Congress

Jeffries calls on Biden to pardon more Americans

Published

2 years ago

December 3, 2024

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called on President Joe Biden to pardon more people convicted of nonviolent offenses amid controversy over the president’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden.

“During his final weeks in office, President Biden should exercise the high level of compassion he has consistently demonstrated throughout his life, including toward his son, and pardon on a case-by-case basis the working-class Americans in the federal prison system whose lives have been ruined by unjustly aggressive prosecutions for nonviolent offenses,” Jeffries said in a statement.

Jeffries’ comments echo the calls from some other Democrats who in recent days have asked Biden to use his clemency powers for more Americans in federal custody besides Hunter and to address sentencing disparities. But it did not pass judgment on the pardon of Hunter Biden itself. Some in the caucus have openly criticized the president since the pardon was issued and said it could tarnish his legacy and open a lane for Donald Trump to issue similar sweeping pardons.

Congress

Graham’s death leaves Senate agenda in limbo

Published

2 hours ago

July 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Lindsey Graham’s death is poised to upend the Senate, where the GOP majority was already tight and the four-term South Carolina Republican loomed large in several immediate policy fights ahead of the midterms — putting the fate of multiple legislative priorities into question.

Graham — who died of a “brief a sudden illness” Saturday, according to his office — chaired the Budget Committee, which has been facing pressure from President Donald Trump to advance a new party-line spending package including a major boost in defense funding. He was also a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, which has been working to land a deal to avert a government shutdown at the end of September.

Graham was a member of the Judiciary Committee, which is set this week to hold confirmation hearings for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to lead the Justice Department permanently. GOP leaders had been counting on Graham to help rally support for the nominee in committee and on the floor with a handful of fellow Republicans at risk of withholding their votes.

And he was leading efforts to slap sanctions on Russia for its ongoing aggression against Ukraine — a crusade that may now have lost a second Republican champion on Capitol Hill after the hospitalization of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Senate Republican leaders will need to immediately begin to account for Graham’s absence as they plot out their next three weeks in Washington before leaving for summer recess — and as they seek to deliver on campaign promises as the November elections loom.

“He was a trusted adviser and colleague to me and many others, and numerous presidents and heads of state have relied on his counsel,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a statement Sunday morning. “His influence on the federal judiciary, our national defense, and his beloved South Carolina will be felt for generations.”

Graham’s death brings Senate Republicans’ already narrow majority to 52-47 — and functionally even narrower as McConnell continues to be missing for undisclosed medical reasons. Under South Carolina law, the Republican governor can appoint a temporary successor, though that person would not necessarily inherit his same committee assignments nor share Graham’s vast expertise in defense, foreign affairs and judicial matters.

Graham chaired the Appropriations subcommittee overseeing funding for the State Department, and his successor in that role will be facing a tight timeline ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline to avert a funding lapse — and fresh pressures to keep cash flowing to key diplomatic activities amid the ongoing war against Iran.

Nearly all Senate appropriators hold a subcommittee gavel, so decisions about who will take over from Graham will be dependent on whether the most senior members want to shuffle among themselves or let a rank-and-file Appropriations Republican step up into a leadership role.

Graham and McConnell have together led a consistent drumbeat within a changing Republican party for continued engagement by the U.S. on the international stage and with key alliances — along with advocacy for more defense spending. Graham’s death will strike a blow to the “peace through strength” part of the GOP as President Donald Trump shows little interest in traditional alliances and continues his criticism of NATO. Graham was a key voice against a growing isolationist stance within his party and cheerled the war against Iran.

The Senate is scheduled to take up the annual defense authorization measure this week, a major leadership goal of the July legislative sprint ahead of the upcoming extended recess and around which Graham was set to play a key role during floor debate.

“There are no words to describe his impact on the foreign and domestic policy of the United States,” Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said on social media Sunday, adding that “he stood solidly for freedom and strength and he fought for liberty across the globe.”

The most immediate source of anxiety for leadership could be what effect Graham’s absence could have for Blanche, who is scheduled to testify Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee with hopes of being confirmed by the first week of August.

The nominee has faced blowback from members of both parties over Blanche’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and, most recently, his oscillation over the fate of a $180 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” critics feared would be used to pay damages to President Donald Trump’s supporters.

Outgoing Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), who sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, haven’t committed to voting for him. Another retiring Senate Republican, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and GOP moderate Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are also among those who would waver on Blanche if and when his nomination comes to the floor. Graham was a reliable “yes.”

GOP leaders will also need to install a new chair of the Budget Committee as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Congress to move another party-line package with a $350 billion infusion for the military, along with other conservative priorities.

