Latest news with #HouseOversightandGovernmentReformCommittee
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Lauren Boebert Praises 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic As He Seeks Pardon
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Colorado U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert said Tiger King star Joseph Allen Maldonado, known widely as "Joe Exotic," has reached out to her office for help with a pardon. Why It Matters Exotic gained widespread notoriety during the COVID pandemic when Netflix aired a documentary centered on him and his tiger sanctuary in Oklahoma. Before the documentary's release, he was convicted of two counts of murder-for-hire against Carole Baskin—an adversary in the documentary—and originally sentenced to 22 years in prison. The sentence was later decreased to 21 years. What To Know Exotic has curried favor with President Donald Trump in his repeated attempts to serve less time behind bars, including offering his services to help Trump defeat Kamala Harris in last year's election. He even advocated for a Cabinet position in a Trump-led White House. He's also reached out to various lawmakers, including Boebert. "Joe Exotic has reached out to me, or at least his team has, in the past and other members of Congress for sure," Boebert told Alex Stein of Prime Time with Stein. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) looks on during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on sanctuary cities' policies at the U.S. Capitol on March 05, 2025 in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) looks on during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on sanctuary cities' policies at the U.S. Capitol on March 05, 2025 in Washington, referred to Exotic as a "fantastic unifier" during the pandemic, as people were glued to their screens watching his story unfold. She said she watched episodes while sitting on her coffee table due to the intrigue. "I enjoyed the heartened sentiment of Joe, and since he's been in prison his outreach and even wanting to run against President Trump while in prison is certainly a part of the American grit and spirit," she added. "But we'll see what the pardon team says, and I'll keep putting in words for him." His efforts to attain a pardon have escalated in recent months for different reasons. In January, he told Newsweek that his prostate cancer was back out of remission and that prison medical care "sucks." His representatives said at the time that he was no longer receiving treatment for lung or prostate cancer. His pleas have gone beyond a pardon, however. In May, his 33-year-old husband Jorge Marquez Flores was deported to Mexico for illegal entry to the U.S, after completing a federal prison sentence. Exotic took to social media in the aftermath, offering to give the U.S. government half his earnings in exchange for a way to reunite and live with Flores in the U.S. He even offered to purchase one of Trump's $5 million gold cards, in reference to the president's "gold card" program originally introduced as a method to grant U.S. residency to those who invest $5 million in the country. What People Are Saying Joe Exotic, in a letter to Trump shortly following the 2024 election: "A lot of people went to bat for you in 2021 who have been living in hell ever since then. Everyone hopes you keep the promises you made during your campaign, which include pardoning everyone sooner than later in January 2025." What Happens Next Trump has not acknowledged correspondence from Exotic or hinted toward a pardon.
UPI
5 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
California's Robert Garcia voted top Democrat on House Oversight Committee
1 of 3 | On Tuesday, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. (pictured in Washington, D.C., in 2023), won a majority of votes on the first ballot to become the House Democratic Party's top member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 24 (UPI) -- Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., won a majority of votes on the first ballot to become the House Democratic Party's top member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Garcia, 47, received 150 votes to 63 votes for Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., in a caucus vote made on Tuesday, Politico reported. The win makes Garcia the likely Oversight Committee chairman if Democrats win a majority of seats in the House in next year's midterm elections. If that were to happen, Garcia would work to hold President Donald Trump accountable for "corruption" while working to reform the federal government, he told media after the caucus vote. "Efficiency is not DOGE," Garcia said. "Efficiency is actually making government work better for our constituents across the country, and that's what we're going to focus on." The secret-ballot vote was held behind closed doors in the Capitol's basement. Two other Democrats also sought the top party position on the Oversight Committee. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland also sought the position. Crockett and Mfume ended their respective bids after polling poorly during a Monday night vote among House Democratic Party steering committee members. "It was a signal from leadership that they were not interested in working with me," Crockett told The Hill. "It's not like it was a little signal," Crockett said. "It was a loud signal, and I know how to read the tea leaves." The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee oversees federal government activities and has the power of subpoena to compel witnesses to appear before the committee during investigations. If Democrats win control of the House next year, Garcia could lead investigations into the Trump administration if he becomes the committee's chairman. Garcia is in his third term in the House and relatively young when compared to most other representatives. He replaces Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who died of esophageal cancer last month.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
House panel recommends Garcia to lead Dems on Oversight panel
