House GOP scrambles to appease Trump after Biden impeachment fails

Posted on by Joan McCarter

The House Republicans’ big plans to impeach President Joe Biden have imploded, forcing them to acknowledge they don’t have the votes to impeach on the flimsy evidence they’ve scraped together. So they’re trying to figure out how to make 14 months of wasted time investigating Biden look like it was serious, and have come up with the idea of packaging it all up in a criminal referral and sending it to the Department of Justice.

That’s coming straight from House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer’s mouth. You know Comer, the hapless bumbler who admitted last spring that he couldn’t find any Biden crimes, but kept on “investigating” anyway, only to see all those months of nonsense blown out of the water when it was revealed last month that one of his star witnesses was being fed false information by Russian agents. 

So it’s time to pivot. “At the end of the day, what does accountability look like? It looks like criminal referrals,” Comer recently told Fox New host Sean Hannity. “It looks like referring people to the Department of Justice. … If Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice won’t take any potential criminal referrals seriously, then maybe the next president, with a new attorney general, will.”

This new strategy seems to come at the direction of Donald Trump, who’d love to have locking Biden up as a central campaign theme this year. Comer’s interview with Hannity came shortly after Comer just so happened to run into Trump while having lunch with Trump donor Vernon Hill at one of Trump's Florida properties. What a coincidence they bumped into each other! 

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time Republicans took their marching orders from Trump. One MAGA lawmaker, Texas Rep. Troy Nehls, even admitted that the motivation for him on impeachment was to give Trump “a little bit of ammo to fire back” at Biden in this year’s presidential race. Just like how Republicans killed the Senate’s bipartisan immigration bill, on Trump’s orders.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirms they are talking about criminal referrals, but he won’t commit to it. He told CNN he’s just been too busy to keep up with the investigations. “To be very frank with you, very honest and transparent because I’ve been so busy with all my other responsibilities, I have not been able to take the time to do the deep dive in the evidence, but what has been uncovered is alarming,” but that there’s “more deliberation to be done on it that’s for sure.”

There sure is. The decision to make a criminal referral against a sitting president—knowing that the Department of Justice would almost certainly have to defer it—isn’t something all Republicans relish. Even the hard-line conservative and very shady California Rep. Darrell Issa is throwing cold water on the idea, telling The New York Times, “We don’t refer a seated president for criminal charges.” He added that maybe they could make criminal referrals for Biden family members, “but most of what we’ve discovered they already knew.” 

Vulnerable Republicans, whom Johnson desperately needs to keep the House majority, likely want to distance themselves from the whole thing. One of them, Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, told CNN that he has way more important things to deal with. “I’m focused on five or 10 things other than that right now,” he said.

What happens next will have to be decided by the whole conference, and Johnson is going to have to lead. With Trump and MAGA members pressing for criminal referrals and plenty in the conference just wanting to forget the whole thing, it’s going to cause even more dissension in the ranks. 

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The ripple effects of the Dobbs decision are impacting not only the right to an abortion but also abortion funding, IVF, and even recreational sex. Joining us on this week's episode of "The Downballot" is Grace Panetta, a political reporter at The 19th who has closely covered the electoral consequences of this ever-widening set of issues. Panetta highlights key races this year where reproductive rights will take center stage, including ballot initiatives in multiple states, efforts to repeal bans on public funding of abortions, and an upcoming special election in Alabama, the state that just thrust IVF into the limelight.

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House Speaker Johnson says White House doesn’t ‘call the shots’ on when impeachment is over

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Friday that the White House does not get to "call the shots" on when the President Biden impeachment inquiry ends after he received a letter this morning from a White House lawyer arguing that it’s "over." 

White House Counsel Ed Siskel, in his message to the Louisiana Republican, said "it’s obviously time to move on, Mr. Speaker." 

"This impeachment is over," Siskel declared. "There is too much important work to be done for the American people to continue wasting time on this charade." 

But Johnson told Fox News’ Chad Pergram on Capitol Hill Friday that "They don’t call the shots on it" and "we’ll deliberate over that when the investigation is complete." 

HUNTER BIDEN’S FORMER BUSINESS PARTNER TONY BOBULINSKI SLAMS HIM FOR ‘RUNNING AWAY’ FROM HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE 

"We’re allowing the process to play out as the Constitution anticipates. Our committees of jurisdiction have done their duty," Johnson added. "They’ve done an extraordinary job. They’ve revealed some alarming information." 

In his letter, Siskel said "The House Majority ought to work with the President on our economy, national security, and other important priorities on behalf of the American people, not continue to waste time on political stunts like this." 

