Florida man charged with threatening to kill Rep. Anna Paulina Luna
A Florida man has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. William Braddock was Luna’s primary opponent in 2021 when he said he was going to “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make her disappear.
The threats were recorded during a telephone conversation.
“We have access to a hit squad too – the Ukrainians, the Russians,” Braddock told conservative activist Erin Olszewski who recorded the conversation and provided it to Politico in 2021.
“Luna’s gonna go down. And I hope it’s by herself,” Braddock said.
“My polling people are gonna charge me $20,000 to go poll right before the primary. And if the poll says Luna’s gonna win she’s gonna be gone, she’s gonna disappear,” Braddock continued.
Braddock then warned Olszewski, “You cannot tell anybody that. For the good of our country we have to sacrifice the few.”
Braddock is charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person. He faces five years in prison if convicted.
According to the Justice Department, Braddock fled to the Philippines after he made the comments. He was deported, returned to the United States and made his first court appearance in Los Angeles on Thursday, Sept. 26.
The Justice Department said there was a second victim who was described as a private citizen, but their name remains sealed.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which focuses on threats of violence against election workers and ensures all those who are elected, appointed or volunteering can do their job without intimidation.
Government shutdown is 2 weeks away. No deal in sight.
Congress is back to square one on government spending after Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pulled a dead-on-arrival bill that would have kept the government open for six months, but also included non-spending related measures that Democrats found unacceptable. Without action, the government will shutdown Oct. 1.
“We’re just forgoing our duty, our sworn constitutional duty, really,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said. “It’s the one thing is to pass a budget, and we haven’t done it in 30 years.”
Here are the key disagreements preventing a deal.
Lawmakers have not agreed on how long a continuing resolution should last. A continuing resolution, or CR, temporarily keeps the government open at current levels while lawmakers work on a deal for the full fiscal year.
Johnson wanted a six month extension which would mean the next Congress and next president would handle it. Democrats want a three month extension, which would require the final deal to be approved before the end of this calendar year, during a lame-duck session.
“We are simply asking traditional Republicans to partner with House Democrats in a bipartisan way to find the common ground necessary to avoid a Donald Trump-inspired, extreme MAGA Republican shutdown,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said.
Jeffries is trying to brand it a MAGA shutdown because Trump called for one on Truth Social if Republicans don’t get their way.
“If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET,” Trump posted. “THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO “STUFF” VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN – CLOSE IT DOWN!!!”
Democrats want to keep non-spending related measures out of the bill. Republicans included the Save Act, which would require Americans to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote.
“When you start tacking on brand new bills, brand new pieces of legislation, onto what already exists, of course you’re going to start running into a problem,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said.
“I would say that we should probably do a CR and then reevaluate in probably January time frame,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said. “So I think that that would probably be the best solution, but only with the condition that Save Act is attached. If it’s not, no go.”
Luna thinks an omnibus bill is likely later this year. That’s one giant package that contains all spending, rather than breaking them up by subject or category. To get to that, Congress needs a CR this month.
“The speaker’s probably going to have to do what he did last time and the time before that, and what McCarthy did, which is work with the Democrats, who are the adults in the room, to keep the government open,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said.
The House has just nine work days left and the Senate has 11 days until government funding expires. On that same day, Congress is scheduled to leave Washington for the entire month of October so members can campaign.
House Republicans fail to hold AG Garland in contempt over Biden interview tapes
House Republicans failed Thursday, July 11, to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in inherent contempt of Congress for not turning over audio tapes of special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., brought the resolution in June after representatives voted to hold Garland in criminal contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena. However, the Department of Justice declined to prosecute.
Hur interviewed Biden about his handling of classified documents, and congressional Republicans want access to those recordings as part of an impeachment inquiry. In May, Biden asserted executive privilege over the tapes.
The resolution would have fined Garland $10,000 a day until he handed over the audiotapes.
According to Luna’s resolution, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., would have been tasked with imposing the fine. However, it is unclear how he would have enforced it.
On X, Luna blamed the failure on Republican absences and vowed to bring up the resolution again.
“Attorney General Merrick Garland will pay and be held accountable for trying to undermine our institutions,” Luna wrote. “No one is above the law.”
Congress voted 210-204 on the resolution. Twelve Republicans were absent and another four voted against the measure.
House Democrats have argued that Hur’s congressional testimony, along with written transcripts of Hur’s interview with Biden, should be sufficient for their investigation.
Rep. Luna moves to hold Garland in inherent contempt, have him arrested
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wants to see Attorney General Merrick Garland arrested and put on trial. She said she plans to bring forward an inherent contempt resolution against Garland during the week of June 23.
Garland was held in criminal contempt of Congress for failing to hand over the audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur. However, the Department of Justice declined to prosecute.
