Free Republic

Conventional wisdom dictates that taking bribes, frequenting prostitutes or shooting someone in broad daylight are good ways to end a political career. But in New York, a number of politicians forced out of office in the wake of a scandal have tried to get back in the game. Some run right away to avoid fading into obscurity, while others lie low to let things quiet down – or to serve out a prison sentence – before seeking office once again. These comeback candidates hold out hope that voters will give them a second chance – and every now and again,...

Former Congressman Jason Lewis announced Thursday morning he is running for the U.S. Senate in 2020. Lewis, a Republican who lost his 2018 re-election bid to represent the 2nd Congressional District, will try to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith. In his announcement, though, he targeted Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Democrat from Minneapolis who has been repeatedly criticized by President Donald Trump, just as much as Smith. “We are at a crossroads in Minnesota and across this country not seen since the chaos and turmoil of the 1960’s,” Lewis said in his announcement. “llhan Omar, with Senator Tina Smith marching...

Updated: August 05, 2019 12:43 PM Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said charges against a "national celebrity" will be announced Monday afternoon. The attorney's office sent out a release stating the press conference will take place at 2 p.m. at the Hennepin County Government Center. There are no other details regarding the charges or the person being charged.

On Monday, The New Yorker printed a lengthy piece by reporter Jane Mayer about the sad fate of former Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. Franken resigned from the Senate in 2017 after a bevy of women accused him of sexual harassment; their accounts ranged from unwanted kisses to unsolicited a-- grabbing. In the midst of the #MeToo movement, Franken stepped down, all the while decrying President Trump's own record of allegations concerning mistreatment of women. At the time, there were two possible interpretations of events. The first was more inspiring: After decades of defending sexual misconduct by powerful Democratic figures, Democrats...

Nearly a year after co-authoring a suspect account damning Brett Kavanaugh as a serial sexual harasser — in the august pages of The New Yorker, no less — journalist Jane Mayer has taken up a curious cause: defending Al Franken. Recall that when Franken resigned from the United States Senate on Jan. 2, 2018, he was facing down eight accusers in a scandal that unfolded over just three weeks. The conservative Kavanaugh, approaching his confirmation hearing for the United States Supreme Court, had faced one accuser. The second, whom Mayer and co-author Ronan Farrow profiled favorably, told The New Yorker...

Former Sen. Al Franken says he “absolutely” regrets his December 2017 resignation over a sexual misconduct scandal — and some of the senators who’d pressed him to quit are also questioning their actions. “I can’t go anywhere without people reminding me of this, usually with some version of ‘You shouldn’t have resigned,’” Franken, the former “Saturday Night Live” funnyman-turned-politician, said in a lengthy look back at the incident in The New Yorker. “Yup,” was his usual reply, he told the magazine. Pressed on whether he means it, he adds: “Oh, yeah. Absolutely.” Leeann Tweeden, a conservative talk-radio host, had accused...

In April 2018, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urged Senate leaders to pass her bipartisan Congressional Harassment Reform Act. "Congress has a sexual harassment problem -- and isn't taking it seriously," Gillibrand wrote in Fortune magazine. "If we can't clean up our own act, how can anyone expect Congress to do the right thing for victims and survivors in the rest of the country? Congress has to do better. I believe that elected officials should be held to the highest ethical standard -- not the lowest." Just a few months later, when a woman in her own office reported that a married...

A top staffer to Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign apologized Tuesday for invoking “a dual allegiance” of Jewish Americans while defending Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. Belén Sisa, Sanders’ national deputy press secretary, was discussing the term seen as anti-Semitic in a Facebook thread over the weekend -- and argued that questioning it was legitimate, Politico reported. “This is a serious question: do you not think that the American government and American Jewish community has a dual allegiance to the state of Israel? I’m asking not to rule out the history of this issue, but in the context in which this was...

Reading aloud a letter addressed to her supervisors about retaliation she faced after reporting sexual misconduct within SEIU, Njoki Woods, a 42-year-old African American single mother of 4, begins to cry. Prior to joining the staff at SEIU United Healthcare West in 2015, Woods had spent a decade organizing her fellow co-workers as a certified nursing assistant and unit secretary at Riverside Community Hospital in Southern California. After leading a successful effort as a rank and file member to organize residual workers at nearby St. Mary’s hospital, Woods was offered a staff job in May of 2015. “I was excited....

Sometimes public silence can be deafening or, for that matter, misleading. For nearly two years now, the intelligence community has kept secret evidence in the Russia collusion case that directly undercuts the portrayal of retired Army general and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn as a Russian stooge. That silence was maintained even when former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates publicly claimed Flynn was possibly “compromised” by Moscow. And when a Democratic senator, Al Franken of Minnesota, suggested the former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) chief posed a “danger to this republic.” And even when some media outlets opined about...

