Accountability | Mississippi
Mississippi GOP Gubernatorial Front-Runner Tate Reeves’ Fraternity Yearbook Page Included Blackface
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves’ college yearbook showed members of his fraternity in what appeared to be blackface and dressed as Confederate soldiers and referred to him being “at the Robert E. Lee bar” at a time when the fraternity’s racism was a major issue on campus.
Accountability | Maine
Collins Invites Extremist Maine State Legislator to State of the Union
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is widely regarded as one of the last remaining moderate Republicans, invited an extremist right-wing politician from her home state to the annual State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Accountability | Louisiana
Ralph Abraham’s Congressional Office Posted, Then Deleted, Stories About Campaign in Violation of Ethics Rules
Rep. Ralph Abraham’s congressional website shared more than 20 articles covering his campaign for governor of Louisiana last month, seemingly in violation of House ethics rules against using official resources to campaign.
Accountability | Colorado
Gardner Said He Couldn’t Back Trump, ‘Who Brags About Degrading and Assaulting Women.’ Turns Out, He Can.
Sen. Cory Gardner, who in October 2016 said of Donald Trump, “I cannot and will not support someone who brags about degrading and assaulting women,” this week said that he, in fact, can and will. After two years of tightrope-walking between Trump critic and Trump cheerleader, Gardner, R-Colo., made his choice, saying he would support Trump’s re-election bid.
Accountability | Maine
Facing Tough Re-Election, Collins Whitewashes Her 94% Voting Record with Trump
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, refused to endorse President Donald Trump for re-election on Tuesday, part of a pattern of the past two years in which she downplays her support for Trump but ultimately backs his agenda. Collins, who is running for a fifth term in a state Trump lost in 2016, has voted with Trump 94 percent of the time, according to a CQ analysis.
Accountability | Virginia
Virginia State Senator Is Member of Racist, Pro-Trump Facebook Group
A Virginia state senator who voted against removing Confederate monuments is a member of a hate-filled conservative Facebook group, an affiliation that has dogged other Republicans in recent months. State Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, who represents a district around Richmond, has been a member of the simply named Facebook group Tea Party since June, even as other politicians faced criticism for their links to the group, where users cheerlead President Donald Trump alongside anti-semitic and racist posts.
Accountability | Iowa
Ernst Keeping Salary During Shutdown Because She’s ‘Working’ As 400,000 Federal Employees Work Without Pay
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told constituents Wednesday that she was still taking her salary during the government shutdown because she is “working” during it, as more than 400,000 federal employees are being compelled to work without pay.