New ad from Senate-hopeful Tommy Tuberville aims to combat ‘fake news’ attacks
U.S. Senate-hopeful, Republican candidate Tommy Tuberville on Saturday released a new television ad aimed at combatting what he calls a “a series of false, fake news-style attacks launched by opponent Bradley Byrne.” “Career politicians like Bradley Byrne are desperate to hang on to their paychecks and power and protect their place in the D.C. swamp,” Tuberville said. “Our new commercial shares some hard truths about Bradley Byrne’s fake news attacks, and it tells voters exactly where we stand in a no-nonsense, straight-forward style.” Tuberville faces former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, state Rep. Arnold Mooney, businessmanStanley Adair and Ruth Page Nelson in the crowded Republican primary on March 3, 2020. Watch Tuberville’s ad below:
Tommy Tuberville asserts ‘God sent us Donald Trump’ in first statewide radio ad
Former Auburn University football coach and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville on Monday debuted his campaign’s first statewide radio ad Currently airing on stations across Alabama, the ad endeavors to inform voters about Tuberville’s support for President Donald Trump, his fight against career politicians, and the deeply-held conservative principles that guide both his life and his campaign. “Speaking directly to the voters about the issues that motivate us is the core of our strategy, and the media campaign we kick off today will help us accomplish that goal,” Tuberville said. “It is time for our state to send a political outsider to the U.S. Senate so we can stand with President Trump and give Washington, D.C. a good dose of our conservative Alabama values.” Tuberville faces former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, state Rep. Arnold Mooney, businessman Stanley Adair and Ruth Page Nelson in the crowded Republican primary on March 3, 2020. Listen to the ad below: A transcript of the ad: Announcer: Two-time SEC Coach of the Year. Christian family man. Conservative outsider ready to take on politically-correct liberal politicians. Tommy Tuberville is the Trump conservative. Here’s Coach Tuberville. Tommy Tuberville: I’m not a career politician. I’m really a politician’s worst nightmare. I’ve coached for the last 30 to 40 years. I’ve been around young people, and I believe if we don’t get God back in our schools, this country has got no chance of surviving. I’m a Christian conservative Republican. I believe in the sanctity of life, and I say it with all of my heart “God sent us Donald Trump” because God knew we were in trouble. Announcer: A man of faith. A Republican with strong moral values. Tommy Tuberville is the Trump conservative. Tommy Tuberville: I’m going to stand with President Donald Trump on building the wall and cracking down on illegal immigration. A vote for me is a vote for Donald Trump. I’m not looking for a career. I’m looking to help save this country with Donald J. Trump. I’m Tommy Tuberville, and I approve this message. Announcer: Paid for by Tuberville for Senate Inc.
Doug Jones leads fundraising in senate race
U.S. Senator Doug Jones of Alabama continues to lead in fundraising as he heads to a tough reelection fight. The Deep South Democrat raised $2 million last quarter, more than all the GOP primary candidates combined, according to the latest campaign fundraising reports. He has a campaign balance of $5 million. Jones won the 2017 special election to fill the Senate seat that belonged to Jeff Sessions. Now sometimes referred to as the Senate’s most endangered Democrat, he is facing a tough reelection battle in 2020, but fundraising numbers suggest he will be well-armed financially for the fight. A crowded GOP primary field is competing for the right to challenge Jones. Republican U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne leads in overall fundraising with $2.5 million cash on hand. Byrne raised $408,000 in two separate accounts last quarter. Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville has $1.4 million on hand after raising $373,000 last quarter. Secretary of State John Merrill has $738,429 on hand after raising $378,020 last quarter and taking out a $250,000 loan. Legislator Arnold Mooney raised $242,738 last quarter. Businessman Stanley Adair raised $148.882 and loaned his campaign another $4,500 in the same time period. Former Chief Justice Roy Moore, who lost to Jones two years ago, is lagging most of the GOP field in cash. He has raised less than $100,000 total for his latest Senate bid. Moore ran for the Senate seat in 2017 but lost the special election after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. He denied the accusations. Other candidates in the race reported raising less than $10,000. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Doug Jones kicks off 2020 reelection
