All posts tagged "chip roy"

Reporter flags 'ominous late-night' comment from GOP lawmaker vowing a 'storm'

A Republican Congressman who has opposed changes made to Donald Trump's so-called "beautiful" bill is promising a "storm."

Journalist Jake Sherman, the founder of Punchbowl News, highlighted the comment by U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) early on Wednesday.

Roy, fresh off of making comments against the new bill, took to X late in the evening.

"Late night… post storm (or is it before the storm?)…" Roy wrote along with a photo of the U.S. Capitol.

Sherman flagged the development, writing, "ROY with an ominous late-night tweet."

"The Texas Republican voted no in Rules last night. He has flipped a lot this congress," the journalist added. "But many in his world feel that the string is running out and promises have not been kept.... an interesting few days -- or more! -- ahead."

Roy has frequently been at odds with other Republicans, including the president's team.

'Can I answer the question?' Tempers flare during far-right lawmakers' presser

Tempers flared during an impromptu press conference held by House Freedom Caucus members as they refused to answer how they'll vote if President Donald Trump's mega spending bill reaches the House floor Wednesday.

"It is not ready yet, but we've got to see the language," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).

CNN's Manu Raju drew the ire of caucus chair Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) when he asked, "Specifically, what are you asking for?"

"Waste, fraud, and abuse! I don't understand —" Harris began, and Raju repeated his question asking for specifics.

"We're demanding that waste, fraud and abuse be addressed in Medicaid. It's inadequately addressed in the current bill. And we believe that as much of the 'Green New Scam' should be eliminated as is possible," Harris said, referring to the "Green New Deal" programs designed to address climate change.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade

"Let me address the goalpost nonsense," Harris said, referencing a reporter's assertion that Freedom Caucus members approved a version of the bill months ago and were "moving the goalpost" regarding their demands.

"We are working within the goalposts!" Harris asserted, as the reporter repeated that the caucus recently voted in favor.

"Excuse me, can I answer the question?" Harris interrupted the reporter. "Or you just want to filibuster?"

"You can talk. You can talk. I'm just asking," the reporter said.

"No, no, no, you're filibustering! We're working within the goalposts. We're not saying we need to move the amount of cuts up — because, goodness knows, we moved the amount of spending yesterday with the SALT agreement," Harris said regarding the State and Local Tax agreement.

"We're saying, 'Work within the goalposts, rearrange it within the goalposts, in accordance with what the president wants. End waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid, which is wasting dollars that should be spent on the truly vulnerable, and then end as much of the Green New Scam as possible."

Harris did not go into detail on what he defined as "waste, fraud, and abuse" in Medicaid.

Watch the clip below via CNN or click here.

GOP leaders find $40K sweetener in bid to sway budget holdouts

In an effort to save President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," House Republicans have put a new "heightened state-and-local-tax deduction" (SALT) on the table that they hope will push Republican holdouts over the finish line.

On Friday, GOP lawmakers Chip Roy (R-TX), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Josh Brecheen (R-OK) and Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) refused to go along with Speaker Mike Johnson's plan.

According to Politico, "A $40,000 cap on the key deduction for individuals and $80,000 cap for joint filers was part of a list of items GOP leaders raised overnight as they scrambled to shore up ultraconservative votes."

The SALT cap increase is a major sticking point in the bill.

"A band of SALT Republicans are publicly pushing for the cap increase to hit $62,000 for individuals and double for joint filers; conservatives generally oppose lifting the existing $10,000 cap, which generally hits high-tax coastal states rich in Democratic votes," according to the Politico piece.

EXCLUSIVE: Breastfeeding mom of US citizen sues Kristi Noem after being grabbed by ICE

The report continued, "The fact that leadership discussed a specific number with the hard-liners suggests that they see the $40,000/$80,000 cap as a likely final compromise."

Republicans are hoping to pay for the increase by moving up the 2029 start date for Medicaid work requirements.

NBC reported, "Negotiations with the GOP holdouts, who are pushing for steeper spending cuts and raising concerns about the bill's impact on the U.S. deficit, will continue in the coming days and Republicans on the panel will try to regroup as soon as Monday."

Trump is not happy with the squabbling over the bill.

He wrote on social media, "We don’t need 'GRANDSTANDERS' in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE! It is time to fix the MESS that Biden and the Democrats gave us. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Read the Politico story here.

Lawmakers caught in controversy as congressional stock trading debate rages on

Members of Congress are on a summer stock shopping spree — and still violating a financial disclosure law — amid a reinvigorated movement to ban congressional stock trading.

Three members of the House of Representatives appear to have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act this week by filing required reports late — some as much as two years past a federally mandated deadline.

From Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), more than a dozen other members of Congress continue trading stocks and securities, even in the immediate two weeks after the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act passed out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

The bill has yet to be voted on by either the House or Senate in order to be sent to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law, but its bipartisan co-sponsors call the committee vote “strong bipartisan momentum” toward a stock trading ban.

Continuing epidemic of violations

The latest STOCK Act violators appear to be Reps. David Joyce (R-OH), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Stephen Lynch (D-MA), who join a list of more than 50 members of the 118th Congress who Raw Story has found to have violated the STOCK Act.

Joyce reported on Aug. 6 a dozen stock transactions after the 45-day deadline required in the STOCK Act for disclosing most purchases, sales and exchanges of stocks, bonds, commodity futures, securities and cryptocurrencies.

Three of the transactions date back to July 2022, reported nearly two years late, and the rest are from June 2023, reported a year late. The transactions are valued between $138,012 and $495,000 total. (Lawmakers are only required by law to disclose the values of their transactions in broad ranges.)

Investments include stock in aerospace corporation Boeing, multinational investment bank Citigroup, private credit manager Golub Capital and energy company TC Energy Corporation. Some investments are part of a trust, others from a retirement account.

Moskowitz disclosed on Aug. 6 more than 60 stock transactions from an account for a dependent child. Ten of those transactions were from February 2024, reported nearly five months late.

The tardy stocks include investments in companies ranging from health insurance provider Elevance Health to personal care multinational corporation Kimberly-Clark to footwear giant Nike and manufacturing company Snap-on. The value of the 60 investments are each in the $1,001 to $15,000 range.

Lynch reported on Aug. 7 six sale transactions and one purchase for mutual funds as part of a retirement account, disclosed three weeks late. The transactions’ values ranged between $397,007 and $930,000 total.

Lynch was previously three months late reporting the sale of VMware stock as part of an individual retirement account that underwent a “forced sale” when the company was acquired.

The congressional offices for Joyce, Moskowitz and Lynch did not immediately respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Who is trading stocks? And who is pushing for a ban?

The ETHICS Act calls for an immediate ban on members of Congress buying stocks and would prohibit them from selling stocks 90 days after enactment. Members’ spouses and dependent children would be prohibited from trading stocks starting in March 2027, which is when the president and vice president would also be required to divest from covered investments.

Covered assets include securities, commodities, futures, options and trusts. Congressional staff members would be allowed to continue trading stocks under this bill as would legislators' non-dependent children.

“Lawmakers like me, we're kind of like umpires in a baseball game. We call balls and strikes, and you definitely don't let umpires bet on the outcome of the game, because the public needs to know the umpires are calling balls and strikes fair,” said Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), a co-sponsor of the ETHICS Act, in an Aug. 7 video posted on X. “Members of Congress are making decisions every day that impact the stock market, that impact businesses and industries, and we receive confidential information on big events that are coming.”

Sen. Ossoff Explains It All: Banning Congressional Stock Trading pic.twitter.com/UDWvyfyeet
— Ossoff's Office (@SenOssoff) August 7, 2024

Ossoff co-sponsored an amended version of the ETHICS Act alongside Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Josh Hawley (R-MO). The bill passed out of a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs markup on July 24 with an eight to four vote, despite Republican senators divided on how to proceed.

The same day Georgia Republicans Greene and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) disclosed stock transactions.

Greene reported six stock purchases on July 24, each valued between $1,001 and $15,000. She also disclosed the purchase of U.S. Treasury bills valued between $250,0001 and $500,000.

A little over a week later, she reported on Aug. 2 purchasing more Treasury bills, with a value between $100,001 and $250,000.

Carter reported on July 24 four partial stock sales in Ameris Bancorp, each valued between $100,001 and $250,000.

Greene and Carter’s congressional offices did not respond to emailed questions by the time of publication.

The next day, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) reported the June 28 purchase of stock in real estate investment company, Simon Property Group, as a part of her husband’s Roth IRA, valued between $50,001 and $100,000.

“These are just stocks that Congresswoman's husband had in his retirement account before she was elected to Congress,” Kristi Risk, chief of staff for Spartz, told Raw Story via email. “He was just reinvesting his dividends back into the same stock.”

Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) reported on July 29 the sale of stock in boat dealer, OneWater Marine Inc., as part of a joint account. Value: $1,001 to $15,000. Britt’s congressional office did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Pelosi reported on July 30 two stock transactions from her husband, who is a prolific trader. When she was House Speaker, Pelosi was one of the biggest obstacles to previous stock ban bills advancing.

Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, sold 5,000 shares in Microsoft valued between $1 million and $5 million, and he purchased 10,000 shares in artificial intelligence leader Nvidia, also valued between $1 million and $5 million.

