Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ted-cruz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ted Cruz</a> (R-TX) ripped Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) for refusing to subpoena convicted child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s flight logs.
Cruz made the remarks during an episode of his &#8220;Verdict&#8221; podcast this week with co-host Ben Ferguson, which comes after Durbin <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-chairman-dick-durbin-claims-no-one-wants-to-subpoena-jeffrey-epsteins-flight-logs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">falsely claimed</a> that no one wanted to subpoena Epstein&#8217;s flight logs.
The senator said that “the subpoenas going after Harlan Crowe and going after Leonard Leo are part of their ongoing effort to harass the Supreme Court, to de-legitimize the Supreme Court, and in particular to target Clarence Thomas.&#8221;
&#8220;They despise Clarence Thomas,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;So, in response to that, a number of Republicans had different amendments that we were pushing that if they were going to force a vote on the subpoenas, we were going to force a vote on our amendments.”
Cruz noted that Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) proposed subpoenaing &#8220;Epstein&#8217;s estate for the flight logs to his plane and in particular, the Lolita express &#8230; the private jet that flew down to Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s island with lots and lots of politicians allegedly, mostly Democrats. We don&#8217;t know who was on it.”
&#8220;This is easy to resolve. We should subpoena Epstein&#8217;s flight records,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;If there are politicians, Democrat or Republican or anybody else who was on that plane, who was going to that island, who was molesting and sexually assaulting children, we should know who they are.&#8221;
&#8220;The fact that the Democrats are apparently in a full-on panic, I don&#8217;t know if Durbin knows somebody on that list or I don&#8217;t know if they&#8217;re just afraid,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what their fear is. But they&#8217;re plainly terrified of voting on it. And if I&#8217;m wrong, Durbin can solve it very easily by bringing it up for a vote and issuing the subpoena.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨Wow:
“The only way <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorDurbin</a> could get his votes for the Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo subpoenas was to stop a vote on the Jeffrey Epstein subpoena.” &#8211; Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TedCruz</a> <a href="https://t.co/JwmdDoHoxb">pic.twitter.com/JwmdDoHoxb</a>
&mdash; Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCNSeverino/status/1734617445044764934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-chairman-dick-durbin-claims-no-one-wants-to-subpoena-jeffrey-epsteins-flight-logs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrat Chairman Dick Durbin Claims No One Wants To Subpoena Jeffrey Epstein’s Flight Logs</a>

Tech CEO’s Attend Sen. Schumer’s Senate AI Forum

Cruz Rips Durbin For Protecting Those Who Flew On Jeffrey Epstein’s Plane By Not Subpoenaing Flight Logs

Cruz Rips Durbin For Protecting Those Who Flew On Jeffrey Epstein's Plane By Not Subpoenaing Flight Logs

Congress

Dick Durbin

Jeffrey Epstein

Politics

Ted Cruz

A top <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate</a> Democrat said on Monday that he believes <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illegal-immigration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal immigrants</a> should have a path to U.S. citizenship by joining the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/military" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military</a>.
Senate Majority Whip <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dick-durbin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dick Durbin</a> (D-IL), who is also chairman of the Judiciary Committee, floated the idea during <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?532182-1/senate-session" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarks on the Senate floor</a> after he commented on GOP resistance to approving <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-blasts-biden-admin-in-dust-up-over-ukraine-aid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more aid to Ukraine</a> without comprehensive border security reforms.
&#8220;What troubles me about the debate now about the southern border is that it is one-half of the immigration equation,&#8221; Durbin said. &#8220;Yes, we need order at the border. Yes, we need to have changes in the laws that reflect the reality of the overwhelming numbers from all over the world who are coming to our shores and our border.&#8221;
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Senator Dick Durbin wants to make it possible for illegal immigrants to join the US military: &quot;Do you know what the recruiting numbers are at the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force? They can&#39;t reach their quotas each month. They can&#39;t find enough people to join.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/UWuGSfrSkF">pic.twitter.com/UWuGSfrSkF</a>
&mdash; TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1731798935134429370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;But there&#8217;s also an incredible demand for legal immigration into this country, even now,&#8221; Durbin continued. He then referenced <a href="https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Immigrant%20Veterans%20-%20Deported%20by%20the%20Same%20Nation%20They%20Sacrificed%20to%20Defend.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a> <a href="https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2023-11-10/veterans-legislation-duckworth-immigrants-benefits-12006449.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offered</a> by his fellow lawmaker from Illinois, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), to ensure immigrant service members get assistance to obtain U.S. citizenship and veterans&#8217; benefits.
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&#8220;Her bill — and I hope I describe it accurately — says that if you are an undocumented person in this country and you can pass the physical and the required test, background test, the like, that you can serve in our military, and if you do it honorably, we will make you citizens of the United States,&#8221; Durbin said.
&#8220;Do we need that? Do you know what the recruiting numbers are at the Army and the Navy and the Air Force? They can&#8217;t reach their quotas each month. They can&#8217;t find enough people to join our military forces. And there are those who are undocumented who want the chance to serve and risk their lives for that country. Should we give them a chance? I think we should,&#8221; Durbin added.
Durbin&#8217;s recruitment pitch, which suggests an <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/military-recruitment-crisis-appealing-to-legal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expansion</a> of the U.S. military&#8217;s ability to enlist <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/06/11/us-military-offers-legal-migrants-path-to-citizenship-amid-recruiting-shortfall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">foreigners beyond legal migrants</a> for a chance at citizenship, was met with pushback from Republicans on social media.
&#8220;So, the Democrats want to flood the country with illegal aliens, enlist them in the military, and make them citizens. They broke the laws invading this country, and they expect them to take an oath to support and defend our nation? Are they out of their minds?&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/TXRandy14/status/1732082386244948286" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX).
&#8220;Manning our military with people whose first act in our nation was to violate its sovereignty can never be trusted with our defense,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/joekent16jan19/status/1732032721386676262" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Joe Kent, a Republican and former Green Beret running for a House seat in Washington state.
&#8220;Secure our borders, deport the illegals, restore pride in our military by restoring the meritocracy &amp; ending foolish interventions,&#8221; Kent added. &#8220;I served w/ many great Americans who earned their citizenship by serving in our military, all of them legally entered our nation. We cannot tolerate or normalize the use of illegals in any workforce, especially our military.&#8221;

