Category Archives: Republican

Ailan Evans

After only three months at the helm of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan is disturbing many top Republicans, who say shes turned the agency into a partisan weapon.

The 32-year-old Yale alum,confirmedin June with significant bipartisan support, has pushed to expand the role of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as empower her own office, withdrawing key guidelines on competition and mergers, pushing to expand rulemaking authority and overseeing antitrust litigation against Facebook, all while curbing the flow of information to the agencys staff and even fellow commissioners.

Khans actions have earned her thebackingof several top Democrats, but some Republicans say Khans reforms are little more than a partisan power grab.

Shes abandoned long-standing bipartisan practices and made it clear she will use the FTC to advance President Bidens agenda in the name of economic inequality and socialism, Rep. Jim Jordan, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, told the Daily Caller News Foundation, describing her tenure as chair as radical and partisan.

Sen. Mike Lee, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committees antitrust subcommittee, echoed Jordans thoughts in a Julyletterto Khan. Lee pointed to the diminished role of Republican commissioners in antitrust enforcement and characterized Khans actions as a progressive putsch to consolidate power and burden American businesses.

Republican FTC commissioners Noah Phillips and Christine Wilson have voiced similar concerns, accusing Khan of attempting to cut them out of important decisions and restricting their access to information.

Intestimonybefore the Senate on Tuesday, Wilson said Khan was tearing down the FTCs rich bipartisan tradition and damaging the agencys reputation. WilsonallegedKhan was keeping her in the dark in certain merger review cases, saying she had to ask the companies she was reviewing for documents related to the merger review process because internal FTC sources would not provide them.

The commissioners have also taken issue with Khans mid-Septemberwithdrawalof the 2020 Vertical Merger Guidelines, which were designed to provide clarity to businesses seeking to acquire other non-competing businesses in the same industry, without proposing a replacement. Phillips and Wilson called the withdrawal a continuation of the disturbing trend of pulling the rug out under from honest businesses in a dissenting statement.

The Republicans accused Khan of favoring unchecked regulatory power over guidance, characterizing the withdrawal of the guidelines as a way for Khan to force businesses seeking vertical mergers to subject themselves to her discretionary authority. Phillips and Wilson also highlighted the conspicuous absence of public input in Khans decisions.

The Republicans rebuke echoed earliercriticismof Khan for jettisoning bipartisan Obama-era guidelines on unfair competition in July and offering only a promise of future rules in their place. The discarded guidelines provided clarity to businesses on how the FTC would enforce antitrust law, Phillips and Wilson argued, who worried their absence could have a chilling effect on the economy.

Consumers will lose the benefits of competition, and honest businesses will lose clarity regarding the boundaries of lawful conduct, the commissioners wrote.

There have also beenreportsthat the FTC, when investigating mergers, is requesting companies provide information on how the merger will affect issues such as ESG goals, unionization, and equity.

Darren Tucker, a lawyer for antitrust law practice Vinson & Elkins LLP, shed light on this practice in an open commission meeting on Sept. 15, saying FTC staff had requested information on these concerns but had not communicated how it would affect the merger review process, leaving the outside world guessing as to the role they play in agency decision making.

Antitrust law firms said they were seeing an uptick in requests for information on the aforementioned concerns,Law360reported, and Tucker told the publication that requests for this information were unusual and nontraditional.

When reached for comment by the DCNF, an FTC spokesperson declined to provide details on how information related to ESG goals, equity concerns, and unionization would be used to determine whether a merger was lawful.

The FTC should be providing regulatory clarity, enforce the law as written and promote markets that consumers need to work for them, Jonathan Wilcox, spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, told the DCNF. Instead, Ms. Khan has adopted an ideologically partisan agenda that seeks to control the private sector and routinely oversteps any authority granted from the Congress.

Former FTC acting Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, a Democrat, has repeatedly and publiclylobbiedfor the FTC to consider equity concerns when enforcing antitrust law,tweetingin September 2020 that antitrust can and should be antiracist.

Antitrust law itself can be used to promote racial inclusion and equity, Slaughtersaidat an antitrust conference in November 2020.

Khan has not publicly addressed how information on equity concerns will affect merger reviews, butissueda memo last week promising to take a holistic approach to identifying harms when enforcing antitrust and consumer protection laws.

More recently, Khan has reportedly looked intocraftingdata privacy protections absent any federal data law, a move publicly condemned as imprudent and overreaching by Phillips, along with Republicans Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, in anop-edWednesday.

