WASHINGTON - Key Persons
Originally from Texas, Alex Swoyer left the Lone Star State to attend the Missouri School of Journalism where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast.
She has experience covering stories in the mid-Missouri, Houston and southwest Florida areas where she worked at local affiliate TV stations and received a First Place Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
After graduating from law school in Florida, she decided to leave the courtroom and return to the newsroom as a legal affairs reporter for The Washington Times. She can be reached by email at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
In an exclusive interview with The Washington Times, Ben S. Carson said radical Islamic terrorists threaten the United States, and he called for boots on the ground to defeat the organization. Published February 25, 2015
Bill Gertz is a national security correspondent for The Washington Times. He has been with The Times since 1985.
He is the author of eight books, four of them national best-sellers. His latest book, "Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy," reveals details about the growing threat posed by the People's Republic of China. He is also the author of the ebook "How China's Communist Party Made the World Sick."
Mr. Gertz also writes Inside the Ring, a weekly column that chronicles the U.S. national security bureaucracy.
Mr. Gertz has been a guest lecturer at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.; the Central Intelligence Agency in Virginia; the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington; and the Brookings Institution in Washington. He has participated in the National Security Studies Program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Senate Majority Leader
- Senate Minority Leader
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer took a small victory lap around the White House's decision to rescind an order for a temporary freeze on federal aid, vowing that the move was the first of many fights Democrats were ready to wage against the Trump administration. Published January 29, 2025
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer's motto for avoiding a partial government shutdown is "bipartisanship," and he believed that the Senate's stopgap bill could pass through a divided House. Published September 27, 2023
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries laid out four steps Tuesday for Democrats to fight against the agendas of President Trump and congressional Republicans. Published February 4, 2025
Actor Charlie Sheen says he considers himself a "constitutional Republican" and he'd like to use his celebrity to run for president. Published February 11, 2015
Job Titles:
- Executive Editor
- President
Job Titles:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell lauded progress in the recovery efforts in Hawaii ahead of President Biden and first lady Jill Biden's trip to Maui. Published August 19, 2023
Elise Kelderman is a typical 14-year-old-girl. However, this outgoing young lady has struggled with depression in the past. Her experience motivated her to collect toys for children who are spending the holidays in hospitals due to illness or treatment. Published December 16, 2014
Former Proud Boys national chair Enrique Tarrio was arrested on Capitol Hill just weeks after being released from prison. Published February 21, 2025
Job Titles:
- House Democratic Leader
- House Minority Leader
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries threw cold water Wednesday on the notion that Democrats would support a tentative Republican plan to pair disaster aid for California with one of President-elect Donald Trump's key policy demands. Published January 15, 2025
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York called an emergency meeting among House Democrats to iron out a strategy to fight back against President Trump's temporary freeze of federal grants and assistance. Published January 28, 2025
Special counsel Jack Smith resigns from DOJ amid fight to block report against Trump
Special counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Justice Department on Friday with the fate of his investigative reports on President-elect Donald Trump in the hands of the federal courts. Published January 11, 2025
Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has received a letter from special counsel Jack Smith declaring him a target of a grand jury investigation into events leading to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Published July 18, 2023
President Jimmy Carter's funeral service Thursday at Washington's National Cathedral brought together politicians of both parties and generated interaction between former running mates. Published January 11, 2025
John Harold Rogers, a former Federal Reserve Board adviser, has been charged with working as a longtime economic spy for China, supplying Chinese intelligence with U.S. tariff secrets, according to U.S. prosecutors in the case. A federal grand jury indictment unsealed last week reveals details of an extensive operation by Chinese intelligence between 2010 and 2021 to obtain secrets from the central bank's board. Published February 5, 2025
Senate Majority Leader John Thune teed up a vote this week for the Senate's budget blueprint to move chunks of President Trump's agenda. Published February 18, 2025
Job Titles:
- Assistant Managing Editor / Digital Technology
Job Titles:
- White House Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest used a press conference on Friday to poke fun at Tom Brady's failure to explain the use of deflated footballs during the Patriot's game against the Indianapolis Colt. Published January 24, 2015
Job Titles:
- Manager, Classified & Legals
Job Titles:
- Architect of Minnesota 's Democratic
Ken Martin, the architect of Minnesota's Democratic political machine, is the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee after winning the job on Saturday. Published February 1, 2025
Rep. Matt Gaetz warned Tuesday that he would pursue a vote to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy for not keeping to his word on agreements overspending and other policies made when the top House Republican was elected to lead in January. Published September 12, 2023
Mick Mulvaney, former director of the Office of Management and Budget, said President Trump's federal aid freeze will likely end up at the Supreme Court. Published January 29, 2025
Job Titles:
- National Security Adviser