Senator Dick Durbin

Top Senate Dem Favors Citizenship For Illegal Immigrants Through Military Service

Illegal Immigration

Military

U.S. Senate

A subpoena request filed in Congress to grant lawmakers access to the flight logs connected to deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was allegedly blocked last week by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
Durbin, who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, reportedly rejected the request brought forward by Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn in early November. She accused Durbin of standing in the way of certifying the request after a contentious committee meeting on Thursday.
“What are Democrats trying to hide?” Blackburn said in a post on X.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorDurbin</a> BLOCKED my request to subpoena Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs.
What are Democrats trying to hide?
&mdash; Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1730275853748126138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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During a committee hearing last month surrounding Durbin’s attempts to investigate Supreme Court ethics issues, Blackburn filed the request in the upper chamber of Congress. Amid a fiery exchange between the two lawmakers, Blackburn announced a series of subpoena requests — including one against against Epstein’s estate to identify everyone listed on the flight records that have been said to include several high-profile figures worldwide.
An aide for the Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jeffrey-epstein-flight-logs-denied-democrat-led-senate-judiciary-committee-blackburn-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News Digital in a statement that Durbin would have stayed in the panel on Thursday to allow Republicans to offer and debate the 177 filed amendments, noting the committee would vote on authorizing the subpoena after. But Republican lawmakers on the committee allegedly began to filibuster during the hearing and didn’t allow Blackburn to offer the first amendment to the authorization, the Democratic committee aide claimed.
Blackburn <a href="https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2023/11/breaking-judiciary-chair-durbin-blocks-senator-blackburn-s-request-to-subpoena-sotomayor-staff-epstein-flight-logs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the hearing a &#8220;sad day in the history of the prestigious Judiciary Committee and further underscores the Left’s two tiers of justice crusade.&#8221;
“They also don’t want to have a conversation about the estate of Jeffrey Epstein to find out the names of every person who participated in Jeffrey Epstein’s human trafficking ring,” she added.
Epstein died in his New York prison cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges that involved running a “vast network” of underage girls for sex. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges before his death at 66 years old.
Insider previously reported that Epstein had owned at least three jets, including a Gulfstream II sold in November 2013, a Gulfstream IV sold before his arrest, and a Boeing 727 nicknamed the “Lolita Express,” which allegedly transported prominent individuals and girls all around the world.
The so-called Lolita Express private jet has been the subject of controversy amid the accusations brought against Epstein and, in particular, the flight records connected to the plane that supposedly include the names of those who traveled with him.
Victims of Epstein and at least one of his pilots have since come out and claimed that public figures, including Bill Gates, Prince Andrew, and Donald Trump, had traveled with the disgraced financier.
In December 2021, prosecutors reportedly released thousands of flight records in the sex-trafficking trial of his alleged accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who also pleaded not guilty but was ultimately convicted.
Insider reported flight manifests unsealed in a defamation case against Maxwell showed that some names listed included former President Bill Clinton, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and the astronaut John Glenn.

GOP Senate Judiciary Members Hold Press Conference On The Supreme Court

Sen. Blackburn Says Democrat-Led Senate Committee Chair Blocked Epstein Flight Logs Subpoena

