BET Wire: Obama and Holder Keep on Keeping On
Cory Booker and Miss America are running for Congress.
1 / 17
In Case You Missed It - The trio of controversies plaguing the Obama administration are still front-page news, but the president and Attorney General Eric Holder are going about their business; Cory Booker and Miss America 2013 are running for Congress – and more. — Joyce Jones
2 / 17
Filibuster This - An emboldened Obama announced his picks to fill three vacant spots on the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals. Obama pretty much dared Senate Republicans to try to block their nominations. "When a Republican was president, 11 judges on the D.C. Circuit Court made complete sense. Now that a Democrat is president, it apparently doesn't. Eight is suddenly enough," he said, which is a "blatantly political move." (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
3 / 17
Not Going Anywhere - Republican lawmakers may be calling for Holder's resignation, but he has no plans to oblige them. Bloomberg reports that last week Holder "gathered his top aides last week to deliver a message: He was fine, and they all needed to stay focused and get their work done."(Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
4 / 17
Dude, Cool It! - Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa went a bit far on CNN's State of the Union when he called White House spokesman Jay Carney a "paid liar." House Republican leaders later sent a message to the California lawmaker: "Cool it." A senior Republican told Politico that Issa "has made this personal" and "added an unnecessary element to the news cycle." (Photo: State of the Union with Candy Crowley via CNN)
5 / 17
Still Talking - Failed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has weighed in on U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's rise to national security adviser. He called the choice "disappointing" and accused her of "seriously misleading" the nation about the fatal attacks in Benghazi. (Photo: CNN)
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 17
Consequences - Two IRS employees have been placed on administrative leave for accepting $1,000 worth of free food and other items while attending a training conference in 2012. Each works in the IRS division overseeing implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the Associated Press reports. (Photo: AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
7 / 17
What a Waste - "I swear to God, I have looked at that [Star Trek] video over and over again," said Rep. Elijah Cummings during remarks at a House Oversight hearing on wasteful spending by the IRS. The agency spent $50 million to hold 220 employee conferences that included a Star Trek-themed training video and expensive hotel-room upgrades. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
8 / 17
Room for Doubt - The IRS scandal has caused a majority of voters to question the Obama administration's honesty and integrity. In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on June 4, 55 percent say the targeting of conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status raises doubts. (Photos from left: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak,Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
9 / 17
Teflon Obama - The IRS scandal is not having an impact on the president's approval ratings. In the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released June 4, his 48 percent job-approval rating was unchanged from April. Just 41 percent said he's responsible for the Benghazi attack, 31 percent placed the blame for the Justice Department's subpoena of reporters' phone records; and 33 percent blamed him for the IRS scandal.(Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
10 / 17
Good to Go - Newark Mayor Cory Booker's U.S. Senate bid is now on the fast track due to the June 4 death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. “For several months now, Mayor Booker has been taking the steps necessary to run, but he will make an official announcement at the appropriate time,” said Booker’s office in a statement, Buzzfeed reports. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)
ADVERTISEMENT
11 / 17
Cowan's Got Booker's Back - Massachusetts Sen. Mo Cowan, who will soon leave the U.S. Senate, is predicting that Cory Booker is headed to Congress. “As I vacate the hallowed halls of Congress, perhaps he’ll come in not too late after me and continue what I hope is a very popular trend in the Congress, particular in the Senate, which is to continue to show representation of all people,” Cowan said. (Photo: Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
12 / 17
Victory for Lumumba - Chokwe Lumumba, longtime Black nationalist and attorney, was elected mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, on June 4. [We're] about to make some advances and some strides in the development of human rights and the protection of human rights that I think have not been seen in other parts of the country," he said of his plans to solve the city's problems.(Photo: Courtesy of the Chokwe Lumumba Campaign)
13 / 17
Here She Comes, Miss America - Erika Harold, crowned Miss America in 2003, launched a bid for Congress on June 4. "Our lives are defined not by the titles we earn but rather by the service we render," the Harvard-trained lawyer and Republican said in a campaign video. Harold hopes to unseat Illinois incumbent and first-term congressman Rodney Davis.(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
14 / 17
True Colors - Freshman Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) has denounced a tea party activist's assertion that Republicans don't want Blacks to vote if they're going to vote for Democrats. “Battlefield Dallas and its tea party ilk have shown their true colors and now it’s time to hold them accountable,” the lawmaker said. (Photo: Ron T. Ennis/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/LANDOV)
15 / 17
Hate Speech - Rep. Jeff Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma) said that Obama is a vengeful liar during remarks made on the House floor on June 3. "The president’s dishonesty, incompetence, vengefulness and lack of moral compass lead many to suggest that he is not fit to lead," Bridenstine said. "The only problem is that his vice president is equally unfit and even more embarrassing." (Photo: Courtesy C-SPAN)
ADVERTISEMENT