Republicans

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson has tested positive for COVID-19, his spokeswoman said Monday. Simpson, 56, was slated to be an elector in the Electoral College vote Monday afternoon in the Senate chambers and took a test ahead of the event. But because of his positive test, he didn’t attend the ceremony and an alternate took …

The Detroit Free Press reports: Michigan Republican legislative leaders pulled a GOP lawmaker from his committee assignments Monday after the lawmaker hinted he was part of a group that sought to disrupt or otherwise undermine the Electoral College vote slated to happen at the Capitol this afternoon. Rep. Gary Eisen made the comments Monday morning during an interview with radio …

USA Today reports: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich drew social media backlash Sunday after posting a tweet that criticized Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for facilitating absentee voting. Several critics jumped on Gingrich’s tweet as an admission that Republicans rely on voter suppression to win elections, as voting rights advocate Abrams has alleged. “You’re busted Newt,” said former Attorney …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s campaign strongly condemned a photo circulating on social media of her posing with a longtime white supremacist taken at an event in Dawsonville on Friday. The photo shows Loeffler smiling from beneath an American flag ball cap next to Chester Doles, a longtime white supremacist who spent decades in the Ku Klux Klan …

Mediaite reports: The interview on ABC’s This Week began with host Martha Raddatz asking Christie what his message is to Republicans backing the Trump campaign’s legal efforts. “Well, listen, the legal theory put forward by his legal team and by the president is an absurdity,” Christie fired back. “And the reason why the Supreme Court didn’t take it is because …

Politico reports: Sen. Lamar Alexander said in an interview that aired Sunday he hopes President Donald Trump “puts the country first” and congratulates President-elect Joe Biden on his victory. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Alexander said there should not be any doubt “after Monday,” when the Electoral College casts its votes across the nation, about the winner of the …

The Hill reports: “You were talking about disenfranchising the 10 million Biden voters who supported [President-elect Biden] in those four states,” Wallace said on “Fox News Sunday,” referring to the Texas lawsuit, rejected late Friday. “Do you feel comfortable throwing out millions of votes of your fellow Americans?” Wallace asked Scalise. Scalise responded that “nobody wants any votes thrown out.” …

The New York Times reports: As the president continues to refuse to concede, a small group of his most loyal backers in Congress are plotting a final-stage challenge on the floor of the House of Representatives in early January to try to reverse Mr. Biden’s victory. Constitutional scholars and even members of the president’s own party say the effort is …

The Miami Herald reports: Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 11,699 more confirmed cases Friday, replacing Thursday’s case total as the most since July 25, and puts the state’s death toll at 19,977. On July 25, Florida reported 12,199 new cases, ending a run of nine of 11 days with five-figure new case totals. Friday makes five of the last nine days …

“Since Election Night, a lot of people have been confusing voters by spinning Kenyan Birther-type, ‘Chavez rigged the election from the grave’ conspiracy theories, but every American who cares about the rule of law should take heart that the Supreme Court — including all three of President Trump’s picks — closed the book on the nonsense.” – GOP Sen. Ben …

Forbes reports: Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) has urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to refuse to seat any of the 126 Republican House members who signed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit aimed at overturning the results of the presidential election. Pascrell called on Pelosi in a letter to “exclude” any members who signed the brief. Pascrell cites Section 3 of …

Politico reports: The California activist movement to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom just got a national shot in the arm from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, two former Republican leaders who still have large conservative followings. The bid remains a long shot in a state where Democratic President-elect Joe Biden won 63.5 percent of the …

From House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “The Court has rightly dismissed out of hand the extreme, unlawful and undemocratic GOP lawsuit to overturn the will of millions of American voters. “The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. “Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution …

Via press release from the Texas Republican Party: Below is Chairman Allen West’s statement regarding the decision by the Supreme Court to dismiss Texas’ constitutionally legitimate and critical lawsuit. “The Supreme Court, in tossing the Texas lawsuit that was joined by seventeen states and 106 US congressman, has decreed that a state can take unconstitutional actions and violate its own …

Salon reports: After decades of calls for the creation of a National Museum of the American Latino and an American Women’s History Museum as part of the Smithsonian Institution and months of bipartisan work, a lone Republican single-handedly torpedoed the measure — at least for now. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, blocked a bipartisan effort to establish national museums for Latino …

Roll Call reports: Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler joined Hill Republicans in bucking President Donald Trump on Friday, voting to pass a defense policy bill that the president has been working for weeks to scuttle. The 84-13 vote on the annual National Defense Authorization Act forced every Republican in Congress to choose between their loyalty to the president …

Someone must have left a horse’s head in his bed: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday joined 125 House Republicans in backing the Texas lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the millions of votes in four battleground states that President-elect Joe Biden won. Why it matters: McCarthy was left off of the original filing on Thursday and would not …

Axios reports: Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) told California radio station KMJNOW on Friday that he’s tested positive for the coronavirus. The big picture: Nunes is an ardent defender of President Trump and former chair of the House Intelligence Committee. The California congressman is one of over two dozen House members to have contracted COVID-19, NPR reports. New! Ca Rep @devinnunes …

New Orleans’ ABC News affiliate reports: A Bossier City man who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in November was arrested Wednesday on child pornography charges. According to Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office booking records, 34-year-old Ben Gibson was booked into Bossier Max Wednesday morning on four counts of pornography involving juveniles under the age of thirteen (possession). Gibson, an active Airman at …

From the editorial board of the Orlando Sentinel: We apologize to our readers for endorsing Michael Waltz in the 2020 general election for Congress. We had no idea, had no way of knowing at the time, that Waltz was not committed to democracy. During our endorsement interview with the incumbent congressman, we didn’t think to ask, “Would you support an …