Inevitably, the commissioners would favor certain business models over others, triggering massive penalties against practices they personally disfavor, the Republicans wrote. Attempting to rewrite privacy law by executive fiat would be a blatant overreach that would almost certainly invite legal challenges.

Yet top Senate Democrats have expressed support for the move; Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and six other lawmakers sent aletterto Khan in mid-September urging her to begin a rulemaking process on data privacy regulations. Democrats have alsobackeda proposal handing the FTC $1 billion to create a privacy protection bureau.

While Republican politicians have constituted the majority of Khans critics, she is ruffling feathers among rank-and-file FTC employees as well, with several recruiters and law firms reporting an unprecedented exodus of FTC lawyers since the start of Khans tenure, according to a Julyreviewby The National Law Journal. Many employees feel disrespected and ignored by Khans isolated managerial style,Politicoreported last week, and say their input is not being considered in agency decisions.

Khan also imposed a moratorium on FTC staff appearances at public events,Politicoreported in early July, citing financial considerations.

The Federal Trade Commission did not respond to requests for an interview with Chairwoman Lina Khan.

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'Radical And Partisan': Republican Concern Is Growing Over Lina Khan's FTC Overhaul - The Free Press

Republicans are marching forward with plans to challenge the 2020 election, undeterred by the outcome of the controversial audit in Arizona that reaffirmed President BidenJoe BidenHouse panel to tee up debt ceiling hike with three weeks to avert default Yellen chastises GOP as debt default countdown begins Overnight Defense & National Security Presented by AM General Senators slam Pentagon officials MOREs victory in the states largest county.

The months-long audit in Maricopa County ended on Friday with a report showing Biden in fact slightly expanded his margin of victory over former President TrumpDonald TrumpVaccines, abortion, Trump dominate final Virginia governor's debate Yellen chastises GOP as debt default countdown begins Overnight Defense & National Security Presented by AM General Senators slam Pentagon officials MORE.

But proponents of Trumps false claims about a rigged election have so far ignored those findings. Republicans in states like Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin are pressing forward with extensive reviews of the 2020 election results at the behest of Trump.

I think the biggest takeaway is that that election should have never been certified as it was counted, and the movement is really not going to go away, its just going to build and become stronger, one Trump aide said.

Instead of conceding that Biden won both Maricopa County and Arizona, Trumps allies have seized on other factors that some 23,000 mail-in ballots may have come from addresses other than a voters current address, for instance to insist that the election results cannot be trusted.

Republicans in the Arizona state Senate are hoping to use the findings of the audit as a jumping-off point for new election-related legislation. Meanwhile, some Republicans are demanding that officials expand the scope of the election reviews.

Mark Finchem, a Republican candidate for secretary of state, called on Friday for an audit of the 2020 vote in Pima County, where Tucson is located.

Now that the audit of Maricopa is wrapping up, we need to Audit Pima County the 2nd largest county in AZ, Finchem tweeted. There are 35k votes in question from multiple sources & I want answers.

Keith Naughton, a veteran Republican strategist, said that part of the reason GOP officials and candidates are pushing forward with their calls to reexamine the election results is that they likely have more to lose by not supporting additional audits.

Theres still pressure from their primary voters who want to see this review, Naughton said. At the end of the day, everyones in their own silos. If youre consuming that conservative media, youre not getting the message that [the Arizona audit] was this unambiguous endorsement of Bidens win. Plus, Trumps never going to admit that he lost.

Republicans in other states dont appear to be taking any lessons away from the election audit in Maricopa County, which dragged on for months longer than expected and drew intense scrutiny throughout its lifetime.

Last week, hours after Trump publicly demanded that Texas Gov. Greg AbbottGreg AbbottProposed Texas map adds two new congressional districts to Austin, Houston Texas surpasses 4 million COVID-19 cases threshold The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Alibaba - Democrats stare down 'hell' week MORE back legislation to launch a forensic audit of the 2020 election, the Texas secretary of states office announced a comprehensive forensic audit of the election results in four of the states largest counties.

The audit was one of the first times such a review has been launched in a state the former president won. While Republicans had pushed for audits in swing states that handed Trump defeats, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Trump won Texas by about 6 points.

Abbott defended his states decision to review the results of the 2020 election, saying that it has nothing to do with Trump. Rather, he said the audits would be conducted out of a responsibility to ensure the integrity of and confidence in the elections in the state of Texas.

There are audits of every aspect of government, Abbott said on Fox News Sunday. We have a state auditor, theres a federal auditor for the way the government operations work. Businesses that are public companies are subject to an annual audit. Why do we audit everything in this world, but people raise their hands in concern when we audit elections, which is fundamental to our democracy?

