Rand Paul Slams Trump for Endorsing “Worst Deep State Candidate” Yet

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul torched Donald Trump on Tuesday, claiming that the GOP front-runner was walking back his self-purported morals by endorsing former House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race.

“Donald Trump just endorsed the worst Deep State candidate this cycle. @MikeRogersForMI is a never Trumper, and a card carrying member of the spy state that seeks to destroy Trump,” Paul posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“You have to ask yourself who gives Trump this awful advice? Who’s next, John Bolton?” Paul mocked, referring to Trump’s former national security adviser turned recurring Trump critic.

Rogers leads a pack of 13 contenders in the race’s Republican primary and has the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee—though Trump’s endorsement will all but ensure that he’s considered a favorite in the battleground state.

A February poll predicted that Rogers would lead the pack by double digits, beating former Representative Peter Meijer by 16 percent in the primary, though more contenders have since joined the race.

“Highly respected former Congressman Mike Rogers is running for the United States Senate from the Great State of Michigan. Mike has served his Country during a career loaded up with accolades and wins, from the Army to Congress, and now, hopefully, the U.S. Senate,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, endorsing the CNN commentator. “Mike will work closely with me to enact our America First Policies. He will tirelessly fight to Secure the Border, Stop Inflation, Grow the Economy, Strengthen our Military / Veteran Support, and Protect and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

“HE KNOWS HOW TO WIN!” he added.

House Democrats expertly highlighted the difference between Joe Biden keeping classified documents and Donald Trump keeping classified documents during a hearing on Tuesday.

The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony from Robert Hur, the special counsel who investigated Biden for keeping classified materials after leaving the vice presidency. Although Biden was not charged, Hur’s report damningly described him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

But the Democratic Judiciary members were quick to point out that forgetting some things was the worst of Biden’s deeds—unlike Trump.

Representative Veronica Escobar walked Hur through some of the major differences, primarily that Trump had stored the documents in places that were easily accessed by “tens of thousands of people.” When the government asked Trump to return the documents, he allegedly had his aides hide boxes of files.

At another point, Representative Madeleine Dean asked Hur to read out a section of his own report.

“Unlike the evidence involving Mr. Biden, the allegations set forth in the indictment of Mr. Trump, if proven, would present serious aggravating facts,” Hur read, appearing uncomfortable.

“Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite.”

Representative Ted Lieu also stressed the direct contrasts between Biden’s situation and Trump’s. He asked Hur if he had found evidence of Biden engaging in certain behaviors, including telling his lawyer to lie to the FBI or destroy evidence, telling his aides to delete security camera footage, showing classified documents to people who did not have appropriate security clearance, or engaging in conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Each time, Hur answered, “No.” But, as Lieu pointed out, Trump had been accused of all of those acts.

Trump faces 40 criminal counts over his mishandling of classified documents, for willful retention of national defense information, making false statements, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, among other things. The trial was originally set for May 20 but will likely be delayed.

Representative Ken Buck took to social media to announce his near-immediate leave from Congress, resigning so fast that even his party leaders were caught off guard by the decision.

“Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week,” Buck said in a statement on Tuesday. “I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado with my family.”

The less-than-two-weeks notice took practically everybody by surprise, including (or maybe especially) House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“I was surprised by Ken’s announcement,” Johnson told a crush of reporters inside the Capitol building. “I look forward to talking to him about that.”

“I didn’t know,” he added.

The Freedom Caucus member originally announced his intention to retire in November—though he had not indicated he would leave before the end of his term.

The loss is a huge problem for House Republicans, who have tried and failed to galvanize their caucus to pass party objectives for months. Buck’s resignation will trim the Republican tally in the House even more, bringing it to just 218 members and leaving behind an impossibly thin one-seat majority, given other vacancies.

The prolific GOP critic, meanwhile, took the resignation as an opportunity to serve one more dunk on his conservative colleagues.

“It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress,” Buck elaborated to CNN, describing the current iteration of the lower chamber as “dysfunctional” and the “worst year in 40, 50 years.”

