November 1, 2024
In this edition
| [1] | Interview: “I play the role of the kid who says the emperor has no clothes”: Sen. Ron Johnson on Senate leadership elections, health care, Joe Rogan, and more | | [2] | Interview: “Iowans see a fighter in Trump”: Sen Joni Ernst on Trump, trade, threats to America, and her sleeper Senate race of the cycle | | [3] | Interview: Grover Norquist on Kamala Harris, Lina Khan, Burning Man, and more | | [4] | Heard on the Hill | | [5] | Exclusive: Bernie bro tied to “Conservatives for Dan [Osborn]” media rollout | | [6] | “Justice that is long overdue”: Andrew Cuomo referred for prosecution by COVID Select Committee | | [7] | Exclusive: Kamala Harris’s top donors and former chief strategist opposing her on rent control | | [8] | Exclusive: Deceptive mailers target voters nationwide: “they think voters are stupid” | | [9] | CFPB Director Rohit Chopra attacks financial services firms by name — after promising not to “prejudge” | | [10] | Exclusive: Poll shows vast bipartisan concern over cyberattacks, support for open-source AI models | | [11] | Exclusive: Inside the “largest ever effort” to defeat George Soros-backed prosecutors | | [12] | Op-Eds from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Rep. Richard Hudson, Rep. Vince Fong, Eric Hovde, Randy Niemeyer, Bonnie Glick, and Bryan Leib |
A strong national defense is essential to protecting our American way of life.
Veterans On Duty continues the fight back at home, advocating for military and national security policies that will keep America safe, strong, and free. |
In our latest edition, we have interviews with Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. Joni Ernst, and Grover Norquist, the latest on sketchy mailers targeting Republicans across the country, a possible Google Docs mishap in a top Senate race, op-eds from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Rep, Richard Hudson, Rep. Vince Fong, and more!
| [1] | Interview: “I play the role of the kid who says the emperor has no clothes”: Sen. Ron Johnson on Senate leadership elections, health care, Joe Rogan, and more
By: Matthew Foldi
Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) has been laser focused lately, despite a busy election cycle — on the multiple failed assassination attempts on President Donald Trump’s life, and on putting America’s public health institutions under a microscope.
Almost immediately after a would-be assassin’s bullets failed to kill Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally in July, Johnson became one of the go-to investigators into the day’s security blunders.
“I get so disgusted with the federal government, the arrogance of these agencies and their top people, and the people on the ground are good people,” he said. “I'm not going to impugn FBI agents and other federal law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line, Secret Service folks; it's the top management that is, I think, in many cases, just rotten to the core.” On the day that Trump was nearly killed, there was “siloed communication, it was not a well-coordinated effort. Secret Service not showing up in security briefing at nine o'clock in the morning, just a spectacular security failure.”
Click HERE to read more on who Sen. Ron Johnson wants to see as the next Senate GOP leader, more of his thoughts on the Joe Rogan Experience phenomenon, whether he thinks Joe Biden will pardon Hunter Biden, and more.
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[2] |
Interview: “Iowans see a fighter in Trump”: Sen Joni Ernst on Trump, trade, threats to America, and her sleeper Senate race of the cycle
By: Matthew Foldi
Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) kicked off 2024 in earnest in her home state, where President Donald Trump trounced his GOP rivals at Iowa’s caucus in freezing cold temperatures this January.
“Democrats gave Middle America the middle finger when they abandoned the Iowa caucuses,” she said in an interview with the Washington Reporter. “Republicans are proud of our first in the nation status. Iowans are pros at vetting candidates — they take their job very seriously. Donald Trump’s policies resonate in our state, and after winning the caucuses, he went on to win the nomination.”
Following the caucus, Ernst took off to campaign for Republicans across the country. She’s been trekking to “Georgia to Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to ensure that Kamala Harris and Chuck Schumer can never again open our nation’s borders to a stampede of illegal immigrants and terrorists, unlock historic inflation, destroy America's reputation on the world stage, or force radical green mandates.”
