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When Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, vouched for President Trumps pick to be the new interior secretary, there was perhaps more than a little self-interest involved.

Rep. Ryan K. Zinke, a Republican and the administrations secretary nominee, had been expected to challenge Mr. Tester in next years Senate race.

Now, with Mr. Testers backing, Mr. Zinke is likely to leave Congress and join the administration, leaving behind a much thinner Republican bench in the state and giving Mr. Tester a little more job security.

Given the Democrats voting record, he may need more of a margin for error next year.

Mr. Tester has tacked to the left, opposing Republicans and voting against Mr. Trumps nominees more than any other Democrat in a deep-red state one that went for Mr. Trump by 20 percent in November.

I think the biggest question is who the heck is going to run against him among Republicans because everyone thought Zinke was going to run, said David C.W. Parker, a political science professor at Montana State University.

As Republicans look at the Senate map in 2018, Mr. Tester is a target. He won his 2006 and 2012 races by narrow margins, with just 49 percent support each time.

Political handicappers rank Mr. Tester in the second tier of likely Republican pickups, putting him in a slightly stronger position than Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, who are viewed as being on shakier ground.

Still, his seat should be considered in play, analysts said.

He will be a tough incumbent, but Trumps performance was strong enough that at least one or two people will take the leap, said Nathan L. Gonzales, of Inside Elections, a nonpartisan group that tracks campaigns.

Mr. Gonzales said Republicans could end up with a better candidate than Ryan Zinke.

On the one hand is a member of Congress who has been elected statewide, but that also makes him a member of Congress and part of Washington and an extremely unpopular chamber, he said. So whoever Republicans get, we at least know they are not going to be tied directly to Congress.

Republicans sound confident that Mr. Tester can be toppled.

Jon Tester is part of the most extreme version of the Democratic Party in Washington, who want to fight President Trump at every turn, said Katie Martin, of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. The Washington liberal elite refuses to work to get things done, and Jon Tester is going to have to explain to hardworking Montana voters why he is a part of the problem.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee did not respond to multiple inquiries seeking comment.

Mr. Tester dismissed the idea that Mr. Trumps performance spells doom for him.

Look, Montanans are known for splitting tickets. It is not a concern, he said.

Asked whether Mr. Trump lingers in the back of his mind during votes, Mr. Tester said bluntly, Nope, never, never.

Indeed, while other embattled Democrats have tried to show their bipartisan credentials under Mr. Trump, bucking party leaders to back some congressional Republican or Trump priorities, Mr. Tester has more often sided with Democrats liberal wing.

Last week, he split with the four most embattled Democrats by voting against a Republican-sponsored measure that scrapped a proposed rule aimed at preventing coal-mining debris from getting into streams.

He also voted against confirming Rex Tillerson as secretary of state because of concerns over his ties to Russia and voted against Rep. Mike Pompeos nomination to lead the CIA because of concerns that the Kansas Republican wants to revive and expand some of the worst elements of the Patriot Act, including re-establishing bulk metadata collection.

This type of bulk data collection Mr. Pompeo advocates for fails to protect our right to privacy and potentially treats innocent Americans like hostile actors, he said.

The senator from Montana also sided with the Senates most liberal Democrats to try to block retired Marine Gen. James Mattis from being eligible to run the Defense Department though in the end he, along with most of the rest of those Democrats, did vote to confirm Mr. Mattis.

But Mr. Tester also has irked progressive groups by refusing to bow to demands that lawmakers dismiss Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch, and suggesting that he and Mr. Trump are on the same page when it comes to reducing regulations.

The ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Mr. Tester has also called on Mr. Trump to shield military veterans from his 90-day federal hiring freeze.

See the rest here:
By backing Trump's Interior pick, Democrat Tester thins Republican field in Montana - Washington Times

SALT LAKE CITY A top Utah Democrat ripped Rep. Jason Chaffetz on Saturday for dismissing Thursday night's raucous town hall meeting as being fueled by paid protesters from out of state, not representative of his 3rd District constituents.

"He's out of touch with reality. He's out of touch with the political reality on the ground," said House Minority Leader Rep. Brian King.

King shared his complaints about Chaffetz after he and four other Democrats from the Utah Legislature attended a town hall forum at Westminster College.

The Salt Lake City Democrat criticized Chaffetz for not acknowledging there's a significant portion of his constituency angry with him for supporting President Donald Trump.

"If he thinks that there have been out-of-state people paid to come in and demonstrate or cause a ruckus or cause a fuss really? What's the basis for that information?" King asked. "You can't say that kind of crap."

