“I’m going to try to be brief because I notice you’re on your fourth glass of water, and I don’t want to be accused of
waterboarding you.”

— Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), quoted by Politico, in the middle of a long, contentious confirmation hearing for John Brennan as CIA Director.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) “raised concerns with top federal health-care officials twice in recent years about their finding that a Florida eye doctor — a close friend and major campaign donor — had overbilled the government by $8.9 million for care at his clinic,” the Washington Post reports.

“Menendez initially contacted federal officials in 2009 about the government’s audit of Salomon Melgen, complaining to the director overseeing Medicare payments that it was unfair to penalize the doctor because the billing rules were ambiguous… Last year, in a meeting with the acting administrator of the agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, Menendez again questioned whether federal auditors had been fair in their assessment of Melgen’s billing for eye injections to treat macular degeneration.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told ABC News that he stands by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) when asked about recent allegations involving a political donor and prostitutes.

Said Reid: “He was a leader in the House. He’s been a leader in the Senate. He’s chairman of that committee. He’ll do a wonderful job. And he’s also an integral part of what we do with immigration reform. So, I have the utmost confidence in him. I have confidence he did nothing wrong. But that’s what investigations are all about.”

“I’m not personally, at this stage, ready to get rid of the 60-vote threshold. With the history of the Senate, we have to understand the Senate isn’t and shouldn’t be like the House.”

— Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), in an interview with Ezra Klein, on why he essentially killed filibuster reform in the U.S. Senate.

“Senate Democratic and Republican leaders are nearing an agreement on new limits to the filibuster, an effort to speed action in the often-clogged chamber by prohibiting senators from using a common tactic to slow the legislative process,” the New York Times reports.

“Lawmakers and aides said the new rules, which both sides were preparing to announce on Thursday, would end the use of a procedural tactic that forces the majority party — Democrats currently — to marshal 60 votes to even bring a bill to the floor, sometimes killing it before it ever gets debated.”

“We will look forward to interrogating him at his hearing next week, mercilessly. We will bring him back for only time waterboarding to get the truth out of him.”

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by Politico, joking that he’ll get the truth out of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) when he faces confirmation hearings next week to be the next Secretary of State.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) “will present colleagues with options for reforming the Senate’s filibuster rules in a Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday,” The Hill reports.

The proposal “is not expected to include the talking filibuster, which would require senators who want to block action on legislation to actually hold the floor and debate for hours on end. In recent days, Reid has begun to focus on a proposal to tweak the filibuster rule by requiring the minority party to muster 41 votes to stall a bill or nominee. Under current rules, the responsibility is on the majority to round up 60 votes to end a filibuster.”

According to Roll Call, Reid said that he plans “to continue to extend the legislative
day of Jan. 3 — the first day of the 113th Congress — until the
situation with the chamber’s rules can be resolved.”

David Frum: “In short, we’re getting a very watered down version of what could have been a major step in pushing the Senate down the road to a parliamentary body.”

“Federal immigration agents were prepared to arrest an illegal immigrant and registered sex offender days before the November elections but were ordered by Washington to hold off after officials warned of ‘significant interest’ from Congress and news organizations because the suspect was a volunteer intern for Sen. Robert Menendez,” the AP reports.

When the story first came to light last month, the Homeland Security Department insisted it was “categorically false.”

John Avlon: “This should all be a big story — even more so because with the appointment of John Kerry to be the next secretary of state, Senator Menendez is slated to become the chairman of the prestigious Senate Foreign Relations Committee… Given the stakes — and the combined seriousness and salaciousness of the allegations — it is stunning that the scandal has not gotten more attention.”

“Sadly, Harry Reid has again revealed himself to be an idiot.”

— Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), in a statement, blasting Senate Majority Harry Reid’s (D-NV) comments that Hurricane Sandy last year was more devastating the Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The 19-year-old son of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “was charged with underage drinking and disorderly conduct after being arrested over the weekend at North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International Airport,” CNN reports.

Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID) pleaded guilty to drunk driving following his arrest last month and issued a sweeping apology after a judge accepted his plea, the Washington Post reports.

Crapo “was sentenced to 180 days in jail, all of which was suspended. His license was suspended for a year, but he’s eligible for a restricted license. Crapo must also pay a $250 fine and complete an alcohol program over the next year.”

Crapo, a Mormon, said that he had been using alcohol for several months to “relieve stress,” a decision that was “at odds with who I am” and against Mormon practices.

“We’re less on testosterone. We don’t have that need to always be confrontational. And I think we’re problem solvers, and I think that’s what this country needs.”

— Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), quoted by ABC News, on the record number of female senators in the 113th Congress.

A filibuster reform proposal — sponsored by Senators Carl Levin, Chuck Schumer, John McCain, and others — is so weak that one of the leading reformers in the Senate, Jeff Merkley, tells Greg Sargent he will vote against it if it comes to the floor.

Said Merkley: “If Levin-McCain comes to the floor in its current form, I’ll vote against it. I’ll certainly encourage others to oppose it.”

“That Merkley is sounding the alarm in this fashion suggests the prospects for real filibuster reform may be very bleak. If Merkley can round up some liberal votes against the final package, that might not stop it from passing, but it could cast real doubt on the seriousness of the proposal.”

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) gave his first in-depth interview to the Daily Herald since he suffered a massive stroke nearly a year ago.

“Awakening from what he says might have been a dream, a side effect of medication or a near-death experience, Kirk found himself lying in a hospital bed in Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, hooked up to monitors and tubes. He had no way of immediately knowing what had transpired in the days after he suffered an ischemic stroke on Jan. 21, 2012; that doctors had put him in a coma and performed several surgeries, temporarily removing a 4-by-8 inch portion of skull to allow his brain to swell and heal.”

The Chicago Tribune reports Kirk “is expected to make a dramatic return to Congress on Thursday, perhaps walking up the Capitol steps.”

The New York Times reports that yesterday was the first time in 42 years that there have been roll call votes in Congress during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“The House and Senate have held numerous pro forma sessions during the week between Christmas and New Year over the years, and in 1995 during a major budget battle. But the last time they held roll call votes that week, before Thursday, was during the second session of the 91st Congress, in 1970, amid a large spending fight and a filibuster over financing for a supersonic transport plane.”

Politico: “Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s decision to buck the dying wish of legendary Sen. Daniel Inouye and install his own No. 2, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, as the state’s soon-to-be senior senator may be less surprising than it seems.”

“Abercrombie and Inouye were not allies. In fact, their two-decade relationship in Congress was marked by rifts — most notably over Inouye’s encouragement of a primary challenger to Abercrombie in the 2010 governor’s race. Abercrombie and Schatz were running mates in that same election.”

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) selected Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz (D) to replace the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) in the U.S. Senate, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports.

Schatz said “he will fly to Washington tonight and be sworn in Thursday so he can participate in Senate votes to avert a fiscal cliff of federal tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take effect in January.”

At 40 years old, Schatz will be the youngest senator — at least until Sen.-elect Chris Murphy (D-CT), who is 39, takes office next month.


Abercrombie chose Schatz from a list of recommendations from the Democratic Party of Hawaii that included Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) and and Esther Kiaaina (D), the deputy director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID) was arrested in Virginia early Sunday morning and charged with driving under the influence, CBS News reports.

An officer was on routine patrol when he saw Sen. Crapo’s vehicle run a red light. Crapo underwent several field sobriety tests, which he failed… He was then taken into custody without incident.

Said Crapo: “I am deeply sorry for the actions that resulted in this circumstance. I made a mistake for which I apologize to my family, my Idaho constituents and any others who have put their trust in me. I accept total responsibility and will deal with whatever penalty comes my way in this matter. I will also undertake measures to ensure that this circumstance is never repeated.”

Politico notes Crapo is Mormon and has said publicly that he abstains from alcohol.