NEW: Maj. Gen. William Walker, the new House sergeant at arms, is the first Black man to hold that job. He sat down with @thisisinsider for an exclusive interview, the first since starting his new role. By @leonardkl & @TinaSfon ($) businessinsider.com/general-willia…
"It was beyond exciting," Walker said of his “Madame Speaker!” moment when he introduced @potus at the joint session speech last week. “It was thrilling actually."
At one point, Biden can be seen on camera walking on the House floor saying something to Walker. Both men laughed. No one watching could hear the brief exchange, but Walker remembered it.
"He patted me on the arm, and he said, 'Wow, you're in pretty good shape,'" Walker recalled. "And I said, 'Yes, Mr. President, I work out."
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NEW: Lost in the Liz Cheney leadership brawl that's consumed House Republicans this week is an even bigger battle that politicos from DC to Mar-a-Lago are already gaming out: What happens to Kevin McCarthy? By @tomlobianco & @WARojas ($) businessinsider.com/trump-mccarthy…
The California Republican remains the obvious front-runner to become House speaker should the GOP win back the majority in 2022, an outcome supported by the midterm thumpings that Obama, Trump, and Clinton all suffered through as first-term presidents in the not-so-distant past.
But McCarthy's prospective glide path to one of the most powerful jobs on the planet is also anything but a lock in the current political environment. where Trump remains the Republican Party's kingmaker.
Their friendship dates back at least to Fried's time as a medical marijuana lobbyist in Tallahassee when Gaetz was serving in the Florida House, according to six Florida political operatives who spoke to Insider on condition of anonymity to protect professional relationships.
Fried's ties to Gaetz could complicate her political future. If she decides to run against DeSantis in a potentially crowded Democratic field, Fried's relationship with Gaetz & some of his GOP allies could quickly become prime fodder for attacks, including from fellow Democrats.
NEW: Trump aides say there's a reason he is staying away from Virginia, where Biden won by double digits. He mainly doesn't want to get tagged a loser if his pick gets clobbered this fall by Democrats. By @tomlobianco & @WARojas ($) businessinsider.com/trump-virginia…
Still, Trump's absence is making for significant chaos as Virginia Rs get ready to go to the polls Sat to pick from a wide-open gubernatorial field that includes a woman who bills herself as "Trump in heels,"& an establishment player backed by Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
"There's a sorting here that is basically going to be true believers," said former Rep. Tom Davis, who served seven terms in Congress representing a suburban Washington, DC, district.
NEW: The Overheard District Instagram account became the hub of DC gossip and community help during COVID. Its owner is a mystery, but @thisisinsider scored an exclusive interview w/ the account manager. by @KaylaEpstein ($) businessinsider.com/overheard-dist…
Overheard District is sort of like DC's version of the pandemic breakout hit DeuxMoi, an anonymously run celebrity gossip account where users submit stories about fleeting Hollywood encounters and mundane details about the rich and famous.
Except, instead of crowdsourcing the trials and travails of Bachelor contestants, Real Housewives, and John Mayer, Overheard District shares followers' run-ins with CNN hosts and Ben Bernanke, the former chair of the
Federal Reserve.
"This was always just a matter of time," one former Trump 2016 advisor said of the man many Americans once hailed in the gauzy post-9/11 zeitgeist as "America's mayor."
"People should raise their eyebrows and recognize this could be much more serious than has been advertised so far," a former Trump White House official told Insider.
That's the unfortunate takeaway for the new Democratic president who is planning to detail his first-term agenda and accomplishments over his first 100 days during Wednesday night's primetime address to a joint session of Congress.
Now Biden and his allies in Congress will be sharing the spotlight — and the front-page of the Thursday newspapers — with the explosive headlines made by the Justice Department after it executed a search warrant on former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer.