The News Caravan

Tag: VPs

  • Trump, Pence urge judge to reject special counsel bid to obtain former VP’s testimony

    Trump, Pence urge judge to reject special counsel bid to obtain former VP’s testimony

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    It’s one of the weightiest constitutional fights that Smith is likely to undertake, one that could shape the balance of power between all three branches of government in unpredictable ways. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Windom, one of Smith’s lead investigators, was seen entering the courtroom as well.

    It’s also an early test for Chief U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, who took the chief’s gavel last week after his predecessor Beryl Howell’s seven-year term as chief expired. The chief judge is tasked with overseeing all grand jury matters in the district, which include Smith’s special counsel probes.

    Pence’s fight to block the subpoena is not the only way Smith’s inquiry could have far-reaching constitutional consequences. A three-judge appeals court panel is expected to rule imminently on his separate effort to access the cellphone data of Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a key ally in Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election results. Perry, like Pence, is arguing that his communications should be shielded by the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which grants Congress sweeping immunity from compelled testimony — if it pertains to lawmakers’ official duties.

    The Perry dispute drew intervention from the House of Representatives, which filed a sealed amicus brief in the matter that raised concerns about the implications for the institution should the appeals court adopt a narrow view of “speech or debate” immunity.

    The hearing also underscored the extraordinary confluence of acute legal and criminal matters Trump is facing.

    Corcoran himself has been ordered by a federal judge to testify as soon as Friday in Smith’s other ongoing criminal probe of Trump’s handling of sensitive national security records discovered at his Mar-a-Lago estate. And while Corcoran was waiting in the cafeteria Thursday, an attorney for Joseph Biggs — one of five Proud Boys facing seditious conspiracy charges for actions on Jan. 6 — approached him to attempt to serve a subpoena on Trump.

    The attorney, Norm Pattis, said Corcoran told him he was ”not authorized” to accept service on Trump’s behalf.

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    #Trump #Pence #urge #judge #reject #special #counsel #bid #obtain #VPs #testimony
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Wasn’t consulted on appointing V-P’s personal staff to house committees: Jairam Ramesh

    Wasn’t consulted on appointing V-P’s personal staff to house committees: Jairam Ramesh

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    New Delhi: After Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, attached eight officers from his office to various standing committees and other parliamentary committees under the jurisdiction of the Upper House, senior Congrese leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday categorically denied that he was consulted on the matter.

    Ramesh is the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment, Forests & Climate Change.

    “The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha has said that the decision to have his personal staff attached to various parliamentary committees was taken after consultations with the respective chairpersons. I chair a standing committee and I can categorically say that I wasn’t consulted at all,” Ramesh said.

    Speaking at an event earlier on Thursday, Dhankar had said that the appointments were made after taking feedback from the committee members and chairpersons, adding that to optimise the functioning of the committees, he has appointed the best IAS and IFS officers.

    The Congress has termed the appointment of Dhankhar’s personal staff to the Rajya Sabha committees as “unprecedented”, saying that it shows the lack of confidence in the existing staff.

    Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh said, “Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar appoints his staff on standing committees… Yes, this is unprecedented. But the explanation given is also quite inappropriate. Doesn’t it reflect Rajya Sabha Chairman’s lack of confidence in the existing staff of the RS secretariat?”

    “VP is Chairperson of Council of States Ex-officio. He is not a Member of House like Vice Chairperson or Panel of Vice Chairpersons. How can he appoint personal staff on Parliamentary Standing Committees? Would this not tantamount to institutional subversion,” Congress’ Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari tweeted.

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    #Wasnt #consulted #appointing #VPs #personal #staff #house #committees #Jairam #Ramesh

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )