Veterans, Active-Duty Members Could See Concealed Carry Nationwide Under New Bill
'warriors who have earned it more than anyone'
Are scandal-plagued Cory Mills' days in Congress finally numbered?
The swift resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) to avoid expulsion votes regarding sexual misconduct allegations may trigger a chain reaction on Capitol Hill to remove other lawmakers accused of wrongdoing.
Gonzales stated that he planned to file his retirement from office on Tuesday after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who later committed suicide.
'Congress has serious moral and ethical problems and these four are the face of it.'
On Sunday, Swalwell decided he would suspend his bid for California governor after a former staffer claimed he had previously sexually assaulted her. Swalwell has denied the allegations.
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it would open an investigation into the allegations against Swalwell. That same day, Swalwell stated he would resign from Congress, citing his colleagues' intent to expel him.
"I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members," Swalwell said. "Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress."
The recent resignations of Swalwell and Gonzales have renewed bipartisan calls for other scandal-plagued lawmakers to step down. Among those urging immediate action are Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), who have publicly called on Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) to resign.
RELATED: 'You're a piece of s**t': Nancy Mace and Cory Mills clash in heated exchange after failed censure
The House Ethics Committee effectively found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty in March of 25 counts of financial misconduct and campaign-finance violations related to the misuse of federal relief funds. She was accused of stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds.
The committee opened an investigation into Mills in November regarding several allegations, including claims that the congressman failed to disclose necessary information to the House, violated campaign finance laws, improperly accepted gifts and special favors, engaged in sexual misconduct, and misused congressional resources.
Blaze News was the first to report the bombshell sextortion accusations against Mills from former Miss United States Lindsey Langston.
Mills has also been accused of stolen valor, with multiple veterans and former colleagues previously telling Blaze News that he fabricated or exaggerated key elements of his military record.
On Monday, Mace declared that it is "time to clean house."
"We don't care what party you're in. Stealing millions in taxpayer dollars, sexually assaulting your staff, lying about your service record, none of it is acceptable and none of it goes unnoticed," Mace stated. "Congress has serious moral and ethical problems and these four are the face of it. Washington has protected its own for too long. It needs to end now. We're calling on these four to resign or face expulsion."
Velázquez made similar comments on Monday, writing in a post on X, "Congress should not tolerate representatives who abuse staff, betray public trust for personal gain, and generally violate their oath of office."
"Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Mills should resign. If they refuse, they should be expelled," Velázquez stated.
RELATED: 'Mutually assured destruction': Another disgraced lawmaker to resign from Congress over sex scandal
Mace, who has been leading the charge to remove Mills, forced a censure vote against Mills in November over "alleged stolen valor, arms deals he's under investigation for and alleged abuses toward women." It failed in a 310-103 vote, with 204 Republicans and 106 Democrats supporting Mills.
Mace claimed that a censure against Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), who was accused of colluding with Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing, had previously failed because Mills arranged a "backroom deal" to suppress his own censure.
Mills was accused of similar allegations in September when he voted to protect Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from censure. Mills was the deciding vote.
"Another backroom deal so Cory Mills can't get censored [sic] for Stolen Valor," Mace stated in a November post on X. "I have the General who 'recommended' him for the Bronze Star on record saying he never wrote it, never read it and never personally signed it. This. Is. Washington."
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated Tuesday that he is “looking into” the House Ethics investigation into Mills.
Mills' office did not respond to a request for comment.
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Top Schumer aide joins Big Tech team whose CEO once called for Trump to deploy National Guard in San Francisco
A longtime communications director for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is leaving Capitol Hill for the tech world.
Interestingly, the move comes six months after the CEO of the company he's joining apologized for suggesting President Trump should send troops into California.
'My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution.'
Alex Nguyen, Schumer's communications director for the past seven years, is headed for civilian life after nearly two decades working in the nation's capital.
According to Capitol Hill outlet Punchbowl News, Nguyen will become director of corporate communications for Salesforce, a customer service and automation-software company. Ally Biasotti, a previous national press secretary for Schumer, will take over Nguyen's old role.
In October 2025, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologized for saying he would welcome the deployment of National Guard troops to San Francisco — where the company is headquartered — stating, "We don't have enough cops, so if they can be cops, I'm all for it."
According to CNBC, Benioff faced blowback, and his remarks even sparked a resignation from board member Ron Conway, who reportedly told Benioff in an email that their "values were no longer aligned."
RELATED: 'Allows ICE to kick tens of billions' off voter rolls? Schumer’s SAVE Act claims keep getting worse.
This prompted Benioff to walk back his comments in a post to his X page, stating that he no longer believed "the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco."
"My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution," Benioff wrote, adding that he sincerely apologized for "the concern" his remarks caused.
In a subsequent post, Benioff shared a graph purporting to show that San Francisco Police numbers had plummeted since 2019, while noting that Salesforce had pledged $1 million in sign-on bonuses to SFPD recruits.
RELATED: CNN analyst delivers Democrats devastating news about base support
Nguyen's transition to the Salesforce C-suite comes amid a data breach and rumors of increased layoffs at the company.
Salesforce has confirmed that thousands of customer records were breached, allegedly through a connected third-party app. The app provides a live-chat function that connects to Salesforce to convert customer leads.
At the same time, Salesforce has disputed rumors that the breach also revealed the company was planning to cut approximately 4,000 customer support roles.
According to Storyboard 18, Salesforce said the reported figure does not refer to new layoffs but rather a planned redeployment that was initiated in September 2025.
Schumer's team did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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Exclusive: How real Americans feel about Trump's agenda
President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night, touting his administration's achievements and laying the groundwork for the remaining three years of his term.
While Democrats attempted to distract from Trump's patriotic speech, Republicans embraced policies to improve the lives of everyday Americans, some of whom were in attendance at the State of the Union.
'I want to thank President Trump.'
Tuesday night, members of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative committee on Capitol Hill, hosted guests from North Dakota, Arizona, New York, Alabama, and elsewhere. While all of these guests come from different walks of life, the common thread is their appreciation for the president and his America First policies.
In a series of testimonials obtained exclusively by Blaze News, the RSC shows how real Americans feel about Trump's progress in America.
Fifth-generation rancher Ben Menges, who was the guest of Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani, laid out the roadblocks he previously encountered on the farm, but noted he was "looking forward to hearing" Trump's plan to address these regulatory burdens.
"We farm and ranch in Arizona because it's the desert, not in spite of the desert. And we're faced with a variety of issues; most of them stem around not having enough water," Menges said. "I've also discussed the issues of federal regulation and how it's impacted my grazing operation."
Retired Command Sergeant Major John Herring, who was the guest of Texas Rep. Monica De La Cruz, praised the tax cuts greenlit in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act as well as the administration's clampdown on the southern border.
"My wife is a small-business owner," Herring said. "We're ranchers in South Texas, retired from the military. President Trump has done a fantastic job of helping us and improving our ways of life. The border security is tremendously better. The tax cuts have been tremendous for us."
RELATED: Watch the State of the Union tonight on BlazeTV's YouTube channel
Another small-business owner, Kristin Chorne, who was the guest of North Dakota Rep. Julie Fedorchak, noted the positive impact Trump's tax reforms have had on her company and her employees.
"I'm representing my business, Gratitude Spa and Salon. We are an all-female-employee business: cosmetologists, aestheticians, massage therapists, nail technicians," Chorne said. "And so, we're super excited about the One Big Beautiful Bill and the no tax on tips portion especially, as well as the no tax on overtime — huge benefits for our employees."
"I've already had several employees come and talk with me, and they're getting anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 in refunds for 2025, so a big change for them from years past, where they've had to pay in."
RELATED: Every attendee who was awarded by Trump during the State of the Union
Law enforcement was also represented at the State of the Union, including Alabama Rep. Barry Moore's guest, Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd, and New York Rep. Claudia Tenney's guest, Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby. Both Milby and Byrd applauded Trump's crackdown on crime both in the homeland and on the border.
"I've been in the law enforcement business for 23 years, and these border closing is definitely helping our community," Byrd said. "They're slowing the drug trafficking down, which I've obviously seen in my county, in my community."
"I want to thank President Trump for his efforts in supporting law enforcement and making sure that people are held accountable and responsible for their actions, something that we haven't seen in a few years," Milby said. "What we have seen, though, is that people feel less safe, and that's what matters."
"You can do anything you want with statistics, but when people tell me that they don't feel safe because of what is happening with our criminal justice system, it's refreshing to know that we have the support and that we're going to hold people accountable and responsible rather than hold court in the street," he continued.
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Gun-wielding teen suspect arrested for charging the Capitol tells police he just wanted to 'talk'
Carter Camacho, who was arrested after he allegedly charged the United States Capitol with a loaded shotgun on Tuesday, told Capitol Police he "was just there to talk."
Camacho, 18, was detained by Capitol Police after he exited his vehicle and allegedly ran toward the Capitol carrying a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and dressed in a "tactical-style vest" and "camouflage-style clothing." Officers also reportedly recovered additional rounds of ammunition in Camacho's possession.
'Please avoid the area.'
The Georgia teenager was later charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm within the United States Capitol grounds.
Once officers placed Camacho in handcuffs, the teenager told Capitol Police that he was "just there to talk to a member of Congress," according to a DOJ press release.
RELATED: Suspected gunman arrested outside Congress
Today, Carter Camacho, 18, was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm within the United States Capitol Grounds on February 17, 2026.
