Latest news with #governmentaccountability
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Fine, see you in court': Fahmi Reza calls out authorities over travel ban confusion, says no one taking responsibility; vows legal action
KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — Graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza has criticised the government over his recent overseas travel ban, saying no authorities have taken responsibility for the incident. In a strongly worded statement posted on Facebook, Fahmi said despite government claims that there was 'no official travel restriction' against him, he was still barred from leaving the country due to what authorities described as a 'confusion during an immigration check'. 'I don't see any government body owning up to the mistake that resulted in the restriction of my freedom of movement,' he said. 'You keep saying there is 'no official ban'. But in reality, I was still blocked and denied my right to travel,' he added. Fahmi questioned the government's accountability, saying he had lost time and money because of the incident, yet no agency had taken the blame. He also pointed out the double standards in how regular citizens are swiftly prosecuted for offences, whereas authorities often escape responsibility. 'This time, it's the people's turn to drag those in power to court,' Fahmi said. He insisted that no government or authority is above the law and that citizens should not be afraid to challenge injustice. 'You always tell me to 'use the right channel', don't you? Fine, see you in court,' he said. The travel issue came to light after Fahmi was reportedly prevented from boarding an international flight yesterday. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had earlier denied the existence of a blacklist order against Fahmi, saying there was no directive from the government to restrict his movement. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain similarly stated that police did not issue any instruction to bar Fahmi from leaving the country and attributed the matter to possible confusion at the immigration checkpoint.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘Fine, see you in court': Fahmi Reza calls out authorities over travel ban confusion, says no one taking responsibility; vows legal action
KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — Graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza has criticised the government over his recent overseas travel ban, saying no authorities have taken responsibility for the incident. In a strongly worded statement posted on Facebook, Fahmi said despite government claims that there was 'no official travel restriction' against him, he was still barred from leaving the country due to what authorities described as a 'confusion during an immigration check'. 'I don't see any government body owning up to the mistake that resulted in the restriction of my freedom of movement,' he said. 'You keep saying there is 'no official ban'. But in reality, I was still blocked and denied my right to travel,' he added. Fahmi questioned the government's accountability, saying he had lost time and money because of the incident, yet no agency had taken the blame. He also pointed out the double standards in how regular citizens are swiftly prosecuted for offences, whereas authorities often escape responsibility. 'This time, it's the people's turn to drag those in power to court,' Fahmi said. He insisted that no government or authority is above the law and that citizens should not be afraid to challenge injustice. 'You always tell me to 'use the right channel', don't you? Fine, see you in court,' he said. The travel issue came to light after Fahmi was reportedly prevented from boarding an international flight yesterday. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had earlier denied the existence of a blacklist order against Fahmi, saying there was no directive from the government to restrict his movement. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain similarly stated that police did not issue any instruction to bar Fahmi from leaving the country and attributed the matter to possible confusion at the immigration checkpoint.
CBS News
30-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Miami commission meeting erupts over allegations of abuse, extortion and "weaponization of government"
A City of Miami Commission meeting meant to address internal misuse of power quickly spiraled into chaos this week, with commissioners trading accusations, members of the public shouting over one another and one official referring to the hearing as a "kangaroo court." Carollo and Gabela clash over code enforcement The meeting was called by Commissioner Miguel Gabela to address what he described as the "weaponization of government," specifically accusing fellow Commissioner Joe Carollo of using city code enforcement officers to target three of Gabela's properties. "We have a resolution so (that if) Mr. Carollo or somebody like Mr. Carollo ever comes into city government again (he or she) cannot weaponize ever again," Gabela said during the session. Carollo dismissed the accusations as a distraction tactic and provided property appraisal photos he claimed showed too many boats and cars outside Gabela's rental properties. "By creating this smokescreen that (Gabela is) trying to do, does he think that he can get away with this?" Carollo responded. He described the hearing as a "kangaroo court" and accused Gabela of more serious misconduct. "First of all do you guys give a crap that what he's done is illegal? He gets away with it. He threatened to fire the city manager and extort him," Carollo said. Gabela submitted folders of documents to the city attorney, which he said prove Carollo's misuse of code enforcement power. Gabela maintains he has done nothing wrong. Public reaction turns heated Dozens of frustrated taxpayers also weighed in during public comment, many of them critical of Carollo. "You're weaponizing government by targeting Commissioner Gabela's properties," one woman told Carollo. Tensions escalated further when two people preparing to speak began arguing and had to be calmed by the sergeant-at-arms. Later, a speaker showed a video by filmmaker Billy Corben depicting individuals in chicken costumes being arrested for heckling Carollo. Several residents accused Carollo of using code enforcement officers to intimidate restaurant owners as well. Bob Powers, a taxpayer who attended the meeting, left visibly frustrated. "Really how they're operating right now, it's terrifying people," Powers said. "It has nothing to do with all (things happening) between (Commissioners Carollo and Gabela) being angry at each other to be honest with you. It has to do with four or five different agencies of the city not communicating with each other." Calls for refocus on public needs While the commissioners aired grievances and the public vented concerns, the broader takeaway for many was the need for less political infighting and more focus on city governance. "It has nothing to do with being angry at each other," Powers said. "It has to do with the government failing to work together for the people."
