Congress
Kash Patel makes opening pitch for FBI job
President Donald Trump’s controversial FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee now.
In his opening remarks, Patel laid out his vision for the FBI, telling senators that the agency must return to tackling violent crime and committing to transparency for the law enforcement organization. Anticipating questions over his qualifications for the job, Patel told the panel about his years as a public defender, a federal terrorism prosecutor, a senior director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council and a staffer to the director of national intelligence during the first Trump administration.
“If confirmed as the next FBI director, I will remain focused on the FBI’s core mission: that is to investigate fully wherever there is a constitutional factual basis to do so and to never make a prosecutorial decision that is solely the providence of the Department of Justice and the attorney general,” Patel said.
Opening the hearing, Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sought to reject the implication that Patel was unqualified for the job, specifically rebuking the idea that Patel had a so-called “enemies list.”
Trump named Patel to replace Christopher Wray, the former FBI director from Trump’s previous time in office. Trump ultimately came to believe Wray was launching efforts to weaponize the agency against him, forcing Wray to resign. Patel, meanwhile, is a longtime Trump loyalist who, as a House staffer, worked to discredit the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“You’ll take charge of an FBI that is in crisis,” Grassley said. “Remember, either you’re going to run your agency or the agency’s going to run you, and the agency certainly ended up running Director Wray and probably people before him.”
Committee ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in opening remarks accused Patel of peddling conspiracy theories around the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol and pointed to the list of alleged “Deep State” officials in the nominee’s book that includes a number of Democrats and former Trump administration officials.
But despite condemnation from Democrats and a number of former Trump administration officials who also oppose Patel’s confirmation, Patel’s chances of being approved to lead the FBI appear largely certain. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who briefly wavered on supporting Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and has yet to commit his support for DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard, introduced Patel Thursday mroning in a highly effusive address — a nod to how safe Patel’s odds of confirmation appear to be.
Congress
These House GOP election proposals could end up in a reconciliation bill
The chair of the House committee overseeing elections is circulating a list of proposals to include in a budget reconciliation bill as Senate Republicans and the White House move to rev up the party-line process to pass pieces of a contentious GOP voting bill in the coming months.
The list from House Administration Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) is a peek at what sort of provisions Republicans could try to pass under reconciliation, which is strictly reserved for legislation with a direct fiscal impact. The party-line effort is likely to rule out big portions of the SAVE America Act, the bill President Donald Trump has called his “No. 1 priority” for the year.
Steil’s proposals would mandate or financially incentivize states to implement voter ID laws, require proof of citizenship for voter registration, share voter data with federal agencies for verification and conduct post-election audits, among other items, according to a document obtained by POLITICO being circulated with GOP leaders and several Republican offices. It’s an effort to try to secure major pieces of Trump’s election-related demands.
In some cases, states would lose funding under the 2002 Help America Vote Act, a law passed in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election that provides federal money to help administer elections, if they fail to comply.
It’s not clear if parts of Steil’s proposals would in fact pass muster under the party-line reconciliation process. The Senate parliamentarian’s guidance typically determines what is and isn’t included.
Three people granted anonymity to discuss the brewing deal Senate Republicans and Trump discussed Monday evening, to pass Homeland Security funding now and SAVE America Act provisions later, say the most likely outcome for a new reconciliation bill is adding money for ballot security measures and potentially incentivizing more states to enact voter ID requirements. Steil’s list includes some of those pieces.
Under Steil’s proposal, states using noncompliant IDs would be ineligible to receive HAVA funding — consistent with Steil’s bill, the Make Elections Great Again Act, which overlaps with the SAVE America Act but also has no current path to passage in the Senate.
His effort to mandate proof-of-citizenship requirements would appropriate funds to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to amend the national voter registration form to require “Documentary Proof of Citizenship” such as a passport or military ID. States would have to forfeit HAVA funds if they fail to share data with federal agencies to verify voter registration data, a move officials in several states have refused to make.
Besides the Senate parliamentarian, any effort to pass elections provisions on party lines will face other obstacles. The decision to pursue a new reconciliation bill in lieu of trying to pass the SAVE America Act in full is already generating major pushback from conservative hard-liners.
The House Freedom Caucus took a shot at Senate Republicans Tuesday, arguing the brewing DHS deal means Senate Republicans are opting for “failure theater” and “gaslighting” instead of fighting to pass the bill Trump has endorsed. Even GOP senators and senior aides are privately cautioning the fresh reconciliation push could fall apart, stranding the elections overhaul and other GOP priorities.
Congress
King Charles to make first US state visit, address Congress next month
England’s King Charles III will make his first state visit to Washington next month.
As part of his visit, the king will address Congress in a joint meeting the week of April 27, according to two people familiar with the matter granted anonymity to discuss plans ahead of a formal announcement.
The visit was first reported by Punchbowl News.
It will be the first time a British royal has addressed Congress since 1991, when Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the first British monarch to speak before a packed House chamber.
President Donald Trump visited London in September, and House Speaker Mike Johnson visited in January as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Johnson addressed Parliament during his visit, becoming the first House speaker to do so.
Charles’ visit comes as Trump continues to pressure Prime Minister Keir Starmer for assistance in the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
Starmer has distanced himself from the war, previously stating, “This is not our war, and we are not getting dragged into this war.”
Congress
Stitt picks energy executive Alan Armstrong as next Oklahoma senator
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt tapped energy executive Alan Armstrong to replace incoming DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin in the Senate, he announced in a press conference Tuesday.
Armstrong is the executive chair of Williams Companies, an energy company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Stitt called him a “strong business leader” who values “free markets and limited government.”
“Alan’s story, as you guys get to know him, reflects the very best of Oklahoma,” he said. “Our values, our work ethic, and our pursuit of the American dream that is alive and well in the state of Oklahoma.”
Armstrong will serve until a successor is elected in November. Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) is the heavy favorite to win a full term.
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