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The IRS will pay the National Organization for Marriage $50,000 to settle a lawsuit over claims the agency improperly disclosed confidential tax information, according to a consent judgment released this week. The lawsuit stemmed from information an IRS worker sent to an individual who identified himself as a member of the media who requested it in the midst of the 2012 presidential campaign, which he then sent to the pro-gay rights group Human Rights Campaign. The Huffington Post then ran a story noting a political action committee linked to Mitt Romney had been a donor to NOM. John Eastman, NOM’s...

The conservative group National Organization of Marriage accused the IRS of leaking documents to the Obama Campaign in 2012. A top Obama campaign official Joe Solomese used the information to attack Mitt Romney during the 2012 election. The Huffington Post used the leaked documents in a story questioning former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s support for traditional marriage. The document showed Romney donated $10,000 to NOM. The IRS agreed this week to pay only $50,000 in damages to the National Organization for Marriage after leaking confidential information to a leading gay marriage group. The Daily Signal reported, via Free Republic: Two...

Tom Tancredo, the firebrand former congressman, Harley-Davidson biker and perennial headache for Colorado’s Republican leaders, was taking fire from all sides last week in the final days of his primary campaign for governor. His rivals were slamming him on the airwaves. Moderate Republicans were warning that Mr. Tancredo’s name on the ballot could doom their chances in crucial races across this swing state. (SNIP) Last week, a radio commercial from a Massachusetts-based group attacked Mr. Tancredo as a “big-spending Republican in Washington” who frequently switched positions. The group, Colorado Campaign for Jobs and Opportunity, has ties to a consulting firm...

He's said over and over that he won't run for the White House a third time, but a new poll indicates that if Mitt Romney changed his mind and made another bid for president, he'd be the frontrunner among Republicans in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire. According to the Suffolk University/Boston Herald survey, which was released Thursday, 24% of Granite State Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say that Romney would be their first choice for their party's presidential nomination. Among the potential 2016 GOP contenders, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was a distant second, at...

The surprise early frontrunner in New Hampshire’s next GOP presidential primary is the loser of the last White House race – former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who wipes the 2016 field by a more than 2-1 margin, a new Suffolk University-Boston Herald poll reveals. The poll of 800 likely Granite State voters has less encouraging news for another ex-Massachusetts politician, former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. He trails incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen by 10 points and is now viewed unfavorably by 46 percent of New Hampshire voters.

Far from being excommunicated by Republicans after his loss to President Obama, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is enjoying a brand resurgence of late, drawing several potential 2016 candidates to his "ideas summit" this weekend in Utah and even earning some 2016 speculation himself.Meanwhile, some other potential candidates are in Iowa for the state Republican Party's convention there Saturday. And not to be left out, Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., was in California Friday to raise money for the Republican gubernatorial candidate there and participate in a Facebook chat.It all adds up to a busy weekend for the early 2016...

Joe Scarborough, the MSNBC host who has transformed into one of his generation's most preeminent Rockefeller Republicans, believes Mitt Romney should run for president again in 2016. Speaking to about 300 guests at "a luxury resort in the Rocky Mountains" with other potential GOP presidential hopefuls like Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Scarborough reportedly urged the establishment donors and insiders to being a “Draft Romney” movement. “This is the only person that can fill the stage,” Scarborough said at a summit hosted by Romney, according to a Washington Post report. Scarborough and other attendees may not...

The official topic of the conference, emblazoned on materials handed out to guests gathered here at a luxury Norwegian-inspired resort, was “The Future of American Leadership.” But the unofficial theme was made clear not long into breakfast on Friday, when a guest asked Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky the question on everyone’s mind: Is Hillary beatable?(SNIP) “This is the place where, I believe, the future of the party is really going to come out of,” said Anthony Scaramucci, a New York hedge fund manager and former Romney fund-raising bundler. “This is the Republican Party’s Bell Labs. This is our R...

Mitt Romney can still draw a crowd. Some top supporters and donors from the former Massachusetts governor's two presidential campaigns are gathering starting Thursday for Romney's retreat in Park City, Utah. They'll be joined by a bunch of political leaders who may hope to follow in Romney's footsteps by winning the Republican presidential nomination. This is the third year in a row that Romney has hosted the event, which is being held at the upscale Stein Ericksen Lodge at the Deer Valley Resort. The first came came during the 2012 presidential campaign as the then-GOP nominee was facing off against...

