Free Republic

Senate GOP hawks who receive large sums from the defense industry could be mobilizing to tank one of President-elect Donald Trump’s national security nominees. Former Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, nominated by Trump to helm the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, could face opposition from Senate Republicans with hawkish views on national security over her beliefs on Ukraine and government surveillance powers. Though a considerable number of Trump-aligned senators have endorsed Gabbard, citing her decades-long military service and commitment to reforming the country’s intelligence agencies that have been frequently weaponized against the president-elect, GOP senators whose national security...

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) took a cautious approach to Kash Patel, President-elect Trump’s nominee to serve as head of the FBI, highlighting his support for current FBI director Chris Wray. “I think the president picked a very good man to be the director of the FBI when he did that in his first term,” Rounds told ABC “This Week” on Sunday. “When we meet with him behind closed doors, I’ve had no objections to the way that he’s handled himself, and so I don’t have any complaints about the way that he’s done his job right now,” the GOP senator...

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) pushed back against the idea that the Russian war in Ukraine could end in peaceful negotiation, saying those who hold that view “may be deceiving” themselves. In a speech at the Halifax International Security Forum this weekend, Rounds called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “tyrant” and suggested he would be surprised if Putin were satisfied with any concession from the West. “It’s time to take a hard look at this thing and really ask ourselves, do you believe that this tyrant, if you offer him a part of a free country, do you think he’s going...

Some Senate Republicans are expressing concerns over former President Trump’s calls for political vengeance after the 2024 election, warning that retaliatory prosecutions will lead the country down a bad road. The Senate GOP’s top leaders — Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Whip John Thune (S.D.) — have shown no desire to embrace Trump’s calls to prosecute senior Biden administration officials or his longtime nemesis Hillary Clinton. And some GOP senators are pushing back against conservative colleagues who want to freeze Justice Department funding or defund special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal prosecutions of Trump. They don’t want to stumble into a...

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)’s successor needed to be independent from former President Donald Trump. Partial transcript as follows: JON KARL: By the way, I should point out that the former president’s had some choice words for you as – as you no doubt know. I think he called you – or questioned whether or not you were crazy or just stupid, a jerk, a RINO, a weak – anyway, we could go on. But – but how important is it for whoever the Senate leader is to...

America last! The U.S. Senate has cast a contentious vote, advancing a massive $95 billion foreign aid package that supports Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Taiwan, but notably omits any provisions for bolstering U.S. border infrastructure. In a 67-32 cloture vote, the Senate crossed party lines, with several RINO senators joining Democrats to move the foreign aid bill forward. Republicans who joined Democrats in voting in favor include: Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Bill Cassidy (R-LA) Roger Wicker (R-MS) Todd Young (R-IN) Susan Collins (R-ME) Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) John Kennedy (R-LA) John Thune (R-SD) Dan Sullivan (R-AK) Mitt Romney...

Pro-migration Republican Senators are signaling a quick collapse for the Democratic-backed migration plan now being negotiated by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), according to Politico. (snip) Another pro-migration GOP Senator, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), blamed Russia for the rising GOP opposition, telling Politico “I suspect that a lot of the internet rumors are very well coming from overseas, where they would love to see this shut down because some people would rather not see funding for Ukraine.”

A spokesperson for Comer noted that the hearing is still in its planning stages but it is “looking like it will happen towards the end of this month.” The Kentucky Republican said that it will be a subcommittee hearing. Despite the early stages, the hearing has already sparked pushback not only within the committee but from the Defense Department, according to Burchett. Another GOP member of the Oversight Committee, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said they plan to attend, but: “There are some people who want to stop it. There are some people who want to do it.” That lawmaker...

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, is pushing legislation to create a commission with broad authority to declassify government documents about U.F.O.s and extraterrestrial matters, in an attempt to force the government to share all that it knows about unidentified phenomena. The measure offers the possibility of pushing back against the conspiracy theories that surround discussions of U.F.O.s and fears that the government is hiding critical information from the public. The legislation, which Mr. Schumer will introduce as an amendment to the annual defense policy bill, has bipartisan support, including that of Senator Mike Rounds, Republican of...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is part of a bipartisan group of senators who have offered an amendment to the annual Defense authorization bill requiring the federal government to collect and make public records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) and unidentified flying objects (UFOs). The proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act would direct the National Archives and Records Administration to create a collection of records on UAPs and UFOs to be disclosed to the public immediately unless a review board provides reasons to keep them classified. [...] The lawmakers say “the sheer number and variety” of...

