Melanie Zanona
@MZanona
Followers
87,047
Following
2,667
Media
586
Statuses
16,676
Capitol Hill reporter for @CNN . Alum of @politico @thehill & @cqrollcall . Chi till I die. My party trick is identifying lawmakers by the back of their heads.
Washington, D.C.
Joined June 2009
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
#TheKingdomsConcert
• 213610 Tweets
Lakers
• 205204 Tweets
#WWERaw
• 141343 Tweets
Mariners
• 126604 Tweets
Lebron
• 113822 Tweets
Nuggets
• 101487 Tweets
Jamal Murray
• 66490 Tweets
Darvin Ham
• 39058 Tweets
Jokic
• 30986 Tweets
All To Myself D-2
• 30740 Tweets
#TheGrandConcertEnglotinUSA
• 30535 Tweets
Tatum
• 29225 Tweets
Porter
• 28186 Tweets
Derrick White
• 25641 Tweets
Cancun
• 16589 Tweets
Reaves
• 16495 Tweets
KDLEX CONCERT TIX RELEASED
• 13645 Tweets
風呂キャンセル界隈
• 13328 Tweets
桂由美さん
• 12837 Tweets
Freya
• 12619 Tweets
Vando
• 12599 Tweets
無料10連
• 12267 Tweets
Hayes
• 12074 Tweets
渡航費用12.6億円
• 10786 Tweets
政務三役31人
• 10335 Tweets
Liz Cheney responds to proposed RNC resolution to censure her & Kinzinger:
“If the price of being willing to tell the truth and get to the bottom of what happened on January 6.. is a censure, then I am absolutely going to continue to stand up for what I know is right.”
512
7K
43K
NEWS: GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler is a YES on impeaching Trump, becoming the fifth House Republican to back impeachment.
213
4K
32K
A total of 41 Republicans just voted AGAINST Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to adjourn — a number that has doubled since last week, as patience in the GOP wears thin with her floor gambits.
489
4K
31K
Rep. Paul Gosar’s brother on CNN just now: “On behalf of the actual sane members of our family, which is everyone but Paul, we apologize … for his despicable comments and disgraceful comments.”
191
5K
30K
SCOOP: The mother of fallen Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick is requesting meetings with every single GOP senator to push them to support a proposed Jan. 6 commission.
the latest >>
787
6K
26K
Things getting HEATED at House GOP conference meeting right now.
Matt Gaetz & Thomas Massie both got on the mics and went after Liz Cheney for backing Massie’s primary opponent, per source in the room.
2K
6K
24K
Cheney did not back down from confrontation:
She defended Fauci.
She told Gaetz I look forward to seeing ur HBO doc.
She told Massie his issue is w/ Trump, not her.
She told Jordan I look forward to hearing ur comments about being a team player when we’re back in the majority
1K
4K
24K
Things getting heated in House GOP meeting.
McCarthy swore in his speech, dropping a “god damnit.” And he made clear he would negotiate no more. McCarthy also said opponents came to him with “personal asks” last night.
Lauren boebert yelled in response to speech: “BULL SHIT”
2K
3K
21K
NEWS: Some of Jim Jordan's opponents tell me they've been purposely staggering their "no" votes over multiple ballots -- a strategy designed to show Jordan's speakership opposition is only growing.
And that's why they tell me Jordan will bleed even more support on a third ballot
842
3K
21K
NEWS: McCarthy tells Republicans on a call just now that Trump told him he does bear some responsibility for the Capitol riots, per source.
6K
4K
20K
Update: I'm hearing as many as 10 House Republicans are very seriously considering supporting impeachment — and GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney is said to be one of them, per multiples sources.
Dems also working them hard. BUT no final decisions have been made & things fluid.
550
3K
20K
.
@Liz_Cheney
is hitting back at
@tedcruz
after he went on Fox News last night & accused her of “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” saying she was “broke” by Trump.
“Trump broke Ted Cruz,” Cheney told me. “A real man would be defending his wife, and his father, and the Constitution.”
602
3K
17K
NEW: GOP tensions flaring over MTG's committee hearing outburst today.
Source close to Chairman Mark Green said he was furious w/ MTG's behavior and planned to privately reprimand her, and also said he'd encourage McCarthy to remove her from the committee if she did that again.
955
2K
16K
NEW: Frustration in the GOP over 1st impeachment hearing, as the GOP witnesses undercut their narrative &say no evidence of crimes.
“Picking witnesses that refute House Republicans arguments for impeachment is mind blowing. This is an unmitigated disaster," said senior R aide.