But despite that assertion, there are well-known political risks for Republicans who break with the former president. One Republican strategist who has worked on races in Texas pointed to Trump critics like Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as a cautionary tale.

Raffensperger, a Republican, drew Trumps ire after he defended the accuracy of the 2020 election in Georgia, which Biden narrowly won. Since then, Trump has vowed to campaign against Raffensperger and has endorsed Rep. Jody HiceJody Brownlow HiceTrump says Stacey Abrams 'might be better than existing governor' Kemp Trump stokes GOP tensions in Georgia Herschel Walker will speak at Trump rally in Georgia MORE (R-Ga.), who is running to replace him next year.

You see what happens when you criticize the election fraud stuff. Look at Brad Raffensperger, the strategist said. The grassroots is still with President Trump and if he says the election was stolen, a lot of people are going to believe the election was stolen.

Trump is expected to keep applying pressure to have similar audits conducted as he continues to stew over his 2020 defeat and mulls a comeback bid in 2024. And even without examples of widespread fraud or irregularities, his repeated claims of wrongdoing are inserting enough confusion that Republicans say that audits are useful regardless of the available evidence.

He definitely is going to keep pushing this, the Trump aide said.

The big thing that was missing in Arizona, that I think really needs to be done not just in swing states but really just to give voters a peace of mind about their registration rules in their election processes, they should have audits and canvasses in any state, just to make sure, take a second look, because theres so many questions about how our elections have been administered, the aide continued.

That argument is emerging as a main driver of both conspiracy theories broadly and the specific pushes for audits in key states, particularly in states where Democrats with footholds in the government push back on the GOP efforts.

In an interview Friday, just hours before the Arizona results were released, Pennsylvania state Sen. Jake Corman (R) pounced on state Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) for suing to stop state Republicans from subpoenaing personal information of millions of voters.

If theres nothing there, as they claim, then well be spending a lot of our time doing this and not finding anything, Corman said on former Trump strategist Stephen Bannons podcast. Heres the sad part about it. Lets say hypothetically they were successful in court and they stop this. That just adds to the conspiracy, that just adds to peoples doubts about the system.

Not every Republican is confident that conducting the audits presents the GOP with a winning message heading into the midterm elections.

Elevating conspiracy theories about voter fraud runs the risk of both turning off the same moderates who rebuked Trump in 2020 and drawing attention away from Biden, whom Republicans view as a potent foil in the midterms amid a slew of crises, including the coronavirus, the economy and the messy withdrawal from Afghanistan.

I think the whole audit effort is extremely counterproductive. We need to stop looking backwards and start looking forwards as a party, said one national GOP strategist.

And in places like Arizona and Georgia, these are highly competitive races, and if theyre fought along the battle lines of whether or not the Biden administration has the country moving in the right direction, then Republicans have a really good chance to win, the person said, referencing two purple states with Senate and gubernatorial races next year. But if the next campaign is really about the last campaign, then I think its detrimental to the cause.

Still, Trump wields the largest megaphone in the GOP, and with Republicans fearful of crossing him, the party is expected to keep pushing the audits.

When asked if he had any hope that the audits would be dropped given Trumps vocal support for him, the national strategist simply replied, It certainly makes it more difficult to do so.

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Republicans plow forward with election challenges | TheHill - The Hill

WASHINGTON Business groups and some Senate Republicans working at cross-purposes with Republican leaders in the House have mounted an all-out drive to secure G.O.P. votes for a bipartisan infrastructure bill ahead of a final vote on Thursday.

Although the measure is the product of a compromise among moderates in both parties, House Republican leaders are leaning on their members to reject the $1 trillion infrastructure bill by disparaging its contents and arguing that it will only pave the way for Democrats to push through their far larger climate change and social policy bill.

Their opposition has ratcheted up pressure on Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has the more progressive members of her Democratic caucus threatening to withhold their support for the infrastructure package until Congress acts on that broader bill. If Republicans unite in opposition, Ms. Pelosi can afford to lose as few as three Democrats on the bill.

But some Republican senators who helped write the bill, along with influential business groups who support it including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have started a countereffort to try to persuade House Republicans to back the legislation.

Its a good bill; its right there for the country, so Im encouraging Republicans to support it, said Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio and one of the bills negotiators, who said he was working the phones hard. Therell be some that have told me they will, but theyre under a lot of pressure.

How the conflicting pressure campaigns play out could determine the fate of the infrastructure bill. On Tuesday, liberal Democrats accused Ms. Pelosi of a betrayal for abandoning her promise that the House would not take up the infrastructure bill until after the Senate secured passage of the larger measure.

