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'White Supremacy Caucus': GOP lawmaker torches 'America First Caucus' as he offers his take on lawmakers joining it
April 17, 2021
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) did not mince words when he shared his opinion of the right-wing America First Caucus. The Republican lawmaker also criticized his colleagues interested in joining the caucus as he stressed that there should be consequences for such actions.
On Friday, April 16, Kinzinger took to Twitter with a series of tweets about the formation of the new caucus. According to Mediaite, the caucus was founded by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), both of whom recently attended a white nationalist conference and served as keynote speakers. The publication reports that the two lawmakers have been working to recruit a number of other Republican lawmakers including Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).
Although the America First Caucus claims it places an emphasis on "common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions," Kinzinger argues otherwise. The Illinois lawmaker insists the caucus is nothing more than a white supremacy caucus.
"Just when I was hoping to take a long weekend away from crazy I see this," Kinzinger tweeted. "Completely disgusted."
Just when I was hoping to take a long weekend away from crazy I see this. Completely disgusted. https://t.co/ULEF5MRyWf— Adam Kinzinger (@Adam Kinzinger)1618596562.0
Kinzinger also said that he believes lawmakers who opt to join the caucus should suffer a number of consequences including being stripped of their Congressional duties and expelled from participating in the Republican conference.
He added, "I believe anyone that joins this caucus should have their committees stripped, and the Republican conference should expel them from conference participation. While we can't prevent someone from calling themselves Republican, we can loudly say they don't belong to us."
I believe anyone that joins this caucus should have their committees stripped, and the Republican conference should… https://t.co/1cuXnCb1Cz— Adam Kinzinger (@Adam Kinzinger)1618613070.0
Kinzinger's latest criticism of Greene comes just months after she was stripped of her Education and Budget Committee duties after circulating misinformation campaigns, violent verbiage, and conspiracy theories. The Republican lawmaker was one of the 11 House Republication lawmakers to cast a vote with Democrats in favor of Greene being reprimanded.
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Wall Street gave more money during 2020 election than any campaign season in US history
April 17, 2021
As part of Wall Street's "relentless push to influence decision-making" in Washington, D.C., the powerful financial sector spent a record $2.9 billion on campaign donations and lobbying in the 2020 election cycle, a new report shows, with Democrats including President Joe Biden accepting millions of dollars.
According to Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), which published the study Thursday, the historic sum was spent by Wall Street executives, employees, and trade groups, and included campaign contributions as well as lobbying expenses. The sector's goal was to ensure lawmakers pass "policy that makes the already wealthy richer, and the rest of us poorer," regardless of which party is in power.
#WallStreet spent $2.9 BILLION to influence policy in Washington during the last election cycle
The goal: Policy that makes the already wealthy richer, and the rest of us poorer
New report from @RealBankReform
https://t.co/2oi84taIfn pic.twitter.com/WdH2ZMyShf
— AFR (@RealBankReform) April 15, 2021
The spending detailed in AFR's report likely does not represent Wall Street's total contributions, the organization noted, because $1.05 billion in dark money, with unknown original sources, was spent on the 2020 federal elections.
"Thus, total Wall Street spending [accounts] for, at a minimum—because it is impossible to track dark money from the industry—one in seven dollars that financed the 2020 federal elections, the most expensive ever," AFR reported.
The financial sector spent the most money ever on political elections last year since 2016, when Wall Street poured $2 billion into campaigns and lobbying efforts. AFR executive director Lisa Donner noted that Wall Street is likely to continue breaking records in the coming years.
"The enormous sums that Wall Street has at its disposal, combined with a broken campaign finance system, means there is little practical limit to the amount of money the financial services industry can inject into American debate on politics and policy," Donner said in a statement.
The majority of the campaign contributions from Wall Street went to Democratic candidates, with Democrats taking 53% of the donations. More than $74 million was given to Biden's campaign.
Newly elected Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia were among the senators who received a combined $300 million from Wall Street executives and employees.
On Twitter, AFR said some of the biggest political spenders on Wall Street last year were Bloomberg LP, which poured $157.8 million into the elections; the National Association of Realtors, which spent more than $154 million; and Blackstone Group, which spent more than $49 million.
Amid the $2.9bn that #WallStreet dumped into American politics, there were some standouts in spending on campaigns and lobbying:
@Bloomberg $157M
@nardotrealtor $154M
Fahr LLC $70M
@Citadel $69M
@blackstone $49M
Read our latest report:
https://t.co/2oi84taIfn pic.twitter.com/HRc22wxaIN
— AFR (@RealBankReform) April 15, 2021
"Year in and year out, this torrent of money gives Wall Street an outsized role in how we are governed, while driving and protecting policies that help this industry's super wealthy amass even greater fortunes at the expense of the rest of us," said Donner.
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According to the Huffington Post, an accused Capitol rioter and mother of eight from Pennsylvania who allegedly smashed out a window during the pro-Trump insurrection is facing threats of contempt of court after defying a judge's order to mask up in public.
Rachel Powell, an anti-mask activist, had been ordered to wear a mask in public as part of the conditions of her pretrial release. But in a video she posted of herself in public, she wore a "mask" that was really just a hole-riddled mesh, completely incapable of protecting against the transmission of COVID-19.
"Defendant's decision to appear in a video wearing a mask with holes in it at work mocks compliance with the Court's Order setting as a condition of pre-trial release that she 'wear a mask whenever she leaves her residence,'" wrote U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on Friday. "No reasonable person could think that defendant's 'mask' complied with that condition, which Chief Judge Beryl Howell imposed to ensure that defendant 'would not pose a risk to the health and safety of the community when she left her house.'"
Lamberth gave Powell ten days to explain, in writing, "why the Court should not revoke her pre-trial release, order her detained pending trial, or hold her in contempt."
A number of accused Capitol rioters also happen to be opposed to public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A recent video showed a Fresno, California man seen at the riots furiously shouting at a city councilperson for supporting mask mandates, which has put his parole in jeopardy.
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