful interaction with their non-disabled peers, and they also receive inferior instruction, limited resources, and inadequate support. Birmingham Attorneys Tommy James of Tommy James Law and Jeremy Knowles of Morris Haynes, and Pensacola Attorney Caleb Cunningham of Levin Papantonio Rafferty (pictured above, left to right) represent the plaintiffs. They also represent numerous victims from across Alabama who have suffered physical and sexual abuse in these facilities. “The Department of Justice’s findings are deeply troubling and underscore the need for immediate action to ensure our most vulnerable have equal access to education,” James said. “It is inexcusable state officials have ignored and been complicit in such systemic segregation and discrimination. The DOJ’s revelations are not only concerning—they are damning. Every child, irrespective of disability, is entitled to equal educational opportunities.” “We have filed these lawsuits not only for our clients but for every child in the state who has been robbed of the education they deserve,” Cunningham said. “Our goal is to shine a spotlight on this blatant discrimination and to ensure it does not continue. We are committed to fighting for the rights of children with disabilities and ensuring they have the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers.” “These cases are about the fundamental rights of children with disabilities in our state,” said Jeremy Knowles. “We filed these lawsuits to force the state to stop discriminating against these children. They deserve equal opportunity, especially in education.” The lawsuits seek, among other things, compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs, emphasizing the severe educational, financial, and social damages suffered by the plaintiffs and countless other children due to these discriminatory practices. “With this legal action, we hope to bring attention to the dire need for reform and establish a precedent ensuring equal education rights for children with disabilities across Alabama and the nation,” James said. “We are confident we will prevail in these lawsuits, and the State of Alabama will be forced to change its discriminatory practices.” James says he and his co-counsel filed these lawsuits and plan to file dozens more to hold the State of Alabama accountable for its discriminatory practices and to ensure no child is denied an equal education because of their disability. In an October 2022 press release, Assistant AG Kristen Clarke stated, “Students with disabilities in Alabama’s foster care system are among the most vulnerable in the state’s care, and they deserve better than placement in segregated and inferior schools. The Civil Rights Division will defend every child’s right to equal educational opportunities in schools where they can be supported and challenged.”
Katie Britt cosponsors bipartisan bill to permanently end budget brinkmanship
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) joined a bipartisan group of 11 colleagues as a co-sponsor of Senator James Lankford’s (R-Oklahoma) Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2023. This legislation would permanently end the practice of shutting down the federal government and disrupting critical services if Congress fails to enact spending bills by the start of the next fiscal year. Under the bill’s provisions, if Congress does not enact all 12 appropriations on time, an automatic 14-day Continuing Resolution (CR) would be triggered and keep funding at the previous fiscal year’s levels. If there is no resolution at the end of two weeks, automatic 14-day CRs would go into effect on a rolling basis until either all appropriations bills are enacted or a long-term CR is enacted. “The American people are tired of seeing critical government services being held hostage while Congress irresponsibly pushes to pass massive spending bills at the last minute,” said Sen. Britt. “Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to keep paying the price for this budgetary political brinksmanship. This commonsense bill would ensure we have a fail-safe mechanism in place that will take these drastic options off the table, so members of the Senate and the House have time to draft the best bills possible in a transparent, accountable, and judicious manner.” While the federal government is operating under the automatic CRs, the legislation would require Congress to meet every day, including weekends, and members of Congress could not use any official funds for travel. They also could not consider any other measures other than appropriations bills. The travel restrictions would also apply to congressional staff and officials from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Lankford said that restraint is needed to balance the budget. Lankford said, “To put this in context, with the record revenue that’s coming in this year at about $4.8 trillion, if we were spending the same this year as we did in 2018, a short five years ago. If we were spending the same this year as we were in 2018 prior to COVID, we would have a $700 billion surplus this year rather than an almost $2 trillion deficit—this year—because the record amount of revenue coming in this year compared to what our spending was five years ago, we would have been in surplus this year. But we’re not, and it’s at $1.5 trillion over that. We have a very serious issue. We should have very hard conversations about our revenue, about our spending, about the direction that we’re actually