While Democratic leaders are working hard to secure as many of those liberal votes as possible, they know defections will have to be made up by House Republicans.

Id say the bill is likely to pass, but its going to be a squeaker, Neil Bradley, an executive vice president and the chief policy officer for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who once worked for the House Republican leadership, said on Tuesday.

Representative Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana, who runs his partys vote-pressuring operation in the House, is closely tracking which Republicans intend to vote for the infrastructure bill.

Were working to keep that number as low as we possibly can, he said.

A few House Republicans who are members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus have announced their support for the measure, including Representatives Tom Reed of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska. On Monday, Representative Don Young of Alaska, the longest serving member of the House, announced his support with an impassioned speech on the House floor.

Moderate Democrats say others may follow suit maybe as many as 20 Republican votes if Ms. Pelosi can win over enough liberals to keep it close. But with a Thursday vote looming, time is running out.

Representative Peter Meijer, a freshman Republican from Michigan, said he had heard from Republicans from both sides, but when he asked whether it would be better for both bills to pass or both to fail, the consensus is better both fail. President Biden saddling infrastructure with this $3.5 trillion albatross around its neck was a poison pill for those of us who wanted a bipartisan solution, he said.

The infrastructure bill is an unusual phenomenon in a starkly polarized Congress: a truly bipartisan and significant bill, hammered out by Democrats and Republicans before it passed the Senate last month with 69 votes, 19 of them Republican, including that of the minority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

With $550 billion in new federal spending, the measure would provide $65 billion to expand high-speed internet access; $110 billion for roads, bridges and other projects; $25 billion for airports; and the most funding for Amtrak since the passenger rail service was founded in 1971. It would also renew and revamp existing infrastructure and transportation programs set to expire on Friday.

But because House Democratic leaders have at least verbally packaged it with a larger, $3.5 trillion climate change and social policy bill, it has been caught up in the politics of that measure and broader Republican efforts to thwart President Bidens agenda.

Mr. Scalise put it in the loftiest of terms on Tuesday: This week, were going to see an epic battle play out between free-market capitalism and big-government socialism. Thats whats at stake.

With Democrats publicly feuding over Mr. Bidens agenda, senior Republicans have little interest in having their rank-and-file bail Ms. Pelosi out of her predicament.

The legislative crisis thats before her is one of her own creation that she needs the progressives to bail her out of, said Representative Jason Smith of Missouri, the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee.

Supporters of the infrastructure bill are trying to stay cleareyed about the bills merits, not the broader politics.

Its true people have been rhetorically linking the two, but really they arent, Mr. Bradley said. If that vote passes, the bill goes to the president for his signature.

And they argue that House Republicans are making the wrong political calculation about the infrastructure measure. G.O.P. leaders have warned that the bill is a Trojan horse whose passage would only increase the chances of Democrats passing the more costly plan that Mr. Biden calls his Build Back Better agenda, which is packed with expansions of social safety net programs, initiatives to combat climate change and tax increases on corporations and the wealthy.

I just think its not accurate, Mr. Portman said.

Instead, some proponents of the infrastructure measure see its passage as a potential setback for the bigger plan. They argue that the enactment of the infrastructure bill could sap progressives of their leverage to dictate the terms of the more ambitious and costly piece of their agenda.

Joshua Bolten, a former White House chief of staff for George W. Bush who is president of the Business Roundtable, said the chief executives organization was pushing for the bills passage, running radio and social media ads in Republican districts and pressing for meetings with lawmakers.

This is a really good bill. Its urgently needed. It will have a dramatic effect on the productivity of U.S. economy. Its investment really well spent, he said on Tuesday. Pass it now and have the fight over the other bill later.

Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, said he had lobbied every member of his states delegation to support the measure.

I cant predict where they will end up, but Im certainly encouraging people to consider the merits of the bill as opposed to worrying about what outside observers have to say, he said.

In this case, House Republican leaders appear to be heeding pressure from conservative groups, who have disparaged the infrastructure bill as bloated with spending that goes far beyond its stated purpose. And, they predict that moderate Democrats who have pressed for its passage will be angered enough by its demise that they will exact revenge by bringing down the social policy bill.

This is a desperate administration looking for a win to distract Americans from the Biden-caused crises, both home and abroad, while opening the floodgates to trillions more in spending to come, said Representative Beth Van Duyne, Republican of Texas.

The supporters of the larger bill see an alternative political cause-and-effect. The most liberal House members have long warned that once the infrastructure bill passes, moderate to conservative Democrats will peel away from the larger bill, having already secured their priority.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, another Republican supporter of the infrastructure plan, said the bills significance went beyond roads, bridges and rail lines.