HUNTER BIDEN REFUSES TO ATTEND HOUSE HEARING WITH FORMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATES 

"The House Majority has reportedly collected more than 100,000 pages of records, interviewed dozens of witnesses, and held multiple public hearings—but none of the evidence has demonstrated that the President did anything wrong," Siskel also said, noting that "Hunter Biden testified that he never involved his father in his business dealings" and "Several witnesses have testified debunking claims related to President Biden’s handling of classified documents." 

"Instead of admitting the truth that the President did nothing wrong, the Majority is wasting even more time on abusive steps like trying to re-interview witnesses who already testified -- perhaps hoping the facts will be different the second time around," Siskel continued. "This is just the latest abusive tactic in this investigation. It has targeted the President’s children, grandchildren, siblings, and in-laws for no reason. It has intruded into private citizens’ personal records on everything from medical visits to birthday presents. Enough is enough." 

Siskel sent the letter two days after Hunter Biden’s lawyer said his client would not attend a House Oversight Committee hearing next week regarding alleged influence peddling and the Biden family’s business dealings, calling it a "carnival side show." 

Fox News’ Patrick Ward contributed to this report. 

Georgia judge tosses key witness’ testimony against Fani Willis, citing ‘inconsistencies’: court order

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A Georgia judge on Friday said that District Attorney Fani Willis can continue prosecuting the case against former President Trump if she removes her ex-lover from her legal team, after deciding he could put no "stock" in a key witness’ testimony.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued an order Friday that Willis must either withdraw herself and her team from the sweeping 2020 election interference case against former President Trump or remove special prosecutor Nathan Wade – with whom she was accused of having an "improper" affair. 

McAfee said that he was "unable to place any stock" in the testimony of Terrance Bradley, the former law partner and divorce attorney for Wade and considered a key witness of the defense team trying to prove Wade was romantically involved with Willis prior to his hiring. 

Attorney Ashleigh Merchant, lawyer for co-defendant Michael Roman, who first submitted the allegations against Willis and Wade, had grilled Bradley on the witness stand last month about what he knew and when he knew about their romance.

KEY WITNESS IN FANI WILLIS CASE TESTIFIES HE MAY HAVE LIED IN TEXTS ABOUT FRIENDS' AFFAIR

Both Willis and Wade insisted that their relationship started in 2022, after Wade was hired. However, that claim conflicted with some witness testimony during the two-day evidentiary hearing last month. 

Bradley, when pressed under oath, said he could not recall several details and timelines about conversations he had with former client Wade about Wade's romantic relationship with Willis.

Merchant at one point referenced text messages between her and Bradley in which she had asked Bradley if he thought the relationship started before Willis hired Wade in 2021. Bradley responded "absolutely" in the text exchange.

NATHAN WADE'S PHONE DATA SHOWS HE MADE MIDNIGHT TRIPS TO FANI WILLIS' CONDO BEFORE HE WAS HIRED: ATTORNEY

In his order on Friday, McAfee said Bradley’s "inconsistencies, demeanor, and generally non-responsive answers left far too brittle a foundation upon which to build any conclusions."

"While prior inconsistent statements can be considered as substantive evidence under Georgia law, Bradley’s impeachment by text message did not establish the basis for which he claimed such sweeping knowledge of Wade’s personal affairs," McAfee said.

Robin Yeartie, a former "good friend" of Willis and past employee at the DA's office, testified in court that she had "no doubt" Willis and Wade's relationship started in 2019, after the two met at a conference. 

FANI WILLIS WHO 'RELISHED IN' DONALD TRUMP PROSECUTION SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM CASE FOR ILLICIT AFFAIR: EXPERTS

She testified to observing Willis and Wade "hugging" and "kissing" and showing "affection" prior to November 2021 and that she had no doubt that the two were in a "romantic" relationship starting in 2019 and lasting until she and Willis last spoke in 2022.

Willis dismissed Yeartie’s testimony and said she no longer considers Yeartie a friend.

Judge McAfee in his order Friday said that "while the testimony of Robin Yearti raised doubts about the State’s assertions, it ultimately lacked context and detail." 

"[N]either side was able to conclusively establish by a preponderance of the evidence when the relationship evolved into a romantic one," he added. 

Still, the judge said that "an odor of mendacity remains," and added that "reasonable questions about whether the District Attorney and her hand-selected lead SADA [special assistant district attorney] testified untruthfully about the timing of their relationship further underpin the finding of an appearance of impropriety and the need to make proportional efforts to cure it."

