The American people aren't the only ones who think Congress is doing a terrible job ... turns out members of Congress are also believers.
Rep. Jim Himes didn't argue with Charlie, who said straight up ... school children get less time off than members of Congress. Members have just left for a 4-day weekend and will have another week off at the beginning of May -- the same time DHS will run out of money to pay federal workers. And remember, they just came off a 2-week Easter break.
The congressman from Connecticut said Congress is getting ZERO accomplished, so it was kinda depressing to hear him, except for the Australian joke he road-tested on our favorite Aussie.
Ditto for Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, who says gutlessness is a tradition in Congress, which he finds "repulsive." Burchett says if your congressman or congresswoman likes the way D.C. is working, then he's all for the TMZ battle cry ... Out With Their Asses!!!
A Trump Administration counterterrorism official has reportedly been put on ice after she allegedly scammed her ex-boyfriend out of $40,000 during their 3-month romance.
Julia Varvaro was placed on administrative leave from the Department of Homeland Security and removed from her lofty position as a Deputy Assistant Secretary, according to a DHS statement.
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Her ex-lover -- identified only as Robert B. -- filed a DHS complaint, saying he spent $30,000 to $40,000 to take Varvaro on lavish vacations and shower her with expensive jewelry, the Daily Mail reports.
Congress may be throwing elbows on Capitol Hill ... but once the suits come off, some lawmakers are apparently more focused on jump shots than cheap shots!
Our TMZ DC crew caught up with Rep. Shomari Figures and a few other congressmen, including Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick, in the aftermath of the Congressional Basketball Game Tuesday night ... where Democrats and Republicans hit the court together in a rare display of bipartisan teamwork.
Check out the clip ... Figures tells us the game came down to the wire and he gave props to fellow Representatives Suhas Subramanyam and Blake Moorefor balling out.
But when we asked what it’s like sharing the court with members of the opposing party amid all the political chaos in D.C. ... the Alabama Democrat pushed back on the idea that lawmakers are constantly at each other's throats.
Rep. Troy Downing's trying to figure out if Grindr's inaugural event before the White House Correspondents' Dinner is all about meaty sausages. Yes, we mean that literally.
Our TMZ DC crew caught up with the Congressman from Montana who is clearly not up to date on dating apps, because we asked him for his thoughts on this weekend's party organized by the popular gay dating platform ... and, he had no clue what we were talking about.
Russell Brand says he did sleep with a 16-year-old ... but, he's clear that's the age of consent in the United Kingdom -- and he never sexually assaulted anyone.
The actor opened up about the charges he's facing in his home country during an interview with Megyn Kelly published Wednesday ... claiming he had consensual sex with the teen when he was 30 years old.
Brand admits he wasn't kind to women back in the day ... using fame, money and charisma to have sex with a ton of ladies -- and not applying any consideration to their feelings.
WrestleMania has become a pressing matter on Capitol Hill ... 'cause one senator asked WWE exec Nick Khan when the Grandest Stage of Them All would make its way to Ohio -- right in the middle of a hearing on Wednesday.
The silly moment went down as a Senate Subcommittee met with the WWE president and other big names in the combat sports business -- including Oscar De La Hoya and Nico Ali-Walsh -- to discuss proposed changes to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.
While they, of course, discussed the topic at hand ... Sen. Bernie Moreno from Ohio had to take advantage of his opportunity to pitch WM to his turf in the future.
Ohio Congressman Max Miller is in the middle of a nasty divorce with Emily Moreno … and TMZ DC has learned police are investigating a severe injury to their child.
According to the publicly filed court docs obtained by TMZ DC, Miller -- who's been in Congress since 2023 -- filed for divorce from Emily in August 2024, ending their 2-year marriage. The exes have a 2-year-old daughter.
According to the divorce settlement, Max and Emily -- daughter of freshman Senator Bernie Moreno -- have joint custody, and he was ordered to pay her $2,500 per month in child support.
Things took a turn on March 4 when Emily filed docs requesting a change in the custody arrangement, because, as she puts it ... Max "regularly speaks to me in an inappropriate, aggressive and demeaning manner, which is not in the best interest of our child."
Rep.Troy Nehls probably has strong views on Trump's Cuba threats, but those views may be rooted more in cigars than politics.
