1 year ago
78
‘It diminishes the stature of any person who is in possession of it,’ says Senator Dick Durbin of the files
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Joe Biden might have spent the weekend outside Washington DC, but he could not escape the growing furor over classified documents turning up in his possession. The latest batch were discovered when the president made the unusual step of allowing federal agents to search his residence in Wilmington, Delaware, during which they seized six more items. His Democratic allies are walking a fine line between shaking their finger at a lifelong politician who should have known better when it comes to classified material, and making the case that Biden is being far more transparent than Donald Trump, who stands accused of doing nearly the same thing, albeit in greater quantities and far more deliberately. “It diminishes the stature of any person who is in possession of it,” Democratic senator Dick Durbin told CNN in an interview Sunday, when asked about the president’s handling of the secrets. Expect to hear more about this today.
Here’s what else is going on:
Kyrsten Sinema has a challenger for Arizona’s Senate seat: Democratic House representative Ruben Gallego. After repeatedly infuriating progressives, Sinema left the Democratic party last year to serve as an independent, though she says she’ll continue to work with Biden’s allies. Democrats will have to decide whether to support her re-election, or back a risky bid to oust her in a swing state.
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, briefs reporters at 2pm eastern time, who will surely pester her for more details about the documents investigation.
Tensions with China will probably rise again when the Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, makes a visit to Taiwan in the coming months, Punchbowl News reports. Beijing reacted with fury when his Democratic predecessor Nancy Pelosi did the same last year.
Continue reading...