Barry Moore joins lawmakers demanding hearing over treatment of January 6 defendants
Rep. Barry Moore, along with 20 colleagues, sent a letter to Chairman Jerry Nadler and Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney asking that House Judiciary and House Oversight & Reform Committees hold hearings on the treatment of January 6 defendants being held at the D.C. Department of Corrections. The letter states that the defendants are being held in solitary confinement and are not being given needed medical treatment. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth asked the Department of Justice to conduct a civil rights investigation into the conduct of the D.C. jail regarding a patient who needed treatment for non-Hodgkins. Lamberth stated, “It’s clear to me the civil rights of the defendant were violated by the D.C. Department of Corrections.” “Regardless of the charges an incarcerated person faces, correctional authorities should respect and uphold their civil rights and protect their health and safety. In this country, they have the presumption of innocence. They have not faced trial. And even convicted criminals should get adequate medical care and proper food. They are human beings. The reports coming out of the D.C. Department of Corrections are deeply concerning, and Congress should use our oversight authority to investigate,” said Rep. Moore. Moore stated on Twitter, “Regardless of the charges and incarcerated person faces, correctional authorities should respect and uphold their civil rights & protect their health & safety. In this country they have the presumption of innocence.” “There is clear mistreatment of the individuals being held in the D.C. jail for charges related to January 6th,” stated Biggs. “There is NO excuse for keeping them in these abhorrent conditions and continuing to impose solitary confinement – a punishment that even some on the Left have condemned. It’s time for Chairman Nadler and Chairwoman Maloney to set aside any political motivations, do their job, and hold hearings so that we can get to the bottom of this.” Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mary Miller expressed disapproval for Deputy Warden Kathleen Landerkin’s actions. Rep. Greene stated, “The atrocious and inhumane conditions for PRE-TRIAL detainees at the D.C. Gulag are a clear example of the two-tiered justice system in America. BLM / Antifa domestic terrorists are allowed to walk free after burning down our cities with violent riots, but suspected J6 defendants are subjected to worse treatment than convicted terrorists in Gitmo. This situation must be investigated, and the officials responsible must be terminated from their positions, starting with avowed Trump-hater Deputy Warden Kathleen Landerkin.” “Deputy Warden Landerkin is using her position to torture her political opponents in a system where justice is supposed to be blind,” stated Miller. “There is clear mistreatment of the individuals being held in the D.C. jail for charges related to January 6th,” stated Andy Biggs. “There is NO excuse for keeping them in these abhorrent conditions and continuing to impose solitary confinement – a punishment that even some on the Left have condemned. It’s time for Chairman Nadler and Chairwoman Maloney to set aside any political motivations, do their job, and hold hearings so that we can get to the bottom of this.” The letter was also signed by Scott Perry, Jeff Duncan, Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs, Debbie Lesko, Andy Harris, Randy Weber, Bill Posey, Russ Fulcher, Matthew Rosendale, Sr., Louie Gohmert, Andrew Clyde, Mary Miller, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jody Hice, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Michael Cloud, Ralph Norman, and Clay Higgins.
