Today's politics recap
- The White House said Joe Biden is open to more one-on-one conversations with Vladimir Putin, as the tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate. “The president remains certainly open to that if there’s a determination that that is the appropriate and most constructive step moving forward,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
- Psaki also emphasized the importance of recognizing Russia as the “aggressor” in the Ukraine crisis. Dismissing Putin’s criticism that the west has ignored Russia’s security demands, Psaki said, “When the fox is screaming from the top of the henhouse that he’s scared of the chickens, which is essentially what they’re doing, that fear isn’t reported as a statement of fact. And as you watch President Putin screaming about the fear of Ukraine and the Ukrainians, that should not be reported as a statement of fact.”
- The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, spoke to Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss the escalating crisis in Ukraine. “He emphasized that further invasion of Ukraine would be met with swift and severe consequences and urged Russia to pursue a diplomatic path,” state department spokesperson Ned Price said of the call.
- Biden met with the chairman and ranking member of the Senate judiciary committee to discuss the upcoming supreme court vacancy. At the start of the meeting, Biden said he was committed to receiving bipartisan input as he searches for a nominee to succeed Stephen Breyer. “The Constitution says ‘advise and consent, advise and consent,’ and I’m serious when I say it: that I want the advice of the Senate as well as the consent, if we can arrive on who the nominee should be,” Biden told reporters.
- Some of the Trump White House documents connected to the Capitol insurrection had been torn up, the National Archives said last night. Donald Trump’s habit of ripping up papers has been well documented, and the Archives said some of the notes had not been taped back together. The House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed Trump White House documents related to the attack.
– Joan E Greve
Updated
The House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has tested positive for Covid-19.
In a statement, the 82-year-old senator of Maryland said Tuesday that his symptoms were mild, and he is working from home. “In order to protect the safety of other Members, staff, employees, and visitors to the Capitol, I will utilize proxy voting,” he said. “I look forward to returning to the Capitol once my isolation period is over to continue carrying out the important work of leading House democrats as we govern responsibly for the people.”
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