FBI Director James Comey meets with Congress ‘Gang of Eight’

FBI Director James Comey went to Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with eight members of Congress who represent those who have access to the most highly classified intelligence information, a source told CNN. In the Senate, that includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence committee, Republican Sen. Richard Burr and Democrat Mark Warner respectively.

Remember James Carville? Democrats Should

It was a gloomy weekend for Democrats hoping to unify in opposition to President Donald Trump. Fresh from a divisive power struggle at the Democratic National Committee meeting in Atlanta, party leaders found themselves asked to choose between embracing their anti-establishment wing and empowering the moderates those insurgents want to purge.

Aide says senators want materials saved for Russia probe

The Senate Intelligence Committee has sent formal requests to more than a dozen organizations, agencies and individuals, asking them to preserve all materials related to the committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and related issues, according to a congressional aide. The committee chairman, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and its vice chairman, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., sent letters Friday, the same day committee members received a classified briefing from FBI Director James Comey.

US Senators from both parties pledge to continue Mel Brooks-style remake of McCarthy era

“Top Republican and Democratic senators pledged Tuesday to deepen their [security theater over alleged, so far with little if any evidence,] Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election in the wake of Michael Flynn’s resignation as President Trump’s national security adviser, opening a new and potentially uncomfortable chapter in the uneasy relationship between Trump and Capitol Hill.

The Latest: Panel vote on budget director delayed

The top Democrat on a Senate panel responsible for advancing President Donald Trump’s pick to head the White House budget office says she needs time to examine the results of a routine FBI investigation before she can vote on Rep. Mick Mulvaney’s nomination. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill says she gained access to Mulvaney’s FBI file just a half-hour before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee vote Wednesday morning.

GOP suspends Senate rule, muscles Trump picks through panel

Republicans muscled through committee approval of President Donald Trump’s nominees for Treasury and Health on Wednesday, suspending a key Senate rule in the latest escalation of partisan tensions in Congress. Democrats boycotted a Finance Committee meeting and Republicans responded by temporarily scuttling a rule requiring at least one Democrat to be present for votes.

The Latest: Capitol architect says pig painting breaks rules

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., center, accompanied by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., right, and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 to discuss P… Just weeks before a gunman opened fire at Fort Lauderdale’s airport, authorities said he walked into an FBI office in Alaska, telling agents the government was controlling his mind and that he was having… Just weeks before a gunman opened fire at Fort Lauderdale’s airport, authorities said he walked into an FBI office in Alaska, telling agents the government was controlling his mind and that he was having terroristic… States across the nation’s midsection are bracing for another round of winter storms expected to add to thick ice that already has glazed roads, grounded flights and prompted class cancellations amid warnings… Parts of the central U.S. grappled … (more)

CIA nominee Pompeo agrees Russia behind election hacks

Donald Trump’s pick to run the CIA on Thursday sided with intelligence officials who have determined the Kremlin was behind election cyberattacks, and he took a tough stand against Russia, distancing himself from the president-elect, who wants to warm relations with Moscow. Rep. Mike Pompeo, a four-term conservative Kansas Republican, spoke at his confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence committee amid a testy standoff between Trump and the spy community over Russian activities during the presidential election.

The Latest: Report says Russians will continue to target US

U.S. intelligence officials are predicting that Russia will continue to develop capabilities to help President Vladimir Putin target the United States. A new declassified report says that immediately after Election Day, Russian intelligence began a spear-phishing campaign against U.S. government employees and individuals associated with U.S. think tanks or nonprofit organizations working in the fields of national security, defense and foreign policy.

Perriello making surprise run for Virginia governor

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello is set to make a surprise entrance into the Virginia governor’s race, according to two Democratic operatives with direct knowledge of Perriello’s plan. Perriello is set to announce his plan to seek the Democratic nomination Thursday, according to the operatives, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Perriello’s plans publicly.