Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
State Dept. has no plans to make all Huma Abedin, Cheryl Mills emails public
The State Department has the equivalent of 22 full-time employees designated to processing former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton's emails, the Obama administration told a federal court Friday, detailing the extraordinary efforts it is making to try to handle the legal tangle Mrs. Clinton left behind. Published September 11, 2015
House GOP rejects Iran deal, votes to extend sanctions
The House voted Friday to extend American sanctions on Iran until January and went on record rejecting the deal President Obama and other international leaders reached to curtail the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, in votes more freighted with symbolism than effect at this point. Published September 11, 2015
Orrin Hatch probes IRS political targeting; five employees quit during investigations
The IRS is still investigating 11 cases of political wrongdoing by its own employees dating back to 2013, and had to warn eight others that their behavior was in danger of crossing lines, the Senate's senior lawmaker revealed Tuesday in a letter probing how the tax agency handles those cases. Published September 11, 2015
Democrats urge U.S. to take 100,000 Syrian refugees
Two top Democrats have called for the U.S. to accept 100,000 Syrian refugees next year, or 10 times the number President Obama proposed this week, saying America should "do our part." Published September 11, 2015
Senate Democrats sustain Iran nuclear deal, free Obama to lift sanctions
Senate Democrats rallied behind President Obama Thursday, successfully filibustering to preserve the deal he and international leaders struck to curtail Iran's nuclear program, as House Speaker John A. Boehner threatened to sue the president to try and halt it. Published September 10, 2015
Judge denies Obama admin. request to halt Clinton email cases
A federal judge Thursday rejected the Obama administration's efforts to halt all of the open-records lawsuits seeking access to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's emails. Published September 10, 2015
Nancy Pelosi: Emails aren’t hurting Hillary Clinton’s polling
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she's not paying attention to Hillary Rodham Clinton's tumble in the polls, but doubted it is related to the email scandal that appears to have fed into doubts about the former first lady's trustworthiness. Published September 10, 2015
Senate sets Thursday afternoon vote on Iran deal
Senators were pushing toward a vote Thursday afternoon that will likely prove President Obama has the support to follow through on the Iran nuclear deal, undercutting House Republicans' newly raised objections. Published September 10, 2015
Justice Department rules Hillary Clinton followed law in deleting emails
The Obama administration told a federal court Wednesday that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was within her legal rights to use of her own email account, to take messages with her when she left office and to be the one deciding which of those messages are government records that should be returned. Published September 10, 2015
Obama kept key Iran nuclear deal details from Congress, House Republicans allege
House Republicans will attempt a last-ditch effort to derail the Iran nuclear agreement by asserting President Obama has withheld key details of the deal from Congress, meaning the 60-day period for Capitol Hill's review hasn't even begun, GOP lawmakers said Wednesday. Published September 9, 2015
Iran nuclear debate begins as Democrats distance themselves from Obama
The Iran nuclear agreement debate kicked off Wednesday in Congress with Democrats eager to put some distance between themselves and President Obama, while still backing him on the fundamentals that will grant legitimacy to the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Published September 9, 2015
Luis Gutierrez: Donald Trump is top topic among Hispanics
Donald Trump is the "number one topic in Latino neighborhoods," a top Hispanic lawmaker said Wednesday as he warned Republicans to put distance between themselves and the billionaire businessman who is seeking Republicans' presidential nomination. Published September 9, 2015
Agents say just 40 percent of U.S.-Mexico border under control
Less than half of the U.S.-Mexico border is under "operational control," and one out of every five illegal immigrants caught there has a criminal record, the chief of Border Patrol agents' labor union told Congress Wednesday when detailing violence that increasingly spills over the international boundary. Published September 9, 2015
Hillary Clinton emails: Senators offer immunity to Bryan Pagliano for testimony
Two top Senate investigators floated the idea of immunity Tuesday to Bryan Pagliano, the staffer who set up the email server in former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's home, in exchange for testimony about her activities. Published September 8, 2015
Governors vow to keep state sanctions in place against Iran, undercutting Obama deal
Republican governors are rallying to stop state money from flowing to Iran, vowing to do what they can to stymie the lifting of sanctions on the Islamic Republic, independent of President Obama's nuclear deal. Published September 8, 2015
Harry Reid declares victory in Iran as Obama wins enough support for filibuster
Democratic leaders claimed victory Tuesday as more lawmakers announced their support for President Obama's deal to constrain Iran's nuclear program, ensuring he will prevail when Congress votes later this month. Published September 8, 2015
Dick Cheney blasts Iran deal as spark for nuclear arms race, spike in terrorism
Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday the nuclear agreement President Obama and other world leaders reached with Iran breaks nearly every red line the administration had drawn in the run-up to the negotiations, and will spark a new nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Published September 8, 2015
Donald Trump nomination could kill down-ticket Republican candidates’ hopes
Donald Trump has not only shaken up the GOP's presidential contest, he was also a dominant theme for congressional Republicans back home in their states and districts this summer, where many of the lawmakers took pains to show respect for him. Published September 7, 2015
Iran nuclear deal: Democrats’ reluctant support emboldens opponents
Democrats appear to have cinched the votes needed to declare victory on the Iran nuclear deal, yet Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to swallow back tears Sunday as she described her "gut-wrenching" decision to back the agreement. Published September 6, 2015
Carly Fiorina: Hillary Clinton’s server explanation ‘not plausible’
Among those skeptical of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's contention that she was "not thinking" when she set up a private email server at her home is tech-savvy Republican Carly Fiorina. Published September 6, 2015