According to charging documents, Camacho exited his vehicle and ran toward the United States Capitol carrying a firearm and… pic.twitter.com/uCl9HFMqyI
— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) February 18, 2026
Police also located a "fixed-blade knife" about 40 feet from the suspect's vehicle but noted that the case is still being investigated. Camacho made his first court appearance Wednesday and is expected to return to court on March 2. He will remain in custody until then, WTOP reported.
Capitol Police initially announced the incident on social media on Tuesday, saying officers had arrested an individual with "what appears to be a gun" outside the Capitol.
RELATED: FBI forced to release damning docs revealing chilling new details on Trump's would-be assassin
"Our officers just arrested a person with what appears to be a gun near the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building," the statement reads. "Please avoid the area. We will provide more information when new information is confirmed."
Capitol Police also temporarily closed Maryland Avenue between First and Third Streets Southwest before concluding there was no further threat.
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Suspected gunman arrested outside Congress
Capitol Police announced that they arrested an individual who "appears" to have been carrying a gun outside Congress.
Law enforcement issued a statement Tuesday that officers had arrested a person with "what appears to be a gun" near the United States Capitol, cautioning employees and bystanders to avoid the area.
'One person is in custody.'
"Our officers just arrested a person with what appears to be a gun near the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building," the statement reads. "Please avoid the area. We will provide more information when new information is confirmed."
Capitol Police also announced that they temporarily closed Maryland Avenue between First and Third Streets Southwest while they continue their investigation.
RELATED: FBI forced to release damning docs revealing chilling new details on Trump's would-be assassin
Moments after releasing their initial statement, law enforcement said that there does not appear to be any ongoing threat, but advised people to continue avoiding the area.
"At this time, there does not appear to be any other suspects or ongoing threat," the statement reads. "Out of an abundance of caution, please continue to stay away from the area while we investigate and collect evidence. Again, at this time, one person is in custody."
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Mitch McConnell hospitalized following another medical episode
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was hospitalized Monday night after experiencing "flu-like symptoms," raising more concerns about the 83-year-old's health.
The Kentucky Republican is poised to retire at the end of his term early next year, but has been under scrutiny over the several medical episodes he has had in recent years. McConnell's spokesman David Popp said the former Senate leader checked himself into the hospital out of "an abundance of caution," noting that his "prognosis is positive."
This is just the latest in a string of medical episodes McConnell has suffered.
"In an abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night," Popp said in a statement Tuesday.
"He is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving. He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business," Popp added.
RELATED: Mitch McConnell falls following Senate vote: Report
This is just the latest in a string of medical episodes McConnell has suffered. On multiple occasions, McConnell has been seen "freezing" on camera and made use of a wheelchair. In recent months, McConnell has been increasingly seen holding on to staff to walk up stairs and through corridors on Capitol Hill.
McConnell sprained his wrist and cut his face after falling at a GOP staff lunch in 2024; took a fall at a D.C. hotel and was treated for a concussion in 2023; and fractured his shoulder when he fell in his home in Kentucky in 2019.
RELATED: Mitch McConnell receives medical attention after fall
After several medical episodes, McConnell stepped down from his Senate leadership position in 2024. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) succeeding him.
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Exclusive: Republicans pen OMAR Act, targeting lawmakers who have 'blurred' ethical lines
Republican lawmakers are pushing new legislation on Capitol Hill aimed at reining in members of Congress who take advantage of campaign finances for personal gain.
Wisconsin Republican Reps. Tom Tiffany and Tony Wied introduced the Oversight for Members And Relatives Act on Friday, known as the OMAR Act, which would prevent candidates' campaign funds from benefiting their spouses. The legislation would also mandate the disclosure of campaign-related payments made to their immediate family members, according to the bill text obtained exclusively by Blaze News.
'The American people are sick of it.'
"Public office should never be used to pad a family's bank account," Tiffany told Blaze News. "For years, members of both parties have blurred ethical lines by paying their spouses with campaign funds and labeling it 'campaign work.'"
"The OMAR Act ends this practice and restores integrity to a system that's been abused for far too long."
RELATED: Exclusive: SAVE Act hangs in the balance as Republican Study Committee pushes for Senate passage
A prime example of these "blurred ethical lines" is none other than Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who reportedly paid nearly $2.8 million to her husband's political consulting firm during the 2019-2020 election cycle.
According to Fox News, these payments accounted for nearly 70% of her disbursements during her third quarter, exceeding the total amount all congressional candidates combined paid their immediate relatives during the 2012 election cycle.
"Members of Congress are sent to Washington to represent the interests of their constituents — not to line their spouses’ pockets with campaign funds," Wied told Blaze News.
RELATED: Biden DOJ's probe into Ilhan Omar's finances dropped same year her net worth surged
"We’ve seen far too many egregious examples of politicians exploiting loopholes for personal gain, and the American people are sick of it," Wied added. "I’m proud to stand with Rep. Tiffany to introduce the OMAR Act and put a stop to these shady practices once and for all.”
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