Jay O'Brien

Capitol Hill Correspondent @ABC News. Has a lot of questions.

[Jay O'Brien @jayobtv]

John Cornyn is digging in on his demands of Todd Blanche and says the White House is “making things more complicated.”

I asked if his primary loss has emboldened him.

“It provides a measure of political freedom.”

[Good Morning America @GMA]

The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed its scheduled Thursday vote on Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general, committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley's office said Wednesday evening. @jayobtv reports.

[World News Tonight @ABCWorldNews]

Dr. Anthony Fauci faced a barrage of questions during a Republican-led Senate hearing on the Covid-19 pandemic. The 85-year-old refused to answer questions, invoking the 5th Amendment more than 100 times. @jayobtv has details on the fiery hearing. https://t.co/aRcpTaAzFg

[Hadas Gold @Hadas_Gold]

Gotta love Capitol Hill... few other places reporters get to (respectfully!) question big names like this.

[Jay O'Brien @jayobtv]

Full Fauci opening remarks —

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Peters, members of the Committee. I served at the NIH for over 54 years, 38 of those as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Over that period, I proved that I believe in and respect the value of legitimate congressional oversight. In fact, I testified before and/or briefed Senate and House Committees well over 200 times over those 38 years. During and after the COVID pandemic I have appeared multiple times for hearings in the Senate and House, usually under oath, and sat for several days-long transcribed sworn interviews answering questions about the very issues that are now the subject of this Hearing.
However, given Senator Paul’s obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me, and recently his publicly
releasing my unredacted personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me, the only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this Committee is to get me to say something that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, “behind bars.” Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same
conclusion.
Therefore, although it pains me to do so because of the respect that I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades long record of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions.
Thank you

[Jay O'Brien @jayobtv]

BREAKING — Dr. Anthony Fauci pleads the 5th, refraining from answering Senate Homeland Security cmte’s questions.

In opening statement Fauci argues Chair Rand Paul has an “unhinged obsession” with him & would use testimony to “vindicate his repeated
public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars”

[Good Morning America @GMA]

Dr. Anthony Fauci is set to testify on Capitol Hill, where he is expected to face tough questioning from longtime critic Sen. Rand Paul over the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. @jayobtv reports.

[Good Morning America @GMA]

Funeral services for Sen. Lindsey Graham are being held Tuesday in Washington, where President Trump and world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are expected to attend. @jayobtv reports.

[Good Morning America @GMA]

Maine Democrats have selected Troy Jackson as their nominee to challenge Sen. Susan Collins after former nominee Graham Platner withdrew. @jayobtv reports.

[Good Morning America @GMA]

A Secret Service agent assigned to protect Vice President Vance is facing an internal investigation and even a potential criminal probe after accusations that he leaked information relating to the vice president's travels. @jayobtv reports.

[World News Tonight @ABCWorldNews]

A Secret Service agent assigned to protect Vice Pres. JD Vance is being investigated after accusations that he leaked information relating to the vice president's travels. @jayobtv has details. https://t.co/QzCTi776bC

[Paul Kane @pkcapitol]

Just as we all thought, TMZ is only focused on sex scandals and … double checks … this is a really well done interview on foreign policy & how US officials should speak in public.

[Jay O'Brien @jayobtv]

It has one glaring exception: it doesn't touch stock trading by the executive branch, including the president or vice president, which led to Democratic opposition.

Republicans also attached voter ID language to the bill, meaning it faces a rocky path in the Senate.

Still, it's the most significant step toward reforming congressional stock trading since the Obama administration.

[Jay O'Brien @jayobtv]

The House PASSED legislation to regulate congressional stock trading, 232-198 vote.

The "Stop Insider Trading Act" is a House Republican-led bill barring members and their families from buying new stocks while in office and requiring seven days' notice before selling.

[Katherine Faulders @KFaulders]

NEWS -- White House teleprompter operator made more than $100K betting on Trump's speeches, sources tell me @AaronKatersky @PCCharalambous & @newsfromnick. Gabriel Perez, who has been with Trump since 2016, is in talks to settle the matter with the CFTC. https://t.co/MFmJfSEzFz

[Eyewitness News @ABC7NY]

The House just passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, but ABC News' @JayOBTV explains why the legislation might not have enough votes to pass the Senate.
https://t.co/1jtaWNtH4S

[World News Tonight @ABCWorldNews]

Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan pleaded for more security funding – saying they face an alarming rise in threats. It comes after police arrested a man they say had a gun and asked for directions to the Supreme Court. Jay O'Brien reports. https://t.co/l4TqTNTlDQ

[Good Morning America @GMA]

A federal judge in Florida has referred attorneys for President Trump for possible disciplinary action over their handling of a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that led to the creation of the now-defunct Anti-Weaponization Fund. @jayobtv reports.

[World News Tonight @ABCWorldNews]

South Caroline Gov. Henry McMaster announced that he has appointed late Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to finish his Senate term following his sudden death. @jayobtv has details on Graham's cause of death and his final hours. https://t.co/ExuvAUI7Nf

[CSPAN @cspan]

January 6, 2015 -- Darline Graham Nordone holds the Bible for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during ceremonial swearing-in with Vice President Joe Biden.