“Speaker Pelosi does not own any stocks, and she has no prior knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transactions,” said Ian Krager, a spokesperson for Pelosi, via email.

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) disclosed three stock transactions on July 31, each valued up to $15,000. His spouse sold stock in Royal Bank of Canada and shipping company, United Parcel Service, and Burgess reported his own purchase of additional stock in Royal Bank of Canada.

While Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) does not buy and sell stocks, he did report sales of ownership interest in Outsell, Inc, a “developer of consumer engagement technologies for the automotive industry,” according to the Aug. 1 disclosure report. The sales were valued between just over $1 million and $5 million, total.

"Congressman Phillips is one of a very small number of lawmakers to have voluntary established a qualified blind trust for his finances. He has no view of or direction over his investments," Sam Anderson, communications director for Phillips, told Raw Story via email. "That long, complicated, process took significant personal effort and expense, but it’s one he believes should be rule – not the exception – in Congress."

Phillips, who ran as a Democrat for president in the 2024 race, is an original co-sponsor of the TRUST in Congress Act. The bill, authored by Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Chip Roy (R-TX), would require members of Congress and their families to put investment assets into blind trusts during their time in office and ban them from trading individual stocks.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) reported on Aug. 2 his spouse’s sale of a UBS corporate bond valued between $15,001 and $50,000. Carper filed a timely disclosure this time but was previously late three times in reporting stock trades and U.S. Treasury bill purchases.

Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) reported on Aug. 3 the sale and purchase of U.S. Treasury bills. Each transaction was valued between $250,001 and $500,000.

The congressional spokespeople for Burgess, Carper and Meuser did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Peters, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and co-sponsor of the latest ETHICS Act bipartisan agreement, reported two stock sales on Aug. 5. Each trade was valued between $1,001 and $15,000 and were investments in elevator manufacturer, Otis Worldwide Corp., and heating and air conditioning corporation, Carrier.

“Sen. Peters has always been transparent about his trades and follows the requirements of the STOCK Act, which is the current law,” a Peters aide, who declined to be named, told Raw Story.

“He negotiated a bipartisan agreement to update the ETHICS Act, and led the historic passage of that bill out of committee on July 24 – the first time a Senate committee has ever voted to advance legislation that would ban stock trading for members of Congress,” the aide continued. “Sen. Peters is continuing to work to get the amended ETHICS Act passed and signed into law to establish new requirements for all members of Congress.

Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) reported on Aug. 5 two stock transactions involving tech giant Apple, valued between $15,001 and $50,000 each.

Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN) has not reported any stock transactions, but disclosed on Aug. 5 his purchase of Treasury bills valued between $15,001 and $50,000.

Yakym and Lee’s congressional spokespeople did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) reported on Aug. 5 a purchase of shares in soda giant Coca-Cola, valued between $1,001 and $15,001, which is “solely the automatic reinvestment of dividends on securities that my wife inherited, rather than taking the dividends in cash,” Doggett told Raw Story via email.

Doggett said he does not trade individual stocks, “nor have the holdings of these few stocks impacted my work, as indicated by my vocal advocacy demanding that large corporations and the wealthiest few pay their fair share of taxes.”

The congressman said the New York Times chose to exclude him from an investigation into congressional stock trading since he does not actively trade individual stocks.

Doggett said he supports a congressional stock trading ban, including the efforts of Oregon senator Merkley through the ETHICS Act, and “would likely support similar legislation in the House.”

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) reported on Aug. 6 two government securities transactions in Texas and New York through a joint trust, each valued between $500,001 and $1 million.

“Government securities are generally considered safe investments,” Nick Martin, a spokesperson for DelBene, told Raw Story via email. “The congresswoman supports banning members from trading stocks and is a co-sponsor of the TRUST in Congress Act (H.R. 345), which would do that.”

DelBene has a complex financial situation due to her husband’s significant investments from his time as a senior executive at Microsoft. DelBene was previously late disclosing two sales of vested Microsoft shares totaling between $1.25 million and $5.5 million, but she previously disclosed her family's s Microsoft stock investments on her annual disclosures and a 2022 periodic transaction report, providing details of a forward contract her husband enacted before being confirmed as the assistant secretary for information and technology in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) reported four stock purchases on Aug. 6, each valued between $1,001 and $15,000. Three stock purchases were for chemical tankers company, Ardmore Shipping Corporation, and one was in investment adviser, Ellington Financial Inc.

Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) reported on Aug. 6 five joint stock transactions, each in the $1,001 to $15,000 range. Stock transactions included investments in Alphabet, the parent company of Google, telecommunications company, Motorola Solutions, and semiconductor company, Lam Research.