Graham was set to take the lead on a Senate effort, recently meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss using the filibuster-skirting reconciliation bill to bolster the Pentagon amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. He was a major cheerleader for both efforts as a staunch Trump ally and an avowed defense hawk, and his death is a setback for the broader reconciliation push that was already facing steep odds given a truncated window for action and lack of agreement about what provisions should go into the legislation.

The next chair of the Senate Budget Committee will be selected largely by seniority, though the next two Republicans in line after Graham — Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Mike Crapo of Idaho — already chair the Judiciary and Finance panels, respectively. The next two Republicans in line after that are Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who currently chairs the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

Efforts to impose economic sanctions on Russia are also now up in the air following Graham’s death. He had just returned to his Washington residence from Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and announced there was an agreement with the White House for the Senate to finally move forward on a package allowing Trump to sanction countries that buy Russian oil and gas.

There was hope heading into the weekend that the deal, which would punish buyers of Russian oil, would yield fresh pressure on Moscow. Graham’s allies in the push — including Wicker and Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — could rally to pass the package in Graham’s memory.

But the effort also may fall into limbo with its chief cheerleader on Capitol Hill gone and close second, McConnell, also absent.

Congress

Graham Platner officially withdraws from Maine Senate race

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Graham Platner has formally withdrawn his candidacy from the Maine Senate race, according to election officials — triggering the process to name his replacement on the ballot.

“The Secretary of State’s Office today confirmed that a formal notice has been received from U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner,” the office said in a statement Friday. “Because the candidate officially withdrew before 5 p.m. of the 2nd Monday in July, … his name will not appear on the ballot, and his political party may replace him.”

The notice comes two days after Platner publicly announced he would end his bid, and follows POLITICO’s report that a woman he dated accused him of sexual assault — an allegation he denies.

The Maine Democratic Party has yet to detail in full what the process will look like to choose a new candidate who will face GOP Sen. Susan Collins in the fall, other than broadcasting its intent to hold a convention before the July 27 deadline to name a replacement. The scramble has already begun, with at least eight contenders throwing their hats into the ring so far, including several former gubernatorial candidates, like former public health official Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson.

Platner on Friday posted the note of withdrawal that he sent to the Secretary of State’s office on social media. In it, he thanked voters for their support and said he will seek to “further the movement we have built together and the future we believe in.”

He delivered a similar note to campaign staff in a private group chat, according to a person in the chat who was granted anonymity to detail the message.

“I just submitted this to the division of elections. Thank you all so much, this was the best thing I have done in my life. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. I love you all,” Platner wrote to staff.

The Maine Democratic Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

State party officials announced late Thursday that hopefuls will have to submit 500 signatures from Democratic voters in order to qualify for the convention — a boon for the several candidates who can reactivate campaign infrastructure from their recently failed gubernatorial or congressional bids.

Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.

Congress

Russia sanctions legislation gets green light from White House, lawmakers say

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

A bipartisan group of senators said Friday they reached an agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration to move forward a new version of legislation to sanction buyers of Russian oil, potentially advancing a long-stalled effort to ramp up pressure on Moscow.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters in Kyiv, where he’s visiting, that the lawmakers have been working closely with the administration on a version of the legislation that would be “acceptable” to the White House and that was “written in a way they could support.”

Neither he nor his colleagues in the effort — Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) — provided details on the legislative text.

The White House has resisted full support of legislation to limit the flow of funds to Moscow’s war chest through sanctions on countries purchasing Russian oil, in addition to Russian officials and entities. Instead, the administration has pushed for the bill to give Trump more latitude to pursue negotiations with Moscow to end the war on Ukraine.

But now might be the lawmakers’ moment to clinch White House backing. Trump has appeared to shift his stance on the more than four-year-long war of late, telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit this week that he would grant Kyiv licenses to produce Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine’s defense against Russian ballistic missiles.

“As Russia intensifies its slaughter of civilians, it is imperative that the legislative and executive branches work together to create tools to exact a heavy price on those who buy Russian oil and natural gas, fueling the Putin war machine,” Graham, Shaheen, Blumenthal and Wicker said in a joint statement Friday.

The lawmakers added that they expected to roll out the updated legislation “very soon,” but didn’t give a timeline.

The Graham-led effort to curtail cash flow to Russia’s war machine has appeared to advance multiple times — only to fizzle out. In January, Graham even said he’d gotten the green light from the White House on the legislation, which has more than 80 Senate cosponsors, but that didn’t pan out either.

It’s unclear whether this time is different. Trump has yet to address the latest bid to move the legislation forward, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.