WTF Just Happened Today

Thursday, February 2, 2023

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1/ The FBI plans to search Pence‘s Indiana home for classified material in the coming days. Last month, Pence’s lawyers said they had found several classified documents at his home and turned them over to authorities. The investigation into classified documents that Trump took to Mar-a-Lago, meanwhile, has escalated for more than a year to include a criminal investigation into possible obstruction, among other potential crimes, which special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing. (Wall Street Journal)

2/ House Republicans removed Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee for making what Kevin McCarthy described as “repeated antisemitic and anti-American remarks.” After entering Congress in 2019, Omar angered both Democrats and Republicans for suggesting on Twitter that Israel’s political allies in the U.S. were motivated by money rather than principle, saying: “It’s all about the Benjamins baby.” In a party-line vote, the resolution condemns Omar for using an antisemitic trope connecting Jews to money and disapproved of Omar equating “atrocities” by the U.S. military to those committed by terrorist groups like the Taliban and Hamas. Omar, a refugee from Somalia and one of the first Muslim women to serve in the House, has apologized for her comments. Democrats, meanwhile, criticized the push to oust Omar, arguing it amounts to an act of political retribution after Democrats stripped Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar of their assignments last term for violent rhetoric and posts. (Washington Post / CNN / Associated Press / New York Times / Wall Street Journal)

3/ Mitch McConnell removed Rick Scott from the Senate Commerce Committee as retribution for trying to replace him as leader of the GOP conference. McConnell also removed Mike Lee from the committee, who supported Scott’s effort to oust McConnell. (The Hill / CNN)

4/ Trump invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer questions more than 400 times during an August deposition as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil investigation into the Trump Organization’s business practices. About a month later, James filed a lawsuit against Trump, three of his children, and executives of his business, accusing them of a long-running scheme to inflate the value of their properties. “This whole thing is very unfair,” Trump said in the deposition video. “Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool,” adding that on the advice of counsel, “I respectfully decline to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.” (CBS News / CNN / ABC News)

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