Blaze News original: Both sides besiege Biden as political firestorm roils his re-election bid



President Joe Biden's re-election bid is being roiled by a political firestorm following his widely panned debate performance, with some on the political right calling for his removal per the 25th Amendment and some on the political left calling for him to bow out of the presidential race — but the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee has adamantly declared that he will remain in the contest.

The day after the debate, Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Clay Higgins of Louisiana put forward a resolution that urges Vice President Kamala Harris to seek to have Biden declared incapable of executing the duties of the presidency, per the 25th Amendment.

'I happen to think that the right thing here is actually the right political thing.'

The text of the resolution declares that the House calls on Harris "to immediately use her powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments in the Cabinet to declare that President Joseph R. Biden is unable to discharge the duties and powers of the office," as well as "to transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives notice that she will be immediately assuming the powers and duties of the office as Acting President."

Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, is already 81 years old and would be 86 by the end of a second term in office.

While speaking to Blaze News, Roy suggested that the vice president, first lady, others, and likely many members of the Cabinet "are all complicit in ... a conspiracy to" conceal from Americans the president's "mental state."

The conservative congressman told Blaze News that he thinks "the right thing here is actually the right political thing." He noted that he believes in doing what is right and letting "politics follow" but said "they align" in this case.

GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, "What the Constitution requires doesn't always align both with what is politically expedient and with what national security demands. It does here. @ChipRoyTX is right. We should call on Vice President Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment."

— (@)

Roy has even floated the idea of impeaching Biden, declaring in a post on X, "We should / would be on solid ground to impeach Joe Biden for lying to the American people about his supposed competence (perhaps we should consider that too)."

In another post, the lawmaker suggested that the vice president "could be impeached for lying to America & covering up" and said, "The @HouseGOP should subpoena @KamalaHarris, Jill Biden, & key White House staff to determine when they knew that @JoeBiden is senile."

Blaze Media's Daniel Horowitz told Blaze News that Republicans should refuse to fund the government until Biden is no longer in power.

"This needs to be about the entire Democrat Party lying to the American people for four years, and the Chip resolution drives home that point. I would also add that Republicans would be wise to engage in a budget battle over this point and make it clear throughout the summer that they will not fund the budget until Biden steps down," Horowitz said, adding that "we cannot fund a government run by a man who can't walk, think, or talk, holding the nuclear football codes."

Keith Malinak of BlazeTV's "Pat Gray Unleashed" also agrees that the 25th Amendment should be invoked.

"Joe Biden is a case study on when the Cabinet should pursue removal of a president under the 25th Amendment. To think there is any question is what I find baffling," Malinak told Blaze News in a statement.

"I appreciate Congressman Chip Roy for talking about this, but I'm doubtful the vice president will pursue this course until she has the assurances that party leadership and those actually calling the shots in this presidency will have her back in such an eventuality," he added.

'I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.'

Some on the political left have suggested that the president should abandon his re-election bid.

"I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so," Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement.

"If he's the candidate, I'm going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere," Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona said, according to the New York Times. "What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race."

Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts has said that Biden should "step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump," according to WBUR.org.

Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois suggested that to "prevent utter catastophe" Biden should "step down and let someone else do this."

Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota said in a statement, "Given what I saw and heard from the president during last week's debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the president himself following that debate, I do not believe that the president can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump."

"I respectfully call on President Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for a second term as president and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward," Craig declared.

But not all Democratic lawmakers have soured on Biden's candidacy.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has remained a stalwart supporter of the president's re-election bid.

"I'm unwilling to discard a great president, a decent man and a loving father after 50 years in public service, over a 90 minute debate. Responding with disorder, panic and disloyalty is not meeting this moment," the senator said in a tweet.

Some Democratic donors have also called for Biden to drop out.

The New York Times reported that Abigail Disney said the president's campaign and committees backing it, including the Democratic National Committee, super PACs, and nonprofit organizations, "will not receive another dime from me until they bite the bullet and replace Biden at the top of the ticket."

"Biden is unfortunately in denial about his mental state. He needs to step aside to let a vigorous Democratic leader beat Trump," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings declared, according to ABC News.

