Republicans

“I think people see now how far Matt Gaetz will go and the fear he has of what’s in the ethics complaint. He’s trying to protect himself, and that harms our caucus, that harms our majority. In the end, people will see why Gaetz would want to do that. And I think in the end, Gaetz would have a hard …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Christian Ziegler, the former chairperson for the Republican Party of Florida who is under criminal investigation, is citing a law that protects victims in a bid to stop the release of more information from his cellphone. But police say Ziegler is not the victim of a crime. The Sarasota Police Department opened an investigation into …

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports: A new dashboard unveiled by the Indiana Attorney General’s Office makes public more than two dozen allegations of “potentially inappropriate materials” in Hoosier schools, like critical race theory materials and gender identity policies. But numerous local officials told the Indiana Capital Chronicle they weren’t made aware of the complaints and contend the allegations were not …

The Huffington Post reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) defended Joe Biden amid questions about the president’s mental acuity following the release of a special counsel’s report that cast the 81-year-old as an elderly man with “significant” memory problems. “I’ve worked with the president, and I haven’t seen anything that’s abnormal before. It was like President Trump saying Nikki Haley three …

NBC News reports: A Louisiana lawmaker is proposing a bill that would allow for nitrogen gas to be used in executions in the event lethal injection is unavailable, making it the latest state to consider adopting the practice after Alabama put a man to death last month through the first-of-its-kind method. Rep. Nicholas Muscarello, a Republican who chairs the House’s …

“I’m calling on Merrick Garland publicly now to do what I think is required under the law in the Constitution. Either charge the president, or he will go to the cabinet and tell them, ‘I believe we have to invoke the 25th Amendment.’ He’s got to do one or the other. If he doesn’t, it will just confirm what everybody …

Axios reports: Former President Trump is kneecapping the Senate hopes of right-wing Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) before they can even get off the ground. The broader rift between Trump and some of the House Republican hardliners who adopted his scorched-earth tactics to fight GOP leadership is moving beyond the House. Trump endorsed businessman Tim Sheehy, the establishment favorite to take …

The Idaho Statesman reports: An Idaho lawmaker wants to expand a law that bans cannibalism over fears about a rise in human composting. Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, introduced a bill Thursday to expand the state’s cannibalism ban and told a legislative committee that she’s worried about the possibility that people are eating other people. “This is going to be normalized …

The New York Times reports: A lawyer for the chief witness against Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, said on Friday that the witness was cooperating with a House Ethics Committee investigation into whether Mr. Gaetz had sex with an underage girl while he was serving in Congress. Fritz Scheller, a lawyer for Mr. Gaetz’s former friend and political ally …

Florida Politics reports: A measure purporting to stop human trafficking by banning people under the age of 21 from working in the adult entertainment sector is slated for another Senate committee stop. The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice will consider on Tuesday morning Sen. Clay Yarborough’s bill (SB 1690). If the measure advances, it has one stop ahead …

Fox News reports: Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney is calling for the Cabinet to “explore” the use of the Constitution’s 25th Amendment to remove President Biden from office, following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s “alarming” report. Fox News Digital obtained a letter Tenney, R-N.Y., sent to Attorney General Garland Thursday night, sharing her “grave concerns” following the report. Tenney said Biden “needs …

Politico reports: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is launching a Senate bid, according to a person familiar with the matter. The anti-Trump Republican is expected to file for the open Senate seat on Friday, the last day of the filing deadline. Hogan is popular in Maryland and his entrance in the race is a huge recruiting coup for Republicans, but …

The Arizona Republic reports: Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman strong-armed a bill through the Senate Government Committee that would prohibit the display of “satanic memorials, statues, altars or displays, or any other method of representing or honoring Satan” on public property in Arizona. In arguing for Senate Bill 1279, Hoffman said, “It is a desecration of our public property in …

The Associated Press reports: Kansas’ attorney general is telling public schools they’re required to tell parents their children are transgender or non-binary even if they’re not out at home, though Kansas is not among the states with a law that explicitly says to do that. Kobach maintains that failing to disclose when a child is socially transitioning or identifying as …

Florida Politics reports: Language in legislation (SB 1084) advanced by the Senate would preempt local governments from requiring a higher number of parking lot spaces to be reserved for electric vehicles. Instead, state regulations would be the only threshold imposed. But during committee discussion, Sen. Jay Collins, a Tampa Republican carrying the bill, made clear the measure would outlaw extra …

Mediaite has the transcript: STEFANIK: I would not have done what Mike Pence did. I don’t think that was the right approach. I specifically stand by what I said on the House floor. And I stand by my statement, which was– COLLINS: So, you would have rejected the votes? STEFANIK: There was unconstitutional overreach in states like Pennsylvania, and I …

Jezebel reports: On Wednesday, across party lines, Republicans rejected an amendment that would have added rape and incest exceptions to the state’s total ban. Democratic state Sen. Tracy McCreery proposed the amendment by pleading with her colleagues to “show an ounce of compassion” for victims. As it currently exists, McCreery said the ban tells victims, “We’re going to force you …

Just in via press release: It’s been the honor and privilege of my life to represent the people of Eastern Washington in Congress. They inspire me every day. They are part of the strength and soul of America — the greatest experiment in self-governance the world has ever known. After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided the time has come …

The Daily Mail reports: Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is asking her colleagues for support on a new bill that would force members of Congress to deploy to a war zone if they advocate for military support to Ukraine in its battle with Russia. The legislation, obtained first by DailyMail.com, would “require Members of Congress who advocate for providing …

Raw Story reports: Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) did not take kindly to reports that his fellow right-wing Texas lawmaker, Rep. Chip Roy, could make a move to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) from the gavel, KSDK’s Mark Maxwell reported on Wednesday. “I love Chip Roy, but Chip Roy is a major pain in the ass for all of us …