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‘Out of Order!’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Triggers Shouting Match Between Comer and Top Dem

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Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ignited a heated confrontation during a budget bill hearing Wednesday by claiming that budgets have nothing to do with policy — a stance that top Democrats have long argued contradicts core American values. Her assertion drew an immediate rebuttal from one of the committee’s top Democrats, but Oversight Chairman James Comer jumped to Greene’s defense, attempting to cut off the correction and escalating the exchange into a shouting match, while mocking Democrats’ efforts to preserve and honor American values.

After U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) made an impassioned plea to not cut the budget of the Veterans Administration, or Social Security, or Medicare in order to produce a $4 trillion tax cut largely for the wealthy — a top Trump priority — Congresswoman Greene lashed out.

“I’d like to point something out that our Democrat colleagues know this, because they did reconciliation before when they are they were in charge and, you know, it may be hard for some of the freshman Dems to understand, but this is not a policy debate,” the Georgia Republican alleged. “That’s not what reconciliation is. This is a budget process.”

“And so for the American people watching at home, our Democrat colleagues are sitting here trying to score points and spread more lies and divisiveness about Republicans in order to spread more garbage across the country,” she charged, calling Democrats’ pleas “entertainment.”

READ MORE: ‘Please Chill This Is Going Great’: Trump Mocked for Blaming Biden Amid Poor Economic Data

That’s when U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat in Congress for nearly a quarter century and possibly next in line for Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee, slammed Greene’s interpretation of the Committee’s work.

“Mr. Chairman, I just want to say, our federal budget reflects our values,” Lynch declared, a statement many budget experts would affirm, and one that has been by President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

“When we fund the VA,” Lynch continued, “it’s not just about numbers. It’s about, it’s about the mission, and the purpose of our budget.”

Chairman Comer appeared to grow angry.

“You do understand our federal budget is $2.5 trillion?” Comer declared, appearing to suggest details like how much spent on veterans was not worth the Committee’s time. “We can’t have ‘values’,” Comer insisted, with the amount of debt the federal government is carrying.

“Reclaiming my time — you don’t get to just interject, Mr. Chairman,” Lynch charged.

You know what? I think you’ve already spoken, so you’re out of order,” Comer declared, hitting his desk with his gavel.

“I will speak,” Lynch, now heated, told the Chair. “You’re about to put our country $4 trillion more than debt.”

“I don’t think you all could find a billion dollars in savings,” Comer alleged.

“Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time,” Lynch again declared.

“You can talk all you want. I want everyone in America to see how much — ” Comer snapped.

“Mr. Chairman. You’re out of order. You’re out of order. You’re the chairman, you’re out of order,” Lynch again charged.

READ MORE: ‘Prices Go Up’: Economist Mocks Treasury Secretary’s ‘Empty Shelves’ Position

“Now, without interruption,” Lynch continued, “what we decide here in the budget is what I’m the point I’m trying to make is it’s not just dollars and cents. It’s about where, where that money goes, and what, what purposes and what, what priorities it reflects. And those, you know, governing is about making decisions, and we we choose to fund things that in this country, we have honored for a very long time, and that, you know, I have to say, in my 25 years in Congress, we have had very little disagreement on funding veteran benefits.”

Lynch went on to lament that “now we’re fighting tooth and tongs — and nail — about whether we’re gonna lay off 80,000 employees at the VA. What I’m saying is that, sure, it’s about the budget, but underlying that budget is is our priorities as a country. What we consider to be worthwhile . And I feel that veterans’ benefits are worthwhile. Veterans, healthcare is worthwhile. The way we treat our federal employees is important. It is intrinsic to be the work of the federal government and how we help the most vulnerable, as well as, you, average everyday Americans on Social Security, on Medicaid.”

Watch the videos below or at this link.


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Experts Sound Alarm as Trump Officials Accused of Defying Court Orders: Report

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In a deep-dive exposé, The Washington Post reports that Trump officials are accused of having defied one in three judges who have ruled against the administration, leading one legal expert to suggest America may be just “steps” away from a Constitutional crisis.

“A comprehensive analysis of hundreds of lawsuits against Trump policies shows dozens of examples of defiance, delay and dishonesty, which experts say pose an unprecedented threat to the U.S. legal system,” the Post reported.

The Trump administration has been “accused of defying court orders in roughly one-third of the more than 160 lawsuits filed against the administration that resulted in substantive judicial rulings,” according to the Post’s analysis by its Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal, “raising concerns about widespread noncompliance with the American legal system.”

Jouvenal says he “read all 337 lawsuits against the Trump administration.” Detailing his report on social media, he wrote: “How are Trump officials allegedly defying judges? The review found a long list of accusations: Snubbing orders, [withholding] evidence, creating pretexts to carry out actions that have been blocked, offering false and misleading information in court and more.”

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Of the 337 lawsuits against the Trump administration reviewed by the Post, “courts had ruled against the administration in 165 of the lawsuits.”

Some of the cases the Post examined are well known to many Americans.