Its not just the benefits of the policy were putting in place and the build-out of needed infrastructure; its also the message being sent that at a time when so much is dysfunctional in the Congress, you can build bipartisan initiatives that are going to be enduring, she said, adding,If it should fail, I think that in and of itself sends a pretty tough message.

Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.

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Republicans at Odds Over Infrastructure Bill as Vote Approaches - The New York Times

And it's not just the infrastructure bill that could be in jeopardy if those GOP votes don't appear on the floor next week, with a group of progressives still warning theyll block the bill without more concessions on a broader, partisan spending package. The Problem Solvers Caucus itself is facing a critical test of survival in the messy floor fight over Biden's deal. And there could hardly be a more glaring example of the groups mission than a roads-and-bridges funding bill blessed by both the Democratic president and the Senate GOP leader.

This bipartisan infrastructure bill was essentially a Problem Solvers product, said Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), a member of the coalition strongly urging their colleagues to back the bill. It would not be an argument in favor of bipartisanship for the Republicans who are part of that [bill] to turn their backs on it now.

Roughly 10 Republicans are expected to vote for the infrastructure deal, nearly all of them Problem Solvers members, according to lawmakers in both parties who are keeping an informal whip count. But that precise number remains in flux amid uncertain Democratic dynamics.

Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) put his decision to vote yes bluntly: I helped write it.

While a small corner of the GOP is eager to prove cross-aisle cooperation is alive and well, it's a complicated vote for many moderate House Republicans, who are under intense pressure from party leaders not to deliver a win for Biden and potentially hurt their chances of flipping the House. One such Republican described House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys whipping operation as strong.

"From a caucus perspective, were going to be there. Not everybody, but were going to have a sizable showing. And that's a good thing," said Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), a founding co-chair of the group. Substantively, its a pretty solid bill.

Support from Republican Problem Solvers or other members would mean defying party leadership, which has formally come out against the bill. McCarthy told reporters Thursday he did not view it as a bipartisan bill any longer and would be urging his members to vote against it because of the Democrats plans to couple it with the larger social spending plan.

The two co-chairs of the group, Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), have been doing their own whipping behind the scenes, encouraging as many of their 29 GOP members to vote for the bill as possible.

It was the main topic in a lengthy meeting of the group earlier this week, where multiple Democrats in the room pitched their GOP colleagues. Many stressed not just the importance of the bill, but the role of bipartisanship broadly in a year that has seen relations between Republicans and Democrats hit rock bottom.

Even after the dark days following Jan. 6, when lawmakers of opposing parties were nearing open warfare against the other, Problem Solvers members were determined to show progress toward legislation like infrastructure. Through the spring and summer, leaders of the group got involved in the infrastructure discussion with the White House and Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and others.

Those groups met both informally and formally on the subject for months, including at an overnight summit at Larry Hogan's governor's mansion in Maryland. They took the partnership so seriously that when Democratic leaders began to formally tie infrastructure with their party's partisan bill, House GOP lawmakers became livid and some members of the Problem Solvers privately mulled quitting the group. None ultimately did.

The Problem Solvers have dealt with plenty of issues that split the caucus before. One of the toughest votes in the groups history came earlier this year, when the House voted on whether to create a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection.

One of the groups members, Katko, struck a compromise with House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) on a bill to create the independent commission that would have barred current members of Congress from serving on the panel and delivered a report by the end of the year.

But former President Donald Trump intervened, and McCarthy ultimately recommended his caucus vote against it publicly abandoning Katko and inflaming many of his conference's moderates. Thirty five Republicans ultimately bucked the party to vote for the commission, including 18 members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, many of whom said they voted yes to support Katko.

Democrats in the group say they hope the infrastructure vote can get just as many Republicans, if not more than that commission vote.

Its not just GOP Problem Solvers members who are signaling theyll likely vote for the bill. Northeast Republicans such as Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.), and Jeff Van Drew (N.J.) both told POLITICO they were leaning toward supporting it.

Its like every other bill. There are good things, and not so good things. And you have to balance it with your district and see what would be the best vote, Malliotakis said in an interview.

Still, Fitzpatrick cautioned that the GOP dynamics could dramatically change by then, with Democratic leaders now aiming to bring both the infrastructure and broader spending bill to the floor next week.

So many peoples decision depends on how the process plays out, Fitzpatrick said. Theres a lot of people who support infrastructure, who may not be in love with the bill but they're OK with it. But they want nothing to do with the $3.5 trillion.

Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.

