Free Republic

Newt Gingrich's campaign is pushing back against criticism that the former Speaker consulted with embattled mortgage lender Freddie Mac, insisting that Gingrich did not lobby on behalf of the government corporation. Gingrich was pressed on the ties during Wednesday evening's Republican debate — the Speaker was paid $300,000 in 2006 — but insisted that he only met with Freddie in his capacity as a historian, not as a lobbyist. "I have never done any lobbying," Gingrich said. "Every contract was written during the period when I was out of the office, specifically said I would do no lobbying, and I...

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was shot while in the performance of his duties as part of a BORTAC team just before midnight on the night of 14-15 December 2010 at Peck Well, near Rio Rico, Arizona, while trying to apprehend a "rip crew" -- desert jackals who prey on the columns of human and drug smugglers who pass through Peck Canyon on their way to points north within "Estados Unidos." This series of articles will deal with what happened that night in the canyon, how it happened and who knew about it ahead of time. It...

Washington (Platts)--4Nov2011/612 pm EDT/2212 GMT The White House Friday rejected a subpoena issued by the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee to produce internal communications and other documents related to now-bankrupt solar panel maker Solyndra's $535 million loan guarantee. In a letter to the Republican leaders of the committee, White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler called the subpoena a partisan "vast fishing expedition" without legal justification. "The committee's extremely broad request for documents -- now a subpoena -- is a significant intrusion on Executive Branch interests, particularly given that you have not made any effort to tailor the request to...