Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans took aim at Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday — pummeling him on the country's fentanyl crisis, abortion and migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as the Justice Department's stance on mandatory minimum sentences. The moments of drama came during the panel's first oversight hearing of the Justice Department in the current term. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) challenged Garland over a Justice Department memo recommending that prosecutors not seek mandatory minimum sentences in some drug cases. "I have been just astonished at the lack of sense of urgency to deal with this issue," Cornyn said, blaming the flow of drugs across the border on the Biden administration's policies. Garland said his memo didn't apply in violent crime or drug trafficking, but Cornyn accused him of "cherry-picking which cases you will charge with a mandatory-minimum sentence." Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also demanded the attorney general explain the discrepancy between the number of prosecutions of counselors and activists who oppose abortion rights and those who support abortion rights. The hearing became even more heated when Cruz accused the Justice Department of not adequately aiding Supreme Court justices who faced protesters after a landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) stepped in to stop Cruz's inquiry. The exchange was one of the few times Garland raised his voice during the hearing, with the attorney general noting the Dobbs decision prompted the first time in history that U.S. Marshals were asked to provide 24/7 security at the homes of Supreme Court justices. |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Elizabeth Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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👂 US intel: No evidence adversaries were behind 'Havana Syndrome'
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The U.S. intelligence community has found it is unlikely that foreign adversaries are responsible for a series of anomalous health incidents plaguing intelligence and diplomatic staffers across the globe, which has become known as "Havana Syndrome" following initial reports from Cuba. Intelligence agencies were looking into government employees' mysterious neurological ailments that started in 2016. But the review attributed those conditions to other factors and noted that intelligence agencies ultimately determined it was unlikely that a U.S. adversary had capabilities to carry out the attacks. |
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🛑 Trump 'chilled' FBI from investigations: Strzok
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FBI agent Peter Strzok says former President Trump and others "successfully chilled the FBI's willingness to investigate anything"
Trump-related, complicating inquiries into Trump's handling of classified documents. |
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✈️ Republicans say they will block Biden FAA pick; Democrats double down
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Senate Democrats are rallying behind President Biden's long-delayed pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration while Republicans are still trying to block the nomination.
Phil Washington, the CEO of Denver International Airport, is facing friction over questions about his aviation experience and a corruption investigation from when he headed the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority.
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© Annabelle Gordon, The Hill |
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🥾 Two more House Republicans call for N.Y. Rep. Santos to be ousted |
More House Republicans are calling for fellow New York Rep. George Santos to be booted from Congress, throwing their support behind an effort to expel him over the long list of lies he has told about his biography and career. |
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🏥 Black Americans more likely to go to emergency departments for mental health care: CDC
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Black Americans are visiting emergency rooms for mental health issues at nearly twice the national average, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
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🤳 Sen. Mike Lee's Twitter account was suspended, but it's back
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Twitter has reversed the suspension of Sen. Mike Lee's (R-Utah)'s personal account several hours after it was locked for unknown reasons.
Lee appeared to regain access to his @BasedMikeLee account around 2:30 p.m., when users were able to see his Tweets once again.
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"Russia and China should also worry about escalation — not just the West" — Joseph Bosco, who was China country director for the secretary of Defense from 2005 to 2006 and Asia-Pacific director of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief from 2009 to 2010. (Read here) "Ukraine: A humanitarian disaster, a generational tragedy" — Michelle Nunn, CEO of CARE USA. (Read here) |
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| 8 days until President Biden unveils his budget plan for the next fiscal year. 615 days until the 2024 presidential election. |
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1 p.m.: President Biden will be at the Senate Democratic Caucus lunch. House Democrats are meeting in Baltimore through the end of the week. The Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) is having its annual meeting at National Harbor, Md. Republican speakers on Thursday include Sen. Ted Cruz (Tx.), House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (Ohio), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and creator of the viral Twitter account "Libs of TikTok" Chaya Raichik. |
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