heading, and about how do we get out of a $33 trillion debt.” In addition to Senator Britt, co-sponsors of Senator Lankford’s bill include Senators Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Angus King (I-Maine), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming). Senator Britt is also a co-sponsor of Senator Braun’s No Budget, No Pay Act. That legislation would bar members of Congress from getting paid until they passed a budget. President Joe Biden has not submitted a balanced budget since entering the White House. Katie Britt was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022. She serves on the Appropriations Committee tasked with passing each of the 12 appropriations bills. CRs go around the committee by a handful of powerful Senators who craft the CR with the White House to keep the government funded. Often, those CR writers are able to insert earmarks and other language into a CR or omnibus spending bill that is never vetted by committee. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Grants available for middle-mile broadband infrastructure
On Wednesday, the Alabama Digital Expansion Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) announced that it has recently launched the Alabama Anchor Institution/Middle-Mile Program (AIMM). The purpose of AIMM is to provide grants to support the deployment of middle-mile broadband infrastructure to anchor institution facilities with a need for service. Anchor institutions include universities, community colleges, rural hospitals, government and municipal buildings like courthouses, circuit clerk offices, city halls, and public safety facilities such as police stations, fire stations, and jails. Several anchor institutions with concerns about service have already approached the Alabama Digital Expansion Division. These include: Washington County Circuit Clerk 45 Court Street Chatom, AL 36518-0548 Choctaw County Circuit Clerk 117 South Mulberry Avenue Butler, AL 36904 Bullock County Circuit Clerk 217 North Prairie Street PO Box 230 Union Springs, AL 36089-0230 Lowndes County Circuit Clerk 1 South Washington Street Hayneville, AL 36040-0876 Greene County Circuit Clerk 400 Morrow Avenue Eutaw, AL 35462 Cherokee County Circuit Clerk 100 Main Street Centre, AL 35960-1510 J. Paul Jones Hospital 317 McWilliams Avenue Camden, AL 36726 Broadband providers and contractors may wish to contact one or more of these anchors to determine whether they can address their needs. ADECA will continue to share with all potential AIMM applicants information regarding anchor institutions that express interest in the AIMM Program or concerns about inadequate service. ADECA has been accepting AIMM applications beginning on August 14, 2023. The deadline to turn in completed applications is no later than 11:59 p.m. (Central) on October 13, 2023. Any application received by ADECA after the deadline will not be considered. Applications and all supporting documentation must be submitted to ADECA by email to broadband.fund@adeca.alabama.gov. For more information about the program, please visit their website or contact broadband.fund@adeca.alabama.gov. Governor Kay Ivey has made expanding rural broadband a major priority of her administration. This effort has been boosted by $hundreds of millions of federal dollars from the Biden and Trump administrations. In June, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it would send $1.4 billion to Alabama to boost the ongoing broadband expansion efforts. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration released the state allocations from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. ADECA, which oversees state broadband initiatives, is administering the grant funds. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Chuck Schumer brings votes on senior military commanders in response to Tommy Tuberville’s effort to bring military confirmations forward
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) has been criticized for months for his holds on military promotions. On Wednesday, Tuberville attempted to bring the nomination of the candidate of General Eric Smith for Marine Corps Commandant to the floor. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York), in response, himself brought forward the nominations of senior officers – something that, as Majority Leader, he could have done at any time in this process. The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to advance President Joe Biden’s nomination of U.S. Air Force General Charles “C.Q.” Brown to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Senate voted 89-8 to advance to a final vote on Brown’s nomination. Tuberville has refused to give unanimous consent to batches of senior-level Defense Department promotions for the last seven months until President Biden reversed his abortion policy, which was an end around Congress and state laws. Brown will replace outgoing Chairman Mark Milley, whose term ends October 1. A vote on final passage for Brown took place Wednesday evening, and Brown was confirmed 83 to 11. Tuberville was one of the 11 Republican Senators who voted to reject Brown’s confirmation. Schumer moved to set votes on three key military leaders: Brown, Gen. Eric Smith to become commandant of the Marine Corps, and Gen. Randy George to serve as chief of staff of the Army. Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl released a statement praising Tuberville. “For months, Democrats and the mainstream media have been attacking Senator Tuberville with the claim that his holds on DOD promotions were putting our national security at risk,” Wahl said. “However, today’s actions by Chuck Schumer prove there was absolutely nothing stopping Senate Democrats from bringing up military promotions on a case-by-case basis. Instead of being honest and having an open debate on the root issue – using taxpayer money to fund abortions – liberal pundits and Democrat elected officials let this situation drag on as they played party politics. The reason? To vilify Alabama’s Republican senior Senator, who is simply trying to uphold the Hyde Amendment – which prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for abortion – and the Constitution, which gives the power of the purse to Congress.” “The Alabama Republican Party is thankful to Senator Tuberville for exposing the hypocrisy of the left, as well as the Pentagon’s unconstitutional use of taxpayer money to fund abortions,” Wahl continued. “Now that the truth on this issue has been revealed for all Americans to see, it is my hope that the Pentagon will end its unlawful policy. Until then, we will continue to support Senator Tuberville and his stand for life and fiscal responsibility.” Schumer’s maneuver was in response to Tuberville’s announced plan to force votes on Smith in the coming days, a move rarely put to use by rank-and-file senators in the minority. “To be clear, my hold is still in place,” Tuberville said Wednesday night on the floor of the Senate. “I reserve the right to seek another cloture position on the nominees in the future, so that’s where we stand today.” The Senate can confirm every Defense Department nominee through ordinary order, but that would require the Senators to spend much more time on the Senate floor doing their jobs: voting and going through normal parliamentary procedures. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Mike Rogers in favor of more support for Taiwan
On Tuesday, Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL03), the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, commented that the U.S. should do more to support Taiwan during a full committee hearing on defense cooperation with Taiwan. “Today, we continue our examination of the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Rep. Rogers said. “Specifically, we will review China’s growing hostility towards Taiwan, why that should concern the United States, and how we should respond.” “Over the last year, President Xi (Jinping) has sought to intimidate and coerce Taiwan,” Rogers continued. “He’s ordered his navy to surround the island with warships. He’s repeatedly launched fighters and bombers across the centerline. And he’s personally overseen amphibious assault exercises. I am very concerned these escalating military exercises are a pretense for invasion.” “A couple of years ago, Admiral (Philip) Davidson testified before our Committee that Xi would order an invasion of Taiwan before 2027,” Rogers stated. “Since then, our committee has spoken with several other Pentagon and State Department leaders who have reinforced that timeline. The Ranking Member and I recently traveled to Taiwan to assess the situation firsthand. We met with President Tsai [Ing-Wen]. We discussed the threats they face and the actions her government is taking to improve their defenses.” “I was impressed with the progress they’re making,” said Rogers. “And I was pleased to hear they are working on new asymmetric capabilities that are key to deterring China. Much of Taiwan’s progress is the result of the military training and weapons they’ve received from the United States. Last year’s NDAA further strengthened our defense partnership. It authorized $1 billion annually in Presidential Drawdown Authority for Taiwan; $2 billion annually in Foreign Military Financing loans; and $100 million to begin stockpiling U.S. equipment on the island. But more needs to be done.” “To date, the administration has only announced $345 million in drawdown authority,” said Rogers. “They have not budgeted, and Congress has not appropriated, the funding necessary to fully carry out the authorities we provided in the last year’s NDAA. And Foreign Military Sales, the program that we’ve primarily relied on to provide military aid to Taiwan, is clearly broken. Taiwan is waiting on the delivery of over $18 billion in FMS aid. Some of it dates back to 2016. That’s unacceptable. I’m interested in hearing from our witnesses on ways to reform the FMS program.” “For 40 years, our relationship with Taiwan and China has been defined by the policy of strategic ambiguity,” said Rogers. “To date, the policy has been successful in putting off an invasion. But with a rapidly modernizing Chinese military and an increasingly despotic leader, I understand the arguments that we need to revisit the policy. It doesn’t help that President Biden is having trouble articulating a consistent policy toward Taiwan or what would happen if Xi were to invade. But whatever the policy is today, the use of military force has been and will remain, our most effective deterrent against invasion. But for that deterrent to be credible, our military must be fully prepared for this conflict. I’m very concerned we’re not there yet. It was clear from our recent trip that we need to invest much more in long-range fires, distributed logistics, and missile defense. We need to grow our Navy and improve our capabilities in space and cyberspace. We also need to reinforce the capabilities