No Lame Ducks Here
| December 24, 2018Though they will soon revert to the minority in the US House, Republicans in Congress are looking to go out with a bang and not a whimper.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, has already announced that he will call former FBI director James Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to testify regarding the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server while she served as secretary of state. Though the FBI closed the investigation long ago, Republicans have pursued the matter in Congress, claiming a cover-up.
Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, will open a different hearing into the Clintons, this one regarding possible improprieties at the Clinton Foundation.
Opponents allege that foreign governments poured money into the foundation during her term as secretary of state, attempting to influence her decision making. Rep. Meadows says the committee also plans to probe whether the foundation followed IRS rules and whether tax-exempt proceeds were used for personal gain. A story in the New York Post recently noted that contributions at the foundation had plunged from $62 million in 2016, when Clinton ran for president, to just $26 million in 2017.
And that’s not all: Government activities are funded only through December 7. In order to prevent a shutdown, both sides will have to settle a number of divisive issues, among them Trump’s insistence on funding a border wall with Mexico, and the Democrats’ request to pass a law that will protect the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller.
Expect a stormy few weeks in Washington.
(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 737)
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