Month: January 2021

Trump gives Toby Keith, Ricky Skaggs awards after impeachment vote

Posted on by Ebony Bowden
WASHINGTON — President Trump awarded the National Medal of Arts to country music singers Toby Keith and Ricky Skaggs minutes after he was impeached for the second time on Wednesday afternoon, a White House spokesperson confirmed. Skaggs, 61, is an American country and bluegrass singer who has won the Grammy Award 15 times while Keith,...
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House plans to slap major fines on Republicans flouting gun safety rules on floor

Posted on by Joan McCarter

Following the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, the acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett had magnetometers (metal detectors) placed at the entrances to the House chamber, which he informed members of in a letter on Tuesday and reminded them that "pursuant to the firearms regulations that Members received on Opening Day, firearms are restricted to a Member’s Office. … Failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber." That part of the missive was ignored during votes Tuesday and Wednesday, with Republicans blowing past the detectors and screaming "socialism" over them on Twitter and in floor statements.

Those Republicans are going to pay if they do it again. Literally. After Wednesday's impeachment vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that on Jan. 21, when the House returns, they'll vote on a rule change mandating steep fines for bypassing the screening: $5,000 for the first offense, $10,000 for the second offense. Like the new rule passed this week requiring masks on the floor, the fines "will be deducted directly from Members’ salaries by the Chief Administrative Officer." Pelosi pointed to the treatment of U.S. Capitol Police seen by those Republicans, saying: "On behalf of the House, I express my deepest gratitude to the U.S. Capitol Police for the valor that they showed during the deadly insurrection on the Capitol, as they protected the lives of the staff and the Congress."

She continued, "Sadly, just days later, many House Republicans have disrespected our heroes by verbally abusing them and refusing to adhere to basic precautions keeping members of our Congressional community, including the Capitol Police, safe." That verbal abuse came from the likes of Reps. Steve Womack of Arkansas and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, both Republicans. "I was physically restrained!" Womack yelled, and "It's my constitutional right!" Mullin screamed at the police. The police who saved them and their colleagues just a week before.

One House Democrat who spoke to CNN said there is "increasing tensions with certain incoming freshmen for months, who have been insistent on bringing firearms in violation of law and guidelines." That would be specifically Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, who kicked off the protest Tuesday night by arguing with the police and refusing to show what was in her bag when entering the chamber. Another potential threat is Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, who admitted to his local paper that he had a loaded gun on the House floor during the riots.

"There are concerns about the gun-toting members, but also we don't know who they're going to bring to the inauguration who can bypass the metal detectors," a second House Democrat told CNN. "Until there's an investigation and until we understand our colleagues' level of complicity in the attack, we don't know how involved they really were. Until we have answers, I don't think we should trust them—not all of them of course, but some of them." They shouldn't.

Combat Veteran And Double Amputee Rep Brian Mast Shreds Jake Tapper After CNN Anchor Questions His Patriotism

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Rep. Brian Mast, an Afghanistan war veteran and double amputee, fired back at Jake Tapper after the CNN anchor questioned his patriotism.

Tapper, during a segment covering impeachment proceedings in the House, went low and questioned Mast’s commitment to Democracy as the congressman spoke in opposition to the impeachment of President Trump.

“Congressman Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida – who lost his legs, by the way, fighting for democracy abroad, although I don’t know … about his commitment to it here in the United States,” Tapper told a panel.

Mast repeatedly condemned the Capitol protests that led to Trump’s second impeachment but stated, “I do not believe this conduct rises to the standard necessary for invoking the 25th Amendment or impeachment.”

Tapper’s unprovoked attack drew a response from Mast himself.

RELATED: Eric Swalwell Named As One Of Pelosi’s Impeachment Managers

Brian Mast Hits Back at Jake Tapper Over His Vile Comments

Jake Tapper, whose closest brush with combat of any kind involved a date with Monica Lewinsky, got an earful for his shameful comments, not the least of which came from Brian Mast himself.