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz compared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's actions in the Oval office to that of an "ex-girlfriend" following a tense, public meeting that has put the future of America's support of the war-beleaguered nation in question. Published March 1, 2025
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell repeatedly refused to give more detail Wednesday on what exactly was ailing him during a pair of freezing episodes in recent weeks. Published September 6, 2023
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell charged Senate Democrats with attempting to create a "liberal supermajority" on the National Labor Relations Board ahead of a vote to confirm the latest Democratic nominee. Published September 6, 2023
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday that Congress will likely end up passing a short-term spending resolution to avoid a government shutdown. Published August 30, 2023
Neil Gorsuch is a conservative judge and gifted writer who leaves no doubt where he stands, making him a natural successor to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, court-watchers said Tuesday. Published January 31, 2017
Job Titles:
- DOT Officials
- Transportation Secretary
Rep. Chip Roy said that his GOP colleagues denied an offer from him and fellow members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus to support hiking the nation's debt limit. Published January 15, 2025
Rep. Eli Crane is making good on previous threats to try to impeach a federal judge for getting in the way of President Trump and Elon Musk's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. Published February 21, 2025
Rep. Jasmine Crockett is cheering on America's top trade partners amid President Trump's push for stiff tariffs against them. Published February 22, 2025
Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces measure to prevent federal mask mandate
Rep. Matt Gaetz joins bipartisan push to stop Biden from sending cluster bombs to Ukraine
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has joined a small number of House Democrats on a measure to block President Biden from sending cluster bombs to Ukraine. Published July 11, 2023
Rep. Matt Gaetz has proposed an amendment to a must-pass spending bill that would end marijuana testing for members of the military when they're enlisting or receiving a commission. Published July 6, 2023
Matt Gaetz introduces measure to censure judge in Trump Jan. 6 case over ‘political bias'
House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise on Monday blamed President Biden for the brewing fight over the annual Pentagon policy bill, saying he had turned the U.S. military into a proving ground for a left-wing social agenda. Published July 10, 2023
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise diagnosed with cancer, promises to continue working
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican in the House, announced on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. Published August 29, 2023
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise returned to work on Capitol Hill for the first time Thursday following his cancer diagnosis late last month. Published September 14, 2023
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said his cancer treatment has been effective in attacking the ailment, letting him return to work in a crucial week for House leadership. Published September 27, 2023
Rep. Tom Tiffany wants to turn President Trump's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs both in the federal government and in sectors that receive federal funding into law. Published January 23, 2025
Job Titles:
- Manager at the Roudebush Veteran Affairs Medical Center
Robin Paul, a manager at the Roudebush Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis, appeared to mock mental health and the suicides of returning combat veterans, according to an email released by The Indianapolis Star. Published March 9, 2015
Sam Brinton was traveling on taxpayer dime during Las Vegas luggage heist
Sam Brinton, the former Energy Department official who was fired for stealing designer luggage at a Las Vegas airport, was on a taxpayer-funded trip during the bag grab, according to internal Biden administration documents. Published July 17, 2023
Sen. Bernard Sanders and President-elect Donald Trump have something in common -- the desire to cap credit card interest rates. Published December 31, 2024
Sen. Josh Hawley is challenging Democrats to think about whether federal judges always get it right as he seeks to push back on attacks that President Trump is undermining the "rule of law." Published February 28, 2025
Rand Paul joins Democratic senators to push marijuana legalization bill
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, and likely 2016 presidential candidate, joined Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand to end the federal ban on medical marijuana, now legalized in 23 states. Published March 10, 2015
Rand Paul's Kentucky office scorched in early morning blaze
Job Titles:
- Loretta Lynch ‘Will Continue President Obama 's Lawlessness
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has hired Brian Phillips as senior adviser to his political action committee, the latest move to beef up his staff for a possible run at the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Published March 9, 2015
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told a handful of reporters at CPAC he thinks Loretta Lynch's confirmation out of the Senate Judiciarry Committee was "heartbreaking." Published February 26, 2015
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is intensifying demands that Anheuser-Busch InBev hand over a trove of documents for his investigation of whether Bud Lite's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney was marketing beer to children. Published August 18, 2023
Sen. Tommy Tuberville has a new ally supporting his monthslong blockade of military promotions: former Vice President Mike Pence. Published September 16, 2023
Former House member Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, is expected to face sharp questioning from Senate Democrats and Republicans during a Thursday confirmation hearing on her past positions supporting foreign adversaries and damaging intelligence disclosures. Published January 29, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced a cool reception from the House in his appeal for billions of dollars in new U.S. aid as Republicans struggle to pass a government spending bill held back by a small group of hard-line fiscal conservatives. Published September 21, 2023
Job Titles:
- Certified Financial Planner