Click HERE to read more from Sen. Joni Ernst about the stakes of 2024, the dangers facing America abroad, and much more! | | | |
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| [3] | Interview: Grover Norquist on Kamala Harris, Lina Khan, Burning Man, and more
By: Matthew Foldi
Americans for Tax Reform and its president Grover Norquist have for decades been at the forefront of opposing politicians of both parties who try to raise taxes. A few days out from the 2024 election, Norquist is worried what could happen to free speech, independent contractors, and the Constitution, if Democrats win unified control.
“If they win, they will add three or four people to the Supreme Court, and all of the rulings they want on labor law will go their way, and on tort law and on power of cities versus states, or the federal government versus states, everything they want is available with no restriction, and the First Amendment is out, they just decided they don't like that, then they would add three or four states to give themselves six or eight new senators,” he said in an interview with the Washington Reporter.
One of the most important legislative items of the Democratic Party, Norquist noted, is the PRO Act, which is “the most radical collection of things you could ever want, even though nobody's read it. They were told, the coalition says ‘you'll support this.’ They said ‘I'm in, okay.’” The PRO Act, if implemented, would “end right to work, which ends independent contractors, which means no Uber, no Lyft, no independent truckers,” he warned.
Click HERE to read more thoughts from Americans for Tax Reform’s president, Grover Norquist, about tax policy, Burning Man, vaping, and much more.
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Heard on the Hill
What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill – please send us more tips!
- Party with us! If you are a Republican in the D.C. area, and you're a patriot, we are delighted to invite you to our inaugural election night party that we are co-hosting with the great Americans for Tax Reform. There will be drinks and fellow Washington Reporter fans. Here is an invite to RSVP.
- Barrasso is barnstorming: Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.), who is running unopposed to be the Senate GOP’s Whip next year, campaigned in 11 states for Senate GOP candidates, his team told us. Barrasso’s events have included post-debate spin rooms, bus tours, rallies, small business visits, and roundtables. Click HERE to read our full story about Barrasso’s campaign trail moves.
- Claudia Tenney’s money moves: Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.) has donated almost $500,000 to Republican House candidates across the country, helping colleagues get through tough primaries and helping challengers expand the House GOP majority. Click HERE to read our full article about her moves.
- Team player: Mike Haridopolos has not even been elected to Congress yet, but he is already doling out over $325,000 to elect Republicans across the country. Click HERE to read our full write-up of Haridopolos’s contributions; shortly after we spoke with him, he donated several thousand more dollars to House candidates!
- To BEAD or not to BEAD: April McClain Delaney, a Democratic House candidate, is under fire in a closer-than-expected race in Maryland, in part due to her ties to the Biden administration’s controversial Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which FCC Commission Brendan Carr told us has failed to connect a single person to broadband. Delaney is facing Republican Neil Parrott in a race that continues to trend in the Republican’s direction.
| | | [5] | Exclusive: Bernie bro tied to “Conservatives for Dan [Osborn]” media rollout
By: Matthew Foldi
Dan Osborn, the self-described independent running for Senate in Nebraska, has faced fire in recent weeks for his close ties to the Democratic Party. The latest tie, covered for the first time by the Washington Reporter, is a publicly-posted Google Doc linked to a self-proclaimed “leftist” and supporter of socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.).
The public document is titled “Conservatives for Dan - Creative Treatments,” and it includes video content, transcripts, and suggestions for how to put it together as a fake, Fox News-style video. Osborn is making a last-minute play for Republican-leaning voters in his uphill battle to oust Sen. Deb Fischer (R., Neb.), who recently spoke with the Reporter about her race.
The “Conservatives for Dan” document includes links to six videos, which feature speeches from Osborn, “Dan’s Mom!,” and several Republicans who back Osborn. It also includes a suggested rollout for pro-Osborn footage, which it recommends should be a “fake newscast (we can create one using Fiver for only $50), where the anchor reads, ‘and now, for the latest on the tight Senate race in Nebraska, we go live to Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Conservatives for Dan Osborn event.’”
The fake ad’s “aim is to make this appear as close to a real newscast as possible,” the document says. “Simple presentation of Dan’s mother’s speech served like sashimi (raw),” it says. “Family photos and text on screen for the most important moments (see bolded below) accompany the speech.”
