Rep. Mark Meadows, Staunch Trump Ally, Won’t Seek Reelection in 2020

IG Michael Horowitz: ‘Text Messages’ Contained Evidence of ‘Political Bias’ at FBI

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz on Wednesday left the door open to the possibility that political bias played a role when FBI officials launched a probe—codenamed Crossfire Hurricane—into a Trump campaign aide in 2016. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the head of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, questioned Horowitz about his probe into the FBI’s FISA application to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page for as long as a year. Johnson noted that Horowitz’s report found that Bill Priestap, the former FBI assistant director of counterintelligence, didn’t show any political bias when he opened the investigation. He said Horowitz, however, found evidence of political bias during his yearslong investigation. “We found through the text messages evidence of people’s political bias, correct,” the inspector general told the panel. Earlier…

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) joined the wave of House GOP members who won’t seek reelection, but indicated he intends to continue political work.

“For everything there is a season. After prayerful consideration and discussion with family, today I’m announcing that my time serving Western North Carolina in Congress will come to a close at the end of this term. This was a decision I struggled with greatly,” he said in a statement early Thursday.

“These last 8 years, I have been so blessed to serve the people of NC-11 and help give a voice to millions of Americans who feel Washington, D.C. has forgotten them.”

Meadows is known as one of Republican President Donald Trump’s strongest allies in the House. He celebrated the accomplishments of the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for Game 5 of the World Series baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington on Oct. 27, 2019. Also pictured are Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) (second from left) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C) (R). (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

“Since serving alongside President Trump, I have been a witness to historic economic prosperity, unemployment levels I only dreamed of when I took office, tax and regulatory reforms that are putting the American worker first, our Israeli embassy moved to Jerusalem, and trade deals that were once thought impossible,” he said.

“I have seen our law enforcement and first responders receive the support they deserve and our military once again put on a path to maintain its superiority.”

Meadows said that he intends to continue working with Trump and the administration, adding that he is “fully committed to staying in the fight with him and his team.”

“I’ve always said Congress is a temporary job, but the fight to return Washington, D.C. to its rightful owner, We The People, has only just begun,” he said in the statement.

Meadows, 60, a small business owner, has represented North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District since 2013. He easily won reelection in 2018, beating challenger Philip Price by over 61,000 votes.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) speaks to media after FBI agent Peter Paul Strzok arrived for his deposition at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on June 27, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Meadows is the 24th Republican member of the House to announce they wouldn’t seek reelection next year, compared to just nine Democrat House members.

Twenty of the Republicans and six of the Democrats are retiring; the others are seeking other offices.

Among them are Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who is running for president; Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), who is running for a Senate seat; and Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), who is running for governor.

Four senators, including three GOP members, are also not seeking reelection in 2020. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) has also announced he won’t seek reelection in 2022.

This article is from the Internet:Rep. Mark Meadows, Staunch Trump Ally, Won’t Seek Reelection in 2020

Trump Order Gives Federal Employees a Day Off for Christmas Eve

President Donald Trump issued an executive order this week giving federal employees a day off on Christmas Eve, or Dec. 24. “All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Tuesday, December 24, 2019, the day before Christmas Day,” Trump wrote. “The heads of executive departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on December 24, 2019, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.” Christmas Eve is not a federal holiday so without the order, federal employees would have been expected to report for work. American presidents sometimes give federal employees half a day or a day off…