If the GOP is unwilling to stand up to radicals, it might as well just rename itself the Committee to Elect Hillary Clinton. Eric Cantor tried to appease Republican radicals. They turned on him anyway. John Boehner has tried to resist them. They just overwhelmed him. Mitt Romney tried to join them—and in doing so fastened onto his party the platform that lost the presidential election of 2012. At some point, Republican leaders must recognize that they have a fight on their hands whether they like it or not. If they refuse to join that fight, they will be devoured...

Friend, Hopefully this isn’t the first time you’re learning about this contest. The NRSC is sending one of their supporters to Boston to sit down with me – airfare, transportation, and hotel are all covered. I’d love the opportunity to meet you. Right now, everyone who donates $5 or more is automatically entered into the contest. Did you want a chance to win? Be sure to enter – there’s not much time left! Yours, Mitt Romney

Since Iraq is descending into chaos, it's worth looking at the discussion of the SOF agreement that never was: Romney: So, you didn't want a status of forces agreement?

Once fearing he would be viewed as “a loser for life” if he failed to win the presidency, Mitt Romney is trying to re-emerge as a force in Republican politics. Romney has quietly sought kingmaker status in the GOP’s fight for the Senate majority this fall and its quest to retake the White House in 2016. The effort at revival is fueling whispers about a third presidential run. But those closest to Romney suggest he’s more interested in shaping party politics by lending his name and record-breaking fundraising machine to what he considers the next generation of electable conservatives. …

Transcript of Mark Levin, 6/10/2014 You know what I've heard? On good authority, that Mitt Romney and Orrin Hatch want one of Mitt Romney's sons to go after Mike Lee in the Republican fight -- should there be one -- because they want to get rid of Mike Lee. Who are the purists, exactly? Who are the "Big Tent" guys, exactly? Now let me tell you what I'm gonna do if these fools pull that. Listen to me, Orrin, I'm talkin' to you. I'm going to go into your state and expose you. For your lies on this show. I'm...

ERICA YOON | The Roanoke Times Delegates cheer candidate Ed Gillespie during his introduction at the state Republican convention Saturday in Roanoke. Less than 90 minutes after voting began at the convention, Gillespie’s nearest rival, Shak Hill, conceded the nomination to Gillespie. The low attendance — 4,200 delegates had registered but about 2,700 came to Roanoke — may have expedited the balloting. Ed Gillespie, a fixture in national Republican politics, easily won his party’s nomination Saturday to take on Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., setting up a marquee fight with control of the Senate at stake. At 2:50 p.m., less than...

Joni Ernst parlayed her unusual support from establishment Republicans and conservatives to win Iowa's GOP Senate nomination outright on Tuesday, surpassing the 35% threshold needed to avoid a June 14 nominating convention, where nothing would have been guaranteed. The Associated Press called the race after Ernst had 53.7% of the vote with just under 20% of the precincts reporting. She will face Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA), who won the Democratic nomination uncontested, to replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). Ernst will try to become the first female to be elected to federal office in Iowa. Perhaps giving 2016 GOP presidential...

This cycle, no candidate has navigated the GOP “civil war” better than Joni Ernst. Ernst received the endorsement of Sarah Palin and hit the campaign trail with Mitt Romney. Senate Conservatives Fund backed her, and so did the Chamber of Commerce. Ahead of Tuesday's Iowa GOP Senate primary, Ernst has a commanding 18-point lead in the Des Moines Register poll, but securing the nomination isn't certain. With 36% of the vote to liberal Republican businessman Mark Jacobs' 18%, Ernst is barely above the 35% threshold she must surpass in order to avoid a nominating convention on June 14. Though Ernst...

Friend, We wanted you to be the first to hear the news: as an NRSC supporter, you can now enter for your chance to meet with Governor Mitt Romney! And you could meet him as part of our latest contest. We’re going to fly one lucky supporter to Boston to meet Governor Romney. Travel expenses – lodging, airfare, and transportation – will be covered by us. We’re confident that Republicans across the country will be eager to take the chance to meet him. Best of all? You can add your entry with a donation of just $5 or more to...

Imagine winning a U.S. Senate debate when you did the following: Admitted you didn’t know what the current immigration law was. Flip-flopped on the marriage issue from a previous debate. Flip-flopped on subsidies during this debate. Said the first thing that differentiated yourself from your opponent was you were female. Gave probably the single most wretchedly-awful example of pandering in modern Iowa political history. No one would expect to win a debate, and likely the Republican Party’s nomination for U.S. Senate, committing these kinds of gaffes. But “no one” isn’t Joni Ernst, who is living the semi-charmed kind of life....