Ghislaine Maxwell

Marsha Blackburn

Top congressional Democrats are reportedly circulating a letter to President Joe Biden encouraging him to &#8220;designate the Palestinian territories for Temporary Protected Status,&#8221; thus allowing &#8220;foreign nationals&#8221; from those areas to stay in the U.S.
The draft letter, obtained by The Daily Caller, is reportedly backed by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).
Reporter Henry Rodgers said that the push from congressional Democrats was a call to &#8220;open the flood gates for Palestinians to come into the U.S.&#8221;
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NEW: A Senate source tells me Sen. Durbin, Congresswoman Jayapal and Congresswoman Schakowsky are circulating this letter calling to open the flood gates for Palestinians to come into the U.S.: <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyCaller</a> <a href="https://t.co/GjV6T5fDXa">pic.twitter.com/GjV6T5fDXa</a>
&mdash; Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) <a href="https://twitter.com/henryrodgersdc/status/1722005886036570143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The letter comes after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel last month, murdering 1,400 Israelis, wounding 5,300+, and kidnapping more than 240.
&#8220;We urge your Administration to designate the Palestinian territories for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and/or authorize Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Palestinians present in the United States,&#8221; the lawmakers wrote. &#8220;As you know, TPS and DED offer temporary relief from removal and work authorization for eligible foreign nationals who are unable to return safely to their home countries or part of a country. In light of ongoing armed conflict, Palestinians already in the United States should not be forced to return to the Palestinian territories, consistent with President Biden&#8217;s stated commitment to protecting Palestinian civilians.&#8221;
The letter demonized Israel by citing numbers from anti-Semitic organizations on how many Palestinians have been displaced from their homes.
The letter did not ask for the same protections for Israeli nationals and made no mention of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis that have been displaced from their homes as a result of terrorist attacks on Israel&#8217;s northern and southern borders.
&#8220;U.S. Department of State statistics indicate that 7,241 nonimmigrant visas were issued to individuals holding Palestinian Authority (PA) travel documents in 2022, the most recent year for which such data is available,&#8221; the letter said. &#8220;While the number of non-immigrant visas issued cannot provide an exact approximation of the number of Palestinians that would be eligible for TPS or DED, it makes clear that the number of beneficiaries would be small, while the benefit could be lifesaving. TPS or DED would enable Palestinians currently present in the U.S., including students, tourists, and workers, to be protected from a dangerous return to their homeland while affording them the ability to remain safely in the U.S. and to work legally to support themselves and their families.&#8221;
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&#8220;As such, we urge your Administration to designate the Palestinian territories for TPS and/or to authorize DED for Palestinians in the United States without delay,&#8221; the lawmakers concluded. &#8220;Thank you for your consideration of this request.&#8221;

US Supreme Court Hears Arguments In Student Debt Cancellation Program

Democrats Circulate Letter Urging Biden To Let Palestinians Stay In The U.S.: Report

Gaza

Israel

Pramila Jayapal

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, defended Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on Sunday after Menendez was hit with federal corruption charges last week, saying that the charges against former President Donald Trump were just as serious and prosecutors needed to &#8220;prove&#8221; their case.
Durbin made the remarks during a Sunday interview with CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash on &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; when asked about the multiple felonies facing Menendez.
&#8220;He is due in federal court on Wednesday on bribery and corruption charges, including allegations that he received gold bars, a luxury car, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and he gave sensitive government information to Egypt,&#8221; Bash said. &#8220;He is denying these charges, I should say. But many Democratic members and officials in New Jersey are saying that he should resign. Do you?&#8221;
Durbin said that the charges against Menendez were &#8220;very serious&#8221; but that the indictments against Trump were also &#8220;equally serious charges.&#8221;
&#8220;These are, in fact, indictments that have to be proven under the rule of law,&#8221; Durbin said. &#8220;The person who is accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence. And it&#8217;s the responsibility of the government to prove that case.&#8221;
Durbin did note that Menendez had to step down from his spot as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but added that &#8220;in terms of resignation, that&#8217;s a decision to be made by Senator Menendez and the people of New Jersey.&#8221;
Bash pushed back, noting that a lot of Democrats have said that Menendez should resign.
&#8220;Well, keep in mind that these are charges, and they have to be proven. And there is a presumption of innocence,&#8221; he said. &#8220;How far it goes, in terms of his future service, is something to be decided by the senator and the people of New Jersey.&#8221;
Bash later noted that Menendez was going to be up for reelection and asked Durbin if he should run again.
&#8220;Well, I can tell you that it&#8217;s a significant event,&#8221; Durbin said. &#8220;Clearly, it is. And whether or not he will run for reelection remains to be seen.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) defends Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) from corruption charges, says charges against Trump are “equally serious” and prosecutors needed to “prove” their case even though they’ve already laid out significant evidence against the Senator. <a href="https://t.co/71IWzKx11x">pic.twitter.com/71IWzKx11x</a>
&mdash; Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1706045742215729250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Richard Durbin Sept 12

Top Ranking Democrat Defends Menendez Over Corruption Charges: Trump’s Charges ‘Equally Serious’

