Latest news with #HouseOversightandAccountabilityCommittee
UPI
5 days ago
- Health
- UPI
Biden doctor refuses to talk to House panel about former president's health
1 of 2 | Chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Rep. James Comer (pictured in Washington, D.C., in 2024) expressed his displeasure Wednesday after former President Joe Biden's doctor refused to testify. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- Regarding President Joe Biden's health, his doctor refused to testify Wednesday during a deposition with a House committee. Dr. Kevin O'Connor cited doctor-patient privilege and the Fifth Amendment, his lawyer said in a statement. "Earlier today, Dr. Kevin O'Connor asserted the physician-patient privilege, as well as his right under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in declining to answer questions from the staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding his service as Physician to the President during the Biden Administration," O'Connor's legal counsel said. Last month the chair of the committee, James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed O'Connor. This was part of the group's investigation into the mental acuity of Biden while he was in office. They also want to know if he was aware of documents that were signed with his "autopen" signature. Comer expressed his displeasure. "It's clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden's cognitive decline after Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician and family business associate, refused to answer any questions and chose to hide behind the Fifth Amendment," Comer said in a statement. "The American people demand transparency, but Dr. O'Connor would rather conceal the truth. (He) took the Fifth when asked if he was told to lie about President Biden's health and whether he was fit to be President of the United States." Comer said the committee won't quit the investigation. "Congress must assess legislative solutions to prevent such a coverup from happening again," he said. "We will continue to interview more Biden White House aides to get the answers Americans deserve." Comer also threatened retaliation: "If Biden's inner circle fails to comply with our subpoenas, we will initiate contempt of Congress," he wrote on X Monday. In a statement, ranking committee member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said Comer and the GOP investigation was wasteful. "The only person's health that Republicans care about is Joe Biden's -- even as 17 million Americans lose access to affordable healthcare thanks to their big budget betrayal," Garcia said. "Oversight Republicans could be working to lower costs for American families and conducting oversight of President (Donald) Trump's corruption, but instead are obsessed with the past. Democrats will continue to look forward and build a more effective and efficient government for the American people." O'Connor's refusal is similar to the more than 30 witnesses who refused to testify after the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capital.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Walz, Hochul, Pritzker to criticize immigration enforcement in House hearing
WASHINGTON – Three Democratic governors are expected to tell Congress in a June 12 hearing that they coordinate with federal immigration authorities to deport convicted criminals but can't afford to shoulder the burden of tracking down and detaining undocumented immigrants. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in testimony prepared for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee the state transferred more than 1,300 convicts to Immigration and Customs Enforcement since she took office in August 2021. 'But we have to draw a line somewhere,' Hochul said. 'New York cannot deputize our state officers to enforce civil immigration violations, such as overstaying a visa.' The hearing focuses on so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions where state and local officials restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to list the jurisdictions and potentially cut off federal funding to them. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, one of the witnesses, said his state hasn't approved sanctuary legislation but that it respects cities and counties that have. The hearing comes at a flashpoint in Los Angeles over federal immigration enforcement. Protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids burned cars, threw rocks and shot fireworks at authorities. But Trump contends he has an electoral mandate for strong border security and mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have exchanged barbs about the protests and the president's deployment of the National Guard to protect federal buildings and agents. Trump called Newsom 'grossly incompetent.' Newsom, a Democrat, called the deployment the 'acts of a dictator.' The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., scheduled the hearing to highlight 'reckless' governors opposing Trump's tougher enforcement. 'The Trump Administration is taking decisive action to deport criminal illegal aliens from our nation but reckless sanctuary states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement,' Comer said in a statement. 'The governors of these states must explain why they are prioritizing the protection of criminal illegal aliens over the safety of U.S. citizens, and they must be held accountable.' The three governors said Congress needs to approve a comprehensive immigration overhaul to avoid tearing apart families of immigrants in search of a better life. Hochul, whose grandparents fled to the U.S. to avoid starvation in Ireland, said most immigrants want to work. Since spring 2022, more than 220,000 immigrants have arrived in New York City, often fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries, she said. But Hochul cited a March 27 case when ICE agents stormed a home in Sackets Harbor, in upstate New York, and arrested a mother and three children while the father was working at a dairy farm. 'They were so-called collateral arrests, suddenly and unjustly cast into a living hell,' Hochul said, before the family was returned after nearly two weeks. 'This is not the America we want to be. We can maintain public safety without tearing children away from their parents.' Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said governors along the southern border have sent more than 50,000 immigrants since August 2022 to be used as 'pawns' in a 'dehumanizing attempt to leverage the crisis for political gain.' Chicago, Cook County and other jurisdictions organized housing through 25 immigrant-focused shelters and helped immigrants find jobs under federal work-authorization programs, Pritzker said. 'At a time when other politicians attempted to distort the truth and disrupt our state, we stayed true to the virtues of the Land of Lincoln,' Pritzker said. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said his state helps ICE with criminal cases but that some cities and counties choose not to dedicate time, resources or personnel to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security. Walz, who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, blasted the Trump administration's 'cruel and misguided immigration policies.' Minnesotans are 'angry that the federal government has been snatching people up' and detaining them 'without a shred of due process,' he added. Many of the immigrants who have been detained are law-abiding Americans who have or were promised legal status, Walz said. 'It is ridiculous to suggest that Minnesota – a state that is over 1,500 miles away from the southern border and, and 1,000 miles from lawmakers in Washington, D.C. who decide and implement border policy – is somehow responsible for a failure of immigration enforcement,' Walz said. 'Enforcing federal immigration law is not the role of state or local law enforcement.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democratic governors spar with House GOP over immigration enforcement
