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]]>The post Kevin Clinesmith, former FBI lawyer, to make first court appearance Wednesday appeared first on Virus Reports.
]]>Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith is scheduled to make his first court appearance later this week, according to a court order issued Monday.
Mr. Clinesmith, who is expected to plead guilty for falsifying documents so the FBI could monitor a former Trump campaign adviser, will appear Wednesday before U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington, D.C.
The appearance will occur either over the telephone or through video conferencing because of the federal court’s COVID-19 social distance requirements.
Mr. Clinesmith will enter a plea at the hearing.
U.S. Attorney John Durham, who is investigating the origins of the Russia probe, charged Mr. Clinesmith with falsifying an email used to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant against Carter Page.
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]]>The post Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt is the first governor to test positive for the coronavirus appeared first on Virus Reports.
]]>Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus but feels “fine” and will be isolating.
Stitt is the first governor to announce a coronavirus infection, though other governors have self-quarantined or gotten tested after potential exposure. Stitt, who has resisted recommendations from public health officials throughout the pandemic, said he does not know where he got infected but does not believe his positive result could have stemmed from his attendance at President Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa on June 20, where the governor was photographed without a mask.
“I feel fine. I felt a little bit achy yesterday. I didn’t have a fever,” Stitt said at a Wednesday news conference, adding that he periodically gets tested. “I just want to be transparent with Oklahomans.”
As Oklahoma reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases — a single-day record as average new deaths also increase — Stitt urged residents to get tested if they aren’t feeling well but said he still did not favor a shelter-in-place order or the mask mandates increasingly embraced even by Republican leaders who were initially leery.
Stitt said his state is doing better than others and argued that shutting down again won’t get rid of the virus.
“We also respect people’s rights to stay home if they want, to run their businesses or to not wear a mask,” he said, adding that enforcement of mask orders would be “problematic.” Stitt started recommending late last month that Oklahomans cover their faces in public, according to the Oklahoman.
“You just open a big can of worms,” the governor said Wednesday. “This is a personal responsibility.”
The governor said he is working from home until it’s safe for him to do otherwise. His wife and children have tested negative, he said.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) earlier in the month said he tested negative after several state lawmakers were infected with the virus. Other governors have gotten tested, too, while multiple senators and House representatives have said they tested positive.
Stitt drew fire for downplaying the threat of the virus early in the pandemic, when he resisted recommendations to close schools and restaurants and allowed medical centers to continue elective procedures, even as other hospitals reported shortages of masks and protective equipment.
Then, on March 14, he attracted national attention for tweeting a photo with his family at a “packed” Oklahoma City restaurant — which he later deleted, though a spokesman said afterward that Stitt would keep eating out and “encourages Oklahomans to do the same.”
Stitt drew fresh criticism as Trump’s rally in Tulsa — the president’s first since the pandemic set in — approached in June. Local health officials warned the indoor event at a 19,000-person arena could cause a dangerous spread of the virus in a county that was already seeing a spike in cases.
In the past week, health officials linked the state’s rising number of infections to the June 20 rally, as well as protests against racism.
But Oklahoma Health Commissioner Lance Frye agreed with Stitt on Wednesday that the governor did not get infected at the rally, saying it was “too long ago.”
Oklahoma on Tuesday was among 19 states reporting a seven-day average in deaths more than 40 percent higher than their average a week ago. Rising cases, hospitalizations and more recently deaths in the South and West have increased pressure on governors to consider new or renewed restrictions.
Annie Gowen, Jacqueline Dupree and Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report.
Correction: This article previously stated that Stitt in July started recommending Oklahomans wear face masks. In fact, he recommended mask wearing on June 30.
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The post Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announces he has tested positive for coronavirus appeared first on Virus Reports.
]]>The post Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt tests positive for coronavirus appeared first on Virus Reports.
]]>Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK) speaks during a roundtable at the State Dining Room of the White House June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first governor since the start of the pandemic to publicly announce a positive diagnosis.
“I got tested yesterday for Covid-19 and the results came back positive,” Stitt told reporters. “I feel fine; I felt a little bit achy yesterday.”
The Republican governor said he is isolating from his family and working from home. He resisted calls to roll back Oklahoma’s reopening plans, which are being tested by a viral resurgence.
“Going back and bunkering in place doesn’t remove” the virus, Stitt said, adding, “It’s way, way premature to think of slowing down or backing up” the reopening.
Stitt is one of several Republican governors around the country who have been especially vocal in questioning whether coronavirus safety recommendations from public health experts are really necessary.