Bob Menendez

Media

A top Democrat in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-senate">Senate</a> broke with Majority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chuck-schumer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chuck Schumer</a> (D-NY) on the controversial decision to relax the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-fetterman-rule-senate-cuts-dress-code-enforcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chamber&#8217;s dress code</a>.
Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dick-durbin">Dick Durbin</a> (D-IL), who is the Senate majority whip, said he is &#8220;concerned&#8221; about the change that was implemented this week, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4216039-durbin-no-2-senate-democrat-concerned-about-dress-code-change/">according to The Hill</a>.
&#8220;I can’t understand exactly what he was thinking at that point,&#8221; Durbin said of Schumer. &#8220;I want to give him the benefit of the doubt until I speak to him but I think the Senate needs to act on this.&#8221;
Durbin reportedly made the comments during an interview with “The Briefing with Steve Scully” on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel, which is set to air on Friday.
Relaxing enforcement of the dress code, which appears to be more of a tradition than <a href="https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/general/one_item_and_teasers/file_not_found.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">written policy</a>, has sparked <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-senators-are-reacting-to-fetterman-rule-dress-code" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jokes as well as blowback</a> from members of the Senate on both sides of the aisle. The Washington Post editorial board <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-washington-post-pans-new-fetterman-rule-for-senate-dress">also panned</a> the change, which affects senators but not staff members.
In a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/17/senate-drops-dress-code-schumer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement to Axios</a>, the first news outlet to report the change over the weekend, Schumer said senators &#8220;are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor.&#8221; The majority leader also said he will continue to wear a suit.
Much of the uproar has been directed at Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-fetterman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Fetterman</a> (D-PA), a freshman member who is well known for often wearing hoodies and gym shorts, leading to the change being dubbed <a href="https://twitter.com/WashTimes/status/1703936751012659445">&#8220;The Fetterman Rule.&#8221;</a>
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fetterman-depression-senate-return-hoodies-shorts-771886ba8f3caee9be9674d186cd656b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this year how Fetterman, after getting treatment for depression, worked around the dress code rules for the Senate floor by popping in to vote from the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom or side entrance.
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After Schumer directed the Senate&#8217;s sergeant-at-arms to stop enforcement of the informal rules dictating that members wear business attire on the Senate floor, Fetterman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-presides-over-senate-wearing-short-sleeve-shirt-no-tie-and-shorts">presided</a> over the Senate on Wednesday wearing a short-sleeve shirt, no tie.
Reporters <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigCaplan/status/1704867305795068148">spotted him</a> wearing the same casual attire heading to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) arrives for the Senate&#39;s closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a short-sleeve shirt and shorts. <a href="https://t.co/2ZWIdGBWYn">pic.twitter.com/2ZWIdGBWYn</a>
&mdash; The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1704860582103449643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Durbin reportedly said the &#8220;senator in question from Pennsylvania is a personal friend, but I think we need to have standards when it comes to what we’re wearing on the floor of the Senate, and we’re in the process of discussing that right now as to what those standards will be.&#8221;
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who led a <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_colleagues_to_schumer_-_senate_dress_code.pdf">letter</a> signed by dozens of GOP colleagues urging Schumer to reverse the “misguided” rules change, complimented Durbin for speaking out.
&#8220;Bipartisan agreement is a wonderful thing. Glad to see [Durbin] agree that the Senate should not abandon its standards,&#8221; Scott <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1704899097868595661">said</a> in a post to X.
Fetterman has taken to social media to advertise <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1704504379703779742" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hoodies and other clothing</a> that <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnFetterman/status/1704283329942507924" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mocks</a> his critics. He posted a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-milks-dress-code-brouhaha-says-hell-wear-a-suit-if-house-jagoffs-meet-his-demands">statement</a> on Wednesday stating what it would take for him to dress up.
&#8220;If those jagoffs in the House stop trying to shut our government down, and fully support Ukraine, then I will save democracy by wearing a suit on the Senate floor next week,&#8221; Fetterman <a href="https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1704517579795022038" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X.

Senator John Fetterman

Top Dem Senator Breaks With Schumer On ‘Fetterman Rule’ Dress Code

Top Dem Senator Breaks With Schumer On 'Fetterman Rule' Dress Code

Chuck Schumer

John Fetterman

U.S.

