Pete Hegseth was confirmed as Defense Secretary in a historic 51-50 Senate vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Three key Republican senators - Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins - voted against confirmation. Hegseth’s confirmation was controversial …
Pete HegsethJD VanceU.S. SenateMitch McConnellLisa Murkowski+2 morepete-hegsethdefense-secretaryconfirmationjd-vancetiebreaker-vote+3 more
In a dramatic twist on the final day of Trump’s second impeachment trial, the Senate voted 55-45 on Saturday morning, February 13, 2021, to call witnesses—specifically Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, who possessed crucial testimony about a January 6 phone call between Trump and House …
Minutes after voting to acquit Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered an extraordinary and scathing floor speech declaring: “There’s no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the …
The Senate’s second impeachment trial of Donald Trump began on February 9, 2021, with a four-hour constitutional debate centered on the fundamental question: can the Senate try a former president? In a 56-44 vote, the Senate affirmed that the trial was constitutional and could proceed, with …
Donald TrumpPatrick LeahyBruce CastorDavid SchoenMichael van der Veen+2 moreImpeachmentSenate TrialConstitutional LawTrump PresidencyJanuary 6 Attack
On January 25, 2021, exactly two weeks after the House voted to impeach Donald Trump and five days after President Biden’s inauguration, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi transmitted the single article of impeachment—charging Trump with “incitement of insurrection”—to the Senate. The nine …
On October 26, 2020, the Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court by a vote of 52-48, installing her on the bench just eight days before the November 3 presidential election and while millions of Americans had already cast their ballots. Barrett’s confirmation created a 6-3 …
On September 26, 2020—just eight days after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death—President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett, a religious conservative from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, to fill Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court. Barrett’s judicial record showed …
On September 18, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87 from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, creating a Supreme Court vacancy just 46 days before the November 3 presidential election and while early voting was already underway in some states. In her final days, …
The Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on both impeachment articles on February 5, 2020, despite overwhelming evidence that he abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to announce investigations into Joe Biden while withholding military aid. On Article I (Abuse of Power), the vote was …
The Senate voted 51-49 on January 31, 2020 to block witness testimony and document production in President Trump’s impeachment trial, making it the first Senate impeachment trial in American history conducted without witnesses or new evidence. Only two Republicans—Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan …
The New York Times obtained portions of former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s unpublished book manuscript on January 26, 2020, revealing that President Trump explicitly told Bolton in August 2019 that he wanted to continue freezing military aid to Ukraine until Ukrainian officials …
John BoltonDonald TrumpMitch McConnellSenate RepublicansFirst ImpeachmentUkraineQuid Pro QuoBoltonSenate Trial
Speaker Nancy Pelosi transmitted the articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate on January 16, 2020, ending a 28-day delay strategy designed to pressure Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to establish fair trial procedures. In a solemn ceremony in the Speaker’s office, …
Inspector General report revealed Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao repeatedly
used her office and staff to benefit her family’s shipping business, Foremost Group,
which has extensive ties to China. Chao directed staff to help with father’s travel,
edit his Wikipedia page, send his …
Elaine ChaoMitch McConnellDepartment of TransportationForemost GroupJames Chaocorruptionconflict-of-interestchinashipping-industryabuse-of-office+2 more
On October 6, 2018, the Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court by a vote of 50-48, making him the first justice in modern history confirmed with credible sexual assault allegations pending and despite obvious temperament problems that raised serious questions about his fitness for the …
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton took a government plane to Louisville and Fort Knox, Kentucky on August 21, 2017, ostensibly for official business but coinciding with viewing the total solar eclipse. Mnuchin viewed the eclipse from the lawn of Fort Knox alongside Senate …
Steve MnuchinLouise LintonMitch McConnellCabinet CorruptionEthics ViolationsSteve MnuchinMisuse of FundsMilitary Aircraft
On April 6, 2017, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked the “nuclear option”—a parliamentary procedure to change Senate rules by simple majority vote—to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster requirement for Supreme Court nominations, lowering the threshold to a simple 51-vote …
The Federalist Society, funded by $250 million in dark money from anonymous donors, orchestrated the most systematic judicial capture in U.S. history. Trump outsourced judicial selection to the Society, appointing 231 federal judges including 3 Supreme Court justices, all from their pre-approved …
On March 16, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick B. Garland, the widely respected Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death one month earlier. Garland was considered a …
On February 13, 2016, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died of apparent natural causes at a luxury resort in West Texas, creating a vacancy on the Court with nearly 11 months remaining in President Obama’s term. Within hours of Scalia’s death being announced, Senate Majority Leader …
President Barack Obama signed the USA FREEDOM Act into law on June 2, 2015, representing the most significant reform of U.S. surveillance programs since the 1970s and a direct response to Edward Snowden’s revelations about NSA mass surveillance. The Act prohibited bulk collection of all …
Barack ObamaMitch McConnellRon WydenRand PaulNSAusa-freedom-actnsa-surveillancelegislative-reformpatriot-actedward-snowden+1 more
House passes Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act requiring disclosure of corporate political spending, but Republican leadership blocks Senate consideration to protect dark money donors
Chuck SchumerChris Van HollenMitch McConnellBarack ObamaHouse of Representatives+1 morelegislative-responsecampaign-finance-reformcorporate-disclosurepolitical-obstructiontransparency+2 more