Boozman previously appeared to be in violation of the STOCK Act twice with late disclosures of U.S. Treasury bond transactions. with a disclosure filed on Aug. 21, 2023, a day past the 45-day disclosure deadline.

Foxx and Boozman’s congressional offices did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

MAGA lawmaker: 'What on earth does the FBI actually do' — besides jail a pro-life granny?

The head of the FBI gave a hearing before Congress on Wednesday, revealing new details about the attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, prompting one GOP lawmaker to question the agency's priorities.

FBI Director Christopher Wray met with members of the House Judiciary Committee to give an update on the investigation into the attack, sharing that 20-year-old shooter Thomas Crooks scoped out the area and flew a drone over the event space before taking fire on the former president.

“Why didn’t they have the place locked down? Why didn't they have their own assets flying out there?” Texas Rep. Chip Roy asked during a segment with Fox News host Neil Cavuto after the hearing. “What on earth does the FBI actually do besides put a 75-year-old grandmother in prison?”

Roy is referring to Paulette Harlow, a woman convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in 2023 for blockading a Washington abortion clinic, according to The Associated Press.

Roy expressed his frustration that the FBI seemingly had ample time to prevent the attempt on Trump’s life, as Crooks was found to have walked around the area where the rally was held three times before climbing atop a roof and taking aim at Trump.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation can't stop this shooter meanwhile they put a 75-year-old woman in prison for two years because she was praying at an abortion clinic,” Roy said. “Their priorities are all out of whack.”

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Exclusive: Failed VP pick Rubio and angsty GOPers nervous Trump will mess up convention

Editor's note: Marco Rubio has been taken out of the running as Trump's VP pick, per news reports.

MILWAUKEE — Even before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Republicans gathering here this week at the Republican National Convention were bullish about the party’s chances in November.

Outwardly, at least.

Dig a little deeper and many Republicans are nervous.

At least one of Trump’s potential vice presidential picks is publicly praying for a boring convention here in Milwaukee, particularly amid Democratic infighting over whether President Joe Biden should quit the race and yield to Vice President Kamala Harris — or someone else.

“With the other party being dysfunctional, that’s probably the ideal convention,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) told Raw Story after voting Thursday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

ALSO READ: Rumors swirl as 'three black trucks with U.S. government plates' show up at J.D. Vance house

The thinking is, if recent polls are correct, it’s the GOP’s presidential election to lose. And now, after the shooting in Pennsylvania, many are saying images of his defiant clenched fist and sacrificially blood-stained face all but guarantee a Trump win in November.

But there’s an X factor: Trump himself. The populist appeal of the former president comes coupled with his unpolished political style, marked more by bluster and bombast than bringing people together.

“Some people say Trump's a little dysfunctional sometimes — what do you think he needs to do?” Raw Story asked Rubio.

“That’s not been my experience. He just doesn't work like other people around here,” Rubio said. “He comes from a background in real estate and business, and it's just a different language. And so it may seem alien to people around here, but I watched firsthand how it works, certainly, on the world stage.”

Ahead of Saturday’s attempted assassination attempt of Trump, Raw Story asked 10 congressional Republicans what they were hoping to get out of this week’s convention.

The consensus: Don’t mess this up.

“The platform pretty well lays out what we need to do in general enough terms that where there are slight disagreements you can smooth the corners of that,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Raw Story.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump starts fundraising off his own assassination attempt

With Trump’s base fired up and all in, the lingering question is whether Trump and the GOP can broaden their tent and appeal to Independents.

“Do you think Trump needs to focus more on the middle?” Raw Story asked Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), another lawmaker mentioned for vice presidential consideration.

“He's already doing that,” Donalds told Raw Story on the Capitol steps.

“In what ways?”

“He's focusing on everybody,” Donalds said. "You know, his entire view is bringing common sense policy to the country. Focusing on issues, whether it's securing our border or getting our economy rolling again, that's what everybody wants. He's already there.”

Other Republicans wonder where Donalds gets his news, because they know how alienating Trump can be to many Americans. That’s why many are praying for an unexciting gathering of the party faithful.

“Stability. Simple message. Lack of drama,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told Raw Story. “You know people want stability. They're tired of chaos and the loud noises on both sides. So if our side and President Trump can communicate stability and a moderating theme, that's what we want. Let these other guys blow it.”

In a presidential contest that’s projected to be razor thin, Bacon’s Omaha, Neb., district is especially important this cycle because the state — along with Maine — are not winner-take-all states for the purpose of the Electoral College. Nebraska awards two statewide electoral college votes, then three based on how each of the state’s three congressional districts vote in November.

Bottom line: Biden and Trump could split Nebraska’s electoral votes.

