Free Republic

Republicans in the U.S. House caucused on Thursday and chose U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to replace U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., as House majority leader. They also selected U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., to replace McCarthy as GOP whip. U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., weighed in on Thursday after the vote and said he backed U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Ind., over McCarthy but did back Scalise. Yoho also tried unsuccessfully to move the vote back a week. “Yesterday in the House Republican conference I introduced a motion to delay the vote for the majority leader of the Republican Party...

While two veteran Republicans, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and Rep. John Mica of Florida, survived conservative challenges in Tuesday's primaries, a veterinarian and political novice named Ted Yoho stole much of the spotlight. Florida tea party challenger Yoho was on the verge of a major upset against 12-term GOP Rep. Cliff Stearns as four states held primaries, including Connecticut and Minnesota. Yoho was ahead of Stearns by less than 900 votes, complete but unofficial primary results showed.

U.S. House - District 3 - GOP Primary 226 of 233 Precincts Reporting - 97% Name Party Votes Vote % Yoho, Ted GOP 21,708 34% Stearns, Cliff (i) GOP 20,929 33%

A Congressman who told a town hall meeting recently that he questions whether Barack Obama’s birth certificate is legitimate now has confirmed he’s watching Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s investigation into the president’s eligibility. It was at a Feb. 25 town hall meeting that Rep. Clifford Stearns, R-Fla., told constituents, “All I can tell you is that the general consensus is that he has produced a birth certificate. The question is, is it legitimate?”

Florida Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns is demanding an investigation into cybersecurity issues raised by #Weinergate, saying it is vital to “ensure our national security.” Though New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner remains silent on whether or not he’ll be seeking an investigation into his claims that his Twitter and Facebook accounts were hacked, leading to his Twitter account’s posting of a picture of a man’s erect penis underneath gray boxer-briefs, Stearns told The Daily Caller that the imbroglio raises troubling questions that should be looked into by Congress. “Although this particular incident is a matter for law enforcement, it clearly...

House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee raised concerns at a Tuesday hearing that White House staffers hold meetings at a nearby Caribou Coffee to avoid disclosure requirements. "White House staff apparently purposely schedule meetings at the Caribou Coffee around the corner from the White House so that those meetings won’t show up on the White House logs," said Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Calif.), chairman of the Oversight subcommittee. Republicans portrayed the White House as failing to live up to campaign promises on transparency. Stearns pointed to President Obama, who as a candidate said healthcare negotiations would air on C-SPAN,...

As critics continue to mull over whether President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite says the U.S. Constitution does not allow him to accept the award without the consent of Congress. In a letter to Obama delivered on Monday, Brown-Waite, R-Fla., along with Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, claim the president is obligated under the Constitution to obtain Congress' approval before he formally accepts the prize. Article I, Section 9, of the Constitution, the emolument clause, states: "And no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent...

After it was announced March 16 that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) was purchasing Bear Stearns Cos. (NYSE:BSC) for $2 a share, the stock plummeted over 80 percent at the open of trading on March 17. But, on March 11, Cramer told an e-mailer not to sell the beleaguered investment bank’s stock on his show’s Web site: “Dear Jim: Should I be worried about Bear Stearns in terms of liquidity and get my money out of there? --Peter Cramer says: “No! No! No! Bear Stearns is not in trouble. If anything, they’re more likely to be taken over. Don’t...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Bear Stearns Cos., one of the most venerable names on Wall Street, turned to a rival bank and the federal government for a last-minute bailout Friday to prevent it from collapsing. The Federal Reserve responded swiftly to pleas from Bear Stearns that its coffers had "significantly deteriorated" within a 24-hour period as rumors about the bank's situation fueled the Wall Street version of a run on the bank. Central bankers tapped a rarely used Depression-era provision to provide loans, and said they were ready to provide extra resources to combat an erosion of confidence in America's...

Firm takes heat for cons’ crimes Settled suits cost top-tier legal entity $30 million, with more pending By Janet Elliott Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau (10-21-01) Locke Liddell and Sapp is one of Texas’ premier law firms, having represented some of the state’s top corporations and individuals, including George W. Bush when he was governor and general partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. But it is two other former clients, convicted swindlers Russell Erxleben and Brian Stearns, who have brought unwanted attention to the 426-lawyer firm with offices in Houston and several other cities. In the past two years, Locke...

Texas Monthly November 2001 What happens when a top law firm gets two crooks for clients? At Locke, Liddell, and Sapp, the result was a $30 million settlement for angry investors. by John Spong LOCKE PURNELL ATTORNEY JANE MATHESON'S NOTE ON THE BACK OF A TRADE AGREEMENT her firm was editing for client Russell Erxleben in February 1998 got right to the point: "Tell the truth." Erxleben, an All-American punter and place kicker for the University of Texas Longhorns in the seventies, had enlisted the 110-year-old, blue-chip Dallas law firm to keep his company, Austin Forex Investments (AFI), from running...