Free Republic

President Trump’s picks for attorney general and U.N. ambassador have run into immediate opposition from Democrats -- suggesting both nominees could face tough confirmation hearings. Trump announced Friday morning that he plans to nominate William Barr, the George H.W. Bush-era leader of the Justice Department, as his next attorney general to replace former AG Jeff Sessions. Fox News is told Trump liked the respect Barr commands and the fact that he has earned bipartisan support in the past. If confirmed, he would replace Matthew Whitaker, the former Sessions chief of staff who took over as acting attorney general last month....

WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that even though Democrats don't have the votes to stop President Trump's cabinet nominees, their strategy is working by being able to highlight how bad they are. "When you get millions of calls and demonstrations and a nominee is exposed for being who they are, it's going to have a profound and positive effect, even if she gains office," Schumer said on Capitol Hill today after the confirmation of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. "So we're very happy with the results and...

Alcohol, tobacco and firearms are legal in the United States, but there is a long history of the government classifying those who sell alcohol, buy alcohol, sell tobacco, use tobacco, sell firearms and possess firearms as a lower order of being. Democrats want anti-gun leadership at ATF - by the nature of what is legal and what is not, promoting an anti-gun-stance Agency Director is a Constitutional conflict. If proof of criminality isn't there, the BATFE-ATF will hound you anyway. For years, the ATF was under the Treasury Department. In 2006, a new law placed the ATF under the Justice Department,...

I just saw the Mr. Smith "Save the filibuster" ad on TV. GAG! Save the Filibuster

It's just plain wrong for a handful of senators – Democrats or Republicans – to prevent the Senate from voting on any presidential nomination. The Constitution is abundantly clear: the president is empowered to nominate officials and judges; the Senate is required to "advise and consent" – or not. The Senate is not authorized to manufacture a procedural obstacle course that prevents the body from voting on the president's nominees. Senate Democrats successfully blocked a vote on 10 presidential nominations during president Bush's first term. They are preparing to do the same thing in the second term. The remedy is...