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These Republicans helped craft the infrastructure bill. They might not vote for it. - POLITICO

Youngkin was neither the most nor least Trumpist candidate in the Republican primary. The Virginia GOPs convoluted process for choosing a candidate was nearly overrun by hard-core Trump supporters, who hijacked the nominating convention. (Virginias Republican primary was settled via a convention, which some MAGA-aligned candidates felt was meant to rig the process against them.) One such candidate, Amanda Chase, referred to those who stormed the Capitol on January 6 as patriots. But Youngkin kept some distance from Trump, instead running as a Christian conservative while exploiting the kinds of red-meat culture-war stories that pass for policy in Republican circles these days. His day one agenda includes an array of tax cuts, as well as banning Covid lockdowns and critical race theory.

Youngkins strategy seemed straightforward: Avoid the most bombastic corners of Trump worldparticularly the claim that the 2020 election was stolenwhile playing footsie with it. Youngkin refused, for instance, to say during the gubernatorial primary whether Biden was a legitimate president and has promised an election security task force that would essentially purge voter rolls. At the same time, he ran a campaign attempting to meld older GOP orthodoxy (tax cuts) and its newer varieties (he once uploaded four separate videos criticizing critical race theory on the same day). The play is cynical and transparent: Do just enough to convince the MAGA faithful that he is one of them without losing too much suburban support.

But Trump and many of his supporters are all-or-nothing types. Trump himself has questioned Youngkins loyalty to the king. The only guys that win are the guys that embrace the MAGA movement, he said during a recent radio interview. When they try to go down a railroad track, you know, Hey, oh yeah, sure, love it, love it. Oh, yeah, love Trump. Love Trump. OK, lets go, next subject. When they do that, nobody, they dontthey never win. They never win. They have to embrace it. Youngkin has responded with more winking and nodding toward Trumps base, like his waffling last week about whether he would have voted to certify the 2020 election. His hope, clearly, is that various Republican and independent factions will hear what they want to hear and ignore the rest.

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The MAGA-Lite Future of the Republican Party - The New Republic

Voter restriction laws: Why Republican states are changing them

Republican states are passing several voter restriction laws in response to Trumps 2020 loss. Heres how it could impact midterms and 2024 elections.

Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

Two Vermont cities Winooski and Montpelier are being sued by the Republican National Committee and the Vermont Republican Party.

The issue is non-citizen voting. Both Vermont citiesamended their charters to allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in municipal elections. The charter changes required the approval of the Vermont Legislature, who ultimately overturned a veto by Republican Gov. Phil Scott. The bills became law in June 2021.

The charter changes allownon-citizens the right to vote in city and local electionsfor items like who should sit on city council or the school board. However, they would not be able to vote in state and federal elections such as those for state senator or the presidential election.

Earlier: Winooski backs voting rights for non-citizens in local elections

"This radicalschemepassed by Vermont Democrats, to allow foreign citizens to decide American elections is a blatant attack on election integrityand violates the state constitution which requires Vermont voters to be U.S. citizens," a news release from the Republican National Committee reads.

The lawsuits werefirst reported by Fox Newson Tuesday. The complaints againstWinooski and Montpelierwere filed Monday in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington and Montpelier.

The Vermont Republican Party and "several concerned Vermont voters" joined the Republican National Committee's lawsuits, according to the news release.

The complaints allegethe two citiesand their city clerks arein violation of the Vermont Constitution. The suit seeks a declaration that non-citizen voting is unconstitutional and void, that the cities refrain from enforcing non-citizen voting and registering non-citizen voters, and that the cities pay the costs associated with bringing the lawsuits.

State Rep. Hal Colston, D-Winooski,said up until the 1920s non-citizens were allowed to vote in local elections.

"It is apparent to me that the vestiges of xenophobia are alive today with the RNC's effort to sue the cities of Montpelier and Winooski to allow legal residents who are not yet citizens to vote only in local elections," Colston said in a statement, adding that the majority of voters in both towns supported the measure. "This action of the RNC does not surprise me as they seek to turn over every stone to suppress the voice of voters."

The town of Montpelier did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Free Press.

Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.

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Why two Vermont cities are being sued by the Republican party - Burlington Free Press

To the editor: Gov. Charlie Baker is on the executive committee of the Republican Governors Association, which, according to its website, is dedicated to one primary objective: electing and supporting Americas Republican Governors.

