All posts tagged "mike lee"

'Church isn't far-right': Utah Republican's moves a 'problem' for his religion

U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is reportedly causing "severe repercussions" to his own religion due to his rabid embrace of Donald Trump and his tactics.

Lee, a MAGA lawmaker who backs Trump every chance he gets, was in hot water when he posted insensitive statements about a shooting in which a Democratic lawmaker was killed. His religion, the Church of Latter-Day Saints, has been harmed by those comments and others, according to a Politico report.

Lee's "online persona has further damaged his already frayed relationship with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," whose members are often referred to as Mormons, according to Politico.

"It wasn’t just Washington that was buzzing over Lee’s response to the tragedy. It also set off a debate in Salt Lake City. At the global headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a discussion over how to respond — if at all — began in earnest, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss private conversations," the report states. "Several of the church’s senior leaders saw the posts and were concerned. Lee is a prominent Latter-day Saint, arguably the best-known elected Church member in the nation. His insensitive words were reflecting poorly on the faith at large. One church official estimated the backlash from Lee’s posts would have severe repercussions for the church’s public image, the first person said."

The report notes that, "for Lee’s church, that bellicose online alter ego poses a problem."

"Even as some Christian denominations have delved into Christian nationalism or partisan politics during the Trump era, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as the Mormon Church) has consistently called on members to do the opposite: to be 'peacemakers' in the civic square," according to the report.

After its analysis, "The church, however, made the decision to stay quiet."

"Top-down, public rebukes of individual members are very rare in the faith, much less when action could be seen as a partisan exercise and further exacerbate tensions. The church, as an institution, has a strict political neutrality policy; its members, while encouraged to be Christ-like, are to act as they wish," according to the report. "But the incident brought to a boil something that had been simmering in Salt Lake City for some time. 'Mike Lee is far-right,' said one emeritus general authority, a former high-ranking church official, granted anonymity to speak openly. 'The church is not far-right.'"

Read the full article here.

'Didn’t vote for this': Trump-voting influencer aghast at MAGA's new plan

MAGA advocates known for their love of hunting and fishing are fuming over a proposal in President Donald Trump's megabill currently being considered by the Senate, The New York Times reported.

Senators are looking to make cuts to offset the cost of Trump's tax cuts for high-income individuals and corporations. One solution came from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has proposed selling millions of acres of federal lands in a move that could threaten fish and wildlife prized by outdoorsmen.

"Lee’s proposal would require the Bureau of Land Management to sell as much as 1.225 million acres of public property across the American West," reporter Maxine Joselow wrote. "Proponents have said the region has a severe shortage of affordable housing and that developers could build new homes on these tracts."

Cameron Hanes, described as "an avid hunter and MAGA influencer," regularly preaches to his 1.7 million Instagram followers about his love of the outdoors and his desire to preserve it.

“I’m a Republican, and yes, I did vote for Trump,” Hanes told the Times. “But I didn’t vote for this. I didn’t vote for selling millions of acres of public land.”

Hanes told the Times that he has been able to use his platform to rally opposition to Lee's plan.

"The advocacy from Mr. Hanes — and several other conservative hunters and anglers — underscores a growing rift within the Republican Party over how to manage the nation’s public lands," Joselow wrote.

On Sunday, Lee wrote on social media, “Hunter Nation: You spoke, and I’m listening. I’ll be making changes in the coming days.” This week, Lee announced "that only land within five miles of population centers would be eligible to be sold," the Times reported.

"It’s not clear if the particular land where Mr. Lee’s opponents hunt and fish would be affected by the senator’s plan. But critics said they were broadly opposed to the idea of a sell-off," Joselow wrote.

Read The New York Times story here.

'He's rotten': Ex-Republican insider skewers GOP's Mike Lee over new statement

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is "rotten," according to a former Republican insider who was outraged by Lee's recent remarks.

Observers blasted Lee on Sunday after the senator posted a photo of a man who allegedly shot multiple Democratic officials. He included the words, "This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way."

Reed Galen, former campaign manager for Sen. John McCain and co-founder of the conservative anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, weighed in via a video over the weekend.

Calling Lee "rotten," Galen scolded the lawmaker for "making light" of the obvious national tragedy.

Watch below or click here.

'Grounds for expulsion': GOP senator accused of 'mocking' the murder of two Dems

U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), an ally to President Donald Trump, is in hot water over a social media post.

Lee on Sunday took to X and posted a photo of a man accused of posing as a police officer and shooting two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses.

Along with the image, Lee confusingly wrote, "This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way."

The comment seemingly contradicts a statement by the alleged shooter's best friend, who suggested the suspect is a strong supporter of the president.

The statement didn't sit well with numerous notable political experts and observers.

Podcast host Brett Meiselas said, "For a U.S. senator to be posting fake information like this after Democratic lawmakers were just shot is just so beneath contempt I don’t even know where to begin."