It would appear Sen. Dick &#8216;Fully Vaccinated&#8217; Durbin (D-IL) is suffering from his third bout of COVID in one calendar year.
Before reading this story, please remember that if you claim that the COVID jabs don&#8217;t quite work as advertised, then you will be considered a promoter of misinformation and a threat to democracy by your own government. 
On Monday, Durbin tweeted, &#8220;Unfortunately, I tested positive for COVID-19 today. I&#8217;m disappointed to have to miss critical work on the Senate&#8217;s NDAA this week in Washington. Consistent with CDC guidelines, I&#8217;ll quarantine at home and follow the advice of my doctor while I work remotely.&#8221;
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Unfortunately, I tested positive for COVID-19 today. I&#39;m disappointed to have to miss critical work on the Senate&#39;s NDAA this week in Washington. Consistent with CDC guidelines, I&#39;ll quarantine at home and follow the advice of my doctor while I work remotely.
&mdash; Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin/status/1683291905369489408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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He also got the virus in March 2023. At that time, he said, &#8220;Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms. I will quarantine consistent with CDC guidelines and follow advice from my doctor while I continue to work remotely.&#8221;
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This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms. I will quarantine consistent with CDC guidelines and follow advice from my doctor while I continue to work remotely.
&mdash; Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin/status/1637563582178119680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Readers will note that back then, he was still saying he was &#8220;thankful to be fully vaccinated.&#8221; His tweet was nearly identical to the statement he issued when he had COVID in July 2022.
&#8220;This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19,&#8221; he tweeted back then. &#8220;Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and double boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms. Consistent with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine and follow advice from my doctor while I continue to work remotely.&#8221;
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This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and double boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms. Consistent with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine and follow advice from my doctor while I continue to work remotely.
&mdash; Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin/status/1552636908316024833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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So, perhaps his appreciation for the vaccine has run out on account of getting COVID again and again.
He&#8217;d have good reason to be a little miffed at his peers who encouraged him to get it. Folks like President Joe Biden told Durbin that if he received the vaccine, then he wouldn&#8217;t get COVID:
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FLASHBACK: President Biden assures Americans they won&#39;t get Covid if they get vaccinated.
Fully-vaxxed, double-boosted Fauci got Covid today. <a href="https://t.co/cjDGkfMtbW">pic.twitter.com/cjDGkfMtbW</a>
&mdash; The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1537151761437409283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In response to the thrice-COVID-ridden Durbin, Never Back Down PAC spokesman Steve Cortes tweeted. &#8220;It&#8217;s quite amazing that Big Pharma seems to endure zero blowback from ardent supporters — even as the &#8216;fully vaxed and boosted&#8217; crowd contracts Covid 3, 4, even 5 times after dutifully getting their Fauci jabs???&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It&#39;s quite amazing that Big Pharma seems to endure zero blowback from ardent supporters &#8212; even as the &quot;fully vaxed and boosted&quot; crowd contracts Covid 3, 4, even 5 times after dutifully getting their Fauci jabs??? <a href="https://t.co/7mZvzobYR8">https://t.co/7mZvzobYR8</a>
&mdash; Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) <a href="https://twitter.com/CortesSteve/status/1683456062433771522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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We wish Durbin well in his recovery, and perhaps an annual jab will prevent his next bout of COVID &#8230; or not.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Dick ‘Fully Vaccinated’ Durbin Gets COVID Third Time In One Calendar Year

Dick ‘Fully Vaxxed’ Durbin Gets COVID Third Time In One Calendar Year

COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccine

Senate

Former NCAA swimmer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-was-ready-to-go-to-dental-school-riley-gaines-became-an-activist-by-accident-but-shes-not-backing-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Riley Gaines</a> delivered a fact check in real time to a Democrat witness during a Wednesday hearing.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/did-this-just-say-peaceful-riley-gaines-unloads-on-san-francisco-states-response-to-assault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaines</a>, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-about-us-riley-gaines-fires-back-at-sen-dick-durbin-for-bowing-to-trans-activists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also testified</a> during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled &#8220;Protecting Pride: Defending the Civil Rights of LGBTQ+ Americans,&#8221; disputed the claim — made by Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson — that biological males had no inherent advantage when it came to athletics.
WATCH:
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Dem witness: &quot;There&#39;s been this news article about men that think they can beat Serena Williams in tennis. And it&#39;s just not the case. She is stronger than them.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Riley_Gaines_</a>: &quot;Both Serena and Venus lost to the 203rd ranked male tennis player.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/MSAnV6IA5t">pic.twitter.com/MSAnV6IA5t</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1671548075230257152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) put the question to Robinson, who describes herself as the HRC&#8217;s first queer black president, asking her if she could provide an example proving that men did not have a biological advantage over women when it came to sports.
&#8220;You don&#8217;t believe that a biological male has a physical advantage in sports over a biological female?&#8221; Kennedy asked.
&#8220;Not as a definitive statement,&#8221; Robinson said, shaking her head.
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&#8220;Give me an example &#8230; nah, well, I don&#8217;t think &#8230; how many female members of the NBA do you see?&#8221; Kennedy asked.
&#8220;I can say that there&#8217;s been this news article about men that think they can beat Serena Williams in tennis, right? That they think they could actually score a point on her,&#8221; Robinson replied. &#8220;And it&#8217;s just not the case. She is stronger than them.&#8221;
Kennedy turned the same question to Gaines, then, asking what her experience had been when women competed against biological males.
But instead of beginning with her own experience — competing at last year&#8217;s NCAA championships against trans-identifying male swimmer Lia Thomas — Gaines began with a quick fact check of Robinson&#8217;s claim.
&#8220;Both Serena and Venus lost to the 203rd ranked male tennis player, which — they&#8217;re phenoms for women,&#8221; she said, and then added her own personal experience as well. &#8220;My experience, my husband, he swam at the University of Kentucky as well. In terms of accolades, in terms of national ranking, I was a much better swimmer than him. He could kick my butt any day of the week — without trying.&#8221;
The game Gaines referenced <a href="https://www.marca.com/en/more-sports/2017/06/27/595296da468aeb99218b464c.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took place in 1998</a>, after Serena and Venus Williams boasted that no male player outside the top 200 in world rankings would be able to beat them. German player Karsten Braasch, ranked 203rd in the men&#8217;s circuit, took them on, beating Serena 6-1 and Venus 6-2.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t know it would be that difficult. I played shots that would have been winners on the women&#8217;s circuit and he got to them very easily,&#8221; Serena observed when it was over.
Braasch&#8217;s assessment was a bit more brutal: &#8220;They wouldn&#8217;t have had a chance against anyone inside the top 500 because today I played like someone ranked 600th to keep it fun.&#8221;

