Republicans

Axios reports: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) told Fox News Wednesday he’d “absolutely” support former President Trump if he becomes the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee. Trump has repeatedly lambasted Kemp since the governor resisted his pressure to overturn President Biden’s 2020 election win in Georgia — notably in an hourlong phone call that is now being investigated in the …

The Hill reports: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said former President Trump should tell his supporters to stay away from Congress Thursday as intelligence indicates a right-wing militia could be planning an attack on the Capitol. “I think President Trump has a responsibility to tell them to stand down. This threat is credible and it’s real,” McCaul said on CNN Wednesday. …

The Hill reports: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a staunch Trump ally and fiery fiscal conservative, has told colleagues that he plans to force the Senate clerks to read aloud the entire $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill on the Senate floor, which could slow it down by as much as 10 hours. Democrats on Wednesday were grumbling over the prospect of having …

Mediaite reports: Mediaite has learned that this week, CPAC brass, fuming over the media’s coverage of the stage, threatened to out the stage company to the media. Sources said Design Foundry was told by ACU general counsel David Safavian and other ACU brass on a Monday afternoon call that if it didn’t release a statement by 10 a.m. Tuesday copping …

Raw Story reports: The FEC has asked Jordan’s campaign committee to explain large accounting discrepancies between reports filed several years ago and amended reports filed earlier this year, showing differences of hundreds of thousands of dollars, reported Cleveland.com. “The campaign has filed an amendment with the FEC to correct its campaign finance reports going back to 2018,” said Jordan’s campaign …

Reuters reports: Jeff Sessions, the top official behind former President Donald Trump’s “zero-tolerance” border strategy, says it was “unfortunate” that migrant children and parents were not reunited quickly after being split apart at the U.S.-Mexico border. “It was unfortunate, very unfortunate, that somehow the government was not able to manage those children in a way that they could be reunited …

The Hill reports: The dust jacket of former Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) upcoming memoir reveals some of the shots he takes at several prominent Republicans, including former President Trump and Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Mitch McConnell (K.Y.) The back cover of “On The House: A Washington Memoir,” obtained by Punchbowl News on Tuesday, includes excerpts of Boehner’s blistering critiques …

CNN reports: The Department of Defense inspector general has issued a scathing review of Rep. Ronny Jackson during his time serving as the top White House physician, concluding that he made “sexual and denigrating” comments about a female subordinate, violated the policy for drinking alcohol while on a presidential trip and took prescription-strength sleeping medication that prompted concerns from his …

From the editorial board of the Washington Post: While everyone is eager for a break from restrictions, Mr. Abbott’s decision is premature and reckless. The governor’s decision may cheer those feeling rebellious, fatigued and impatient with the year-long pandemic restrictions. But the result of opening too soon will be viral spread, and more suffering. Only 12.9 percent of the Texas …

Jackson’s ABC News affiliate reports: Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves is massively scaling back COVID-19 protocols in Mississippi. He is replacing all current executive orders with “recommendations.” This effectively ends all mask mandates within the state. It also means businesses will be able to operate under full capacity with no restrictions. “Today, I signed what I expect will be one of …

Long Island’s Newsday reports: Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin said Tuesday he’s testing the waters for a campaign for governor next year as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo faces a state investigation into sexual harassment accusations and a federal probe over his handling of the pandemic. Zeldin, a fourth-term congressman from Shirley, said he will begin calling Republican party leaders, including county …

Houston’s ABC News affiliate reports: “It is now time to open Texas 100%,” said Gov. Greg Abbott this afternoon, signaling the ease of COVID-19 restrictions. Effective next Wednesday, all businesses of any type are allowed to open 100 percent and the mask mandate will be lifted, the governor stated as part of his executive order to rescind previous orders. While …

The Washington Post reports: A House ethics panel says there is “substantial reason to believe” that Rep. Steven M. Palazzo (R-Miss.) misused his campaign and congressional funds, according to a report made public Monday. The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), which produced the 47-page report last summer after a months-long probe, also said that Palazzo “may have performed official actions …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: A bill to restrict ballot drop boxes, require more ID for absentee voting and limit weekend early voting days passed the Georgia House on Monday amid protests that the proposals would make it harder for voters to participate in democracy. The House voted along party lines, 97-72, on the sweeping elections bill supported by Republicans who …

Axios reports: House Republicans will reclaim their majority in 2022 by offering candidates who are women, minorities or veterans, a memo obtained by Axios says. The document, drafted by a super PAC blessed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, names top Democrats to target — Jared Golden of Maine, Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania and Ron Kind of Wisconsin — and …

CNN reports: Republican Sen. Josh Hawley on Monday defended his role as the only US senator to oppose every one of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees, insisting that he evaluates each pick individually. “I take them one at a time, if there is someone I think will be good to Missouri, that I can defend to my voters, somebody who …

Fox News reports: The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan on Monday is calling on Chairman Jerrold Nadler to hold a hearing to “address the scourge of cancel culture” in the United States, amid what he called a “dangerous trend” of “silencing and censoring certain political speech.” In a letter to Nadler, D-N.Y., obtained by Fox News, …

The New York Post reports: Sen. Mitt Romney was knocked unconscious when he fell in Boston over the weekend, leaving him with “a lot of stitches” and a black eye. “I took a fall. Knocked me unconscious. But I’m doing better,” Romney told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday night. The Utah Republican said he was visiting his grandchildren when he …

From CPAC’s letter to the CEO of Hyatt Hotels: Contrary to Hyatt’s own mission statement of inclusivity, your company just attacked its own customer by caving into the pressures of the politically motivated social media agitators who seek to destroy CPAC. Hyatt made a decision to issue additional statements late last night after the conference ended that disparaged and defamed …

The Texas Tribune reports: The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune. Lawmakers began to call on the commissioners to resign Thursday after hearing testimony from DeAnn Walker, who took little responsibility for the …