554
3K
16K
It's becoming increasingly clear that Jan. 6 was minutes, if not seconds, away from becoming a bloodbath inside the United States Capitol.
We're just lucky the rioters didn't know what they were doing — and that there were some fast-thinking cops on the scene.
362
2K
16K
NEWS: McCarthy says he told Madison Cawthorn during a meeting today that the freshman has lost his trust and he needs to take steps to turn his life around, or else there could be consequences.
Also says Cawthorn admitted his orgy & cocaine allegations were exaggerated/untrue.
3K
3K
15K
JUST IN: Liz Cheney has managed to cling on to her leadership job, sources tell me. vote was 145-61
House just voted in a secret ballot to keep her. Comes after tense, four hour meeting where dozens of members spoke their mind.
2K
3K
15K
.
@GOPLeader
Kevin McCarthy says GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee was wrong to subpoena Donald Trump Jr.
950
2K
11K
NEW: Liz Cheney tells me she'd support both censuring Gosar AND stripping him of committees.
She also said McCarthy’s inaction on Gosar — especially as Rs call to punish GOPers who supported infrastructure — is "indefensible, morally and ethically, and it's crazy politically.”
165
2K
14K
Gaetz: “I ran out of things I could even imagine to ask for,” when I asked why why he flipped his vote to present.
350
2K
14K
Rep. Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach Donald Trump, raised $1.5 million for her re-election campaign during the first three months of this year — a new record for her political career, per her office.
174
1K
12K
THINGS not going so great in GOP conference, which turned heated, I’m told.
At one point, Gaetz was told to sit down by McCarthy and refused, then Rep. Bost “got all emotional” and “was cussing at him” and “telling him it’s all his fault,” one member said.
693
2K
12K
CONFIRMED: Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew has informed staff he is SWITCHING PARTIES and will become a Republican, following a lengthy meeting w/ Trump.
And senior Dems have been scrambling to reach him all day.
story w/
@heatherscope
:
1K
3K
9K
Confirming this very, very sad news: Rep.-elect Luke Letlow has died of coronavirus.
He was 41 and had a wife & 2 small children. Was just days away from being sworn into Congress. Absolutely devastating.
4K
4K
11K
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said it's “disgusting” that Dems are pushing to include money for mail-in voting in the next coronavirus relief bill, dismissing the idea as unnecessary despite the pandemic.
the story >>
808
2K
8K
NEW: GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden slammed the House Freedom Caucus’s blockade of the floor in a heated, expletive-laden speech during a closed-door meeting this morning, per sources.
Orden said his daughter is dying of cancer and yet he still “shows up to work every f*cking day.”
179
2K
11K
NEWS: Sources say Marjorie Taylor Greene was planning to ask for roll call votes on 13 suspension bills that were supposed to get a quick vote today — including some w/ GOP co-sponsors.
But Dems caught wind of it & are now rescheduling the votes, which would’ve taken all night.
416
2K
10K
Speaking at the Reagan Institute,
@RepLizCheney
says it's important to "ignore the temptation to look away" after Jan. 6" and "make clear we aren't the party of white supremacy."
She also slammed Trump for spreading lies about the election, saying public needs to know the truth.
95
2K
10K
Staffers for Kevin McCarthy who were on the floor on Jan 6 and in his 1st floor office were “terrified” that day & days after, per GOP source w/ direct knowledge.
The select committee showed footage tonight of McCarthy staffers fleeing his office as the mob stormed the Capitol.
144
2K
10K
Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, told me that the RNC censure resolution didn’t come up in conference meeting today — likely because a lot of people were “embarrassed” by it.
“It was pretty damn embarrassing,” he said.
142
2K
9K
Rep. Mo Brooks told me he had "no involvement” in planning the Jan 6 rally but said:
“I don’t know if my staff did.. but if they did I’d be proud of them for helping to put together a rally lawful under the First Amendment at the ellipse to protest voter fraud & election theft."
2K
3K
9K
Adam Schiff may have mischaracterized a piece of the Lev Parnas evidence from last week, according to unredacted documents obtained by
@politico
... The story >>
2K
3K
6K
Some Jordan holdouts are refusing to meet with Jordan or take his calls, sources tell me — a sign of the uphill climb Jordan faces in winning 217.
Meanwhile, one of the Rs who voted against Jordan had to have a sheriff stationed at their daughter’s school because of threats.
545
2K
8K
NEW:
@RepLizCheney
responds to the calls for her to resign from leadership:
"I'm not going anywhere," she tells me in the Capitol. "This is a vote of conscience. It's one where there are different views in our conference." (1/2)
487
923
8K
The Wyoming GOP sends a "message" to Cheney & shares some of the "outcry" they've received about her impeachment vote:
"We are receiving the message loud and clear that what happened yesterday is a true travesty for Wyoming and the country."