Even the outlet's editorial board wrote a piece titled "To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race."

But Biden has said he will remain in the race.

'Let them live with the consequences of their own actions.'

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales has expressed the view that conservatives will benefit politically if Biden keeps running.

"The greatest way to ensure a conservative victory in November is for Joe Biden to continue running. On top of that, every single Democrat now raising faux concerns about Biden's cognitive abilities knew exactly how bad he had gotten when they called us 'conspiracy theorists' and accused us of putting out deepfakes and 'cheapfakes' showing Biden's decline just weeks ago. Let them live with the consequences of their own actions. They insisted Joe is their guy. Who are we to prevent that from happening?" she wrote in a statement to Blaze News.

But BlazeTV host Steve Deace believes Biden should be removed from office immediately.

"We simply cannot have someone who couldn't pass a corporate management competency hearing, be certified to become a foster parent, or even obtain a driver's license be the one who is in possession of the nuclear codes. Full stop," Deace wrote in an opinion piece. "Yes, it is a hard pill to swallow, but it is an act of patriotic duty to remove Joe Biden from office right now. Because this is fundamentally about far more than one incapacitated man. It is about who we are called to be as a free people, and it may even be about our very survival."

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'Is this right-wing?' Elon Musk characterizes his views as 'centrist'



In a post on X, business tycoon Elon Musk listed his views on several issues and described them as "centrist."

"This is a battle to the death with the anti-civilizational woke mind virus," Musk wrote before listing his positions, which include support for "Secure borders" and "safe & clean cities."

He also expressed opposition to racism and excessive government spending and measures that would sterilize youth, writing, "Don't bankrupt America with spending," "Racism against any race is wrong," and, "No sterilization below age of consent."

He then asked, "Is this right-wing?"

"It is now," Kurt Schlichter wrote in response.

— (@)

GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas responded to Musk, writing, "All eminently common sense. And, just a few years ago, used to be a bipartisan consensus."

"The battle to the death is right. Meanwhile, many in the @HouseGOP are going to vote TOMORROW to fully fund the continuation of open borders and mass release of dangerous criminals. The Republicans who vote for this FULLY own it," GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas tweeted.

Musk agreed with someone who wrote, "Elon Musk may think his positions are centrist but they're definitely to the right of center as far as people to the left are concerned. So while Elon's positions haven't really changed dramatically over the years the extremes have. And the leftist extreme has gone nuclear."

In another post, Musk added, "Although it shouldn't need to said, I believe in the Constitution and freedom of speech."

In a post last year, Musk opined that "the real fight is not between right and left, but rather between humanists and extinctionists."

— (@)

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Matt Gaetz moves to oust Kevin McCarthy from House speakership



Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has moved to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the speakership post.

"Today I'm filing a motion to vacate against @SpeakerMcCarthy," Gaetz declared in a post on X.

— (@)

The House GOP tapped McCarthy to serve in the role earlier this year, but only after a whopping 15 rounds of voting. During that battle, Gaetz voted against McCarthy in the first 13 rounds of balloting before voting present in the last two rounds.

When asked about a potential McCarthy replacement, Gaetz mentioned House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, saying that he thinks "very highly" of him and would be willing to vote for him. Scalise has been getting treated for cancer. "I would probably vote for at least a hundred Republicans in our caucus," Gaetz said, suggesting that he'd also be open to supporting people who aren't members of Congress.

— (@)

GOP Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona has also expressed a desire to see McCarthy ousted from the speakership. "Last November, I ran for House Speaker because I feared that Kevin McCarthy would not rein in federal spending and take on Democrats. As seen by his latest CR, these fears are now reality. He cannot remain Speaker," Biggs tweeted.

— (@)

But many Republicans will likely line up behind McCarthy.

"@SpeakerMcCarthy and the @HouseGOP have consistently delivered strong results for the American people. I support Speaker Kevin McCarthy as we continue to work to save America from the Far Left Democrats led by Joe Biden," House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has declared.

