Jan. 6 deposition, Epstein files, federal funding await Congress’ NC delegation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Congress returns with 25 days to avoid a government shutdown and debate funding
- DOJ released Epstein files but holds 5.2M more documents pending review
- Special Counsel Jack Smith defended prosecutions, spoke about Trump associates
Hello! It’s Danielle Battaglia with the latest edition of Under the Dome focused on President Donald Trump’s administration. I hope you all had a happy holiday season and a great start to the new year.
North Carolina’s congressional delegation is making their way back to Washington this week. But while they’ve been gone, the Department of Justice released parts of the Epstein files, their colleagues released new testimony about Jan. 6 and they have a looming deadline to prevent a government shutdown.
No big deal.
Health care fight
If you recall, before they left, Republicans allowed the Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire, leading to higher health care costs and a messaging war with Democrats.
It was these subsidies that led to history’s longest government shutdown as lawmakers disagreed on how to fund the government, and Democrats tried to bring Republicans to the negotiating table to extend these health care tax credits. After 43 days, Senate Majority Leader John Thune made a promise to allow debate on the ACA subsidies and eight Senate Democrats relented, voting to reopen the government.
As for funding the government, lawmakers only agreed to keep it funded at its current levels until Jan. 30, meaning, once again, Congress has just 25 days to figure it out, extend the deadline or shut down the government.
And they’re not exactly getting along.
With the abrupt departure of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, House Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford to lose two Republicans on any upcoming vote, giving him little room for error. Greene announced she would leave office in January after crossing swords with Trump over the release of the Epstein files.
Those were released, under congressional order, the Friday before Christmas, as Trump made his way to Rocky Mount for a rally. But the Department of Justice said it still has another 5.2 million documents that have not yet been made public. DOJ will likely have to answer for that when Congress returns.
Testimony from Jack Smith released. See NC connections
Also released, on the eve of New Year’s Eve, was the testimony of Special Prosecutor Jack Smith before Congress. Smith brought charges against Trump, both for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, and for taking and storing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
In his testimony, Smith vehemently denied that his prosecution of Trump was politically motivated. He also testified that the majority of his case was based on the testimony of Trump allies and he believed if given the opportunity to present his case, it would have prevailed.
As for North Carolina connections, Smith testified that state native Sidney Powell would have become Trump’s top lawyer in undermining the 2020 election results had she finished filling out her security clearance paperwork.
He also testified that he wasn’t sure about calling Cassidy Hutchinson, top aide to Mark Meadows, as a witness because a lot of her testimony would have been second-hand. Meadows, a Republican from Western North Carolina, represented the state in Congress before becoming Trump’s chief of staff.
Smith also testified that he was still deciding whether to bring charges against Trump’s alleged co-conspirators, including Powell, when he had to end his investigation because Trump won the election.
That’s a lot to digest, so I’ve included links to past stories to easily catch up on what you’re interested in.
What else we worked on
- Charlotte-area teen charged with planning ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack
- Tillis joins US senators telling Trump that Putin is a ‘ruthless murderer’
- AG Jeff Jackson sues Trump administration for cutting $50M from NC schools
- After joining lawsuit, NC Attorney General recovers $17 million in federal grants
- ICE arrests man in NC on Guatemala murder charge. He’s been deported three times
- ‘Super flu’ is spreading in NC. What’s different about this strain?
- New NC law recognizing only male and female sexes to take effect Jan. 1
- New year brings new NC laws on gender identity, prescription drugs and pensions
- New income tax rate in NC for 2026. What you’ll pay and how much it’s dropped
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and supporting local journalism.
Be kind to each other.
If you have any feedback or tips for this edition of the newsletter, feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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