Republicans

Mediaite reports: “You dropped off your daughters in Mexico, you came home in a day, probably less than a day. You’re [in the news] like 24/7, because you dropped somebody off and you came back home. I still think you can be a father and senator at the same time,” Hannity said. Cruz said this in response: “I think the …

The Huffington Post reports: Chris Cuomo invited Matt Schlapp, the chair of the American Conservative Union, onto his CNN show Monday to explain why ex-President Donald Trump has been invited to address the organization’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this week. But the interview soon went off-the-rails as Cuomo was forced to debunk Schlapp’s repeated lies about “widespread voter fraud,” …

Via press release from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Less than one week after urging House Republicans to block $160 billion in funding for vaccines to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, Minority Whip Steve Scalise is using his position to elevate Republicans who have publicly urged Americans not to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Scalise is scheduled to lead a CPAC panel with …

The Texas Tribune reports: At the height of last week’s winter storm that left millions of Texans without access to heat and clean water, Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, were out of state on a “previously planned” business trip to Utah, a spokesman confirmed. On the day of Paxton’s Wednesday meeting, the state’s electrical …

The Hill reports: The senators, led by Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), urged Biden in a letter to withdraw the nomination of Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general, arguing he is unqualified to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The senators wrote that Becerra has “no meaningful experience in health care, public health, large-scale logistics, or any other areas critical …

The Washington Post reports: Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Monday that she will direct her department not to lower its flags in honor of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who died of complications from lung cancer last week. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said last week that he would order the state’s flags to be flown at half-staff on …

The Hill reports: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) will oppose Neera Tanden’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), underscoring the dwindling number of potential GOP supporters for her confirmation. “Senator Romney has been critical of extreme rhetoric from prior nominees, and this is consistent with that position. He believes it’s hard to return to comity and respect …

USA Today reports: The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear election case of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, who started his legal fight against the results of the presidential race within weeks after fellow Republican Donald Trump lost the White House to Democrat Joe Biden. The court announced its decision in an order issued Monday at 9:30 a.m.  “The petition …

Fox News reports: Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler is starting a voter registration and outreach group called “Greater Georgia,” in her first major public move since losing her Senate seat to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a Jan. 6 runoff. Loeffler’s group will mirror some of the functions of “Fair Fight,” the Stacey Abrams-affiliated group that many Democrats credit with the significant …

Via press release from Sen. Susan Collins: The Director of OMB is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the federal budget and plays a significant role in any Administration’s fiscal and regulatory agenda. Congress has to be able to trust the OMB director to make countless decisions in an impartial manner, carrying out the letter of the law …

Media Matters has the transcript: I have seen the video, I think that there’s a lot of compelling arguments there for some voter irregularities. And the whole point has been, I can’t tell whether or not there’s been enough to would have swung the election the other way. I don’t know whether there is criminal activity, but there is enough …

Politico reports: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday that he would not support a run by former President Donald Trump for reelection in 2024. “He’s got a good family … and they love America,” the Republican told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But I would not support him for reelection in 2024.” “He’s going to have …

The Hill reports: House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who last week visited former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago, on Sunday deflected blame away from Trump for the deadly riot at the Capitol. “At the end of the day, the people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, it was a disgrace and they need to be held accountable,” Scalise said. …

Fox News reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence has declined an invitation to attend this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, Fox News has learned. Pence was invited to speak at the annual event but turned it down, according to a source familiar with the event planning. Two sources told Fox News that Trump is planning to address the conference on …

Houston’s ABC News affiliate reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called an emergency meeting late Saturday to address the spike in electricity bills due to the impact of the winter storm. In a statement, Abbott said, “It is unacceptable for Texans who suffered through days in the freezing cold without electricity or heat to now be hit with skyrocketing energy costs.” …

Law & Crime reports: A federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Friday pilloried a Minnesota attorney who sued former Vice President Mike Pence in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, referring him to the Committee on Grievances for possible disciplinary action. U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia James Boasberg, an appointee of Barack …

Politico reports: Three weeks before Sen. Ted Cruz embarked on his ill-fated Cancun trip to escape the aftermath of Texas’s devastating winter storm, the elite K-12 Houston private school attended by his two daughters emailed a Covid warning to parents about international travel. The bottom line: St. John’s School students who travel internationally must quarantine for 7 to 10 days …

Mediaite reports: Late on Saturday night, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) tweeted three photos of himself helping out fellow Texans while the state continues to deal with the aftermath of freezing temperatures, widespread power outages, and a water shortage. But the post captioned, “#TexasStrong,” didn’t sit well with many Twitter users, who promptly called him out due to the senator’s family …

The Deseret News reports: Utah Sen. Mike Lee will attend a high-priced fundraiser for his reelection campaign today at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, a day after defending Sen. Mitt Romney’s vote in the Senate impeachment trial. The fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago hosted by prominent Republican donors costs $10,600. Lee campaign manager Matt Lusty said the event is being held …

The Huffington Post reports: If you’re a politician who has promised to uphold the Constitution, it might help if you’re actually familiar with what document includes. Apparently, freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) isn’t, based on a tweet she posted Friday. One man pointed out the real irony of Boebert’s tweet: She is currently co-sponsoring a Constitutional amendment to limit the …