Thread by @FenitN

Elijah Cummings previews the response to Republicans using corruption scandals to undermine D.C. statehood today: Feds prosecuted public corruption in every state represented by GOP committee members washingtonpost.com/local/dc-polit…

Responding to Ohio’s Jim Jordan, Cummings says the ex Ohio House speaker is under a federal corruption probe, “but nobody has seriously questioned Ohio’s fitness to be a state or threatened to eliminate the votes of its elected representatives in Congress” washingtonpost.com/local/dc-polit…

As expected, Jim Jordan describes the Jack Evans ethics scandal at length in his opening remarks at the D.C. statehood hearing. Also name drops Michael Brown, Kwame Brown, Vince Gray, Harry Thomas and Jim Graham for scandal/jail time

Republican Rep. Jody Hice says the founders were right to place the seat of federal government outside of any state. Wondering if there have been complaints about national capitals being in states/provinces in other countries?

Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) needles Bowser on Corbett Price and repeatedly asks her if she would nominate him for the WMATA board again. "I have made an appointment to replace him," she replies, referring to her deputy mayor Lucinda Babers

Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), who previously raised questions about a no-bid sports gambling contract and got no answers, is taking the opportunity now to question CFO Jeff DeWitt washingtonpost.com/local/dc-polit…

DeWitt says first legal sports will happen "toward the end of year" and mobile betting would start early 2020. D.C. missed the start of the NFL season, the original target

Clay asks if DeWitt has any concerns about the sports betting contract: "No, I do not." City officials have been saying all is well even as @stevesthompson keeps digging up alarming info washingtonpost.com/local/dc-polit…

"We have a massive federal government that overpowers the surrounding states," Bowser says, striking back on the arguments that it's unfair to have the federal government closely tied to a State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth

Tense moment at the D.C. statehood hearing as the Republican witness insists opposition to D.C. statehood is not about race and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) should withdraw a statement to that effect. "Never," Connolly roars back to applause

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is now raising the issue of where do Hill staffers park if D.C. becomes a state and parking spots are outside the federal enclave

Massie also complains about the Trump hotel placed in proposed D.C. state boundaries instead of staying inside the federal enclave.

We're back at the sports gambling part of the D.C. statehood hearing! Glenn Grothman (R-Wisc.) scolds D.C. for relying on gambling revenues.

Back to Jack Evans. Jim Jordan notes the veteran lawmaker didn't show up to the hearing, even though 11 of 13 Council members came

"The guy we wanted here didn't come," Jordan said.

"Okay?" Mendelson replies in his dry manner, later telling him not to read too much into it

Chip Roy (R-Texas) is pressing Mayor Bowser to say whether she likes the electoral college. She's sticking to describing it as the "law of the land"

Squad member Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) says she wants a 51-star flag for her office to show support for D.C. statehood

.@AOC ties D.C. statehood to the legacy of slavery: "The people who fled here to the District of Columbia to flee slavery because of the enlightenment of this community are now disenfranchised because of that very act"

@AOC Heard Bowser saying "that's right" and "thank you" on the livestream during AOC's remarks

@AOC That's a wrap on the first House D.C. statehood hearing in more than 25 years. In the coming months, proponents hope to have D.C. statehood legislation pass a chamber of Congress for the first time, although it's DOA at the Senate