All posts tagged "Lisa Murkowski"

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's attempt to lock Democrats out of Pentagon talks is backfiring after GOP lawmakers expressed concern to Politico.

Hegseth has been keeping congressional Democrats out of classified briefings, according to reporting by Politico, which described Republicans as "shocked by the brazen partisanship."

"He calls himself the secretary of war, but ironically, he doesn't want to go to war and win the argument with nearly half the members of the Senate," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said, referring to Hegseth's reluctance to invite Democrats into discussions about taking military action. "You got to engage."...

A GOP senator's state landed a "huge" settlement with the Department of Justice as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche hunts for confirmation votes, per Politico.

According to the reporting by Politico, the DOJ has settled with Alaska, leading to nine-figure payouts, as Blanche is "scrambling" to lock down the vote of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to secure his confirmation as Attorney General.

Blanche could lose the AG job if every Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and at least one Republican vote against him. As he tries to shore up his support, Politico has noted several settlements that the DOJ has touted as "huge" wins for Alaska....

President Donald Trump trashed two close Republican allies during a press conference Thursday.

Trump was speaking to reporters from the Oval Office when he tore into Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) after the longtime GOP lawmakers opposed the SAVE America Act — a package of new restrictions on voting that Trump has pushed Republicans to back. McConnell and Murkowski were among four Republicans who broke ranks and voted against the legislation.

"Mitch McConnell gave so much money to the Democrats," Trump said. "He gave them money. I had to go get the wall money from the military. I just took it out of the military."
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Republicans are worried that Trump's latest endorsement will cost them control of the Senate, according to a new report.

A Republican familiar with Texas politics told NOTUS that Trump's endorsement of the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton could cost the GOP its Senate majority in the upcoming midterms, according to a report.

Trump endorsed Paxton on Tuesday instead of Sen. John Cornyn ahead of the Texas runoff for the Republican Senate nomination. ...

A Democratic Party candidate weighing up a run for the Senate could be a "plausible" winner in a particular seat, a veteran pollster has suggested.

Nate Silver believes the Alaska Senate seat could be a much more competitive race with the right Dem candidate in place. Posting to X earlier today (January 7), Silver suggested the odds could tip into the Democratic Party's favour should they confirm former representative Mary Peltola.

It was reported yesterday that Peltola could be moving for a return to the Senate, with two people close to the matter telling Axios an announcement of her intention to run is imminent. Should Peltola confirm her run for the Senate, she would enter what Republican Party rep Lisa Murkowski called a "very, very, very hard race."...

The Bulwark reporter Joe Perticone reports even Republican senators are acknowledging President Donald Trump’s public naps at events.

“When President Donald Trump appeared to be dozing off during a cabinet meeting last week, it naturally raised the issue of whether the 79-year-old grandfather still has the basic physical ability to handle the rigors of the presidency. Even the New York Times noticed, and not just in the opinion pages,” wrote Perticone. “Trump’s eyes were closed for a cumulative six minutes over the course of the meeting — often as his cabinet members showered him with praise.”

Perticone acknowledged that older people are prone to napping, but since former President Joe Biden’s waning stamina became such a frequent Republican talking point, he quizzed lawmakers about their own nap-prone president....