1K
2K
7K
NEW: House GOP leaders just informed lawmakers that they’ll be formally whipping AGAINST the Dems’ USPS bill, per sources on the conference call.
1K
4K
7K
It sounds like this conference meeting — the first in-person GOP meeting in months — is turning into a full blown Freedom Caucus venting session/pile on.
91
974
7K
SPOTTED on the Hill today: Comedian Jon Stewart taking a stroll with Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn.
90
553
7K
And a NEW statement from Gladys Sicknick: “Not having a January 6 Commission to look into exactly what occurred is a slap in the faces of all the officers who did their jobs that day... Putting politics aside, wouldn’t they want to know the truth of what happened on January 6?"
204
1K
7K
Retiring GOP Rep. Francis Rooney, when pressed by
@jimsciutto
on whether Biden or Trump would better handle coronavirus, says:
"I don't think there's any doubt that Vice President Biden has the right approach. And there's a lot of Republicans that would agree with that as well."
70
2K
6K
MORE NEWS from GOP meeting: Rep. Chip Roy and McCarthy got into a heated exchange, per source.
Roy lamented that he has to now go back to his district and explain why people should bother voting Republican when they handed a victory to Dems, and argued leadership should act.
402
1K
6K
Rep. Mike Lawler tells us if the House GOP doesn’t pass a short-term spending bill — which looks likely at this point — he will sign a discharge petition and join forces with Dems to try to pass one.
141
966
7K
NEWS: The GOP Steering Committee has selected JIM JORDAN — a top Trump ally who is fresh off assisting w/ the president’s impeachment defense — to be top Republican on the powerful House Judiciary Committee, per sources.
167
950
5K
Gosar’s other brother calls for a full investigation into whether criminal charges are warranted for ppl who were “masterminds” behind Jan. 6 rally.
“If what it looks like Paul has done, and Brooks has done, and Biggs has done … then there should be accountability.”
32
950
6K
NEWS: Donald Trump has been calling up key allies on Capitol Hill tonight to shore up support in the wake of his indictment, including members of House GOP leadership and lawmakers who serve on committees that are trying to investigate the Manhattan DA, per sources.
626
2K
6K
Now Rep. Chip Roy is attacking Cheney for her support of Dr. Fauci, per source in the room.
He lamented that his liberal primary opponent retweeted Cheney’s tweet about Fauci.
195
1K
6K
Now Jim Jordan is laying into Cheney for all the times she has broke with Trump and started listing them off.
He said it'd be better if their conference chair helped Trump instead of going after him.
324
1K
5K
Fetterman just now: “We’re all here tonight, at 8 o’clock on a Friday night, because of just one pecker head.”
Rand Paul undeterred:
“Why would I give in to a bunch of ppl who want to fund another nation's border and ignore our own?” he tells us
“They’ll struggle thru this for 2-3 more days”
“We’re going to be beat the crap out of them for being for someone else’s border & not our own”
139
160
841
168
1K
6K
Reps. Louie Gohmert & Andy Biggs also got on the mics to defend Massie & express their concerns.
Biggs even accused Cheney of undermining their ability to win back the House & said if you don’t have something nice to say about Trump, then don’t say it at all, per source.
315
1K
5K
A little drama on the House floor just now.
MTG confronted Cheney and called her a “joke,” per
@kristin__wilson
.
Cheney said back that MTG was a joke & didn’t she need to be focusing on her anti-Semitic space lasers, per source.
MTG yelled back, “I never said that”
437
1K
5K
WHERE WE'RE AT:
--Jim Jordan can't get to 217
--Prospects for a resolution to empower interim speaker McHenry look grim
--Members getting death threats over their speaker votes
--Lawmakers swearing & yelling at each other in closed-door meeting
Day 16 without a speaker.
334
1K
5K
JUST IN: The House Intel Committee has scheduled a meeting for TUESDAY evening to vote on their report on the impeachment probe.
And members will be able to view a draft copy of the report 24 hours in advance of the markup.
196
1K
5K
GOP Freshman Rep. Nancy Mace says “all options” should be on the table when it comes to holding her GOP colleagues accountable for their role in the Capitol riots.
She also says the Republican who was live tweeting speaker’s movements (aka Lauren Boebert) should be investigated.
61
585
5K
And for those keeping track at home, here are some of the things McCarthy has had to talk to his members about: orgy allegations, white nationalist conferences, jewish space lasers, and depictions of anime violence against Dems, to name a few.