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Megan Thee Stallion shooting: Rep. Luna says she has new evidence
(NewsNation) — Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., says she has seen new evidence proving Tory Lanez is innocent of shooting performer Megan Thee Stallion and is seeking a pardon for the rapper from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 'Based on the evidence that I've seen, Tory is innocent,' Luna said Tuesday on NewsNation's 'CUOMO.' 'We are calling on Gavin Newsom to issue that pardon immediately.' The Florida congresswoman, who serves on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said her office was presented with evidence that 'actually disproved the conviction' of Lanez, who was sentenced to 10 years behind bars in 2022. Luna specifically cited DNA evidence that she says undermines the case. 'They actually found four people's DNA on that firearm, none of which was Tory's. Not to mention there was zero fingerprints on the actual magazine,' she said. Tory Lanez stabbed in prison, reports say She also referenced what she called 'Ring footage that's been obtained that actually disproves the whole 'dance Megan'' scenario described in court testimony, where Lanez allegedly told Megan to dance before shooting at her feet. Luna said she has reached out to Newsom's office requesting an 'emergency meeting' and is working with Democratic colleagues from California on the issue. The congresswoman said she spoke with Lanez, who was recently stabbed 14 times while incarcerated. According to Luna, Lanez plans to work on prison reform once released. Lanez was convicted after testimony from Megan Thee Stallion, her friend Kelsey Harris, and DNA evidence that prosecutors said linked him to the weapon. The shooting occurred in July 2020 after a party at Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home. Luna said her involvement in the case began after being approached by model and television personality Amber Rose. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House GOP to probe ‘cover up' after leaked Hur audio signals Biden struggle
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold hearings on a suspected 'cover up' surrounding former President Biden's cognitive functions and autopen usage in office, after audio surfaced this week of his 2023 interview with special counsel Robert Hur. 'Clearly, from that interview, which was many, many months prior to the heavy use of the autopen, Joe Biden wasn't capable of making decisions. He wasn't coherent,' Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the committee, said Friday in an interview on Fox News's 'Hannity.' A transcript of Hur's two-day interview was made public last year, but the Biden White House blocked the Justice Department from releasing the audio recording. Hur closed his investigation into the former president's handling of classified documents, concluding that he was a 'well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.' The newly leaked audio, published by Axios, more fully illustrated Biden's long pauses and lapses in memory. Comer announced Friday that his committee's efforts to review Biden's cognitive function near the end of his presidency would resume because of lingering questions about the ex-president's use of autopen to sign a flurry of presidential orders, including preemptive pardons for some of Trump's political foes, during his final stretch in office. 'There are serious concerns that President Biden lacked the mental capacity to authorize those actions,' the Kentucky Republican told guest host Jason Chaffetz, a former GOP lawmaker representing Utah. 'The American people are done being lied to.' 'We're going to bring the truth into the light, and starting next week, those involved in the cover-up will begin to be put on notice,' he added. Comer previously sought the Hur interview audio, as well as meetings with former top White House aides, through subpoenas last year, but he said the Biden administration 'obstructed' the probe and 'defied' the legal requests. 'This is one of the greatest scandals of our generation and Americans are demanding answers,' he said Friday. 'Now that Biden's top enablers can no longer hide behind the power of the presidency, we're continuing our investigation to expose the truth.' The Oversight panel wants to hear from top Biden aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal and Ashley Williams, and has requested a transcribed interview from the former president's doctor Kevin O'Connor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
House GOP to probe ‘cover up' after leaked Hur audio signals Biden struggle
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold hearings on a suspected 'cover up' surrounding former President Biden's cognitive functions and autopen usage in office, after audio surfaced this week of his 2023 interview with special counsel Robert Hur. 'Clearly, from that interview, which was many, many months prior to the heavy use of the autopen, Joe Biden wasn't capable of making decisions. He wasn't coherent,' Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the committee, said Friday in an interview on Fox News's 'Hannity.' A transcript of Hur's two-day interview was made public last year, but the Biden White House blocked the Justice Department from releasing the audio recording. Hur closed his investigation into the former president's handling of classified documents, concluding that he was a 'well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.' The newly leaked audio, published by Axios, more fully illustrated Biden's long pauses and lapses in memory. Comer announced Friday that his committee's efforts to review Biden's cognitive function near the end of his presidency would resume because of lingering questions about the ex-president's use of autopen to sign a flurry of presidential orders, including preemptive pardons for some of Trump's political foes, during his final stretch in office. 'There are serious concerns that President Biden lacked the mental capacity to authorize those actions,' the Kentucky Republican told guest host Jason Chaffetz, a former GOP lawmaker representing Utah. 'The American people are done being lied to.' 'We're going to bring the truth into the light, and starting next week, those involved in the cover-up will begin to be put on notice,' he added. Comer previously sought the Hur interview audio, as well as meetings with former top White House aides, through subpoenas last year, but he said the Biden administration 'obstructed' the probe and 'defied' the legal requests. 'This is one of the greatest scandals of our generation and Americans are demanding answers,' he said Friday. 'Now that Biden's top enablers can no longer hide behind the power of the presidency, we're continuing our investigation to expose the truth.' The Oversight panel wants to hear from top Biden aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal and Ashley Williams, and has requested a transcribed interview from the former president's doctor Kevin O'Connor.