On a recent visit to the White House for an event to showcase governors who were moving quickly to reopen businesses, Stitt boasted that Oklahoma was one of the first states to reopen. “We have to learn how to be safe and to move on,” said Stitt.
Later in the month, with cases in Oklahoma already rising a second time, Stitt answered a question about a possible mask mandate by saying, “I’m always reluctant to mandate things.”
Instead of adopting strict public health measures, Stitt has said Oklahomans will “just have to learn how to live with” the deadly coronavirus.
The phrase “learn to live with it” has gained popularity during this latest spike of coronavirus cases, as a sort of alternative theory to aggressive public health action.
Repeated by Trump and other Republican governors, the phrase reflects a hands-off approach to government intervention aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.
As of Tuesday, Oklahoma had 20,245 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 441 deaths from Covid-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Stitt’s diagnosis came several weeks after President Donald Trump held a controversial campaign rally in Tulsa, where Stitt was photographed without a mask alongside thousands of the president’s supporters all in proximity, despite warnings from local health officials that the event could lead to a surge in Covid-19 transmission.
Herman Cain, another high-profile Republican who attended the rally, tested positive for the virus on July 1, less than two weeks later. Two days after his diagnosis, Cain’s symptoms became so severe that he was hospitalized. As of Wednesday, the 74-year-old former presidential candidate is apparently still fighting the disease in an Atlanta-area hospital.
Cain had posted a photograph of himself at the Tulsa arena surrounded by other participants, none of whom appeared to be wearing masks.
Nationwide, the virus has infected 3.35 million Americans, with just shy of 59,000 new cases reported Tuesday. Deaths from Covid-19 recently topped 135,000, and 351 Americans died from the virus Tuesday. These figures far exceed those of any other developed nation.
President Donald Trump has played a key role in downplaying the severity of the pandemic and pressuring governors across the country to reopen their states as quickly as possible in order to minimize damage to the economy.
Trump is convinced that a full economic recovery is still possible before November, when voters choose between the incumbent president and his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. Absent an economic recovery, Trump’s electoral prospects look bleak. The latest polls show Biden with a substantial lead nationally and in swing states.
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]]>The post Kevin McCarthy to attend RNC: ‘We’ll do it in a safe manner’ appeared first on Virus Reports.
]]>House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Thursday he’s not concerned about attending the National Republican Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, in person during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ll be at the convention gladly, and I know we will do it in a safe manner, we’ll take the precautions needed,” the California Republican told reporters at his weekly press conference. “It will probably look different than those in the past, knowing what we’re living through today, but it will be an opportunity to share ideas and do it in a safe manner that we’re distanced from one another.”
The RNC said it plans to fully comply with the Jacksonville city mandate that requires masks in large gatherings where social distancing is not possible.
Despite Mr. McCarthy’s confidence, several other Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill have decided to skip this year’s conference or minimize their attendance, including Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, an honorary chair of the Trump campaign and chair of the Senate Health Committee.
The United States had 3 million coronavirus cases Wednesday, with more than 131,000 deaths. The nation also saw a new single-day record spike with 60,000 new cases on Tuesday.
Florida is one of several states that has seen a dramatic uptick in cases. It’s documented 223,783 total cases and 3,889 fatalities, according to state data.
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]]>The post Kevin McCarthy: ‘If the election was today, yes, you’re concerned’ appeared first on Virus Reports.
]]>House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday said President Trump’s sagging poll numbers are a concern for the immediate future but predicted Mr. Trump will ultimately be reelected once a clear contrast with Joseph R. Biden develops.
“Look, if the election was today yes, you’re concerned,” Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, said on Fox News. “Can we do better? Yes, we can.”
Mr. McCarthy was asked about concerns that Mr. Trump’s sagging popularity in public polling could be dragging down GOP senators up for reelection in states like North Carolina and Georgia.
Mr. McCarthy, one of the president’s most steadfast allies in Congress, nevertheless predicted a Trump victory in November.
“Joe Biden hasn’t really been out of the basement yet,” he said of the likely Democratic presidential nominee. “I think when you have that contrast going, I think President Trump will get reelected.
“Who’s the best to articulate what the future is? To me, who’s best to rebuild, renew and restore America? Who’s best to rebuild this economy?” Mr. McCarthy said. “Is it going to be Joe Biden? Does anyone know what Joe Biden’s policies are?”
He pointed out that GOP Rep. Mike Garcia won a recent special election in California during the pandemic in a race to replace former Democratic Rep. Katie Hill.
