Free Republic

Catherine Engelbrecht’s tale has all the markings of a classic conspiracy theory: She says she thinks that because of her peaceful political activity, she and her family was targeted for scrutiny by hostile federal agencies. Yet as news emerges that the Internal Revenue Service wielded its power to obstruct conservative groups, Catherine’s story becomes credible — and chilling. It also raises questions about whether other federal agencies have used their executive powers to target those deemed political enemies. Before the Engelbrecht family’s three-year ordeal began, Catherine says, “I had no real expectation or preparation for the blood sport that American...

here is no escaping the fact that, where Benghazi is concerned, there is blood in the water and the mainstream media has (at long last) picked up the scent. Yesterday, the sharks representing the three major TV networks circled Press Secretary Jay Carney, bombarding him with questions that were uncharacteristically tough. ABC’s Jonathan Karl, who broke the story that the talking points underwent twelve revisions, had the aspect and attitude of a man scorned and determined to set the record straight as much to clear his own name as to ascertain the truth. When Carney attempted to weasel out of his claim...

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) paid a visit to Morning Joe to discuss this week’s news surrounding Benghazi — which included the hearing and this morning’s story about the edited talking points. Amid the panel discussion, Cummings spoke specifically about one of the witnesses, alleging that Republicans tried to change his story in a way that contradicted his sworn testimony. Asked what’s next, Cummings (who, you may recall, criticized GOP Rep. Darrell Issa for “politicizing” Benghazi during Wednesday’s hearing) said it was “a search for the truth.” Referring to one of the witnesses who testified at this week’s hearing, Cummings said,...

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, tells Benghazi witnesses that "death is a part of life." CUMMINGS: And, as I listen to your testimony I could not help but think of something that I said very recently -- two years ago now -- in a eulogy for a relative. I said that death is a part of life.... (VIDEO AT LINK)

U.S. special operations forces in Libya could have saved Americans killed in the attack last Sept. 11 on the consulate in Benghazi but were told to stand down, a State Department whistle-blower has told congressional investigators. The testimony by Gregory Hicks, who will appear before a House panel on Wednesday, contradicts previous testimony by administration officials who have said all U.S. forces in Libya were deployed the night of the attack. Hicks was in Tripoli during the attack and became the top U.S. diplomat in Libya when Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed. He said the special operations team was ready...

Statement from Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee Washington, D.C. (May, 6, 2013)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement regarding recent allegations relating to Benghazi: “I believe Congress should conduct investigations—particularly those involving our national security—in a bipartisan and responsible manner, and that whistleblowers must have the ability to come forward to Congress and be protected from retaliation when they report waste, fraud, or abuse. I also believe Members of Congress have an obligation to actually investigate claims before coming to...

Voter integrity group True the Vote has issued a formal request to Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings asking him to retract defamatory statements he made about the Houston based group on national television and in writing. Not only has Cummings made false statements about the mission of True the Vote, he has also misled the public about the group's response to an October 4 request from Cummings for documents, a request he has no authority to enforce. An attorney representing True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht sent Cummings a letter late Tuesday afternoon. From the letter: Dear Rep. Cummings:I represent Catherine...

Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings has demanded that a group planning to challenge voter access to the polls on Election Day provide him with details of its planned operations. Cummings targeted the organization True the Vote, saying the group planned to deploy hundreds of thousands of personnel across the country on Election Day to challenge the status of citizens who they believe may be ineligible to vote. “There have been reports from multiple states during the past two years that your organization is targeting predominantly minority communities and coordinating with the Republican Party in an attempt to intimidate legitimate voters,”...

House Democrats on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee used their opening statements today to blame Republicans for the lack of security in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on the security breaches surrounding the attack on the U.S. consulate last month, which killed four Americans, including the ambassador, and occurred on the anniversary of 9/11. “The chairman has said that our committee will examine not only the Libya attack but security at outposts across the Middle East,” said Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) to Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who called the hearing today on Capitol Hill. “Mr. Chairman I fully...

Rep. Elijah Cummings needs someone in his office that knows election law to write his next letter attacking the Tea Party. This week, Cummings sent a nastygram letter to the Houston based Tea Party group True the Vote. The organization has been working to clean up the voter rolls of dead and ineligible voters. Apparently this sort of civic minded volunteerism rubbed Cummings the wrong way. The Baltimore Sun reported his threats to a group of law-abiding private citizens: In a letter to Texas-based True the Vote, the Baltimore Democrat argues that the group and its affiliates have been unsuccessful...