He said Chaffetz's response was "offensive on such a fundamental level," by not taking accountability or providing substantial information to back up his claims.

"This is the problem we've got with public officials in this country at this time," King said. "That line comes from Kellyanne Conway. That line comes from Donald Trump. That line comes from Sean Spicer. It's crap and we ought to call it out."

Conway is a counselor to Trump and Spicer is the White House press secretary.

Chaffetz's office declined a request for comment Saturday.

On Friday, Chaffetz said the estimated 1,000-person crowd that filled the auditorium at Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights Thursday night and an estimated 1,000 more protesting outside was "more of a paid attempt to bully and intimidate" than a reflection of his constituents' feelings.

In response to questions about who would foot the bill to fill the audience with outside agitators, Chaffetz told the Deseret News to "do some reporting" and described how one town hall attendee made it a point to say he was not being paid by a national Democratic organization.

Cottonwood Heights Police Lt. Dan Bartlett said Saturday some town hall attendees did tell officers they had come from out of state, but the majority appeared to be Utahns.

"The majority of people I talked to were from here, from all over Utah," Bartlett said.

When asked if he knew if there any paid protesters, Bartlett said: "Not that we could tell."

Cottonwood Heights police also reported Saturday that a small group of protesters were carrying firearms (allowed under open carry laws) and wearing bandanas over their faces outside of the town hall meeting, attempting to incite the crowd.

"They were telling people, 'We should rush the cops,'" Bartlett said, but he added that the group dispersed when police officers walked over to watch them.

None of them were arrested, he said.

While policy discussion centered on prioritizing education funding, environmental issues, and equal opportunity, the lawmakers also responded to questions from the audience that reflected frustration with the political reality Democrats face in Utah's Republican-controlled Legislature.

"I'm sick of playing defense. I want to play offense," said Salt Lake resident Kristen Butcher. "How do we find concrete, strategic and proactive ways where we can stop being dismissed?"

The Democrats urged more political engagement like Thursday night's protests and the Women's March on the opening day of the 2017 Legislature to force leaders to hear their demands.

That's when Butcher called out from her seat in the audience: "Then we're just dismissed. We're called paid protesters," referring to Chaffetz.

King and the other panelists Salt Lake Democrats Rep. Joel Briscoe, Rep. Lynn Hemingway, Sen. Gene Davis, and Sen. Jani Iwamoto sympathized with Butcher. But Briscoe added: "I don't think (Chaffetz) is winning that argument."

Rep. Marie Poulson, D-Cottonwood Heights, said she believes most of the town hall attendees were Chaffetz's constituents. During a legislative gathering held in Holladay Thursday night, she said many of her constituents said they planned on going to Chaffetz's town hall meeting instead.

Read the rest here:
Utah Democrats hit Chaffetz for dismissing town hall crowd as paid protesters - Deseret News

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee said presidential counselor Kellyanne Conways public pitch for Ivanka Trumps clothing line was a "blatant" violation of federal ethics rules.

This was a textbook case of violation" of the rules, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" on Sunday. "You cannot go out there as an employee of the government and advertise for [Ivanka] Trump or anybody else and their products. You can't do that.

Conway, a counselor to President Trump, responded in an interview on Fox News on Thursday to a recent decision by some retailers to stop carrying Ivanka Trump's line of clothing and accessories.

"This is just a wonderful line," Conway said. "I own some of it, I fully -- I'm going to give a free commercial here," Conway said. "Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online."

Cummings and the House Oversight Committee's GOP chair, Jason Chaffetz, sent a joint letter Thursday to the Office of Government Ethics asking them to review Conways comments.

"Conway's statements appear to violate federal ethics regulations," they state in the letter. "In this case, Conway's statements from the White House using her official title could appear to constitute an explicit endorsement and advertisement for Ivanka Trump's personal business activities." The letter asks the office to act promptly to send the committee its recommendation on what appropriate disciplinary action (such as reprimand, suspension, demotion or dismissal) be brought against the office or employee.

Federal ethics rules bar executive branch employees from endorsing products and using their public office for the private gain of friends or family.

Stephanopoulos asked Cummings about White House senior policy adviser Stephen Millers remarks earlier on This Week on Sunday that Conway had given a lighthearted, flippant response thats been blown out of proportion by the media.

Cummings said, "That's just absolutely not true. It was not flippant. As a matter of fact, she said, she made it clear, 'I am going to give some free advertisement today for Ivanka Trump.'"

