Why One Republican Congressman Says We Should Purge The FBI
Taking on the credibility of the FBI has become increasingly common in the Trump era, but one Congressman took it to a new level this week. In an interview on MSNBC, Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL) said that the FBI and Department of Justice should be purged of anti-Trump bureaucrats.
Jack Hunter, Editor at Rare Politics, discusses why Rep. Rooney's comments are concerning. Hunter says it echoes authoritarian rhetoric, which has been on the rise in recent years.
Hunter also discusses what is likely to be on the Republican political agenda in 2018. Despite Speaker Paul Ryan's goal of reforming entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid, it's unlikely that will make the list. Many Republican Senators and Congressmen say they plan to take on infrastructure reform next. Republicans will officially decide on their policy agenda at their annual conference in West Virginia at the end of January.
A former organizer of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Thursday to 17 years in prison for spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election.
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty and waived arraignment in the case accusing him and others of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.