He thus supports malicious reprobates such as Gov. Ron DeSantis, of Florida, who issued an executive order making it illegal for schools to require students and teachers to wear masks, thereby helping Florida achieve the highest COVID death rate in the country. Another is Gov. Greg Abbott, of Texas, who signed a bill making it illegal to terminate a pregnancy after six weeks, even if the pregnant person is an adolescent girl raped and impregnated by her own abusive father. The law also provides a $10,000 bounty to vigilantes who discover anyone daring to help such a girl terminate her pregnancy.

Other beneficiaries of Bakers partisan efforts are Govs. Brian Kemp, of Georgia, and Doug Ducey, of Arizona, who responded to Democratic electoral victories in their states by signing bills designed to make it harder for Democrats to vote. Similar abominations are in the works in Republican-led states all across the country. Gov. Baker pretends that this has nothing to do with him, that he belongs to some imaginary Republican party that still stands for fiscal responsibility, moral decency and constitutional democracy. In reality, hes a useful idiot for the Trumpist degenerates who now rule the Republican party from top to bottom.

Hes their friendly face in a state where Republicans corrupt present-day ideology is unpopular, where groveling worship of Donald Trump will not win elections. But he is nevertheless a leader in the Republican Governors Association campaign to elect scoundrels and undermine democracy all across the country. Enough is enough. Next chance we get, lets end this farce and elect a Democratic governor in Massachusetts.

Mark Brandriss, Williamstown

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Letter: As part of Republican Governors Association, Baker is part of the problem - Berkshire Eagle

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman says Las Vegas would be the best place for the Republican National Convention in 2024.

The RNC sent letters to select mayors in the nation asking about interest in being the site of the 2024 national convention, and Goodman did not hesitate to express support from Las Vegas, according to the city.

To me, this request is not about politics, its about bringing millions of dollars in convention business back to our local economy, Goodman said. No one does conventions and conferences better than Las Vegas does, and our community is ready for this major economic boost.

If thousands of delegates converge on the city and spend a lot of money, its great for the city, Steven Budin, Channel 13s financial specialist said.

With over 155,000 hotel rooms in close proximity to each other and current tech-savvy technology convention spaces, the mayor believes few cities can compete.

Assuming we are beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, I have full faith and confidence that Vegas will step up with its A game, Budin said.

National political conventions have projected positive economic impacts of about $200 million to the hosting cities, according to the city.

Anytime Las Vegas can be mentioned on a national stage is beneficial to us. It would be a great way for us to publicize the city, not only domestically but around the world as well, Budin said.

Goodman anticipates the Democratic National Committee will also be in contact for holding their national convention in Las Vegas and would be most welcome as well.

Formal bids to the RNC are due no later than Dec. 1, 2021, for the three-day convention, which will take place in the summer of 2024.

Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael J. McDonald released the following statement on the bid to bring the 2024 Republican Presidential Convention to Las Vegas:

We are honored to provide a bid to bring the 2024 Republican Presidential Convention to Las Vegas. This is a huge opportunity for our city and state to bring business back to the convention capital of the world. Outside of the honor of hosting the Republican convention, this is about bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to Nevada. We were excited for the opportunity to pitch this in 2020 and are confident that Las Vegas is the right place to hold the convention in 2024. Our state is hurting, having the highest unemployment rate in the nation the past two months. We need economic stimulus and this convention would certainly provide an economic boost.

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Hosting the Republican National Convention could bring about $200 million to Las Vegas - KTNV Las Vegas

ASHLAND The Boyd County GOPand Republican Womens Club delivered 95 meals to local law enforcement agencies on Tuesday as a token of appreciation.

The group started its trek at Ashland Police Department at 11 a.m. Tuesday before dropping off lunches at Catlettsburg PD, Boyd County Sheriffs Department and Kentucky State Police Post 14.

Its the second consecutive year these groups have expressed their gratitude to local police in the form of food. It was catered by Kim Gabbard this year, according to Lana White, President of the Boyd County Republican Womens Club.

She provided this meal at her cost, did not make a dime; I really appreciate her, too, White said.

Other contributors included Pat Steen, Stephen Graham, Randy and Kay Memmer, Brian and Amanda Clark and Kenny and Tina Parker.

White, Alisa Smith, Angie Hern, Boyd County Clerk Kevin Johnston, Rep. Dr. Danny Bentley and Jamie Reihs, who will run for Boyd County Sheriff in the next election, comprised the delivery bunch.

White said Rep. Scott Sharp wanted to be there, but he had some family business to which to tend out of state.

The lunch consisted of pulled pork, baked beans, cole slaw, pasta salad and cookies.

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Lunch for the Law: Boyd GOP, Republican Women's Club deliver meals to local police - The Independent

HARRISBURG, PA (WSKG) Republican state lawmakers continue to investigate the 2020 election nearly 11 months after voting concluded.