U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat who pulled off a stunning political upset in Alabama two years ago, launched his reelection bid Sunday, seeking to create another Deep South victory in a Republican-dominated state. Before several hundred cheering supporters in Birmingham, Jones kicked off his 2020 campaign. Invoking the campaign theme of “One Alabama,” Jones said he is a senator who represents all of Alabama and will fight for everyone in the state. “The success of our state depends on engaging the power and the spirit and the intellect of our millions of citizens,” Jones said. “No matter the zip code you live in, your race, your religion, your disability, your economic status — no matter who you love— we all want to succeed in a world where no one, no one is left behind,” Jones said. The Deep South Democrat defeated Republican Roy Moore in a 2017 special election to fill the Senate vacancy created when Jeff Sessions became President Donald Trump’s first U.S. attorney general. Now considered the Senate’s most endangered Democrat, Jones is seeking a full term in office in the usually reliably red state. His 2017 victory was aided by scandal when Moore, already a divisive figure among state voters, was accused of sexual misconduct. Several women said Moore pursued romantic and sexual relationships with them when they were teens and he was a prosecutor in his 30s. One of the women was as young as 14. Moore vehemently denied the accusations and is now part of a crowded GOP field vying for a chance to challenge Jones in 2020. David Hughes, a political scientist at Auburn University at Montgomery, said Jones will face an “extremely uphill battle.” Jones is running in a year when Trump, who is intensely popular in the state, will be on the ballot, driving GOP turnout, Hughes said. Hughes said Jones also could face a more mainstream Republican who doesn’t have the negatives that Moore carried. “There would have to be something calamitous to prevent Republicans from turning out,” Hughes added. With partisan control of the Senate on the line, Republicans have made defeating Jones a top priority in 2020. The Alabama Republican Party has a countdown on its website ticking off the days until he is out of office. The National Republican Senatorial Committee drove a billboard carrying truck outside the Birmingham venue calling him “Anti-Trump Democrat Doug Jones” who “sides with socialists.” “For goodness sake, a socialist? Come on,” Jones cracked to the crowd at his kickoff rally. The son of a steel mill worker, Jones grew up in the working class city of Fairfield, just west of Birmingham. As U.S. attorney during then President Bill Clinton’s administration he was best known for prosecuting the Klansmen who bombed a Birmingham church in 1963, killing four black girls. Jones is positioning himself as a moderate— a gun owner who supports “narrowly tailored” universal background checks for gun purchases. He is urging the state to expand Medicaid in a state with high rates of infant and maternal mortality. GOP opponents are expected to highlight Jones’ support of abortion rights – in a state where voters put anti-abortion language in the state Constitution and lawmakers are attempting to ban abortion outright — and his opposition to some of Trump’s judicial nominees. Speaking to reporters, Jones acknowledged that he has a political “target on my back and on my chest.” And he retorted that no one gave ever “gave us a chance” of winning in 2017. He urged voters to “look at my record” and not just labels slung at him by opponents. “There is no way … if they look at my record they can say I’m a liberal, a real far conservative. I keep telling people. ‘I’m just Doug. I do what I think is right for the state.’” “If that’s the best they’ve got,” Jones said of labels like the truck outside. “Bring it on.”For Alabama Democrats and some moderates, Jones ’2017 victory was water in the red state desert. Packing his campaign kickoff, many acknowledged the tough fight to come, but said they remain hopeful. “We need him,” said Sally Livingston, a 58-year-old educator in attendance.Republicans disagree. “Whether it was voting against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, supporting on-demand abortions, or advocating for gun control, Doug is totally out of touch with Alabama,” said U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, a congressman running for the Senate seat. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Roy Moore to announce US Senate plans Thursday
Conservative lightning rod Roy Moore of Alabama will announce this week if he is running for U.S. Senate in 2020. Moore’s wife, Kayla Moore, confirmed that he will make an announcement on the Senate race Thursday. Moore, who lost in 2017 to Democrat Doug Jones, told The Associated Press last month that he was seriously considering another run. Moore was defeated amid allegations of long ago sexual misconduct with teenagers. Moore denied the allegations. President Donald Trump last month appeared to discourage Moore from entering the race. Trump tweeted that Moore “cannot win” and said Republicans need to retake the seat in the once reliably red state. Trump added that if Democrats retain the seat in 2020, “many of the incredible gains that we have made during my Presidency may be lost.” Moore brushed aside that assertion that he can’t win. He told The Associated Press last month that he believed that establishment Republicans are trying to keep him out of the race and put pressure on Trump. “Everybody knows I can win and that’s what’s worrying in Washington.” Moore said last month. Jones narrowly defeated Moore in 2017 by 22,000 votes out of 1.3 million cast in a special election to fill the seat previously held by Jeff Sessions, who became Trump’s attorney general. Republicans control the Senate 53-47 and view defeating Jones as a top priority. Jones, 65, is considered the most endangered Democratic incumbent facing re-election in 2020, a year when several GOP senators are vulnerable and control