GOP members who rebuffed Jan. 6 panel may face referral to ethics panel
The five GOP members of the House who flouted subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee may not be included in the panel’s criminal referrals but could see the matter punted to the Ethics Committee. Lawmakers on the panel suggested that the Constitution ties their hands when it comes to recommending prosecution for the group. But the committee can refer the matter within the House, which has its own processes for addressing the behavior of its members. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a constitutional law expert and chairman of the panel subcommittee ta
Read MoreWhite House disputes Biden DNC move rewards South Carolina
The White House is pushing back on the notion that a change championed by President Biden to elevate South Carolina in the 2024 election calendar is rewarding a state that propelled his campaign in 2020, arguing the move is a way to promote diverse voices in early Democratic primaries. But it’s also being seen as a way for Biden to chart a path to victory should he opt to run for reelection, as the Palmetto State is largely credited for turning things around for Biden when his last presidential run appeared all but over. The White House has disputed that notion, defendin
Read MoreThe Memo: Two Americas draw vastly different lessons from Brittney Griner saga
Basketball star Brittney Griner was released from a Russian penal colony Thursday — and America’s reaction has been so polarized, it’s like watching a split-screen. Did Griner’s release show that “President Biden gets it done” as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), the soon-to-be leader of House Democrats, claimed? Or did the White House deliver “a gift to Vladimir Putin,” as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) asserted? Was Griner’s release proof that “God is good,” as an exultant Joy Reid of MSNBC tweeted, or that Biden had gone out on a limb for an athlete who “d
Read MoreWhy Sinema left the Democratic Party
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) had plenty of reason to leave the Democratic Party and become an Independent, Senate Democratic aides and strategists say. Her relationship with Democrats in her home state had deteriorated so badly she may not have survived a primary challenge in 2024. And the timing — while her Senate colleagues were still celebrating their victory in the Georgia runoff and the prospect of controlling 51 Senate seats — wasn’t a shock either, Democratic sources said Friday. After all, she had upstaged fellow Democrats several times
Read MoreGeorgia cements itself as a swing state after runoff
For years, Georgia has been a deep-red state. But after securing President Biden the White House in 2020 and electing two Democratic senators, a changing demographic shows the Peach State has become a critical battleground state. Coming out of the 2020 election, Georgia was thought to be a red state trending blue. But the recent reelection of Sen. Raphael Warnock (D), despite Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s victory at the top of the ticket, underscores the extent to which the state has become unpredictable. “After the 2020 cycle, what you saw was a narrowing tre
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