“The circumstances and timing — immediately after President [Donald] Trump’s defeat in the election — of the selection of Mr. Ellis, and this eleventh-hour effort to push this placement in the last three days of this administration are highly suspect,” Pelosi wrote on Monday. “Further, the efforts to install him or ‘burrow’ him into a […]
Clyburn promises slim House majority won’t stand in way of Biden’s agenda
“What does that mean? It means I’ll have to manage it well,” Clyburn said. Clyburn endorsed Biden at a critical time during the primary race when the now-president-elect was struggling after a string of poor performances in early contests. Clyburn’s endorsement has been credited with helping to turn around Biden’s fortunes, and he has become […]
Biden taps former aide as top Pentagon adviser on China
Austin, a former head of U.S. Central Command, is expected get questions from lawmakers about his approach to China on Tuesday as he goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing. “Ely Ratner is a strong addition to the DoD,” said Randy Schriver, a former assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs […]
Biden's DHS pick vows to prevent future attacks on U.S. institutions
President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security will pledge on Tuesday to do everything in his power to prevent attacks like the one that targeted the Capitol earlier this month, according to prepared remarks obtained by POLITICO. Alejandro Mayorkas, who will appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee for his confirmation […]
Pentagon deploys hundreds of active-duty troops for inauguration security
The news comes as authorities are in a heightened state of alert, scrambling on Monday morning to respond to a fire in the general area of the U.S. Capitol. While the Capitol was briefly placed on lockdown, upending a rehearsal for Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, the source of the fire turned out to be a […]
Biden to bring back fired Pentagon official who led anti-ISIS effort
The Pentagon announced Nov. 30 that Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller had accepted Maier’s resignation after the department disbanded his office, reflecting the success of the U.S.-led effort to defeat the terrorist group. His duties would be folded into two other offices overseeing special operations and regional policies being run by Trump political appointees, Ezra […]
Lindsey Graham predicts radical first 100 days
While supporting the legitimacy of Biden’s victory and saying he would attend Wednesday’s inauguration — “I think it’s important that I show up” — Graham predicted to Bartiromo that Democratic priorities would make Americans nostalgic for President Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress. “If they do what they are talking about doing,” Graham said. […]
Fearing inside attack, FBI vetting Guard troops in D.C.
”We’re continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation,” McCarthy said in an interview after he and other military leaders went through an exhaustive, three-hour security drill in preparation for Wednesday’s inauguration. He said Guard members are also getting training on how to […]
Graham asks Schumer to hold Senate vote on canceling impeachment trial
Democrats will control the chamber when Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Alex Padilla of California are sworn in as senators. The Senate will then be divided 50-50, empowering Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to deliver tiebreaking votes. Graham argued that the political leaders who were complicit in the Jan. 6 attack on the […]
Chad Wolf steps down from DHS
Pete Gaynor, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will replace him as acting secretary, Wolf wrote. Wolf’s move follows last week’s attack on the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters, which resulted in five deaths. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also stepped down after the Capitol attack. While Wolf […]