Archive: Hearing Watch
Hoyer Testifies on 'Stolen Vote'
In an apparently unprecedented session, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) testified this afternoon before the special committee that was set up to investigate whether Democrats "stole" a controversial House vote last August. The vote in question was on a Republican motion to bar illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits....
By Ben Pershing | May 13, 2008; 09:25 PM ET | Comments (9)
Byrd Watching
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) chaired an important Appropriations Committee hearing yesterday on the Iraq supplemental bill, with onlookers paying as much or more attention to the ailing 90-year-old's performance in the chair as to the underlying issue of war funding. Byrd's failing health and ability to continue to hold the...
By Ben Pershing | April 17, 2008; 11:37 AM ET | Comments (1)
The Politics of Petraeus
Even as Gen. David Petraeus testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee, political operatives off the Hill are already working to frame his appearance. This morning, the re-election campaign of Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) sent an e-mail to supporters asking them to "Sign the Petraeus Petition," telling the general...
By Ben Pershing | April 8, 2008; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (19)
Iraq Hearings: What to Watch For
Some days, when the Senate has dozens of amendments to comb through, the chamber has what is known as a "vote-a-rama." Today and tomorrow might appropriately called "hearing-a-ramas," as four different House and Senate panels are holding separate sessions on political and military progress in Iraq. The Senate gets first...
By Ben Pershing | April 8, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Congress Plays the Field
Sometimes Congress can be a lot like kindergarten. There are recesses, though they lack jungle gyms and hopscotch, and there are field trips, though not to the zoo or the local science museum. Actually, members of Congress don't call them field trips, but rather "field hearings," and they are a...
By Ben Pershing | March 27, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
In Clemens's Corner: Dan Burton
If you've been following today's blockbuster House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing into steroids in baseball, you already know that embattled ace Roger Clemens appears to have at least one lawmaker firmly in his corner -- Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.). Best known to the public at large as the...
By Ben Pershing | February 13, 2008; 02:05 PM ET | Comments (16)
Following the 'Maestro'
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has not achieved the rock star status of his predecessor, Alan Greenspan, but members of Congress do appreciate one thing about Bernanke -- they can actually understand what he's saying. Bernanke was on the Hill this morning to testify before the House Budget Committee, and...
By Ben Pershing | January 17, 2008; 04:16 PM ET | Comments (2)
MLB Spreads the Wealth on the Hill
On the same day Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was being grilled about steroids by a House panel, his office was busy filing the year-end report for baseball's political action committee. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig listens to Former Sen. George Mitchell testify before the House Oversight and...
By Ben Pershing | January 15, 2008; 03:55 PM ET | Comments (6)
Mukasey, Leahy Have 'Meat Locker' Hearing
So much for the warm feelings that abounded throughout yesterday's confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee Michael B. Mukasey. About 90 minutes into this morning's tense round of questioning, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) looked around at his staff and complained the room felt like a "meat locker."...
By Paul Kane | October 18, 2007; 04:01 PM ET | Comments (18)
Mukasey Hearing Getting Good Karma
Maybe it's the karma in the air from the Dalai Lama's visit to the Capitol, but everything is so peaceful this time around in 216 Hart, the room where Michael B. Mukasey is undergoing his confirmation hearing for attorney general. In the same room, almost six months ago to the...
By Paul Kane | October 17, 2007; 03:19 PM ET | Comments (4)
Lieberman, Schumer Will Introduce Mukasey
Former U.S. District Court judge and attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey's Wednesday confirmation hearing is expected to be one of the most bipartisan nominations of the entire Bush administration. Democrats are already signaling that confirmation is likely. The current plan calls for Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen....
By Paul Kane | October 16, 2007; 03:04 PM ET | Comments (10)
Taylor Walking Fine Line in Testimony
It took just nine minutes into the question-and-answer session this morning for Sara M. Taylor to make her first "very-clear-letter" reference. The former White House political director, appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee about its ongoing investigation into the firings last year of U.S. attorneys, was asked whether she had...
By Paul Kane | July 11, 2007; 12:37 PM ET | Comments (116)
DAG IV: McNulty Returns
Paul McNulty, take four. Like most Hollywood sequels, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty's return to Capitol Hill today was not quite the blockbuster its producers (the House Judiciary Committee) had hoped it would be. Appearing in the committee room he once ruled as a top staffer in the 1990s, McNulty...
By Paul Kane | June 21, 2007; 05:38 PM ET | Comments (18)
Gonzales Finds More Friends in Latest Trip to the Hill
To use a sports analogy, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales doesn't care for playing away games. And three weeks ago, appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gonzales was very much on the road facing a hostile crowd of Democrats and Republicans who felt they weren't getting straight answers from the AG...
By Paul Kane | May 11, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (27)
Gonzales Hearing Update: No More Pink
Code Pink is the proper name for the organization that the anti-war protestors belong to, and here's an update on their status at the House hearing where the attorney general is answering questions about the U.S. attorney firings: They've been completely ousted from the hearing room. About eight Code Pink...
By Paul Kane | May 10, 2007; 02:20 PM ET | Comments (4)
Gonzales Hearing Turns 'Pink'
OK, this time around, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's appearance on Capitol Hill began with an act of dignity by the majority. Then the partisan sparks started flying, providing the appearance that House Republicans are much more aggressively defending Gonzales than their Senate GOP counterparts did three weeks ago. The hearing...
By Paul Kane | May 10, 2007; 12:20 PM ET | Comments (14)
Gonzales Will Stay on Message at Thurs. House Hearing
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will again apologize for the "process" that led to the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys last year, acknowledging that he should have ensured a "more vigorous" evaluation of the federal prosecutors, according to prepared remarks to be delivered tomorrow on Capitol Hill. Gonzales, who is scheduled...
By Paul Kane | May 9, 2007; 08:08 AM ET | Comments (42)
DOJ vs. DOJ: Two Views on the U.S. Attorney Firings
Almost exactly two months apart, two different Justice Department officials (one current, one former) appeared before the same House subcommittee in the same room in the Rayburn office building to talk about the same topic -- the performance of U.S. attorneys. On March 6, William E. Moschella, the principal associate...
By Paul Kane | May 4, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (30)
The AG Hearing: A Post Mortem
As we consider the events of the past week, Capitol Briefing is still reeling from the miracle that occurred at precisely 4:34 p.m. Thursday: Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) had run out of things to say. Yes, Schumer -- who's both respected and reviled for his stamina in front of a...
By Paul Kane | April 20, 2007; 11:37 PM ET | Comments (24)
With 'Friends' Like These, AG May Be in Trouble
If Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is in need of someone to pull him back from the edge of the political plank, he hasn't gotten any help today from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In fact, the most conservative member of the panel -- Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) -- just...
By Paul Kane | April 19, 2007; 03:46 PM ET | Comments (123)
Specter vs. Gonzales -- Round 1
Less than a minute into his questioning, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) snapped at Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in an exchange that didn't bode well for Gonzales and his much ballyhooed make-or-break testimony in defending his role in the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys. The unexpected attack from the committee's top...
By Paul Kane | April 19, 2007; 12:30 PM ET | Comments (182)
Attorney General Hits the Murder Boards
Note to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: Make sure your staff buys the good brand of cookies for this week's "murder boards." Gonzales is undergoing self-imposed grilling sessions as he prepares for next week's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (AP) That's one of the lessons learned by Chief Justice John...
By Paul Kane | April 11, 2007; 03:05 PM ET | Comments (11)