138
1K
5K
NEW: Multiple House Republicans tell me they're infuriated by the decision for speaker candidates to participate in a televised debate w/ Fox News Host Bret Baier from the Capitol on Monday, & several of them have already communicated those frustrations to the speaker candidates.
415
886
5K
There was ALSO an emotional and heated discussion over the death threats and menacing messages that some Jordan holdouts are now facing.
98
606
5K
Some striking comments from GOP Rep.
@FrancisRooney
, who just gaggled w/ reporters.
Says he was “shocked” by Mulvaney’s admission of a quid pro quo & says it could be a turning point in the Ukraine saga.
Also says it can’t be walked back, saying it’s “not an-etch a-sketch.”
73
1K
4K
Awkward moment at the House GOP presser just now, when leaders were asked whether Trump should speak at CPAC.
McCarthy immediately said yes, then Cheney said Trump shouldn’t play a role in the party.
After long few seconds of silence, McCarthy wraps up: “On that high note..”
134
557
4K
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tells me he was not able to watch the Jan. 6 select committee hearing today because he was stuck in “back to back meetings.”
2K
807
4K
CONFIRMED: Rep.
@justinamash
has stepped down from the Freedom Caucus, weeks after becoming the lone Republican to call for impeachment
183
767
4K
NEWS: Speaker Pelosi is considering adding GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger to the select committee on Jan. 6, sources tell me.
When asked at a presser earlier today whether she'd appoint any Republicans to the panel, Pelosi said: "We'll see."
151
302
4K
SCOOP: House Republican leaders are racing to distance themselves from a leading GOP congressional candidate after we uncovered hours of Facebook videos in which she expresses deeply racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic views.
the story w/
@allymutnick
:
399
2K
4K
Can confirm that House Republicans complained today about Cawthorn’s “orgy” & “cocaine” remarks.
Specifically, members said that if it’s true, he needs to name names because otherwise it unfairly maligns the entire institution.
McCarthy promised to speak with him about it.
Multiple sources tell me Leader Kevin McCarthy says he plans to talk to freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn over his orgy remarks
Told several House Rs stood up who were upset. They said it wasn’t ok, they don’t believe it, etc
3K
3K
15K
552
773
4K
First GOP member in Congress to call for Gaetz’s resignation >>
85
582
4K
NEW: Rep
@Liz_Cheney
becomes the highest-ranking House Republican to denounce QAnon.
“QAnon is dangerous lunacy that should have no place in American politics," she said in a statement, after I asked for comment.
Yesterday, Trump said he "appreciates" the support of QAnon ppl.
128
829
3K
Other Republicans stood up and expressed fury over Jordan for backing the empowering McHenry resolution, and suggested it was a self serving move. Some members encouraged him to drop out of speaker’s race.
21
415
4K
NEWS: Rep. Jimmy Gomez's resolution to expel Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress will be introduced as a *privileged* resolution, meaning it will get a floor vote. Could come as soon as next week.
all the latest from me &
@sarahnferris
:
89
942
3K
Kyrsten Sinema, the Senate’s most colorful member, posts a pic of herself on instagram rocking a “F*** Off” ring & sipping what looks like Sangria
3K
586
3K
This is just the latest escalation in the Cheney-Cruz feud.
It started last week when Cruz quipped the only lane for Cheney in 2024 is in the Dem Party. Cheney shot back: “I know you’re posturing for the secessionist vote.. You swore an oath to the Constitution. Act like it.”
38
286
3K
Rep.
@DonYoungAK
just physically shoved me and told me to get out of his way “damnit” as I was trying to interview another lawmaker outside the door of the House chamber.
807
2K
3K
THREAD: Here are some of the concessions & promises that have been agreed to over the course of the speaker negotiations:
—Anyone can call for a vote to oust speaker
—McCarthy leadership PAC won’t play in safe open primaries
—Debt ceiling hike must be paired with spending cuts
225
913
3K
NEW: Kevin McCarthy just gave a full throated defense of the Nyt tapes during a House GOP conference this morning, saying he was just floating scenarios about Trump’s future after Jan 6, and received a standing ovation, per multiple sources in the room.
819
732
3K
Of course, even if Brooks joins forces with a senator, congressional Republicans won't actually be able to overturn the results of the election.
But Trump's Hill allies can at least cause some mischief on the floor — and turn the whole process into a Trump loyalty test for GOP.
304
504
3K
NEW: Republicans on the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus are considering quitting the group “en masse” after Democrats in the group voted to oust McCarthy, per a GOP member of the group.
