OnPolitics: DHS declines to investigate mounted Border Patrol agents
Happy Tuesday, OnPolitics readers.
A tale of two parties: Democrats and Republicans are dealing with issues related to high-profile women lawmakers in very stark ways this week.
The White House rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris Monday after news media reports of discord between her office and that of President Joe Biden. "The president relies on the vice president for her advice, for her counsel," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said when asked if Biden has confidence in Harris' leadership, adding that Harris is tackling "challenging" issues and "not looking for a cushy role" as vice president.
Meanwhile, out West: The Republican Party of Wyoming will no longer consider their sole U.S. House lawmaker, Rep. Liz Cheney, as a member of the GOP. It's the latest reprimand for Cheney, who has been a consistent critic of former President Donald Trump.
She was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in January following the insurrection attempt on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by a mob of his supporters. This isn't the first time Cheney has been punished. She was also ousted from House Republican leadership as the chair of the House GOP conference in May for her criticism of Trump.
Cheney's press secretary, Jeremy Adler, told Paste BN in a statement that it is "laughable to suggest Liz is anything but a committed conservative Republican."
It’s Amy and Mabinty, with the news of the day.
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An ‘update’ on the Haitian migrant border fiasco
The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general "declined" to investigate the conduct of mounted Border Patrol agents who in September were photographed in close confrontations with Haitian migrants at the Mexican border near Del Rio, Texas, DHS said Tuesday.
While the DHS statement, characterized as an investigative "update," did not elaborate on the inspector general's decision, a person familiar with the matter said an inquiry would have been launched if the conduct involved allegations of possible criminal activity.
What now? Two months after the incident, DHS said Tuesday that the issue, which drew widespread condemnation, is the subject of a separate agency inquiry headed by the Office of Professional Responsibility.
According to the DHS statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection initially referred the incident to the inspector general, adding that the agency watchdog "declined to investigate and referred the matter back to CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility."
Real Quick: Stories you'll want to read
- The green generation: Civilian Climate Corps, a new federal program proposed as part of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill, would employ an army of young citizens to fight climate change through reforestation and conservation.
- Support for Roe v. Wade: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say the Supreme Court should uphold its decision in the historic Roe v. Wade case that ruled abortion access was a constitutional right, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
- What's in it for the Republicans? Despite pressure to vote against Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, 13 House Republicans pointed to projects in their districts or the money their states would receive for upgrading roads and railways, when asked by Paste BN why they voted for the bill.
- A call to China: Biden raised human rights concerns during a Monday evening virtual summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and pushed for "common-sense guard rails" so fierce competition between the two world powers does not lead to conflict.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds improperly used COVID funds, audit finds
A state audit report on government spending released Monday accused Reynolds of using nearly $450,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay salaries for 21 staff members for three months last year and concealing the spending by passing it through the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
State Auditor Rob Sand said a review of the state's payroll system shows the money was used to pay the Republican governor's office staff, but it's unclear why she had to take federal money to pay the salaries.
"What is not clear, is why these salaries were not included in the governor's budget set prior to the fiscal year and prior to the pandemic," he said in the audit report. "Based on this information, we conclude that the budget shortfall was not a result of the pandemic."
Response from Reynolds' office: Alex Murphy, a spokesman for Reynolds, said in a statement that the U.S. Treasury Department had allowed the use of coronavirus relief money to reimburse salaries for governors.
"During this time, the Governor's staff spent a vast majority of their time responding to the pandemic. In fact, many members of Gov. Reynolds' staff worked seven days a week out of the State Emergency Operation Center to provide direct support to Iowans," the statement said.
"This has always been our justification for the expense. We are now working with Treasury to provide them documentation, per their request."
Expecto Patronum! The first Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," hit U.S. theaters on Nov. 16, 2001. Check out Paste BN's first interview with the cast. — Amy and Mabinty