Virginia Citizens Defense League’s Philip Van Cleave, Washington Post’s Dave Weigel, Rep. Scott Taylor and Breitbart’s Neil Munro joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C Jeffrey Epstein pleads not guilty to underage sex trafficking charges. Jeffrey Epstein has entered a not guilty plea to two charges of sex trafficking in federal court. The disgraced billionaire, 66, appeared in court for the first time on Monday, where he entered in a dark blue jumpsuit and took his seat next to his defense attorney.  Epstein and his lawyer, Reid Weingarten, opted to delay his bail hearing, asking for three more days to prepare arguments against the bail memorandum filed by federal prosecutors.

• New York billionaire Jeffrey Epstein has been jailed until a bail hearing next week after pleading not guilty to federal sex trafficking charges. The 66-year old is accused of setting up a network that allowed him to sexually exploit and abuse dozens of underage girls.
• Feds Release Epstein Indictment: No Mention of Private Island, ‘Lolita Express’… Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was charged with sex trafficking involving dozens of girls — some as young as 14-years-old — between 2002 to 2005, as well as conspiracy, according to a two-count indictment unsealed Monday morning.
• INDICTMENT AGAINST EPSTEIN UNSEALED: Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed a criminal indictment Monday charging billionaire Jeffrey Epstein with having operated a sex trafficking ring in which he sexually abused dozens of underage girls, allegations that have circulated around the politically connected businessman for years. According to the indictment, between 2002 and 2005, Epstein ran a trafficking enterprise in which he paid hundreds of dollars in cash to girls as young as 14 to have sex with him at his Upper East Side home and his estate in Palm Beach, worked with employees and associates who would lure the girls to his residences and paid some of his victims to recruit other girls for him to abuse.
• EPSTEIN HAD A LOT OF POWERFUL FRIENDS: (Daily Mail) — Epstein’s Rolodex, which was leaked in 2011, was also filled with the names of easily recognizable politicians and celebrities, including actors Alec Baldwin, Ralph Fiennes, Dustin Hoffman, and Elizabeth Hurley. Mick Jagger and Rupert Murdoch are also listed in the book, as are politicians Tony Blair, Michael Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo, and Ted Kennedy.
• In 2010, after completing a jail sentence related to a sex case in Florida, child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein reportedly hosted George Stephanopoulos, Katie Couric, Woody Allen and Chelsea Handler at his New York City townhouse.
• FEDS MOVE TO SEIZE EPSTEIN’S $75 MILLION TOWNHOUSE: (Daily Caller) – “As a result of committing the offense alleged in County Two of this Indictment, Jeffrey Epstein, the defendant, shall forfeit to the United States… any property, real and personal, that was used or intended to be used to commit or to facilitate the commission of the offense alleged in Count Two… and the following specific property: a. The lot or parcel of land, together with its buildings, appurtenances, improvements, fixtures, attachments and easements, located at 9 East 71st Street, New York,” the indictment unsealed Monday says.
• ACCUSERS SPEAKING OUT: (Daily Mail) – Two of the women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual assault during his previous criminal trial in Palm Beach, Florida back in 2008 are speaking out.  Courtney Wild was still in middle school and had braces when Epstein allegedly forced her into performing sex acts.  ‘He said, god, you’re just so beautiful and sexy and gorgeous and it was making me feel really uncomfortable,’ said victim Michelle Licata, who was then-16
• Bill Clinton statement on Jeffrey Epstein arrest released: Bill Clinton “knows nothing” about the “terrible crimes” linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the former president’s spokesman said Monday.
• Lanny Davis Goes to Bat for Bill Clinton as Case Heats Up. “It’s not all that hard to figure out why Democrats have treaded lightly,” the Washington Examiner’s Jay Caruso tweeted. “There’s this pretty famous Democrat who flew on the ‘Lolita Express’ 26 times with Epstein,” he added, a direct reference to Clinton’s mysterious trips on Epstein’s private jet which occurred primarily 2002–2005. According to reports, Clinton would sometimes go without Secret Service detail on these alleged “sexcapades.” Davis quickly jumped to Clinton’s defense. “Classic fact-free innuendo. Back to McCarthy era. But worse,” he tweeted.
• Trump barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago “because Epstein sexually assaulted an underage girl at the club,” according to court documents filed by Edwards.
• PELOSI: .@SecretaryAcosta must step down. As US Attorney, he engaged in an unconscionable agreement w/ Jeffrey Epstein kept secret from courageous, young victims preventing them from seeking justice. This was known by @POTUS when he appointed him to the cabinet.

