Tag: republicans

Massie suggests ‘wrong person’ arrested in Jan. 6 DC pipe bomb case

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he does not believe federal authorities arrested the true culprit behind two pipe bombs planted outside the Democratic and Republican national committee offices on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

“I believe FBI arrested the wrong person in the J6 pipe bomb case,” Massie wrote on X, linking to an analysis by the conservative outlet The Blaze that he said found “stark physical differences” between Brian Cole Jr., who was arrested, and the suspect shown in videos released by federal and local law enforcement.

Cole was arrested in December after what government officials called an “aha moment” that led to a breakthrough in the nearly five-year investigation. The pipe bombs had become a lingering mystery of the days surrounding the riot.

Prosecutors have said that Cole gave a “detailed confession” after he was arrested, allegedly telling investigators he became “bewildered” by claims the 2020 election was stolen from President Trump and thought someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the allegations of election fraud. He was the first suspect publicly identified by law enforcement. 

However, Cole has pleaded not guilty to two federal charges, and his attorneys have also suggested the government apprehended the wrong man. They have pointed to his diagnoses for autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder as reason for any suspicious behavior.

The Hill requested comment from the FBI and Justice Department.

The analysis by The Blaze claimed to show that Cole’s physical dimensions, gait, posture and mannerisms are at odds with the hoodie-clad suspect seen in videos released by law enforcement, though the outlet acknowledges that “poor video quality” complicated its efforts to review the footage.

Cole faces counts of transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials. The first count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, while the second count carries a five-year minimum sentence and up to 20 years.  

A judge ordered him to remain detained ahead of trial, after finding that there are “no conditions of release” the court could impose that would “reasonably assure the safety of the community.” His lawyers are seeking further review.

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Blackburn’s TRUMP AMERICA AI Act Repeals Section 230, Expands AI Liability, and Mandates Age Verification

Senator Marsha Blackburn has introduced a 291-page legislative discussion draft that would reshape how information is allowed to exist online.

The TRUMP AMERICA AI Act, officially titled the “The Republic Unifying Meritocratic Performance Advancing Machine intelligence by Eliminating Regulatory Interstate Chaos Across American Industry” Act, bundles together Section 230 repeal, expanded AI liability, age verification mandates, and a stack of additional bills that have been circulating separately for years.

All of it is wrapped in a national AI framework that claims it is tied to President Trump’s December Executive Order. The bill is framed as pro-innovation, pro-safety, designed to “protect children, creators, conservatives, and communities” while positioning the US to win the global AI race.

What the actual 291 pages describe is a system that centralizes regulatory authority, removes the legal protections platforms currently rely on, and hands new enforcement tools to federal agencies, state attorneys general, and private litigants simultaneously.

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.

The legal foundation of the modern internet is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. It shields platforms from being sued for the content that users post. Without Section 230, platforms could become legally responsible for what their users post, which could mean anything controversial, contested, or legally ambiguous becomes a liability they’ll quietly remove rather than defend.

Blackburn’s bill repeals it entirely, after a two-year transition period.

Platforms and AI developers could face lawsuits for “defective design,” “failure to warn,” or deploying systems deemed “unreasonably dangerous.”

AI platforms would be incentivized to heavily monitor users.

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‘CODE RED’ Author Tells Fox News: Google Gemini AI Claims Republicans Like Marsha Blackburn, Tom Cotton Engage in Hate Speech

Google’s Gemini AI chatbot claims that only Republican senators violate its hate speech policy, with not a single Democrat flagged by the woke tech giant’s system, Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall demonstrated to Fox News in a revelation published today. The bias built into AI by leftist Silicon Valley tech titans is a central subject of Hall’s new book, CODE RED.

Gemini flagged a group of Republican senators — but no Democrats — when asked to name senators who have made statements that violate Google’s hate speech policies, Hall demonstrated to Fox News with a video of Gemini AI in action.

Hall, whose new book, Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI, publishes on Tuesday, added that this is just one example of what is a deeply ingrained bias against conservatives in AI tools.

“AI’s Silicon Valley architects lean left politically, and their lopsided political donations to Democrats underscore their ideological aims,” the author told the outlet.

Fox News reported:

Hall used the “deep research” function on Google’s Gemini Pro. Fox News Digital reviewed a screen recording of Hall’s prompt and findings. Google did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

One of the Republicans flagged by Gemini in Hall’s research, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee, was listed for characterizing “transgender identity as a harmful cultural ‘influence’ and has used ‘woke’ as a derogatory slur against protected groups.” Another, Arkansas’ Sen. Tom Cotton, was cited for cosponsoring legislation “to exclude transgender students from sports.”

Hall explains in CODE RED that AI tools touting themselves as neutral are actually shaped by the political bias of those who create them. The Breitbart News social media director begins his book with a stark example, pointing to an incident in 2024 in which several viral videos seemingly exposed a clear double standard in American homes.

