Republicans

The Washington Post reports:  Matt Bevin is no longer the governor of Kentucky, but his decisions continued to send shock waves through the state’s legal system this week after he issued pardons for hundreds of people, some of whom committed violent offenses. Bevin issued 428 pardons since his defeat to Democrat Andy Beshear in a close election in November. His …

The Hill reports: Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R) said Thursday that as many as a half-dozen GOP senators are privately in favor of voting to convict President Trump at a likely impeachment trial. “I know most of the senior Republicans in the Senate,” Weld, a long-shot candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, said in an interview at The Hill’s …

CNN reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to hold a final vote to acquit President Donald Trump, should he be impeached, when a majority of senators believe his trial has run its course instead of holding a vote on dismissing the articles of impeachment, two Republican senators told CNN. Republicans want to have a vote on acquittal — …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: The family of a man pardoned by Gov. Matt Bevin for a homicide and other crimes in a fatal 2014 Knox County home invasion raised $21,500 at a political fundraiser last year to retire debt from Bevin’s 2015 gubernatorial campaign. The brother and sister-in-law of offender Patrick Brian Baker also gave $4,000 to Bevin’s campaign on …

NBC News reports: As the Senate begins preparations for an impeachment trial next month, many Republican members are questioning the wisdom of having President Donald Trump call witnesses and are instead discussing a speedy resolution. Republican senators have been holding talks about the likely trial and few see the benefit of a slate of witnesses testifying on behalf of the …

Gothamist reports: A failed attempt to secede is still well-regarded in some quarters of the South, a century-and-a-half after the Civil War. And the failed attempt to secede is apparently still well-regarded in some quarters of New York’s southern-most corner, a generation-and-a-half after the last breakaway attempt failed. So says Staten Island City Councilman Joe Borelli. “Secession is wildly popular …

The Week reports: Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) just spent more than 40 minutes tearing into the FBI for its handling of the 2016 investigation into Russian election interference. Graham said FBI agents were “biased” against President Trump and questioned whether the agency had selected its top individuals. Graham did say he respects the FBI as a whole, …

The Hill reports: Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) has blocked an attempt by Democrats to pass legislation meant to prevent Russia and other countries from interfering in elections. Crapo’s move came after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) asked for consent to pass the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines, or DETER Act. Van Hollen argued the bill would underscore that …

CNN reports: In conversations with the White House, the Kentucky Republican has made clear he hopes to end the trial as soon as he can, an effort to both get impeachment off his lap and protect his conference from potentially damaging votes should the process break out into partisan warfare. That will include a continuous whip count until McConnell feels …

Yahoo News reports: Republican Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida announced Tuesday that he will not seek another term, saying he never meant to spend more than eight years in Congress. Democrats seized upon the news as a sign of weakening morale among the GOP. Yoho, who aligned himself with the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party and has been …

NPR reports: Pierce Bush, the grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, says he’s running for Congress in Texas. Bush joins a crowded GOP field in Texas’ 22nd congressional district, a seat currently held by retiring Republican Rep. Pete Olson. At least 14 other Republicans are running in the GOP primary for this suburban Houston district, which will likely also …

The Daily Beast reports: A perennial Republican House candidate whose doomed bids against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) have become a cause celebre on the right was arrested Saturday on three felony charges. Businessman Omar Navarro has leveraged his frequent campaigns against Waters to become a prominent voice on the far-right, earning more than $1 million in campaign contributions and the …

USA Today reports: Another flashpoint came after Democratic and Republican presentations on what the Intelligence Committee found in the impeachment inquiry. At that point, Democratic counsel Barry Berke had moved from the witness table to the counsel chair at the elbow of Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, challenged having Berke both testify and then serve as counsel …

The Pensacola News-Journal reports: For those not from these parts, about a decade ago, the former Arkansas governor and “Christian minister” packed up his carpet bags and moved into a $6 million beach house roughly 60 miles east of Pensacola. You know, because a $6 million dollar beach house is exactly where Jesus would have chosen to chill with his …

Common Dreams reports: Just one Republican — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania — joined a united House Democratic caucus on Friday to pass what rights groups hailed as “historic” legislation to restore and expand voter protections that were gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013. Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for Public Citizen, said passage of the Voting …

San Diego’s ABC News affiliate reports: Days after pleading guilty to misusing campaign funds, Congressman Duncan Hunter has announced he will resign from Congress. Hunter, who represented the 50th District, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of conspiracy to misuse campaign funds for personal use. Though after the plea, it wasn’t clear if the embattled Congressman would resign. “Shortly …

Hypocrisy is their hallmark. Also cruelty. But also also hypocrisy: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called out House Democrats for trying to impeach President Donald Trump “on the eve of Christmas,” Friday, but on December 19 1998, when Gingrich was speaker, the House of Representatives impeached former President Bill Clinton. “Really, on the eve of Christmas it is …

Mediaite reports: Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, appeared to claim that mass shooter Dylann Roof “hijacked” the Confederate flag, and that it was seen as “service, and sacrifice, and heritage” before the 2015 Charleston Church Shooting, during an interview with the Blaze’s Glenn Beck this week. “There is this guy that comes out with this manifesto, …

Roll Call reports: Rep. George Holding announced Friday that he will not run for Congress again in 2020 in his own district or a neighboring one. The North Carolina Republican’s district became more Democratic on a new congressional map. Holding’s decision comes after he said earlier this week that he would not run in a district that he could not …

Politico reports: On Wednesday, a conservative backbencher in the House issued an explosive request to Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham: Subpoena the phone records of House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff. On Thursday, Graham had a succinct response: “We’re not going to do that.” President Donald Trump has joined in as well, tweeting on Thursday that he wants to call Schiff, …