5am – D         House Sets Tuesday Vote on Green Card Giveaway to 300,000 Indian H-1B Contract Workers. (Breitbart) – The Democratic-run House will decide Tuesday whether to put at least 300,000 Indian contract workers on a fast track to valuable green cards, so incentivizing more low wage Indian graduates to take U.S. jobs from middle class American graduates. Roughly 108 Republicans have co-sponsored the green card giveaway, called HR.1044 or the “”Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019” — even though the Democrats’ legislation is backed by Silicon Valley investors who oppose the GOP.

5am – E         KINDNESS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN COMPATIBILITY IN RELATIONSHIPS: Researchers were shocked when their results indicated that shared interests and similar personalities had little to no effect on relationship satisfaction. Even among couples sharing personality traits, the study found that having a conscientious and nice partner leads to a more satisfying relationship. The study also concluded that relationships including a person who is especially neurotic, or extroverted, leads to lower relationship satisfaction.

6am – A/B/C NEW BOOK ON KAVANAUGH / BLASEY FORD:

• New Book On Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Has Incendiary Allegations About Christine Blasey Ford. (Daily Caller) — A new book about Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court contains provocative accusations about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Unnamed friends and classmates say Ford participated in the party culture that pervaded Washington-area prep schools in the 1980s, contrary to press reports that appeared during Kavanaugh’s confirmation.  nonymous Ford contemporaries say she was a “heavy drinker” whose high school yearbook was just as libertine as Kavanaugh’s much-scrutinized volume.  A forthcoming book on Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court relays incendiary allegations about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, excerpts obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation show. In “Justice on Trial” authors Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino say unnamed peers accused Ford of drinking to excess and accosting boys with some regularity as a student at the Holton-Arms School, a contrast with press accounts that cast her as innocent and naive during that period. Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her during a 1982 house party in suburban Maryland when they were high school students. “Female classmates and friends at area schools recalled a heavy drinker who was much more aggressive with boys than they were,” Hemingway and Severino write of Ford. “‘If she only had one beer’ on the night of the alleged assault, a high school friend said, ‘then it must have been early in the evening.’ Her contemporaries all reported the same nickname for Ford, a riff on her maiden name and a sexual act.” “They also debated whether her behavior in high school could be attributed to the trauma of a sexual assault,” the authors added. “If it could, one of them said, then the assault must have happened in seventh grade.” The anonymous sources who shared those accounts were reluctant to come forward because “hostility to Kavanaugh made them fear for their livelihood if their names were attached to the stories,” the authors wrote. Holton-Arms yearbooks the authors obtained provide a contemporaneous narrative about the school’s social scene. Like Kavanaugh’s own yearbooks from Georgetown Preparatory School, the Holton-Arms annual is replete with sexual innuendo and explicit references to underaged binge drinking, among other debauched themes.
• Book Claims Melania Trashed Blasey Ford: ‘That Woman Is Lying.‘ (Breitbart News) – First lady Melania Trump believes Christine Blasey Ford, the California psychology professor who threw Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation into turmoil by bringing forward a decades-old sexual assault allegation against him, wasn’t telling the truth about her claims, according to a report. “You know that woman is lying, don’t you?” the first lady told President Trump of Blasey Ford’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegations.