January 6 panel seeks interview with Donald Trump ally Rep. Jim Jordan
The House panel investigating the January 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection on Wednesday requested an interview with Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress, as the committee closes in on members of its own chamber. In a letter to Jordan, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democratic chairman of the panel, said the panel wants the lawmaker to provide information for its investigation surrounding his communications with Trump on January 6 and Trump’s efforts to challenge the result of the 2020 election. “We understand that you had at least one and possibly multiple communications with President Trump on January 6th,” the letter reads. “We would like to discuss each such communication with you in detail.” The request is the second by the nine-member panel this week and launches a new phase for the lawmakers on the committee, who have so far resisted going after one of their own as they investigate the insurrection by supporters and his efforts to overturn the election. Jordan is a staunch supporter of the former president’s false claims about voter fraud. The lawmaker brought those claims up during an October hearing on a motion to hold former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon in contempt for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena. In that hearing, Jordan admitted once again that he spoke with Trump on the day of the attack. “Of course, I talked to the president,” Jordan told members of the Rules Committee, in response to questioning from the panel’s chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “I talked to him that day. I’ve been clear about that. I don’t recall the number of times, but it’s not about me. I know you want to make it about that.” A request for comment from Jordan’s office was not immediately returned. The panel is also seeking information regarding Jordan’s meeting with Trump and members of his administration in November and December 2020, and in early January 2021, “about strategies for overturning the results of the 2020 election.” The letter goes on to say the committee is also interested in any discussions Jordan may have had during that time regarding the possibility of presidential pardons for people involved in any aspect of the Capitol attack or the planning for the two rallies that took place that day. Thompson writes that Jordan has already publicly signaled a willingness to cooperate with the panel’s efforts to get answers about January 6, citing the lawmaker’s quote from that October hearing: “I’ve said all along, I have nothing to hide. I’ve been straightforward all along.” On Monday, the committee sent a similar request to Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who the panel believes had “an important role” in efforts to install then-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark as acting attorney general in late 2020. Perry rejected the committee’s request Tuesday, calling the committee and its investigation “illegitimate.” In response, Tim Mulvey, a committee spokesperson, said that while the panel prefers to gather evidence from members “cooperatively,” it will pursue such information “using other tools” if necessary. The panel has already interviewed about 300 people as it seeks to create a comprehensive record of the Jan. 6 attack and the events leading up to it. Trump at the time was pushing false claims of widespread voter fraud and lobbying Vice President Mike Pence and Republican members of Congress to try to overturn the count at the January 6 congressional certification. Election officials across the country, along with the courts, had repeatedly dismissed Trump’s claims. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Barry Moore cosigns letter to boot Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger out of GOP conference
Congressman Barry Moore signed a letter to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy requesting a reconsideration of a GOP Conference Rule change that would remove members who accept committee assignments or serve on a committee without a recommendation from the Republican Steering Committee or the Republican Leader. The letter, written by Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, comes in response to the select committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol. McCarthy was given five picks to serve on the committee. However Nancy Pelosi rejected two, and McCarthy pulled his other three as well. Pelosi, in an effort to maintain a bipartisan committee, asked Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger to serve on the committee, and they accepted. Congressman Moore stated, “It is absurd that a formal rule prohibiting this behavior is necessary, but Republicans must be united to defeat Nancy Pelosi’s socialist takeover of America, and the Republican conference should swiftly make this rule change to expel anyone who has chosen to take marching orders from her.” “Accepting committee assignments from Speaker Pelosi and ignoring the long-standing practice and rule of being nominated by designated GOP members is a betrayal to our party’s efforts against Pelosi and the Far Left’s attacks,” stated Biggs. “As Republican Members of Congress, it is our duty to strategize effective measures that protect America’s foundational values. We cannot allow our party, which stands as a bulwark against the socialist agenda of the Democrats, to be infiltrated by individuals who are coordinating with members of the opposition. Our party’s integrity, and the voice of conservative Americans who voted for us, must be protected and upheld.” Removal from the conference requires a two-thirds vote of all its members. Only the party leader can bring such a motion to a vote. Kinzinger’s spokesperson Maura Gillespie said in a statement that the congressman is looking for answers about the January 6 attack. “When a Member makes repeated calls to remove Representatives Kinzinger and Cheney from the Conference, it certainly calls into question their true motives,” Gillespie said. “Especially when that Member pushes conspiracy theories to their constituents and outright lies for their own personal gain.” The letter to McCarthy states, “Congresswoman Cheney and Congressman Kinzinger are two spies for the Democrats that we currently invite to the meetings, despite our inability to trust them.” On Twitter, Kinzinger responded, “I think this is interesting. Just coming off a member declaring bloodshed will happen, many pushing Covid denialism and Jan 6 trutherism….The GOP has a choice. I am even more committed to getting the truth now.” In July, Cheney posted on Twitter, “We cannot leave the violence of January 6th – and its causes – uninvestigated. We must know what happened at the Capitol and the White House on the day.” Matt Gaetz, one of the 16 cosigners commented, “Instead of investigating the Jihad Squad’s connections to groups that foment political violence like BLM and Antifa, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have taken on Pelosi appointments to target the Republican Firebrands in Congress. Kevin McCarthy should remove them from their committees immediately.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated, “Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger knew all along the Jan. 6 committee was Witch Hunt 2.0, just like the one Democrats launched against President Trump. They’ve sold out Republicans and they must be thrown out of the GOP conference!” Additional cosigners of the letter are Reps. Jody Hice, Matt Gaetz, Andrew Clyde, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Dan Bishop, Randy Weber, Ralph Norman, Andy Harris, Scott Perry, Bill Posey, Madison Cawthorn, Mary Miller, Louie Gohmert, and Bob Good.