of the chamber will be at stake. During the 2017 race, six women accused Moore of pursuing romantic or sexual relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s. Two, including a woman who was 14 at the time, accused him of assault or molestation, accusations that he has vehemently denied. As he weighs another Senate bid, Moore contends the 2017 election was a “fraud.” Moore has a strong following among Alabama’s evangelical voters, support that propelled him to twice being elected as the state’s chief justice. Before the 2017 race, the West Point graduate was best known for hardline stances as Alabama chief justice against allowing gay couples to marry and in favor of public display of the Ten Commandments. A judicial ethics panel twice removed him from the bench, ruling he had defied, or urged defiance, of federal court orders. Moore would be part of a crowded GOP primary field if he enters the race.Republican candidates already include Congressman Bradley Byrne, former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville and state Rep. Arnold Mooney. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said he will announce a decision next week. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Arnold Mooney joins crowded 2020 Alabama Senate field
Republican state Rep. Arnold Mooney announced Monday that he is joining the 2020 race for U.S. Senate. The Shelby County Republican is seeking the seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Sen. Doug Jones. He joins a Republican field that includes Congressman Bradley Byrne and former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, who have already announced primary bids. “Alabamians want a conservative and an outsider with a backbone, and we are going to give them one,” Mooney, 68, wrote in his announcement on social media. Mooney is a second-term legislator. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2014. He was re-elected in November. Republicans are trying to recapture the U.S. Senate seat once held by Republican Jeff Sessions, who was President Donald Trump’s first attorney general. Jones, a former U.S. attorney, defeated ex-state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in a special election in 2017 after Moore was accused of sexual misconduct with teenagers. He denied the allegations. Jones is the only Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama. The Senate primary is March 3, 2020.
Senate votes against Donald Trump border emergency
In a stunning rebuke, a dozen defecting Republicans joined Senate Democrats to block the national emergency that President Donald Trump declared so he could build his border wall with Mexico. The rejection capped a week of confrontation with the White House as both parties in Congress strained to exert their power in new ways. The 59-41 tally Thursday, following the Senate’s vote a day earlier to end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen, promised to force Trump into the first vetoes of his presidency. Trump had warned against both actions. Moments after Thursday’s vote, the president tweeted a single word of warning: “VETO!” Two years into the Trump era, a defecting dozen Republicans, pushed along by Democrats, showed a willingness to take that political risk. Twelve GOP senators, including the party’s 2012 presidential nominee, Mitt Romney of Utah, joined the dissent over the emergency declaration order that would enable the president to seize for the wall billions of dollars Congress intended elsewhere. “The Senate’s waking up a little bit to our responsibilities,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who said the chamber had become “a little lazy” as an equal branch of government. “I think the value of these last few weeks is to remind the Senate of our constitutional place.” Many senators said the vote was not necessarily a rejection of the president or the wall, but protections against future presidents — namely a Democrat who might want to declare an emergency on climate change, gun control or any number of other issues. “This is constitutional question, it’s a question about the balance of power that is core to our constitution,” Romney said. “This is not about the president,” he added. “The president can certainly express his views as he has and individual senators can express theirs.” Thursday’s vote was the first direct challenge to the 1976 National Emergencies Act, just as Wednesday’s on Yemen was the first time Congress invoked the decades-old War Powers Act to try to rein in a president. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in halting U.S. backing for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the aftermath of the kingdom’s role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Even though there’s not likely to be enough numbers to override a veto, the votes nevertheless sent a message from Capitol Hill. “Today’s votes cap a week of something the American people haven’t seen enough of in the last two years,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, “both parties in the United States Congress standing up to Donald Trump.” The result is a role-reversal for Republicans who have been reluctant to take on Trump, bracing against his high-profile tweets and public attacks of reprimand. But now they are facing challenges from voters — in some states where senators face stiff elections — who are expecting more from Congress. Centrist Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins, who’s