Denny Rehberg

23rd Richest Member Of Congress: I'm 'Struggling Like Everyone Else'

Ryan J. Reilly | April 29, 2011, 6:06PM

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT)

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT), the 23rd richest member of Congress who owns millions of dollars in farm and ranch land, told an audience member at a town hall in Missoula yesterday that he and his wife "are struggling like everyone else" and that he's "land rich and cash poor."

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Project Gunrunner

Issa's Office: Obama Admin Wouldn't Answer Questions On 'Role In Arming Deadly Drug Cartels'

Ryan J. Reilly | April 29, 2011, 12:55PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and President Barack Obama

As congressional investigators ramp up their investigation into Project Gunrunner, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is ramping up his rhetoric.

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ATF

Amid Probe Of 'Project Gunrunner,' Obama Seeks Comments On ATF's Anti-Gun Trafficking Rule

Ryan J. Reilly | April 28, 2011, 3:55PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and President Barack Obama

As House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) probes Project Gunrunner -- the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) effort aimed at combating gun trafficking on the Mexican border that went awry -- the Obama administration is seeking another round of comments on a controversial proposal to make gun dealers in four border states report sales of multiple rifles.

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Roman Otto Conaway

Illinois Man Convicted Of Making Terroristic Threats In Koran-Burning Standoff

Ryan J. Reilly | April 28, 2011, 1:35PM

Roman Conaway

A 51-year-old Illinois man who allegedly threatened to kill President Barack Obama during an eight-hour standoff with federal authorities last September was convicted Wednesday of making a false threat to detonate an explosive device and influencing a federal officer by threat.

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John Yoo

Yoo: President Can Slaughter Village, But Not Force Disclosure Of Political Donations

Ryan J. Reilly | April 28, 2011, 8:46AM

John Yoo

Torture advocate John Yoo thinks that the President of the United States has the executive power to order a village of civilians slaughtered. But force federal contractors to disclose their political donations? That's a bridge too far.

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Joseph Farah

After-Birthers: How Conspiracy Theorists Reacted To Obama's Long-Form Birth Certificate

Ryan J. Reilly | April 28, 2011, 8:21AM

Now that President Barack Obama's legal team went out of its way to get a copy of Obama's so-called long-form birth certificate, it's time for the birthers to eat crow, right? Not so much. It hasn't taken long for members of the "birther" movement to grab their backup plans.

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Donald Trump

Orly Taitz: Obama's Long-Form Birth Certificate Should Say 'Negro' Not 'African'

Ryan J. Reilly | April 27, 2011, 11:55AM

Orly Taitz

In a development that will surprise no one, it turns out that President Barack Obama's decision to release his long-form birth certificate hasn't quieted members of the "birther" movement who promote the conspiracy theory that he wasn't born in the United States.

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Hal Rogers

'Prince Of Pork' Spokeswoman Says Helping 'Navigate' Bureaucracies Is A 'Duty'

Ryan J. Reilly | April 26, 2011, 5:11PM

Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY)

A spokeswoman for Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee who reportedly funneled more than $236 million in federal funds to nonprofit groups he created since 2000, is slamming the watchdog group which issued a report critical of Rogers and claiming that it is the "duty" of members of Congress to "help constituents navigate Washington's vast bureaucracies."

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Eric Holder

Holder Defends Clement; Compares Attacks Over DOMA Defense To Smears Of Gitmo Attorneys

Ryan J. Reilly | April 26, 2011, 4:52PM

Attorney Gen. Eric Holder and Paul Clement

While he believes the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, Attorney General Eric Holder is defending former Solicitor General Paul Clement's decision to leave a prominent law firm over its decision to abandon its agreement to defend the statute in court on behalf of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

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Ali Aujali

Former Libyan Ambassador Registers To Lobby For Transitional Council

Ryan J. Reilly | April 26, 2011, 11:55AM

Ali Suleiman Aujali, the former Libyan ambassador to the U.S. who publicly broke with the Qaddafi regime in February, has registered to lobby on behalf of the Transitional National Council Office of the Representative to the United States.

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Hal Rogers

'Prince Of Pork' Funneled $236M To His Nonprofit Groups

Ryan J. Reilly | April 26, 2011, 11:10AM

Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY)

The new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), has funneled more than $236 million in federal funds to nonprofit groups he created since 2000, according to a new report by an ethics watchdog group.

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National Organization for Marriage

NOM Launches 'Investigation' Of Law Firm's Decision To Drop DOMA Case

Ryan J. Reilly | April 25, 2011, 5:35PM

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), a conservative organization fighting against the legalization of same-sex marriage, said Monday it would launch an "investigation" into the decision of the law firm King & Spalding to drop its defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

"We will convene a panel of legal experts and ethicists to determine if any rules of professional conduct have been violated, or if the firm has acted illegally in reaching their decision," NOM President Brian Brown said in a statement posted on their website. "We already know they have violated the moral imperative of acting in good faith and fair dealing. If our review concludes that the firm has violated any statutes or rules of professional conduct, we will initiate the appropriate disciplinary complaints."

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PATRIOT Act Author: 'No-Brainer' To Hire Lawyer Who Quit Law Firm Over DOMA

Ryan J. Reilly | April 25, 2011, 2:33PM

Former Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh and former United States Solicitor General Paul Clement

When Paul Clement resigned this morning from the law firm King and Spalding after it decided to withdraw from its agreement with House Republican leadership to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, the small law firm Bancroft PLLC quickly announced Clement would be joining it as a partner.

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DOMA

Conservative Lawyer Resigns After Law Firm Drops DOMA Defense

Ryan J. Reilly | April 25, 2011, 11:20AM

In a major setback for opponents of same-sex marriage, the law firm of King and Spalding is withdrawing from its agreement the House Republican leadership to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court.

The motion to withdraw was filed in federal court on Monday by Richard A. Cirillo on behalf of King and Spalding, as first noted by the Huffington Post's Amanda Terkel. Former Solicitor General Paul Clement, who headed up King & Spalding's appellate practice, had been set to defend DOMA on behalf of House Republican leadership after the Justice Department said it would not defend the 1996 law because it determined provisions of the law were unconstitutional.

Clement submitted his resignation letter to King and Spalding on Monday morning. He will continue to represent the House, according to House Speaker John Boehner's office.

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