Alec Baldwin’s new talk show was abruptly “bumped” from its Sunday night schedule after dismal ratings this week; dropping to Saturday nights in December as ABC struggles to stem the flow of viewers. The Sunday night slot will be filled with repeat episodes of ‘Shark Tank.’ Baldwin made national headlines just days ago when he was arrested in New York City after allegedly assaulting another person.

Celebrities that are sick of Donald Trump and the GOP have spent the few weeks leading up to today’s midterms crying about the “raving lunatic” President as they stoked their liberal fans to get to the polls to halt the GOP’s “nascent fascism.” Comedian Rosie O’Donnell even called for a coup: “I want to send the military to the White House to get him.” Singer/actress Barbra Streisand confessed to Trump keeping her awake at nights and actress/activist Jane Fonda saw the “parallels” to the Nazis: “If you’ve read anything about the rise of the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler, you...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin blasted "Saturday Night Live" creator and producer Lorne Michaels after a comic on the show made fun of a Texas GOP congressional candidate who lost an eye serving in Afghanistan.Comedian Pete Davidson joked about retired Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw's eye patch, saying he looks like a pirate in a pornographic film.Davidson, 24, giggled afterwards, saying, "Sorry. I know he lost his eye in war, or whatever." Read Full Article While Crenshaw said Monday on "Fox & Friends" that he would not demand an apology from Davidson or the show, Palin fired back at Michaels on...

The Democrats might capture the House this year, but every GOP pickup makes that prospect less likely. Here in Minnesota, we have two very strong pickup opportunities, open seats in the 1st and 8th Congressional districts, both of which went strongly for President Trump in 2016. I am pretty confident that the Republican candidates, Jim Hagedorn and Pete Stauber, will win those races. Until now, hardly anyone has taken seriously the chance that Republican David Hughes can upset longtime Congressman Collin Peterson in Minnesota’s 7th. But, in a stunning move, Real Clear Politics now rates the contest a tossup. Peterson...

Crenshaw responded to Davidson's comments on Twitter Sunday morning. "Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl recognizes that vets don’t deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes," he wrote. Davidson's segment, which he introduced as a look at "gross" candidates during this election, focused primarily on Republicans.

A congressional candidate in Texas was mocked over his appearance during a segment on "Saturday Night Live."Comedian Pete Davidson was giving his "first impressions" of some candidates ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections during the show's "Weekend Update."He said that there are "some gross people" running and mockingly described Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), among others.Davidson then gave his description of Dan Crenshaw (R), who lost his right eye in an IED blast in Afghanistan. "lost his eye in war or whatever."..... this is @snl - they address a cast members breakup as if it's of vital...

Pete Davidson is in hot water for some comments he made on “Saturday Night Live” about Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican running for Congress who lost an eye while serving in the U.S. military. On Saturday’s episode of the sketch series, Davidson appeared on the “Weekend Update” segment, the 24-year-old comedian gave his “first impressions” of some candidates ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections. He giggled as an image of former Navy SEAL Crenshaw, who wears an eye-patch on his right eye after being injured by an I.E.D. in Afghanistan, flashed across the screen. “You may be surprised to hear he’s...

Further proving the late-night comedy show is garbage entertainment for garbage people, Saturday Night Live "comedian" Pete Davidson sparked controversy after he made an ugly joke targeting GOP congressional candidate and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw. The punchline? Crenshaw wears an eye-patch due to losing his right eye during an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan. That's funny stuff, apparently, to the liberals writing the jokes for SNL. Davidson was participating in a segment called  "The Weekly Rundown" where SNL participants give what is supposed humorous commentary on current events. Davidson remarked he noticed there was an unusual rash of "gross"...

Since the Vietnam War, liberals have been known for their great disdain for America’s service members, despite their efforts to hide it. During NBC’s latest edition of Saturday Night Live, that disdain poked its ugly head out in the form of supposed comedian Pete Davidson mocking Republican congressional candidate and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw about the eye he lost to an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan, “or whatever” according to the funny man. The vile attack came during the SNL’s faux news segment “Weekend Update” where Davidson was mocking multiple Republican politicians for their looks. The comedian stated...

When President Trump was asked for comment regarding the arrest of Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin for assault charges on Friday, he responded with just four simple words. Baldwin, who dresses up and mocks Trump on Saturday Night Live, was arrested and charged for attacking a man over a parking space in the West Village area of Manhattan. Liberal 60-year-old Baldwin has a history of arrests related to his anger management issues.