Capitol riot hearing: Vote workers detail death threats
Trump supporters threatened election officials and their families after they refused to quash his 2020 defeat, a congressional panel has heard, BBC reported.
The speaker of Arizona's statehouse, Rusty Bowers, told the committee probing last year's Capitol riot that the harassment continues to this day.
A Georgia voter counter said she was afraid to leave home after ex-President Donald Trump specifically targeted her.
The House of Representatives panel accuses Mr Trump of an attempted coup.
The select committee has conducted a nearly yearlong investigation into how Trump supporters invaded Congress on 6 January 2021 to disrupt lawmakers as they certified Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.
On Tuesday, in the fourth public hearing so far, the panel heard from election workers in the states of Arizona and Georgia. Mr Biden defeated Mr Trump in both states, which had previously backed Republicans for the White House.
"We received... in excess of 20,000 emails and tens of thousands of voice mails and texts, which saturated our offices and we were unable to work, at least communicate," Mr Bowers, speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, told the select committee.
The witness - who campaigned for Mr Trump in 2020 - said the threats and insults have continued with protesters outside his house attempting to smear him as a paedophile.
"It was disturbing, it was disturbing," Mr Bowers said, according to BBC.
He recalled Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani at one point telling him: "We've got lots of theories, we just don't have the evidence."
The panel also heard testimony from Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who became the targets of conspiracy theories in their jobs as election workers in Fulton County, Georgia.
Although Mr Biden won the state by nearly 12,000 votes, Mr Trump and his supporters spread unfounded claims of mass voter fraud.
In recorded messages, Mr Trump had called Ms Moss "a professional vote-scammer and hustler", alleging the mother-daughter duo cheated to help Democrats.
"I've lost my name, I've lost my reputation, I've lost my sense of security," Ms Freeman said through tears, in video presented by the committee on Tuesday.
"Do you know what it feels like to have the president of the United States target you?"
Ms Moss said she faced "a lot of threats wishing death upon me", and that the harassment - including racial abuse - had "turned my life upside down".
"I no longer give out my business card. I don't want anyone knowing my name."
Ms Moss said she is reluctant to go anywhere, including the supermarket, and has gained about 60lb (27kg) in weight, BBC reported.
She told the committee that Trump supporters had visited her grandmother's home, looking for her and hoping to make a "citizen's arrest".
Lawmakers also heard from Republican poll organisers in Georgia about their difficulty in stamping out conspiracies fanned by Mr Trump.
Gabriel Sterling, a top election official in Georgia, told the committee that fighting the election scam claims "was like a shovel trying to empty the ocean".
His boss - Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whom Mr Trump repeatedly pressed to "find" the votes he needed to win the state - ticked through a laundry list of allegations made by the Trump team in legal action against the state.
"In their lawsuits, they alleged 10,315 dead people [voted]," Mr Raffensperger said, but a thorough review found a total of only four.
The secretary said further investigation had debunked other claims about illegal votes by underage and non-registered voters, as well as convicts.
"We had many allegations and we investigated every single one of them."
The hearings have attempted to tie the former president directly to the efforts to overturn the election, according to BBC.
At Tuesday's hearing, the committee chairman Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, said: "A handful of election officials in several key states stood between Donald Trump and the upending of American democracy."
His deputy on the committee, Liz Cheney, a Republican, said: "We cannot let America become a nation of conspiracy theories and thug violence."
Lawmakers welcome government’s decision not to proceed with SPP
Lawmakers have welcomed the government’s decision not to proceed with the State Partnership Programme (SPP) proposed by the United States of America.
Putting their views at today’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Bhim Rawal and Hari Raj Adhikari welcomed and thanked the government for this decision while Rawal demanded that the Prime Minister additionally clarify the matter at the Parliament.
Sanjaya Kumar Gautam urged the government to seek alternatives to resolve the crisis of fertilizers, and increasing price of petroleum products and to adopt preparedness to reduce loss caused by monsoon-caused disasters.
Anil Kumar Jha asked the government to take initiatives to save Gaur and other rural areas in Rautahat district that are at risk of being flooded due to ‘unmanaged’ Intensive Urban Development Project under the Ministry of Urban Development.
Rajendra Prasad Lingden criticised the government for not exempting taxes on electric vehicles in the budget for the next fiscal year, 2022/23 under the ‘influence of a handful businesspersons’ instead of encouraging them in the context when the price of petroleum products is soaring.
Prem Suwal and Khaga Raj Adhikari accused the government of ‘undermining’ the health insurance programme by handing it to the private sector.
Two bills send to concerned committees for clause-wise discussion
The Parliament sent the 'Social Security (First Amendment) Bill-2079' and the 'Acid and other Hazardous Chemical Substances (Regulation) Bill-2079' to the concerned committees for clause-wise discussion.
In the meeting of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand presented the proposal, seeking consideration to send the bills to the concerned committees for the clause-wise discussion.
The proposal was passed unanimously.
Nepal should present itself with trustworthy policy and behavior with neighboring countries: Oli
CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has said that there should be a national consensus among major political parties on the fundamental issues of foreign policy and international relations.
Speaking at a program organized by the Association of Former Nepali Ambassadors (AFNA) he said stability in the domestic polity is a prerequisite for the effective and smooth functioning of external relations.
The former prime minister further added that Nepal should present itself with a reliable and trustworthy policy and behavior while dealing with neighboring countries. The main opposition leader was of the view that Nepal should present all its issues in a frank and clear manner with neighboring countries. He said only an open and frank exchange of dialogue can bring about cordiality in bilateral relations.
“If there was not internal political upheaval, the map row with India would have been already resolved,” said Oli who as a prime minister took the initiative to issue a new political map incorporating Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadurha. In the bilateral talks with the Indian counterpart, I had presented all the issues in a free and frank manner, he said.
The former Prime Minister Oli laid emphasis on the need of resolving problems by holding discussions if any problem surfaces in foreign relations. He shared, "Nepal should present itself with reliable and trustworthy policy and behavior before the neighboring countries. Dual characters should not be shown. We should not play any card on the issue of international relations."
The UML chair clarified that although any country may be small in population and geography, Nepal could hold discussions with all countries of the world without any hesitation as the sovereignty of each country is equal.
Oli further added that the government is not consulting with the main opposition party while taking vital decisions related to foreign policy. There is a tradition of soliciting the views of opposition parties before the prime minister's foreign visit but the current government has not reached out to us, he said.
Lucky Sherpa, former Ambassador and general secretary of AFNA informed that their plan of holding a series of dialogues on foreign policy issues of Nepal.
“We plan to hold a series of dialogues with leaders of major political parties to forge a national consensus on key fundamental issues of foreign policy,” she said. She further added that matters related to foreign policy should not be politicized and there should be broader consultations and discussions before taking a decision on key foreign policy matters.