"My fellow Republican Representatives: Look at the replies. Don't walk the plank with Elise," Gaetz responded. "You can fight alongside me and tens of millions of patriotic Americans who know DC is broken and we can do better than this. No more for Ukraine. No CR's. Cut Spending," he wrote, along with the hashtag "#VacateMcCarthy."

— (@)

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Matt Taibbi shuts down Dem congresswoman with her own words after she makes false claim: 'Your direct quote'



Journalist Matt Taibbi fact-checked Democratic Delegate Stacey Plaskett (USVI) on Sunday after she claimed she did not ask the famous "Twitter Files" journalist to disclose his sources.

What is the background?

After testifying before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government last Thursday, Taibbi rebuked Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) for appearing to accuse him of propagating "extreme MAGA Republican lies, misinformation, and outright conspiracy theories."

Taibbi responded, "Congresswoman, how does badgering a non-MAGA, non-Republican journalist to give up a source constitute fighting 'Extreme MAGA Republican lies'?"

He was referring to the tense exchange between himself and Garcia at the committee hearing in which the congresswoman pressed him to expose the source of his access to internal Twitter information, which became the focus of his famous "Twitter Files" investigations. At the subcommittee hearing, Garcia denied that she was pressuring Taibbi to expose his sources.

What did Plaskett say?

Plaskett, the ranking member of the subcommittee, defended her Democratic colleague, claiming there was no pressure put on Taibbi to reveal his sources.

"No one is interested in revealing 'journalists'' sources," she claimed. "What we ALL should be interested in is what discussion, promises and/or deals Elon Musk has with Taibbi[,] Shellenberger[,] @HouseGOP[,] and definitely Jim Jordan @HouseJudiciary."

Taibbi responded on Sunday by pointing out that Plaskett is not being honest, using her own words to prove his point.

"Your direct quote was, 'Who gave you access to these emails?'" Taibbi responded.

None
— (@)

Video of the subcommittee hearing shows that Taibbi is correct.

At one point during the hearing, Plaskett asked him, "Who gave you access to these emails? Who is the individual that gave you permission to access the emails?"

Tiabbi responded that he attributed his information to "sources at Twitter" and explained that he would not say anything further about the sources. Still, Plaskett followed up and asked if Elon Musk is his source.

But Taibbi refused to entertain the question, instead maintaining his journalistic integrity and thus the secrecy of his sources.

None
— (@)

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Record high: CBP reports over 250,000 southwest land border encounters in December



America's southern border continues to be inundated by a massive flow of migrants, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection reporting a whopping 251,487 southwest land border encounters during the month of December 2022, a staggering sum which, according to Fox News' Bill Melugin, represents the highest monthly total ever recorded.

"CBP sources tell FOX there were over 70,000 known gotaways at the border in December as well," Melugin tweeted, noting that December marks the tenth consecutive month that southern border encounters have exceeded 200,000.

\u201cThis is now the tenth month in a row of more than 200,000 migrant encounters at the southern border. CBP sources tell FOX there were over 70,000 known gotaways at the border in December as well. @FoxNews\u201d
— Bill Melugin (@Bill Melugin) 1674258168

"The December update shows our new border enforcement measures are working. Even as overall encounters rose because of smugglers spreading misinformation around the court-ordered lifting of the Title 42 public health order, we continued to see a sharp decline in the number of Venezuelans unlawfully crossing our southwest border, down 82% from September 2022," Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller, said, according to a press release. "Early data suggests the expanded measures for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans are having a similar impact, and we look forward to sharing the additional data in the next update."

Adding the 251,487 figure from December to the 234,896 from November and 231,277 from October brings the total for the first three months of fiscal year 2023 to 717,660 southwest land border encounters.

"10 months in a row of more than 200,000 migrant encounters at the southern border. Biden’s border crisis is out of control," GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee tweeted.

"Every single @HouseGOP should have to answer this question: you ran on securing the border, you have the majority, so what are you specifically willing to do to secure it?" Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas tweeted.