among those most vulnerable in 2020, said she’s sure the president “will not be happy with my vote. But I’m a United States senator and I feel my job is to stand up for the Constitution, so let the chips fall where they may.” Trump’s grip on the party, though, remains strong and the White House made it clear that Republicans resisting Trump could face political consequences. Ahead of the voting, Trump framed the issue as with-him-or-against-him on border security, a powerful argument with many. “A vote for today’s resolution by Republican Senators is a vote for Nancy Pelosi, Crime, and the Open Border Democrats!” Trump tweeted. “Don’t vote with Pelosi!” he said in another, referring to the speaker of the House. A White House official said Trump won’t forget when senators who oppose him want him to attend fundraisers or provide other help. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on internal deliberations. “I don’t think anybody’s sending the president a message,” said Jim Risch of Idaho, the GOP chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He blamed the media for “reaching” to view every action “through the prism of the presidency, and that isn’t necessarily the way it works here.” Trump brought on the challenge months ago when he all but dared Congress not to give him the $5.7 billion he was demanding to build the U.S.-Mexico wall or risk a federal government shutdown. Congress declined and the result was the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Against the advice of GOP leaders, Trump invoked the national emergency declaration last month, allowing him to try to tap some $3.6 billion for the wall by shuffling money from military projects, and that drew outrage from many lawmakers. Trump had campaigned for president promising Mexico would pay for the wall. The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, and lawmakers seethed as they worried about losing money for military projects that had already been approved for bases at home and abroad. The Democratic-led House swiftly voted to terminate Trump’s order. Senate Republicans spent weeks trying to avoid this outcome, up until the night before the vote, in a script that was familiar — up until the gavel. The most promising was an effort from Sen. Mike Lee of Utah for legislation that would impose limits on future presidential actions. That would give senators some solace as they allowed Trump’s order to stand. GOP senators huddled with Vice President Mike Pence and seemed optimistic the White House might support their plan. Then Trump called Lee in the middle of a private Republican lunch meeting and, in the time it took the senator to step out of the room to take the call, it was over. Trump was opposed. Lee and other senators were peeling off against the president. In a last-ditch effort the night before the vote, Lindsey Graham and other senators dashed to the White House to try once again for Trump’s support to broker an alternative plan. Trump was frustrated by their arrival. They mostly failed. Trump did tweet ahead of the vote that
Birmingham’s Kristina Scott pushes for simpler Student Aid submission process in US Senate
College students across the country universally dread one form: the FASFA. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is both confusing and time consuming to fill out — for many families the FAFSA is longer than their tax form — and yet it’s a necessary task for students who need aid in paying their tuition. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to hear from experts across the country on the benefits, and how to best, streamline the FASFA application. Among those experts was Birmingham’s own Kristina Scott, executive director of Alabama Possible — a nonprofit organization that removes barriers to prosperity in Alabama through education, collaboration, and advocacy. “FAFSA continues to be a barrier to post-secondary attainment. Most people get help filing their taxes from something like HR Block or using Turbo Tax,” Scott testified. “One of my questions is do we need to build a similar system for FAFSA completion or would our limited private resources be better spent supporting student success.” Scott explained Alabama is the nation’s sixth poorest state, and 900,000 Alabamians, 300,000 of whom are children, live below the poverty line. “A low-income student is only half as likely as a high-income student to complete a postsecondary certificate or degree by age 26. However, those low-income Americans who do obtain a college degree are five times more likely than their peers to rise out of poverty,” Scott explained to the committee. Scott made three recommendations to the committee on how to improve the FAFSA process: Streamline the FAFSA. A streamlined FAFSA with 15-25 questions about the student, their family, and where they want to go to college would give the US Department of Education the ability to assess a student’s need while cutting out unnecessary and often-intrusive questions. Focus the process on funds available to pay for college. Focus the process on what a family is expected to pay, instead of on grants and other assistance for which they qualify, is confusing and off-putting for the low-income families we serve. Decrease the verification burden.Verification is an audit-like process to confirm information provided on the FAFSA. Roughly half of all filers eligible for a Pell Grant are flagged for verification.
