Free Republic

HARRISBURG — Thwarted by court rulings and vetoes, Republicans in the legislature unhappy with Gov. Tom Wolf’s response to the coronavirus pandemic are plotting two new efforts to curtail his emergency powers. In June, the legislature voted to force Wolf to end the state’s COVID-19 disaster declaration, which greatly expanded the Democratic governor’s powers. Wolf countered that such a move required his approval. The state Supreme Court sided with Wolf, who then vetoed the measure. But the saga isn’t over yet. Members of the GOP who control the state House now plan to advance a measure to override Wolf’s veto,...

Pennsylvania Rep. Russ Diamond didn’t take long to respond to Gov. Tom Wolf’s call on the House of Representatives to censure Diamond for his “thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community.” The Lebanon County Republican returned fire two hours later by issuing a statement calling on Wolf to resign but not before removing Dr. Rachel Levine as state health secretary. Diamond has been critical of Wolf’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Levine’s response. Nearly parroting the words that Wolf used to describe Diamond’s defense of those who don’t wear a mask, Diamond’s statement begins: “Abhorrent, unlawful, political...

HARRISBURG — One day after Pennsylvania’s top health official forcefully denounced transphobic attacks against her, a Republican lawmaker co-opted her call for acceptance to address “hateful and intolerant comments directed towards the unmasked community.” Rep. Russ Diamond of Lebanon County released a statement Wednesday that mimicked remarks Health Secretary Rachel Levine made in response to recent “demonstrations of harassment” against her. Diamond has been one of the loudest opponents of Levine’s order requiring most people, barring a health issue, to wear a mask while in public. “Your actions perpetuate a spirit of intolerance and discrimination against unmasked individuals and specifically...

A rally calling for an end to Pennsylvania’s coronavirus restrictions is set for 11 a.m. today at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. Organizers of the “Pennsylvania Assemble for Freedom” event say they are gathering “to call out the governor, and to demand to be set free from any, and all restrictions, and to return freedom of choice to ‘We the People.‘” According to organizers, speakers will address the crowd starting at noon. They include lawmakers like state Sen. Doug Mastriano, state Rep. Russ Diamond, as well as business owners and representatives of organizations like ReOpen PA. “We will be peaceful,...

A Lebanon County Republican lawmaker is adding his voice to the calls for the immediate resignation or removal of Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine. Rep. Russ Diamond said Levine needs to go. He cited "the horrific results of the department’s COVID-19 policy" in regard to the number of cases and deaths that have occurred in nursing homes and other facilities under the department's oversight. More than two-thirds of the state’s coronavirus deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities. Let me again point out the irony -- or perhaps the calculated outcome -- that the only places in the US...

A Lebanon County Republican lawmaker is adding his voice to the calls for the immediate resignation or removal of Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine. Rep. Russ Diamond said Levine needs to go. He cited “the horrific results of the department’s COVID-19 policy” in regard to the number of cases and deaths that have occurred in nursing homes and other facilities under the department’s oversight. More than two-thirds of the state’s coronavirus deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities. Diamond has introduced a resolution calling for Levine’s ouster or for Gov. Tom Wolf to demand the health secretary’s resignation. Last...

ALTOONA, Pa., April 11 — In what was already proving a surprisingly tight contest, the race for governor of Pennsylvania has grown more complicated with the entry of an independent candidate who helped spearhead a grass-roots insurgency last year against the state legislature. The development is the latest twist in a campaign where the Democratic incumbent, Edward G. Rendell, once considered a shoo-in for re-election, has been polling neck and neck with his Republican challenger, the former football star Lynn Swann, a political newcomer. The latest arrival in the race is Russ Diamond, a businessman who last July founded PACleanSweep,...