Scandal

The Associated Press reports: A key figure in a North Carolina investigation into ballot fraud in a 2018 congressional race pleaded guilty on Monday to federal charges he unlawfully accepted Social Security benefits when concealing other money he earned. Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., 65, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle for theft of government property and Social …

The Roys Report reports: The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is already reeling from recent allegations that key leaders mistreated sex abuse survivors and tried to intimidate advocates. Now comes another leaked document, showing that a former high-profile SBC executive called the movement to address sex abuse in the SBC “a satanic scheme to completely distract us from evangelism.” The document …

Reuters reports: One of Roman Catholicism’s most influential liberal figures, Germany’s Cardinal Reinhard Marx, has offered to resign as archbishop of Munich, saying he had to share responsibility for the “catastrophe” of sexual abuse by clerics over past decades. His offer, which Pope Francis has yet to accept, follows an uproar among the German faithful over abuse. Last week, the …

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: A Missouri lawmaker allegedly used his position as a cop to receive a “sexual favor” from an intoxicated teenage girl in 2015 and his boss, the Pike County sheriff, is accused of attempting to obstruct a probe as the deputy ran for a seat in the Legislature last year, the Post-Dispatch has learned. According to …

The Oklahoman reports: Attorney General Mike Hunter announced his resignation on Wednesday, less than a week after filing for divorce from his wife, Cheryl. The Oklahoman submitted questions to Hunter on Tuesday night about an extramarital affair that the newspaper confirmed through people familiar with the situation. The sources said the affair was with a state employee, who did not …

Yahoo News reports: The FBI is investigating what it describes as a massive scheme to illegally finance Sen. Susan Collins’ 2020 re-election bid. A recently unsealed search warrant application shows the FBI believes a Hawaii defense contractor illegally funneled $150,000 to a pro-Collins super PAC and reimbursed donations to Collins’ campaign. There’s no indication that Collins or her team were …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A change of plea hearing has been scheduled for Monday in federal court in the case of Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector who resigned in disgrace last June. Greenberg — who is required to attend the 10 a.m. hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman — is expected to plead guilty to federal …

Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports: The Holy See has accepted the resignation of the bishop of the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, Jan Tyrawa, over alleged negligence in the face of sex abuse accusations against priests subordinate to him, a Vatican diplomat said on Wednesday. Tyrawa tendered his resignation after the end of a Vatican investigation, which looked into accusations of the sexual …

CNN reports: Federal investigators scrutinizing Rep. Matt Gaetz are seeking the cooperation of a former Capitol Hill intern who was once a girlfriend of the Florida Republican, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Investigators could also soon gain the formal cooperation of a second key witness, former Florida county tax collector Joel Greenberg, who is approaching a deadline this …

Manchester, New Hampshire’s ABC News affiliate reports: The Nashua Republican City Committee will not disinvite embattled U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida from its annual summer fundraiser, the committee’s vice chair says in a statement shared first with WMUR on Monday. Di Lothrop, who organizes events for the city GOP, said that after conferring with Gaetz’s top aide on Sunday, …

Politico reports: Matt Gaetz’s former girlfriend has told friends she’s worried that the woman who is key to the federal government’s sex-crimes investigation tried to get her to incriminate the Florida lawmaker on a recorded call. The revelation raises the possibility that federal prosecutors have two top cooperating witnesses: the woman who was an alleged sex-trafficking victim when she was …

The New York Times reports: Liberty University has sued Jerry Falwell Jr. for $10 million, exacerbating the messy divorce between the Christian university and its former president whose family name has been synonymous with the university since its founding. The new suit, which alleges breach of contract and fiduciary duty, claims that Mr. Falwell withheld scandalous and potentially damaging information …

Talking Points Memo reports: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said Thursday that he has spoken to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) about the allegations against him, and that Gaetz maintained his innocence. When prodded by reporters about what it would take for him to remove Gaetz from his committees or otherwise punish him, McCarthy indicated that he’s waiting for an …

Politico reports: The son of Jerry Falwell Jr. is out of his job as vice president at Liberty University nearly eight months after his father resigned as president of the Christian school amid allegations of inappropriate personal behavior and financial self-dealing. Liberty University spokesperson Scott Lamb on Wednesday confirmed to POLITICO that Trey Falwell was “no longer employed by the …

The Daily Beast reports: In the Venmo transactions reviewed by The Daily Beast, there are at least 16 payments in 2017 totaling nearly $5,000 to a woman who would later go on to date Matt Gaetz. Additionally, Greenberg paid her $1,500 over the course of two days in April 2017 using Cash App. That woman—who came to Washington, D.C. as …

Kansas City’s NBC News affiliate reports: A Missouri state lawmaker exiled from the House Republican caucus over accusations of sexually and physically abusing his children years ago on Tuesday said he will step down. Republican Rep. Rick Roeber in his resignation letter said he will resign Friday. He represents the 34th District in the Missouri House of Representatives. Roeber did …

CNN reports: The first thing some of the women were asked to do when they got to the house parties in the gated community in suburban Orlando was to put away their cellphones, according to two women in attendance who spoke to CNN in recent days. The men inside, a who’s who of local Republican officials that often included Rep. …

Via press release from Minnesota’s Diocese of Crookston: It has been announced today that, after an extensive investigation, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, asked for, and has now accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael Hoeppner from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Crookston. The investigation which led to the acceptance of Bishop Hoeppner’s resignation arose from reports that he …

USA Today reports: Former House Speaker John Boehner, once the nation’s highest-ranking Republican, told USA TODAY that embattled Rep. Matt Gaetz should resign if he is indicted. If the Florida congressman refuses, Boehner said, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy should move to expel him from the House. “When a member gets in trouble, it splashes back on all the members,” …

CBS News reports: House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (Wyo.) said on Sunday that the allegations against one of her harshest critics, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), are “sickening,” but refused to say whether or not he should resign. While appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan asked Cheney if she would call for Gaetz’s resignation. “You know, as …