Senate rejection of Donald Trump border emergency no longer certain
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to make it harder for Republicans to avoid an embarrassing Senate rebuff of President Donald Trump‘s effort to steer billions of extra federal dollars to building barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border by declaring a national emergency. As the White House and GOP senators sought a compromise on curbing a president’s power to unilaterally declare such emergencies in the future, Pelosi said Wednesday that the House would not take up that legislation if it passed the Senate. GOP senators are hoping that if Trump endorses that bill, more Republicans would oppose a separate resolution, set for a vote Thursday, that would block the border emergency he proclaimed last month. If Trump’s border emergency stands, he could divert $3.6 billion from military construction projects to build border barriers, even though Congress had voted to limit him to less than $1.4 billion for such construction. Pelosi’s move seemed aimed at persuading GOP senators wavering over the resolution disapproving Trump’s border emergency that they would get no political protection by supporting the bill curbing future emergencies because it will never become law. “Republican Senators are proposing new legislation to allow the President to violate the Constitution just this once in order to give themselves cover,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement. “The House will not take up this legislation to give President Trump a pass.” It has long looked like the Republican-run Senate would join the Democratic-led House in voting to block Trump’s border emergency. That would set up the first veto of Trump’s presidency. But there have been signs that opposition by a few GOP mavericks is softening. Some Republicans think Trump went too far in declaring an emergency, but they also are eager to avoid defying a president popular with conservative voters. An administration official said Wednesday that the White House is skeptical there will be enough votes to head off a Senate defeat Thursday and is reluctant to back limits on future declarations unless a victory on the resolution is assured. The official was not authorized to publicly private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity. GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina and others are trying to work out a compromise with the White House over future emergencies. They also were among five GOP senators who met privately Tuesday at the Capitol with Vice President Mike Pence as Republicans tried to find a way to bolster support for Trump. Tillis and three other GOP senators have said they would vote with Democrats to support the resolution blocking Trump’s border emergency — enough to assure its passage, assuming all Democrats vote “yes” as expected. At a closed-door lunch Tuesday, Tillis suggested he could be open to backing the president, said two people familiar with his comments. One said Tillis told his colleagues he could change his vote if Trump was indeed ready to curb presidential powers to declare emergencies without Congress’ approval. The two spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal private conversations. A Tillis aide did not return messages left for him. Tillis faces a potentially tough re-election fight next year. Republicans control the Senate 53-47, meaning that four GOP defections would be enough to send the resolution blocking Trump’s border emergency to the White House. The others are Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul said earlier this month that there were “at least 10” GOP senators prepared to oppose Trump’s emergency. But he now expects fewer defections. Still, Congress would be highly unlikely to muster the two-thirds majorities needed to eventually override a veto. But approval of the resolution would highlight a clash in which Trump was being forced to protect his signature campaign promise by vetoing legislation sent to him by a Republican-led Senate. Congress has never before voted to overturn a president’s emergency declaration. Under a 1976 law, presidents have wide discretion in determining when a national emergency has occurred. Congress can vote to block an emergency declaration, but the two-thirds majorities required to overcome presidential vetoes make it hard for lawmakers to prevail. Lee’s proposal says a presidential emergency would last 30 days unless Congress votes to extend it. It would apply to future emergencies, not Trump’s current border emergency. A vote on Lee’s plan was expected after Congress returns from a recess later this month. The strongest chance of blocking Trump’s border emergency is likely several lawsuits filed by Democratic state attorneys general, environmental groups and others. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
