.By Mary Clare Jalonick and Eric Tucker
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., stepped aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday after the FBI served a search warrant for his phone as part of an ongoing insider-trading investigation tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the move, saying he and Burr had agreed it was in the Senate's best interests.
FBI officials showed up at Burr's home with the warrant on Wednesday, marking a significant escalation into the Justice Department's investigation into whether Burr broke the law with a well-timed sale of stocks before the coronavirus caused markets to plummet,
The Justice Department declined to comment. His attorney did not respond to phone and email messages, but said last month that the law is clear that any senator can participate in stock market trading based on public information "as Sen. Burr did."
Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters during the break that Republicans have the ”momentum” to move to end the trial tomorrow without witnesses.
Lead House Manager Adam Schiff in Trump's impeachment trial brought a little incredulous humor into the proceedings when he pointed out the Justice Department's contradictory position on subpoenas being presented in federal court on the same day.
The Committee met twice last week but held off making the designation that allows the organization to ramp up the international response to the coronavirus.
The attorneys for advice columnist E. Jean Carroll say they want to determine whether Trump's genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter. They served a legal notice Thursday to one of Trump's lawyers demanding the sample.
As Republicans gain in confidence that they can block a vote on witnesses, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Cheddar he still thinks Democrats can prevail in tomorrow’s expected witness vote.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, January 30, 2020.
The president has argued he has absolute immunity to bar testimony, an issue Minnesota's Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar would like to question.
The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a low level Wednesday amid an economy that looks solid but faces potential global threats.
Senators began submitting questions as the next phase of President Trump's impeachment trial opened Wednesday, including Republican Susan Collins on behalf of herself and colleagues Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney.
The Democratic senator from Virginia expressed concern that the impeachment trial of President Trump also puts to question the impartiality of the entire American system of justice as well.
