House of Representatives

GOP Lawmaker Lamented Not Being Able to Call Women ‘Sluts’

July 18, 2018 at 5:47 pm EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN) “has a long history of making deeply misogynistic comments on the radio, including lamenting that women can no longer be called ‘sluts,'” CNN reports.

Said Lewis: “Does a woman now have the right to behave — and I know there’s a double standard between the way men chase women and running and running around — you know, I’m not going to get there, but you know what I’m talking about. But it used to be that women were held to a little bit of a higher standard. We required modesty from women. Now, are we beyond those days where a woman can behave as a slut, but you can’t call her a slut?”

Ryan Kills Stunt to Force Vote to Abolish ICE

July 17, 2018 at 6:51 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Speaker Paul Ryan “quashed a rank-and-file effort to force Democrats to take a politically toxic vote to abolish the federal government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency,” Politico reports.

“House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) last week floated the idea of forcing Democrats to vote on a bill that would eliminate ICE, a proposal backed by the far-left but is unpopular with most voters. Republicans, the thinking went, would win either way: Democrats would either back the bill and watch Republicans use it against them in the midterms. Or a portion of Democrats would oppose it, depressing the liberal base.”

”But Ryan was concerned about a third option: that Democrats wouldn’t vote at all, or uniformly oppose it, making Republicans look silly.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

July 15, 2018 at 1:53 pm EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Public hearings are a circus… I mean that’s why I don’t like to do them.”

— House Oversight Committee chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC), in an interview on Face the Nation, suggesting that congressional hearings behind closed doors were “much more constructive” than the public hearings which can be “a circus” and a “freak show.”

House Conservatives Plot to Impeach Rosenstein

July 13, 2018 at 5:29 pm EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“House conservatives are preparing a new push to oust Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, according to three conservative Capitol Hill sources — putting the finishing touches on an impeachment filing even as Rosenstein announced the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers for interfering in the 2016 election,” Politico reports.

“Democrats contend Republicans’ fixation on Rosenstein is really an effort to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller, who reports to Rosenstein and has been making inroads in his investigation of the Russian election interference plot.”

Pelosi Delays Leadership Elections

July 13, 2018 at 1:47 pm EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Friday unexpectedly called for a delay in caucus leadership elections until after Thanksgiving,” Politico reports.

” Pelosi was trying to beat her own members to the punch, pushing out her letter first on Friday after word circulated that several rank-and-file Democrats had already drafted their own missive demanding a delay and were quickly gathering signatures in support.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

July 13, 2018 at 9:59 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Peter Strzok’s testimony was a disgrace. It taints the entire Mueller witchhunt. President Trump is being investigated by people who possess pathological hatred for him. All the results of the investigation are ‘fruit of the poison tree’ and should be dismissed.”

— Rudy Giuliani, on Twitter.

The Strzok Hearing Was a Disgrace

July 13, 2018 at 9:03 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “The political world gave House Republicans the benefit of the doubt on their select probe on Benghazi, but that probe never produced any indictments or guilty pleas (and it was ended immediately after the 2016 election). But with this hearing – plus their handling of the Russia investigation (compared with the Senate’s handling) – they’ve sullied the House’s reputation and its ability to conduct legitimate oversight.”

“And with House Speaker Paul Ryan’s hand-off approach, the buck here stops with him.”

The Hill reports that former White House press secretary Dana Perino scolded Republicans for “overboard” questions that “felt like a public lynching.”

Video Raises More Questions About What Jordan Knew

July 13, 2018 at 7:26 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “A video that was created to spur on the internal university investigation into a former Ohio State University wrestling doctor — and last week led to questions about what Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), a former coach, knew about the alleged abuse at the time — is an emotional recounting of what one former athlete has called a ‘cesspool of sexual deviance.’”

Gohmert Asked Strzok How He Looked at His Wife

July 12, 2018 at 4:49 pm EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The House hearing with FBI agent Peter Strzok “erupted into a shouting match” after Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) directly asked Strzok about his affair with former FBI attorney Lisa Page, CNN reports.

Said Gohmert: “I’ve talked to FBI agents around the country. You’ve embarrassed them. You’ve embarrassed yourself. And I can’t help but wonder when I see you looking there with a little smirk, how many times did you look so innocent into your wife’s eye and lie to her about Lisa Page?”

The comment prompted jeers from others on the committee, including one person who could be heard saying: “This is outrageous.”

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) also responded to Gohmert: “You need your medication.”

GOP Lawmakers Threaten Strzok with Contempt

July 12, 2018 at 11:28 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans sparred with FBI agent Peter Strzok from the very first question at a hearing Thursday over politically charged investigations, threatening him with a contempt citation for refusing, at the direction of an FBI lawyer, not to answer questions about the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election,” the Washington Post reports.

“Strzok, who was the lead agent on FBI probes into Hillary Clinton and the Trump campaign and is now the subject of an internal misconduct probe, was asked by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, how many individuals he interviewed in the first week of the Russia probe in the summer of 2016. He declined to answer.”

“Democrats immediately accused Republicans of treating Strzok unfairly and asked that the hearing be adjourned.”

The Fix highlights several key parts of the hearing.

Quote of the Day

July 12, 2018 at 10:43 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I have the utmost respect for Congress’s oversight role, but I truly believe that today’s hearing is just another victory notch in Putin’s belt and another milestone in our enemies’ campaign to tear America apart.”

— FBI agent Peter Strzok, quoted by the New York Times, rejecting accusations that he let his private political views bias his official actions and criticizing Republican attacks on him.

McCarthy Launches Stealth Campaign for Speaker

July 12, 2018 at 8:35 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “is quietly lining up votes to succeed Paul Ryan as speaker, reaching out to key lawmakers across the Republican Conference and asking whether they will commit to back him as speaker next January,” Politico reports.

“In public, McCarthy says he’s not campaigning for the job, saying it’s more important to focus on saving the Republican majority in the House than a campaign for the top leadership post. Yet running for speaker is precisely what McCarthy is doing.”

McCarthy Pulls In $12 Million for House GOP

July 11, 2018 at 6:40 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy raised $12,120,531 into his four fundraising committees, a sum that insiders believe is the highest quarterly take by a majority leader.”

“McCarthy has raised $40 million this cycle, and has raised and contributed $20 million for other House Republicans in events in D.C. and around the country.”

“Since 2009, the California Republican has been traveling the country, helping raise money and recruit candidates for the GOP. But now, McCarthy is putting together an impressive fundraising resume that will, at some point, make a case for why he thinks he should lead the party. Piling up eight-figure fundraising quarters is a big deal, and usually reserved for the speaker and minority leader. Plus, Republicans will need every last dime of this cash if they want a chance at keeping their majority come this fall.”

Another Wrestler Says Jordan Ignored Abuse

July 10, 2018 at 12:01 pm EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Another former Ohio State University wrestler told CNN that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was aware of sexual abuse allegations against the wrestling team doctor when he was a wrestling coach at the school.

The former wrestler said he directly told Jordan about the team doctor’s behavior and that Jordan did nothing: “I remember coming up and saying, ‘Strauss held my balls longer than normal.’ He just snickered.”

Ryan May Make Another Run Against Pelosi

July 10, 2018 at 6:40 am EDT by Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Rep. Tim Ryan is considering taking on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi again in November despite previously ruling the idea out — the latest turn in the caucus-wide chaos unleashed by Rep. Joe Crowley’s shocking primary loss last month,” Politico reports.

Said Ryan: “The Crowley race changed a lot for a lot of us. There was a lot of assumption that he was going to be moving forward in leadership and so losing that election put everybody in a state of mind to reevaluate what was happening.”