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New York Times

Why Republicans Are Always Looking Over Their Shoulders New York Times The sudden appointment of Robert S. Mueller as a special counsel for the federal investigation into the Trump campaign's relationship with Russia highlights a key question: Which choice poses the greater risk for Republicans in Congress, to support a ... Young Republicans were the most likely to bail on their party over the past yearWashington Post Poll: More young Republicans left GOP during 2016 election than DemocratsThe Hill When Will Republicans Dump Trump?POLITICO Magazine AlterNet -Pew Research Center for the People and the Press all 102 news articles »

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Why Republicans Are Always Looking Over Their Shoulders - New York Times

One of the more regular lines that Latino Republicans peddle to their audience is that they or their families came from countries with despotic rulers and so cherish their new home in the United States because we live by the rule of law. But these Latinos have been largely silent while President Donald Trump has trampled on the norms of democracy that have been established for centuries in this country.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, for instance, weaves heroic stories of Cubans living under Fidel Castro who come here seeking refuge and then built a better life under the institutions of a benevolent United States.

Rubio is particularly talented in this storytelling, and, in turn, has been rewarded with a position at the highest levels of representative government. If you have not seen his speech at the Reagan library, you should. It's a fantastic speech, but it is also an indulging fantasy that feeds the narrative to his audience that the United States is unique, a "city on a hill", from which all other countries should see as a model of good governance.

Coming from a Cuban-American family, Rubio validates the stereotypes his audience has of Latinos and feeds the notion that Latin countries are despotic regimes largely because they are incapable of self-governance. What Rubio, and other Latino Republicans leave out, is the role that the United States has played in these countries that have driven them to despots.

One of the more approachable overviews of the U.S. role in this is by Juan Gonzalez's book, Harvest of Empire, where he lays out American support for strongmen in pursuit of corporate interests. From the rich sugar crops of Puerto Rico, to bananas in Central America, the United States has turned many of these countries upside down.

RELATED: Trump Establishes Voter Fraud Commission

But these warriors for freedom, such as Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have stood largely silent when Trump has flaunted the norms of democracy. Only now that former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been appointed as a special counsel in the Russian investigation does Rubio acquiesce with the inevitable, saying "special counsel will lead us to the truth."

But from Trump's refusal to release his tax returns, to suggesting that journalists be put in jail, Cruz and Rubio have stood idly by. Trump has appointed Kris Kobach to a commission on "voting integrity" that by all accounts is a turkey hunt meant to justify further barriers to participation for minorities. Kobach has been behind the anti-immigrant legislation, SB 1070, in Arizona, and he has also been the tip of the spear poking the administration to get it to create a registry of Muslims in the U.S. But those so endeared to democratic principles have a way of not showing it.

RELATED: Trump Immigration Adviser Kris Kobach Wrote the Book on Muslim Registry

The president of Turkey, Tayyip Erdoan, himself an authoritarian consolidating power in his own country, recently drove through our nation's capital and his bodyguards assaulted American citizens protesting him. There was no action taken by Latino Republicans in defense of American citizens. Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser, was under investigation for being on the payroll of a foreign country while performing his duties to his country, and yet Cruz and Rubio do nothing.

One is often asked what they would do in the face of authoritarianism, and we all fashion scenarios in which we would valiantly resist. Indeed, Cruz and Rubio, have largely painted this picture of themselves while stroking their audiences' fantasies of Hillary Clinton's authoritarian tendencies.

But it is not often that we get to actually see how we would react should we be faced with an actual threat to our democratic institutions. But now, we may know.

If Rubio and Cruz were party members of the Cuban regime while Castro rose to power, would they have drawn the line or would they, out of self-interest and fear of losing their comfortable positions within government, play the fool?

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Opinion: Latino Republicans are Silent in the Face of Authoritarianism - NBCNews.com

The past few months of special elections have been endlessly nerve-wracking for theGOP.