We got the Congressman from Houston out on Capitol Hill Wednesday, and asked the burning question ... does he snuff the cigar when it hits the House floor?
Andy Cohenhad some surprisingly nice things to say about Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign -- but the second Joe Rogan got brought up, the conversation went completely off the rails.
During Tuesday's episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Kristin Cavallaritold Andy she initially thought Spencer’s run for Los Angeles mayor was a joke ... but now she says she truly thinks he could actually pull it off.
She pointed to growing support around him and casually mentioned that Rogan had already endorsed him last week on his podcast ... saying he’d vote for him if he lived in L.A.
Figliuzzi -- the former assistant director for Counterintelligence at the FBI -- had quipped on the MS NOW show "Morning Joe" last year that the FBI director had been "visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor" of FBI HQ in D.C. ... but U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr. wasn’t buying it as fact.
Instead, he ruled Tuesday the remark was "rhetorical hyperbole" ... meaning no reasonable person would take it literally.
Kash Patel is lashing out at what he calls the "fake news mafia" after a report alleged he has an alcohol abuse problem.
The FBI director took some pointed shots at the media Tuesday after filing a $250 million defamation lawsuit on Monday following an unflattering article about him in The Atlantic magazine.
Patel denied reports he shows up to work drunk or sometimes doesn't show up at all ... claiming he is working more days than his predecessors.
President Trump's FBI director also warned the media they would be sued too if they lie about him ... and he said the hit piece is proof he's doing a good job.
The Congressman from Florida was reacting to Carlson's mea culpa, saying he felt partly responsible for Trump's 2024 victory. Carlson, who strongly opposes the Iran war, says he misled millions of fans.
Fine says Carlson has lost credibility in the Republican Party and his influence has waned, but Jacob fired back ... Carlson is still super popular on social, so it's a blow to the GOP.
Fine then cuts things short, giving Jacob a "Hebrew Hammer" as a fabulous parting gift.
Rep. James Comer is telling people not to worry about aliens snatching up American scientists, because he says hostile foreign nations are more likely to blame. Great!
The reality is nearly a dozen scientists with knowledge of America's nuclear and/or space programs have either died or gone missing since 2022 ... and House Oversight Committee Chairman joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk about government investigations into the mystery.
Comer makes it clear he doesn't think aliens are beaming up scientists to learn about humanity's weaknesses -- as some are theorizing online -- though he knows some of his colleagues think otherwise.
Instead, the Congressman from Kentucky says it's more likely the usual suspects are involved ... Russian, Iranian or Chinese agents who want info on the USA's nuclear capabilities.
ICYMI ... the mystery surrounding 11 scientists is now on the radar of the FBI, and even President Trump was briefed on it last week.
President Donald Trump's claim he would've speedrun to victory in the Vietnam War doesn't add up ... according to a congressman and veteran, who says the Iran War proves it.
Our TMZ DC Crew talked to Representative Chris Deluzio on Tuesday after he'd spoken at a press conference on Veterans Affairs issues ... which included concerns the Trump Administration is trying to privatize the V.A.
Given Deluzio's work with veterans and his own service record -- he went to the Naval Academy and served in the Navy from 2006 to 2012 -- we had to ask him about Trump's assertion he "would have won Vietnam very quickly."
Donald Trump Jr. isn't rushing down the aisle just yet, because he and Bettina Andersonare still figuring out what their big day will actually look like ... TMZ has learned.
Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... there's no wedding date on the books, and nothing has been officially decided. Instead, we're told they’re actively weighing two very different options.
One possibility is a quick elopement within the next month, with a larger celebration coming later. While a White House event has been floated, our sources say a formal ceremony there isn't feasible in the immediate future, though celebrating there down the line is still being considered.
Rep. Jack Bergman is telling TMZ DC it's NOT his job to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end the record-breaking government shutdown ... but Charliebegs to differ.
Our fearless staffer got the Congressman from Michigan walking back to Capitol Hill Tuesday and confronted him about Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin saying DHS will soon run out of money.
Rep. Bergman quickly passes the buck and says funding DHS is not in his domain ... but Charlie calls BS, saying it's Congress' job to end the never-ending shutdown.
4/23/26
