Washington, D.C

Hunter Biden and Trump indictments and speaker drama: Washington Photos of the Year 2023

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12 months ago

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Plenty of political firsts and historic events marked the year 2023 in Washington.

Republicans won back the House with a slim majority in January that commenced a marathon 15 rounds of voting for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to win the speaker’s gavel. The power, however, was short-lived when, on Oct. 3, he became the first House speaker ousted on a motion to vacate brought by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

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McCarthy’s removal ignited a frenzy to find a replacement, and after a three-week impasse and numerous failed nominations, House Republicans settled on little-known Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to lead the unwieldy caucus. Among Johnson’s first moves was ramping up the pressure on President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who this year became the first child of a sitting president to be indicted on federal criminal charges.

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The initial indictment came in Delaware on alleged gun violations and a second in California on tax fraud charges. House Republicans voted to open an impeachment inquiry into the president on Dec. 13. It was the same day the younger Biden defied a congressional subpoena and instead held a press conference outside the Capitol, saying his father was not financially involved with his overseas business ventures that have become the centerpiece of the investigation.

Former President Donald Trump dominated headlines in 2023 when he was hit with 91 felony charges across four criminal cases but still managed to be the runaway front-runner for the GOP primary nomination over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Health and vitality questions about sitting politicians were a persistent storyline throughout the year, from an 81-year-old Biden’s quest for a second White House term to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) public freeze-ups in the aftermath of his recovery from a concussion.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) entered the Senate in January after surviving a near-fatal stroke that left him struggling to communicate. Then in February, Fetterman took a novel 44-day public leave of absence for in-patient hospitalization for severe depression. Ailing Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, faced increasing pressure to resign from the Senate until the trailblazing California Democrat died in office on Sept. 29.

The year ended on a tragic note after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel that resulted in 1,200 deaths and about 240 hostages being taken. Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza to end Hamas has killed more than 21,000 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry. The Hamas-Israel war exposed a deep divide among Democrats over how far the United States should support Israel. The war also became enmeshed in an ongoing political fight in Congress over an aid bill to tie border security to billions in assistance to Israel and Ukraine as the latter seeks to fend off Russia’s invasion.

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The House capped its year with three censures of Democratic lawmakers, the most since 1870. Also, Republicans moved to expel one of their own members, New York GOP Rep. George Santos. With a bipartisan vote, the indicted freshman congressman was removed from office on Dec. 1 over a rash of campaign finance, ethics, and fraud allegations.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Here’s a look at the 2023 photos of the year captured by Washington Examiner photographer Graeme Jennings.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) arrives at the U.S. Capitol as he returns to the Senate on Monday, April 17, 2023, following treatment for clinical depression.

(Graeme Jennings)

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) accompanied by Senate Minority Leader Mitch MCConnell (R-KY) speaks to the media during a press conference in front of the West Wing at the White House on May 9, 2023 in Washington, D.C. President Biden met with Democrat and Republican leaders of the House and Senate to discuss Debt Ceiling negotiations.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) accompanied by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to the media during a press conference in front of the West Wing at the White House on May 9, 2023, in Washington, D.C. President Joe Biden met with Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate to discuss debt ceiling negotiations.

(Graeme Jennings)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to members of the media shortly before opening the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol, on Friday, May 26, 2023.

(Graeme Jennings)

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at the White House from New Castle, Delaware, on May 30, 2023. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) came to a deal to raise the debt ceiling, which was passed by the Senate.

(Graeme Jennings)

Rep. James Comer (R-KY) leaves the Capitol Visitor Center Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, where he reviewed an FBI document that alleges a criminal financial scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden, on Monday, June 5, 2023.

(Graeme Jennings)

Smoke from wildfires in Canada enshrouds the Washington Monument, on Wednesday, June 8, 2023. The Air Quality Index reached Code Purple as smoke continued to move south over the East Coast of the United States.

(Graeme Jennings)

Smoke from wildfires in Canada enshrouds the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, June 8, 2023. The Air Quality Index reached Code Purple as smoke continued to move south over the East Coast of the United States.

(Graeme Jennings)

Staff members from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-NH) office move a stuffed moose through the Hart Office Building on June 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The stuffed moose named “Marty the Moose” and a stuffed bear named “Kodak the Bear” will be on display in Shaheen’s office as part of the 12th annual Experience New Hampshire event.

(Graeme Jennings)

Israeli President Isaac Herzog addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 19, 2023.