“I always try to recommend it, at the least in our area in Omaha, the Midwest — we're called Nebraska nice for a reason,” Bacon said. “I just say in our district, people want governance, conservative governance but decency. And that's what we want to communicate.”

But Bacon has gotten pushback from team Trump for calling for calm before. But “stability” and turning down the volume on “chaos” are notions that team Trump have rejected in the past.

“I remember saying that during his administration, and [Trump’s] chief of staff told me to shut up,” Bacon said.

While Bacon wouldn’t say which Trump chief of staff told him off, Bacon said it was pre-Mark Meadows, who was Trump’s fourth and final chief — coming after Reince Priebus, John Kelly and Mick Mulvaney.

Much as powerful people in Trump’s orbit may want him to “shut up,” Bacon’s calling for calm, once again.

“Let the other side implode. Nobody can deny what they saw [in the first debate],” Bacon said, referring to Biden’s disastrous performance. “I still think it's gonna be a tough fight.”

Tough fight indeed, but at least one more Republican is already praising Trump for forcing the entire Republican Party — on paper, at the least — to take a symbolic step toward the middle. That came when Trump effectively overruled the party’s previous calls for a nationwide abortion ban.

“I've got a lot to say about that,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) told Raw Story on the Capitol steps. “I mean, I think I've been pretty vocal about going after independent voters, suburban women, and I’ve tried to be a really strong voice for the party but he's doing a remarkable job on his own. He put IVF and birth control and contraception into the Republican Party platform for the first time ever in history.”

While Democrats remain dubious after Trump’s three additions to the Supreme Court played decisive roles in overturning Roe v. Wade, Mace is cheering because Trump, who once declared himself the most “pro-life president ever,” did not go nearly as far on abortion as the GOP’s loud and powerful evangelical members wanted.

“He's doing things no one has ever done. It's pretty remarkable,” Mace said as her face lit up with a tangible smile. “This wouldn't be done under anybody else. Like, he's literally doing things that I think will really appeal to suburban women.”

Like most Republicans, Mace is quick to pivot away from talk of her party’s platform and attempt to keep the conversation focused on Biden’s woes.

“It's gonna be a hard fight for the middle, for sure,” Mace said. “But, I mean, Biden’s the best gift to the Republican Party right now.”

It’s not just the independent middle — Trump still has moderate Republicans to win over, particularly in critical swing states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Team Trump seems to be realizing that. After initially seeming to dis her at this year’s convention, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — who was racking up double-digit percentages in GOP primaries even after it was clear Trump locked up the nomination —- is now slated to address this Trump-centric convention hall.

“He’s gonna need all support. It's not gonna be an easy election,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told Raw Story.

While Haley is not on Trump’s short list for vice president, Norman is holding out hope he taps her as his VP.

“Look, everything is fluid now. I hope he picks her for VP,” Norman said. “Who beat 12 other candidates? Who attracts young, old, female? Nikki Haley.”

Norman knows that’s a long shot whim, because he knows Trump hates sharing the spotlight, which is something Haley proved herself good at capturing, even in a losing primary cause.

That’s why respected Republicans keep reminding team Trump — and the former president himself — to stay focused.

“You keep it simple,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told Raw Story. “Focus on the massive failures and immigration and border security, inflation, etcetera. And it's not rocket science, per se.”

Simple is one thing. Appealing to the middle — especially when you’re Donald Trump — is an entirely different thing altogether.

The tension in the GOP is undeniable (just ask former Speaker Kevin McCarthy if you have any doubts), which is why many Republicans are urging their party’s standard bearer to focus on anything but divisions this week in Milwaukee.

“The more we can communicate civility and no chaos, the better,” Bacon, of Omaha, told Raw Story. “Americans are tired. We're tired of all that noise out there.”

And even though Rubio would prefer a tranquil convention, he’s 100 percent behind his former nemesis — remember “little Marco”? — during a week when Trump could very well team with Rubio on the Republican ticket.

“This is a two-choice election,” Rubio said. “The choice is pretty clear.”

MAGA Republican: Invoke 25th amendment against 'puppet' Biden surrounded by Dem 'cadre'

A Texas Republican is calling on Kamala Harris to invoke the 25th amendment to remove President Joe Biden, who he said is surrounded by a "cadre" of ventriloquist-esque progressives who are manipulating his moves like a "puppet."

Rep. Chip Roy spoke with Fox News host Bret Baier on Wednesday to discuss his resolution for the first time since filing it last week.

The MAGA Republican's resolution called on Vice President Kamala Harris to convene Biden's Cabinet and declare him unable to carry out his duties as commander-in-chief.

“I put forth a resolution calling upon the Vice President to immediately use her powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the Cabinet to declare the President of the United States is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office," Roy said at the time.