6am – B         SENATE RUN ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Former Rep. Scott Taylor announces Virginia Senate run to challenge Mark Warner. (Fox News) — Former Virginia congressman Scott Taylor announced Monday on “Fox & Friends” that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Mark Warner. Taylor, a former Navy SEAL, served in the House of Representatives for one term before being defeated by Democrat Elaine Luria last November. Taylor said Virginians want a “leadership change” and said “12 years is enough” for Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who was outspoken in his accusations of Trump-Russia collusion. “We have a leadership crisis in Virginia. Washington is broken. We need a fresh start in the Senate,” he said, calling out Warner, D-Va., for falsely claiming President Trump was guilty of “traitorous activity” with Russia. The Iraq War veteran touted his ability to work across the aisle while he was in the House, saying each bill he introduced had a Democrat co-sponsor.
• Kansas: Kris Kobach Announces Run for U.S. Senate. He is seeking the seat held by four-term GOP Sen. Pat Roberts, who is not running for re-election. Former Kansas Secretary of State and general counsel for We Build the Wall, Inc. Kris Kobach is announcing his U.S. Senate candidacy on Monday. Kobach is declaring his run for Senate in Kansas following Sen. Pat Roberts’ (R-KS) announcement earlier this year that he would not be seeking re-election after holding the seat since 1997.

6am – C         Queen Elizabeth to hand over powers to Prince Charles in 2 years, royal expert says. (The Sun) — The Queen will “give up her powers” to Prince Charles when she turns 95, a royal expert has claimed. Her Majesty turned 93 in April but could bring in the 1937 Regency Act in two years to relinquish the “majority of duties” to her son and heir to the throne.  The Act allows a reigning monarch to hand over power if they feel they are unable to fully perform their duties. The Queen would keep her royal title, but Charles, 70, would step up to perform the majority of her duties, with her husband Prince Philip, 98, becoming the Guardian of the Queen. In order for it to pass, Prince Philip along with a Houses of Parliament spokesperson and a third senior person, would have to provide evidence supporting the Queen’s request. Royal author Phil Dampier told Yahoo’s The Royal Box: “There is talk that when she reaches 95 in a couple of years she may slow down and possibly the Regency Act will be brought in.

6am – D/E     2020 NEWS:

• Swalwell drops out of presidential race, will seek reelection to House. (Washington Post/By John Wagner and David Weigel) — Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Monday became the first major Democratic presidential candidate to exit the race, as he announced he would suspend his campaign and focus instead on trying to win reelection to Congress next year. Swalwell, who made last month’s debate stage but risked not qualifying to participate in the second debate this month, has not registered over 1 percent in national polling. He will face a primary challenge in his bid to return to his House seat for a fifth term.At a news conference in Dublin, Calif., Swalwell said he is “fired up” to return to Capitol Hill and continue the work he has been doing in Congress.

• On CBS, Tulsi Gabbard calls out Kamala Harris for her “false accusation that Joe Biden is a racist,” calling it an “underhanded” political ploy “to move herself up in the polls.” Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said fellow 2020 Democratic candidate Sen. Kamala Harris’s (D-Calif.) attack on former Vice President Joe Biden’s voting record on busing amounted to a “false accusation” that Biden is “a racist.” Gabbard’s comments come as questions have been raised over whether Harris’s position on federally mandated busing is different from that of Biden, whom Harris called out in the first round of primary debates.  “But let’s get real. It wasn’t a ‘whole thing’ — it was a false accusation that Joe Biden is a racist,” Gabbard tweeted Monday, in response to a tweet from David Axelrod pointing out the apparent contradiction in Harris’s position on busing. Shortly after the debates, Harris in Iowa said she believed busing was a local, as opposed to a federally mandated, decision. Ian Sams, a spokesperson for Harris, pointed out Gabbard’s accusation is in direct opposition to what Harris said onstage.
• Alyssa Milano: Jeb Bush Should ‘Seriously’ Consider Challenging Trump. Left-wing actress turned activist Alyssa Milano thinks former Florida governor and failed Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush should “seriously” consider launching a presidential bid against President Trump. “If [I] were @JebBush, I’d seriously be considering a run,” Milano said to her 3.6 million Twitter followers.