"In a normal world this would be grounds for expulsion or censure at minimum but we live in hell so," he added on Sunday.

Conservative anti-Trump activist Rick Wilson said, "The surgery to remove your sense of shame was a success. Congrats, I guess."

Democratic pollster Matt McDermott said, "Yesterday, a Trump supporter went on an assassination spree targeting Democrats. Today, a GOP Senator mocks their murder."

"This isn’t politics — it’s depraved moral rot," the strategist added.

Matthew Gertz , a senior fellow at Media Matters for America, chimed in:

"This is an honest to god U.S. senator who either has had his brain broken by the internet or is posturing as such to appeal to the most dishonest, deranged, and/or stupid people online."

Congressman is fawning to MAGA because 'Mitch McConnell didn't love him': Ex-senator

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has sold out everything he believes in, in a quest to seek approval from Republican Party leadership, argued former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who said in a pre-presidential debate panel on MSNBC that "Mitch McConnell didn't love him" and gave Lee a cold welcome.

The remark came amid a scathing new analysis of Utah's junior senator by The Atlantic's Tim Alberta, highlighting his evolution from a small-government conservative repulsed by Trump to a full-on MAGA disciple ingratiating himself for influence.

Part of the issue, said McCaskill, is that Lee, who defeated longtime establishment Republican Utah Sen. Bob Bennett in 2010 as part of the Tea Party wave, never got off on the right foot with his colleagues because of how he was elected.

"When Mike Lee came to the Senate, he had defeated a really good guy," said McCaskill. "I mean, Senator Bennett was the nicest man. He was full of integrity, kind, thoughtful and beloved by his colleagues in the Senate, and Mike Lee went after him in a way that many of those senators were offended by."

ALSO READ: Is Trump's dementia the real reason behind his flip-flopping?

The result of that bitterness, said McCaskill, is that "When Mike Lee got there ... he was not welcomed by Mitch McConnell the way he thought he should have been, and if you look at Lindsey Graham and Mike Lee, really it's about wanting to be in the room with the guy with the power. They want to be approved of. They want to be part of the gang. Part of their ambition is tied up in wanting to be close to the guy that's in charge, and in that process Mike Lee just ditched everything he believed in and everything his family stood for."

"It is a terrible tragedy, and it's very sad," McCaskill added. "It could be an opera, you know?"

Watch the video below or at the link here.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

GOP senator's false claim about Trump after shooting said to have damaged public 'trust'

Donald Trump-aligned U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is in hot water on Sunday after he claimed that Donald Trump went golfing the day after being shot in the ear at his rally.

Trump on Saturday was grazed by a bullet from a shooter outside of the event. The shooter was killed by Secret Service, and authorities are investigating to determine a motive.

But Lee the next day claimed Trump felt great enough to go golfing.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s ‘secretary of retribution’ has a ‘target list’ of 350 people he wants arrested

"Gets shot. Gets up the next day. Goes golfing," the senator wrote, along with a video of Trump at Bedminster traveling in a golf cart.

He then added, "The man has the energy of a dynamo. He’s undeterred by things that would rattle others for months. And apparently he’s got cat-like reflexes—or at least really good timing and luck."

He continued: "He’s like a duck in the rain. Sometimes we really need a man like that."

"There’s a specific scientific term for this kind of (very unusual) man—you know, the kind of man that gets shot, gets up the next morning, and goes golfing," the Republican lawmaker added. "In case you’re not familiar with this word, I’ll share it with you. The word is 'bada--.'"

The problem for Lee, however, is that the video wasn't filmed after the attempted assassination.

Meridith McGraw, national political correspondent for Politico, provided a fact check.

"Bedminster is closed to members today. Spoke with two members who said they cannot access the property because of security," she wrote. "This video was not taken today per the account that posted it."

Anti-Trump conservative George Conway sarcastically said, "Nice to know we can trust the social media account of a United States Senator."

Watch the video below or click the link here.

Trump-aligned GOP senator suggests far-right masked hate group is a 'false flag operation'

U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), an ally to Donald Trump, is the latest Republican to disavow the Patriot Front, an often-masked organization that has been labeled a right-wing and white supremacist hate group.

Lee took to social media on Saturday to question the legitimacy of the conservative marchers. The senator earlier in the day was taking heat for falling for a hoax about President Joe Biden having some kind of a "medical emergency" while on Air Force One on Friday.

"I’ve never heard of this group," he said on Saturday. "Any chance this is a false flag operation?"

ALSO READ: How The Onion’s founding editor finds humor in the dismal age of Trump

He continued: "I’d love to know — does anyone out there know anyone who is part of this group? Has anyone ever heard of it?"

Lee went on to say the group had "so much uniformity."

"It hardly has the feel of a grassroots, patriotic group," the lawmaker added. "I don’t think I’ve never seen one that looks or acts like this."