I support ‘Bentley for U.S Senate’
Today Baron Coleman* made a case that former Gov. Robert Bentley should be considered for U.S. Senate. There haven’t been any columns I’ve written to date that have included the phrase”LOL,” but seriously, I’m tempted to here. That is absurd. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The only Bentley anyone should consider for holding public office is Ms. Dianne Bentley — a woman of class, a woman of substance, a woman with a heart for the people of Alabama. Her work on domestic violence issues showed compassion and strength. Her silence in the face of the devastatingly public behavior of her now ex-husband shows she has backbone. Even the way she left him showed a strength those in Montgomery and D.C. seem to be lacking at the moment. I would support her for our next U.S. Senator hands down. That said, let’s talk more about more realistic candidates for the U.S. Senate, and where I stand on them. First on, former-Gov. Robert Bentley in no way shape or form should be considered a viable candidate for any public office. Mainly because he sold out the people of Alabama with his push to raise taxes after campaigning against them. Yes, folks this is and should be an unforgivable act of public betrayal. I contend his semi-platonic, handsy and wordsy affair with his staffer wouldn’t have been anyones business aside from his and his families, had he not used state funds, and potentially state staff, to attempt to cover it up. His true unforgivable crime was losing sight of the fiscally conservative values he espoused on the campaign trail once he was elected Governor. While 1st District U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne may be the only candidate to announce their 2020 U.S. Senate candidacy thus far, there are a handful of other names being kicked around as potential candidates right now too. Those currently in Montgomery flirting with the idea should just take a seat if they intend to not only a) vote for Gov. Kay Ivey‘s gas tax proposal, but also b) fail to stand up and do anything short of boldly coming out against it. I’m all for supporting infrastructure, but I’m not for indexing a tax increase, or for throwing good money after bad to an agency that has shown a total disregard for prioritizing their past and future budgets. And I’m not for raising the tax more than the state needs, just to give money to the cities so they can do what they please and use it on anything but infrastructure. As Montgomery-mayor Todd Strange said, what’s really going to happen is it’s going to become a shell game. The transportation dollars the cities receive from the state, will allow them to spend that money on whatever pet-projects they want. If you give a government bureaucrat an extra one-dollar, they’ll find a way to spend two-dollars, not necessarily on related items. Another potential candidate who’s name is being tossed around is Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks. Brooks should have been a solid candidate when he was running in the last election. But I take significant issue with the way his campaign was run, and even some of his supporter’s behavior was atrocious to say the least. Bridges have been burned unnecessarily because the candidate didn’t bring his “A-game” and that was no ones fault but his own. It doesn’t help to have the right message (pun intended) if you can’t get out of your way to deliver it to voters. All of this said, I’m on record saying it and I’ll say it again: Alabama needs someone young to win this seat and keep it. That’s not to be ageist, but rather that’s the reality of the way Congress and more specifically the U.S. Senate works. I’ve been a little disappointed by Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth choosing not to be vocal about the gas tax issue this session, when in the past he was a champion rallying against it. He had a really good opportunity to step up and be vocal against it, but it seems that power will seduce and silence just about anyone these days. There’s no question Sen. Doug Jones is going to be defeated in 2020. All it takes is a calculator and half a brain to figure that out. The question is, who is going to defeat him, and how conservative will they be. Us true conservatives, with passion and principles, it’s our time to make our voices be heard. To watch what’s going on Montgomery again this week with the gas tax increase and pay attention and take notes. We need a leader in the U.S. leader. It’s not going to be Robert Bentley, but it is a good time to start talking about what qualities we’re actually looking for in that future Senator. And hey, if Dianne is interested I’ll get my checkbook ready. *Baron is a lawyer, radio talk show host on News & Views on 93.1 FM, and political consultant based out of Montgomery, Ala. for those who don’t know. He also is a new contributor here at Alabama Today.
