Stephen Dinan

IG aims to complete probe of James Comey’s handling of Hillary Clinton by spring

The inspector general is looking into whether the Justice Department's policies were followed by then-FBI Director James Comey when he led the probe into Mrs. Clinton's secret email account. Published November 15, 2017

Paul Ryan: Congress to focus on spending cuts next year, after tax cuts

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday that Congress will turn next year to spending cuts to try to lower the deficit, saying that's the second step after cutting taxes. Published November 14, 2017

Committee clears Kirstjen Nielsen, Trump’s pick to lead DHS

The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted Tuesday to approve Kirstjen Nielsen as the next Homeland Security secretary, overcoming objections from Democrats who said she lacked leadership experience and didn't appear to be independent enough from the White House. Published November 14, 2017

Paul Ryan orders mandatory anti-sexual harassment training for entire House

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday that the entire U.S. House will now face mandatory training to avoid sexual harassment and discrimination, moving to address the growing national scandal over behavior ranging from the boorish to the criminal. Published November 14, 2017

Senate GOP to include repeal of Obamacare mandate in tax-cut bill

Senate Republicans said Tuesday they will include a repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate in their tax cut bill in a bold move that frees up more money for deeper tax cuts and takes a whack at the health care law they have repeatedly tried but failed to repeal. Published November 14, 2017

Trump picks Thomas Homan, immigration crackdown advocate, to be permanent chief of ICE

President Trump on Tuesday nominated Thomas D. Homan to become the permanent head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a move that heads off what could have been a crisis of leadership at the critical agency. Published November 14, 2017

ICE agents rebel, say Trump ‘betrayed’ them by leaving Obama’s people in place

The country's immigration enforcement officers launched a website Tuesday demanding that President Trump do more to clean up their agency, saying he has left the Obama team in place and it's stymying his goal of enforcing laws on the books. Published November 14, 2017

Paul Ryan says Roy Moore is betraying his voters by staying in race

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday that Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore should drop out of the race, saying he's betraying the very people he says he's trying to represent. Published November 14, 2017

Jeff Sessions mulls Russia uranium deal investigation

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday he's considering appointing a special counsel to look at whether the FBI properly handled the investigation into Russia's purchase of uranium rights and donations to the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Clinton led the State Department. Published November 13, 2017

Sanctuary church immigration bid causes school to close

A Colorado preschool says it's shutting its doors after the church where it rented space declared itself a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, leaving parents of the toddlers miffed. Published November 13, 2017

Cory Gardner: Senate should expel Roy Moore if he wins

The top Senate Republican campaign official said Monday that the Senate should move to expel Roy Moore should he manage to win the special election next week for senator from Alabama. Published November 13, 2017

Mitch McConnell tells Roy Moore to quit Senate race

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Roy Moore, his party's candidate for Senate in Alabama, to quit the race, saying the women who have accused the former state chief justice of sexual advances on them when they were teens have told a compelling story. Published November 13, 2017

GOP lawmakers tell Sessions to probe Clinton-Comey or resign

Two House Republicans delivered an ultimatum Monday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, telling him either to name a special counsel to investigate FBI Director James B. Comey's handling of last year's election, or else resign to clear the way for someone who will. Published November 13, 2017

Luis Gutierrez: Post office delays causing Dreamers to lose DACA amnesty

Some illegal immigrant "Dreamers" are demanding leniency from the government, saying they applied for renewed protections under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals deportation amnesty, but were denied because the post office delivered their applications too late. Published November 10, 2017

Senate GOP’s tax bill tries to avoid hiccups of House bill

Seemingly learning from the rocky rollout of their House counterparts, Senate Republicans announced a tax cut framework Thursday that preserves many popular tax breaks for adoptions, medical expenses and home mortgage interest, while promising lower taxes for most Americans. Published November 9, 2017

GOP tells Roy Moore to step down if allegations of teen sex are true

Washington Republicans moved quickly Thursday to try to oust their candidate in the Alabama Senate race, former state Chief Justice Roy Moore, after a newspaper reported he had enticed an underage girl into a sexual encounter decades ago. Published November 9, 2017

Dreamers marching on Paul Ryan’s office to protest DACA delay

Illegal immigrant "Dreamers" said they were marching on House Speaker Paul D. Ryan's office Thursday to protest after he brushed aside calls earlier in the morning to set an end-of-the-year deadline to pass legislation granting them full legal status. Published November 9, 2017