If an inherent contempt resolution is approved, Congress would enforce the subpoena itself, rather than asking the Justice Department to bring charges. The House Sergeant at Arms would be instructed to arrest and bring Garland to the House floor for questioning and a committee investigation. The investigation could lead to incarceration.
According to a statement from Luna, Attorney General Garland is calling moderate Republicans and encouraging them to vote against the resolution.
“This is the very definition of corruption,” Luna said. “He believes he is above the law and can tell elected members of Congress what to do. My message to Garland is straightforward: release the tapes to Congress and let us listen to them.”
However, Luna is also trying to influence members’ votes.
“The executive branch will continue to withhold information from Congress if there are no consequences for their actions,” she wrote in a letter to her colleagues obtained by Fox News. “It’s imperative that Congress uses its inherent contempt powers and instructs the Sergeant at Arms to bring Attorney General Garland to the House for questioning and compel him to produce the requested evidence.”
Garland declined to hand the tapes over because President Biden asserted executive privilege.
There are multiple Supreme Court decisions affirming Congress’ ability to issue and enforce subpoenas.
In Anderson v. Dunn, the court ruled Congress must have the power to hold people in contempt to avoid indignity and interruption and in McGrain v. Daugherty, the court ruled that the power to investigate and enforce the request for information is essential to the legislative function.
The last time someone was held in inherent contempt of Congress was 1935. But it has been considered since then, including in 2020 when Democrats suggested passing an inherent contempt resolution so they could enforce subpoenas issued to members of the Trump administration who refused to turn over documents and information.
The proposal was in response to an appeals court ruling that Congress needs to pass a law regarding subpoena enforcement before the court can compel someone to comply. That never came to fruition.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wants to ban high-fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is in hundreds of food products people eat every day. It’s in soda, ketchup, Pop-Tarts, Hershey’s syrup and more. Now, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wants it gone.
Luna introduced two bills she said will increase food health and safety. One would ban high-fructose corn syrup in foods produced in the United States.
“A lot of our food that’s, you know, being trusted by many parents, especially are supposed to help children, and it’s actually hurting them,” Luna told Straight Arrow News. “And so what we’re finding is the food quality, and some of the additives in our food products, are actually making us sick.”
According to the FDA, high-fructose corn syrup is derived from corn starch which is broken down into individual glucose molecules, making corn syrup. Enzymes are then added to convert some of the glucose into fructose. Most high-fructose syrup contains between 42% to 55% fructose.
“We are not aware of any evidence…that there is a difference in safety between foods containing HFCS 42 or HFCS 55 and foods containing similar amounts of other nutritive sweeteners with approximately equal glucose and fructose content, such as sucrose, honey or other traditional sweeteners,” the FDA’s website said.
That explanation does not satisfy Luna, who called the FDA complicit in poisoning families.
“And so people that are, for example, relying on government assistance are actually being fed the cheapest stuff that long term increases disease and causes them to be sicker,” Luna said. “We have a lot of our government subsidies that are subsidizing essentially government issued poison.”
Luna’s other bill would ban three of the nine FDA-approved color additives: Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. These additives are found in cereals, crackers, dairy products, Jell-O, sauces and more.
Luna said artificial and harmful ingredients are leading to fertility issues, autism and higher rates of cancer.
“I think right now that it’s become very evident that a lot of our food that’s, you know, being trusted by many parents, especially are supposed to help children, and it’s actually hurting them,” Luna said.
This bill is in the beginning of the legislative process and would still need to work it’s way through committees to get a vote.
Luna, Jacobs introduce resolution to let new moms in Congress vote remotely
A bipartisan group of women in the House of Representatives introduced a resolution that would allow lawmakers who give birth to vote by proxy for six weeks after their baby is born. The trio, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., hopes it will make it easier for current members to become moms and for young women thinking about running to have one less hurdle.
“This place is completely out of touch with average day Americans,” Rep. Luna said. “And in passing this legislation, it is the first step forward in the right direction to, I think, not just give mothers a seat at the table, but also to encourage people to have families.”
Rep. Luna is frequently in the spotlight. She sits on the House Oversight Committee and is a proud supporter of former President Donald Trump’s reelection. At many of her events, her husband isn’t far behind, pushing their 4.5-month-old son in a stroller. They stand in the hallway or in a corner waiting for mom. But even as a team effort, being a mother and an elected representative isn’t easy, especially during their commute back and forth from Florida.
Proxy voting would allow new moms to have another member cast their vote for them while they stay home. The co-sponsors said that six weeks gives the mother enough time to heal from labor.
Why do the co-sponsors believe this bill is important? Well, they put it bluntly: Congress is an institution mainly made up of old white men. They contend that this bill will help make Congress younger and more diverse.
“We need more moms in Congress. And if we continue to put up these arbitrary, harmful barriers that allow women of childbearing age to actually even consider this momentous step to consider this responsibility, then we’re only hurting ourselves as Americans,” Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, said.