\u201cEvery single @HouseGOP should have to answer this question: you ran on securing the border, you have the majority, so what are you specifically willing to do to secure it? My answer - start with #HR29, then work through the elements of the #TxBorderPlan. #StandUpForAmerica\u201d
— Chip Roy (@Chip Roy) 1674265834

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Senate Republicans' report: COVID-19 'more likely than not' man-made, result of Wuhan lab leak



Over 1 million Americans have been killed by COVID-19. A new Senate report claims that those lives were likely taken, not as the result of some evolutionary mishap, but rather as the result of human meddling.

The report's primary conclusion stands in stark contrast both to the COVID natural-origins narrative advanced by members of the scientific establishment, the communist Chinese regime, and the media and to the assertion made in the 2021 Congress report, which claimed a lab origin "extremely unlikely."

Last year, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced a bipartisan Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) effort to explore the origins of COVID-19. For the past fifteen months, Republicans on the committee have reviewed hundreds of studies, interviewed various experts, and analyzed numerous reports concerning the source of the virus.

The 35-page interim report, signed solely by Burr and released on Thursday, is the product of these efforts, evidencing Republicans' commitment to establish the full truth about COVID's origins as well as their refusal to soon forgive or forget.

What are the details?

For years, some suggested — especially those with vested interests in the alternative not being found true — that the COVID-19 virus came from a bat in the Wuhan wet market or from a bat cave. If that were the case, then those performing radical experiments on coronaviruses in a sketchy Chinese lab with U.S. federal funding could not be held responsible for tens of millions of deaths.

According to the Senate GOP interim report, those theories have been found wanting.

Among the reasons to doubt the natural zoonotic spillover hypothesis were:

  • The intermediate host species for the virus "if one exists, remains unidentified." Within six months of the first human SARS case, health officials found the intermediary species responsible (palm civets and raccoon dogs).
  • "Unlike SARS, the genomes of early COVID-19 cases from the first months of the pandemic do not show genetic evidence of SARS-CoV-2 having circulated in another animal species other than humans."
  • "The low genetic diversity of the earliest SARS-CoV-2 samples suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is most likely the result of a single successful spillover of SARS-CoV-2."

After detailing the untenability of the claim of natural origins, the report states that, based on the data publicly available, the "COVID-19 pandemic was, more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident."

The report reaffirmed that China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, where coronavirus gain-of-function experiments had been conducted for years, is the likely "high-risk" source of the virus. Numerous biosafety failures at the WIV were detailed, all "relevant to the containment of an aerosolized respiratory virus like SARS-CoV-2."

New insights

Although much of the report restates with greater confidence claims and evidence previously reported on, Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University, noted that Senate Republicans broke new ground with their discussion of communist China's rapid vaccine development.

The report stated that "it is unusual" that communist Chinese researchers were able to hit early milestones in COVID-19 vaccine development quicker than the United States.

In the exhibits provided and the questions asked, HELP Republicans intimated that China had access to the full genomic sequence of the virus well in advance of January 11, 2020, when a professor in China uploaded it to a global virus database in violation of communist Chinese restrictions on sharing information relevant to the novel virus.

In addition to being suggestive of China's willingness to hide critical lifesaving information from the world, the foreknowledge of genetic information about the virus might indicate a working Chinese understanding of SARS-CoV-2 predating the outbreak.

Response and next steps

The report appears to vindicate those castigated in recent years for suggesting that the virus was synthetic and released from the Wuhan lab. The New York Times and the Washington Post both called the claim that COVID-19 came from the WIV a "fringe theory."

CBS News had denounced Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) as a conspiracy theorist.

\u201cFact: super-lab is just a few miles from that market\n\nWhere did it start? We don\u2019t know. But burden of proof is on you & fellow communists. Open up now to competent international scientists.\u201d
— Tom Cotton (@Tom Cotton) 1581267256

Sen. Richard Burr said he hopes the report "will guide the World Health Organization and other international institutions and researchers as they proceed with planned work to continue investigating the origins of the virus. Uncovering the answers to this critical question is imperative to our national and international ability to ensure that a pandemic of this size and scope does not happen again."

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) issued a statement on Thursday in which he lauded the HELP committee Republican staff "for their evidence-based report that confirms the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from a research-related incident."