Under the amendment, the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet can notify the president pro tempore of the Senate and the House Speaker that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office. Doing so would allow the vice president to become acting president.

Roy, speaking with Baier after the White House declared Wednesday Biden would "absolutely not" drop out of the race, said he took "no great joy" in filing the resolution, but did so out of concerns that Americans are now seeing the "reality" of "what a lot of us have been watching up close and personally in Washington, D.C."

Roy blasted the Biden administration and said they're trying to "hide" his lack of competency and ability. And while he believes former President Donald Trump will beat either Biden or Harris in the election, he called it an "issue of the constitution, straight-up," to remove Biden.

"The president, frankly, isn't all there. Everybody knows it. It is telling that the media, the mainstream media, so-called, is all in a tizzy because of the political ramifications," he said, adding that he believes the media has been "propping up a Manchurian Candidate."

The phrase stems from a 1959 novel and two subsequent films in 1962 and 2004, and involves the idea that a politician or a high-ranking official can be manipulated or brainwashed to serve a sinister external power or organization.

Indeed, that's the theory Roy put forward to justify impeachment.

"The radical left is sitting around him in the White House, can manipulate and puppet-master him into doing all of these radical, progressive, Democrat things like open-borders, Laken Riley getting killed, Rachel Morrin, all the people suffering from fentanyl pouring into our borders, and walking away from Israel," he said.

Roy slammed Democrats for what he called "circling the wagons" and said they're trying to justify keeping a "feeble" Biden as president by surrounding him with people who can make decisions for him.

"That's not what the Constitution says," he said.

Roy then repeated his claim that Democrats put a "cadre" around the president to advance their "radical agenda" using Biden as a "puppet."

Watch the clip below or at this link here.

Republican repeats long-debunked claim that illegal immigrants are voting in droves

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) is convinced he has undeniable proof that the influx of immigrants at the Southern Border serves as a voting bloc for Democrats.

“Let me just say this about the overall state of the election issue,” Roy told Breitbart. He added: “We’ve got repeated evidence of those who are here illegally — or, or whether they’re here legally — but non-citizens voting.”

And he blames President Joe Biden's porous border.

“So you see the fault line politically here. And this is why this issue matters so much, on the top of Biden dumping in five million people into our country, plus two million got-aways, you know, tens of thousands every day, additionally, coming in,” said Roy.

The Texas pol cited "studies" that suggest a swath of voters with questionable provenance decided state contests in Minnesota and Virginia. He also accused Oakland, Washington D.C., and New York City of "registering voters specifically for their state and local elections."

Officially, only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections and are barred from punching votes in federal, state, and most local elections.

ALSO READ: ‘They could have killed me’: Spycraft, ballots and a Trumped-up plot gone haywire

However, some jurisdictions permit "non-citizens to vote in local elections only."

For all the chatter of fraud marring elections in 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law found no proof that it's widespread.

In fact, its study suggests fraud is "very rare", voter impersonation is "virtually nonexistent", and in many cases fraud issues are more often than not "mistakes by voters or administrators."

Also, if someone is convicted of a felony or serving prison time for various crimes, they are for the most part disenfranchised and limited from voting rights, though those laws are bending in some states.

Roy acknowledged that federal law bans undocumented immigrants from voting, but he suggested election regulators "don’t work hard to make sure they’re not voting in federal elections.”

That doesn't mean the laws can't be tightened.

Roy is pushing for stronger laws beyond the 1990s Motor Voter Act and the National Voter Registration Act to put more stringent checks on citizenship.

He pointed to him and Sen. Mike Lee's (R-UT) SAVE Act of "correcting the glitch” in current laws that can "adapt and try to adjust."

Roy is already accusing the Democrats of failing to get on board.

He noted: “I believe it was unanimous Republican support... that would make sure that it was clear that our congressional seats and allocations were based on citizenship, and that was unanimously opposed by Democrats.”

Roy notably made headlines when the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection obtained more than 100 text messages between Roy, Lee and Mark Meadows, which showed their efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Roy requested evidence of voter fraud, but none emerged.

Republicans didn't find substantial evidence of widespread fraud, even as they floated wild claims to the contrary in 2020 and 2021.

‘Harm Democrats’: Republican lawmakers practically giddy about Trump prison silver lining

WASHINGTON — Many Republicans on Capitol Hill are all but daring New York Judge Juan Merchan to lock Donald Trump up ahead of November.

After former President Donald Trump and Republican campaign committees saw a windfall of donations after the guilty verdict came down, the GOP base is enlivened and that’s only emboldening rank-and-file Republicans who are feeling bullish.