Tokuda is co-sponsoring the resolution along with Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.
Proud to be a #MominCongress & Co-sponsor of a bipartisan resolution led by @RepSaraJacobs & @RepLuna that would allow new moms to vote by proxy while recovering from birth. America is better with more moms in Congress, and this is a crucial step to making that happen. pic.twitter.com/dEVW8Lrjne
Proxy voting was allowed and common during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Republicans said it was antithetical to the definition of Congress: “the act or action of coming together and meeting.”
They also felt it was being taken advantage of by members on both sides of the aisle. However, some opponents are willing to make an exception for new moms.
“I’m not in favor of proxy voting in general,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said. “I opposed it, I never did it. Friends called me to ask me to proxy vote for them and I wouldn’t do it, mainly because I think members abused the practice during COVID. They used to go to fundraisers, go on vacation. I mean just fake things. But you can’t fake a pregnancy.”
Reps. Burchett, Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., are joining their women colleagues in supporting the resolution.
Luna said both Republicans and Democrats have been hesitant to get on board, which goes against both parties’ principles.
“My party, Republican party, we champion pro-life and pro-family values, but there’s some hesitancy I think on supporting it,” Rep. Luna said. “And then on the other side, you have a pro-women platform and there seems to be some hesitance there.”
These moms, future moms and momma’s boys are eager to get this approved. They said if it doesn’t happen this year, they won’t drop it until it’s officially a new rule of the House.
Congress consistently works 3 to 4 days a week in Washington
Members of Congress consistently work three to four days a week in Washington, D.C., and fly back and forth to their home states on taxpayer dime. On Thursday mornings, there is usually a line of over 100 cars in front of the Capitol, a telltale sign that the exodus from Washington is about to begin.
As an example, here’s the House schedule for the week of Dec. 11:
Monday, Dec. 11 – The House met at 2 p.m. for legislative business and votes were postponed until 6:30 p.m. That gives everyone a chance to use their Monday to fly into Washington and not arrive until the real business starts at 6:30.
Once they take that vote, representatives usually leave for their Washington residence.
Thursday, Dec. 14 – The House convened at 9 a.m. and had its first and last votes at 10:05 a.m. That was the end of Congress members’ week.
The Senate wasn’t around much longer. Its final vote of the week began at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14. Members didn’t reconvene until Monday, Dec. 18, with their first vote at 5:30 p.m.
The #Senate will convene at 3pm on Monday, December 18th. At 5:30pm, the Senate will vote on confirmation of Martin O'Malley to be Commissioner of Social Security for the remainder of the term expiring January 19, 2025.
This is how Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., outlined the schedule for Straight Arrow News.
“So fly in, fly out days, you know because we’re only here, call it maybe 10 days, 10 nights a month, 11 nights a month,” Moskowitz said. “You know, we’re running around, we don’t all serve on the same committees. Some people are giving speeches on the floor, the floor’s empty, no one’s here when they’re doing that.”
Straight Arrow News asked lawmakers if they think they should stay in Washington longer.
“I do,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said. “America does, we should. I say we got a project, let’s stay until we get it finished.”
“I think we should stay until the job’s done,” Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said. “But you can’t stay here indefinitely and you can see that tempers flare and then you get less done. So there’s a balance out there.”
Tempers can certainly flare. One example was when Republicans left for the weekend after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted as speaker and they still had not chosen a nominee to replace him.
Some lawmakers contend that consistently leaving has a negative effect on bipartisanship.
It inhibits our ability to make relationships across the aisle because we don’t get to spend enough time up here getting to know people
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.
“It inhibits our ability to make relationships across the aisle because we don’t get to spend enough time up here getting to know people,” Moskowitz explained.
There are approximately 37 working moms in Congress, including Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who flies back and forth from California to take care of her kids.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., can often be seen walking the halls with her baby.
“So I actually bring my son back and forth with me,” Luna told Straight Arrow News. “But I think that it’s really important that members do spend more time back home actually working for their constituents. [Because] you can get caught up here, but guess what, we don’t represent Washington, we represent our district. So more time back home.”
Members often still work on the road. They read bills and meet directly with constituents to learn about their need from the government.
Most members say they should stay in Washington longer. So why don’t they?
“I don’t know the exact fix, but what I do know is that we are not spending enough time as a body together to figure out who we all are and figure out how we can work together,” Moskowitz said.
“Getting everybody to agree on that is the key because as you can see, this is like herding cats,” McCormick said.
The money to pay for all these trips comes out of the member’s representational allowance, which is used to pay for travel, staff, equipment and other official expenses. The allowance ranges from over $1.84 million to nearly $2.09 million, with an average of about $1,928,100, depending on how far away the member lives from Washington.