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Senate Republicans On Iran War Ending: Sooner The Better

The ongoing U.S. military operation against Iran, which began February 28th with strikes aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities, navy, and other strategic assets, has prompted a range of reactions from Republican senators. While most GOP lawmakers initially supported President Trump’s actions – evidenced by the Senate’s largely party-line vote on March 4th to block a bipartisan war powers resolution that would have curtailed or required congressional approval for the conflict – several prominent voices have emphasized the need for a swift conclusion rather than a prolonged engagement.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), a key Trump ally, became one of the most vocal advocates for an early exit during his appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime on Tuesday. Hawley urged the president to “declare victory” and withdraw U.S. forces, arguing that core objectives have already been met.

Watters: Do you think the President is going to look for an off-ramp or keep going?

Hawley: I think he [Trump] has achieved his objectives the way that he’s laid them out… What is there, really, that’s left to do that we haven’t already done?

…

We have totally destroyed, forever, their nuclear program. We have destroyed their ballistic missiles. We have destroyed their navy. This has been a total success… I think we ought to say to our heroes, ‘Thank you for a job well done.’ This has been absolutely amazing. It’s been amazing. It’s been historic. And now it’s time to declare victory.

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Pro-War Republican Senator Apologizes For Iran Girls’ School Massacre After Trump Blames Tehran

A Republican senator apologized this week for what US military investigators have reportedly determined was an American missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran that killed around 175 people—mostly children—amid continued sidestepping by President Donald Trump, who has blamed Tehran for the massacre.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.)—who supports the US-Israeli war on Iran—first apologized for the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab during a Monday interview with NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapur. “It was terrible,” Kennedy said. “We made a mistake… I’m just so sorry it happened.”

Kennedy repeated his apology Tuesday on CNN, telling political correspondent Kasie Hunt: “The investigation may prove me wrong. I hope so. The kids are still dead, but I think it was a horrible, horrible mistake. I wish it hadn’t happened. I’m sorry it happened.”

Reuters first reported last week that US military investigators believe American forces carried out the school strike, a preliminary conclusion that came on the heels of a New York Times analysis that found the US was “most likely to have carried out the strike” due to its near-simultaneous bombing of a nearby Iranian naval base.

This week, Iranian officials displayed fragments from what is believed to be the Tomahawk missile used in the school bombing. The remnants were marked with the names of two US arms companies, a Pentagon contract number, and the words “Made in USA”.

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the ongoing military probe has determined that the US launched the Tomahawk strike, which paramedics and victims’ relatives said was a so-called “double-tap,” in which the attacker bombs a target and then follows up with a second strike meant to kill survivors and first responders. Investigators attribute the strike to a “targeting error,” according to the Times.

This, as Trump—who warned as his illegal war started that “bombs will be dropping everywhere”—continued sidestepping blame for the attack. On Saturday, Trump said aboard Air Force One that “based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.“

Two days later, the president falsely claimed that Iran has “some” Tomahawk missiles and may have used one of them to bomb the school. Iran has no Tomahawks—which are highly restricted and sold only to a handful of close allies—and the US does not sell weapons to the Iranian government, with the notable exception of the Iran-Contra Affair, when the Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Tehran in order to fund anti-communist Contra terrorists in Nicaragua.

Other senior Trump administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz have declined to back the president’s claims and have instead deferred to the ongoing military investigation. Kennedy told NBC News and CNN that the school bombing was unintentional.

“Other countries do that sort of thing intentionally, like Russia,” he told Kapur. “We would never do that intentionally.”

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Former Missouri GOP House Speaker Sentenced to Prison for Pandemic Fraud – Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison

A true man of the people, Former Missouri House Speaker John J. Diehl Jr. was sentenced to 21 months in prison on fraud-related charges.

Diehl was Missouri House Speaker in 2015 until he resigned after he was caught sending sexually explicit emails to an intern.

First Alert reported:

Diehl admitted that on March 30, 2020, he applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan on behalf of his law firm, the Diehl Law Group. The loan program was designed to help struggling small businesses during the pandemic.

Less than a month after applying for the loan, an advance of $1,000 was deposited into the Diehl Law Group bank account. He later made a $1,320.15 payment to a country club for personal dues and charges.

Then, on June 9, 2020, the remainder of the loan, $93,900, was put into the law firm’s bank account. Diehl reportedly transferred some of that money into his personal bank accounts. On Sept. 16, 2020, Diehl also transferred $50,039.55 of the EIDL proceeds to the Diehl Law Group’s retirement plan, in which Diehl was the only participant.

Diehl was was sentenced to prison this week.

Diehl admitted to taking $370,000 in small business administration loans. He will also have to pay a $50,000 fine.

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OUTRAGEOUS! Weak-Kneed RINO John Thune Mocks American Voters — Labels Fight to Push SAVE America Act is Nothing But a Propaganda by ‘Paid Influencers’

Senate Republican Leader John Thune (R-SD) has once again proven why he’s the poster child for the spineless RINO establishment.

In a stunning display of arrogance and detachment from the American people, Senate Majority Leader John Thune dismissed the growing grassroots movement demanding passage of the SAVE America Act, suggesting the pressure campaign is nothing more than a manufactured effort by a so-called “paid influencer ecosystem.”