Lee went even further, suggesting the individuals were actually Democrats.

"One of America’s two major political parties long had a violent, militant, enforcement operation," he said. "Its members covered their faces. They did bad stuff. Truly evil things. To promote their party."

He concluded, "I’d rather not say which party. Hint: it was not the Republican Party."

Lee's remarks come just about six months after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a fellow Republican Trump ally, disavowed Patriot Front "marching all around in their stupid masks."

Watch the video below or click the link here.

Republican senator urges legal reversal for Trump: 'Put the genie back in the bottle'

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) hopes those responsible for proving former President Donald Trump guilty might take a mulligan.

"They could still do the right thing and perhaps put the genie back in the bottle," he said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday lobbing accusations of "partisan lawfare."

He pointed to enough time between now and July 11, when Trump is expected to be sentenced for all 34 counts of falsifying business records to shield payments to an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels to corrupt the 2016 election.

"There's so many instances of reversible error in this New York conviction that [Manhattan District Attorney Alvin] Bragg's office, and those who are handling this case on appeal could, and I believe, should confess error on appeal and walk away from the whole thing and leave it alone."

Already, Lee and J.D. Vance (R-OH) entreated other Republicans to sign a pledge to stonewall Democrats in the Senate citing the verdict that they believe was unjust.

"The White House has made a mockery of the rule of law and fundamentally altered our politics in un-American ways," the senators write. "As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart."

More than a dozen senators joined them in the pledge.

"Strongly worded statements are not enough. Those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable," Lee blasted when announcing the pledge. "We are no longer cooperating with any Democrat legislative priorities or nominations, and we invite all concerned Senators to join our stand."

For Lee, the Democrats may regret if the verdict stands.

"We can't, in the wake of that conviction, pretend that nothing has happened – pretend that this is just now going to be business as usual," he said.

'Liz Cheney is taking Mike Lee to Church' on his past claim about Trump's 'illegal' acts

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) is at it again, reminding Donald Trump's most loyal officials in elected office that they once condemned the former president's actions on Jan. 6, 2021.

Cheney recently reminded Trump superfan Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) about a statement the MAGA lawmaker made condemning Trump's actions from Jan. 6. That attention prompted Stefanik to delete the statement.

On Sunday, Cheney had a new target in her sights.

ALSO READ: 'What a piece of work': Marjorie Greene's 'childish' SOTU response trashed by Senate Dems

It started on March 8, when Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted the following insult to social media:

"Guide for conservatives: 1. Find out what Liz Cheney would do. 2. Do the opposite."

Two days later, Cheney hit back:

"Here you are on 1/6 explaining that Trump's plan to seize power was illegal," the ex-lawmaker wrote, linking to his own past statement. "It's sad you've abandoned what you know is true."

She then said, "You should take a break from spreading lunacy to read these remarks by Dallin Oaks," and linked to a speech from the Mormon president. Lee is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The remarks are focused on the importance of the Constitution.

"I testify of the divinely inspired Constitution of the United States and pray that we who recognize the Divine Being who inspired it will always uphold and defend its great principles. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen," Oaks wrote.

In response to Cheney's message, a former conservative Republican wrote, "Liz Cheney is taking Mike Lee to Church.....sending him a talk from an LDS General Authority about the need to defend the Constitution."

"I hope Mike reads it," the user wrote. "Then maybe he can read Alma 2 and remember that the bad guys are the ones who tried to overthrow democracy."

Read the statement here.

'Unbelievable': GOP lawmakers lash out at 'MAGA' Mike Johnson over 'yanked' bill

"MAGA" Mike Johnson is getting backlash from his colleagues after he purportedly "yanked" a bill they consider a GOP win.

Johnson has seen his fair share of losses recently, but Kentucky representative Thomas Massie said the House speaker actually had a winning bill on his hands until Johnson changed things.

Massie pointed to Johnson's communications aide, who said, "In order to allow Congress more time to reach consensus on how best to reform FISA and Section 702 while maintaining the integrity of our critical national security programs, the House will consider the reform and reauthorization bill at a later date."

ALSO READ: 'Unconstitutional overreach': Trump VP contenders clash on Jan. 6

"UNBELIEVABLE," Massie said. "Just as we were winning the debate on requiring warrants for domestic spying in the FISA 702 reauthorization, the Speaker yanked the bill and cancelled the rest of Congress this week."

Massie wasn't the only GOP voice to start speaking out.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) also chimed in on that particular issue.

"Who tricked House GOP leadership into doing this and what lame excuse was offered as justification?" Lee asked.

In a follow-up post, Lee wrote, "Bipartisan House Reps.: 'Warrantless spying on Americans using FISA 702 must stop; this is the week to end it.' House Intel Bros: 'Hey, there’s a big, bad, scary classified secret, so we all have to go to the SCIF,' followed by 'we must adjourn now.' Americans: 'What happened?'"