Click HERE to read more about how a Bernie bro is helping lead a “conservative” coalition for the Democratic Party’s preferred candidate for Senate in Nebraska.
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A strong national defense is essential to protecting our American way of life.
Veterans On Duty continues the fight back at home, advocating for military and national security policies that will keep America safe, strong, and free. |
| [6] | “Justice that is long overdue”: Andrew Cuomo referred for prosecution by COVID Select Committee
By: Matthew Foldi
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D., N.Y.) has been referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for criminal prosecution by the COVID Select Committee, the committee announced said this week.
The disgraced former governor “knowingly and willfully made materially false statements about New York’s COVID-19 nursing home disaster and the ensuing cover-up,” the select committee said, regarding his testimony under oath about his administration’s policies the committee noted “forced New York nursing homes and long-term care facilities to admit COVID-19 positive patients.” Now, the committee said, “the Department of Justice must immediately charge Andrew Cuomo with making false statements to Congress.”
“Disgraced Governor Cuomo lied to Congress about his knowledge and cover-up of the deadly COVID-19 nursing home directive that led to the tragic deaths of 15,000 New Yorkers,” Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.) told the Washington Reporter. “His false statements were a calculated attempt to deflect accountability and shift blame onto others. Making false statements to Congress is a crime, and Cuomo's deceit only reinforces his pattern of deception and evasion. It is long overdue for him to face the full consequences of his crimes and put him behind bars."
Click HERE to read more about the fallout from the COVID Select Committee’s sensational referral of Andrew Cuomo to the feds for criminal charges.
| | | | [7] | Exclusive: Kamala Harris’s top donors and former chief strategist opposing her on rent control
By: Matthew Foldi
Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign made “tak[ing] on corporate landlords and cap[ping] unfair rent increases” a top policy priority, putting her at odds with her top donors and one of her longtime aides, who all oppose rent control in Harris’s home state of California.
Jonathan Gray, the billionaire president of Blackstone, has donated approximately $500,000 to elect Harris as president. His company is one of the largest owners of single-family homes in America and has spent millions of dollars via offshoots to oppose rent control measures in California.
One of the operatives that Blackstone-affiliated groups works closely with is Ace Smith, a Democratic Party operative, who worked in senior roles on Harris’s winning campaigns for attorney general and for U.S. Senate, to oppose California ballot measures that would limit rent increases. Smith has “been working closely with corporate landlords and their front group, the California Apartment Association, to ensure that the real estate industry can keep charging wildly inflated, unfair rents,” according to the Los Angeles Progressive.
Smith is currently working to oppose Proposition 33, a ballot initiative facing voters this cycle. Recent polling suggests that the measure is a slight favorite to fail; its supporters drew flak for falsely claiming that Harris supports the measure.
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Exclusive: Deceptive mailers target voters nationwide: “they think voters are stupid”
By: Matthew Foldi
Voters across America are getting bombarded with deceptive mailers, some of which urge them to waste their votes for third-party spoiler candidates, others of which photoshop Special Forces logos off of Republicans, and others yet which fail to include any disclaimer about who paid for them — which campaign experts tell the Washington Reporter could be illegal.
One producer of deceptive mailers is a newly-formed organization, Save Western Culture. The Reporter was the first to cover Save Western Culture’s activities last week.
Similar organizations, such as Fight Big Pharma, Stop China, and Stop Political Corruption, are sending mailers, texts, and videos to voters in the waning hours of the 2024 elections. “They think voters are stupid,” a GOP strategist told the Reporter.
The newly-formed organizations, which lack contact information, are spending in Maryland against Larry Hogan, in Texas against Sen. Ted Cruz, in Iowa against Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, in Wisconsin against Rep. Derrick Van Orden, in New York against Reps. Mike Lawler and Marc Molinaro, in Oregon against Rep. Lori Chavez DeRemer, and in Michigan against Mike Rogers, Tom Barrett, and Donald Trump.
