Latest news with #HouseOversightCommittee
New York Post
16 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump shares wild conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was replaced by ‘soulless, mindless' clones
President Trump shared a wild conspiracy theory late Saturday that claimed former President Joe Biden had actually been executed in 2020 and was replaced by 'soulless, mindless' clones. Without commenting on the merits of the bonkers conspiracy theory, Trump shared a post on Truth Social from llijh, a little-known user with fewer than 1,000 followers. 'There is no #JoeBiden – executed in 2020. #Biden clones doubles & robotic engineered soulless mindless entities are what you see. >#Democrats dont know the difference,' the post claimed. It is unclear why Trump shared the post, but he is known for trolling is critics on social media. 3 President Trump met his predecessor in person earlier this year. White House Photo by Adam Schultz 3 There is no evidence that former President Joe Biden is actually a clone. REUTERS Trump last met Biden in person roughly five months ago during Inauguration Day, and shared the debate stage with him in both 2020 and 2024. Since then, the president has frequently bashed his predecessor, who is now subject to renewed scrutiny over his mental acuity amid the release of 'Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.' Trump has publicly suggested that Biden wasn't fully in control of his administration, due to his use of autopen to sign key documents, something that Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are investigating. 'I think the autopen is going to become one of the great scandals of all time,' Trump said on Friday during an Oval Office event with tech baron Elon Musk. 'He's been a sort of a moderate person over his life, and a smart person, but somewhat vicious person, I will say, if you feel sorry for him, don't feel so sorry because he's vicious.' Congressional Republicans, led by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), have been investigating Biden's health while he served as commander in chief. Comer had summoned five confidants of Biden to answer questions about the 46th president's health. Biden's team announced last month that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Despite that, the former president is optimistic about his prognosis. 3 President Trump has a history of sharing outlandish posts on his social media. AP 'We're going to be able to beat this,' Biden told reporters in New Castle, Delaware on Friday, noting that he's begun treatment. 'We're working on everything, it's moving along. I feel good,' 'All the folks are optimistic.'
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Biden speaks publicly for first time since cancer diagnosis
Former President Biden made a public appearance Friday for the first time since his cancer diagnosis earlier this month, speaking at a Delaware ceremony in honor of Memorial Day. Biden's remarks came after a series of tough weeks for him, which have featured two new books containing accusations that his cognitive abilities were slipping toward the end of his presidency, topped off by his diagnosis of an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bone. But Biden could also be back in the spotlight after the release of audio from his 2023 interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden's handling of classified and sensitive documents. The transcript of the interview had already been released last year, but the audio recording wasn't made public until this month. After the audio's release, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) announced that the committee plans to hold hearings on a 'cover up' concerning Biden's mental acuity and his use of the autopen to sign executive orders and pardons. Comer said Wednesday that he's 'open' to bringing Biden in to testify before the committee on these topics. But Biden didn't reference any of the developments during his speech in New Castle, focusing on honoring those who served in the armed forces and calling for a defense of democracy. He also noted that Friday marks the 10th anniversary of the death of his son, Beau, who served for a year in Iraq and died from brain cancer in 2015. 'We come together to remember the debt we owe to the American military,' he said. 'The military is the solid spine of our nation.' Biden referenced the division that dominates U.S. politics, but he said those who serve don't 'wear a uniform that says I'm a Democrat or I'm a Republican' but 'I'm an American.' He said each generation of the United States has needed to fight to maintain democracy, and it must continue. 'Today, let's renew our pledge to honor our heroes… not only with our words but with our deeds,' he said. Biden previously spoke to a local news outlet last Friday at Connecticut's Bradley International Airport as he was visiting for his grandson's graduation. Despite the cancer diagnosis, Biden said he was feeling 'great.'
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
US Rep. Frank Mrvan vows to fight Trump's ‘authoritarian approach,' GOP's ‘cruel' spending cuts
U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan promised to fight President Donald Trump's 'authoritarian approach' as he spoke Thursday of how drastic budget cuts could affect people in Indiana's 1st congressional district. 'I, as a member of Congress, will continue to fight for things that unify us,' Mrvan told a largely friendly crowd of about 150 at the Memorial Opera House in downtown Valparaiso at a town hall meeting that had been postponed due to illness. The 'community conversation,' as Mrvan's office called it, was one of several held throughout the region Thursday. 'The authoritarian approach will be stopped by the courts, and I believe as time goes by, no one wants to be patient,' he said. The House Oversight Committee will hold people accountable, he predicted. Mrvan spoke at length about what he sees as the ugly side of what Trump refers to as the 'Big Beautiful Bill,' a reconciliation act passed by the House on partisan lines that now faces the Senate. Mrvan got loud applause when he told the audience he voted against the bill. 'It's cruel and it doesn't pare down the deficit,' he said. 'They are cutting $880 billion out of Medicaid,' Mrvan said. That affects about 227,000 people in his district, about 19,000 children, about 18,000 disabled individuals and 23,000 veterans, he said. Mrvan had spoken to an East Chicago High School senior, Jake, who asked Mrvan to use him as an example. Jake, who uses a wheelchair, is being raised by a single mom after his dad died. 'There is a perfect storm affecting Jake,' Mrvan said. He's at risk of losing healthcare access. 'He is absolutely positively a candidate to lose his Medicaid waiver through the state of Indiana,' along with his Social Security disability funding. The objective of the reconciliation bill is tax breaks for the top 1% of the nation's wealthy and for corporations. 