Republicans

The Daily Beast reports: Jeff Gunter’s opening video depicts him stepping into a Ford F-150 pickup truck—cowboy boots and all—admiring the bucolic western landscape in a burgundy button-down as he talks about his credentials. It’s not only that Gunter is a wealthy dermatologist and megadonor to Donald Trump, serving as the former president’s controversial ambassador to Iceland; it’s that he …

Politico reports: As congressional Democrats debate whether to prop up Johnson’s speakership amid threats from Republicans looking to oust him, Biden is signaling that he’s going to stay out of it. The White House will instead leave it up to House Democratic leaders to determine whether to rescue Johnson or let Republicans once again devour their own and pitch the …

“We’re trying to keep the Republicans working together. And we’ve gotten better policy, better process, and we’re getting things done. But it’s very difficult when very individualistic, individual-minded Republicans don’t want to move together as a bloc. “I don’t think about her [MTG] at all. Listen, some of my colleagues want us to throw a Hail Mary pass on every …

From the Arizona Attorney General’s office: Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced that the State Grand Jury has returned indictments in the ongoing investigation into the fake elector scheme in Arizona. The following individuals are named as defendants in the indictment: Kelli Ward, Tyler Bowyer, Nancy Cottle, Jacob Hoffman, Anthony Kern [photo], James Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Lorraine Pellegrino, …

NBC News reports: A former Republican candidate who lost his race for mayor in Connecticut last year was sentenced Wednesday to 10 days of incarceration for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Gino DiGiovanni Jr. admitted he entered the Capitol after he was confronted by NBC Connecticut in October 2022 after he was identified by …

Raw Story reports: “As I noted in my last post, one Congressman, or even a more united House of Representatives, can only do so much,” wrote Gaetz in an email to constituents. “Congress cannot issue pardons to January 6th defendants, for example. The most critical thing for these defendants we can do is to re-elect Donald Trump in 2024: he …

CNN reports: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer was eager to take the reins of a high-stakes investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, seen as central to the House Republican agenda – a coveted perch that brought the added benefit of elevating his national profile. But after 15 months of coming up short in proving some of his …

From the New York Times’ live blog: Speaker Johnson is now starting his news conference amid boos after meeting with Jewish students. He is surrounded by a group of House Republicans, including New York lawmakers and Representative Virginia Foxx, chairman of the committee that has been holding the hearings on antisemitism on campuses. Johnson says: “The madness has to stop. …

AL.com reports: The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill to expand a ban on teachers providing instruction or classroom discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. HB130 by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would expand the ban that now applies from kindergarten through fifth grade to apply through 8th grade. The ban was first passed …

The Washington Post reports: The Arizona House voted Wednesday to repeal a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions that is set to take effect as early as June 8. The measure now heads to the state Senate, which could grant final passage next week. Three Republicans in the House crossed party lines Wednesday to vote with all of the …

The Hill reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) endorsed Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) on Wednesday, defending the congressman as he faces criticism from fellow Republicans after dubbing two far-right members of the caucus “scumbags.” Gonzales went after Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Bob Good (R-Va.) over the weekend, saying the Freedom Caucus members “walk around with white hoods,” and referencing …

“It’s a very delicate balance. If I start kicking people off committees right now, it’s likely that I cause more problems than I solve. And so what I’m trying to do every day is manage this team. “The Democrats think and act like a union. They’re collectivists. You know, they move in a herd. Many of them are not deeply …

Philly Burbs reports: Less than an hour after the polls closed in Pennsylvania and the Associate Press called the Republican primary race in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District for incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick faced off against anti-abortion activist Mark Houck, a first-time political challenger from East Greenville Borough, Montgomery County, on Tuesday in a race that has been viewed as …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports: As Mr. Trump sat in a courtroom in Manhattan on Tuesday during the first criminal trial of a former president in U.S. history, some staunchly Republican voters told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they could not vote for their party’s standard-bearer. “I’m a pretty strong Republican, but it’s hard to support Mr. Trump,” said Terry Bimle, 68, …

“I think she is uninformed, she is a total waste of time, and I’m embarrassed to have actually lived geographically in her district at one time before she was there. She is a horrible leader. She is dragging our brand down. She, not the Democrats, are the biggest risk to us getting back to a majority.” – GOP Sen. Thom …

NBC News reports: Trump made time to call into a secretive donor meeting back at his Mar-a-Lago club. The event was hosted by the Rockbridge Network, an under-the-radar, new-age conservative group that sees itself as the leading edge of a changing Republican Party — and is putting tens of millions of dollars into building a fresh infrastructure to support it. …

The Washington Post reports: The Tennessee legislature passed a bill Tuesday that would allow teachers and school staffers to carry concealed handguns in schools, one of the most divisive steps taken by Republican leaders in the year since six people were killed by a shooter at a Nashville school. The House approved the measure as protesters shouted objections, nearly drowning …

USA Today reports: Disgraced former Rep. George Santos R-N.Y., is dropping his comeback bid less than two months after announcing he was running for reelection. Santos was expelled from the House by his colleagues last year as he faces sweeping federal charges, including lying to the Federal Election Commission, identity theft, money laundering, wire fraud and theft of public funds. …

Mediaite reports: “I think everybody has made their own assessment of President Trump’s character,” Sen. Mitt Romney told CNN’s Manu Raju outside the Capitol on Tuesday. “And so far as I know, you don’t pay someone $130,000 not to have sex with you.” Though Romney is a longtime Trump critic, the comment was a sharp missive from the typically buttoned-up …

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