“I think it’s bulls—,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Raw Story of the guilty verdict. “It’d be seen as election interference on steroids.”

ALSO READ: How Donald Trump could run for president — and lead the nation — from prison

Others are predicting political retribution to come for Democrats if Trump’s locked up, as one rumored GOP vice presidential contender told Raw Story.

“I think it would blow up the country,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) told Raw Story at the Capitol this week.

In these unprecedented, post-verdict times — mere days after the former president was found guilty on 34 felony counts by a jury of his New York neighbors — some on the formerly fringe-right are calling for the GOP to officially coronate Trump the Republican presidential nominee prior to the party’s scheduled national convention in mid-July, before the earliest time Trump could be sentenced to time in the slammer or otherwise placed in detention.

But of the 10 Republican lawmakers Raw Story exclusively interviewed this week, most are practically giddy about Trump’s post-conviction prospects regardless of whether the would-be leader of the free world himself remains a free man.

That’s a lot of money

Much of this enthusiasm revolves around money: The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee said they raised a combined $141 million in May — a figure that must formally be reported to the Federal Election Commission later this month.

It’s a staggering figure that nearly doubles Team Trump’s previous high fundraising mark this cycle. While some Republicans are nervous about the prospects of what’s just over the horizon, most Republicans are confident publicly and say Trump would be an effective GOP standard bearer whether behind bars or, say, on house arrest.

To Republicans, the entire trial was tainted from its inception, thus any sentence handed down is also necessarily tainted.

“Just further confirms the level of corruption,” Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) told Raw Story of the trial.

ALSO READ: 'Most powerful thing': Witness details Trump's last moments before 'shocking' verdict

“But do you think he'd be effective as the GOP nominee?” Raw Story asked.

“Yes,” Wilson said. “It shouldn't occur. And people really need to focus: If it can happen to a former president, every American citizen — regardless of party — is at risk.”

Talking points aside, even as Trump’s lawyers appeal the verdict, the reality TV star-turned-politician is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. If the judge decides to lock Trump up, Graham thinks Trump’s base will erupt, again.

“I don't know how much more of a boon they can get. I talked to ‘em this morning,” Graham told Raw Story at the Capitol. “They can't count the money fast enough. The reaction in terms of financial support has been beyond anybody's imagination. I think if they continue to trend in the eyes of millions of Americans using the New York case to interfere with the election, you know, it only gets more support for Donald Trump.”

The head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), has seen a massive spike in donations since the verdict. He predicts a similar response if Trump’s jailed in New York, because he says it would turn Trump into a martyr for the MAGA cause.

“His fundraising will explode, even more so. And I think they'll see this as a political prisoner,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) told Raw Story. “It's awful. Trump probably had a better chance getting a fair trial in Honduras.”

Nevermind that Honduras’ former president, Juan Orlando Hernández, was convicted in Manhattan Federal Court this March — on cocaine smuggling and weapons charges.

Desperate times, desperate convention?

Shortly after the guilty verdict reverberated across the globe last Thursday, the MAGA wing of Trump’s base started calling — some say, conspiratorially so — for the GOP to move the party’s scheduled convention up. The convention is scheduled for July 15 to July 18 in Milwaukee, Wis.,, afterall, and the sentencing is scheduled for July 11.

Coincidence? Never.

New conspiracy? Always.

ATTENTION ALL OF MAGA!

🚨CALL TO ACTION FOR #MAGA🚨

There are 3 things all of you need to be driving home right now!

1. The real verdict will be on November 5th. 2024 at the BALLOT BOX!

2. Everyone needs to go to https://t.co/2MbQxY94tL immediately and DONATE, sign up… pic.twitter.com/eLBywng2Lk
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 30, 2024

Republicans in Congress were quick to follow their followers, even if altering the convention’s timing would be a logistical nightmare.

“Consider moving the convention. Don't let that get messed up by virtue of that,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told Raw Story. “Like, move it up. And whether that's in Milwaukee or whether you do a sort of an informal — or a different kind of convention — to get the nomination knocked out before that occurs.”

Roy says it would send an important message.

Standing by! https://t.co/sQFLC1MLfn
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 31, 2024

“It sends a signal that the party’s resolved,” Roy said. “Look, I've been very public in my differences with the [former] president on different things. This is a republic. This is where we are. He's the nominee of the Republican Party for president of the United States. He's been targeted in a ridiculous politically motivated personal prosecution.”

The Republican drumbeat is deafening. Nobody knows what Merchan will do. In fact, because Trump’s never been convicted before and because he’s not charged with a violent crime, some prominent legal minds don’t expect any jail time — perhaps probation, a fine, community service, even nothing at all. Trump has also vowed to appeal his conviction, and the appeals process could take months.