“Instead of having decorum, instead of operating in a professional manner, this place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people.”

Representative Ken Buck, one of the few Republicans willing to call out his party’s ridiculous efforts to impeach Joe Biden, announced Tuesday that he will leave Congress in less than two weeks.

“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years. I want to thank them for their support and encouragement throughout the years,” Buck said in a statement.

“Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week. I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.”

“It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress,” Buck later elaborated to CNN. “And having talked to former members it’s the worst year in 40, 50 years to be in Congress.”

When asked whether Buck is leaving due to tension among House Republicans, Buck replied, “I think this place is dysfunctional.”

“Instead of having decorum, instead of operating in a professional manner, this place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people.”

Buck had announced in November that he would not seek reelection, but he indicated at the time that he would complete his current term. Tuesday’s decision will now set off a scramble to find his temporary replacement.

The race to replace Buck is already fairly high profile. Representative Lauren Boebert, who currently represents Colorado’s 3rd district, announced in December that she would move to the 4th and run to succeed Buck. Although the district is a GOP stronghold and will likely send another Republican to Washington, there is no guarantee it will be Boebert, who has struggled to gain traction in a new area and faced accusations of carpetbagging.

Boebert could also run to replace Buck in the now-necessary special election, but that would complicate her career even further. Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Paul pointed out that Boebert would likely have to resign her current position in order to be chosen as the GOP special election nominee. If she does and then loses, she would be out of Congress.

Buck’s departure will also leave House Republicans with just a two-seat majority. The party is already struggling to accomplish anything, even some of its signature projects such as the Biden impeachment inquiry. In just two short weeks, it will be even harder.

Although Buck is a Republican, and even a member of the party’s far-right House Freedom Caucus, he has often been at odds with his fellow Republicans in the past few years. When he first announced his retirement, he slammed the GOP for pushing “self-serving lies,” including that the 2020 election had been stolen.

More recently, Buck has been seemingly the only Republican who refused to fall in line with his party’s efforts to impeach Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Buck has repeatedly pointed out that neither impeachment effort is based on any evidence of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, his party has plowed forward.

This story has been updated.

A cohort of senators in the Democratic caucus is calling on President Joe Biden to immediately suspend military aid to Israel on Monday, so long as it continues to block U.S. humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Eight senators, led by independent Senator Bernie Sanders, claimed that Israel’s interference in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the decimated region violates a humanitarian aid subsection of the Foreign Assistance Act.

“The severe humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza is nearly unprecedented in modern history,” read the letter to Biden.

“The Netanyahu government’s interference with humanitarian operations has prevented U.S.- financed aid from reaching its intended recipients in a safe and timely manner,” it continued. “In recent weeks, humanitarian access has seriously deteriorated. That reality was underscored by your decision last week, which we support, to begin air dropping supplies to desperate civilians in north Gaza.”

“Federal law is clear, and, given the urgency of the crisis in Gaza, and the repeated refusal of Prime Minister Netanyahu to address U.S. concerns on this issue, immediate action is necessary to secure a change in policy by his government,” the senators wrote.

The letter notes, however, that withdrawal on the basis of the statute would not stop continued support for Israel’s missile defense system, better known as the Iron Dome.

Biden himself sparred with Netanyahu over the weekend. On Saturday, Biden urged the Israeli leader to consider the innocent lives lost in the ongoing war, insisting that the conflict is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel.” But Netanyahu brushed those off the following day, telling Politico that his intention to crush Palestine is supported by the majority of his citizens.

“The positions that I espouse are supported by the overwhelming majority of Israelis who say to you after October 7: ‘We don’t want to see a Palestinian state,’” he said.

More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in what a top United Nations court is deliberating as genocide. Roughly two-thirds of the rising death toll consists of women and children, according to data collected by Al Jazeera. So far, Israel has reportedly utilized starvation as a weapon of war, blocking or destroying access to water, food, fuel, electricity, and medical aid.