Congress

Republican committee chair wants testimony from operatives accused of meddling in Alaska Senate race

Published

12 minutes ago

October 29, 2026

House Oversight Chair James Comer said Thursday he’s launching an investigation into allegations that the campaign of former Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Alaska, played a role in recruiting candidates with a similar name to her GOP opponent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, in order to confuse voters in Tuesday’s election.

The Kentucky Republican is requesting interviews with people allegedly involved in the plot: Elisa Rios, a former Peltola campaign staffer who spoke with the New York Times for the story that detailed Peltola’s alleged actions; and Jerid Kurtz, a Democratic political operative who, according to the Times, recruited people named Dan Sullivan to appear on the ballot.

Comer left open the possibility of issuing subpoenas if Rios and Kurtz do not comply with the transcribed interview requests. He’s also working fast, while his term as the committee’s top Republican culminates at the end of this year and the GOP majority could be lost to Democrats on Election Night: He wants Rios to appear before the committee on Nov. 5 and Kurtz on Nov. 6.

“Democrats are the party of fraud,” Comer said. “Knowing they can’t win on the issues, Democrats schemed to rig the U.S. Senate election in Alaska by deliberately confusing voters. This is part of a broader pattern of misconduct by today’s Democrat Party.”

Rios and Kurtz were not immediately reachable for comment.

The stakes are high for the Alaska Senate race that could decide the balance of power in the chamber — and more broadly in Congress. The Trump Justice Department has already laid the groundwork to challenge the election results if Peltola wins, on the basis that the presence of an independent candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, is an intentional push to mislead the voters; the incumbent senator’s middle initial is “S.”

Last week, the DOJ sued to prevent Alaska state officials from certifying the results should Sullivan lose: “Given the substantial likelihood that the inclusion of Daniel J. Sullivan will confuse or mislead voters looking to cast a vote for Senator Sullivan, and thus distort the will of Alaskan voters, there is a substantial likelihood that a certification of the election will reflect an electoral process that lacked integrity.”

In June, the Alaska Supreme Court allowed the independent Sullivan to stay on the ballot.

Spokespeople for Peltola and Sen. Sullivan, as well as the Oversight Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Congress

Capitol agenda: House Democrats’ next big battle

Published

4 hours ago

October 29, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

A battle of the competing factions of a potential House Democratic majority is already underway.

An expected wave of both progressives and moderates in the midterms has members of both contingents feeling strongly that any 2026 gains would be proof that their wing of the party should dictate the legislative agenda ahead of 2028.

In private phone calls, group chats and strategy sessions, the left flank is plotting out how to leverage its expanding ranks, while centrists are scheming about how to act as a counterbalance.

“There’s going to be some real tension, because we have to move,” progressive Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois said in an interview. “Preserving perfect relationships with colleagues who don’t feel the urgency the way that some of us feel it, because we live it every day, isn’t my top priority. Protecting people is.”

The Congressional Progressive Caucus gathered incumbent and incoming members to Washington last month to strategize about how to advance their policy wishlist and to outline what Ramirez described as “non-negotiables.”

Likely members of the new liberal cohort — whichsome are calling “The Bloc” — all campaigned on ending U.S. aid to Israel, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and passing “Medicare for All.”

Because fewer progressives are running in competitive races this year, the left has had more breathing room to begin organizing its new members. But the more centrist collectives on Capitol Hill — like the New Democrat Coalition, the Blue Dog Caucus and Problem Solvers Caucus — are hoping to quickly catch up and have already sketched out governing agendas that hew closely to the campaign messages coming from top party leaders.

“Just like with the progressives, there have been conversations among moderates about our policy priorities, with a clear proactive agenda,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, a veteran leader of the moderate wing. He said that he expects some of his colleagues on the left will push for “policy red lines that are too extreme and out of step with our democratic values.”

Members of the New Dems published a 65-page dossier in May pushing consensus bills that target lowering costs. And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on track to be speaker in a new Democratic majority, has already previewed an early slate of bills that align closely with their vision — rolling back Republican-led Medicaid cuts, restoring expired Affordable Care Act subsidies and ending President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Still, both moderates and progressives boast that they have Jeffries’ ear and have lobbied him in recent months to take up their priorities.

What else we’re watching:

— WARREN EYES LEADERSHIP MOVE: Sen. Elizabeth Warren doesn’t want to be Senate Democratic leader next year, but she is looking at taking on a bigger role after the midterms. A person familiar with the Massachusetts Democrat’s thinking, granted anonymity to speak candidly, says “Warren will take a close look at Senate leadership opportunities, including the No. 3 slot.” Sen. Amy Klobuchar currently holds that spot, but is expected to win next week’s race to be governor of Minnesota, creating a vacancy.

— A CONTESTED RACE FOR GOP CONFERENCE CHAIR?: Chatter is building around whether anyone will challenge House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan for her leadership slot next year. And, according to three people granted anonymity to share private conversations, some Republicans are hoping McClain’s previous opponent, Rep. Kat Cammack, gets into the race. Four House Republicans granted anonymity to speak candidly said they doubt Cammack will actually mount a challenge, but the Florida Republican isn’t ruling it out.