“I lost two legs for [Jake Tapper’s] right to say whatever the hell he wants, but that free speech also protects the Republicans he is so eager to condemn for asking Constitutional questions about the election,” Mast tweeted.

Rather than manning up, Tapper took the cowardly route and doubled down on his comments from behind a keyboard.

“You’re a hero for your service and I’m grateful, as I’ve said before,” Tapper tweeted in reply.

“And yes, I question the commitment to democracy of anyone who spread election lies, signed onto that deranged TX AG lawsuit, and voted to commit sedition,” he added. “You were not just asking questions.”

The only sedition – conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state – over the past four years took place at the behest of the media, CNN in particular.

RELATED: Hillary Clinton Calls Capitol Riots ‘Result Of White-Supremacist Grievances,’ Wants Trump Impeached

Tapper Gets Blasted

Others on social media came to Mast’s defense as well, hammering Tapper for his ill-advised comments.

“This is DISGUSTING,” former Trump campaign social media director Mike Hahn responded. “Is [Tapper] planning on apologizing for this egregious comment?”

Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) called the CNN anchor’s comments “repulsive” and “disgusting.”

“Representative Mast, along with myself and many others in Congress and across the country, served in the military so Americans can have freedom of speech, regardless of how repulsive or disgusting it may be,” replied Crawford.

Tapper was on the receiving end of further scorn.

Mast went on Fox & Friends Thursday morning to respond to Tapper’s comments.

“My commitment to democracy and to my country is unwavering, I love this place so much it literally breaks my heart to see the divide that exists in it,” Mast said.

“I love our democracy. For all of our problems there is no government that I would rather be a part of anywhere in this world, and to strengthen that and keep it strong, we have to ask those questions,” he continued.

Mast went on to suggest that anger in this country is rising because certain entities aren’t listening or even debating the concerns of those who question the integrity of the 2020 presidential election – they are simply dismissed out of hand.

“We’ve got to get to the point that we’re saying, ‘This is why I think something,’ now I can say, ‘This is why I think you’re wrong,’ and we can have a real debate and hopefully you end up learning something about each other instead of just coming away with two people that are pissed off.”

It should be noted that Tapper’s concerns regarding interference in the democratic process only apply to President Trump.

He was, after all, caught interjecting in a House race in Pennsylvania’s 17th congressional district, where he tried to convince Republican Sean Parnell not to run against Democrat incumbent Connor Lamb in 2019, and instead find a different district to run in.

It seems the only person whose commitment to Democracy needs questioning is Tapper.

The post Combat Veteran And Double Amputee Rep Brian Mast Shreds Jake Tapper After CNN Anchor Questions His Patriotism appeared first on The Political Insider.

Democrat Rep. David Cicilline Pulls Down Mask To Sneeze Into His Hand

Posted on by John Hanson

On Wednesday, you could clearly see Democrat Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island pull down his mask to sneeze into his hand.

This happened on the House floor during the debate over impeaching President Donald Trump for allegedly inciting the crowd that attacked the Capitol last week.

RELATED: Biden Plans To ‘Immediately’ Introduce Immigration Legislation, Authorize Criminal Investigation Of Family Separations

Democrat Congressman Cicilline Ignores COVID Safety

Cicilline is one of the impeachment managers appointed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Sitting behind Democratic Congresswoman Yvette Clark, who was advocating to impeach Trump, you could clearly see Cicilline pull down his mask and sneezed into his hand.

After he sneezes, the congressman pulls his mask back up.

Democrats Demand Fines For Not Wearing Masks

More than a few Democrats have called for fines for members of Congress who do not wear a mask while on the floor.

Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal recently announced she had COVID-19, blamed it on GOP members, and declared that there should be “serious fines” for any member who refuse to wear one.

Jayapal said, “Additionally, any Member who refuses to wear a mask should be immediately removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms. This is not a joke.”

“Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy,” Jayapal claimed.

RELATED: ABC Quietly Edits Story That Claims Republican Movement Should Be ‘Cleansed’ Of Trump Supporters

Wear A Mask Or Pay A Fine

The Hill reported Tuesday, “House Democrats on Tuesday will adopt new rules slapping fines on any lawmakers who refuse to wear masks on the chamber floor.”

