Republicans

“He absolutely hates gay sex, especially when he’s having it. He wants to actually criminalize gay sex because it makes it hotter. Oh, this is a beaut, this guy. He has written in favor of reinstituting sodomy laws. Sodomy laws? That’s laws against anal and oral. I’ve never understood this about the Republicans. If you’re so against abortion, why would …

The Huffington Post reports: The wife of newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) runs a counseling business that advocates the belief that homosexuality is comparable to bestiality and incest, according to its operating documents. Johnson and his wife, Kelly, have long intertwined their political and business lives: They became a known entity in the late 1990s when they went …

“They need to be worried about what’s going on in Ukraine, the Middle East, the wars that their side, the Democrats, and Joe Biden have created. You know, they want to circumvent the rules. “The only power you have in the minority is to be able to have holds on something to get the attention of the other side, whether …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: During a 2016 Louisiana Senate hearing on an anti-marriage equality measure, the bill’s author, then state Rep. Mike Johnson, found himself in a bit of a political pickle. The bill’s blanket protections for clergy refusing to marry someone because of their religious beliefs had Black and brown lawmakers concerned it would open the door not …

Brian Stelter writes for Vanity Fair: “One of the biggest revelations to me in my conversations with Romney was just how important the threat of political violence was to the psychology of elected Republicans today,” said Coppins, who recalled Romney telling him “story after story about Republican members of Congress, Republican senators, who at various points wanted to vote for …

Arizona Central reports: A Michigan lawyer steeped in conspiracy theories helped write the Cyber Ninjas’ final report to the Arizona Senate on its 2020 election “audit” and pushed to include false claims of fraud. Stefanie Lambert, who led efforts to access voting machines in four states, wanted Cyber Ninjas’ CEO Doug Logan to say the review found evidence that fake …

The Texas Tribune reports: Faced with ongoing scandals this month involving his allies’ ties to antisemitic extremists, the leader of the Republican Party of Texas has come out strongly — to attack other conservatives who’ve criticized his friends. For three weeks, Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi has been defiant in the face of calls from members of his own party …

NBC News reports: Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pled not guilty Friday to additional charges in a superseding indictment, including allegations of identity theft and transferring money to his personal bank account from a supporter’s credit card. U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert set a trial date for Santos of Sept. 9 of next year, which is expected to last a month. …

“Here’s the reality, Sean. We have a four-seat majority in the House. It is possible that that number may be reduced even more in the coming weeks and months, and so we will have what may be the most razor-thin majority in the history of the Congress. We have no margin for error. And so George Santos is due due …

“Log Cabin Republicans congratulates Rep. Michael Johnson on his election to become the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives. As Speaker and the leader of the GOP in the House, it will be imperative that he work to implement an agenda that advances the interests of all Americans. “Speaker Johnson previously united all sides of the conservative movement in …

New York City’s CBS affiliate reports: Rep. George Santos, a Republican of New York, is expected to appear in court Friday soon after he was hit with a slew of additional charges earlier this month that accuse him of stealing his campaign donors’ identities and racking up thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on their credit cards. The Justice Department …

Florida Politics reports: “A lot of the guys who commit violent crime and yes, less than what we saw in Maine, a lot of these people go in and out of the justice system because of liberal, soft on crime policies. You do a crime, you should do the time. Stop cycling people back out, that will make communities safer,” …

The Daily Beast reports: In the past, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) has had a lot to say about the issue of LGBTQ+ rights. While working for the Alliance Defending Freedom, Johnson went on record as saying that “inherently unnatural” same-sex relationships mark “the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy” and could lead to people marrying their pets. Now, however, …

Mediaite reports: Kari Lake, the failed 2022 GOP candidate for governor of Arizona and 2024 U.S. Senate candidate, quickly endorsed Blake Masters’s GOP primary opponent after Masters announced a run for Congress on Thursday. A few hours later, Lake sent out a press release endorsing Masters’s main Republican opponent Abe Hamadeh. Hamaden ran for attorney general in 2022, while Masters …

“Jason Smith says if my lips are moving, I’m lying. Well, you know what? If Jason Smith is breathing, he is living a lie. There might not be another member of Congress who lives a lie every day more than Jason Smith. “And Jason Smith knows exactly what I’m talking about. And by the way, so does almost every member …

The New York Times reports: Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host from California whose run for the Republican presidential nomination never gained traction, ended his campaign on Thursday and endorsed Donald J. Trump, the front-runner in the crowded field. He never surpassed the Republican Party’s donation or polling thresholds to qualify for candidate debates. Mr. Elder, a Los Angeles …

CNN reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday evening that he is not sure if Florida’s red flag law is effective in removing guns from dangerous people and he wouldn’t sign one – or any gun safety measure – if elected president. Instead, in response to Wednesday’s mass shooting at a bowling alley and a restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, that has …

NBC News reports: Two years before going from a relatively unknown congressman to speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana spoke at a national gathering of Christian lawmakers in North Texas and shared his deep admiration for the man behind the conference: the evangelical activist and self-styled historian David Barton. Johnson told the audience at the December 2021 …

Bloomberg News reports: Indicted New York Representative George Santos faces a vote next week by fellow lawmakers on expelling him from the US House. New York Republican Anthony D’Esposito on Thursday made a formal demand to vote on the expulsion, requiring Speaker Mike Johnson to call a vote within two legislative days. The House is leaving Thursday for a long …

The Hill reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) office says it is sending drones, weapons and ammunition to Israel to support its war against Hamas, a move that would bolster the governor’s pro-Israel stance in the battle for the GOP presidential nomination. Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for DeSantis’s office, said that the Israeli Consul General in Miami requested Florida send …