In backing Scott, the Senate minority whip becomes the highest-ranking congressional Republican to back the South Carolina senator. And he joins his South Dakota colleague Sen. Mike Rounds in backing Scott, who is popular among Senate Republicans. Some members of House leadership have already indicated they support former President Donald Trump’s campaign. But Thune is making good on his hopes of turning the GOP away from Trump and presenting a more forward-looking vision for the party. Thune recoiled from Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, famously declaring that his election challenge would go down on the Senate floor like...

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., suggested Thursday that his Republican colleagues may be "holding back" on endorsing a candidate for president because they are waiting for Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C, to officially jump in the race. “I think Tim Scott would be a great person. Look, he’s intelligent. He gets it. He works well with people. He’s finding a path forward that would unite, I think, Republicans and independents, which is what we need to gain back the White House,” Rounds told NBC News in an interview in the Capitol. “A lot of us that are holding back on looking at...

The Biden administration has been hesitant to send the drone to Ukraine amid fears that sensitive technologies may end up in Russian hands. What's happening: A group of 16 bipartisan senators, led by Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), is urging Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to answer a series of questions on transferring the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, since the armed drone is Ukraine’s “highest priority” military transfer request. The Biden administration considered transferring the MQ-1C for the last several months across 24 assistance packages. During that time, Russia has started using Iranian TB-2 drones, and the technology is threatening...

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he does not support Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) proposal for a 15-week federal abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Anchor Jake Tapper asked, “Your Republican colleague Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill that would ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks. Do you support the bill?”

The Senate confirmed President Biden's nominee for FDA commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, on Tuesday with a vote of 50 to 46, with one senator voting present, despite several Democrats opposing the selection and Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., absent as he recovers from a stroke. While Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., all went against the administration by voting against Califf, Republican Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., all voted for him. Sen. Mike Rounds,...

Republican senators are unmoved by Tucker Carlson’s relentless warpath against support for Ukraine — even as it widens an existing rift in their party. The Fox News prime time host and others on the far-right have excused and even rationalized Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and downplayed its relevance to U.S. national security. And while GOP senators are shrugging off his name-and-shame campaign, Carlson’s views are permeating the GOP base in a way that could undermine Republicans’ efforts to emphasize cross-party unity as they seek to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Republicans Katie Britt and Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama are distancing themselves from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after McConnell suggested there were no problems with the 2020 election. Britt and Brooks are competing, along with “Black Hawn Down” veteran Mike Durant, for the U.S. Senate seat that retiring Sen. Richard Shelby will leave open later this year. After South Dakota Republican Sen. Mike Rounds on Sunday dismissed election complaints and claimed the 2020 election “was fair, as fair as we have seen,” McConnell backed Rounds’ comments on Tuesday, telling CNN, “I think Sen. Rounds told the truth about what...

Republican Sen. Mike Rounds rejected claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. "The election was fair — as fair as we've seen," he said during an interview on ABC's "This Week." Rounds said that the GOP must "refocus" on a winning strategy to win the back the White House. Sen. Mike Rounds on Sunday rejected former President Donald Trump's debunked election claims, expressing confidence that the 2020 election was "as fair as we've seen." The South Dakota Republican — who was easily reelected to a second term in the Senate in 2020 — said during an interview...

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) said Sunday Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that former President Donald Trump’s fraud claims in the 2020 presidential election are unfounded. Anchor George Stephanopoulos said, “You voted to certify the election last year, and you condemned the protests as an insurrection. What do you say to all those Republicans, all those veterans who believe the election was stolen and bought the falsehoods coming from former President Trump?”

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said on Sunday that while he has previously stated he will support the next Republican presidential nominee, he would take a "hard look" at supporting former President Trump if he runs again in 2024. ABC "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked Rounds, who has shot back at GOP assertions that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, if he could support Trump if he ran for office again. "I will take a hard look at it," said Rounds