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP declares war on GAO
The independent Government Accountability Office has served Congress as the nation's chief investigator of wrongdoing at federal agencies for more than a century. Now it's under assault. The typically uncontroversial, under-the-radar agency is fighting to retain power against attempts by Republicans in the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill to undercut its legal conclusions and independence — an onslaught that has been fast and furious. First, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency contacted GAO to assign a downsizing team there, despite the agency being housed within the legislative branch and therefore not subject to an executive order granting DOGE access to most other federal operations. Then, last week, Senate Republicans disregarded GAO guidance and nixed waivers allowing California to set its own pollution standards, even after the watchdog concluded that the Senate couldn't do that under a simple-majority threshold. 'The GAO has no role' in determining how the chamber should proceed, said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in an interview in the leadup to the votes. 'The GAO has no authority.' Capping things off before the long holiday weekend came a social media post from White House budget chief Russ Vought, publicly belittling the agency for its findings that the administration illegally withheld money Congress had previously approved for supporting electric vehicle infrastructure. It's one of at least 39 separate GAO inquiries into whether the White House flouted the 51-year-old law preventing presidents from circumventing Congress' 'power of the purse.' 'They are going to call everything an impoundment because they want to grind our work to manage taxpayer dollars effectively to a halt,' the Office of Management and Budget director wrote on social media. 'These are non-events with no consequence. Rearview mirror stuff.' Vought also claimed that GAO had played 'a partisan role' in the 'impeachment hoax' of Donald Trump's first presidency, referencing the House's vote in 2019 to remove the president ahead of GAO's conclusion that the administration violated the same 'impoundment' law by withholding aid to Ukraine. Sen. Mike Lee piled on a day later. 'GAO has lost credibility as an independent body,' the Utah Republican wrote on social media, reacting to Vought's criticism. Taken together, these events show the extent to which Republicans are increasingly willing to denigrate an agency that has frequently validated their policies and positions, while sometimes delivering findings conservatives don't like. And this political posture could upend the relationship members of both parties have had with GAO for decades. 'There are senators serving in this chamber, Republicans and Democrats, who have made use of the exact same process by going to the GAO,' said Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in a floor speech. 'There have been more than 20 different opinions delivered by the GAO at the request of Republican senators and members of Congress in the last three decades.' Funded as part of the legislative branch and falling under congressional oversight authority, GAO is the federal government's chief audit agency. The nonpartisan organization also provides detailed policy analysis and evaluates programs at the direction of Congress, along with responding to congressional requests for investigations. Just this past week, at least one House Republican cited a GAO report to justify some of the provisions in the House Republican domestic policy bill the party is counting on to enact broad swaths of Trump's domestic agenda. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, the head of GAO, has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill in recent weeks to justify his agency's fiscal 2026 budget request to appropriators. Describing his office's interaction with DOGE as part of his testimony, Dodaro said GAO is 'engaged with some of the Department of Government Efficiency efforts' and that DOGE is 'actually using our recommendations to help carry out their activities.' But GAO also turned DOGE down when it tried to bring in its downsizing crew, asserting a level of independence that could continue to embolden Republicans to buck the office. The fight over repealing the California emissions waivers, for instance, was at one point shaping up to be a battle against Republicans and the Senate parliamentarian, who backed up GAO findings that the Senate couldn't repeal them with a simple-majority vote. Republicans, however, avoided a vote to directly overrule the parliamentarian by framing the debate as an example of GAO making a politically motivated decision — not as defying the parliamentarian and challenging institutional norms. Lee was among the Senate Republicans to quickly fall in line. While he previously noted that the California waivers were not subject to reversal under the Congressional Review Act, he later went on to accuse GAO of 'sacrificing its credibility.' The lawmaker also accused the watchdog of 'acting well outside its mandate' by stepping into the California emissions fight after the Trump EPA submitted them as a rule. GAO is going to continue to find itself in politically perilous situations. While Trump doesn't have to worry about the agency bolstering impeachment efforts in a GOP governing trifecta, the watchdog's findings on potential impoundment violations can be cited in lawsuits across the country against the administration for freezing federal funding. The agency's legal rulings could also influence those congressional Republicans who are increasingly getting fed up with the president's disregard for Congress' funding authority. Staring down another government shutdown cliff at the end of September, top Republican appropriators are already alarmed that the White House won't rule out withholding federal cash the GOP-led Congress clears for the upcoming fiscal year. And while GAO is a legislative branch agency, Trump has the ability to dismiss its leader, akin to his firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. GAO spokesperson Jasmine Berry Franklin said in a statement that agency officials 'stand behind the quality of our work.' The watchdog's mission is to deliver 'non-partisan, fact-based information to Congress, to help it carry out its constitutional legislative, appropriations, and oversight functions and protect the power of the purse,' she continued. 'Our legal decisions do not take a position on the policy goals of a program, they only examine the procedural issues and compliance with the law.' At a recent congressional hearing, Dodaro also stressed that GAO doesn't want to be in the partisan crosshairs, has no interest in having political sway and is committed to its mandate to respond to requests from lawmakers with the facts. 'We're just responding to help Congress,' Dodaro said. 'We're not trying to influence things one way or the other. We're nonpartisan. We're asked a question; we give an answer. It doesn't matter who it is.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill shielding Florida elected officials' addresses from public headed to governor