'I am a straightforward legislator. I will tell you exactly what I think,' Mrvan said. This bill was advocated by people who talked about the deficit and how it's crushing people and the economy. Even as it kicks 14.9 million people out of Medicaid coverage, however, it adds $5 trillion to the deficit, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 'I want to make sure we can have a balanced budget,' Mrvan said, 'without being cruel to individuals.' As details of the bill emerge, Mrvan said, people are learning it gives tax breaks to owners of professional sports teams and people who own tanning beds. It also wouldn't allow federal courts to hold contempt of court hearings to hold Trump administration officials accountable for defying the courts, and injunctions would be lifted. Mrvan said he is working to restore the balance of power in Washington, with three coequal branches of government – legislative, judicial and executive – and put checks and balances back in place. 'I'm in the minority, but I'm on bills to stop his authority,' Mrvan said of Trump. Mrvan fielded many questions from the audience. Among them was his stance on the Trump administration's actions regarding higher education. The Department of Government Efficiency cut funding for Indiana University's research on Alzheimer's disease research. IU is a leading institution globally for that research. 'There's a return on investment that leads to about $1 billion. It also creates innovation,' he said. 'Pharmaceutical companies from this research are able to create medications that slow the progress of Alzheimer's, which is going on right here in Indiana.' 'If you're not investing in that research, if you're freezing funding for that, if you're not creating medications that slow down the progress, not only do you have more individuals that have to be taken care of – Medicaid – but you have less individuals in the workforce as other individuals are taking care of them, all because of this uncertainty that's going on,' he said. Free speech is also an issue with the funding cuts for higher education, he said. 'Punishing institutions, organizations, groups because you don't think or say the way I think or say is very dangerous ground to be on,' he said. Cancer research impacts all of us, he said. One of his proposed amendments to the reconciliation bill was to study the impact on people who were no longer on Medicaid but have cancer. Americans appreciate longevity, 'and cancer is something that robs lives,' he said. 'We lead the world in research,' he said, and bring top researchers from around the world to do this research. 'We want to continue to lead the world and do this research in the United States.' Mrvan was asked about the hydrogen hub for Northwest Indiana, an environmental issue. 'This creates cleaner air, cleaner water for our area. It allows the steel industry to produce more globally competitive clean steel, and it also adds jobs and wealth to our community,' he said. The GOP reconciliation bill would make tax credits for the companies that work on this project expire at the end of this year. 'We have to keep fighting for that. It's going before the Senate. We'll have to see what happens,' Mrvan said. He spoke of bringing federal funding to local communities, including license plate readers for the Porter County sheriff's office. 'Sewers aren't sexy, but it adds to capacity. It adds to the quality of life here locally,' he said. Protecting Northwest Indiana's economic engines is also important, he said. 'We produce more steel than any other region in the nation,' he noted, so he wants tariffs in place against countries that subsidize steel and illegally dump steel in the United States. China pays energy costs for steel production, which is one form of subsidizing the industry there, he said. However, he doesn't favor Trump's approach to widespread tariffs. 'I have a nuanced approach,' Mrvan said. This week, the International Trade Court gave authority back to Congress over tariffs, he said. 'Again, a checks and balances system.' 'We must protect our industries, our vital national security industries,' he said. American-made steel is needed for tanks, planes and other weapons of war. 'You can't go to a tariff war with our enemies and our allies,' he said. 'As I go back to Congress, I will be a stronger voice' because of hearing these questions and comments, Mrvan said. He urged audience members to continue to reach out to him but also to Sens. Todd Young and Jim Banks. They need to hear what their constituents are concerned about and how their lives are being affected by what's going on nationally, Mrvan said.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Leavitt blasts Jill Biden over husband's health 'coverup'
"I think anybody looking again at the videos and photo evidence of Joe Biden with your own eyes and a little bit of common sense can see that this was a clear coverup," Leavitt responded. "And Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that coverup." More: Robert Hur defends characterization of Biden's memory in testimony to Congress: Recap Aides close to President Biden and his wife did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the growing calls from the Trump White House. The 82-year old Democrat announced last week that he'd been diagnosed with an "aggressive" Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Questions around the president's mental capacity reached a fevered pitch when former Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report in early 2024 about Biden mishandling classified documents after his time as vice president concluded in the Obama White House. Hur concluded that a potential criminal jury would find Biden to be a "sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory." Biden's performance during a June presidential debate with then-Republican nominee Donald Trump also raised questions about the Democrats' well-being, and he ultimately dropped out of the White House race in deference to then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The Trump White House's focus on Biden echoes criticism from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer. The Kentucky Republican has asked several high-ranking Biden administration officials and his physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, to appear for transcribed interviews to "uncover the truth" about Biden's "mental decline and potential unauthorized use of an autopen for sweeping pardons and other executive actions. Letters seeking testimony have been sent to staffers including former senior adviser to the first lady Anthony Bernal, former Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden and former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini. Comer said during the last Congress that the Biden White House obstructed his committee's investigation into the president's mental capacity and refused to make aides available for depositions or interviews. "The American people demand transparency and accountability now," Comer said in a statement. According to a new book, Original Sin, written by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson, one person familiar with workings of the administration said Biden was only one of five people running the country. During her May 29 briefing at the White House, Leavitt claimed there was documentary evidence showing Jill Biden was shielding her husband from public scrutiny. "She's still lying to the American people. She still thinks the American public are so stupid that they're going to believe her lies," said Leavitt. "And frankly, it's insulting, and she needs to answer for it."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Corruption out in the open': Oversight Congressman on Trump admin grift
House Democrats are finally investigating Trump's grift. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, who sits on the House Oversight Committee, joins The Weeknight to discuss their efforts.
