Free Republic

Judge Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General, declined to say on Monday whether he would retain Special Counsel John Durham in his role investigating the origins of the “Russia collusion” investigation. Former Attorney General William Barr quietly elevated Durham to Special Counsel last fall, before the presidential election, to preserve his work in a potential new administration. Barr had previously said that he believed there may have been improper political motivations behind the FBI’s launch of Operation Hurricane Crossfire into Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016. One FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, pleaded guilty to misleading the FISA...

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) calls Republicans "dead-beat debtors" among other things during a Democratic press conference on Wednesday morning. "The debate and fight is not between Democrats and Republicans. It's between some Republicans and their sort of cult fringe as I refer to them out there," Harkin said. "Democrats are willing to do whatever is necessary to raise the debt ceiling, not for future borrowing but to pay the debts that we racked up in the past. Which, mostly was racked up by a Republican House, a Republican Senate and a Republican President in the last 8 years. Yet, they're...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a favorite son of the Tea Party, wanted a seat on the Senate Budget Committee, but was passed over in favor of a more junior colleague. The decision was made by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who instead picked Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), the only member of the Senate Republican conference with less seniority than Paul. (Paul and Ayotte entered the Senate the same day, but Paul has more seniority by draw.) A Senate GOP aide familiar with Paul’s ambitions said Paul asked for the Budget seat that was to become vacant after Sen. John...

The latest snark among conservatives opposed to the Miers nomination has been generated by this paragraph this story in the Washington Post: In an initial chat with Miers, according to several people with knowledge of the exchange, Leahy asked her to name her favorite Supreme Court justices. Miers responded with "Warren" — which led Leahy to ask her whether she meant former Chief Justice Earl Warren, a liberal icon, or former Chief Justice Warren Burger, a conservative who voted for Roe v. Wade . Miers said she meant Warren Burger, the sources said. Here's what Polipundit was told happened: "Miers...