(Graeme Jennings)

IRS Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler, previously known as Agent X, testifies during a House Oversight Committee hearing related to the Justice Department’s investigation of Hunter Biden, on Capitol Hill on July 19, 2023. Ziegler recommended prosecutors charge Hunter Biden with multiple felonies, alleging that the president’s youngest son had improperly claimed business deductions.

(Graeme Jennings)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during a House Judiciary select subcommittee hearing on the “weaponization of the federal government” on Thursday, July 20, 2023. The hearing focused on allegations of cooperation between Big Tech companies and government agencies to obstruct free speech.

(Graeme Jennings)

Microsoft founder Bill Gates arrives on Capitol Hill to attend an “AI Insight Forum” on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Lawmakers convened with some of the top business leaders in the artificial intelligence sector to seek advice on possible legislation within the next year that will encourage the development of artificial intelligence while also containing its risks.

(Graeme Jennings)

David Grusch, former National Reconnaissance Office representative on the Defense Department’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, prepares to testify before the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on UFOs, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, on Capitol Hill. Grusch, who went from being part of the Pentagon’s UAP Task Force to becoming a whistleblower, told the committee that “nonhuman” biological matter from crashed craft of unknown origin exists.

(Graeme Jennings)

Men hold “Blacks for Trump” signs outside the U.S. District Court, on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. Former President Donald Trump was arraigned on four criminal counts related to his involvement with the Jan. 6 riot and alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential elections. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

(Graeme Jennings)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to reporters after leaving the House chambers at the U.S. Capitol, on Sept. 18, 2023, in Washington, D.C. McCarthy made efforts to negotiate with some hard-line Republicans on legislation preventing a government shutdown.

(Graeme Jennings)

Attorney General Merrick Garland leaves a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. During the hearing, House Republicans fired myriad questions at Garland about the Justice Department’s investigation into Hunter Biden.

(Graeme Jennings)

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) holds up a face mask of Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) on Sept. 20, 2023, before arriving at a Democratic luncheon on Capitol Hill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) relaxed the dress code rules for what members can wear. Fetterman, who is known for wearing relaxed clothing to work, including shorts and sneakers, offered to “save democracy by wearing a suit on the Senate floor next week” if a government shutdown was avoided.

(Graeme Jennings)

President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. The Biden administration has designated 31 technology hubs spread across the country to spur job growth.

(Graeme Jennings)

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser holds a press conference on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, introducing new legislation called the Addressing Crime Trends Now Act in an attempt to curb the skyrocketing crime rate in the district. The legislation focused on drug dealing, retail theft, and the wearing of masks to commit a crime. The violent crime rate in the district is up 41%, while car theft is up over 100% compared to 2022.

(Graeme Jennings)

Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) takes a selfie with Rep. Corey Mills (R-FL) on the East Front steps of the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 25, 2023.

(Graeme Jennings)

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) shows fellow lawmakers an illustration of former President Donald Trump dressed in a bee costume, after Mike Johnson (R-LA) was elected speaker on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.

(Graeme Jennings)

People rally during the “National March on Washington Free Palestine” while calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at Freedom Plaza, on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

(Graeme Jennings)

Doris Liber cries while speaking about her son Guy Illouz, who was taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, while attending a news conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other House Republicans on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Doris and other family members of the hostages joined House Republicans to plead for their release.

(Graeme Jennings)

Decorations and ornaments adorn columns of the Entrance Hall at the White House on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. The theme for this year’s White House decorations is “Magic, Wonder and Joy” and is designed to capture the “delight and imagination of childhood.”

(Graeme Jennings)

Activists with the advocacy group MoveOn display a 15-foot inflatable of Rep. George Santos (R-NY) on the National Mall on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. A House Ethics report on Santos found substantial evidence of fraud and ethics violations. The House voted to expel Santos from Congress. He is the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the House.

(Graeme Jennings)

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) abruptly departs Capitol Hill on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, after the House voted to expel him following an Ethics Committee report detailing evidence of widespread fraud. Santos is the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the House.

(Graeme Jennings)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky walks with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol to meet with congressional leadership on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Zelensky met with congressional leaders and President Joe Biden this week to discuss continuing military aid as the country runs out of money in its war against Russia.

(Graeme Jennings)

In a rare public address, President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden spoke to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. Hunter Biden defied a subpoena from Congress to testify behind closed doors ahead of a House vote on an impeachment inquiry against his father.

(Graeme Jennings)





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