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Being in Congress is about more than just getting elected

Posted on by Greg Dworkin

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup is a long-running series published every morning that collects essential political discussion and analysis around the internet.

Bess Levin/Vanity Fair:

Over 100 House Republicans Will Skip GOP Retreat Because They Hate Each Other So Much: Report

They apparently don’t want to spend any more time together than they’re contractually obligated to.
When he abruptly announced his decision yesterday to quit Congress early, [Rep. Ken] Buck said, of the dysfunction on Capitol Hill: “It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress and having talked to former members, it’s the worst year in 40, 50 years to be in Congress.… This place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people.” Specifically calling out his fellow Republicans, he said: “We’ve taken impeachment, and we’ve made it a social media issue as opposed to a constitutional concept—this place keeps going downhill, and I don’t need to spend more time here.”

16. Just as Clinton’s economic policies finally ended the presidencies of Roosevelt and Johnson, Biden’s economic policies are finally ending the presidencies of Reagan and Clinton.

— The Editorial Board (@johnastoehr) March 14, 2024

Jeff Tiedrich/”everyone is entitled to my own opinion” on Substack:

Handy Oakley’s days in Congress are numbered as the House GOP freaks the fuck out boo fucking hoo

the House GOP is in total disarray and it’s super fucking hilarious.

right now, House Republicans are running around the halls of Congress with their pants around their ankles and soup pots on their heads and banging the fuck into the walls and each other — it’s twenty-megaton clownshoes bedlam.

they’re resigning left and right. their majority is shrinking. half the them hate the guts of the other half — every single one of them is an incompetent imbecile who couldn’t govern their way out of a paper bag.

the collective IQ of the whole worthless lot of them couldn’t generate enough wattage to warm a leftover slice of pizza, which makes it all the more amusing to watch them freak the fuck out and melt down into a rancid puddle of stupid.

Yeah, but what do you really think, Jeff?

Want to hear me give my case for the importance of NATO? Over at @UnPopulistMag, I debate this very issue with my discourse partner @shikhadalmia https://t.co/AUuYDC6Yj6

— Berny Belvedere (@bernybelvedere) March 14, 2024

Will Bunch/The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Voters don’t have a clue about how much worse Trump’s second term would be Many voters seem fooled that Trump 47 would be a bland replay of Trump 45, not the authoritarian nightmare he actually plans.

Gameli Fenuku, a 22-year-old Black college student in Richmond, Va., is exactly the demographic you’d think would never vote for Donald Trump in November — and indeed, he may not. But Fenuku told the New York Times he hasn’t ruled out supporting the presumptive GOP nominee, either. That’s because he remembers his teen years under Trump as a time when a lot of things were a lot better than he sees them now — especially the economy.

[...]

The Virginia college student is the face of a phenomenon that is shaping the 2024 rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden with less than eight months to go. The polls and interviews suggest a lot of voters are responding no to the ex-president’s borrowing of Ronald Reagan’s famous question, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” This despite Trump’s army of detractors calling this “collective amnesia” about a twice-impeached president who nearly four years ago was wondering if Americans should be drinking bleach to tackle COVID-19.

Less than three-and-a-half years after the U.S. electorate made Trump the first 21st-century president to lose reelection — and by a solid, seven million vote margin — a poll taken by a liberal climate group found 52% of today’s voters now approve of Trump’s former presidency.

Bill Scher/Washington Monthly:

Biden doesn't need guilty verdicts to win

Any strategy to defeat Trump should not be premised on help from the judiciary.

Most national polls show Donald Trump leading Joe Biden. But when pollsters ask whom would voters prefer if Trump was convicted of a felony, Biden always comes out on top.

This understandably makes Democrats eager for Trump's many trials to get underway, and deeply anxious when Trump's delay tactics succeed.

But the delays are an implicit reminder that nothing is certain about the outcome of the Trump trials, and any strategy to defeat Trump should not be premised on help from the judiciary.

Delay is the name of the game, and judges and Justices seem all too eager to play along.

New: Trump flip-flopped on a possible TikTok ban because he wants to try to drive a wedge between Biden and young voters. Here's how he plans to do it with some thoughts on how to fight back https://t.co/9wF4idNJfA

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) March 14, 2024

Philip Bump/The Washington Post:

Polling won’t tell you who will win in November, but it’s not meant to

So let’s use the occasion of Biden’s comments to do three things. First, let’s establish that polling is an effective way to measure public opinion. Second, let’s clarify that does not mean that a poll conducted today will accurately capture who will win the presidential election. And third, let’s further clarify that even the last polls conducted before this year’s election will almost certainly show no more than who is more likely to win.