6am – F         Disneyland brawl attacker was choked out by parkgoer, tried fighting again: witness. (NY Post) — A high school football coach from Texas who got caught up in the viral Disneyland brawl over the weekend has come forward to describe the mayhem, including how the main attacker got choked out by a parkgoer — and then woke up and tried scrapping again. “When the man regained consciousness, he kept asking, ‘Who choked me out?’” explained Jason Blair, of El Paso. He told KFOX14 that the individual — seen on video wearing a red shirt and repeatedly punching women — wanted to fight the person who made him pass out. Blair was one of four guests who jumped in and subdued the man after watching him pummel at least two female parkgoers. “I didn’t understand why people were recording and not helping,” Blair said, noting how he told the man in red “to back off” before bringing him down to the ground with the others. “Without a doubt I would do it again,” Blair told KFOX. “When something is not right, you have to jump in.” Blair, who is the head coach at El Paso’s Hanks High School, said the man in red had attacked a woman in a motorized wheelchair before setting upon another female. He was caught on video fighting with a male guest as well. “I’m ready to go to jail tonight,” the man in red can be heard saying. “I don’t give a f–k!” He and the others involved in the melee — which went down in Disneyland’s Toontown on Saturday — all walked away without being arrested. They were later removed from the park by Disney security.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – PHILIP VAN CLEAVE – President of Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) – previewed the return of the Virginia Assembly for a special session on gun control.

• Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam is asking the GOP-controlled legislature to consider a package of gun control bills when they meet on July 9th.
• Gun Groups Mobilize for Virginia Special Session: Gun-rights, gun-control supporters plan to flood Richmond on Tuesday. (Washington Free Beacon) – The National Rifle Association, Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), Brady United Against Gun Violence, and March for Our Lives have all announced plans to bring supporters to the capital to lobby for their preferred gun legislation. Members of the groups will descend on Richmond July 9 as the Virginia legislature begins a special session called by embattled Governor Ralph Northam (D) in the wake of the mass shooting in Virginia Beach.  The NRA and VCDL are holding events with their members on Tuesday. VCDL will be busing activists from around the state to the capital in order to lobby lawmakers from 9 a.m. to noon, at which time they will hold a rally at the Bell Tower in Capital Square. The activists will then attend committee and subcommittee hearings in the afternoon. VCDL president Philip Van Cleave told the Washington Free Beacon he is expecting over a thousand members to show up.
• VA GOVERNOR NORTHAM PUSHES GUN CONTROL MEASURES: In the aftermath of the May 31^st slaughter at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Governor Ralph Northam said that he wants to respond with, “Votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers.” A primary responsibility of public servants is to keep us safe, and they owe it to the people to demonstrate that any new laws will actually result in a safer Commonwealth. The Governor has now released the final list of bills that he’s hoping to get passed during the session that begins on July 9^th. Although none of the bill language is available yet, Governor Northam has asked the legislature to take up:
  • Universal background checks
  • Ban on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, bump stocks, and silencers
  • Restrict purchases to one handgun a month
  • Require reporting of lost or stolen firearms within 24-hours
  • Allow local governments in VA to enact even stricter gun control laws
  • Stricter penalties for allowing children to access firearms
  • Extreme risk protection orders, AKA Red Flag legislation

• Disgraced Democrat Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is seeking a ban on suppressors, a confiscatory Red Flag Law, and other gun controls on Tuesday. Special Session: Virginia Gov. Northam Seeks Suppressor Ban, Gun Confiscation Law. (Breitbart News) — Ralph Northam (D) is seeking a ban on suppressors, a confiscatory Red Flag Law, and other gun controls Tuesday when state lawmakers convene in special session. On June 5, 2019, Breitbart News reported that Northam responded by the May 31, 2019, Virginia Beach shooting by announcing he would call lawmakers into special session for votes on gun control. The Virginia Beach shooting was carried out by a man with two handguns which were legally purchased. This means the attacker passed background checks to acquire the firearms. Nevertheless, Northam wants state lawmakers to pass a background check measure. He also wants them to ban “high capacity” magazines and suppressors, and to pass a Red Flag Law that will allow the state to confiscate guns from certain individuals. Northam is also seeking to limit handgun purchases to one-a-month for law-abiding citizens.