"It was wrong," the Maryland Democrat said.

Asked by Stephanopoulos what disciplinary action he thinks should take place, Cummings said it is up to the Office of Government Ethics to "see how blatant this was."

"I personally think it was very blatant," the congressman said. "I think it was intentional."

Cummings said the ethics office will "make a recommendation," but that any decision on the matter is up to President Trump.

The problem here, George, is that the person who will mete out the punishment, if you will, will be the president. And it seems as if this may not be a big deal to him, but it is a big deal to me, and it is a big deal to Chairman Chaffetz.

Stephanopoulos also asked Cummings about recent public criticism of another White House senior staff member, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who, according to ABC News sources, spoke to Moscow's ambassador about U.S. sanctions against Russia prior to President Trump's taking office. The conversation occurred at the time President Obama was hitting Russia with new sanctions for its alleged cyberhacking and interference in the U.S. election.

Flynn's alleged discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador raises legal questions about private citizens engaging in diplomacy that could undermine the intent of a sitting president.

Cummings was asked by Stephanopoulos whether he agrees with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that Flynns security clearance should be revoked pending the conclusion of an investigation into the matter.

"Yes, I think that's an appropriate action," Cummings said on "This Week." But, George, there's something else that needs to be asked. That is, did the president instruct Gen. Flynn to talk to the ambassador? And did he know about it? If he knew about this conversation, when did he know it? That, to me, that is the key question. And we need to find out what that answer is.

Cummings also remarked on Vice President Mike Pence stating publicly in January that Flynn did not discuss sanctions in his conversations with the Russian ambassador.

"Then for Gen. Flynn to be walking that back, that's not good enough," Cummings said. "He is the national security adviser. He is supposed to be the one to make sure that these kinds of things don't happen. And here he is, embroiled in all of this."

I think it's going to be very interesting to see what happens over the next week. I would be very interested to know how the vice president feels after he was basically thrown under the bus, the congressman said.

Read more:
Top Democrat on House Oversight panel: Kellyanne Conway made 'blatant' violation of ethics rules - ABC News

(1 of ) In this Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, photo, water flows down Oroville Dam's main spillway, in Oroville, Calif. Water began flowing over the emergency spillway on Saturday for the first time in its nearly 50-year history after heavy rainfall. In addition to the emergency spillway, water also flowed through the main spillway that was significantly damaged from erosion. Officials said they'll assess the damage starting Monday. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (2 of ) California Highway Patrol officer Ken Weckman directs traffic as residents evacuate Marysville, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Thousands of residents of Marysville and other Northern California communities were told to leave their homes Sunday evening as an emergency spillway of the Oroville Dam could fail at any time unleashing flood waters from Lake Oroville, according to officials from the California Department of Water Resources. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee via AP) (3 of ) Kendra Curieo waits in traffic to evacuate Marysville, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Thousands of residents of Marysville and other Northern California communities were told to leave their homes Sunday evening as an emergency spillway of the Oroville Dam could fail at any time unleashing flood waters from Lake Oroville, according to officials from the California Department of Water Resources. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (4 of ) In this Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, water flows down Oroville Dam's main spillway, near Oroville, Calif. Water began flowing over the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam on Saturday for the first time in its nearly 50-year history after heavy rainfall. In addition to the emergency spillway, water also flowed through the main spillway that was significantly damaged from erosion. Officials said they'll assess the damage starting Monday. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (5 of ) In this Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, water flows down Oroville Dam's main spillway near Oroville, Calif. Water began flowing over the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam on Saturday for the first time in its nearly 50-year history after heavy rainfall. In addition to the emergency spillway, water also flowed through the main spillway that was significantly damaged from erosion. Officials said they'll assess the damage starting Monday. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (6 of ) Jason Newton, of the Department of Water Resources, takes a picture of water going over the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Water started flowing over the emergency spillway, at the nation's tallest dam, for the first time Saturday morning after erosion damaged the Northern California dam's main spillway.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (7 of ) This Friday, Feb. 10, 2017 image from video provided by the office of Assemblyman Brian Dahle shows water flowing over an emergency spillway of the Oroville Dam in Oroville, Calif., during a helicopter tour by the Butte County Sheriff's office. About 150 miles northeast of San Francisco, Lake Oroville is one of Californias largest man-made lakes, and the 770-foot-tall Oroville Dam is the nation's tallest. (Josh F.W. Cook/Office of Assemblyman Brian Dahle via AP) (8 of ) Jason Newton, left, of the Department of Water Resources, takes a picture of water going over the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Water started flowing over the spillway,at the nation's tallest dam, for the first time Saturday morning after erosion damaged the Northern California dam's main spillway.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (9 of ) A employee of the Department of Water Resources watches as water flows over the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Water started flowing over the spillway, at the nation's tallest dam, for the first time Saturday morning after erosion damaged the Northern California dam's main spillway.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (10 of ) Muddy water rushes down the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Water started flowing over the emergency spillway at the nation's tallest dam for the first time Saturday after erosion damaged the Northern California dam's main spillway.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (11 of ) E. Knight uses his smartphone to record muddy water rushing down the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Water started flowing over the emergency spillway at the nation's tallest dam for the first time Saturday after erosion damaged the Northern California dam's main spillway. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (12 of ) In this Feb. 11, 2017, photo released by the California Department of Water Resources, water flows over an emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam at Lake Oroville in Oroville, Calif. Water will continue to flow over the emergency spillway at the nation's tallest dam for another day or so, officials said Sunday. (Albert Madrid/California Department of Water Resources via AP) (13 of ) This Feb. 11, 2017, photo released by the California Department of Water Resources shows the main spillway, bottom, and an auxiliary spillway, upper, of the Oroville Dam at Lake Oroville in Oroville, Calif. Water will continue to flow over the emergency spillway at the nation's tallest dam for another day or so, officials said Sunday. (Albert Madrid/California Department of Water Resources via AP) (14 of ) A driver waits in traffic to evacuate Marysville, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Thousands of residents of Marysville and other Northern California communities were told to leave their homes Sunday evening as an emergency spillway of the Oroville Dam could fail at any time unleashing flood waters from Lake Oroville, according to officials from the California Department of Water Resources. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