Photo courtesy of Riley Gaines

Riley Gaines Blows Up Democrat Witness’ Testimony During Trans Rights Hearing

Riley Gaines Blows Up Democrat Witness' Testimony During Trans Rights Hearing

Riley Gaines

Social Issues

Transgender

Transgender Athletes

Former NCAA swimmer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/riley-gaines">Riley Gaines</a> took Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) to task during a Wednesday hearing, criticizing him for choosing to protect the feelings of trans-identifying males over biological women and girls.
Gaines appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing titled &#8220;Defending the Civil Rights of LGBTQ+ Americans&#8221; — and while detailing her own experience competing against trans-identifying swimmer Lia Thomas, she addressed Chairman Durbin&#8217;s comments on the importance of sending the right &#8220;message&#8221; to trans-identifying individuals.
WATCH:
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Here’s the fearless ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Riley_Gaines_</a>⁩ explaining what it was like to have a 6’4” biological man in her locker room &#8211; and being told to shut up about it. This is the “tolerance” of the left <a href="https://t.co/KjbhGkhmtV">pic.twitter.com/KjbhGkhmtV</a>
&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1671545269714923521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) asked Gaines to describe for the committee what it was like when she and her other competitors learned that in addition to swimming against Thomas in the championship meet, they would also be subjected to a locker room situation in which a biological male would be allowed to change alongside the female swimmers.
Gaines said that she and the other female swimmers had been blindsided by the locker room situation, and that when she spoke to officials about it, they shrugged off her concern and informed her they had &#8220;gotten around the rules&#8221; by making all of the locker rooms &#8220;unisex.&#8221;
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&#8220;First and foremost, you just admitted this is a male by acknowledging that you had to change your rules to make the locker rooms unisex,&#8221; Gaines responded, adding that she had then realized that because of the rule change any male — for any reason – could have come into the locker room and watched the girls as they changed into their racing suits.
&#8220;It was so easy for them to dismiss our rights to privacy, &#8221; Gaines added, turning her attention to Durbin. &#8220;Senator Durbin, in your opening statement you had mentioned this rhetoric — it&#8217;s, you had mentioned that – &#8216;What message does it send to trans individuals?&#8217; And my comeback to that is what message does this send to women? To young girls who are denied of these opportunities?&#8221;
&#8220;So easily, their rights to privacy and safety thrown out of the window to protect a small population, protect one group as long as they&#8217;re happy,&#8221; Gaines continued. &#8220;What about us? That is the overall general consensus of how we all felt in that locker room.&#8221;

‘What About Us?’: Riley Gaines Fires Back At Sen. Dick Durbin For Bowing To Trans Activists

Riley Gaines Fires Back At Sen. Dick Durbin For Bowing To Trans Activists

Josh Hawley

CNN anchor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jake-tapper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Tapper</a> invoked the late Supreme Court Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ruth-bader-ginsburg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ruth Bader Ginsburg</a> in questioning the top Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat about the extended absence of Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dianne-feinstein" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dianne Feinstein</a> (D-CA) and its impact on the panel&#8217;s ability to approve judicial nominees.
During an exchange on Sunday, Tapper pressed Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) to consider the political repercussions of not pushing Feinstein to retire, as many Democrats were hesitant to do with Ginsburg in the lead-up to her death in 2020 despite concerns about her age and health.
&#8220;All due respect, sir, you and your fellow Democrats were very ginger and very polite when it came to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and not pushing her to retire when you had a Democratic majority in the Senate. How&#8217;d that work out for you? How&#8217;d that work out for Roe v. Wade?&#8221; Tapper asked on &#8220;State of the Union.&#8221;
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Dang. Jake Tapper to Durbin: &quot;All due respect, sir, you and your fellow Democrats were very ginger and very polite when it came to RBG and not pushing her to retire when you had a Democrat majority in the Senate. How&#39;d that work out for you? How&#39;d that work out for Roe v Wade?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/fC4RdQMHbu">pic.twitter.com/fC4RdQMHbu</a>
&mdash; Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1655205157884293120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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After 87-year-old Ginsburg died in 2020 due to complications from pancreatic cancer, former President Donald Trump picked Amy Coney Barrett to replace her on the high court, solidifying a conservative majority that would go on to do away with Roe last year.
After Feinstein, 89, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dianne-feinstein-not-running-for-re-election-in-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed in February</a> she would not seek re-election in 2024 amid concerns about her mental health, the senator announced in early March that she had been diagnosed with shingles. Feinstein&#8217;s months-long absence while recovering has been holding up the ability of the judiciary panel, which is <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members" target="_blank" rel="noopener">split 10-10</a> along party lines without her, to advance some of President Joe Biden’s nominees to federal courts around the nation.
In his response to Tapper, Durbin shrugged off the comparison to Ginsburg as a guessing game and said he wants to treat Feinstein &#8220;fairly&#8221; and be &#8220;sensitive&#8221; to her situation, considering other senators have had medical issues that temporarily kept them from Capitol Hill. Still, Durbin conceded as a &#8220;bottom line&#8221; that the business of the Judiciary Committee &#8220;is affected&#8221; by Feinstein&#8217;s absence.
Just when Feinstein will return remains unclear, and while a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-says-dianne-feinstein-should-resign-calls-anti-feminist-criticisms-a-farce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small but growing number of Democrats</a> call for her to resign, Republicans declined to do Democrats a favor by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-gop-blocks-dem-bid-to-replace-feinstein-on-judiciary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blocking a bid</a> to replace Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee.
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In <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dianne-feinstein-releases-new-statement-on-her-absence-from-the-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a> on Thursday, Feinstein did not say when she plans to return to Capitol Hill but argued that there &#8220;has been no slowdown&#8221; with judicial nominees. Still, Feinstein said she was &#8220;disappointed&#8221; that Republicans on the committee have been blocking a few nominees from moving forward. Feinstein said she expects them to advance &#8220;quickly&#8221; upon her return.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