Those three things might seem contradictory, but they are not. If you use a paper map to plan your route to your destination, you’ll have a good sense of how long it will take. You should not, however, assume that it will provide you with a Google Maps-like estimate of your arrival time to the minute. It’s not real-time, for one thing, and it’s simply not designed to be as precise.

An anti-fascist consensus, reimagined?   Biden’s State of the Union offered a vision of what it means to “defend democracy” that should, if taken seriously, transform America – and help re-think liberalism – rather than just restore pre-Trump “normalcy” (link in bio):   🧵1/ pic.twitter.com/bpUtyF75Ke

— Thomas Zimmer (@tzimmer_history) March 13, 2024

Greg Sargent/The New Republic:

Trump Is the Big Loser as the GOP’s Impeachment Farce Implodes

The case against Trump is based on things that actually happened, while the case against Biden is based largely on inventions.

That might seem counterintuitive. What does Trump’s culpability have to do with the case against Biden? Yet step back a bit and the dynamic becomes clear: The GOP arguments for impeaching Biden are revealed at their most absurd when the two cases are laid side by side.

What’s more, when the GOP’s game is fully exposed—that it’s not just about hatching fake evidence of crimes by Biden but also about muddying the waters around evidence of crimes by Trump that is very real—that’s when the GOP posture becomes most indefensible.

Signs of this dynamic are everywhere. On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing that purported to grill Robert Hur, the special counsel who recently released a report exonerating Biden that also contained damning but gratuitous claims about his age and memory...

But the hearing was largely a bust for Republicans. The savvy observers at Politico’s Playbook called it a “dud” and reported that it has prompted Republicans to look for an “off ramp” from their impeachment push, which turns on a separate set of claims about the Biden family’s business dealings that have also largely collapsed.

POLITICO:

As Biden impeachment stalls, House GOP turns to backup plans

While Republicans have considered other paths to antagonize the White House for months, those plans have taken on fresh importance as a vote to impeach seems doomed.

But Republicans are determined not to give up on a push that’s still a high priority for the GOP base — especially since abandoning it altogether could alienate conservatives they need to turn out in November. So they’re exploring backup options to keep the spotlight on so-far-unproven allegations that Biden misused the public offices he’s held to benefit his family’s businesses.

Those Plan Bs include legislative reforms like tighter financial disclosure and foreign lobbying guardrails; criminal referrals for Hunter Biden and others to the Justice Department; a potential lawsuit for DOJ officials’ testimony and calls from some within their conference to just keep investigating, pushing the probe closer to Election Day.

Any of those off-ramps come with risks of their own — namely that they require cooperation from the Senate or the Justice Department — but, the current GOP thinking goes, Republicans would at least have something to show to their anti-Biden voters with their thin majority on the line.

In other words, having made stuff up from the beginning, they continue to make stuff up. I can’t imagine that’s going to satisfy the base, but it’s all they’ve got.

Between his unpopularity and the structural forces against third parties, Menendez would be lucky to get 5% of the vote. #NJsen https://t.co/iRTJLzWrfP

— Nathaniel Rakich (@baseballot) March 14, 2024

Cliff Schecter and Tony Michaels on Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina:

YouTube Video

ICYMI: Trump wants to bleed RNC dry, GOP tries to give IVF framing another try

Posted on by Daily Kos Staff

Trump's RNC takeover is his latest attempt to bleed his party dry

Trump isn’t just a grifter, he’s a vampire.

Lauren Boebert: The ‘uniparty’ is trying to ‘rig the election’ against me

That’s right, Lauren. It’s all a conspiracy. 

Cartoon: The unknown failures of Joe Biden

Sure you have the right guy?

Trump wants a VP pick who's not extreme on abortion. Good luck with that

We’d like a Republican nominee who is not a dictator-wannabe criminal, but you can’t have it all.

Republicans' self-inflicted IVF pain gets even worse

The only thing growing inside the GOP is more of a mess.

GOP seeks new way to attack Biden since impeachment scheme is a bust

If only Biden would do some of the 91 things that Trump has (allegedly) done, this would all be a lot easier.

State Freedom Caucuses are a thing now, and they're nuttier than the House is

Much like Moms for Liberty, these caucuses are spreading like a far-right fungus.

Watch Trump choke in this savage supercut of supercuts

Still can’t stop watching this.

Tide may be turning as Florida legislature kills multiple anti-LGBTQ+ bills

Well, at least it’s OK to say “gay” in Florida again.

