Whistleblower Hearing in House Committee

Making all the headlines today is the whistleblower complaint filed against President Trump, concerning a conversation the President had with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky.  Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Joseph Maguire testified Thursday morning before the House Intelligence Committee about the complaint.  The whistleblower document was declassified and released ahead of the hearing, giving everyone, not just those on the Committee, the opportunity to read the details for themselves.

This is a serious issue and as it unfolds, we have to look to the laws of our nation to determine how best to proceed.  All members of Congress took an oath to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.”  That is the foundation for all work by our governing officials, and we hope it sees us through these challenges.

(For reference: the oath used today by Congress) “I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.  So help me God.”

Cleaning Up After Dorian

Hurricane Dorian is gone, but recovery efforts are still ongoing, and will be for awhile.  Since the storm moved past the Bahamas, the U.S. Coast Guard has rescued more than 300 people in the region.  They are supporting the Bahamian National Emergency Management Agency and the Royal Bahamian Defense Force, who are leading search and rescue efforts.   In addition, the USS Bataan joined the international effort to deliver supplies, transport relief personnel, and provide medical evacuations, and 18 U.K. Royal Navy medics deployed to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Mounts Bay, which is delivering supplies to the region.  Our thanks go out to the extraordinary men and women working to save lives and help people recover.