“So yes, polling would say one thing but the outcome said something much different,” Mr. McCarthy said. “This is going to be a competitive race and it should be about ideas, though.”
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]]>The post Kevin McCarthy: Proxy voting empowers Pelosi, ‘endangers constitution’ appeared first on Virus Reports.
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]]>The post Kevin Hassett: White House eyeing another round of direct payments to Americans appeared first on Virus Reports.
]]>White House senior adviser Kevin Hassett on Sunday said the Trump administration is eyeing another round of direct payments to Americans in the next coronavirus-related legislative package, though he said the economy is getting to the point where they might be able to move on to other things.
He called the stimulus checks of up to $1,200 for millions of Americans an “enormously successful part” of federal legislation that Congress passed in recent weeks in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think depending on the state of the economy it’s something that I guess we’d consider,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“But right now it looks like the economy’s picking up at a very rapid rate, in which case we could potentially move on to other things that the president has mentioned like the payroll tax cut and potentially even [a] capital gains holiday,” Mr. Hassett said.
Congress is eyeing tweaks to a popular small business lending program for the next round of coronavirus legislation.
Mr. Hassett described negotiations on broader items as a “work in progress.”
Asked about more money for states and localities, which has been a key Democratic demand, Mr. Hassett said there’s already been significant money allocated for that purpose.
“I think that a lot of the requests for state and local bailouts that you’re seeing out there up on the Hill are radically, radically more money than the expected shortfall for the year,” he said. “We’re analyzing the numbers right now and the requests are kind of absurd.”
He said a lot of Republicans are also concerned that the plussed-up unemployment benefits in the $2.2 trillion package that passed in March have made it more lucrative for many Americans to simply take the benefits rather than work.
“We look forward to working with people on potential reforming that,” he said.
The Democrat-led House recently passed a more than $3 trillion bill that included another round of direct payments to millions of Americans, close to $1 trillion in additional money for states and localities, and an extension of the boosted federal unemployment benefits through January.
The White House and Senate Republicans have said the package isn’t going anywhere and that it includes extraneous items tied to immigration, elections, and marijuana.
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]]>The post Kevin McCarthy Says $3 Trillion HEROES Act Is About ‘Pot’ And ‘Prioritizing Illegal Immigrants’ appeared first on Virus Reports.
]]>The House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the HEROES Act was about “pot” and “prioritizing illegal immigrants” in an attack on the $3 trillion stimulus plan.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, the California Republican said the bill offering another round of checks for individuals was being used by House Democrats as an “opportunity to enforce their socialism.”
But the Republican lawmaker did back a payroll tax cut, telling Fox News that the move would “keep more money in individual’s pockets” and help businesses.
“It’s really sickening that Democrats are using this opportunity to enforce their socialism,” Rep. McCarthy said. “What is this bill that they just passed on Friday? Well, it’s about pot. It’s about prisoners. It’s about politicizing election law, prioritizing illegal immigrants and pensions.
“These are all things that are socialist wishlist that they’ve been trying to pass long before COVID ever came to this land.”
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
When the idea of a payroll tax cut was raised, the House minority leader added: “That would help. It would keep more money in individuals’ pockets. It would help business.”
McCarthy later accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of holding up the $2 trillion CARES Act stimulus bill, before continuing to hit out at the $3 trillion HEROES Act passed by the House last week.
“That is a waste of money: $3 trillion that never went through one committee. This was only written in Pelosi’s office,” McCarthy said. “They knew it wasn’t going anywhere. You talked to Democrats, they didn’t like it, they didn’t want it. And it’s the only reason she brought us back.”
The GOP lawmaker added: “You have businesses across America that want to open again, and she keeps it closed to give her more power.”
Newsweek has contacted Pelosi’s office for comment, and will update this article with any response.
Rep. McCarthy issued his attack on the HEROES Act days after it passed the House of Representatives by nine votes on Friday.
In the vote on the 1,800-page stimulus bill, 14 Democrats and one Republican crossed party lines, with the final vote tallying at 208-199.
Under the HEROES Act, Americans would receive a second individual check of around $1,200 and up to $6,000 for families. A further $1 trillion would be parceled out to state and local authorities, and the $600 federal unemployment payment scheme would also be expanded.
The bill would also permit “expedited green cards” for migrant health workers; open up banking services to local cannabis businesses; and provide $5 million for congressional tech equipment.
It is unlikely that the stimulus package will pass the Republican-controlled Senate in its present form, with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) calling the package a “parade of absurdities” last week.
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