Evidence mounts of GOP involvement in Trump election schemes
Rioters who smashed their way into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, succeeded — at least temporarily — in delaying the certification of Joe Biden’s election to the White House. Hours before, Rep. Jim Jordan had been trying to achieve the same thing. Texting with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, a close ally and friend, at nearly midnight on Jan. 5, Jordan offered a legal rationale for what President Donald Trump was publicly demanding — that Vice President Mike Pence, in his ceremonial role presiding over the electoral count, somehow assert the authority to reject electors from Biden-won states.
news.yahoo.comEXPLAINER: Why Congress is looking closely at Jan. 6 rally
The House panel investigating the Jan_ 6 Capitol insurrection has focused some of its early work on the planning behind a massive rally at which President Donald Trump falsely claimed to have won reelection and told his supporters to “fight like hell.”.
GOP members lash out at Rolling Stone report linking them to Jan. 6 planning
A number of Republican members of Congress named in a Rolling Stone report as being involved in planning the details of rallies and electoral certification objection on the day of Jan. 6 ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol building, either personally or through top staff members, are pushing back on or outright refuting the story.
news.yahoo.comPelosi appears to call McCarthy a moron in disagreement over Capitol mask mandate
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked by reporters on Wednesday about the Capitol attending physician reinstating a mask mandate on the House side of Capitol. When told that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy commented that the decision for the mandate wasn't based on science, Pelosi appears to have said, "He's such a moron."
news.yahoo.comLouie Gohmert Says He Isn’t a QAnon Supporter, Just a Moron
Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastSome people spent Memorial Day at parades or BBQing with friends, but not Loonie Louie Gomhert, who was in Dallas speaking at The For God & Country Patriot Roundup hosted by “Q power couple” Amy and John “QAnon John” Sabal. It was like CPAC meets a flat earther convention, but with more talk of coups and overthrowing the government, including former Trump National Security Adviser Mike “Madman” Flynn calling for a Myanmar-style military coup in A
news.yahoo.comEthics panel affirms Rep. Gohmert fine over metal detector
The House Ethics Committee upheld a $5,000 fine against Gohmert on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, after he was accused of failing to submit to a full security screening when entering the chamber's floor last month. A letter by the Ethics committee rejecting an appeal by Gohmert was the first such letter it has issued under the new rules, suggesting he would be the first to pay the fine. When an officer told him he needed to be checked with a wand, he walked onto the floor anyway “to engage in my turn to debate,” Gohmert wrote. In a two-paragraph letter, the Ethics panel wrote, “A majority of the committee did not agree to the appeal,” the standard required to dismiss the fine. The Ethics committee consists of five Democrats and five Republicans, and the letter did not provide details of the vote.
Republicans condemn ‘scheme’ to undo election for Trump
Though he got nothing but cheers Monday night, Trump's attempt to overturn the presidential election i s splitting the Republican Party. Trump repeated numerous times his claims of election fraud, which have been rejected by election officials — Republican as well as Democratic in state after state — and courts up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Two current Republican senators, Rob Portman of Ohio and Mike Lee of Utah, joined the growing number who now oppose the legislators' challenge. Larry Hogan of Maryland; Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking House GOP leader; and former House Speaker Paul Ryan — have criticized the GOP efforts to overturn the election. Cruz's coalition of 11 Republican senators vows to reject the Electoral College tallies unless Congress launches a commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results.
Republicans condemn 'scheme' to undo election for Trump
Of the more than 50 lawsuits the president and his allies have filed challenging election results, nearly all have been dismissed or dropped. Other prominent former officials also criticized the ongoing attack on election results. Cruz's coalition of 11 Republican senators vows to reject the Electoral College tallies unless Congress launches a commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results. The convening of the joint session to count the Electoral College votes has faced objections before. States choose their own election officials and draft their election laws.
Judge dismisses Gohmert's attempt to force Pence to decide election results
Pence and the Department of Justice on Thursday had urged the court to reject Gohmert's lawsuit, saying the power lies with the House and the Senate. But some of President Trump's supporters are using it as a last-ditch attempt to overturn the election results. Gohmert had claimed in the lawsuit that Pence has the "sole" power to decide the outcome of the election, and Gohmert claimed he had 140 House members willing to object to the election results. As presiding officer of the Senate, Pence will preside over the counting of the votes, as President-elect Joe Biden did in 2017 for Mr. Trump's victory. If Pence refuses to preside over the count, then the president pro tempore of the Senate, Senator Chuck Grassley, will step in.
cbsnews.comJudge dismisses Gohmert's attempt to force Pence to decide election results
Pence and the Department of Justice on Thursday had urged the court to reject Gohmert's lawsuit, saying the power lies with the House and the Senate. But some of President Trump's supporters are using it as a last-ditch attempt to overturn the election results. Gohmert had claimed in the lawsuit that Pence has the "sole" power to decide the outcome of the election, and Gohmert claimed he had 140 House members willing to object to the election results. As presiding officer of the Senate, Pence will preside over the counting of the votes, as President-elect Joe Biden did in 2017 for Mr. Trump's victory. If Pence refuses to preside over the count, then the president pro tempore of the Senate, Senator Chuck Grassley, will step in.
cbsnews.comJudge dismisses Gohmert's attempt to force Pence to decide election results
Pence and the Department of Justice on Thursday had urged the court to reject Gohmert's lawsuit, saying the power lies with the House and the Senate. But some of President Trump's supporters are using it as a last-ditch attempt to overturn the election results. Gohmert had claimed in the lawsuit that Pence has the "sole" power to decide the outcome of the election, and Gohmert claimed he had 140 House members willing to object to the election results. As presiding officer of the Senate, Pence will preside over the counting of the votes, as President-elect Joe Biden did in 2017 for Mr. Trump's victory. If Pence refuses to preside over the count, then the president pro tempore of the Senate, Senator Chuck Grassley, will step in.
cbsnews.comMore GOP lawmakers enlist in Trump effort to undo Biden win
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Saturday announced a coalition of 11 senators and senators-elect who have been enlisted for Trump's effort to subvert the will of American voters. But their challenges, and those from House Republicans, represent the most sweeping effort to undo a presidential election outcome since the Civil War. said the Republican effort to create a federal commission “to supersede state certifications" is wrong. On the other side of the Republican divide, several senators spoke out Saturday against Cruz and Hawley's effort. McConnell had previously warned GOP senators not to participate in raising objections, saying it would be a terrible vote for colleagues.
Judge dismisses Gohmert's attempt to force Pence to decide election results
Pence and the Department of Justice on Thursday had urged the court to reject Gohmert's lawsuit, saying the power lies with the House and the Senate. But some of President Trump's supporters are using it as a last-ditch attempt to overturn the election results. Gohmert had claimed in the lawsuit that Pence has the "sole" power to decide the outcome of the election, and Gohmert claimed he had 140 House members willing to object to the election results. As presiding officer of the Senate, Pence will preside over the counting of the votes, as President-elect Joe Biden did in 2017 for Mr. Trump's victory. If Pence refuses to preside over the count, then the president pro tempore of the Senate, Senator Chuck Grassley, will step in.
cbsnews.comTexas judge dismisses suit aimed at overturning election
Pence, as president of the Senate, will oversee the session Wednesday and declare the winner of the White House race. The Electoral College this month cemented Biden’s 306-232 victory, and multiple legal efforts by President Donald Trump's campaign to challenge the results have failed. “A suit to establish that the Vice President has discretion over the count, filed against the Vice President, is a walking legal contradiction,” the department argued. But a range of nonpartisan election officials and Republicans has confirmed there was no fraud in the November contest that would change the results of the election. Trump and his allies have filed roughly 50 lawsuits challenging election results, and nearly all have been dismissed or dropped.
DOJ opposes Republican suit that seeks to have Pence overturn Biden election in Trump's favor
The DOJ said in a new court filing that Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, and 11 Arizona Republicans have "sued the wrong defendant" — Pence — in the case. "The Vice President — the only defendant in this case — is ironically the very person whose power they seek to promote," Coghlan wrote. Defendant respectfully request denial of plaintiffs' emergency motion because the relief that plaintiffs request does not properly lie against the Vice President." The last-ditch Republican suit follows dozens of failed attempts from Trump's campaign and his allies to have courts reverse or invalidate electoral votes for Biden. Pence has shown no indication that he will entertain those objections or otherwise seek to overturn the election.
cnbc.comCongressman, other Republicans sue Vice President Pence in last-ditch effort to overturn Biden win
The last-ditch legal effort, filed Sunday, came from Gohmert, an eight-term congressman from Texas, along with 11 Arizona residents who had been nominated by that state's Republican Party to serve as electors. Biden received 306 electoral votes — 36 more than he needed to win — while Trump received 232. While pro-Trump electors in some states Biden won have symbolically cast their own ballots, experts say those votes carry no legal weight. Some House Republicans have stated they will challenge the election results when Congress meets to count the electoral votes on Jan. 6. Any objections to the electoral votes must be submitted in writing and signed by at least one House and one Senate member.