“The new guidelines will hit offending lawmakers with a $500 fine on the first offense and $2,500 on the second, to be deducted from the lawmakers’ pay, according to a senior Democratic aide,” The Hill noted.

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie responded by asking if the fines were constitutional.

“How does this not violate the 27th amendment which states: “No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.” 

Legal or not, don’t expect any penalties for Democratic Congressman David Cicilline. 

The post Democrat Rep. David Cicilline Pulls Down Mask To Sneeze Into His Hand appeared first on The Political Insider.

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger: Impeachment ‘Was Not A Hard Decision,’ Didn’t Need To Look For Evidence

Posted on by John Hanson

Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger voted to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday for allegedly inciting the attack on the Capitol last week.

During an interview on “PBS NewsHour,” Kinzinger said that the decision to impeach President Trump wasn’t a particularly difficult decision given that “the evidence was not something we had to go discover. It was brought right to us on the 6th.”

Watch the video below.

RELATED: AOC Goes Wild On Instagram Live Video: Republicans Only Care About ‘White Supremacy,’ Trump Cabinet Has ‘Blood’ On Their Hands

Rep. Kinzinger Claims ‘It Was Hard To Go Through With It’

Kinzinger said, “Truthfully, it was not a hard decision. I mean, it was hard to go through with it.”

“Because, bottom line is, you’re impeaching a president a second time,” Kinzinger said. “It’s never something that should be easily done.”

But the evidence was no problem for Kinzinger.

“But I think the evidence was not something we had to go discover,” the Republican said. “It was brought right to us on the 6th.”

Kinzinger also claimed he had predicted the violence.

“Of course, I had predicted violence for weeks leading up to the 6th, but the 6th was the culmination, hopefully the culmination, of that violence coming to here,” Kinzinger said, referring to Washington, DC.

RELATED: ABC Quietly Edits Story That Claims Republican Movement Should Be ‘Cleansed’ Of Trump Supporters

Kinzinger: ‘If That Is Not Impeachable, I Don’t Know What Is’

The GOP congressman then cited the Constitution as justification for his vote.

“And, look, when you have the president of the United States, the Article 2 part of the Constitution, incite and send and ignite a mob to attack the Article 1 branch, that is nothing short of an insurrection,” he said.

The Congressman didn’t provide any evidence of how President Trump incited the mob.

Kinzinger added, “I think most people can look at that and know that the president has both built the foundation and executed the command to do it.”

“And if that is not impeachable, I don’t know what is,” Rep. Kinzinger added. 

Kinzinger Is A Longtime Trump Critic

Kinzinger has long been a Trump critic. He was also one of the early recipients of the Steele Dossier, the now-discredited document that supposedly showed President colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election.

Kinzinger and the chief of staff to House Speaker Paul Ryan both received the Steele dossier, according to a court memo.

The Political Insider reported in December 2018, “The judge handling the case filed a document that stated that Christopher Steele, the dossier author, provided at least one memo from the dossier to Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Jonathan Burks, a longtime Ryan aide.”

“Steele gave Report 166 to Kramer, an unnamed senior British security official, Ms. Wallender [sic] at the NSC, Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s Chief of Staff, John Burks,’ wrote Judge Ursula Ungaro, who ruled in favor of BuzzFeed in a defamation lawsuit filed by a Russian businessmen identified in Report 166, which Steele produced on Dec. 13, 2016.”

Kinzinger also considered running as an independent against Trump in 2016, when it became clear Trump would be the Republican nominee for President. 

Watch Kinzinger’s interview below:

The post GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger: Impeachment ‘Was Not A Hard Decision,’ Didn’t Need To Look For Evidence appeared first on The Political Insider.

Scalise slams Dems for ‘ratcheting up rhetoric,’ says Biden should call for end to impeachment trial

Posted on by Caleb Parke
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., slammed his Democratic colleagues Thursday for ratcheting up the rhetoric by impeaching President Trump without an investigation as the nation struggles with division.