— COMPANIES PREPARE FOR DEMOCRATIC OVERSIGHT: A broad range of tech, finance, crypto and industrial companies, panicking over the likely onslaught of partisan investigations if Democrats retake Congress, are hiring lobbyists and crisis communications experts to gird against the potential deluge of inquiries. They’re also seeking outside legal counsel to help avoid reputational damage as Democrats promise to scrutinize private-sector dealings with the Trump administration.

Riley Rogerson, Jordain Carney, Mia McCarthy, Daniel Barnes and Oliver Ward contributed to this report.

Congress

Top House Democrats demand Trump preserve conversations with Grok

Published

8 hours ago

October 29, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees want President Donald Trump to preserve his conversations with artificial intelligence chatbots as part of an inquiry into whether Elon Musk’s AI assistant played a role in shaping White House policy — a preview of what’s to come if their party flips the chamber next week.

In a letter to Trump obtained by Blue Light News, Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California are demanding that the president preserve “any prompts” submitted to AI chatbots, including Musk’s Grok, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude while “carrying out your constitutional, statutory, or other official or ceremonial duties,” along with the AI responses.

Raskin and Garcia — who are expected to wield the Judiciary and Oversight gavels if Democrats win back the House, respectively — are also asking for a briefing on the matter by 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 11.

Their request was informed by reporting that said Trump sought Grok’s “advice on carrying out some of your presidential duties, including asking Grok to opine on how Venezuelans would respond to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.” The lawmakers note that, just “weeks later,” Trump “ordered the U.S. military, without congressional authorization, to attack Venezuela and capture President Maduro.”

Garcia and Raskin called the example “deeply troubling” because Trump “consulted Grok — but not Congress — on your military deployment to Venezuela, circumventing Congress’s constitutional power to declare war and introducing instead into American foreign policy decision making a technology that is highly manipulable and demonstrably error-prone.”

They also said the use of AI chatbots by the White House “exposes the United States to acute national security risks” and that usage “exposes the country to malign influence from unknown and unaccountable third parties.”

A White House official said in a statement that “the White House preserves all required records in accordance with the law.”

Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Congress

Elizabeth Warren eyes post-election Senate leadership move

Published

8 hours ago

October 29, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Elizabeth Warren is looking at making a move within the Senate Democratic leadership team after the midterms.

Warren, who is currently in the No. 5 spot, isn’t interested in being top leader but could try to take on a bigger role on the caucus’ leadership team, according to a person with knowledge of her thinking who was granted anonymity to speak candidly.

“After the midterm elections, Warren will take a close look at Senate leadership opportunities, including the No. 3 slot,” the person said.

As Steering and Policy chair, Sen. Amy Klobuchar now holds the No. 3 spot in the caucus. But she’s expected to win the Minnesota governor’s race next week, which would leave the top tier of the Senate Democratic leadership team without a woman for the first time in a decade.

Former Sen. Debbie Stabenow previously held the third-ranked spot but retired. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) also previously held the position but left leadership.

A spokesperson for Warren declined to comment. Her potential move comes as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is seeking reelection as leader and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) is expected to move unopposed into the No. 2 role of whip. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is in the caucus’ No. 4 position.

It’s not clear if Booker, who is viewed as a potential 2028 White House contender, will try to move to a different spot next year. He currently chairs the Strategic Communications Committee, a position that gives him influence over caucus messaging strategy. A spokesperson declined to comment Wednesday.

Warren and Booker are friendly, and colleagues don’t expect them to run against each other in the upcoming shakeup. Democrats have generally avoided public leadership contests and instead work out titles and positions privately.

The title and responsibilities for the No. 3 position, as well as other posts, also could change as Democrats reshuffle things after the midterms. Leadership elections aren’t expected until early December.

A similar dynamic played out two years ago when both Booker and Klobuchar were eyeing the No. 3 gig, which at that point was overseeing Senate Democrats’ Policy and Communications Committee. As part of the deal, Klobuchar took the No. 3 spot as chair of a reconfigured Steering and Policy Committee, and Booker got the No. 4 spot with a portfolio tailored to his interest in messaging.

Warren joined the leadership team in 2014 and has steadily climbed through the ranks to become a leading progressive voice in the Senate. She’s not planning a repeat run for president in 2028 and is instead focusing, in part, on helping drive the party’s economic policy. She’s also likely to chair the Senate Banking Committee if Democrats flip the majority next week.

Warren was also part of a group of senators who split with Schumer and the Senate Democratic campaign arm over their primary strategy during the current election cycle. But she’s also helped raise money for the party organs, including more than $1 million for the DNC online, according to a person with knowledge of DNC fundraising who was granted anonymity to disclose private figures.

She’s also raised more than $1 million for the DSCC and has been campaigning with candidates across the country. She’s visited several states in recent weeks including Michigan, Maine and New Hampshire, which all have battleground Senate and key House races.