Joe Biden win confirmed after pro-Donald Trump mob storms US Capitol
Congress confirmed Democrat Joe Biden as the presidential election winner early Thursday after a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Trump in the White House. Lawmakers were resolved to complete the Electoral College tally in a display to the country, and the world, of the nation’s enduring commitment to uphold the will of the voters and the peaceful transfer of power. They pushed through the night with tensions high and the nation’s capital on alert. Before dawn Thursday, lawmakers finished their work, confirming Biden won the election. Vice President Mike Pence, presiding over the joint session, announced the tally, 306-232. Trump, who had repeatedly refused to concede the election, said in a statement immediately after the vote that there will be a smooth transition of power on Inauguration Day. “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” Trump said in a statement posted to Twitter by an aide. The Capitol was under siege Wednesday, as the nation’s elected representatives scrambled to crouch under desks and don gas masks while police futilely tried to barricade the building, one of the most jarring scenes ever to unfold in a seat of American political power. A woman was shot and killed inside the Capitol, and Washington’s mayor instituted an evening curfew in an attempt to contain the violence. The rioters were egged on by Trump, who has spent weeks falsely attacking the integrity of the election and had urged his supporters to descend on Washington to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s victory. Some Republican lawmakers were in the midst of raising objections to the results on his behalf when the proceedings were abruptly halted by the mob. Together, the protests and the GOP election objections amounted to an almost unthinkable challenge to American democracy and exposed the depths of the divisions that have coursed through the country during Trump’s four years in office. Though the efforts to block Biden from being sworn in on Jan. 20 were sure to fail, the support Trump has received for his efforts to overturn the election results have badly strained the nation’s democratic guardrails. Congress reconvened in the evening, with lawmakers decrying the protests that defaced the Capitol and vowing to finish confirming the Electoral College vote for Biden’s election, even if it took all night. Pence reopened the Senate and directly addressed the demonstrators: “You did not win.” Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the “failed insurrection” underscored lawmakers’ duty to finish the count. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress would show the world “what America is made of” with the outcome. The president gave his supporters a boost into action Wednesday morning at a rally outside the White House, where he urged them to march to the Capitol. He spent much of the afternoon in his private dining room off the Oval Office watching scenes of the violence on television. At the urging of his staff, he reluctantly issued a pair of tweets and a taped video telling his supporters it was time to “go home in peace” — yet he still said he backed their cause. Hours later, Twitter for the first time locked Trump’s account, demanded that he remove tweets excusing violence, and threatened “permanent suspension.” A somber President-elect Biden, two weeks away from being inaugurated, said American democracy was “under unprecedented assault, ” a sentiment echoed by many in Congress, including some Republicans. Former President George W. Bush said he watched the events in “disbelief and dismay.” The domed Capitol building has for centuries been the scene of protests and occasional violence. But Wednesday’s events were particularly astounding both because they unfolded at least initially with the implicit blessing of the president and because of the underlying goal of overturning the results of a free and fair presidential election. Tensions were already running high when lawmakers gathered early Wednesday afternoon for the constitutionally mandated counting of the Electoral College results, in which Biden defeated Trump, 306-232. Despite pleas from McConnell, more than 150 GOP lawmakers planned to support objections to some of the results, though lacking evidence of fraud or wrongdoing in the election. Trump spent the lead-up to the proceedings publicly hectoring Pence, who had a largely ceremonial role, to aid the effort to throw out the results. He tweeted, “Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!” But Pence, in a statement shortly before presiding, defied Trump, saying he could not claim “unilateral authority” to reject the electoral votes that make Biden president. In the aftermath of the siege, several Republicans announced they would drop their objections to the election, including Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., who lost her bid for reelection Tuesday. Earlier, protesters had fought past police and breached the building, shouting and waving Trump and American flags as they marched through the halls, many without masks during the COVID-19 crisis. Lawmakers were told to duck under their seats for cover and put on gas masks after tear gas was used in the Capitol Rotunda. Some House lawmakers tweeted they were sheltering in place in their offices. Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., told reporters he was in the House chamber when rioters began storming it. Security officers “made us all get down, you could see that they were fending off some sort of assault.” He said they had a piece of furniture up against the door. “And they had guns pulled,” Peters said. Glass panes to a House door were shattered. The woman who was killed was part of a crowd that was breaking down the doors to a barricaded room where armed officers stood on the other side, police said. She was shot in the chest by Capitol Police and taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. City police said three other people died from medical emergencies during
House Republicans in eleventh-hour attempt for immigration accord
Fractured House Republicans huddled privately Thursday as leaders tried pushing them toward consensus on immigration, racing the clock and trying to defuse a civil war within the party that threatens their effort to keep control of the chamber in November’s elections. But even as they gathered in a Capitol basement meeting room, there were no indications that a deal mending the party’s chasm over immigration was at hand and no definitive details of where middle ground might be. If leaders fail to find a solution, that would give momentum to moderates seeking to stage election-year votes in just three weeks on the issue, a showdown that leaders want to head off. Both conservative and moderate lawmakers, the two factions at odds over the issue, said they didn’t know what to expect as they entered the session. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m on time here, for once,” joked Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., a moderate who’s joined the leadership-opposed rebellion aimed at forcing immigration votes. GOP lawmakers emerged from the office of Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Wednesday saying he would present the rank and file with broad ideas for resolving a dispute that has split Republicans for years, damaging the party with Hispanic and moderate voters. “There’s some loose consensus right now,” said Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., a leader of centrists threatening to force votes if they can’t strike a deal with conservatives. He said leaders would unveil “an outline of a potential bill,” while conservative leader Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Ryan would present “concepts.” Curbelo, Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., and other moderates need just two more GOP signatures on a petition to require immigration votes, assuming all Democrats sign on. If Thursday’s meeting doesn’t produce an accord, the moderates could reach that threshold quickly. The major hang-up in GOP talks has been how, as the moderates have demanded, to offer a chance for citizenship to young “Dreamer” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Conservatives have opposed creating a special pathway for them to become citizens, calling it amnesty. “We’ve got the rule of law in this country, and nobody gets special consideration,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., said a large group of conservatives he leads has discussed providing a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers in exchange for giving President Donald Trump nearly all the $25 billion he wants to build his proposed wall with Mexico. In addition, the conservatives want to end a lottery that grants visas to countries with few immigrants to the U.S. and curb the relatives who can be brought over by immigrants, Walker said. Democrats and at least some moderates would likely oppose such measures, giving it little chance of surviving in the more centrist Senate. Walker said the more Dreamers who’d be given an opportunity for citizenship, the tighter curbs on family-based migration would be. Roughly 700,000 people are protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, an Obama-era policy that Trump has halted. But by some estimates, 1 million or more other people qualify for that program but haven’t applied. The moderates’ petition would force House votes on four immigration bills, ranging from a liberal one helping Dreamers win citizenship to a conservative version curbing legal immigration. GOP leaders and conservatives say the votes the moderates would force would probably produce legislation that is too liberal, with all Democrats joining a handful of Republicans to push it through the House. Senate Republicans would block such a measure, and Trump would veto it if it went that far. But such an outcome could alienate conservative voters, damaging GOP chances for holding the House. Because of those divisions, averting the issue completely unless an agreement is reached has been the GOP leadership’s preference all year, until their hand was forced by moderates wielding the rarely used petition process. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Paul Ryan vents frustration over GOP infighting over immigration
