House panel opens investigation of ex-Trump aide Rob Porter

White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, right, talked with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, left, as they waited for the arrival of President Donald Trump and began a moment of silence to remember the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Oct. 2. WASHINGTON>> Lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to know how former presidential aide Rob Porter was allowed to work at the White House under an interim security clearance - despite allegations of spousal abuse. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent letters to the FBI and White House today as his panel opened an investigation into the matter.

Trying to keep up with the ‘Dreamers’ debate? Here are 6 essential reads

The future remains uncertain for a group of young people who were brought to the U.S. as children without legal authorization. Some of these so-called "Dreamers" were temporarily shielded from deportation through an Obama-era program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

3 commentary Jennifer Rubin: We’re defenseless against Russian…

President Donald Trump, unwilling to acknowledge the degree of Russian meddling in the 2016 election , has brushed aside numerous admonitions from Congress, outside experts and even his own advisers to harden our defenses against future interference. On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats was the latest to testify to Russia's threat to our democracy and our unpreparedness.

Medicare drug plan divides up winners, losers

Some Medicare beneficiaries would face higher prescription drug costs under President Donald Trump's budget while the sickest patients save thousands of dollars, in a plan that comes as the administration has made bringing down drug costs a top priority. In budget documents, the administration said its proposals strike a balance between improving the popular "Part D" prescription benefit for the 42 million seniors enrolled, while correcting design flaws that increase program costs for taxpayers.

GOP steers deficit talk to focus on tax cut

The White House budget director went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to sell President Donald Trump's budget, but the administration's allies in the Senate preferred to talk about last year's tax cut rather than the trillion-dollar deficits contained in the new spending plan. The president's budget for the first time acknowledges that the Republican tax overhaul would add billions to the deficit and not "pay for itself" with economic growth and higher revenue.

Snag starts alien parley in Senate

A Senate debate over immigration got off to a halting start Tuesday, with Republican and Democratic leaders immediately at loggerheads over how to move forward and President Donald Trump warning this was the "last chance" to extend protections to "Dreamer" aliens. Trump issued the warning in a morning tweet as the Senate opened what was billed as an unusual and open-ended debate on a host of immigration issues.

Porter timeline skewed

The FBI director, Christopher Wray, said Tuesday that the bureau's background investigation into Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary who resigned after spousal-abuse allegations, was formally closed in January. But the White House allowed Porter to continue serving in his post until the accusations surfaced publicly in news reports last week.

Midterm vote Russia’s prey, senators told

The nation's top intelligence chiefs were united Tuesday in declaring that Russia is continuing efforts to disrupt the U.S. political system and is targeting the 2018 midterm election, after its successful operation to sow discord in the most recent presidential campaign. The assessment stands in contrast to President Donald Trump, who has mocked the very notion of Russian interference in the 2016 election and lashed out at those who have suggested otherwise.

Trump’s Passion for Tariffs Faces Stiff Headwinds From His Party

President Donald Trump's zeal for new a round of tariffs is running into cold, hard economic and political reality: lawmakers from his own party who think it's a bad idea. White House officials insist there's no plan in the works for such an action.

Trump’s toxic embrace of Israel must not turn off Democrats

The War with Iran has Begun - Come Hear What Israel's Defense Minister Has to Say Save Your Seat Now US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. On March 4, thousands of Israel lovers will fill another AIPAC Policy Conference.

Lies and Failed Security Clearances

In the world of President Donald Trump, a failure to obtain necessary security clearances does not mean much if someone works for the President of the United States. In 1981, I joined the Congressional office staff of Rep. Paul Findley as press secretary and legislative assistant and we moved to Washington after 17 years as a newspaperman in Illinois and Virginia.

The White House’s latest defense of Rob Porter doesn’t add up, two Obama lawyers say

White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter watches as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with North Korean defectors in the Oval Office at the White House. CREDIT: Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that the White House's personnel security office's consideration of former staff secretary Rob Porter, who resigned last week after two of his ex-wives accused him of domestic abusive, was still ongoing when Porter resigned.

Jared Kushner credit line debts increased in 2017

White House Was Warned of Aide's Background Months Earlier Than Acknowledged - WASHINGTON - Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, contradicted on Tuesday the White House timeline about the domestic abuse scandal involving Rob Porter, the president's former staff secretary. White House official: "Kelly cover-up is unraveling" - Chief of Staff John Kelly's White House enemies are ready to use FBI Director Chris Wray's testimony as a weapon: "Wray's FBI timeline makes one thing clear: the Kelly coverup is unraveling right before our eyes," a White House official says.

How Trump’s budget would cut the safety net for the poorest Americans

Trump's vision for the budget adds to the deficit while cutting domestic programs such as food stamps that benefit people in need Harvey, Illinois, is a depressed suburb of Chicago that was hit hard by the sluggish economy. The president is also proposing work requirements for several federal programs including housing subsidies and Medicaid.

Kamala Harris Asks FBI Director If Trump Should Recuse From Trump-Russia Intel

HARRIS: If the president asked you tomorrow to hand over to him additional sensitive FBI information on the investigations into his campaign, would you give it to him? WRAY: I am not going to discuss the investigation in question with the president, much less provide information from that investigation to him. HARRIS: And if he received that information and wanted to declassify it, would he have the ability to do that from your perspective? HARRIS: And do you believe the president should recuse himself from reviewing and declassifying sensitive material related to this investigation? WRAY: Happily, I am no longer in the business of doing legal analysis.

Portrait Perversion: Obama Portrait Features ‘Secret…

Kelly increasingly isolated as Porter scandal rages on - Turbulence in this West Wing is typically generated by President Donald Trump, but for the past week, it's been chief of staff John Kelly - the man brought in to be a steadying hand - who's inspiring what one White House official described as a crisis of confidence. White House Was Warned of Aide's Background Months Earlier Than Acknowledged - WASHINGTON - Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, contradicted on Tuesday the White House timeline about the domestic abuse scandal involving Rob Porter, the president's former staff secretary.

The Latest: Mulvaney backtracks comment on Trump budget

Mulvaney, a former tea party congressman, flubbed a response at a Senate hearing Tuesday that made it sound like he was opposed to the very budget he came to testify in favor of. Senior panel Democrat Patty Murray of Washington asked Mulvaney, "If you were in Congress would you have voted for this budget that you're presenting?" Budget Director Mick Mulvaney testifies before the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, on President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2019 budget proposal.

FBI Contradicts White House on Porter Background Check

Kelly increasingly isolated as Porter scandal rages on - Turbulence in this West Wing is typically generated by President Donald Trump, but for the past week, it's been chief of staff John Kelly - the man brought in to be a steadying hand - who's inspiring what one White House official described as a crisis of confidence. White House Was Warned of Aide's Background Months Earlier Than Acknowledged - WASHINGTON - Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, contradicted on Tuesday the White House timeline about the domestic abuse scandal involving Rob Porter, the president's former staff secretary.