cnbc.comThe Latest: US task force leader says pandemic in new phase
(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)CHARLESTON, W.Va. __ White House coronavirus task force leader Dr. Deborah Birx says widespread coronavirus infections in urban and rural America mark a new phase for the pandemic as she doubled down on calls to wear face masks and observe social distancing measures. South Africas caseload represents more than 50% of all reported coronavirus infections in Africas 54 countries. ___TOKYO Confirmed coronavirus cases are hovering at near record levels in Japan, raising worries the pandemic may be growing more difficult to control. Israel is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases after having largely contained an earlier outbreak in the spring. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the case fatality rate was progressively reducing and currently stands at 2.18%, one of the lowest globally.
Arizona congressman tests positive for virus; 2nd this week
(Bonnie Cash/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee said Saturday he tested positive for the coronavirus days after he sat close to another member of the panel, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, who also tested positive. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said in a statement that he has the virus but, like Gohmert, has no symptoms. He is at least the 11th member of Congress known to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Grijalva went into isolation after Gohmert tested positive on Wednesday, since the two had sat close to each other at a Natural Resources hearing the day before. The White House tests anyone who will be in close proximity to the president, which is how Gohmert found out he had the virus.
In sprawling Capitol, leaders struggle to keep virus at bay
The lack of tracking was highlighted this week when a GOP lawmaker, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, found out he had contracted the virus. Fearing Gohmert's frequent refusal to wear a mask could have caused other members and staff to become infected, Pelosi and Capitol officials quickly issued broad new mask requirements for the House. The dilemma for Congress is similar to the one facing workplaces and schools as they struggle to reopen. Pelosi and McConnell cited those front-line workers when they rejected Trump's offer earlier this year to send rapid tests for lawmakers to the Capitol. Let's expand access to rapid testing on Capitol Hill, but also throughout the country, Van Hollen said.
Gohmert's positive virus test renews safety fears in Capitol
WASHINGTON Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert tested positive on Wednesday for the coronavirus, forcing him to abruptly cancel his plan to travel to his home state with President Donald Trump. He is at least the 10th member of Congress known to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Hours after Gohmerts positive test, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appeared open to putting in place a mask mandate for the House. But a few have refused, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a doctor who says it's unnecessary because he previously tested positive for the virus. After Gohmert tested positive, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Barr would be tested Wednesday.
Conservatives lash out at Liz Cheney over Trump criticism
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio noted Cheney's criticism of Trump on defense and foreign policy and accused her of not supporting the president on his coronavirus response. Leading the criticism was Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who recounted the confrontation on his podcast, Hot Takes with Matt Gaetz, shortly after it happened. He also tweeted about Cheney, who is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, and said she should step down from her post as head of the GOP conference. Liz Cheney has worked behind the scenes (and now in public) against @realDonaldTrump and his agenda, Gaetz tweeted. House Republicans deserve better as our Conference Chair.
House begins voting on articles of impeachment against Trump
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who returned to the podium, is gaveled by the presiding Democrat, Rep. Diana DeGette after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler accused Gohmert of spouting "Russian propaganda on the floor of the House" ahead of a vote on two articles of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., in a still image from video December 18, 2019. House TV via REUTERS. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday concluded a daylong debate and began voting on the first of two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. The first vote, scheduled to last 15 minutes, is on abuse of power. Once that concludes, the House will hold a five-minute vote on obstruction of Congress.
feeds.reuters.comGOP Rep. Gohmert publicly names person some Republicans say is whistleblower
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, speaking on Wednesday at a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee on impeachment, said the name of a person whom Republicans believe is the whistleblower who sparked the inquiry against President Donald Trump. He then proceeded to say a list of names of witness he wanted to testify which included the person alleged to be the whistleblower. In his remarks, Gohmert did not specifically identify the person as the person as the whistleblower. Democrats have repeatedly asked Republicans not to say the name of anyone believed to be the whistleblower, citing legal privacy and safety issues. "House Republicans just committed an incredible and outrageous breach.
cnbc.comTensions run high as House protest continues
Chaos erupted on the House floor Wednesday as a Democratic sit-in to force action on gun control stretched into the late night hours. Tensions got heated, with Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas getting into a shouting match with other lawmakers.
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