Republicans

Reuters reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) pledged Tuesday that Republicans would fill a Supreme Court vacancy in 2019 or 2020, arguing the dynamic is different now than when the party held open a seat in 2016. Asked during an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt if Republicans would support filing a vacancy on the Supreme Court in 2019 …

The Hill reports: President Trump said Sunday that he is still talking to Congress about measures to stem gun violence but that Saturday’s shooting in West Texas that left seven people dead “hasn’t changed anything.” Trump also asserted that stricter background checks wouldn’t have stopped mass shootings over the past several years. “We’re looking at the same things,” Trump told …

Shareblue reports: Donald Trump Jr. could not attract much of a crowd in an extremely pro-Trump area of Kentucky to rally for Gov. Matt Bevin on Thursday. The eldest Trump son promoted the event on Tuesday to his 3.79 million followers with a link touting the event as “an excellent opportunity to show your support” for Bevin. But the event …

Roll Call reports: Republican Rep. John Shimkus will not run for a 13th term in his southeastern Illinois district, vacating what will likely remain a safe Republican seat in 2020. Shimkus announced his decision Friday afternoon, saying he wanted to make his plans known as candidates begin to circulate petitions for office next week. “Serving in Congress has been a …

The Sacramento Bee reports: A Virginia judge has asked Twitter to provide more information about the authors of two anonymous parody accounts that heckle California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes before deciding whether to dismiss the congressman’s lawsuit against the social media company. Judge John Marshall is weighing a request from San Francisco-based Twitter to dismiss Nunes’ lawsuit on the grounds …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that “mistakes were made” in his fundraising letter that used alarmist language in calling to “DEFEND” the Texas border and was dated one day before a deadly shooting that targeted Hispanics in El Paso. Speaking to reporters ahead of the second meeting of the newly formed Texas Safety Commission, Abbott said …

You may recall this story providing days of mirth here on JMG way back in 2015. Lansing’s Fox News affiliate reports: A former Michigan lawmaker pleaded no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor stemming from charges filed over a bizarre plot to hide his extramarital affair with another legislator. Todd Courser, a 47-year-old Republican from Silverwood who resigned from the state …

Salon reports: During an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) claimed he has every intention of calling in former President Barack Obama and grilling him on what he knows about the FBI’s investigation of Donald Trump. Speaking with the Fox News host, the Republican senator claimed he is pushing forward with his …

The Montgomery Advertiser reports: Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday issued an apology for appearing in a racist sketch during her time as an undergraduate at Auburn University in the 1960s. Audio surfaced of a 1967 interview given by Ivey and her then-fiancee, Ben LaRavia, in which LaRavia recalled a party at Auburn’s Baptist Student Union. Ivey participated in at least …

San Diego’s Fox affiliate reports: Former Rep. Darrell Issa has launched an exploratory committee for California’s 50th Congressional District, a seat currently held by embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine. “I have received such a tremendous outpouring of encouragement from supporters inside the district, and around the state and across the Nation. I’m truly grateful for the many encouraging phone calls, …

Reuters reports: Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said Wednesday that he will resign at the end of 2019, citing health problems. Isakson, who was reelected to a third term in 2016, said in a statement that he has informed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) of his decision, effective Dec. 31. “I am leaving a job I love because my health challenges …

Mediaite reports: While speaking about China’s latest efforts to implement a social credit system, the congressman eventually diverted to talk about how the country treats Muslims. As he noted that a “million” Muslims are being put into camps, having their children taken away and the women undergoing forced sterilization, King eventually chuckled after saying that Muslims are being forced to …

Sen. Tom Cotton writes for the New York Times: After news leaked last week that President Trump had expressed interest in acquiring Greenland from Denmark, his critics predictably derided him as crazy. But once again, the president is crazy like a fox. The acquisition of Greenland would secure vital strategic interests for the United States, economically benefit both us and …

From GOP Rep. Sean Duffy’s Facebook page: Next to marrying Rachel, representing you – the people and families of Wisconsin’s 7th District – in Congress has been the highest honor of my life. Together, we have engaged in the most important battles of our time: protecting freedom of speech and religious liberty, taking care of our veterans, defending the unborn, …

Mediaite reports: Stephanopoulos asked Walsh about whether the he thought the 25th Amendment — which allows the removal of a president for incapacity — should be invoked. “It should be looked at,” Walsh replied. “We’ve never had a situation like this. You can’t believe a word he says. And again, I don’t care your politics, that should concern you.” “He’s …

The Washington Post reports: Joe Walsh, a former Illinois congressman, says he’ll challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2020. The tea party favorite argues that Trump is unfit for the White House. Walsh announced his candidacy during an interview on ABC’s “This Week’” on Sunday. Also in the race is Bill Weld, a former Massachusetts governor. Walsh …

Salon reports: Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, held a “No Exception to Life” press conference on Friday, where he again offered a passionate defense of his belief that abortion should be prohibited after the detection of a fetal heartbeat — even in cases of rape and incest. Speaking at a Holiday Inn in Des Moines, Iowa, his home state, the lawmaker …

From the right wing Yellowhammer News: U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is no friend of the Alabama Republican Party. That was the takeaway on Saturday at the ALGOP’s summer meeting hosted on the Plains in Lee County after the body passed a resolution introduced by State Rep. Tommy Hanes (R-Bryant) calling for Alabama’s congressional delegation to seek the expulsion of …

Axios reports: There is no U.S. law that prevents candidates, parties or political groups from launching their own disinformation campaigns, either in-house or through a contractor, so long as foreign money isn’t involved. It’s up to individual candidates to decide their tolerance for the practice. Broadly, U.S. campaign finance laws don’t regulate free social media accounts. Even a vast network …

Politico reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday issued a forceful defense of the legislative filibuster, the Senate’s 60-vote threshold that Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates have expressed a new willingness to abolish. “The legislative filibuster is directly downstream from our founding tradition. If that tradition frustrates the whims of those on the far left, it is their half-baked …