AG nominee William Barr seeks to assure senators he won’t be a Trump loyalist
Vowing “I will not be bullied,” President Donald Trump‘s nominee for attorney general asserted independence from the White House, saying he believed that Russia had tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, that the special counsel investigation shadowing Trump is not a witch hunt and that his predecessor was right to recuse himself from the probe. The comments by William Barr at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday pointedly departed from Trump’s own views and underscored Barr’s efforts to reassure Democrats that he will not be a loyalist to a president who has appeared to demand it from law enforcement. He also repeatedly sought to assuage concerns that he might disturb or upend special counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation as it reaches its final stages. Some Democrats are concerned about that very possibility, citing a memo Barr wrote to the Justice Department before his nomination in which he criticized Mueller’s investigation for the way it was presumably looking into whether Trump had obstructed justice. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Barr the memo showed “a determined effort, I thought, to undermine Bob Mueller.” The nominee told senators he was merely trying to advise Justice Department officials against “stretching the statute beyond what was intended” to conclude the president had obstructed justice. Though Barr said an attorney general should work in concert with an administration’s policy goals, he broke from some Trump talking points, including the mantra that the Russia probe is a witch hunt, and said he frowned on “Lock Her Up” calls for Hillary Clinton. Trump has equivocated on Russian meddling in the 2016 election and assailed and pushed out his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing because of his work with the Trump campaign. Barr stated without hesitation that it was in the public interest for Mueller to finish his investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to sway the presidential election. He said he would resist any order by Trump to fire Mueller without cause and called it “unimaginable” that Mueller would do anything to require his termination. “I believe the Russians interfered or attempted to interfere with the election, and I think we have to get to the bottom of it,” Barr said during the nine-hour hearing. He said that, at 68 years old and partially retired, he felt emboldened to “do the right thing and not really care about the consequences.” If a president directs an attorney general to do something illegal, he said, an attorney general must resign. “I will not be bullied into doing anything that I think is wrong by anybody, whether it be editorial boards or Congress or the president,” Barr said. Consumed by the partial government shutdown, Trump remained out of sight at the White House but also kept an eye on the news coverage of the hearing and told aides he was pleased with how Barr was handling himself, said two White House officials and a Republican close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal conversations. On other topics, Barr echoed in part Trump’s hardline immigration stance and said the Justice Department would not go after marijuana companies in states where the drug is legal. He also would not rule out jailing reporters for doing their jobs, saying he could envision circumstances where a journalist could be held in contempt “as a last resort.” Barr’s hearing continues Wednesday with a lineup of character witnesses, including former Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Barr’s confirmation is likely, given that Republicans control the Senate. Even some Democrats have been looking to move on from acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who declined to remove himself the Russia probe and has faced scrutiny over his private dealings. But he nonetheless faced skeptical questions from Democrats over whether he could oversee without bias or interference the remainder of Mueller’s probe. Feinstein said the nominee’s past rhetoric in support of expansive presidential powers “raises a number of serious questions about your views on executive authority and whether the president is, in fact, above the law.” Barr, responding with a more moderate view, said he believed a president who ordered an attorney general to halt an investigation would be committing an “abuse of power” if not necessarily a crime. Barr said under questioning from Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, that he wouldn’t interfere with a Mueller request to subpoena Trump for his testimony “if there was a factual basis.” But he also said he saw no reason to change Justice Department legal opinions that have held that a sitting president cannot be indicted. Barr called Mueller a friend of 30 years and said “it is vitally important” that Mueller be allowed to complete his investigation. “I don’t believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt,” he said when asked by the panel’s Republican chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. The special counsel is required to report his findings confidentially to the Justice Department. Barr said he then expected to produce his own report to Congress and said it was his goal to release as much information as possible to the public, though he stopped short of a direct pledge. He also noted the Justice Department does not typically disclose information about people it decides not to prosecute. He disclosed having discussed Mueller with Trump during a meeting in 2017 when Barr declined to join his legal team. He said he and his wife had been “sort of looking forward to a bit of respite and I didn’t want to stick my head into that meat grinder.” Trump wanted to know what Mueller, who worked for Barr when he led the Justice Department between 1991 and 1993, was like. “He was interested in that, wanted to know what I thought about Mueller’s integrity and so forth and so on,” Barr said. “I said Bob is a straight shooter and should be dealt with