Latest sign of fallout after the historic removal of the speaker.
confirming
@juliegraceb
1K
572
3K
A number of GOP congressional offices have received the following Christmas card, per sources.
I confirmed its authenticity with Hustler, which told me “the card was sent by HUSTLER and was our official holiday card for 2019.”
378
513
3K
I asked a bunch of Republicans why *this* was the thing that broke the camel’s back with Cawthorn.
Their response: the orgy & cocaine allegations implicated fellow Republicans. And some members were getting questions from concerned constituents — and spouses — about the claims.
260
681
3K
This comes as Greene — who was kicked off her committee assignments by Dems — has also been forcing a series of procedural votes, to the frustration of some her colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
62
345
3K
He also complained that he has been trying to introduce bills to save lives, specifically a train bill, but “it’s not shit that gets on Fox News.”
Rep. Chip Roy then responded, saying said he also has constituents he represents and that he came to Washington to shrink government
98
336
3K
BREAKING: GOP
@RepRooney
— who hasn’t ruled out supporting impeachment — tells Fox News he is retiring.
217
815
3K
We have lift off!
77
487
3K
A GOP lawmaker to me just now: “Santos says McCarthy will be the speaker. It must be true.”
38
254
3K
NEWS w/
@mkraju
: Moderate Republicans are privately discussing teaming up w/ Democrats to avoid a government shutdown if the House GOP plan to fund the government fails on the House floor this week.
The idea was raised by mods in multiple leadership meetings tonight, per sources
139
466
3K
It’s official: the House GOP has unanimously approved
@Jim_Jordan
to be the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee &
@RepMarkMeadows
to be top Republican on the House Oversight Committee.
80
431
2K
But MTG doubled down on her rhetoric, accusing her GOP colleagues of “doing the bidding" of Dems.
She told me went to McCarthy’s office to talk about it & said to him: “I don’t know how we’re ever going to accomplish anything when we can’t call people a liar when they’re lying.”
168
378
3K
Rep. Jeff Van Drew's high-profile defection to the GOP — and sudden embrace of Trump — was supposed to be an act of political survival.
But less than one week out from Election Day, it's looking more like the kiss of death:
303
436
2K
@heatherscope
The stunning move comes ahead of a historic vote on impeachment, to which Van Drew is strongly opposed.
But it also comes amid new polling that shows his approval numbers are underwater w/ Dem voters in his district:
Just 24% of ppl think he deserves to be reelected.
278
524
2K
Incredibly emotional Democratic whips meeting this morning.
Speaker Pelosi got choked up talking about the passing of Elijah Cummings.
The normally chatty Gerry Connolly was at a loss for words.
Sanford Bishop was crying so hard be couldn’t finish his sentence to me.
31
400
2K
McCarthy then got up and shot back that he’s had to explain to voters many times votes that Roy has taken.
Roy pressed McCarthy to name which votes he was taking about — “Really?”said Roy — but McCarthy didn’t name any, the source said.
72
335
2K
MTG also denied involved in planning the rally, saying the "only thing" she was "very involved in" was objecting to the election results on Jan. 6.
Then, referring to Rolling Stone article, she added: "Shouldn’t they cover music?"
259
396
2K
"But our nation is facing an unprecedented, since the civil war, constitutional crisis. That's what we need to be focused on. That's where our efforts and attention need to be." (2/2)
71
232
2K
Rep. Matt Gaetz has revealed yet another promise that Kevin McCarthy made in his bid to become speaker: agreeing to release all the security camera footage from the Capitol on January 6.
142
444
2K
Momentum is building for Santos expulsion.
Among the R's who will vote YES after previously opposing it:
- Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.)
- Greg Murphy (R-N.C.)
- Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.)
- Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.)
- Michael Guest (R-M.S.)
- Ken Buck (R-C.O.)
- Zach Nunn (R-I.A.)
58
339
2K
NEW: Speaker McCarthy told his members during a closed-conference meeting that there is no official document or 3-page addendum to the House Rules package detailing the additional concessions he made to his critics, per sources in the room.
171
497
2K
(and to clarify, 145 Republicans voted AGAINST the resolution calling for Cheney to step down. Just 61 voted FOR it.)
178
249
2K
Joint statement from the entire Louisiana delegation, including
@SteveScalise
&
@RepRichmond
, on Letlow's passing >>
400
460
2K
Liz Cheney said in her opening statement that McCarthy himself was “scared” on 1/6 and was calling Trump’s allies and family members when he couldn’t persuade Trump to get the rioters to stand down. Unclear what she is quoting from.
40
256
2K