House Republicans defy Trump to take down TikTok

What happens when the GOP goes against Honest Don’s wishes?  

Click here to see more cartoons.

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Texas rep wants to force sanctuary cities to cooperate with ICE, urges Biden to take ‘aggressive action’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales wants to ramp up pressure on "sanctuary" jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in deporting illegal immigrants – and he is urging the Biden administration to take "aggressive action" to help.

Gonzales, in an interview with Fox News Digital, highlighted the emergence of Tren De Aragua, a violent Venezuelan street gang that federal authorities have warned has expanded into other countries and is trying to establish itself in the U.S. The Texas congressman called it "essentially the new MS-13."

"They’re going to be entrenched in all our cities, and so it doesn't make sense to me, if you're a sanctuary city, that you should not be working with law enforcement to keep your city safe. That's what it boils down to – to keep your city safe," Gonzales said. 

BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA SETS UP SHOP IN US AS BORDER AUTHORITIES SOUND ALARM 

"Sanctuary" jurisdictions are those that, as a policy, do not honor ICE detainers. When ICE believes a removable illegal immigrant has been arrested on criminal charges, it will lodge a detainer – a request that they be notified before the immigrant is released from custody and to keep them in custody until ICE can take custody of them. Proponents of sanctuary policies argue that enforcing federal law is not the responsibility of local jurisdictions and that working with ICE has a chilling effect on relations between people seeking asylum and members of the local community.

But such policies have recently been brought under heightened scrutiny after a number of high-profile incidents where jurisdictions ignored ICE detainers and released illegal immigrants, only for them to subsequently commit serious crimes. Gonzales, who recently spoke to acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner, sits on the House Appropriations Committee and said his team is working on items that can empower ICE and also limit sanctuary cities.

"If you really want to move the needle, put money behind it," he said. "Appropriations is where you do that. So that is one of the things that our team is looking at." 

"I want to empower ICE to go out there and catch these bad actors," he said. "This is no longer a partisan issue. I think there's a lot of fertile ground for you to get people to agree on it."

Along with more funding for ICE, Gonzales said he was tying federal grants to cooperation with ICE – something the Trump administration implemented with certain DOJ grants. However, he also floated something even stronger – a mandate for that cooperation with ICE.

ILLEGAL BROTHER OF LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT LINKED TO VENEZUELAN CRIME GANG: DOJ

"I think one of the things that we can solve is getting these sanctuary cities to not be an option, that they work with federal agencies, for there to be a mandate," he said. "Like, ‘Here's the deal. You will work with federal agencies to… tackle these bad actors and keep your city safe.’"

In the meantime, Gonzales is leading a letter to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security. That letter, a copy of which was obtained by Fox News Digital, carries the signatures of nearly two dozen Republicans and says sanctuary policies pose a "direct threat" to public safety.

WHITE HOUSE CALLS FOR SANCTUARY CITIES TO COOPERATE WITH ICE AMID FUROR OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMES

"We are asking you to take aggressive action to end the abuse of our nation’s border laws and discourage sanctuary cities from providing safe harbor to violent criminals who have entered our country illegally," it reads.

While Republicans and the administration have been at loggerheads over immigration policy, there may be some common ground. 

Lechleitner recently told Fox News that such jurisdictions are "inherently more unsafe."

"It is a concern, and I’m very baffled by it," he said.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told mayors in 2022 that he would be seeking to persuade leaders to change their policies.

"We are not engaged in indiscriminate enforcement, but we are focused on making our communities safe and allowing those who have been contributors to it and productive members of it, to allow them to continue in their contributions and their productivity," he told the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2022.

"And so, I will be coming to you and asking you to reconsider your position of non-cooperation and see how we can work together."

The White House, in a statement to Fox News Digital last month, said it welcomes local law enforcement cooperation "in apprehending and removing individuals who pose a risk to national security or public safety."

"When a local jurisdiction has information about an individual who could pose a threat to public safety, we want them to share that information with ICE," a spokesperson said.

The Republican lawmakers cited that statement as they continue to urge the administration to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions.

"We urge you to act on these demands and ensure that sanctuary cities cooperate – our national security depends on it," the letter reads. Fox reached out to the White House and DHS for comment regarding the letter but did not hear back at press time. 

Gonzales also noted that any moves to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions could be helpful to a future Trump administration.

He said: "Even though he's going to implement all these new policies, there needs to be a buildup ahead of time... And I think there's an opportunity here to do that through the appropriations process by punishing those sanctuary cities that aren’t cooperating and rewarding ICE that is actually… getting back to doing their job."