of our allies in the region.” “If a Chinese invasion cannot be deterred, it will be catastrophic for Taiwan and the United States,” Rogers warned. “A successful invasion will cut off vital trade routes and disrupt the supply of critical semiconductors and other technologies. It will sink our economy, endanger our allies, and severely undermine our national security. Finally, everyone should remember that Taiwan is free and democratic. The people of Taiwan have a right to self-determination. They shouldn’t have to live under the constant threat of invasion by a communist autocracy.” The Taiwanese saw how badly things went for the repressed citizens of Hong Kong and, thus, to this point, have resisted realigning with the Communist People’s Republic of China. China sees Taiwan as a rebellious province and maintains that it has a right to invade. There is speculation that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could potentially result in World War III. Rogers maintains that a properly equipped and armed Taiwan is the best deterrent for China and its imperialist designs on the island. Mike Rogers is in his 11th term representing Alabama’s Third Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Governors ask Joe Biden for ‘honest, accurate’ information on illegal immigration
(The Center Square) – Twenty-four Republican governors said illegal immigration burdens every state and asked President Joe Biden for “honest” and “accurate” information about the situation. A letter sent Tuesday blamed Biden’s policies for a surge in illegal crossings at the southern border. “States are on the front lines, working around-the-clock responding to the effects of this crisis: shelters are full, food pantries empty, law enforcement strained, and aid workers exhausted,” the letter said. “As governors, we call on you to provide honest, accurate, detailed information on where the migrants admitted at the southern border are being relocated in the United States, in addition to comprehensive data on asylum claim timelines and qualification rates, and successful deportations. We ask for this information immediately, but also regularly as the crisis at the southern border continues.” The influx of illegal immigrants places a financial burden on the states, the governors said. “Analysts estimate the annual net cost of illegal immigration for the United States at the federal, state, and local levels is at least $150.7 billion,” the letter said. “States are forced to provide financial, educational, and medical support to migrants entering our country illegally– support that is skyrocketing in cost due to record inflation and the unprecedented influx of migrants into our states.” The governors said more than 5.8 million have crossed the southern border illegally. The problem has also grown at the northern border, where illegal immigration has increased by 850% in some cases, according to the letter. The situation is now a public safety issue as 244 people who crossed the border were on the terror watchlist, they said. A contact within U.S. Customs and Border Protection has regularly provided The Center Square with unpublished data categorized as “gotaways,” or people who enter illegally but don’t’ file asylum or immigration-related claims. They are most often men of military age, according to the source, granted anonymity for fear of career reprisal. Of the 8.6 million estimated to have entered the U.S. illegally, 1.6 million are gotaways. “Absent transparency from your administration, though, we cannot know how many terrorists have evaded capture and are now freely moving about the country,” the letter said. “Your administration admitted under oath to Congress that cartels prioritize the southern border as a major corridor and exploit it daily for human and narcotics trafficking.” The illegal immigration issue affects their Democratic colleagues, too, the governors said. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey called illegal immigration a “federal crisis of inaction many years in the making” earlier this month when calling on the Department of Homeland Security to ease the work authorization process. New York City will house more than 2,000 migrants at a New York City airfield after an agreement was made last week with the Biden administration. Mayor Eric Adams describes the situation as a “financial tsunami” that will destroy the city if it doesn’t get more state or federal help. The letter is signed by the governors of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Energy Institute says burying coal ash ponds on site is both legal and safe
On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a public hearing in Montgomery to consider whether or not coal ash should be disposed of onsite at coal-burning power plants, many of which have been or are shutting down or moved offsite. Blake Hardwich is the Executive Director of the Energy Institute of Alabama (EIA). Hardwich released a statement following her remarks at the EPA hearing on the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) program: “It’s important for the public and policymakers to understand that closing in place is a legal and safe approach for dealing with coal ash,” Hardwich said. “As independent studies show, the technology and engineering capabilities exist to seal this material where it is now in a way that is environmentally responsible. In fact, roughly half of all coal ash in the South is being sealed safely in place.” “This is good news for