Marshall considered the domestic implications of the Republican members' findings and suggested that the "lack of NIH grant oversight may have contributed to the horrible introduction of COVID-19 to the world."

Having recently connected NIAID Director Anthony Fauci to EcoHealth Alliance's gain-of-function experiments in China, Marshall wrote, "If Dr. Fauci is truly open minded, as he claims to be, then he will release all texts, emails, communications, and grant records completely and without redactions."

Fauci has long suggested that the virus occurred naturally. He repeatedly dismissed the lab-leak theory, calling it a "circular argument." However, in recent months, he has reportedly adopted an "open mind." It may have been previously closed owing to the responsibility he might have to assume, having previously defended federal funding for research on bat coronaviruses at the WIV.

House Republicans have indicated that when they win a majority in November, they will hold Fauci accountable.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted, "Dr. Fauci lost the trust of the American people when his guidance unnecessarily kept schools closed and businesses shut while obscuring questions about his knowledge on the origins of COVID. He owes the American people answers."

\u201cDr. Fauci lost the trust of the American people when his guidance unnecessarily kept schools closed and businesses shut while obscuring questions about his knowledge on the origins of COVID.\n\u00a0\nHe owes the American people answers. A @HouseGOP majority will hold him accountable.\u201d
— Kevin McCarthy (@Kevin McCarthy) 1661193627

ABC News reported that Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) stated in August, "Retirement can't shield Dr. Fauci from congressional oversight."

While the House prepares to press Fauci and others for answers pertaining to COVID-19's "likely" lab origins, the Senate will press on with its bipartisan investigation.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chair of the HELP committee, indicated that the bipartisan review of COVID's origins will continue. In a Thursday statement she said, "It is absolutely critical we learn the lessons from this pandemic so that we never find ourselves in a similar situation again—and that, of course, includes undertaking a full examination of how COVID-19 first emerged."

Sen. Marshall takes up some of the information explored in the bipartisan inquiry in this video:

Investigating COVID-19 Origins: A Conversation With Senator Roger Marshall youtu.be

House Democrats block Republican effort to crack down on fentanyl traffickers and save lives



On Wednesday, 220 House Democrats blocked a bill that would have put fentanyl-related substances, including precursors, in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Doing so would have enabled the government to crack down on those driving the opioid crisis and profiting off the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. The bill expires on September 31.

Fentanyl is the leading killer of adults ages 18-45. Last year, opioids killed an estimated 80,816 Americans. 10% of the significant drop in U.S. life expectancy, now at its lowest point in over two decades, is attributable to such overdoses.

China is reportedly the principal source of the fentanyl flooding America's illicit drug market. Mexican cartels, partnered with the Chinese and using Chinese-sourced materials, manufacture and then traffic much of the killer drug over the U.S. border.

The "Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act" (H.R. 6184), sponsored by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) and introduced with Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) on December 8, 2021, had 88 cosponsors, all of whom were Republicans.

Griffith stated earlier this week that the bill would "strengthen law enforcement's ability to prosecute fentanyl traffickers and act as a deterrent."

He previously indicated that it will also help "curb overdose deaths."

\u201cDems have again blocked my bill, the HALT Fentanyl Act, which would permanently schedule fentanyl analogs as Schedule I substances and remove barriers to research.\n\nThe HALT Fentanyl Act would fight the drug overdose crisis that took more than 107,000 lives in the U.S. last year.\u201d
— Morgan Griffith (@Morgan Griffith) 1664406963

In addition to making it easier to target traffickers of what some, including Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, have called a "weapon of mass destruction," the bill would have removed barriers to research, said to be necessary for "as many as 4,800 analogues" to fentanyl. Of the thousands of analogues, "experts at the NIH, FDA and other agencies have studied roughly 30."

"If this law expires and doesn't become permanent," said Griffith, "those 4,800 analogues are arguably legal ... and we have to pass a law on each one of them. The HALT Fentanyl act makes it so we don't have to do that."

Latta stressed the urgency of the bill's passage and the need for Congress to take action, saying that the "havoc these substances wreak on our communities is devastating."

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate with Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), emphasized that to "ensure law enforcement has the tools to combat this trend, we cannot let this Schedule 1 classification lapse."

