Republicans

First, a reminder from this weekend: “I own an AR-15,” Graham told Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday. “If there’s a natural disaster in South Carolina where the cops can’t protect my neighborhood, my house will be the last one that the gang will come to, because I can defend myself.” This is a white gun owner fantasy: A …

The Hill reports: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Wednesday that GOP leaders will remove Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) from his committee assignments if he’s found to be guilty of sex trafficking, a case currently under investigation by the Justice Department. “Those are serious implications. If it comes out to be true, yes, we would remove him if that’s …

The Daily Beast reports: Gaetz told Fox that the former DOJ employee going after him was David McGee, now a lawyer at Beggs & Lane. In an interview with The Daily Beast late Tuesday night, McGee said any reports of extortion involving him or his firm were “completely, totally false.” “This is a blatant attempt to distract from the fact …

The Insider reports: The former Trump aides aren’t necessarily happy to see the three-term lawmaker in trouble, but they “feel a little vindicated,” the former White House staffer told Insider. “He’s the meanest person in politics.” A former congressional aide said GOP leaders could soon be rid of the self-styled provocateur without having to get their hands dirty. “Good riddance,” …

NBC News reports: G. Gordon Liddy, the political operative who supervised the Watergate burglary, which brought down President Richard Nixon, died Tuesday, his family said. He was 90. Liddy’s family said in a statement that he died Tuesday morning at his daughter’s home in Mount Vernon, Virginia. His son, James, said that the cause was not related to Covid-19, and …

Axios reports: On a flight Tuesday from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne, Ind., two leaders in the House Republican conference discussed a memo that argues that their party’s future demands they “embrace our new coalition” because “President Trump’s gift didn’t come with a receipt.” The document, titled “Cementing GOP as the Working Class Party,” leaves no doubt that Republicans — at …

The Huffington Post reports: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Tuesday night defended himself amid reports he’s under investigation for sexual misconduct with a teenager in a wild interview with Fox New host Tucker Carlson. “That was one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever conducted,” Carlson said at the conclusion. “I don’t think that clarified much, but it certainly showed this …

Jonathan Swan reports at Axios: “The allegations against me are as searing as they are false,” Gaetz said in a 13-minute phone interview with Axios. “I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy.” “The allegations of sexual misconduct against me are …

The New York Times reports: Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump, is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him, according to three people briefed on the matter. Investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz …

The Hill reports: The House Ethics Committee said Tuesday that it is upholding the $5,000 fine levied against Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) for bypassing a security screening to enter the House chamber. Gohmert had appealed the fine issued by the House sergeant-at-arms on Feb. 5, days after House Democrats voted to enact the punitive measure to enforce compliance with the …

Politico reports: Florida may bar outside groups from giving food or water to voters standing within 150 feet of polling places, a provision that is drawing comparisons to a much broader prohibition included in a contentious election bill recently enacted in nearby Georgia. “It’s influencing the vote and that’s what we are trying to stop because they are a captive …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Senate on Monday unanimously approved a sweeping bill that would overhaul the state’s electricity industry and infrastructure, including mandating that power plants prepare for extreme weather and outlawing risky indexed retail electric plans. Senate Bill 3, filed by Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, now heads to the Texas House where its prospects …

So this just happened on Fox News: “Chris, I am not gonna take this from you,” Schlapp shouted back. “You are not gonna call me a liar! You are not gonna call me a conspiracy theorist. You are not gonna call Tucker Carlson a conspiracy theorist!” “He is and you are,” Hahn shot back. Schlapp exclaimed, “I’m not going to …

Via press release from the NAACP: Civil rights groups have filed a new federal lawsuit against Georgia’s sweeping law that makes it much harder for all Georgians to vote, particularly voters of color, new citizens, and religious communities. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Georgia, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and …

The Associated Press reports: The former vice president is steadily reentering public life as he eyes a potential run for the White House in 2024. He’s joining conservative organizations, writing op-eds, delivering speeches and launching an advocacy group that will focus on promoting the Trump administration’s accomplishments. For someone who built a reputation as one of Trump’s most steadfast supporters, …

Yahoo News reports: New research published earlier this month in the American Journal of Public Health argues that Florida is undercounting the number of people who died from COVID-19 by thousands of cases, casting new doubt on claims that Gov. Ron DeSantis navigated the coronavirus pandemic successfully. Conservatives have celebrated DeSantis for his handling of the pandemic, which has killed …

Axios reports: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has privately told confidants he’s seriously considering not seeking re-election and possibly leaving Congress early for a job at Newsmax, three sources with direct knowledge of the talks tell Axios. Why it matters: Gaetz is a provocative figure on the right who’s attracted attention by being a fierce defender of former President Trump. The …

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports: The Senate took little more than an hour to override Beshear’s vetoes of 11 Senate bills, including one that would strip the governor of his authority to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy. SB 228, sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers and supported by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, would replace the current process in which …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Two weeks after eight people where gunned down in three Atlanta-area spas, the Georgia Senate on Monday approved legislation to loosen the state’s gun laws. “This is a Second Amendment protection bill that further recognizes Georgia’s commitment to protect its citizens and their Second Amendment rights,” said state Sen. Bo Hatchett, a Cornelia Republican. House Bill …

The Baltimore Sun reports: A Baltimore Police officer who sought the Republican nomination for mayor was indicted last week by the Office of the State Prosecutor for lying about being a city resident. Ivan Gonzalez was charged with perjury, falsifying voter registration and related charges after being indicted by a grand jury following an internal police department investigation. The Sun …