Heard on the Hill
What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill
JOE’S DECLASSIFIED GOVERNMENT SURVIVAL GUIDE: After the Washington Reporter’s latest story on how former President Joe Biden’s CIA director Avril Haines and top staff used Signal to send sensitive but unclassified information, Rep. Pat Harrigan (R., N.C.) told the Reporter that “Democrats criticized Trump officials for using Signal, yet the Biden administration was doing the same thing all along. If they’re serious about accountability, they can start with Bill Burns and Avril Haines. The tool remains the same — the only difference is which party is in power.”
AWW, SHEIN: Anna Kelly, a White House Deputy Press Secretary responded to a Washington Reporter report that The Hill was running ads from Shein, an e-commerce company closely linked to the Chinese Community Party, by tweeting that “life (de minimis) comes at you fast!” Kelly’s post came after President Donald Trump continued his feud with the CCP.
F*** IT, WE’RE DOING IT LIVE: The Kennedy Center, under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Ric Grenell, broke its all-time record for a public event, with over 11,000 people attending its EARTH to SPACE: Arts Breaking the Sky fireworks show. The Center’s Roma Daravi noted to the Washington Reporter that 76 percent of the show’s attendees were first-time visitors to the Center. The Reporter has previously debunked several fake news stories about Grenell’s time helming the prestigious center.
GOODBYE PILL-BRICKED ROAD: Twenty-five percent of the Food and Drug Administration’s workforce is expected to resign in the coming weeks. Resignations are expected to eclipse 25 percent among those left after the reduction in force.
WHAT A HOSER: Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing scrutiny for his time on the Board of Directors of Bloomberg L.P. During Carney’s time as chair, then-presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg was pressed by Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and then-future President Joe Biden to unseal a series of NDAs. Carney’s time at Bloomberg could threaten his standing with progressives in Canada and America, and undermine him at a critical time as Canada and America negotiate on trade.
TICKET PUNCHED: Conservative attorney Mark Meador was confirmed to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This gives the FTC three commissioners, allowing it to conduct business. The Washington Reporter previously covered exclusive polling by J.L. Partners that showed that 84 percent of Republicans polled supported Meador’s nomination, compared to only 5 percent who opposed it.