‘How’d That Work Out?’: CNN Throws RBG At Top Senate Dem Over Feinstein Debacle

'How'd That Work Out?': Jake Tapper Throws RBG At Top Senate Dem Over Feinstein Debacle

Dianne Feinstein

Jake Tapper

A pair of Senate Democrats on Sunday defended President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> after a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/22/opinion/editorials/biden-age.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times editorial</a> raised concerns about the commander-in-chief&#8217;s age.
&#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; moderator Chuck Todd asked Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, if Biden should be doing more to assure Americans he is up to the job as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2024-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 election</a> approaches.
&#8220;I think his schedule reflects an active person, mentally and physically, who is engaging with the American people on a regular basis,&#8221; Durbin said during the NBC News interview.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Should President Biden be doing more to show Americans that he&#39;s up to the job?&quot;
Democrat Senator Dick Durbin: &quot;I think his schedule reflects an active person, mentally and physically, who is engaging with the American people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SkdrwdryZa">pic.twitter.com/SkdrwdryZa</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1650138024402100225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Todd asked the question after sharing an excerpt from the editorial about Biden, published on Saturday following reports saying the president is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/20/biden-reelection-announcement-next-week/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected to announce</a> his re-election campaign this week. Already the oldest person to be president at 80, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term.
&#8220;Concerns about age — both in terms of fitness for office and being out of touch with the moment — are legitimate, as Mr. Biden acknowledged in an interview in February <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/intention-run-biden-tells-abcs-muir-reelection-decision/story?id=97447706" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with ABC News</a>. His standard line, repeated in that interview, is: “The only thing I can say is, ‘Watch me,’” the editorial says.
&#8220;But Mr. Biden has given voters very few chances to do just that — to watch him — and his refusal to engage with the public regularly raises questions about his age and health,&#8221; the editorial adds.
Durbin went on to explain how he has seen evidence first-hand that assures him that Biden is still a capable president.
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&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what more they&#8217;re asking for, but I&#8217;ve been in meetings with him time after time,&#8221; Durbin said of Biden. &#8220;His performance tells me he&#8217;s up to the job, and does it well.&#8221;
Durbin <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-april-23-2023-n1304542" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>: &#8220;Let&#8217;s concede the obvious, what his age is. But let&#8217;s look at the obvious. He&#8217;s an active president who is meeting the challenges of America every day.&#8221;
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/02/klobuchar-to-drop-out-of-2020-campaign-endorse-biden-118823" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed Biden in 2020</a> upon ending her own presidential bid, faced similar questions about Biden&#8217;s fitness to serve during an appearance on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union.&#8221;
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&quot;How do you think President Biden could overcome [concerns about his age and mental stamina]?&quot;
Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar: &quot;Biden has such a strong record to run on!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/uv4kLbRFFz">pic.twitter.com/uv4kLbRFFz</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1650151320979136512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“President Biden has such a strong record to run on,&#8221; Klobuchar said.
After reciting aspects of Biden&#8217;s record, Klobuchar argued the incumbent offers Americans a &#8220;steady hand&#8221; in the White House, comparing him to former President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election.
&#8220;People don&#8217;t want that chaos back again,&#8221; Klobuchar added.

