Latest news with #HomelandSecurityCommittee
2 days ago
- Politics
Senate Democrats try to force DOJ to release Epstein files using little-known law
Senate Democrats on Wednesday said they are attempting to force the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files through a little-known, decades-old law. All seven Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee invoked a law that requires federal agencies provide information about "any matter within the jurisdiction of the committee" if at least five members request it. "This letter demands that the Justice Department produce documents that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have publicly already confirmed they have in their possession," Sen. Gary Peters, the panel's top Democrat, said at a press conference. "We all know in fact that the attorney general said, quote, she said they're sitting on her desk. It should be pretty easy to turn over documents that are sitting on the attorney general's desk," Peters added. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to request for comment. Peters was joined by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Richard Blumenthal at the press conference, during which they touted their move as a turning point in their quest for transparency over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein matter. "Today's letter matters. It's not a stunt, it's not symbolic, it's a formal exercise of congressional power under federal law, and we expect an answer from DOJ by August the 15, that's what accountability looks like," Schumer said. "This is what oversight looks like, and this is what keeping your promises to the American people look like." Blumenthal agreed that this measure was invoked as a powerful oversight tool. "This letter has some force of law," Blumenthal said. "This letter invokes a statute that has been little used because it has been unnecessary in the past to enforce transparency. It's necessary now because this administration is stonewalling and stalling and concealing, and the American people are rightly asking where they have to hide. What's at stake here is not just the president's promises." The Democrats, who said their urging of a release of the Epstein files was also done as a way of seeking justice for Epstein's victims, were asked at the news conference whether Democratic senators would be comfortable with redactions in their release. Schumer said lawmakers "wouldn't force any agreements that have been broken," but added that he believes "almost everything can come out." Schumer also said that they've been "talking" to their Republican colleagues to get these files public but would eventually seek "recourse in the courts" if cooperation isn't achieved.
Washington Post
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Tennessee sets US House special election as candidates of both major parties line up
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A December special election in Tennessee will take place to fill an opening left by Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green's retirement , putting the focus on a district that has reliably favored the GOP in recent elections but includes a chunk of Democratic-voting Nashville. State officials on Thursday announced that the primary election will take place on Oct. 7 and the general election on Dec. 2 in the 7th Congressional District contest. Green, who was the Homeland Security Committee chairman, resigned July 20.
Axios
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
House to vote on kicking Rep. McIver off committee
The House is set to vote on a Republican measure that would censure Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) and remove her from the House Homeland Security Committee. Why it matters: McIver was indicted last month and pleaded not guilty to three counts of interfering with law enforcement officers over a physical altercation with ICE officers in May. Justice Department prosecutors have accused McIver of elbowing and grabbing an ICE agent outside the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. McIver has denied the allegations and said she was the one assaulted during a chaotic scuffle in which Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested. Driving the news: Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) on Wednesday introduced what is known as a privileged motion to force a vote on his McIver censure resolution. Under House rules, Republican leadership has to put the measure up for a vote within days of the House's return in September unless Higgins withdraws it. The three-page measure alleges McIver's actions "do not reflect creditably on the House" and that her continued service on the Homeland Security Committee "would represent a significant conflict of interest." The measure does not target McIver's membership on the Small Business Committee. What they're saying: Higgins told Axios in an interview at the Capitol that he waited until just before the House's five-week August recess to see if Democrats would remove McIver from the committee themselves. House Republicans' rules mandate that their indicted members must surrender all their committee assignments, but Democrats' rules only force them to give up committee leadership positions. Still, Higgins said, McIver "should not be participating on the committee that has oversight and voting authority over the branch of federal government that she's been indicted for committing crimes against." The other side: "Clay Higgins is a bigot who wants to be back in the news," McIver said in a statement provided to Axios through a spokesperson. "This resolution aims to kick me off the committee that presides over the Department of Homeland Security and shame me for doing the oversight work that is my job," she added. "Good luck, Clay." Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), who was with McIver at Delaney Hall, said her colleague is being "singled out" for "conducting Congressional oversight of an ICE detention facility which was so poorly maintained that an external wall collapsed and four detainees escaped." Both McIver and Watson Coleman alleged that the measure is an attempt to distract from Republicans' internal blowup over the Epstein files. What to watch: It is not clear how Republican leadership will respond, with a spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declining to weigh in.
Toronto Star
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
House GOP seeks to censure Democrat McIver over New Jersey detention center incident
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House Republican proposed a resolution Wednesday to censure Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver over an incident with law enforcement during a congressional oversight visit to a new immigration detention facility in her home state of New Jersey. Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana pushed forward the measure, which also calls for removing McIver from her seat on the Homeland Security Committee, as the House was preparing to recess for the August break. As a privileged resolution, it can be considered for swift action as soon as lawmakers return in September.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
House GOP seeks to censure Democrat McIver over New Jersey detention center incident
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House Republican proposed a resolution Wednesday to censure Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver over an incident with law enforcement during a congressional oversight visit to a new immigration detention facility in her home state of New Jersey. Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana pushed forward the measure, which also calls for removing McIver from her seat on the Homeland Security Committee, as the House was preparing to recess for the August break. As a privileged resolution, it can be considered for swift action as soon as lawmakers return in September. Higgins read from the resolution on the House floor, arguing that McIver violated the chamber rules that require a member 'to behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.' He said her continued service on the Homeland Security Committee 'would represent a significant conflict of interest.' The GOP action comes as House Republicans in the majority have been quick to punish Democratic lawmakers for transgressions large and small — and in this situation, before McIver's case has played out in court. She has pleaded not guilty to charges brought by interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, a Republican appointed by President Donald Trump, stemming from the May 9 incident. A trial date has been set for November. The congresswoman has vowed not to be intimidated by the legal and political actions against her. 'Clay Higgins is a bigot who wants to be back in the news,' McIver said in a statement. She pointed to the way House Republicans are 'running home to hide,' having recessed for August break a day early. 'This resolution aims to kick me off the committee that presides over the Department of Homeland Security and shame me for doing the oversight work that is my job. Good luck, Clay,' she said. Members of Congress have been conducting oversight of the federal detention centers that are being stood up by the Trump administration across the nation as part of the president's mass deportation agenda. Lawmakers have been assessing how best to conduct such work amid blowback by the Trump administration. At the time, McIver, a new lawmaker first elected in 2024, was making the visit with other House Democrats and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at the privately owned 1,000-bed facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is using as a detention center. McIver was indicted on three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. Two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. The third is a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of one year in prison. Baraka was also arrested on a trespassing charge that was later dropped and is suing Habba over what he called a malicious prosecution. A nearly two-minute video clip released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver at the facility inside a chain-link fence just before Baraka's arrest on other side of the barrier, where other people were protesting. The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word 'Police.' It is not clear from police bodycam video if the contact was intentional, incidental or the result of jostling in the chaotic scene. The prospect of a House censure used to be rare, with fewer than 30, but has become more frequent in recent years. ___ Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.