A key Democratic committee voted Monday night to recommend Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) to lead the party on the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, lending a good deal of momentum to the second-term Californian heading into a vote of the full caucus on Tuesday. Huddled in the basement of the Capitol, the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee sided with Garcia over three other Democrats on the panel: Reps. Stephen Lynch (Mass.), Kweisi Mume (Md.) and Jasmine Crockett (Texas). The seat had been held by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), 75, who died last month after a short battle with esophageal cancer. Lynch was the runner-up, followed by Mfume and Crockett. The vote is not binding. While the Steering and Policy Committee is an influential panel, its votes are merely recommendations to the broader caucus, which will meet to decide the ultimate winner. That vote, by secret ballot, is scheduled for Tuesday morning. In one prominent race in 2014, former Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) won the Steering panel's nod to lead Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee, but it was Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) who won the contest when the full caucus weighed in. Pallone remains in that seat more than a decade later. Still, the Steering Committee is led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and it's stocked with leadership allies, lending the panel outsized sway in the process of choosing committee heads to work with party leaders. In winning Monday's vote, Garcia bested two much more veteran members of the Oversight Committee — Lynch and Mfume — striking a blow to the seniority system that's long guided Democrats in picking committee heads. Lynch, 70, has been the interim ranking member of the panel since Connolly stepped out of that role in April, and he's made the case that his long experience of investigative work on the panel makes him the best fit for the permanent position. Garcia, 47, has been given a boost by an endorsement from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which he is a member. He also has the advantage of hailing from California, which boasts the largest Democratic delegation in the House. From the minority, Democrats are powerless to steer the Oversight Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over the federal government and the subpoena power to advance investigations. But the winner of Tuesday's vote for the permanent ranking member spot would be in line to take the committee gavel in 2027 if Democrats can flip control of the House in next year's midterms — a scenario that would lend the new chairman enormous powers to investigate the many controversies of President Trump's second term. Leaving Monday night's vote, Garcia thanked his supporters but acknowledged that there was still one more vote remaining to seal the position. 'There's still an election tomorrow, and there's still obviously an important case to be made in the morning. And that's the case I'm planning on making,' he told reporters. 'And so we're going to run through the tape.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Biden's White House physician to appear before House panel
Former President Biden's White House doctor, Kevin O'Connor, is set to appear for a deposition before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next month, a committee spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. O'Connor is scheduled to be deposed on July 9 as committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) expands his panel's probes into Biden's mental acuity while in office, demanding interviews with former top aides. Comer issued a subpoena for testimony from O'Connor earlier this month. The Oversight committee is looking into Biden's cognitive functions and autopen usage during his White House tenure. Biden and his wife, Jill, have denied allegations that the former president experienced decline while in office. New books about the end of former President Biden's term and his recent diagnosis with an aggressive form of prostate cancer have put a spotlight on O'Connor, who has served as Biden's physician since the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president. He was the Biden family physician after the Democrats left office, and was selected to serve again when Biden became president in 2021. O'Connor's last physical exam of Biden, dated February 2024, described the then-president as 'fit for duty,' adding that he 'fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.' Comer had previously asked O'Connor to appear before the Oversight panel for a transcribed interview, saying in a late May letter that 'the Committee seeks information to ensure accurate information was provided to the American people and your health reports were not subject to any improper influence.' O'Connor's team refused that request, his lawyers citing in part a D.C. code concerning physicians' disclosure of patient information to a court without consent, according to the June letter from Comer issuing the subpoena. NBC News first reported on Connor's scheduled July appearance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Health
- The Hill
Biden's White House physician to appear before House panel
Former President Biden's White House doctor, Kevin O'Connor, is set to appear for a deposition before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next month, a committee spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. O'Connor is scheduled to be deposed on July 9 as committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) expands his panel's probes into Biden's mental acuity while in office, demanding interviews with former top aides. Comer issued a subpoena for testimony from O'Connor earlier this month. The Oversight committee is looking into Biden's cognitive functions and autopen usage during his White House tenure. Biden and his wife, Jill, have denied allegations that the former president experienced decline while in office. New books about the end of Biden's term and his recent diagnosis with an aggressive form of prostate cancer have put a spotlight on O'Connor, who has served as Biden's physician since the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president. He was the Biden family physician after the Democrats left office, and was selected to serve again when Biden became president in 2021. O'Connor's last physical exam of Biden, dated February 2024, described the then-president as 'fit for duty,' adding that he 'fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.' Comer had previously asked O'Connor to appear before the Oversight panel for a transcribed interview, saying in a late May letter that 'the Committee seeks information to ensure accurate information was provided to the American people and your health reports were not subject to any improper influence.' O'Connor's team refused that request, his lawyers citing in part a D.C. code concerning physicians' disclosure of patient information to a court without consent, according to the June letter from Comer issuing the subpoena. NBC News first reported on Connor's scheduled July appearance.
