Tag: Sheldon Whitehouse

Warren And Whitehouse Demand Probe Of Tax Avoidance By Ultra-Wealthy

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Two prominent members of the Senate Finance Committee are calling for an investigation into tax avoidance by the ultrawealthy, citing ProPublica‘s “Secret IRS Files” series.

In a letter sent today, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wrote to the committee’s chairman, Ron Wyden (D-OR), that the “bombshell” and “deeply troubling” report requires an investigation into “how the nation’s wealthiest individuals are using a series of legal tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of income taxes.” The senators also requested that the Senate hold hearings and develop legislation to address the loopholes’ “impact on the nation’s finances and ability to pay for investments in infrastructure, health care, the economy, and the environment.”

Last month ProPublica began publishing a series of stories about tax avoidance among the ultra-wealthy, based on a vast trove of tax data concerning thousands of the wealthiest American taxpayers and covering more than 15 years. ProPublica conducted an unprecedented analysis that compared the ultra-wealthy’s taxes to the growth in their fortunes, calculating that the 25 richest Americans pay a “true tax rate” of just 3.4 percent. Continue reading.

Whitehouse bolsters push to shine light on ‘dark money’ at Supreme Court

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Rhode Island Democrat says campaigns have the ‘tradecraft of a covert op’

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse has told and retold the story of what he calls “the scheme” for years. The Rhode Island Democrat has written reports and essays, introduced bills, filed briefs, gone on cable TV and made presentations at high-profile Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

But Whitehouse hasn’t been as convincing as he’d hoped in his campaign to curb conservative anonymous donors and their influence on the Supreme Court — even as that “dark money” now floods in to support the judicial nomination process his party controls.

“In terms of Democrats, we’ve fallen short on taking this seriously and communicating to the public what a hazard the dark money operation is,” Whitehouse told CQ Roll Call this month. Continue reading.

Whitehouse and Kennedy request Supreme Court travel records

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Request is part of a deeper review of senior government officials’ disclosures

Two key senators want travel records of Supreme Court justices as part of a broader congressional look at financial disclosure standards for the receipt of gifts, travel and other financial gains by senior government officials.

Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedyasked the Justice Department and the U.S. Marshals Service last week for information and documents about the last 10 years of trips for members of the high court.

The Supreme Court Police handles protection for the justices in the Washington metropolitan area. But the justices can request security from the Marshals Service, which is part of the Justice Department, for other domestic travel. Continue reading.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says FBI’s Brett Kavanaugh investigation may have been ‘fake’

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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) accused the FBI of launching a “politically constrained and perhaps fake” investigation into accusations of sexual assault and misconduct made against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.

After former President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh in July 2018, multiple women came forward with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, notably Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that while they were teenagers, Kavanaugh held her down on a bed, put his hand over her mouth, and attempted to take off her clothes. Kavanaugh denied all of the accusations.

Trump authorized the FBI to investigate Ford’s claim, but the bureau never interviewed Kavanaugh, Ford, or other witnesses who offered to testify, and its report was never made public. In a letter sent last week to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Whitehouse said the Senate Judiciary Committee is reviewing the FBI’s handling of the accusations, and would like the Justice Department to provide support. Continue reading.

Senator opening investigation into Federalist Society’s link to ‘dark money’ used to pack the courts

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According to a report from Punchbowl News, now that the Democrats have control of the U.S. Senate, one senator plans to use his ascension to chair of the Judiciary Committee’s Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights subcommittee to take a hard look at how “dark money” is being used to elevate conservative judges to lifetime federal appointments.

In particular, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) plans to focus on the Federalist Society which has long made recommendations to Republican presidents when it comes to critical appointments that can sway the balance of the courts.With Punchbowl describing Whitehouse’s plans as a “war” on the Federalist Society, the report notes that the Democrat has long been seeking to dig into the conservative group’s influence.

Reporting that Wednesday’s hearing is being called, “What’s Wrong with the Supreme Court: The Big-Money Assault on Our Judiciary,” the report states, “Whitehouse’s target is the Federalist Society, which he says has been involved in a years’ long effort to gain control of the federal judiciary — especially the Supreme Court. It’s a topic Whitehouse has railed about for awhile, including during the confirmation hearing for now Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.” Continue reading.

Democrats seek to rein in the contact between White House, Justice Department on probes

Washington Post logoSen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) still keeps handy a two-page chart that a staffer drew up a dozen years ago, illustrating traditional limits between how many presidential aides are allowed to discuss investigations with Justice Department officials.

“That was the way it was supposed to be, the top one. Four White House people, three DOJ people,” Whitehouse said.

That tradition began during the Clinton administration and carried into the first years of George W. Bush but, later in Bush’s presidency, the chart grew to include more than 800 officials talking to one another.

View the complete June 19 article by Paul Kane on The Washington Post website here.