Month: December 2021

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced on Tuesday that his office is suing two far-right groups over their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Racine’s office is suing both the ​​Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over the attack, alleging both groups were responsible for the violence that left one Capitol Police officer dead.

Racine is seeking millions of dollars in damages from the two groups, alleging both conspired to send members to the city on that day. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C.  Said Racine on Twitter : “Today, we’re holding these insurrectionists accountable for conspiring to terrorize the District by planning, promoting, and participating in the deadly attack on the Capitol. I’m seeking damages in this case and will keep working to ensure such an assault never happens again.”

Racine said the money outlined in the lawsuit would go toward paying for the costs associated with the event, including medical expenses for the more than 140 officers who were injured during the attack, some of whom required extensive medical leave. It would also help cover costs incurred by the Metropolitan Police Department in responding to the attack.

The Justice Department has already filed criminal charges against a number of people who were at the attack. The new lawsuit also accuses both groups of training members and providing them with weapons and tactical equipment ahead of the rally.

Editorial credit: Thomas Hengge / Shutterstock.com

The Senate voted on Tuesday to raise the national debt limit by $2.5 trillion and extend it into 2023.  The House will next have to approve the legislation before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The final tally for the Senate vote, which fell along party lines, was 50 to 49.

Lawmakers raced to avert a catastrophic default ahead of a critical midweek deadline. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the debt limit could be reached on December 15, leaving Congress little time left to resolve the issue. A first-ever default would spark economic disaster and party leaders on both sides of the aisle have made clear it must be prevented.

It had been expected that Democrats would raise the limit by an amount sufficient to ensure that the issue will not need to be addressed again until after the 2022 midterm elections. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier on Tuesday that the Senate would vote to raise the debt ceiling to a level that will extend the limit into 2023. The newly created and temporary one-time process that lawmakers approved allowed Senate Democrats to take up and pass a bill to increase the debt limit by a specific dollar amount and a simple majority vote.

Editorial credit: Mark Roddis / Shutterstock.com