Dem lawmaker slams Issa for sending US Marshals to serve subpoenasBy Ben Geman - 09/11/12 10:08 AM ET Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) says House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is conducting his probe of federal green energy project loans with bullying tactics and November’s elections in mind. Cummings, the panel’s top Democrat, sent Issa a letter Monday slamming a dozen subpoenas issued last week to current and former Energy Department employees and contractors, which included use of armed U.S. Marshals to serve subpoenas at the Energy Department (DOE). The Maryland Democrat called it “intimidation,” and said...

April 22, 2012 Congressman: Safety Concern for Obama Because of ‘Folk Around this President with Guns Strapped on Their Legs’ Bridget Johnson The ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee said on CNN this morning that there’s extra concern for President Obama’s safety seeing as how he’s around people with “guns strapped on their legs.”Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) spoke with Candy Crowley on “State of the Union” about the Secret Service scandal. Cummings and Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) sent a letter to Secret Service director Mark J. Sullivan last week asking for a full accounting of the...

He has maintained a relatively low profile on the Sandra Fluke story, but Democratic Rep. Elijah E. Cummings played a big role in putting the Georgetown law student in the spotlight and sparking a nationwide conversation over contraceptives. It was Cummings who helped put Fluke on Washington's radar. Aides to Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, discovered Fluke weeks ago as they were scrambling to find a witness to testify about the Obama administration's controversial contraceptive policy. Staff first noticed the third-year law student and former president of the school's Students for Reproductive Justice...

A Capitol Hill hearing that was supposed to be about religious freedom and a mandate that health insurers cover contraception in the United States began as an argument about whether Democrats could add a woman to the all-male panel. “Where are the women?” the minority Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., asked early in the hearing. She criticized the Republican committee chairman, Rep. Darrel Issa, for wanting to “roll back the fundamental rights of women to a time when the government thought what happens in the bedroom is their business.” “We will not be forced back to that primitive era,” she said. Issa...

Right on cue, Democratic lawmakers have begun to say the DOJ’s lethal and irresponsible Fast and Furious program underscores the need for stricter gun control laws: “This hunt for blame doesn’t really speak about the problem,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein at a recent Senate Judiciary hearing while discussing Fast and Furious. “And the problem is, anybody can walk in and buy anything, .50-caliber weapons, sniper weapons, buy them in large amounts, and send them down to Mexico. So, the question really becomes, what do we do about this?” The ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep....

As the cover-up unravels, the Justice Department and a Democrat congressman play "shoot the messenger." As the Gunwalker conspiracy continues to unravel, initial claims that the multi-agency plot was an isolated and localized Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives operation are falling apart. Following up on comments made this past Sunday, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Charles Grassley sent a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller seeking detailed information in their Fast and Furious investigation. They are particularly focused on the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry on December...

Ranking member of the House Oversight Committee Democrat Elijah Cummings has released a statement calling the decision to subpoena Attorney General Eric Holder in order to gain information about Operation Fast and Furious a "political stunt" and "deep-sea expedition." “As I have said all along, Fast and Furious was a terrible mistake with tragic consequences,” said Cummings.  “The Committee is right to investigate what went wrong and why, but we must do so in a fair and responsible manner.”   “This subpoena is a deep-sea fishing expedition and a gross abuse of the Committee’s authority.  It demands tens of thousands...

After yesterday’s news of the deal between Senators Pat Leahy and Charles Grassley to get documents and testimony from ATF chief Kenneth Melson on Operation Fast and Furious, it seemed as though Democrats might finally take the scandal of the gunrunning fiasco seriously. Alas, Elijah Cummings and House Democrats appear uninterested in abuses of government power, incompetence, and potential cover-ups at AFT and the Department of Justice. In fact, they want to turn the probe into an argument for expanding government control of firearms: The top Democrat on a House investigative committee is broadening an inquiry into a botched gun-tracing...

What is it with MSNBC hosts and their inability to keep prominent African-Americans straight? As NewsBuster Kyle Drennen noted, last year Contessa Brewer confused Jesse Jackson with Al Sharpton. Tonight it was Chris Matthews' turn. Introducing Dem congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the Hardball host called him "Congressman Clyburn," a reference to James Clyburn of South Carolina, currently engaged in a Dem leadership fight with Steny Hoyer. View video here.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews confuses Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) for Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC). Both are black Democratic congressmen. Matthews is famously known for saying he "forgot" President Obama "was black" during his State of the Union address this year.