Free Republic

I’m sure it is unpleasant to have your private diary made public, which is why I don’t keep one. Anthony S. Fauci was not so circumspect, and worse still, he kept his personal notes on a government computer. Their release last week by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), ahead of scheduled Senate testimony, has embarrassed Fauci and revived old resentments. Many entries seem almost purposely crafted to inflame every lingering conservative grievance over the pandemic. Fauci, who helped lead the U.S. response to covid-19, records many laudatory interactions with famous and influential liberals. He details behind-the-scenes maneuvering over restrictive covid policies....

Donald Trump and his allies have begun mapping out specific plans for using the federal government to punish critics and opponents should he win a second term, with the former president naming individuals he wants to investigate or prosecute and his associates drafting plans to potentially invoke the Insurrection Act on his first day in office to allow him to deploy the military against civil demonstrations. In private, Trump has told advisers and friends in recent months that he wants the Justice Department to investigate onetime officials and allies who have become critical of his time in office, including his...

WASHINGTON - Republicans adopted a new defense strategy this past week at President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate: boredom. A top White House aide called the trial "unwatchable," Trump's campaign manager compared the proceedings to watching paint dry, and several Republican senators entertained distractions while downplaying the three-day prosecution as repetitive and unexciting. "They're really not bringing forth new information," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said of the House impeachment managers Friday. "I've not heard anything new," added Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. Barrasso and Scott were among 53 Republican senators who voted 10 times last week to block new...