OLGA RODRIGUEZ AND DON THOMPSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS | February 12, 2017, 5:33PM

| Updated 2 minutes ago.

OROVILLE Thousands evacuated their Northern California homes Sunday evening after authorities warned an emergency spillway in the countrys tallest dam was in danger of failing and unleashing uncontrolled flood waters on towns below.

About 30 miles southeast of Chico, Lake Oroville is one of Californias largest man-made lakes, and the 770-foot Oroville Dam is the nations tallest.

At least 130,000 people were asked to evacuate over concerns the dams emergency spillway could fail. Hundreds of cars were in bumper-to-bumper traffic on highways and at least two shelters said they were at capacity.

The erosion at the head of the emergency spillway threatens to undermine the concrete weir and allow large, uncontrolled releases of water from Lake Oroville, the California Department of Water Resources said. Those potential flows could overwhelm the Feather River and other downstream waterways, channels and levees.

Officials say Oroville Lake levels had decreased by Sunday night as they let water flow from its heavily damaged main spillway but noted that water was still spilling over the dam.

The cities of Oroville, Gridley, Live Oak, Marysville, Wheat land, Yuba City, Plumas Lake, and Olivehurst were all under evacuation orders.

The evacuation order went out around 4 p.m. after engineers spotted a hole that was eroding back toward the top of the spillway.

Butte County Sheriff Koney Honea said engineers with the Department of Water Resources informed him shortly after 6 p.m. that the erosion on the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam was not advancing as fast as they thought.

Unfortunately they couldnt advise me or tell me specifically how much time that would take so we had to make the very difficult and critical decision to initiate the evacuation of the Orville area and all locations south of that, he said. We needed to get people moving quickly to save lives if the worst case scenario came into fruition.

Honea said there is a plan to plug the hole by using helicopters to drop rocks into the crevasse.

Water began flowing over the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam in Northern California on Saturday for the first time in its nearly 50-year history after heavy rainfall. Officials earlier Sunday stressed the dam itself was structurally sound and said there was no threat to the public.

Residents of Oroville, a town of 16,000 people, should head north toward Chico, and other cities should follow orders from their local law enforcement agencies, the Butte County Sheriffs office said.

The Yuba County Office of Emergency Services asked residents in the valley floor, including Marysville, a city of 12,000 people, to evacuate and take routes to the east, south, or west and avoid traveling north toward Oroville.

The California Department of Water Resources said it is releasing as much as 100,000 cubic feet per second from the main, heavily damaged spillway to try to drain the lake.

Department Kevin Dossey told the Sacramento Bee the emergency spillway was rated to handle 250,000 cubic feet per second, but it began to show weakness Sunday at a small fraction of that. Flows through the spillway peaked at 12,600 cubic feet per second at 1 a.m. Sunday and were down to 8,000 cubic feet per second by midday.

