The Justice Department this week ignited its lobbying effort with a hesitant Congress to secure renewal of a spy tool that has become one of its most controversial surveillance authorities. The provision of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is set to expire in December, prompting authorities to eagerly promote the need for Section 702 of…
Author: Rebecca Beitsch
Judiciary Democrats go after GOP ‘whistleblowers’ in FBI probes
House Judiciary Democrats claimed Friday that three witnesses who have spoken to Republicans as part of the GOP investigation into politicization at the FBI have offered no evidence of wrongdoing by the law enforcement agency. They also said the witnesses were connected to committee Republicans through people with deep ties to former President Trump. Republicans…
House Foreign Affairs sets first hearing to review Afghanistan withdrawal
The House Foreign Affairs Committee is kicking off its first hearing in its review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, inviting the leaders of two groups that organized charter flights for those seeking to leave the country. The March 8 hearing will feature testimony from the leaders of Allied Airlift 21 and Task Force Pineapple,…
US intelligence: No evidence foreign adversaries behind ‘Havana Syndrome’
The U.S. intelligence community has determined it was unlikely that a foreign adversary is responsible for a series of anomalous health incidents (AHI) plaguing intelligence and diplomatic staffers across the globe. A review conducted by intelligence agencies for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and released Wednesday probed a series of health…
House Democrat nods to Kellyanne Conway in push to make Hatch Act violations a crime
A House Democrat is seeking to add criminal provisions to a federal law that bars federal employees from electioneering, naming his amendment after former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who played a central role in impeachment of then-President Trump, is seeking to update the Hatch Act through an amendment to a GOP-led…
Advocates say Biden’s asylum rule is a Trump deja vu
The Biden administration is barreling towards a legal fight with immigration groups after rolling out a new asylum policy similar to a Trump-era directive already struck down by the courts. The tussle between the administration and its would-be allies on immigration has been brewing for years, but it hit a head Tuesday, when the administration…
Georgia grand jury on Trump interference recommended multiple indictments: reports
The forewoman of a Georgia grand jury assembled to review Donald Trump’s interference following the 2020 election suggested the former president and multiple allies could face a variety of changes as a result of the probe. In interviews with both The New York Times and The Associated Press on Tuesday, forewoman Emily Kohrs offered limited insight into the grand…
Three key Trump figures intersect two Justice Department probes
Three key figures connected to Donald Trump are at the intersection of two accelerating Justice Department probes seen as the most viable pathways for a prosecution of the former president. Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing what began as two entirely separate cases: the mishandling of classified records at Mar-a-Lago and the effort to influence…
Adults in the room? Lawmakers have high hopes for ‘serious’ China committee
Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the newly formed China committee tasked with charting a new approach to U.S.-China relations are pushing to rise above partisan battles over which party is strong enough to confront the threat posed by Beijing. It’s a goal made more complicated by rising anti-Asian attacks in the U.S., a Chinese spy balloon that…
Special counsel shows signs of ramping up Trump investigation
The Justice Department probes into Donald Trump’s conduct appear to be ramping up, as special counsel Jack Smith approaches key allies of the former president with knowledge of his activities surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and classified documents discovered at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. In recent weeks, Smith has subpoenaed both former Vice President Mike…