Free Republic

AUSTIN, Texas -- In light of the malicious prosecution of Governor Rick Perry, Republican lawmakers are rushing to jump on the bandwagon opposing the Democrats politically motivated action. But several House Republicans loyal to liberal House Speaker, Joe Straus, bear responsibility for setting the stage leading to the indictments.

Robert Patterson, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, said Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) gave "aid and comfort to the rioters and the protestors" with his op-ed in Time against the militarization of local police forces. Appearing on Breitbart News Saturday, Patterson said that Paul was "outdoing" President Barack Obama's "attempt to show moral equivalence between the rioters and the police" with a Time op-ed that even Al Sharpton praised. Patterson said that it is "another illustration of out-of-touch Republicans who are looking for love in all the wrong places" by "pandering to liberal and corporate elites instead of...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told an Ocean City, Md., town hall Thursday that he was considering running for president in 2016. “I’m thinking about it,” Christie said in response to a question from a local supporter, according to The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. “It is an enormous decision to make not only for me, but my family,” Christie said, according to the newspaper, saying he would make his decision “probably by the end of this year or the beginning of next.” …

Maine Gov. Paul LePage is not thrilled with the way the NFL has handled the suspension of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, and said today on a radio show that he intends on boycotting the NFL and will be sending NFL Commissioner Roger Gooddell a letter criticizing the relatively light punishment Rice received for beating his fiancé unconscious. "They care so little about our women and our children that they’re going to hire these barbarians who go and hit their wives and their kids and they’re gonna get a slap on the hand? And some guy got a year...

As the Kentucky U.S. Senate race remains in a dead heat, courting the vote of Kentucky women is becoming a main objective of both campaigns. And Kentucky U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell has enlisted the help of his wife, former U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. In a new ad released by the McConnell campaign Tuesday, Chao looks into the camera and criticizes the approach Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes takes with women voters. “Have you ever noticed how some liberals feel entitled to speak on behalf of all women?” Chao asks before saying that Grimes gender-based attacks are “desperate and false.”...

PADUCAH, Ky. — Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) can almost taste becoming Senate majority leader, but first he has to make sure he isn’t the Republican who costs the GOP its shot at chamber control. His strengths and weaknesses were on full display in his battle against Alison Lundergan Grimes this weekend, underscoring just how tough his race is against the Democrat. Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/214431-mcconnell-faces-toughest-test#ixzz39cwSApxA Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook

Gov. Chris Christie trails former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton among New Jersey voters surveyed in a poll about the 2016 presidential race. The Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Clinton leading the Republican governor 50 to 42 percent. Both are considering 2016 runs but haven't committed.

Republican U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, considered by some to be an “accidental” congressman, was easily defeated Tuesday in a Michigan district and became the third U.S. House incumbent to lose his seat this year. Lawyer and businessman David Trott, 53, who contributed nearly $2.5 million of his own money to his campaign, will face Democrat Bobby McKenzie, a counterterrorism expert, in the November general election to represent the 11th congressional district covering a swath of Detroit’s western and northern suburbs. …

“I continue to believe that we have to reform our immigration laws. I think that’s good for the country. I wouldn’t say that because of politics,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The possible presidential hopeful was speaking to “Fox News Sunday”—from Iowa. Although he favors immigration reform, Rubio says he’s changed his mind about doing it all at once, in one bill—even though he was one of 14 Republican senators who voted for such a bill one year ago. …

Unlike many of his fellow Republican lawmakers, U.S. Senator John Cornyn sounded a conciliatory note when talking about the border crisis in San Antonio on Friday afternoon. He complimented the federal government on its response along the border and treatment of the children who have immigrated from Central America, said that he would be open to compromise on his controversial — but bipartisan — proposal that would require the children have a hearing before an immigration judge within seven days of entering the country; and added that he would not touch President Barack Obama’s current policy that allows children of...

The Senate minority leader, long reviled among many on the right for what they see as kowtowing to Democrats, is in a tough race for his seat—and in trouble with the Tea Party. If Alison Lundergan Grimes pulls off an upset victory over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in November, she may have Tea Partiers to thank. But don’t expect conservative voters to rally to Grimes—they simply aren't getting behind McConnell. Although the five-term Republican ended up winning a a tough primary challenge from businessman Matt Bevin handily, the race was one of the most vicious and ugly this cycle,...

Dear “Conservatives” and “Establishment Republicans,” I write today in the hope you all can get over whatever anger, distrust or bruised egos this primary season and political year has caused you. We on the right need to unite and send a message to progressives by unambiguously retaking the U.S. Senate in November. We all have some problem with what’s happened so far. Someone we liked lost a primary. Someone we didn’t won. Some piece of legislation we hate passed; some other piece we liked did not. No one is completely happy, but we all know things can get much worse...

RICHMOND, Va. – U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor tells a Virginia newspaper he will resign his seat in the House of Representatives months earlier than expected.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 225-201 on Wednesday evening to authorize Speaker John Boehner (R.-Ohio) to sue President Barack Obama and other administration officials for taking actions implementing the Affordable Care Act that do not follow the language of the law but that the Republican-led House nonetheless has not previously voted to defund and now intends to continue funding. Rather than take action under its own constitutional authority to curb what it believes are unconstitutional acts by the president, the Republican majority will now ask federal judges to curb the president. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the...

ouse GOP leadership is beginning to crack on its position that it would not include any language intended to prohibit the President from expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive amnesty in a border bill package. House GOP leadership is beginning to crack on its position that it would not include any language intended to prohibit the President from expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive amnesty in a border bill package. Unable to find enough Republicans to pass the bill without the help of Democrats, who are lining up against the border bill, GOP leaders...

Talk of impeachment was cooked up by a White House desperate for something to rally Democrats ahead of November’s elections, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Tuesday, flatly ruling out any action on the controversial suggestion. “We have no plans to impeach the president. We have no future plans,” Mr. Beohner said. “Listen, it’s all a scam started by Democrats at the White House.”

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee angered his Facebook fans after endorsing Sen. Lamar Alexander against conservative state Representative Joe Carr last month. Carr has been endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham for the August 7th primary. And Carr has been relentlessly hammering Alexander for voting for the Senate's amnesty bill even after law enforcement officials warned Alexander that it would lure more illegal immigrants from Central America. Nearly every one of close to 450 comments beneath Huckabee's announcement on his Facebook page blasts Huckabee for supporting Alexander. One Huckabee fan said, "We...

On Fox News Sunday, Republican writer George Will said that America should let all of the illegal immigrant juveniles from Central America remain and ensure they are allowed to "go to school and get a job." "My view is that we have to say to these children, 'Welcome to America. You're going to go to school and get a job and become Americans,'" Will declared. "We have 3,141 counties in this country. That would be 20 per county. The idea that we can't assimilate these 8-year-old criminals with their teddy bears is preposterous." Will was asked to respond to Republicans...

Republican Senate candidate Ed Gillespie said he thinks there is enough evidence to support climate change after being pressed on the issue during a debate with incumbent Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). "I believe there is ample scientific evidence that contributes to climate change but I'm not entirely dismissive of those who have a different point of view," Gillespie said. Gillespie added, "Norfolk is dealing with rising sea levels but people can debate what contributes to that or not." Still, Gillespie said he thinks the administration's new carbon pollution rules "go to far."

Officials have said that more than half of all children initially placed in shelters have gone on to be reunited with at least one parent already living in the United States, and 85 percent of all children have been placed with a close family member.