During a conversation with NBC News, Thune downplayed the mounting calls from conservatives, activists, and voters urging the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act.

When asked about the increasing pressure to move the bill forward, Thune suggested much of the noise is coming from a coordinated online campaign.

NBC News reporter Brennan Leach caught the mask-slip on X, reporting:

“I asked Thune if he feels pressure to pass SAVE America Act mounting:

‘A lot of that is, it’s in that kind of, you know, paid influencer ecosystem,’ he said.

Adds there’s support among GOP Sens, but ‘the process & how do you ultimately try & get a result is still unclear to me.’”

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GOP Congressman Running For Florida Governor Admits To Selling Marijuana Despite Opposing Legalization And Sentencing Reform

A GOP congressman running for governor in Florida who has opposed marijuana legalization in the state and sponsored federal legislation to upend a Washington, D.C. sentencing reform law has admitted for the first time that he was arrested for selling cannabis as a young adult.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), a Trump-endorsed GOP candidate vying to replace Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), was pressed on the apparent disconnect during an interview with CBS Miami that aired on Saturday.

While it was previously known that Donalds faced an arrest over marijuana in 1997—only to have the charges dropped years later as part of a pre-trial diversion program—this marked the first time he’s publicly admitted to selling small amounts of cannabis and acknowledged that he benefitted from the type of criminal justice reform law he’s worked to undermine in the District of Columbia.

“Honestly, I was walking down the street, I was leaving a party, officers came up, asked me if I would empty my pockets. I said, ‘Yes, of course.’ I had a dime bag of marijuana in my pocket. That’s the story,” the congressman said. “It was bad decisions. I can’t undo that decision.”

Donalds said he sold “low-level amounts” of marijuana, reiterating that he made “terrible decisions” and that it was among the things he did in his early adulthood that he wishes he could “undo.”

“I wish I could undo [it]. I wish I could, but I can’t do that,” he said. “I would tell people, if you examine my life since 20 years old, my life has really been a story of redemption.”

But that redemption arc was made possible, in part, thanks to sentencing policy that afforded Donalds a level of relief that he’s sought to deprive D.C. residents of—a point that Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) raised during a House floor debate last year where she slammed her GOP colleague over the apparent double standard.

“Imagine standing in front of a judge with your life hanging in balance, and instead of prison you’re given a promise of mercy. Your record is wiped clean, and you’ve got a second chance at life,” Crockett said. “Imagine turning that into a promotion and you go to college and get a job and even become a member of Congress. That’s what redemption looks like.”

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Sen. John Kennedy: Trump Had “No Choice” But to Strike Iran

Senator John Kennedy is pushing back against growing criticism from Democrats over President Donald Trump’s recent military strikes against Iran.

During a new interview on Newsmax, Kennedy made the case that Trump’s actions were not the beginning of another endless Middle East conflict—but rather an effort to prevent a far larger and more dangerous war from erupting.

“President Trump did not start a war by entering Iran,” Kennedy said during the interview. “He is trying to stop a war.”

The Louisiana senator explained that intelligence briefings and basic strategic realities point to the same conclusion: Iran’s leadership had no intention of abandoning its nuclear ambitions.

According to Kennedy, Iran’s ruling regime—which he described as religious zealots—was actively rebuilding its military capabilities after previous strikes earlier this year.

“They were not going to ever stop trying to develop a nuclear warhead,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy noted that after the United States bombed Iranian targets in June, the regime quickly began rebuilding its missile arsenal and expanding weapons production.

“They were manufacturing hundreds of missiles a month,” he explained.

Even more concerning, Kennedy said, was Iran’s growing cooperation with global adversaries.

The regime’s strategy, according to the senator, involved working with China and Russia to produce such a massive stockpile of missiles that any attempt to strike Iran would risk triggering a regional catastrophe.

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GOP Rep. Nancy Mace Plans to Investigate Outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem: ‘We Need to Hold Our Own Accountable’

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said Friday that she plans to investigate outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding a potential misuse of taxpayer funds.

“I trust President Trump and his judgment here,” Mace said of Trump’s decision to fire Noem during an interview with Newsmax.

“One of my questions is Corey Lewandowski. Is he going with her? Where is he going in all of this?” Mace asked.

Lewandowski served as President Donald Trump’s first campaign manager during his 2016 White House run and has remained close to the commander in chief.

He was also considered a “special government employee” who was serving as an adviser to Noem, Mediate reported.

Fox News’s Jacqui Heinrich reported on Thursday that, “Noem had sought to appoint Lewandowski as her chief of staff, but the president blocked that decision amid these rumors of an [extra-marital] affair.”

In the Newsmax interview, Mace also praised Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy, whose tough questioning of Noem during a Senate hearing on Tuesday is widely seen to have been key to Trump’s ousting her.

“The second thing is, I want to thank, I’m very grateful to Republican Senator Kennedy,” Mace added. “I had no idea how much money — hundreds of millions of dollars — that Kristi Noem had wasted on her personal PR for all those TV ads that are running across the country that have nothing to do with deporting illegal aliens.”

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