Senate approves bill to keep government running into 2019
The Senate approved legislation Wednesday to temporarily fund the government, a key step toward averting a federal shutdown after President Donald Trump backed off his demand for money for a border wall with Mexico. Senators passed the measure, which would keep government running to Feb. 8, by voice vote without a roll call. The House is also expected to move before Friday’s deadline, when funding for a portion of the government expires. Without resolution, more than 800,000 federal workers would face furloughs or be forced to work without pay, disrupting government operations days before Christmas. While the White House indicated Trump was open to reviewing whatever Congress could pass, the president did not immediately weigh in on the short-term plan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the Senate will remain in session Thursday. “We have to see what the House does,” he said. Many of Trump’s supporters were frustrated that he appeared to retreat on his shutdown threats after promising a fight over the wall, which had been central to his presidential campaign. Just last week Trump said he would be “proud” to shut down the government over his demand for $5 billion for the wall. Some allies described the move as caving on his pledge, expressing concern that it could hurt Trump’s 2020 prospects. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said Trump’s political base “will just go crazy” if he signs a bill without wall funding. He warned it will be tougher to win the money next year when Democrats control the House. He said supporters of the president “believe it’s a promise that he’s been telling them that he will keep.” On Twitter, Trump appeared to respond to criticism by insisting that “one way or the other, we will win on the Wall!” Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway also faced tough questioning on “Fox & Friends,” the morning show known to be one of Trump’s favorites. Host Brian Kilmeade said Wednesday that Trump has “no leverage,” while Ainsley Earhardt asked why Trump was “softening” his position. “The president is not softening his stance,” Conway said. “He has a responsibility to keep the government moving forward, and he has a responsibility to get border security.” McConnell, though, portrayed the short-term spending measure as a “simple” bill that would show that Republicans, who control Congress now, will finish the year by not prolonging a potential crisis. “Republicans will continue to fill our duty to govern,” he said. Voting was delayed until late Wednesday as a bipartisan group of lawmakers, mostly from the West, pushed a package that would reauthorize a popular Land and Water Conservation Fund, which expired Sept. 30, and add other measures addressing public lands. Unable to reach agreement, they postponed action as talks continued. At one point late in the late evening, senators broke out in a round of Christmas carols from a corner of the chamber. A few moments later, retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., gaveled a procedural vote closed by suggesting “Rudolph” had voted present. It was unclear how many House members would return to Washington for votes after Republicans lost the majority in the midterm election. Some 70 members missed Wednesday’s session, almost as many Democrats as Republicans. With many House Republicans sour on the spending package, passage could depend on Democrats. Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi, who is on track to become speaker when Democrats take control Jan. 3, signaled support for ensuring funding. Should the legislation become law, the border money fight would drag into the next Congress, which could prove even more difficult for Trump. Pelosi will probably be able to quickly win approval of a longer-term measure to keep government running in 2019. “Democrats will be ready to fully, responsibly fund our government in January,” Pelosi said in a statement. As some Republicans grumbled that Trump caved, McConnell lashed out at Democrats for failing to give Trump any of the $5 billion that he wanted for the wall. The bill keeps funding at current levels, $1.3 billion, for border security and fencing, but not for the wall. “This seems to be the reality of our political moment,” McConnell said. “It seems like political spite for the president may be winning out over sensible policy.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Democrats oppose Trump’s border demands because the wall is “inefficient” and because Trump, as a candidate, promised that Mexico would pay for it, which Mexico has refused to do. “We want smart, effective border security,” Schumer said. “That’s not a wall.” But the White House showed its willingness to budge as it became apparent the president did not have support in Congress for paying for the wall. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated earlier this week that Trump did not want to shut down the government. She said the administration was looking at ways to find the money elsewhere, though that was uncertain because it would also likely need congressional approval. Congress did pass legislation to fund much of the government through the current budget year, until next Oct. 1. At issue is money for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests. The stopgap measure would approve government funding at existing levels for those departments, without a boost for the border. It would include a temporary extension of a national flood insurance program, the Violence Against Women Act and other measures. Several lawmakers have complained that the appropriations process continues to be tangled in partisan politics. Top appropriators had tried to improve the process this year by passing bipartisan bills that would have funded those agencies, as they hoped to stem the cycle of shutdown crises. They lamented having to abandon those efforts for the temporary measure. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said they “worked a long time” on the bills,