The probes come despite a lack of evidence of any widespread issues or fraud.

In Arizona, the end appears in sight for awidely discredited election review. The GOP-led state Senate plans to release findings from that effort Friday.

But similar reviews are only just beginning elsewhere. That includes in the swing states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin states that President Biden won last year and that have Republican-led legislatures and Democratic governors.

In Pennsylvania, an investigation led by state Senate Republicans drew a legal challenge from Democrats after a GOP-led legislative committee last week issued a wide-ranging subpoena for the personal information of millions of voters.

Wisconsin Republicans, meanwhile, are backing three separate investigations.

In both states, leaders of the reviews visited the Arizona effort, and former President Donald Trump and his allies have encouraged them

Republican state leaders have said they want their investigation to be something all Pennsylvanians can have confidence in.

The state attorney general, a Democrat,told NPRthis week that its a sham audit.

The Pennsylvania Senates Intergovernmental Operations Committeevoted along party lines last weekto subpoena the state for 17 types of election records, including voters addresses, partial Social Security numbers and drivers license numbers.

Republicans who support the request said it is to verify who those voters are, though multiple court rulings, previous state-mandated audits and election officials of both parties have all concluded that Pennsylvanias 2020 election results were accurate.

Also, a lot of the information thats sought is already public.

GOP state Sen. Cris Dush, whos spearheading this investigation, told reporters after his committee approved subpoenaing voter records that he would be sure the effort would be carried out deliberatively and properly.

But Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have outlined privacy and chain of custody concerns with the subpoena request, in part because Republicans have not said who would be looking at those voter records and what would be done with them. Dush has said its just GOP lawmakers and lawyers coming up with a list of vendors they might use to pore over these records.

The Democrats now have a lawsuit in state court to get this request overturned.

The Wisconsin inquiries include a wide-ranging investigation backed by the state Assembly speaker, an attempted forensic audit by a Republican state lawmaker and a review by the state audit bureau, ordered by the GOP-controlled Legislature.

The investigation spurred by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is the most high profile of the three inquiries. That taxpayer-funded effort has a roughly $700,000 budget and is being led by conservative former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who visited Arizonas controversial election review over the summer as well as a recent conference that election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell of MyPillow put on.

At the Wisconsin Republican convention this summer, Vos assured GOP voters that the Gableman investigation would dive into shenanigans that may have occurred during the election.

We give you our word that we are doing everything we possibly can to uncover what occurred in 2020, Vos said at the time.

The speaker has received harsh criticism from Trump and his supporters, who have argued that Vos hasnt done enough to push election investigations in the state. After a private meeting with the former president this summer, Vos issued strong statements about the inquiry and increased its budget.

The review got off to a rocky start. Gableman sent an email to local election officials this month, requesting they retain 2020 election records, but the message was sent via a Gmail account associated with another persons name and was flagged as a security concern or junk mail by a number of clerks.

This week Gableman said that if necessary hewill issue subpoenas to election officialswho refuse to release information.

Another election inquiry led by a GOP lawmaker has hit roadblocks as well. That effort is led by Rep. Janel Brandtjen, who chairs the state Assembly elections committee and who also visited the Arizona election review. She calls her inquiry a forensic audit; however, she hasnt been able to obtain information from election officials after Vos refused to sign subpoenas she recently sent to clerks in two major counties.

Just before rejecting Brandtjens subpoena, Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson criticized the document as clearly a cut and paste job from similar election-related legal moves from Republicans in other states. The subpoena requested items that dont exist or arent part of required election processes in Wisconsin.

Its clear to me that the Republicans are not interested in improving our election processes but rather desperate to find some type of smoking gun that doesnt exist, Christenson said. I would encourage them to educate themselves on how elections work in their own state, rather than flying to Arizona or getting their intelligence from a guy who makes pillows.

The final election review in Wisconsin is being conducted by the states nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau, and was ordered by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

While Wisconsin Democrats have pushed back on all of the investigations, arguing they perpetuate misinformation about the election, they have said they have faith in the integrity of the audit bureaus work, which is set to be done this fall.

All the efforts come after Wisconsin completed a series of routine state election audits and a presidential recount in the states two largest counties. None of those reviews has uncovered widespread fraud or wrongdoing. There have also been numerous Republican-backed lawsuits in the state, all of which have failed to result in findings of wrongdoing by election officials or voters.

Laurel White is a reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio. Sam Dunklau reports for WSKG Radio.

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Republican-Led Election Reviews Take Shape In Pennsylvania And Wisconsin - WSKG.org