\u201cFLOOR ALERT: Fentanyl is pouring across Biden's open border & claiming American lives at rates never before seen. We need to secure the border & fully prosecute traffickers, but @HouseDemocrats blocked @HouseGOP requests to consider a bill to keep fentanyl a controlled substance.\u201d
— House Rules Republicans (@House Rules Republicans) 1664407740

The Democrats appear keen for just that to happen. In fact, this is not the first time that Democrats have blocked the bill. They blocked it on February 2 and on April 1.

It was suggested in a statement from Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee that "Democrats in the House are blocking action on this bill ... [b]ecause they want to weaken criminal penalties on traffickers who move fentanyl-related substances."

\u201cThere is a fentanyl crisis in America.\n\nIt\u2019s plaguing our communities. It's poisoning our kids. It\u2019s devastating families.\n\nIt\u2019s time for Congress to take permanent action. \u23f3\u201d
— Energy & Commerce GOP (@Energy & Commerce GOP) 1643822799

Despite Democrats' refusal to tackle the opioid crisis with this and other proposed legislative remedies, some members have nevertheless recognized the cost of doing nothing.

Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), who sits on the Congressional Join Economic Committee, compared the deaths resultant of the opioid epidemic to "one 737 (jet) every day going down, no survivors. It's a mind-boggling number of deaths."

New analysis released by the JEC on September 28 indicated that the opioid epidemic cost the U.S. a record of nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020. That cost is expected to rise.

The Republican Study Committee recently highlighted several other legislative endeavors to combat the scourge of fentanyl trafficking, addiction, and overdoses, including:

  • Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar's bill that would require life imprisonment or the death penalty for dealing fentanyl that results in death;
  • Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett's bill that would require a life sentence for anyone convicted of trafficking fentanyl; and
  • the late Indiana Republican Rep. Jackie Warlorski's bill allowing individuals and state attorneys general to sue foreign countries for death or injury caused by their inability to combat illegal fentanyl trafficking in to the U.S..

Rep. Byron Donalds will challenge Rep. Elise Stefanik for House GOP conference chair role



Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida has announced a bid for the role of House Republican conference chair. The freshman congressman will challenge Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who currently occupies the post and announced on Tuesday that she plans to run for the position again.

"As one of the most prominent voices of the House GOP agenda, I'm the best candidate to lead an effective communications strategy should Republicans take back the House. In the weeks and months ahead, we must focus on sending Speaker Pelosi packing by electing a wave of America First candidates. I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues for the Chairmanship of the House GOP Conference in the 118th Congress," Donalds said in a statement.

\u201chttps://t.co/BbheDKY3jf\u201d
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@Congressman Byron Donalds) 1663111348

Stefanik — who was tapped for the post last year after the House GOP ousted outspoken Trump critic Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from the role — issued a statement on Tuesday declaring her intention to run for House GOP conference chair again.

"For the next 56 days, I'm laser-focused on working to ensure we earn a historic Republican Majority. I am proud to have unified the entire Republican Conference around our country in crisis message and shattered fundraising records as House GOP Conference Chair raising over $10M for candidates and committees this cycle. With the broad support of NY21 and my House GOP colleagues, I intend to run for Conference Chair in the next Congress," Stefanik said in a statement.

Stefanik has served as a lawmaker in the House since 2015, while Donalds entered office in 2021 — both legislators are running for reelection during the 2022 midterms.

\u201chttps://t.co/3I7iasBnLj\u201d
— Elise Stefanik (@Elise Stefanik) 1663099640

Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who serves as House GOP vice chair, expressed his support for Stefanik's bid to remain in the House Republican conference chair role.

"Serving as Vice Chair of @HouseGOP alongside @RepStefanik has been one of the great highlights of my time in Congress. I look forward to continuing our work to retake the majority by promoting the GOP agenda, and I fully support her bid to serve another term as Conference Chair," Johnson tweeted.