One example is the illegal deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who was sent to the country’s notorious maximum-security prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), despite a binding court order prohibiting his removal.

The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” his return to the United States.

“Abrego remained there for almost two months, with the administration saying there was little it could do because he was under control of a foreign power,” the Post reported, adding that “recent filings in the case reveal that El Salvador told the United Nations that the U.S. retained control over prisoners sent there.”

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis wrote the Trump administration had “failed to respond in good faith, and their refusal to do so can only be viewed as willful and intentional noncompliance,” according to the Post.

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In April, Politico reported that “Xinis also accused the administration of mischaracterizing the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier … requiring the administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release from El Salvador’s custody.”

In response to the Post’s report, noted Professor of Politics Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, called it a “[shocking] pattern of defiance of the judiciary by Trump Administration.”

Prominent attorney Mark Zaid—an expert in national security law, constitutional free speech, whistleblower protections, and government accountability—issued a stark warning:

“Steps closer to true constitutional crisis. I, for one, think it is just a matter of when, rather than if, Trump Administration will disobey [a] Supreme Court order.”

READ MORE: ‘Trust in Trump’: White House Touts ‘Incredible’ Economy as Inflation Jumps

 

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Dems Launch Aggressive House Map Blitz as Red States Plan Blue Seat Redraw

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House Democrats are pushing back against President Donald Trump’s directive to eliminate Democratic seats in Texas by launching an aggressive redistricting strategy of their own—hiring top attorneys to help cut down the number of GOP-held seats in five key states, in the battle to retake control of the House from Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republicans.

Calling it “an extraordinary push,” CNN reported that House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wants to reorganize the congressional maps in California, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Washington state, to help Democrats pick up as many seats as possible—if the courts allow it.

Currently, California has nine House Republicans. New York has seven. Minnesota has four, New Jersey has three, and Washington has two.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s plan reportedly could wipe out up to five of the 13 Democratic-held House seats in the Lone Star State. Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine is also planning on redrawing districts in his state to try to eliminate some of the five Democratic-held seats in his state.

The Cincinnati Enquirer last week noted that “Republicans control every aspect of the redistricting process in Ohio,” including at the state Supreme Court.

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Leader Jeffries is calling the GOP redistricting plan “part of a scheme to rig the midterm elections,” but he’s willing to do battle on this front.

“We have a responsibility of making sure that we look at every single state of the union and do what we can to ensure that we maximize fairness in those jurisdictions,” Jeffries told CNN. “Some of the best and brightest lawyers in the country are looking at every single aspect of what’s possible in these states.”

Unlike in red states, blue states have independent commissions to determine districts. This could present a legal hurdle to Jeffries’ plan, but some Democrats are determined to move forward.

“If Republicans want to play by these rules, then I think that we shouldn’t have one set of rules for one and the other set of rules for another. I think we need to even the playing board,” U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told CNN.

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) told CNN, “I think the biggest thing that keeps Trump up at night is losing the majority in the US House of Representatives and having to answer to Democrats and be held accountable.”

Chances are strong that if Democrats retake the House in next year’s election, President Trump could once again face impeachment.

Texas’s special session, which starts Monday, is expected to complete the plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps. But The Washington Post reported that “Texas’s Republican members of Congress expressed little enthusiasm for the plan, which could make safe seats more competitive.”

And U.S. Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) warned that if Democrats don’t act,  “It’s gonna be a knockout midterm election like you haven’t seen in a long time.”

READ MORE: ‘Total Nonsense’: Stephen Miller Blasted Over ‘Wonders’ of Life ‘When Illegals Are Gone’

California’s Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month denounced Texas Governor Abbott’s plan, and vowed to respond.

“Texas is using a special session about emergency disaster aid to redistrict their state and cheat their way into more Congressional seats. These guys have no shame,” Newsom wrote, adding that his state “is watching — and you can bet we won’t stand idly by.”

Last week, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) denounced what she called her state’s efforts to “dilute the voices of people of color” by redistricting away blue seats.

Watch the vote below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Trust in Trump’: White House Touts ‘Incredible’ Economy as Inflation Jumps

 

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Trump Sues Murdoch Over WSJ’s Epstein Birthday Letter Story

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President Donald Trump is reportedly suing Rupert Murdoch and Dow Jones, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, over the publication of a story alleging he sent a “bawdy” birthday letter in 2003 to Jeffrey Epstein, the now-notorious convicted sex offender who died in 2019.

“Court records show that Trump filed a lawsuit alleging libel against Murdoch, the Journal’s publisher, Dow Jones, and the reporters who wrote the article in federal court for the Southern District of Florida,” CNBC reported late Friday afternoon.

Trump vehemently denied the Journal’s report and publicly threatened to sue after it was published. The Journal had reported in its story that Trump had warned he would take legal action if the story ran.

“The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Thursday night. “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his a– off, and that of his third rate newspaper. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DJT”

READ MORE: FBI Told to Flag Mentions of Trump in Epstein Files, Dem Says in Scathing Letter to Bondi

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