You wouldn’t know that from talking to rank-and-file Republicans, though.

“They are gonna do it, and he will get the biggest, have another big fundraising haul,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told Raw Story. “American people sense what's going on, and they're furious. And it'll just incite them more to take up for Trump, and you're seeing it already.”

One of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s top lieutenants, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), agrees.

“I think people are awake,” Cornyn — who’s running to replace McConnell as GOP leader —- told Raw Story. “There's been so many abuses — that would just be the icing on the cake.”

Those GOP talking points have now, seemingly, become a part of the party’s DNA.

Republican retribution on horizon?

Republicans aren’t going to forget that Trump was convicted in a blue state, regardless of whether it’s the former president’s home state — a state Trump recently said he could win in 2024. If the GOP standard-bearer is jailed, then we should all brace for a new low in today’s gutter politics.

“It would be next level, man,” Vance of Ohio told Raw Story. “This is going to come back around, right? Eventually Republicans are going to have power, and I guarantee there are going to be really strong pressures to use this new precedent in a way that's going to harm Democrats.”

Republican rhetoric leaves no wiggle room: If Trump is jailed, the conservative messaging machine is going to unleash an unrelenting barrage of accusations that the prosecutions are all politics — jurors and their independent verdicts be damned.

“If there were, of course, a house arrest, it would be very transparently taken as a way to keep former President Trump off the campaign trail and a way to try to get Biden reelected through election interference as opposed to through our legitimate processes,” Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) told Raw Story. “The same would be true with a jail sentence. Most people can't even figure out what crime former President Trump was convicted of. So it just looks like such a sham.”

‘Let's not be distracted’

While Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) agrees that a Trump imprisonment would mean the former president would “raise more money and more likely win the election,” he’s also cautioning his fellow party members against focusing on the trials, tribulations and tumults of Trump.

“We should not take the bait and shift their focus away from the failure of [the Biden administration] on the economy, on the border, on global leadership,” Tillis told Raw Story at the Capitol this week. “Let's not be distracted and say, ‘poor me.’”

July 11 is just about a month away, but Tillis says it should be just another day to the GOP.

“I don't think he will be sentenced anytime — because that would, I just think, it's already mind blowing what he's going through — but if he is, let’s keep focusing on the thing that's gonna win November,” Tillis said.

Still other Republicans — even those who usually have an answer for everything — are mum.

“I don't want to answer hypotheticals,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Raw Story. “I mean, this whole thing is just a travesty.”

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GOP lawmaker tells CNN's Jake Tapper he is 'very disappointed' in Mike Johnson

As a mutiny appears to be building from the right flank to clip House Speaker Mike Johnson from his post, the Louisianan is forging ahead to put a U.S. national security aid package to back war-torn Ukraine and Israel.

One of those Republicans who has been an outspoken critic of Johnson is Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) who appeared on CNN's "The Lead" with Jake Tapper to express his souring on his fellow conservative colleague.

"I would rather us do our job, try to move this stuff forward and work together, — but I will say I'm very disappointed in the speaker," he said. "This is a bridge too far in terms of where we're headed right now in terms of putting Ukraine first rather than America's borders first."

ALSO READ: Revealed: What government officials privately shared about Trump not disclosing finances"

"I am sympathetic and open to having a conversation about Israel and Ukraine but only after you've done your job to secure the border in the United States; and so that's my starting place."

A pink slip drumbeat has been increasing ever since Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) threatened to sack Johnson by filing a motion to vacate the speaker from office.

The move is reminiscent of the fate that befell former speaker Kevin McCarthy last year.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) joined her in seeking Johnson's removal.

"I asked him to resign," Massie told reporters on Tuesday.

Johnson's response, according to Massie, was to say fat chance.

"He said he would not."

Greene reinforced her determination for a change of guard posting on Twitter/X: “Speaker Johnson must announce a resignation date and allow Republicans to elect a new Speaker to put America First and pass a Republican agenda.”

“I am not resigning,” Johnson boomed after meeting with fellow House Republicans at the Capitol. “We are simply here trying to do our jobs,” Johnson said, adding that the talk of his demise as speaker were “absurd ... not helpful.”

Roy wishes the speaker could return to his original stance of protecting America's borders first.

"I would love to do what we need to support Israel again... but in this $95 billion package there's $9 billion and humanitarian aid... which if you go look at it goes to fund Hamas," he told Tapper. "So if we funding Israel, I support it, but we're also funding Israel's enemies and funding has this is the kind of duplicitous crap the American people are tired of."

"So I'd like to go back to the drawing board, pass Israel stand-alone and not have this package that has that funding and it did that i think is nefarious and focus on the border first."

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