\u201cServing as Vice Chair of @HouseGOP alongside @RepStefanik has been one of the great highlights of my time in Congress. I look forward to continuing our work to retake the majority by promoting the GOP agenda, and I fully support her bid to serve another term as Conference Chair.\u201d
— Rep. Mike Johnson (@Rep. Mike Johnson) 1663104423

Democrat Eric Swalwell gets slapped down for trying to pin church shooting on Republicans



Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell of California was hit with a backlash of ridicule after he tried to blame Republicans for a horrific shooting at a church in California.

Police were still investigating the shooting at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods on Sunday when Swalwell assumed the attacker's motivation to be something related to the Republican party.

"Sorry @housegop that the parishioners hog-tied your boy," tweeted Swalwell, adding a hashtag for "Sorry, not sorry," and a link to the story documenting how parishioners hog-tied the suspect.

On Monday, police said that they believed the suspect had attacked the church out of his animosity for the Taiwanese people and called it a "politically motivated hate incident."

They identified the assailant as David Chou, 68. Chou is an immigrant from China and lived in multiple places in the U.S. before he ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada. His bail was set at $1 million.

Critics of Swalwell rushed to excoriate the Democrat for rushing to blame Republicans without any evidence to prove his contention.

"The shooter was from mainland China... targeting Taiwanese-American Christians. Sounds like he may have been more your boy, Congressman," read one popular response.

"I’m beginning to think you’re just an all around horrible human being who needs to reevaluate his entire life," responded commentator Justin Haskins.

"A representative is openly celebrating the death of an innocent person," read another tweet. "Miserable POS."

"You are an awful, awful human being," read another response.

"This guy might not be the dumbest member of Congress, but it's likely," replied another detractor.

Others made jokes referencing Swalwell's previous relationship with a woman that was later revealed to be a Chinese spy.

One man was killed and four others were wounded in the attack on Sunday. Police praised former Pastor Billy Chang as a hero for fighting back against the attacker and likely preventing far more casualties.

Here's more about the church shooting:

Shooting At Taiwanese Church ‘Politically Motivated Hate Incident’: Officialswww.youtube.com

GOP's Maria Salazar, former TV journalist, rips media to their faces



Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), a former Emmy-winning television news journalist, blasted the news media Wednesday after reporters peppered her with questions about an audio recording leaked to the New York Times. In the recording, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is heard criticizing former President Donald Trump and some of his House colleagues in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Last week, New York Times journalists Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin reported that McCarthy told members of the GOP leadership team, including then-conference chairwoman Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), that he would ask Trump to resign ahead of an expected impeachment effort by the Democrats. When McCarthy denied making the comments, the New York Times released an audio recording of a phone call in which he said that Trump's behavior during the riot was "atrocious and totally wrong" and told Cheney he would advise the president to resign.

Though many pundits speculated that McCarthy would fall out of favor with Republicans and with Trump when the audio was leaked, the GOP leader reportedly received a standing ovation after addressing the report at a House GOP conference meeting Wednesday. McCarthy told his colleagues that his comments were just speculation about different scenarios that could've happened in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot.

After the meeting, reporters confronted Salazar and pointed out that McCarthy had lied to the press. But she shot back that the media was failing its duty by looking for "headlines" instead of reporting on issues that matter to Americans.

"I did this job for 35 years and I loved being a journalist, but you know, let me share something with you, we have a problem in this country with the news media," Salazar told reporters.

.@RepMariaSalazar following @HouseGOP meeting: "I did this job for 35 years and I loved being a journalist, but you know, let me share something with you, we have a problem in this country with the news media...shame on the media...this is a moment of reckoning."pic.twitter.com/8s6KyxeDuN
— CSPAN (@CSPAN) 1651071702

She suggested that the news media has been "infiltrated by an ideology that I do not agree with" and said journalists "are not doing our job."

"Now I am a member of the GOP, but I'm still an American. And shame on the media, and you know why? Because we're concentrating, we're trying to look for headlines on what is not important," she said. "What's important is that there's a major threat in this country by what I call the socialists or the neo-Marxists."

Acknowledging that her answer is not something they wanted to hear, Salazar told the press pool that they are "not fulfilling" their duty to the country.

"There's a moment of reckoning," Salazar continued. "What you guys are covering is not what the American people need to hear."