Unexpected erosion chewed through the main spillway during heavy rain earlier this week, sending chunks of concrete flying and creating a 200-foot-long, 30-foot-deep hole that continues growing. Engineers dont know what caused the cave-in, but Chris Orrock, a spokesman for the state Department of Water Resources, said it appears the dams main spillway has stopped crumbling even though its being used for water releases.

The lake is a central piece of Californias government-run water delivery network, supplying water for agriculture in the Central Valley and residents and businesses in Southern California.

Read more:
Oroville Dam's backup spillway set to fail; evacuations ordered - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Its Neil Gorsuch, and Senate Democrats are in full howl as they try desperately to claw traction from a situation they created. Its amusing, pathetic and not a little dangerous.

Comforted by the foolish belief that, because he hadnt a popular majority President Trump is a passing aberration they can ignore, Democrats from safe seats in the bastions of Progressivism continue to sneer at his voters and ignore his picks. Heres a thought: If you take your dishes and dolly and go home when you cant have your way, it reveals you for the petulant children you are, bereft of the character for the responsibility your office confers.

As for congressional Republicans: Its your turn. You asked for this opportunity repeatedly, promising each time to do great things. Better get doing them instead of turning over every rock in sight, searching for another excuse to avoid action and responsibility. Time to cowboy up and keep your word; the president is.

The coming four years will be difficult; power fights to perpetuate itself, and that fight can be ugly. The battle over Neil Gorsuchs confirmation is a preview of things to come.

Already one can see the outline of attack. First, attempts to marginalize as extreme: Senator Schumers comments about bipartisan support was the opening shot; bipartisanship has long been the cry of the minority party, but if anyone thinks the left wing of Senate Democrats will accept someone to the right of Sonia Sotomayor, that person hasissues. Bipartisanship is Schumer-speak for No conservative need apply.

Second, calumny. Nancy Pelosi assures us Neil Gorsuch will poison our food, water, air and court appearances. If that does not work, he will doubtless slip into our homes in the dead of night and murder us all in our beds. Its utter lunacy, but its part of the standard Democrat playbook. Remember the television ad about Paul Ryan throwing his granny off a cliff?

Then theres the really nasty stuff: No, Neil Gorsuch did not found the Fascism Forever Club at Georgetown prep school. So say his classmates, teachers and school documents. But media from US News to Salon insisted he did until the story was exposed as another example of fake news. Expect much more of this.

Finally there is the argument that the seat really belongs to Merrick Garland, Obamas nominee whose name never came before the Senate. Nothing better illustrates the Democrats elitism and sense of entitlement: it is not Merrick Garlands seat, as it was not Antonin Scalias before him. It, as all others in government, belongs to the people; those who occupy them are merely temporary employees and its long past time many in Washington were reminded of that fact, unpleasant though it may be to them. One might also note that Senate Republicans were only heeding the advice of Joe Biden, who argued in 1992 as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that no nominee of a president in his last year should be accepted; Senator McConnell simply repeated his argument.

Those who call for a filibuster of Gorsuch to pay them back for Garland seem to forget earlier examples of Democrat conduct toward Republican nominees, Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas among them. Everyone would now be better served by understanding that evil treatment will beget more of the same, causing unhealthy excitement among more rabid partisans and slowly poisoning the decorum on which our Republic depends.

Make no mistake. Progressives will oppose Neil Gorsuch not for reasons they will speak, but because he believes in the Heresy of Originalism: he thinks the Constitution means exactly what it says it does. No more, no less. This has profound implications, because it posits a federal government of strictly limited and explicit powers instead of one that feels perfectly justified in telling citizens how much fat they can consume and how little water a toilet must use.

Judge Gorsuch believes the Constitution should not be bent like a pretzel to accommodate fashionable social theory. If change be required, there is an explicit process that doesnt involve applying foreign law, as Justices Ginsberg and Breyer would like; nor searching constitutional penumbras for the shadows of shadows. He also understands that, in delineating rights one must be careful not to expand the rights of one group at the expense of the rights of others. For this alone, Progressives will try to bury him, by fair means or foul.

For this alone, he deserves a place on the nations highest court.

Morgan Liddick writes a weekly column for the Summit Daily News. Email him at mcliddick@hotmail.com

Link:
Liddick: Democrat nonsense over a nonesuch Gorsuch (column) - Summit Daily News