Author: Robert Schmad, Washington Examiner
-
Trump’s Labor Department takes another hit as inspector general accused of abusing role
A liberal government watchdog group is accusing Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito of abusing his role by openly supporting the president’s agenda, something it says could run afoul of federal ethics law, but which D’Esposito maintains was apolitical. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint against D’Esposito on Wednesday. In…
-
China-linked hedge fund executive showers vulnerable Democrats with cash as midterms approach
More than two dozen Democrats running in some of the most contested congressional races of 2026 have accepted donations from a wealthy investor with a financial interest in China’s success, public records show. Donald Sussman owns a majority stake in New China Capital Management, a private equity firm with shares in several Chinese companies, according to documents…
-
Chinese surrogacy boom in America raises novel birthright citizenship questions
President Donald Trump’s effort to rein in what he views as abuse of the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship provision could be hamstrung by the surrogacy industry and its growing Chinese customer base, experts told the Washington Examiner. Wealthy Chinese families and individuals are increasingly turning to the U.S.’s booming surrogacy sector to have their biological…
-
Chinese propaganda outlets use Newsom to amplify criticisms of Trump
Media outlets controlled by the Chinese government have taken an apparent liking to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), posting reams of articles and video clips featuring the governor criticizing the Trump administration. Academic research has argued that China’s state-controlled media apparatus serves to delegitimize the United States by portraying it as “poorly governed, plutocratic, racist, and…
-
Embattled labor secretary has history of questionable spending that eluded Congress
Public records spanning more than a decade suggest that Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has long used funds derived from donors and taxpayers to cover luxury expenses, a now-relevant detail that did not come up during her confirmation hearing, the Washington Examiner has found. Chavez-DeRemer is facing allegations of improperly using the Labor Department to commit…
-
Democrats request over $30 million for pro-LGBT United Nations agency in appropriations bill
As negotiations over congressional appropriations continue, Senate Democrats are seeking $32.5 million in funding for a United Nations agency that lists one of its primary aims as securing “dignity and rights for LGBTQIA+ people.” On January 11, Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee released a “minibus” bill designed to fund national security, the State Department,…
-
Head of taxpayer-funded Somali charity cutting checks to family members
Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine Executive Director Muhidin Libah paid out over $100,000 from the charity he runs to members of his family between 2023 and 2024, tax filings show. In 2023, Muhdin Libah paid his wife, Fadumo Libah, $21,551 for “various business transactions” and another family member, Hawa Dakane, $38,559 for work as…
-
Health insurers drift leftward in campaign donations even as they seek to sway GOP
Insurance lobbyists are working hard on Capitol Hill in an attempt to sway centrist Republicans into their camp as party leadership expresses strong skepticism toward extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies. As these lobbyists take meetings with GOP staffers and members, however, they likely aren’t mentioning the fact that the firms paying them millions to advance their…
-
Marijuana companies spent millions on lobbying ahead of Trump rescheduling order
Political committees, consultants, and lobbyists linked to President Donald Trump made out with millions of dollars in payments from the marijuana industry in the months leading up to his executive order demanding the substance’s reclassification, according to public records reviewed by the Washington Examiner. The United States Cannabis Council and American Rights and Reform PAC,…
-
Top US political figures lend legitimacy to Qatari forum allied with array of anti-American groups
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr., Bill Gates, Tucker Carlson, and a host of other U.S. political figures have all descended on the Qatari capital of Doha in recent days to discuss an array of current events. In doing so, they perhaps unwittingly lent considerable legitimacy to an event with open ties…