Free Republic

With Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse's retirement, 11 of the 17 Republicans who voted to impeach or convict former President Donald Trump in 2021 have now opted not to seek re-election or have lost their primary races this year. Sasse announced Thursday he is stepping down to lead the University of Florida. The Nebraska Republican came to the Senate after a stint as the president of Midland University, and his public statements about his decision to join Florida do not mention Trump at all. He went as far as to tell National Review “the impeachment vote has exactly zero to...

1. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Senate minority leader 2. Roy Blunt of Missouri 3. Richard Burr of North Carolina 4. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia 5. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana 6. Susan Collins of Maine 7. John Cornyn of Texas 8. Joni Ernst of Iowa 9. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina 10. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska 11. Rob Portman of Ohio 12. Mitt Romney of Utah 13. Thom Tillis of North Carolina 14. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania 15. Todd Young of Indiana

Four Senate Republicans failed to show up to vote on an amendment that would have defunded President Biden’s remaining vaccine mandates, thus ensuring its failure. The Senate voted on Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) amendment to the continuing resolution (CR), which would defund Biden’s remaining vaccine mandates. The measure failed 46-47, with Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Richard Burr (R-NC) failing to show up, depriving Senate Republicans a potential majority to pass the amendment to the CR. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) set the vote threshold to a majority, and it remains possible that...

Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) has a four-point edge over former Gov. Pat McCrory (R) in the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, according to a poll published Wednesday by the conservative Club for Growth PAC. The poll, conducted by WPA Intelligence December 19–21, found Budd at 47 percent support compared to McCrory’s 43 percent support in a hypothetical head-to-head primary matchup. Ten percent said they were undecided. Club for Growth has endorsed Budd, as has former President Donald Trump. The influential group with close ties to the former president has backed a handful of candidates ahead of...

It doesn't get any better in the U.S. Senate race where former party state chair Jane Timken, perennial right-wing candidate Josh Mandel and author J.D. Vance are fighting over who is the most Trumpian. Ohio State Sen. Matt Dolan jumped into the race, giving the anti-Trump forces an outside shot if the others split their vote. It'll be interesting to see if retiring Sen. Rob Portman — who didn't stand up to Trump for four years — will show political courage now that he’s not facing voters. It’s not much better in neighboring Pennsylvania, where the leading Republican U.S. Senate...

Donald Trump on Monday was given a hero's welcome as his supporters lined his route home from the golf course on Presidents' Day - amid a growing backlash against the Republicans who voted to impeach him. The former president was acquitted at his second Senate impeachment trial over the weekend. He was pictured in public for the first time since the decision in West Palm Beach, Florida, waving to fans and giving a thumbs up. Monday's event, billed as a 'peaceful and patriotic' pro-Trump rally, saw hundreds of his maskless supporters gather outside the Mar-a-Lago Club waving flags and cheering...

North Carolina Republicans plan to censure Senator Richard Burr for his vote Saturday to convict former President Trump in his second impeachment trial. The North Carolina GOP’s central committee will hold an emergency meeting Monday evening to vote on whether to censure Barr, Tim Wigginton, the state party spokesman, told the Charlotte Observer.

Senator Richard M. Burr’s decision to vote for the conviction of former President Donald J. Trump on Saturday added fuel to speculation that Lara Trump, Mr. Trump’s daughter in-law, will seek the North Carolina Senate seat Mr. Burr will vacate in 2022.

The months-long investigation into allegations that Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina engaged in insider trading has been closed by the Justice Department and it will not pursue any charges, the GOP senator announced on Tuesday. "Tonight, the Department of Justice informed me that it has concluded its review of my personal financial transactions conducted early last year. The case is now closed," Burr said in a statement. The FBI launched a probe into Burr's business dealings after the senator, who served as the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, privately warned a group of well-connected constituents in February to...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia used Republican political operative Paul Manafort, the WikiLeaks website and others to try to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help now-U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign, a Senate intelligence panel report said on Tuesday. WikiLeaks played a key role in Russia’s effort to assist Republican Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton and likely knew it was helping Russian intelligence, said the report, which is likely to be the most definitive public account of the 2016 election controversy. The report found President Vladimir Putin personally directed the Russian efforts to hack computer networks and accounts affiliated with...