7am – B/C     Jeffrey Epstein pleads not guilty to underage sex trafficking charges. Jeffrey Epstein has entered a not guilty plea to two charges of sex trafficking in federal court. The disgraced billionaire, 66, appeared in court for the first time on Monday, where he entered in a dark blue jumpsuit and took his seat next to his defense attorney.  Epstein and his lawyer, Reid Weingarten, opted to delay his bail hearing, asking for three more days to prepare arguments against the bail memorandum filed by federal prosecutors.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – DAVE WEIGEL – political reporter for The Washington Post – discussed Eric Swalwell dropping out in of the 2020 race.

• Swalwell drops out of presidential race, will seek reelection to House.  (Washington Post/By John Wagner and David Weigel) — Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Monday became the first major Democratic presidential candidate to exit the race, as he announced he would suspend his campaign and focus instead on trying to win reelection to Congress next year. Swalwell, who made last month’s debate stage but risked not qualifying to participate in the second debate this month, has not registered over 1 percent in national polling. He will face a primary challenge in his bid to return to his House seat for a fifth term.At a news conference in Dublin, Calif., Swalwell said he is “fired up” to return to Capitol Hill and continue the work he has been doing in Congress. “Today ends our presidential campaign, but it is the beginning of an opportunity in Congress with a new perspective shaped by the lives that have touched mine and our campaign throughout these last three months to bring that promise of America to all Americans,” Swalwell said. He maintained that his short-lived presidential run was “not a vanity project” and argued that he had succeeded in pushing the Democratic front-runners to support his plan for an assault weapons buyback program.
• Dave Weigel @daveweigel: In February, Swalwell said he was “burning the boats” and wouldn’t run for House again. He’s telling reporters now that he’ll run for his House seat again. “Because we ran a credible campaign, I’ll be able to advocate even more effectively for my constituents.”
• On CBS, Tulsi Gabbard calls out Kamala Harris for her “false accusation that Joe Biden is a racist,” calling it an “underhanded” political ploy “to move herself up in the polls”

7am – E         PELOSI AND AG BARR WEIGH IN ON THE CITIZENSHIP QUESTION IN THE CENSUS:

• Barr: There’s a legal pathway to add citizenship question to 2020 census. (WMAL) — Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he sees a legal path to adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census, despite a Supreme Court ruling that blocked its inclusion, at least temporarily. In an interview with The Associated Press, Barr said the Trump administration will take action in the coming days that he believes will allow the government to ask the controversial question. Barr would not detail the administration’s plans, though a senior official said President Donald Trump is expected to issue a presidential memorandum to the Commerce Department instructing it to include the question.
• Pelosi blasts Trump Census citizenship question push as effort to “make America white again” (The Hill) — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) argued Monday that President Trump’s push to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census is an effort to “make America white again” in an adaptation of his campaign slogan. “This is about keeping — you know his hat — make America white again,” Pelosi said at an event in San Francisco about election security legislation, referring to the red “Make America Great Again” hats that are popular among Trump supporters.  Pelosi, like other critics of adding the citizenship question to the 2020 census, argued that it could result in racial minorities being undercounted so that legislative maps can be drawn more favorably for Republicans.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – REP. SCOTT TAYLOR – former VA congressman and Navy Seal running for U.S. Senate