A frustrated Speaker Paul Ryan chided House Republicans for election-season infighting over immigration that sank the party’s farm bill last week, participants in a closed-door meeting said Tuesday. Leaders said they will schedule a late- June showdown over immigration, an issue that has divided the GOP for years. “I think he said ‘gee whiz’ and ‘gosh’ and used the word ‘crap’ once,” Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said of Ryan’s remarks to his colleagues. “For Paul Ryan, ‘crap’ is pretty blue language.” At a news conference minutes later, the Wisconsin Republican criticized anew an effort by GOP moderates to force votes on immigration by collecting signatures from a majority of House members on a little-used procedure called a discharge petition. The centrists need just five more GOP signatures to prevail. “I can guarantee you a discharge petition will not make law,” Ryan said. That was a reference to the expectation that the votes moderates want to have would produce a bill that President Donald Trump would consider too weak and veto. Ryan also defended himself against calls from conservatives that he step down as speaker in the wake of the party’s anarchy over the farm bill and continuing disarray on immigration. Ryan will retire from the House after this year but has said he will remain as speaker until he leaves office. “Members drafted me into this job because of who I am and what I stand for,” he said. He was elected speaker in 2015 after conservatives pressured his predecessor, John Boehner, R-Ohio, to step aside. Asked if he would remain as speaker all year, he said, “Obviously I serve at the pleasure of the members.” He said Republicans should concentrate on the party’s legislative agenda and not have “a divisive leadership election.” Lawmakers exiting the GOP meeting said leaders told them the House would vote on immigration during the third week of June. They said it was unclear exactly what they would vote on. The centrist push for immigration votes is considered likely to result in passage of a middle-ground measure backed by a handful of Republicans and all Democrats. Ryan has said he will avert that outcome, though it’s unclear how, and many conservatives consider it intolerable. Conservative and moderate GOP leaders negotiated privately Monday over ways to win centrist support for a conservative-backed measure that for months has floundered short of the 218 Republican votes it would need for House passage. They discussed changes that would help young “Dreamer” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children and immigrant farm workers stay longer in the U.S., said one lawmaker who described the private discussions on condition of anonymity. The conservative bill would currently reduce legal immigration, clear the way for construction of President Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico and let Dreamers stay in the U.S. for renewable three-year periods. All Democrats oppose the measure and it would have no chance of clearing the more moderate Senate. The farm bill crashed last Friday, partly because of opposition by members of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus. They had refused a leadership offer for a vote on the conservative immigration bill in June, which they said was too late. Some members of the Freedom Caucus suggested it would be time for Ryan to step down should moderates prevail. “If we run an amnesty bill out of a Republican House, I think all options are on the table,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member of the group, when asked if Ryan should remain as speaker if the moderates’ effort succeeds. Many conservatives say legislation protecting immigrants in the U.S. illegally from deportation is amnesty. Other Republicans said it seemed unlikely Ryan would abandon his post. They said potential successors including Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., so far lack the GOP votes they’d need to win the job. The moderates need 218 signatures — a House majority — on a petition to force votes on immigration bills. With all 193 Democrats expected to sign, the moderates need five more than the 20 signatures they already have. If they succeed, a vote could occur no earlier than late June. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
