All articles tagged with #congressional hearings
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Iran, Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, accused Rep. Seth Moulton of impropriety after Moulton claimed the U.S. is losing the war and pressed about American casualties, with Cooper defending military gains and the Trump administration’s handling of the conflict.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a House panel he’s not sidelined by the White House and declined to commit to implementing vaccine guidance from the CDC’s director-nominee without interference, stressing he is not anti-vaccine and has vetted Erica Schwartz’s positions. The live updates also cover other Capitol Hill moves, including Rick Scott blocking Coast Guard promotions over a Florida shipbuilder dispute, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick’s resignation amid ethics probes, and ongoing talks on FISA reauthorization and immigration funding.
ActBlue employees invoked the Fifth Amendment at least 146 times in depositions with House committees probing donor fraud on the platform, with several officials and former lawyers declining to answer substantive questions. The interim report faults testimony evasions, cites alleged gaps in fraud-prevention for foreign donations since 2020, and suggests withheld materials and potential misleading statements to Congress. ActBlue denies wrongdoing, while the probe widens, and Texas AG Paxton has sued ActBlue based on the committees’ findings.
In a tense House Ways and Means hearing, RFK Jr. was pressed by lawmakers on vaccines, public health policy, and perceived misinformation, with Democrats decrying his anti-vaccine stance and Republicans raising concerns about reforms and health-care access amid a measles outbreak and controversies over vaccine recommendations.
Dozens of Epstein survivors condemn Melania Trump for calling on Congress to hold hearings with victims, saying it shifts responsibility onto survivors while demanding accountability from those in power and transparency from the DOJ; Trump denies any relationship with Epstein and urges an inquiry, as survivors push for ongoing investigations and the release of remaining Epstein files.
First Lady Melania Trump says she never had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, suggesting they only shared social circles, while noting it’s unclear if President Trump knew the topic would be raised; lawmakers push for public testimony from Epstein victims. In other headlines, a federal judge found the Pentagon violated a press-pass order and ordered NYT credentials restored; a DoD AI official reportedly profited up to $24 million from xAI stock; George Clooney denounces Trump’s Iran threats as a war crime; Republicans block a Democratic effort to curb Trump’s war powers over Iran. The day’s brief items also include immigration enforcement allegations, hospice-fraud charges, DNC actions on AIPAC, Cuba-US doctor deals, and a proposed relaxation of coal-ash disposal rules by the EPA.
First Lady Melania Trump publicly denies any association with Jeffrey Epstein, stating she never met or aided him and that the encounters were purely social in a large New York/Palm Beach circle, defends her reputation, notes apologies to outlets that spread false claims, and urges Congress to hold public, sworn hearings so Epstein survivors can testify and help establish the truth.
First Lady Melania Trump publicly denied any association with Jeffrey Epstein and dismissed online rumors linking her to him or Donald Trump, while calling for congressional hearings to hear from Epstein’s trafficking survivors and urging sworn testimony to establish the truth.
Top U.S. intelligence leaders are set to testify before Senate and House intelligence committees about the Iran war and threats at home, amid questions over outdated DIA targeting data that reportedly contributed to a deadly missile strike on a school in Iran. The hearing lineup includes DNI Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and DIA Director Lt. Gen. James H. Adams, with discussion expected to cover war strategy, internal debates over threat assessments, and the FBI’s capabilities to prevent domestic terrorism, following the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent and recent homeland security incidents.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio has long been at the heart of U.S. aerospace research and unidentified aerial phenomena investigations, connecting Roswell lore to modern disclosures as officials deny alien involvement; renewed curiosity follows the disappearance of Gen. William McCasland and ongoing congressional scrutiny of UAPs, boosted by declassified videos and whistleblower testimony.
Kristi Noem was fired as Homeland Security secretary after two contentious congressional hearings in which she defended a $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign featuring herself and dodged a question about an alleged affair with Corey Lewandowski; President Trump, angered by her handling, replaced her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee released videos of closed-door depositions from Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton as part of its Epstein investigation, with footage from the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, highlighting the Clintons’ involvement in the Epstein case.
More than 5,000 Justice Department employees left in the first year of Trump’s second term, a turnover described as a ‘purge’ that private law firms, local prosecutors’ offices, nonprofits, and political campaigns are capitalizing on. Ex-prosecutors like Michael Romano are shifting into private practice and testifying at congressional hearings, while others join firms or run for office, signaling a sharp loss of institutional memory at DOJ and broader implications for accountability and democracy.
Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions in a closed‑door House Oversight Committee deposition about Jeffrey Epstein’s case, invoking the Fifth Amendment. Her attorney said she’d be willing to testify if granted clemency, noting Maxwell was Epstein’s longtime associate and was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking.
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Jack Smith, former DC police officer Michael Fanone confronted far-right figure Ivan Raiklin during a recess, hurling insults and asserting Raiklin threatened his family; the exchange nearly turned physical until fellow officers stepped in and Chair Jim Jordan restored order.