Alabama, as our state’s power providers don’t need to create new environmental hazards by trucking millions of tons of coal ash, over decades, to yet unnamed communities, requiring more landfill space,” Hardwich said. “EIA stands in support of upholding ADEM’s CCR program and its requirements.” The 2015 Coal Combustion Residuals Rule set federal rules against coal ash pollution. The protections were the result of more than a decade of litigation by environmental groups. Coal ash is the remains of coal burning in power plants. Environmentalists claim that coal ash contains a hazardous brew of toxic pollutants, including arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, lead, radium, selenium, and more. They claim that the toxins in coal ash can cause cancer, heart disease, reproductive failure, and stroke and can inflict lasting brain damage on children. These groups also claim that leaving the ponds in place would be a violation of the Clean Water Act and the Coal Combustion Residual Role. A point that ADEM, the Public Service Commission, and the EIA dispute. The hearing was disrupted when a woman, Anne DiPrizio, senselessly poured water on the head of West Alabama Chamber of Commerce President Kyle South – formerly a state representative. South had testified in his support of the state of Alabama’s plan. The EPA has proposed rejecting the state of Alabama’s plan and instead requiring the power companies to dig up the ponds and remove the coal ash to other sites. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
AG Merrick Garland takes fire from Republicans
House Republicans peppered Attorney General Merrick Garland with questions during a hearing Wednesday about the probe into Hunter Biden, the president’s son. As The Center Square previously reported, two IRS whistleblowers testified before Congress that the DOJ abused its power and interfered in their inquiry into Hunter Biden’s alleged tax crimes. Notably, they testified that the investigation was slowed so that the statute of limitations could run out on some charges. Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler, both IRS employees with a combined 27 experience years at the agency, testified before Congress that Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf helped block investigators’ plan for an interview of the president and a search warrant of the Biden residence in Delaware. “Everyone knows why they did it,” House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said at the hearing. “Those tax years, that… involved the president. It’s one thing to have a gun charge in Delaware. That doesn’t involve the president of the United States. But Burisma? That goes right to the White House.” Garland seemed to preempt some of these criticisms in his opening statement, saying he was not obligated to do the bidding of the president or Congress. He declined to give specific answers to many of the Republicans’ questions, including around the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump. “Our job is to pursue justice, without fear or favor,” Garland said in his opening statement. “Our job is not to do what is politically convenient. Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress, or from anyone else, about who or what to criminally investigate. As the President himself has said, and I reaffirm today: I am not the president’s lawyer. I will also add I am not Congress’s prosecutor.” That reference to Congress’s prosecutor is an apparent reference to Republicans’ frustrations with the DOJ for not prosecuting Hunter Biden more aggressively. House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has released a steady stream of evidence in recent months alleging that Hunter Biden was involved in an overseas “bribery scheme” and that his father knew about it. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who kicked off an impeachment inquiry on the same issue, pointed to about 150 U.S. Treasury Department suspicious activities reports filed by the agency around Hunter Biden’s dealings as well as bank records and the testimony from IRS whistleblowers who said the Biden family and associates received around $20 million from entities in adversarial nations. Special counsel David Weiss indicted Hunter Biden earlier this month over a gun purchase he made in 2018 after his plea deal unexpectedly fell through. Hunter Biden, who is also expected to face tax charges, was ordered by a federal magistrate judge on Wednesday to appear in court at his Oct. 3 hearing. Garland has taken fire over a string of incidents where critics say the agency has wrongly weaponized its power and targeted Americans, including working with social media groups to censor American posts and allegedly being more aggressive in prosecuting conservatives and right-leaning groups. “As someone who grew up in the Soviet Union, I’m disturbed by the fact that so many hardworking Americans—including my constituents—are afraid of political persecution by our own government,” said Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. “Unfortunately, it does not seem like AG Garland is.” House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., recently sent a letter to the National Archives and Records Administration requesting travel records for Air Force Two after allegations that Hunter Biden may have used the vice president’s plane for his overseas deals when his father held that position in the Obama administration. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