Click HERE to read more about the “dirty tricks” that sketchy outside groups are resorting to in the final days of the election. | | | | [9] | CFPB Director Rohit Chopra attacks financial services firms by name — after promising not to “prejudge”
By: Matthew Foldi
Rohit Chopra, the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and a board member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), is facing criticism for his “prejudgment” and allegedly biased treatment of financial services firms.
The FDIC is in process of finalizing a rule that would restrict investment firms’ ability to own stock in banks. Conservatives have warned against the rule’s “micromanagement.”
Supporters of the proposal — mainly the nonprofit “Better Markets,” which is funded by a far-left socialist — argue that the proposal is necessary because greater regulation and bureaucratic control will lead to a safer banker system. Conservatives say that the proposal would raise costs on borrowers and put the banking system’s security in jeopardy.
Beyond the proposal, conservatives have harshly criticized Chopra for his speech at Harvard in which he slammed two investment firms — Vanguard and Blackrock — as “natural oligopolies,” suggesting that he has prejudged the issue while the rulemaking is playing out.
Click HERE to read more about CFPB Director Rohit Chopra’s problematic advocacy, which directly contracts what he told Congress.
| | | | | | | [10] | Exclusive: Poll shows vast bipartisan concern over cyberattacks, support for open-source AI models
By: Matthew Foldi
A nationwide poll conducted for a bipartisan coalition of tech companies confirms that the inflation, health care, and the economy are top issues on voters’ minds — and that while tech policy isn’t a front-burner issue, voters are generally against regulating America-based tech companies in ways that would stifle innovation.
The poll, first obtained by the Washington Reporter, found that on a scale of one to 100, voters gave regulating U.S. tech companies a 58 in the poll, conducted by Mercury Analytics on behalf of the American Edge Project; the score pales in comparison to issues like Medicare and Social Security, which scored a 91, and national security, which scored a 90.
Click HERE to read more from the American Edge Project’s latest findings about where voters stand on issues like cyberattacks, open- and closed-source AI models, and much more. | |
| [11] | Exclusive: Inside the “largest ever effort” to defeat George Soros-backed prosecutors
By: Matthew Foldi
Protecting Americans Action Fund (PAAF), the GOP’s largest group dedicated to combatting George Soros-backed prosecutors, has spent more money against liberal district attorneys this year than ever before, it confirmed exclusively to the Washington Reporter.
PAAF, an organization led by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, has spent $2.5 million this cycle to date, in key races across the country, from Hillsborough County, Florida, to Hamilton County, Ohio, to El Paso County, Texas, Maricopa County, Arizona, and beyond. PAAF spent its millions on targeted television, radio, mail, and digital campaigns across 13 jurisdictions.
The group’s largest investment this cycle was in Hamilton County, where it spent $400,000 on a television ad buy supporting the incumbent, Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Powers; Hamilton County is the largest county in Ohio with a conservative prosecutor in office. PAAF’s ad campaign there highlights how Powers’s opponent, Connie Pillich, has “never prosecuted a single criminal. Not one.”
Click HERE to read more about the largest effort this cycle to oust George Soros-backed prosecutors across America.
| | | | | | | [12] | Op-Ed: Sen. Tommy Tuberville: Fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith
By: Sen. Tommy Tuberville
Throughout my coaching career, I always instructed my players to finish strong. Play until you hear the whistle. Don’t quit until the play is dead. In the final countdown of this election season, patriotic Americans should think of this election in the exact same terms.
We are at the two-minute warning of the most important election in many of our lifetimes. It is perhaps the most consequential election in the history of our country.
It goes without saying: make sure you vote, and as early as possible. But your job doesn’t end there. Make sure your family and friends vote. If they live in battleground states, give them a call. There’s too much on the line to let up now.
America is at the two-minute warning. Click HERE to read more from Sen. Tommy Tuberville about the importance of the next few days. | | | | | | | [13] | Op-Ed: Rep. Richard Hudson: Americans agree that “we can’t afford four more years of this”
By: Rep. Richard Hudson
Recently, Gov. Tim Walz said the quiet part out loud, declaring that “we can’t afford four more years of this.” As voters head to the polls and face a choice between the Harris-Walz ticket and the Trump-Vance ticket, this is one thing we can all agree on.
