Congress
Thune endorses Cornyn ahead of what could be a thorny primary
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is gearing up for perhaps the most difficult election battle of his long career, securing an early endorsement from Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Wednesday, his one-time opponent in the fight for the chamber’s top job.
“I’ve been honored to work alongside @JohnCornyn—one of the most effective and respected conservative leaders in the country,” Thune wrote on X hours after Cornyn officially launched his reelection campaign. “He was tireless and instrumental in building our majority. We need to keep him in the Senate & in the fight to deliver on President Trump’s agenda.”
While Thune’s endorsement is widely expected — it would be almost unheard of for a chamber leader to not back one of their members — Cornyn faces what could be a difficult primary challenge, with Texas Attorney General and MAGA firebrand Ken Paxton likely to throw his hat in the ring as the candidate closer to President Donald Trump.
“The people of Texas know John Cornyn,” Paxton told Tucker Carlson in a February interview. “And I don’t think he’ll survive another primary.”
The two have been duking it out for years.
“To me, he’s been in Washington too long,” Paxton told Carlson back in 2023. “He’s been there, what, for 14 years or so? And I can’t think of a single thing he’s accomplished for our state or even for the country.”
This, after Cornyn called Paxton’s legal difficulties an “embarrassment” — the attorney general was impeached by the GOP-controlled Texas House (but acquitted by the state Senate), and has faced criminal investigations for years.
A Paxton run could challenge Cornyn’s grip on the Senate seat he’s held since winning it in 2002, with the state attorney general popular among the party’s MAGA base.
Congress
Holdouts meet with Blanche
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is in the Capitol meeting with holdout GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiania as he tries to lock down their support for his confirmation as permanent leader of the Justice Department.
Congress
Moreno responds to Johnson
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) declined to respond directly Wednesday to Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to denounce his former son-in-law Rep. Max Miller over abuse accusations leveled by Moreno’s daughter: “These aren’t accusations in my world,” he said.
“In my world, this is the reality,” Moreno told reporters at the Capitol. “This is not something that is theoretical to me. This is my lived reality of my daughter and my family every single solitary day.”
In an interview with Dasha Burns for Blue Light News’s The Conversation, Johnson declined to take sides in the dispute between Miller (R-Ohio) and Emily Moreno. He called for a House Ethics probe to “play out.”
Congress
Hegseth’s choice for Army chief hits Senate snag
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s expected choice for Army chief of staff faces resistance that could imperil his confirmation, according to the chair of the panel that needs to approve it.
Senate Armed Services head Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said Wednesday that he was aware of “some opposition within the committee” to acting Army chief of staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve taking the job on a permanent basis.
LaNeve, previously Hegseth’s senior military aide, was confirmed as Army vice chief of staff in January. But he has also served as acting chief of staff since April when Hegseth forced out popular Gen. Randy George, a move that drew widespread criticism from lawmakers in both parties.
Wicker said he was “not able to predict right now” if lawmakers could address concerns about LaNeve. He did not specify whether the concerns were raised by Republicans, but GOP resistance is likely given that nominees could advance through the committee on a party-line vote.
LaNeve has only held the position of four-star general for six months, an anomaly for the the senior most Army officer.
The Wall Street Journal first reported about Republican opposition to LaNeve, citing Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) concerns about his lack of experience at the four-star rank.
Ernst, in an interview, did not dispute that she was the source of the holdup. But she called it a moot point as President Donald Trump has not yet formally nominated LaNeve to the position. And she disputed reports that LaNeve’s lack of experience was the sticking point.
“I don’t think that time and grade has anything to do with leadership ability, so I don’t know how that came about, honestly.” she said. “That’s not what I’ve told anyone.”
If the opposition continues, Trump could decide to leave LeNeve in the acting position indefinitely.
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