Republicans

First a reminder on who we’re talking about: Throughout most of 2019, Lauren Witzke avidly tweeted out QAnon content, particularly the cult’s “Where We Go One We Go All” slogan as the #WWG1WGA hashtag. She also was photographed wearing a QAnon shirt at a campaign event. She has moreover openly identified with the “America First” agenda, first touted by Donald …

“This is the last year of a lame-duck, and if Ted Cruz or Donald Trump get to be president, they’ve all asked us not to confirm or take up a selection by president Obama. So if a vacancy occurs in their last year, of their first term, guess what, you will use their words against them. You will use their …

The Insider reports: Senate Minority Chuck Schumer issued the same statement following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday, that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. Ginsburg died at the age of 87 due to complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. The Supreme Court Justice battled multiple forms …

CNN reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed on Friday that whomever President Donald Trump nominates to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will get a vote on the Senate floor, signaling a historic fight in Congress over one of the most polarizing issues in American politics. “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the …

Pew Research reports: During this campaign, public attention to the once-obscure QAnon – a collection of connected conspiracy theories that has been declared a domestic terror threat by the FBI – has grown, with a few “Q” proponents running for Congress and Trump expressing support for at least one of them. The percentage of Americans who say they have heard …

The Hill reports: English actor and comedian Eric Idle on Friday threatened to sue the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) for using a Monty Python song in a political attack ad released Tuesday. Idle, a member of legendary British comedy group, tweeted that the congressional committee had “stolen” Monty Python’s “Lumberjack Song” in an ad criticizing Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne …

The Daily Beast reports: Lawyers representing the United States at Julian Assange’s extradition trial in Britain have accepted the claim that the WikiLeaks founder was offered a presidential pardon on the condition that he would help cover up Russia’s involvement in hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee. Jennifer Robinson, a lawyer, told the court that she had attended a …

Politico reports: Senate Republicans on Thursday forcefully rejected President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the 2020 election results might not be accurately determined, but largely declined to address previous bipartisan conclusions that such rhetoric aids foreign adversaries. “It’s just not accurate,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), acting chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said when asked whether Trump’s comment was inappropriate. “I’m …

The Washington Post reports: Former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is once again working closely with Vice President Pence on debate preparations and serving as Pence’s foil in practice sessions, effectively playing the role of Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), according to two people familiar with the sessions who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to …

The Guardian reports: A former model has come forward to accuse Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her at the US Open tennis tournament more than two decades ago, in an alleged incident that left her feeling “sick” and “violated”. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Amy Dorris alleged that Trump accosted her outside the bathroom in his VIP box …

Labor 411 reports: Oregon Republican state senator Fred Girod was one of 11 Republicans who made headlines when they walked out of the senate –  even leaving the state – so that a quorum could not be achieved for a climate change bill. Now with wildfires raging in Oregon, climate change has come to Girod’s doorstep. Literally. “Fred Girod stood …

The Associated Press reports: A directive that restricted Ohio counties to one ballot drop box in November was arbitrary and unreasonable, a county judge ruled Tuesday, delivering the Republican secretary of state in the presidential battleground another in a series of blows to his policies. The office of Secretary of State Frank LaRose [photo] said he would soon appeal the …

The Rapid City Journal reports: The attorney general said in a statement today that he and the local sheriff searched a crash scene after he thought he hit a deer Saturday night but they both missed spotting the pedestrian he had hit and killed. Jason Ravnsborg said he used Hyde County Sheriff Mike Volek’s personal vehicle to drive home to …

Axios reports: Former House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Ed Royce, a Republican from California, has registered as a lobbyist for Chinese tech giant Tencent, which helps implement the Chinese Communist Party’s censorship and surveillance regime. The catch: While in office, Royce was an outspoken critic of the Vietnamese Communist Party’s human rights abuses and backed several bills targeting China. The …

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports: Another effort to restore Montana Green Party candidates to the general election ballot has been denied, officials said Monday. Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan denied an emergency request from two candidates and two Green Party voters to restore the candidates to the ballot. Many of the signers who asked to remove their names …

The Verge reports: Sen. Josh Hawley is publicly calling on the Treasury Department to reject Oracle’s proposed partnership with TikTok, saying the arrangement is unacceptable on national security grounds. The deal is currently awaiting a recommendation from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), but it has received praise from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who chairs the …

The Rapid City Journal reports: South Dakota’s attorney general reported hitting a deer Saturday night but actually hit and killed a man whose body wasn’t discovered until the next morning, the Department of Public Safety said Monday morning. The release does not say if Ravnsborg stopped to confirm that he hit a deer or inspect his vehicle for damage. It …

The Associated Press reports: Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic restrictions that required people to stay at home, placed size limits on gatherings and ordered “non-life-sustaining” businesses to shut down are unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, sided with plaintiffs that included hair salons, drive-in movie theaters, a farmer’s …

Media Matters reports: The Arizona Republican Party recently ran a Facebook video spotlighting congressional candidate and self-described QAnon follower Daniel Wood. During that video, AZGOP state chair Kelli Ward [photo] told him that “you are a man after my own heart” and encouraged people to volunteer and contribute to his campaign. Daniel Wood is running against Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva …

The Daily Beast reports: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem called a surprise press conference on Sunday evening to announce that the state attorney general, Jason Ravnsborg, had been involved in a fatal car crash the night before. Details were scant but Ravnsborg released a statement saying, “I am shocked and filled with sorrow following the events of last night. As …