As we grapple with skyrocketing inflation, depleting savings accounts, soaring interest rates, and wages unable to keep pace with the financial ruins the Harris-Biden agenda has left us, Tim Walz is right — we cannot afford four more years of the Democrats’ failed policies. We’ve heard time and time again that Kamala Harris is from a middle-class family. However, she continues to be oblivious to the consequences of her failed economic policies that impact our middle-class families shopping at the grocery store, filling up the gas tank, or trying to buy a home. It seems she’s the only self-identified “middle-class” person who is immune to the inflation crisis.
Click HERE to read more from Rep. Richard Hudson about why Americans agree with Tim Walz — that “we can’t afford four more years of this.”
| | | | | | | [14] | Op-Ed: Rep. Vince Fong: California Coastal Commission’s anti-Elon Musk decision violates the First Amendment
By: Rep. Vince Fong
Every day as Americans, we are empowered to use our freedoms to express ourselves through rights enshrined in the First Amendment. Practicing religion, communication from the press, and speaking freely are three of the five protected principles — many of which have become so second nature that we may even overlook how valuable they are to our lives. Therefore, when someone’s First Amendment rights are violated, it should be alarming to all Americans.
Recently, the California Coastal Commission decided to restrict additional launches from SpaceX at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The plan was submitted by the Air Force in which the number of launches was going to increase from 36 to 50. One may ask why the California Coastal Commission would vote to deny this plan. In the words of one commissioner, Gretchen Newsom, “right now, Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA…”
Click HERE to read more from Rep. Vince Fong about his opposition to California Democrats’ partisan warfare against Elon Musk. | |
| [15] | Op-Ed: Eric Hovde: Wisconsin needs a citizen legislator, not a career politician
By: Eric Hovde
For far too long, Washington has been run by career politicians who have become corrupt. Instead of addressing the myriad issues affecting the American people, politicians today care only about getting re-elected, about enriching themselves, and about raising money from special interest groups that they are beholden to.
From day one, I made the promise that I will not take corporate special interest money, which I have not. I can’t be bought and will only put the people of Wisconsin first.
The contrast between myself and my 38-year career politician opponent, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, could not be more clear. Sen. Baldwin rails against Wall Street, Big Pharma, and Big Tech, while simultaneously raking in cash from each sector.
Click HERE to read more from Eric Hovde about why he is running to represent Wisconsin in the Senate.
| | | | | | | [16] | Op-Ed: Randy Niemeyer: We must protect Social Security and stabilizing our future
By: Randy Niemeyer
This past week, we saw the stock market take a devastating downturn. The squeeze we have felt over the last four years is crushing everyone from Main Street to Wall Street, and I am not sure we can take much more. Our country is grappling with skyrocketing inflation, rising unemployment, and the looming threat of an economic recession.
Click HERE to read more from Randy Niemeyer about why he’s prioritizing keeping America’s promises to our seniors during his congressional campaign. | |
| [17] | Op-Ed: Bonnie Glick: America Needs Leaders: Maryland Can Send the Man for the Job
By: Bonnie Glick
A dangerous world needs leaders. Leadership isn’t mud-slinging. It isn’t falsifying one’s record of performance. It’s about demonstrated success in the face of adversity. It’s hard to think of any candidate for office who has faced more adversity and stared it down than Larry Hogan, the current Republican candidate for Senate in Maryland.
Click HERE to read more from Bonnie Glick about the important role that Maryland’s Senate election has for all Americans.
| | | | | | | [18] | Op-Ed: Bryan Leib: Personnel is policy, which is why President Donald Trump will have a successful second term
By: Bryan Leib
In the world of governance, there is a fundamental truth that too many people ignore at their peril: personnel is policy. A president’s administration is not just a collection of names; it’s the reflection of their values, priorities, and approach to leadership. This distinction is no clearer than when comparing the bold and results-driven Trump administration to the confused, weak-kneed Biden team.
Click HERE to read more from Bryan Leib about how President Donald Trump's personnel trumped President Joe Biden's. | |
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