House of Representatives voted 218 to 211 to pass a resolution condemning Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for her past antisemitic comments and removing her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. All 211 Democrats unified behind Omar, who gave an emotional and defiant floor speech before the vote. The resolution was a victory for McCarthy and the Republicans, and its effects on Omar's standing in the House remain to be seen.
Posts tagged as “GOP”
Hunter Biden has launched an aggressive new strategy to combat long-running federal criminal investigations and new probes promised by congressional Republicans. His legal team has sent letters to the Delaware attorney general, the Department of Justice, the I.R.S. and attorneys for Fox News and Tucker Carlson, demanding state and federal investigations into the dissemination of material from his laptop. They have also threatened a defamation lawsuit against Fox News' Tucker Carlson for allegedly failing to correct false statements. This proactive approach marks a dramatic shift in strategy for the president's son.
President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met at the White House to discuss the looming showdown over raising the debt ceiling, which the US has hit due to its obligations. No agreements were made, but the House GOP majority is pushing for a clean debt limit increase while the White House is looking for a longer-term solution. The outcome of the meeting between the two leaders will likely have a significant impact.
Republican Representative Victoria Spartz of Indiana has reversed her stance and agreed to support House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's effort to remove Representative Ilhan Omar from her committee assignments. This change of heart came after McCarthy agreed to add language to the resolution that would allow Omar to appeal the decision with the House Ethics Committee. Spartz's change of heart was seen as a major victory for the Speaker and his team, and the House is expected to vote on the resolution today. If it passes, Omar will be removed from her committee assignments and may appeal the decision with the House Ethics Committee.
Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor, is expected to announce her bid for the 2024 presidential election on February 15th in Charleston. This makes her the second candidate for the GOP nomination in 2024 and the first to openly declare against former President Donald Trump. Haley has hinted at a 2024 run and is calling for "generational change" when looking at the future of the country. If she officially announces her candidacy, she will join a growing list of Republicans vying for the party's nomination in 2024.
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has stepped down from his House committees due to controversy surrounding his background and false claims he has made. The move has been met with mixed reactions, with some praising it as a way to avoid further distraction and others criticizing it as a way to avoid accountability. It is unknown when or if he will return to his committees.
Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail on Saturday, taking aim at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his Covid-19 pandemic response and accusing him of "trying to rewrite history." Trump also suggested that he was the best candidate to win in 2024, and expressed his anger and commitment to winning the presidency again. His remarks come as speculation mounts over who will challenge him for the Republican nomination in 2024.
The Republican National Committee will decide the fate of its chairperson on Friday, with current Chair Ronna McDaniel facing a challenge from Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillon. Rebel factions inside the MAGA movement have lined up behind Dhillon, citing the need for “new blood” in the RNC. The outcome of the RNC chair election will be a major indicator of the direction of the Republican Party going into the 2024 presidential election, with the vote being held in a secret ballot at the committee’s winter meeting in Southern California.