ORLANDO, Fla. — New legislation meant to protect elected officials and their families from harassment worries government watchdogs who say it would also prevent voters from knowing if their lawmakers live in their districts as required. The Florida Legislature in April overwhelmingly approved the bill (SB 268), which would exempt disclosure of phone numbers and the full home addresses of a wide range of public officials, including members of the Legislature. Sponsored by state Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, the bill aims to protect public officials and their families from threats, harassment and intimidation. It is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis for approval. State Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, who co-sponsored the bill, said that several years ago, when he was serving in the Florida House, a brick was thrown at his home's living room window. 'Critics need to serve in office for 10 minutes before casting stones,' said Brodeur, whose district includes Seminole County and part of Orange County. 'I don't care what nonpublic officials think about it.' But Bobby Block, executive director of the Florida First Amendment Foundation, said he doubts the bill will prevent officials from being targeted — but is convinced it will hurt government accountability. 'What this law will do is it will make it now impossible … for citizens to know, to be able to check, whether the person that they are voting for or reelecting still lives in the district they purport to represent,' he said. Block said Floridians' First Amendment rights are threatened whenever government information is limited. The bill is just the latest in the Legislature's decade-long effort to carve out exemptions to Florida's public records laws, he said. 'The Sunshine State is being increasingly the Shady State,' he added. State Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando, faced an ethics complaint last year from his opponent in the Democratic Party primary who accused him of not living in his district, despite legal requirements to do so by Election Day. Addresses on multiple official documents — including voter registration forms, property tax records and campaign filings — suggested he did not live in his district, which covers part of Orlando and west Orange County, according to a 2024 report by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida journalism program. The bill — which Antone supported — would make information used in that investigation inaccessible. When asked if that story motivated his vote, Antone said he didn't have 'any particular reason' for supporting the bill. 'Like the overwhelming majority of my house of representatives colleagues, I voted for the bill, and 95% of the bills that passed this session passed unanimously,' he said. The bill would allow someone to see an officials' city and ZIP code but not their street address. The information that would be available may not be enough to confirm residency of lawmakers since many districts include multiple cities and ZIP codes. The bill also shields from the public the names of lawmakers' neighborhoods and GPS coordinates or other data that would identify their home address. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, voted against the bill, one of just two members in the House to do so. She said she sympathizes with other lawmakers' concerns — she has faced harassment at home — but does not want them addressed by limiting public access to information. Eskamani also said lawmakers shouldn't have special privileges. 'I'm uncomfortable giving myself special treatment or special privacy just because of the title next to my name,' she said. 'At the end of the day, there's a lot of individuals that are at risk, that are harassed just like we are, and they don't have that same kind of protection.' If signed into law by DeSantis, the bill will take effect July 1 and apply to members of Congress and the Florida Legislature, the governor and Cabinet, mayors, county property appraisers and supervisors of elections, school superintendents, school board members and city and county commissioners. The spouses and adult children of those officials would have the same information exempted, and minor children would have additional information kept private, including their names, birth dates and names and locations of schools or day care facilities they attend. State law already blocks from the public that information for law enforcement personnel and active or former civilian personnel employed by law enforcement; current or former Supreme Court justices; judges in county, circuit and appeals courts; state attorneys; public defenders; county tax collectors; and clerks of circuit court. Former state Sen. Randy Fine, elected to Congress in April, said during a committee hearing on the bill in February that the legislation would protect lawmakers, recounting the death threats he said he'd received. 'I may be the only member of the Legislature who has had two people arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned for making death threats,' Fine said. 'The last guy is sitting in jail right now because he said he knew where I lived, and he was coming to my house right then and there to kill me and my family, and we had to have law enforcement pull up to our house with sirens blaring and everything else.' Block, though opposed to the bill, said he worries the sense of fear in American politics contributed to the bill's passage, noting the April arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had to flee the governor's mansion with his family in the middle of the night. 'Lawmakers, public officials, are afraid,' Block said. 'They're afraid of their rivals, they're afraid of trolls online, they're afraid of their base, they're afraid of their opponent's base. It is a sad indictment of the times in which we live now.'
