Political Wire

McConnell Is Denying Republicans His Massive Cash Stash

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“Sen. Mitch McConnell is hoarding his committee’s wealth during a crucial midterms cycle for the Republican Party, according to a new federal filing,” the Washington Sun reports.

“When the Kentucky senator returned to Capitol Hill in September after a three-month, health-related absence, his campaign committee had nearly $7.4 million waiting for him.”

“But McConnell, who no longer has use for the money since he opted not to run for an eighth term, opted not to spread his wealth to any Republican Party committee or candidate campaign.”

Musk Settles Lawsuits Over His Election Giveaways

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“Elon Musk and his political action committee have agreed to settle two lawsuits that accused them of misleading voters with promises of $1 million checks before the 2024 presidential election and in a 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Legal counsel for the parties notified a federal judge in Texas that they’d struck an agreement to end the dual class-action suits Thursday. Terms of the settlements are not public and still require court approval.”

Ousted General Warned of Missile Defense Shortage

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“In late December, two months before the U.S. war with Iran began, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George warned that his service was critically short on missile defense munitions and that the shortage would last another five years,” CBS News reports.

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ousted George in April, as the Iran war was underway.”

Trump’s October Surprise Is a Pivot to Putin

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Susan Glasser: “At a time when Donald Trump’s party is struggling to hold both houses of Congress and his own approval ratings are cratering to historic lows, the President has been campaigning hard all week against… Volodymyr Zelensky.”

“Yes, Trump’s October preëlection surprise is that he’s finally decided to begin openly helping Vladimir Putin in Russia’s war of conquest against Ukraine.”

Max Miller’s Campaign Is Deep in Debt — To Miller Himself

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“Rep. Max Miller already faces a difficult re-election bid amid allegations of domestic abuse against his daughter and ex-wife and calls from lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats alike — to quit the race,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Adding to the complications: The embattled Republican lawmaker from Ohio is almost $2 million deep in campaign debt, to himself.”

Trump Officials First Scrutinized Ilhan Omar in 2019

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“Seven years ago, a political appointee in the first Trump administration approached U.S. immigration authorities with a request that alarmed career staffers: Scrub the immigration records of Rep. Ilhan Omar, then a newly elected Democratic lawmaker from Minnesota, for evidence of fraud,” the Washington Post reports.

“That 2019 demand, detailed by three former immigration officials, struck staffers at the time as a highly unusual effort to wield federal power to dig up compromising material on a prominent critic of President Donald Trump and sitting member of Congress.”

Europe Reckons with a World Where Trump Helps Putin

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“European leaders know they can’t stop courting Donald Trump. But as the U.S. president menaces Ukraine and offers Russian an economic lifeline, they are preparing for a world where he effectively sides with Moscow,” Bloomberg reports.

“In the span of a week, Trump has trashed years of energy sanctions on the Kremlin, pressured Kyiv to quit bombing Russian oil refineries and suggested Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy was an illegitimate leader — echoing Moscow’s propaganda. At one point, Ukraine also lost full access to the Elon Musk-owned Starlink system, leaving it hobbled on the battlefield.”

Susan Collins Split-Ticketers Seem to Move On

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MS NOW: “In 2014, Republican Sen. Susan Collins won 39% of Maine’s Democratic voters, according to exit polls. In 2020, she won 13% — still enough to hold her seat in a state President Donald Trump lost that same year. This week, a Suffolk University poll put her support among Democrats at just 5%.”

“Outside early-voting sites last week, some of those Democratic-leaning voters who once backed Collins said they were now supporting the Democrat in the race, former state Sen. Troy Jackson.”

Katie Zacharia Explains Her Rocky Briefing Debut

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“Days into a tumultuous tenure as White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia sought to clear the air. In her first sit-down interview in the role on Thursday, she defended her rocky performance during Tuesday’s debut briefing, arguing that the tight turnaround — and not her skills as a communicator — was to blame,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Zacharia said President Donald Trump called unexpectedly on Oct. 7, as she was getting ready to take her 5-year-old son on a field trip. She flew to Washington the next day, met Trump and accepted the position Friday, returned to California on Saturday to pack and was back in D.C. to start the job Monday.”

Said Zacharia: “He asked me to be in office on Monday, and Monday I showed up.”

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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