• ABOUT SCOTT TAYLOR: Scott William Taylor (born June 27, 1979) is a former Navy SEAL who served as the United States Representative for Virginia’s 2nd congressional district from 2017 to 2019. A Republican, he was previously a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 85th district. On November 6, 2018, Taylor was defeated for reelection by Democrat and U.S. Navy veteran Elaine Luria. On July 8, 2019, he announced his intention to run for the United States Senate in 2020.
• Former Rep. Scott Taylor announces Virginia Senate run to challenge Mark Warner. (Fox News) – Former Virginia congressman Scott Taylor announced Monday on “Fox & Friends” that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Mark Warner. Taylor, a former Navy SEAL, served in the House of Representatives for one term before being defeated by Democrat Elaine Luria last November. Taylor said Virginians want a “leadership change” and said “12 years is enough” for Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who was outspoken in his accusations of Trump-Russia collusion. “We have a leadership crisis in Virginia. Washington is broken. We need a fresh start in the Senate,” he said, calling out Warner, D-Va., for falsely claiming President Trump was guilty of “traitorous activity” with Russia. The Iraq War veteran touted his ability to work across the aisle while he was in the House, saying each bill he introduced had a Democrat co-sponsor.

8am – B         MONDAY MORNING’S D.C. AREA FLOODS WERE WILD:

• Rainfall Broke A 148-Year Record (DCist) — The torrential downpour that caused flash flooding and left some motorists stranded this morning is the heaviest July 8 rainfall for 148 years, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Snyder, The torrential downpour that caused flash flooding and left some motorists stranded this morning is the heaviest July 8 rainfall for 148 years, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Snyder. The NWS recorded 3.3 inches of rainfall in just one hour at National Airport, and 3.41 inches in a three-hour period. The previous record was 2.16 inches of rainfall on July 8, 1958. This morning’s rain is also in the top ten heaviest July rainfall recorded in the D.C. area in nearly 150 years.
• Dozens Of People Had To Be Rescued Amid Emergency Flash Flooding (DCist) – By noon, D.C. Fire said it had rescued 15 people from their vehicles. Cars were stranded at Canal Road and Arizona Avenue NW, rescuers used rafts to remove people from cars stuck on Constitution Avenue, officials responded to a stranded motorist near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station in Northeast, and workers rescued people traveling on South Capitol Street. … Fairfax County officials said they responded to 55 calls for swift water rescues, including both drivers and  a number of people in mobile homes. Most of the calls came in from McLean and Vienna, according to Fairfax Fire and Rescue spokesperson Ashley Hildebrandt. … Montgomery County rescue workers completed around 15-20 water rescues, while others made self-rescues, according to spokesperson Pete Piringer.
• Metro wasn’t immune to the flooding. Trains were single tracking for much of the morning at Virginia Square, where an indoor waterfall gushed from the roof. Leaks were also reported leaks at Capitol South (that station also saw flooding from the ceiling last year), Foggy Bottom, and the elevator at the Pentagon station.
• Even the White House basement flooded.
• The storm let loose about 6.3 inches of rain in Frederick, Maryland and 4.5 inches in Arlington, according to the Associated Press.
• A United States Geological Survey river gauge at Four Mile Run stream in Alexandria recorded a discharge of 8,750 cubic feet of water per second—that’s almost four million gallons of water gushing through the stream’s channel per minute.
• AOC BLAMES DC RAIN ON CLIMATE CHANGE:  “Unprecedented flooding is quickly becoming a new normal. Despite that, Republicans are tripling down on fossil fuels w/no plan to transition off them, or make the critical infra investments we need to prep for the climate crisis. Each day of inaction puts more of us in danger.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – NEIL MUNRO – Breitbart News

• House Democrats, 100 GOP legislators to vote Tues. on HR.1044, S.386 college-grad job giveaway. The bill offers more green cards to Indian graduates who take good US jobs at low wages. IOW, feds help Indians & US investors, hurt American grads & voters.
• House Sets Tuesday Vote on Green Card Giveaway to 300,000 Indian H-1B Contract Workers. (Breitbart) – The Democratic-run House will decide Tuesday whether to put at least 300,000 Indian contract workers on a fast track to valuable green cards, so incentivizing more low wage Indian graduates to take U.S. jobs from middle class American graduates. Roughly 108 Republicans have co-sponsored the green card giveaway, called HR.1044 or the “”Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019” — even though the Democrats’ legislation is backed by Silicon Valley investors who oppose the GOP.