Sen. Susan Collins to buck Trump, vote against Coney Barrett

Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine Republican facing a tough reelection battle, has decided to oppose Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court, saying she wants to be consistent after voting four years ago to oppose President Barack Obama's nominee during an election year.

Collins made her announcement Sunday, issuing a formal statement that she wasn't rejecting Barrett's credentials to serve on the high court but simply "being fair and consistent."

"Prior to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, I stated that, should a vacancy on the Supreme Court arise, the Senate should follow the precedent set four years ago and not vote on a nominee prior to the presidential election," she said.

"Because this vote is occurring prior to the election, I will vote against the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett," she added.

Collins, like most Republicans, opposed Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court four years ago. Barrett's final confirmation vote in the Senate is slated for Monday evening.

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/sen-susan-collins-buck-trump-vote-against-coney-barrett

Pompeo under investigation for potentially violating Hatch Act with RNC speech

An investigation has been opened into whether Secretary of State Mike Pompeo violated the Hatch Act in his speech to the Republican National Convention, two top Democrats confirmed on Monday.

Democratic Reps. Eliot Engel, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Nita Lowey, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, released a statement that said the Office of Special Counsel is evaluating whether the nation's top diplomat violated the 1993 law designed to restrict federal employees, other than the president and vice president, from engaging in political activity while in their official capacity.

At issue is Pompeo delivering a speech from Jerusalem, Israel, to the convention in August. The State Department said at the time that the secretary of state was in his "personal capacity" when he addressed the event.

“As we get closer to both this year’s election and his own inevitable return to electoral politics, Mike Pompeo has grown even more brazen in misusing the State Department and the taxpayer dollars that fund it as vehicles for the Administration’s, and his own, political ambitions," Engel and Lowey wrote. "The Department has repeatedly missed Congressional overseers’ deadlines for producing documents on his recent domestic speeches that will help us understand whether they were improper political activities. So we’re grateful to OSC — whom Mr. Pompeo can’t fire as he did the Inspector General — for looking into this matter."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pompeo-under-investigation-for-potentially-violating-hatch-act-with-rnc-speech

All assets deployed…

Democrats warn Pence it would be 'dangerous' to preside over Barrett vote Monday

Senate Democrats wrote to Vice President Mike Pence on Monday and asked him to stay away from the chamber during the vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

Pence had planned to preside over the vote in his role as Senate president.

But his chief of staff, Marc Short, and four other employees in the vice president's office have contracted coronavirus, and Democrats fear he could be contagious.

“Not only would your presence in the Senate Chamber tomorrow be a clear violation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, it would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats wrote to Pence on Monday. “Your presence alone could be very dangerous to many people — not just Senators, but to all the truly essential staff — both Democratic and Republican, who must be physically present inside the U.S. Capitol for it to function.”

While Pence can serve a critical role in breaking a tie vote, his vote won’t be needed on Monday night. Barrett is poised to be confirmed with the support of at least 52 Republicans.

Pence tested negative for coronavirus on Sunday and has continued with his campaign schedule.

The final vote to confirm Barrett is slated for about 7:30 p.m. but could occur earlier if Democrats yield back debate time.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/democrats-warn-pence-it-would-be-dangerous-to-preside-over-barrett-vote-monday

Sen. Collins declining to support ACB for SCOTUS and Dems hope for VP Pence to get China Virus… fog of war clearing.