National Politics

By Evan Perez, CNN Justice Correspondent House investigators have interviewed a former Justice Department official who drafted — but never sent — a resignation letter over what he said were former President Donald Trump’s “direct instructions” to use the department to support his false election fraud claims. Patrick Hovakimian, chief of staff to then-acting Attorney

By Em Steck, Andrew Kaczynski and Drew Myers, CNN Long before a new report detailed sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the state’s top Democrat touted himself as a strong supporter of women’s rights and advocated for a “zero tolerance” policy against sexual harassment. That stands at odds with the report released

By Ellie Kaufman, CNN Pentagon police officer George Gonzalez died Tuesday after sustaining injuries during a violent incident outside of the Pentagon building, according to a release from the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. Gonzalez joined the Pentagon Force Protection Agency as a police officer in July 2018 and was “promoted twice and attained the rank

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN Reporter, Crime and Justice Lawyers who attempted a class action lawsuit claiming voter fraud in the 2020 election were sanctioned by a federal judge in Colorado on Wednesday for the frivolous, meritless case, a major condemnation of pro-Donald Trump allies’ attempts to use the courts to vet right-wing conspiracies. The attorneys

By Paul P. Murphy and Evan Perez, CNN The suspect in the violent attack outside the Pentagon on Tuesday that resulted in a death of a Pentagon police officer has been identified as 27-year-old Austin William Lanz of Georgia, according to a law enforcement official and Lanz’s former attorney Lisa Wells. Lanz died from injuries

By Ella Nilsen Two key climate groups are planning a multi-state blitz of ads and in-person events during the upcoming August recess, encouraging lawmakers to go big and bold on climate legislation. The League of Conservation Voters and Climate Power announced a multi-state tour in August featuring at least 31 events in states including Arizona

By Hannah Rabinowitz and Joe Beare A federal judge rejected the argument that US Capitol rioters held in jail are being prosecuted for their political views and disavowed attempts to downplay the magnitude of the deadly insurrection during a sentencing on Wednesday. “You called yourself and everyone else patriots, but that’s not patriotism,” Judge Amy

By Veronica Stracqualursi and Mark Morales, CNN In March, when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was facing intense public pressure from fellow Democrats to resign in the wake of numerous sexual harassment allegations, his lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, would only issue a call to first let an investigation run its course. Now that the investigation

By Tierney Sneed, CNN A draft letter reportedly circulated late last year by a Donald Trump-loyalist at the Justice Department shows the lengths his allies were willing to go to overturn the presidential election. The draft December 28 letter, published by ABC News, urged top Georgia officials to convene the state legislature in a special

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN Reporter, Crime and Justice Former President Donald Trump’s legal team formally stepped into a long-running fight over a US House request for his tax returns, claiming Trump’s financial history is being unfairly pursued for political reasons by Democrats and seeking to end House Ways and Means Committee investigations into the ex-President

By Jeff Zeleny and Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN Former President Barack Obama has dramatically scaled back his planned 60th birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard this weekend due to concerns about the highly transmissible Delta variant of Covid-19, according to a spokeswoman. The birthday bash for the former President was previously planned to be held outside and

By Eric Bradner, CNN In two Ohio congressional primaries Tuesday, Democratic voters embraced the party’s establishment, delivering President Joe Biden another ally and denying the left-wing “Squad” its latest member. Republicans, meanwhile, stuck with former President Donald Trump. The two themes could preview what’s to come in next year’s midterm elections, with progressives set to

By Eric Bradner, Ethan Cohen and Jennifer Agiesta, CNN Cuyahoga County Council member Shontel Brown will win the Democratic special primary in Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, CNN projects. Brown’s defeat of Nina Turner, the former state senator and close ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, is a flexing of the Democratic establishment’s muscle, after South

By Eric Bradner, Ethan Cohen and Sabrina Souza, CNN Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, will win the Republican special primary in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, CNN projects. Carey’s win over a crowded primary field that included better-established candidates showcased Trump’s power within the party at a key

By Paul LeBlanc and Keith Allen, CNN Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday announced pardons for Patricia and Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis homeowners who pointed guns at protesters near their home last summer. The couple, who pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor charges stemming from the incident, were among the 12 pardons that

By Tierney Sneed, Eric Bradner and Sonia Moghe, CNN New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women and created a “hostile” work environment for women, a report released Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James said. The damning findings of her civil review into the harassment allegations have created a political firestorm