President Joe Biden and Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Dem Senators Play Defense After NYT Editorial On Biden’s Age

Dem Senators Play Defense After NYT Editorial On Biden's Age

2024

2024 Election

aging

Amy Klobuchar

Executive

Joe Biden

New York Times

Wishful thinking is alive and well on Capitol Hill. Case in point: The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/the-equal-rights-amendment-how-congress-can-recognize-ratification-and-enshrine-equality-in-our-constitution">hearing</a> on February 28 titled “The Equal Rights Amendment: How Congress Can Recognize Ratification and Enshrine Equality in Our Constitution.”
This hearing is intended to push the fiction that Congress has any authority to resurrect the ERA that it proposed in 1972, but that expired more than 40 years ago.
Article V of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress two powers in the constitutional amendment process. First, “whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary,” Congress may propose amendments. In <a href="https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep256/usrep256368/usrep256368.pdf">Dillon v. Gloss</a>, the Supreme Court expressed “no doubt” that this includes setting a ratification deadline. Second, Congress may dictate the “Mode of Ratification,” that is, whether states must ratify a proposed amendment in their legislatures or by conventions.
That’s it. Once it has proposed a constitutional amendment, including any ratification deadline and designating the mode of ratification, Congress has no role or authority whatsoever.
Congress exercised these powers in March 1972 by proposing the Equal Rights Amendment with a seven-year deadline for state legislatures to ratify it. A total of 35 states did so by January 1977, although five of them quickly rescinded their approval. This was fewer than the 38 required by the Constitution for ratification. Knowing that the March 1979 deadline was both looming and binding, ERA supporters pushed Congress to pass a resolution extending that deadline to June 30, 1982.
The only court to <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/529/1107/2355452/">address</a> the issue found the extension unconstitutional. Not only does Congress lack authority to change a deadline after an amendment has been proposed, but Congress passed this extension resolution with fewer than the two-thirds of both houses required by the Constitution.
In any event, no new states ratified the ERA and, as the Congress Research Service has <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CONAN-2002/pdf/GPO-CONAN-2002.pdf">stated</a> many times that the ERA “formally died on June 30, 1982.”
Supporters, however, are still searching for vital signs. They actually claim the 1972 ERA is now part of the Constitution after three states passed “ratification” resolutions in the last several years, long after the termination date.
The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an ERA booster, easily exposed the problem with this position. In a 2020 <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/2/11/21133029/ruth-bader-ginsburg-equal-rights-amendment-supreme-court">interview</a>, she said that “[i]f you count a latecomer on the plus side, how can you disregard states that [rescinded ratification]?” Applying Ginsburg Math, only 33 states have ratified the 1972 ERA. No wonder, then, why Ginsburg concluded that ERA proponents should start over.
But they’re not done, which brings us to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, which will focus on a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/4?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%22%5D%7D&amp;s=1&amp;r=1">resolution</a> introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) that purports to remove the 1972 ERA’s ratification deadline and declare that it has been ratified by 38 states.
Senators should re-read Article V. A proposed constitutional amendment becomes part of the Constitution upon ratification by three-fourths of the states; no congressional action can affect ratification in any way.
On that point, Democrats should also check in with their favorite liberal constitutional scholars. The late professor, and former Acting Solicitor General, Walter Dellinger, for example, has <a href="https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&amp;context=faculty_scholarship">written</a> that Article V “requires no additional action by Congress or by anyone else after ratification by the final state. The creation of a ‘third step’ – promulgation by Congress – has no foundation in the text of the Constitution.” 
Senate Democrats face another awkward situation. Under federal <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/1/106b#:~:text=Whenever%20official%20notice%20is%20received,amendment%20to%20be%20published%2C%20with">law</a>, when notified “that any amendment proposed to the Constitution … has been adopted, according to the provisions of the Constitution,” the archivist of the United States must “cause the amendment to be published … as a part of the Constitution.” The Archivist declined to publish the 1972 ERA because, as <a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/opinions/attachments/2020/01/16/2020-01-06-ratif-era.pdf">advised</a> by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, it “is no longer pending before the States.” 
Alabama and Illinois sued the archivist in December 2019, seeking a final declaration on whether the 1972 ERA had been finally ratified. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras dismissed the lawsuit in March 2021, holding that “Congress set deadlines for ratifying the ERA that expired long ago.” The states appealed, and the case is before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Because the archivist is an executive branch official, the Biden Justice Department is defending him and filed its <a href="https://voteequality.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/US_APP_CADC_21-5096_137129152744090_APPELLEE_BRIEF_1937869_filed_by_David_Ferriero_Ser.pdf">brief</a> in March 2022. Here are some of the Biden administration’s arguments that should be raised before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
First, citing a law journal article by then-Professor Ginsburg, the Department observed that even the 1972 ERA’s congressional sponsors saw adding a ratification deadline as a “customary statute of limitations.”
Second, “Congress acted consistent with established practice by fixing that [ratification] period through the” proposing clause of the ERA resolution.
Third, a proposed constitutional amendment “is complete when three-fourths of the States properly ratify [it].”
Fourth, those arguing “that the ERA has been validly adopted notwithstanding the congressional deadline … have not identified any relevant legal authority establishing that this is so.”
Fifth, “the question of the ERA’s validity is, at best, uncertain” and “Congress has repeatedly acted on the assumption that the deadline is valid.”
It should take more than an imagination and a political agenda to properly interpret and apply the Constitution. Congress had authority to set a ratification deadline for the 1972 ERA and, when it did so at the suggestion of ERA supporters, everyone understood that the deadline was valid and binding.
Because that deadline passed with insufficient state support, the 1972 ERA died more than four decades ago. It is no longer pending before the states for ratification, and no longer pending before Congress for amendment. It is dead.
Thomas Jipping is a senior legal fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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