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In the news today: How the hearing for Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security went off the rails; Democrats storm out of Bondi’s closed-door briefing on the Epstein files, calling on her to answer questions under oath; and how Joe Kent’s resignation has reignited antisemitism fears and the debate over Israeli influence. Also, tax scams to be on alert for. |
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., President Donald Trump's pick for Homeland Security secretary, testifies during a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing, Wednesday, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) |
One ‘freaking snake’ and no apologies: How the Mullin hearing went off the rails |
The chairman opened Wednesday’s hearing with a provocative dare: Say it to my face. Sen. Rand Paul, the Republican from Kentucky, has made clear he has little regard for President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, fellow Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin. Read more. |
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Their differences go way back. Mullin has called Paul a “freaking snake,” siding with Paul’s neighbor who left the senator with multiple broken ribs after a surprise attack, the neighbor having tackled the senator years ago as he was doing yardwork outside his home. Paul calls Mullin a liar with anger management problems who lacks the temperament to lead the troubled Homeland Security Department that is at the forefront of Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Mullin, a mixed martial arts champion who has led workout sessions in the House gym, took a page from the Trump administration playbook. Fight, fight, fight. He was not backing down. “If I have something to say, I’ll say it directly to your face,” Mullin retorted.
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Mullin was grilled for three hours about his personal character and public expertise for the job. He is not a policy wonk, steeped in the intricacies of immigration enforcement, FEMA or other Homeland Security operations. Nor is he a known management expert, having taken over the family plumbing business before joining Congress. What Mullin brings to the job is a relationship with Trump — he called the president a “friend” — and a reputation as an affable convener of people across the political divide, steadily bouncing his stress ball as he walks through the halls of Congress.
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Democrats storm out of Justice Department leaders’ briefing on the Epstein files |
Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday stormed out of a closed-door briefing on the Jeffrey Epstein files by Justice Department leaders, and said they would push to force Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions under oath about the case that has plagued the Trump administration. Read more. |
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Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche went to Capitol Hill to try to quell bipartisan frustration over the Justice Department’s handling of millions of files related to Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation. But less than an hour into the briefing, Democrats walked out in protest of the arrangement and said they would press to enforce a subpoena for Bondi to appear for a sworn deposition next month. “We want her under oath because we do not trust her,” said Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost.
Asked by reporters after the briefing whether she would comply with the subpoena, Bondi said, “I made it crystal clear I will follow the law.” Bondi defended the department’s handling of the Epstein files, saying officials are proud of their work to release millions of documents to the public. The committee’s Republican chairman, Rep. James Comer, accused Democrats of political grandstanding.
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Joe Kent’s resignation over Iran war reignites antisemitism fears and debate over Israeli influence |
Kent’s exit from his role as director of the National Counterterrorism Center throws a spotlight on the foreign policy debate over the wisdom of Trump’s war with Iran and the future of the longstanding American alliance with Israel. But there also are fears that the focus on Israel is the leading edge of an antisemitic fringe that has gained ground by portraying Jews as shadowy manipulators, echoing some of history’s most hateful tropes. Read more.
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Kent’s resignation letter trafficked in antisemitic conspiracy theories while raising concerns about the war with Iran. He blamed “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” for encouraging the conflict. Indeed, Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encouraged Trump to join forces in an attack on Iran.
But Kent also went further, saying it’s “the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war.” Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, described the letter as “virulent antisemitism.” Kent has previously rejected all forms of “racism and bigotry.”
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