Hunter Biden’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors was already a political thriller, but few predicted it would crash and burn during a 3-hour hearing after the two sides squabbled over the details.
The judge refused to accept the terms on his tax-evasion charges, which keeps President Joe Biden’s son in the headlines as congressional Republicans continue to circle the controversial deal.
The case isn’t a whodunit legally speaking, and a clearer deal is expected to be provided by both sides within the next month. But the younger Biden’s saga remains a distraction for Democrats and catnip for the GOP as Congress heads home and the 2024 presidential campaign simmers.
It was an awkward 28 seconds of silence that made the most noise in Washington this week.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., froze while speaking during a press conference and had to be escorted away by GOP colleagues. It was a stunning episode and sparked concern given the 81-year-old lawmaker had suffered a concussion months earlier.
The incident, coupled with Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., being confused about a vote, has once again put the age of elected leaders in the spotlight.
Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott has largely been playing the nice guy in the GOP field as most of his campaign focus remains on his agenda and drawing contrasts with Biden.
But asked about new Black history standards in Florida public schools the South Carolina lawmaker, who is the lone African-American Republican in the Senate, started a skirmish with Gov. Ron DeSantis that might be a new contrast in the primary.
On a slightly lighter note, President Biden’s dog is in the dog house after a report came out showing the first family’s pup keeps biting people, including a Secret Service agent.
Hunter Biden’s legal saga continues after plea collapses
The five-year federal investigation into Hunter Biden was supposed to end this week with the 53-year-old hedge fund investor pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges that he failed to pay his taxes in 2017 and 2018, thus avoiding jail time for that and a separate gun case.
But that quickly unraveled during the hearing when prosecutors and defense lawyers disagreed about the fine print, and almost ripped up the entire deal in court.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who presided over the hearing, was also skeptical. She lobbed several questions about the agreement, and ultimately Hunter Biden entered a not guilty plea until the two sides draft a clearer deal.
“I know you want to get this over with and I am sorry,” Noreika told Biden. “But I want to be careful.”
As the younger Biden works to end his legal mess, the White House made it clear that President Joe Biden would not use his presidential pen to pardon his son.
Mitch McConnell 28 seconds later
Mitch McConnell is known as the unflinching conservative leader of the Senate who rarely shows a chink in the armor when jousting with political foes.
But for almost a half a minute the Kentucky Republican didn’t utter a word during a Senate GOP press conference this week, which drew many to speculate about how bad his previous fall in March was. At the time he suffered a concussion and broke a rib.
The GOP leader’s office said he was “lightheaded” and has continued with his normal duties.
USA TODAY confirmed McConnell fell two other times this year, and now uses a wheelchair in certain spaces, which hadn’t been known before.
McConnell’s office again held a stiff upper lip going into the weekend, saying despite speculation he, “plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do.”
“I think part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives ∸ accept lies that are perpetrated by the left,” he said.
Congressman yells, curses at teen Senate pages
Rep. Derrick Van Orden is new to Congress, and has already generated controversy for berating a group of youth in the Capitol.
When a group of high school-aged Senate pages were lying on their backs in the Capitol Rotunda taking pictures of the building’s dome, the Wisconsin Republican called the pages “lazy s—-“ and told them to “get the f— up” off the floor.
Senate Democratic and Republican leadership condemned the outburst, which Van Orden refused to apologize about.
“I would think that it’d be terribly disrespectful to lay on the grave of a soldier that died fighting for freedom,” he said. “And I don’t know anybody that disagrees.”
In one case it was a Secret Service agent who had to go to the hospital.
After the attack, an officer who reached out to the hurt agent called the account “freaking crazy” and referred to Commander as “that stupid dog” in a redacted email.
This isn’t the first time one of Biden’s dogs has bitten someone.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