In January of 2017 California Senator Dianne Feinstein abdicated her position as Vice-Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). Upon the initiation of a new congress, and two weeks before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Virginia Senator Mark Warner took the SSCI Vice-Chair seat…. and that’s how things get started. Amid a concerted effort to resist the incoming administration the Russia Collusion Conspiracy was launched. Politicians, the U.S. intelligence apparatus and DC beltway media united in common purpose to push a Trump-Russia narrative. Within the early days of that effort, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence initiated...

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will temporarily become chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican leaders announced, taking charge of the panel at a time of turnover and tension in the nation’s intelligence community. Rubio will replace North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, who said last week that he would step aside after federal agents examining his recent stock sales showed up at his home with a warrant to search his cellphone. Friday was Burr’s last day in the position. Along with House and Senate leaders and the top Democrat and Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Rubio will now have access...

Maddow: "It was a dramatic thing today. When the chairman of the very powerful intelligence committee in the Senate stepped down from his chairmanship, it was all the more dramatic for it to have happened because the FBI executed a search warrant and seized his cell phone from him at his house. The seizure of Senator Richard Burr’s cell phone is apparently part of the FBI investigating him selling up to $1.7 million in stock in mid February ... But one of the absolutely unique ways in which our current federal government is so terrible right now is, that...

WASHINGTON - Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., on Thursday temporarily stepped aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee after the FBI seized his cellphone and questioned Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., as part of a possible insider trading investigation. Burr faced pressure to step aside as head of the powerful committee after the FBI seized his cellphone as part of a search warrant, senior law enforcement official confirmed to NBC News. "The work the Intelligence Committee and its members do is too important to risk hindering in any way," the North Carolina Republican said in a statement. "I believe this step...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) spoke to the FBI and handed over documents last month related to recent stock transactions by her husband that have come under public scrutiny. "Senator Feinstein was asked some basic questions by law enforcement about her husband’s stock transactions. ...She was happy to voluntarily answer those questions to set the record straight and provided additional documents to show she had no involvement in her husband’s transactions," a spokesman said. Feinstein's conversation with the FBI took place in April and the spokesman said that "there have been no follow up actions on this issue." Feinstein's husband sold...

It likely takes a lot of main justice approvals to serve a search warrant for the device of the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). The Chairman of the powerful committee also sits on the congressional oversight team known as the gang-of-eight. According to the Los Angeles Times the FBI served a search warrant on North Carolina Republican Senator Richard Burr Wednesday. The warrant appears connected to an ongoing investigation on whether or not Burr violated a law that prevents members of Congress from trading insider information they learn from their work. According to the report...

The same day that Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., sold off at least $628,000 worth of stocks before the market crashed, his brother-in-law also dumped a significant amount of shares, according to a new report from ProPublica. The report, citing a public financial disclosure form from Burr's brother-in-law Gerald Fauth -- who serves on the National Mediation Board (NMB) -- reveals that Fauth sold between $97,000 and $280,000 worth of stocks in a total of six transactions on Feb. 13, 2020. Burr's sales that day, soon before the coronavirus panic tanked the market, reportedly led to the Securities and Exchange Commission...

Perhaps you sometimes have the impression that the American mainstream news media might be a little slanted, but you’re just not sure. If so, you might want to consider the question of the different treatment of three political scandals currently in the news: those involving Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, Democratic former candidate for Governor of Florida Andrew Gillum, and Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Unless you are a news junkie, there is probably a 50/50 chance that you are not even aware of the scandals involving Gillum and Omar. On the other hand, you would have to...

The coronavirus death rate in the US is just over 1.25 percent of cases but first.... North Korea firing two short range missiles Saturday morning local time.... Saying the fight against Islamic State has made progress and out of concern for the coronavirus pandemic the US-led coalition in Iraq is reducing its military presence... At least two dozen Afghan police and military killed with others missing following an attack by Taliban connected forces.... The troubled US aircraft maker Boeing is getting a bailout from the federal government.... Moving to distance herself from the situation is the former UN Ambassador and...

Two more senators made hefty stock sales before the coronavirus pandemic tanked global markets, records revealed as two other lawmakers who dumped millions in shares faced mounting calls to resign. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Jim Inhofe sold as much as $6.4 million worth of stock in the weeks before panic about the coronavirus sparked a worldwide selloff, according to disclosure filings first reported by the New York Times. The additional revelations came amid widespread outrage toward GOP Sens. Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler, who reportedly sold shares after getting briefings on the coronavirus threat.