Free Republic

A Republican-led congressional committee sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Pam Bondi re-upping its referral of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for prosecution, accusing him of lying during testimony before the panel as it was investigating the pandemic. The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., had referred its accusations regarding Cuomo to the Department of Justice last year under the Biden administration. The DOJ, then led by Merrick Garland, did not publicly respond to the committee’s referral. In it, the committee accuses Cuomo of lying when he testified that he was not involved in the...

First son Hunter Biden has offered to publicly testify before the House Oversight Committee investigating his business ties, according to a copy of a letter his attorney sent to the panel obtained by The Post. Hunter, 53, agreed to testify on Dec. 13 in a letter sent to the panel, which was first obtained by NBC News. He was subpoenaed by House Republicans earlier this month, and was originally summoned to appear in a closed-door, transcribed interview. But his attorney suggested details of a private sitdown would be selectively leaked to “manipulate” the facts. “We have seen you use closed-door...

The House Oversight Committee informed former Twitter executives Wednesday that they are expected to testify at an early February hearing on the platform’s decision to censor The Post’s October 2020 reporting on documents from first son Hunter Biden’s laptop. Twitter barred distribution of articles that linked President Biden to his son’s foreign business relationships weeks ahead of the 2020 election, claiming without evidence that the articles violated a “hacked materials” policy. Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) told former Twitter officials Vijaya Gadde, Yoel Roth and James Baker that he will hold a hearing to examine their decision. “On December 6,...

A House subcommittee will hold a public hearing next week on unidentified aerial vehicles, also known as unidentified flying objects (UFO) — a first in over 50 years. The hearing will focus on the Pentagon’s Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, which was established in November 2021 and has been charged with finding and identifying UFOs in restricted airspace. The House Intelligence Committee’s subcommittee over counterterrorism, counterintelligence and counterproliferation will hold the hearing on May 17, according to a tweet from the subcommittee’s chairman, Rep. André Carson, D-Ind. "Congress hasn't held a public hearing on unidentified aerial phenomena (UFO's)...

The Trump administration deliberately undermined the nation's coronavirus response for political purposes, including by weakening testing guidance and championing widespread "herd immunity," according to a new report from the House panel investigating the pandemic response. The staff report released Friday was a summation of the year's work investigating political interference in the pandemic response from Trump officials and the former president himself.

The White House has directed former officials Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson not to turn over any documents to the House Judiciary Committee relating to their time at the White House, according to two sources familiar with the matter. But Hicks, the former White House communications director, still could turn over documents the committee has requested related to the 2016 Trump campaign, a period that's not covered by executive privilege, according to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler. The White House sent letters to the committee stating that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had directed Hicks and Donaldson, the...

A Republican-run House panel created to investigate Planned Parenthood and the world of fetal tissue research urged Congress on Wednesday to halt federal payments to the women’s health organization. Democrats said the GOP probe had unearthed no wrongdoing and wasted taxpayers’ money in an abusive investigation reminiscent of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy. The Republican recommendation was included in the special committee’s final report and was no surprise. The GOP released the 471-page document just 16 days before Donald Trump becomes president, at the start of a year in which many Republicans hope Congress will finally cut off federal funds...

The House Oversight Committee is reviewing a Reddit post that alleges an IT specialist who worked on Hillary Clinton’s private server sought advice on how to alter the contents of “VERY VIP” emails, according to Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.). Meadows is the chairman of the panel’s Government Operations subcommittee. “The Reddit post issue and its connection to Paul Combetta is currently being reviewed by OGR staff and evaluations are being made as to the authenticity of the post,” Meadows told The Hill. Reddit users appear to have uncovered a two-year-old post from an account believed to belong to Combetta, an...

Hillary Clinton never personally denied any requests from diplomats for additional security at the U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, according to Democrats on a select House panel who absolved the former secretary of state and the U.S. military of wrongdoing in the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 attacks. In a report Monday pre-empting the Republicans, the panel’s five Democrats said after a two-year investigation that the military could not have done anything differently that night to save the lives of four Americans killed in Libya. U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens died in one of the two assaults at the diplomatic facility and...

The fortunes of California's high-speed rail project, which would connect Southern California to the Bay Area with a 220mph train, took a big financial hit Thursday afternoon, when a congressional panel slashed the Federal Railroad Administration budget. The Obama administration had asked for $8 billion for fiscal 2012 for high-speed rail projects, including the one in California, as well as other passenger rail programs around the country. But the House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development on Thursday cut the request by nearly $7 billion, leaving money only to operate Amtrak and some smaller programs. House Republican leaders...

WASHINGTON - Rep. William J. Jefferson told congressional leaders Tuesday that he plans to take a temporary leave of absence from the House Small Business Committee after his indictment on charges of receiving more than $500,000 in bribes, according to a Democratic leadership aide. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because Jefferson's announcement had not been made public, said the Louisiana Democrat was stepping down while his legal affairs are resolved. A spokeswoman for the congressman did not have immediate comment. Jefferson's decision to take a leave from the panel comes a few days before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi...

WASHINGTON - A senior Justice Department aide refused Wednesday to submit to a private interview with a House committee investigating the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. Her lawyers accused Democrats of behaving like the notorious Sen. Joseph McCarthy to intimidate her. Lawyers for Monica Goodling, who has said she would assert her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid appearing at congressional hearings, told the House Judiciary Committee she would neither testify publicly nor submit to private questioning about the firings. Goodling was senior counsel to embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and was the department's White House liaison before she...

WASHINGTON - House Democrats, intent on making climate change a marquee issue, created a special panel Thursday to study and offer recommendations on how to deal with global warming. The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, advanced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), was approved on a vote of 269-150. A majority of Republicans voted against it, arguing the committee was unnecessary or that its budget could better be used by the ethics committee. "Global warming may be the greatest challenge of our time, setting at risk our economy, environment and national security," Pelosi, D-Calif.,...

House Republicans, speaking Wednesday at a field hearing aimed at exposing flaws in rival Senate legislation, said illegal immigrants cost taxpayers by straining government services. Democrats said GOP leaders were stalling to avoid a bruising fight within their party over a sweeping immigration overhaul before November midterm elections. The House Judiciary Committee met at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in what Republicans billed as a hearing to examine "the tremendous burden" that Senate legislation would impose on taxpayers to pay for health care, education and other services. About 100 people attended the 90-minute hearing. "If we do not control the...

WASHINGTON - The House Intelligence Committee on Thursday rejected a proposal to withhold money from the National Security Agency if the White House did not reveal information about the cost of the agency's warrantless surveillance program. In a session closed to reporters, only Rep. Heather Wilson (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., who heads a subcommittee that oversees the NSA, voted with the Democrats to support the measure to withhold one-fifth of the agency's budget. The committee also rejected legislation that would force the Bush administration to carve out $3 million for a board created in late 2004 to protect Americans'...

WASHINGTON - House Republicans made clear their support late Tuesday for reinforcing the federal government's final authority over the siting of liquefied natural gas import terminals, even if states or local communities object. An attempt by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., to remove the provision from proposed energy legislation failed 35-18 in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Supporters of the bill said the authority of federal regulators over LNG terminals needed to be clarified as the demand for LNG imports increases in coming years. The panel was expected to finish work on its portion of a massive energy bill on...