In April, Republicans nearly lost a congressional race in Kansass 4th District, one of the most conservative seats in the country. Meanwhile, they are still struggling in Georgias 6th District, where Democrat Jon Ossoff is neck and neck with pro-Trump career politician Karen Handel.

Now, Republicans face similar woes in Montana, wherevoters head to polls next week to fill the at-large congressional district vacated by Trumps Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

The Democratic candidate is Rob Quist, a locally renownedpolitical folk singer-songwriter best known in Montana as the former guitarist and banjo player in the Mission Mountain Wood Band. He has also served on the Montana Arts Council, where he enacted an anti-bullying initiative and protected arts funding for Montana schools.

Quisthas campaigned on his political independence, at one point responding to accusations he would strip people of gun rights by shooting a TV. He is a staunch supporter of overturning Citizens United, and hasrun on protecting public lands, education funding, and reproductive rights.

His Republicanopponent, Greg Gianforte, is a techmillionaire and a transplant fromNew Jersey, who ran afailed campaign for governor in 2016against incumbent Steve Bullock.

Gianforte has drawn fire for his donations to anti-LGBT hate groups, and fordiscriminating againstdisabled employeesat his business. He was caught on tape praising the disastrous GOPhealth care repeal billin a phone call with corporate lobbyists, something he is trying to back away from.

He alsoowns shares in state-run Russian oil companies under U.S. sanctions, and in a European cement company accused of paying off ISIS.

Republican interest groups like the Chamber of Commerce are desperately flooding this election with last-minute ad buys, scared they may lose this seat. Meanwhile,the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just injected $400,000 into the race, independent Vermont Sen.Bernie Sanders is campaigning for Quist, and he is being boosted by a joint campaign of progressive organizations, including SwingLeft, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, MoveOn.org, and Democracy for America.

Quite aside from Gianfortes personal scandals, partof the problem for Republicans is that, while Montana is solidly red in presidential racesand this Houseseat has been held by the partyfor 20 years, conventional right-wing messaging does not sit well with Montana voters.

As BuzzFeeds Anne Helen Peterson writes in her fascinating synopsis of the race, a large number of Montana voters deliberately split their ticket because they view divided party control as a natural check on government power:

Heres what you need to understand about Montana before all else: Its a state where 56% of voters backed Trump but that same election, 50.2% also voted for their Democratic governor, Steve Bullock. In 2012, 48.6% voted for Senator Jon Tester, also a Democrat. Traveling over a thousand miles in the state, I talked to many Montanans whod voted this way and were incredibly proud of it. In Montana, the independent voter isnt a mythical unicorn. Its a way of life.

Republicans do not seem to understand this, and have tried torun a conventional partisan red contest, attacking Quist as a hippie and Nancy Pelosi in a cowboy hat. By contrast, Quist has spurned discussion of parties and focused solely on issues.

Montana is yet another reminder of how Republicans are on the defensive now that they are a unified governing party. Voters around the country are starting to see the GOP only cares about power, and candidates like Quist who are out to truly represent the people are finding fertile ground. Whatever happens next week in Montana, this should scare Republicans.

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The special election in Montana is terrifying Republicans - Shareblue Media

New York Times

Republican Hopes for Rewriting Tax Code in 2017 Are Fading New York Times WASHINGTON Only two months ago, Republicans in Congress and President Trump's top economic advisers were confidently predicting that a sweeping rewrite of the tax code would be in hand by summer's end. But with the White House consumed with ... Republicans worry Trump scandals may doom legislative agendaReuters Republicans fear Trump turmoil will derail agendaFinancial Times all 65 news articles »

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Republican Hopes for Rewriting Tax Code in 2017 Are Fading - New York Times

Senate Republicans argue House and Senate intelligence committees' investigations are continuing to proceed with bipartisan support, and that that they should be the primary vehicles for the investigation.

"I don't think we're there yet," Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake said of a special prosecutor.

A special prosecutor would be appointed in place of the current FBI investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, while an independent commission would replace the congressional investigations into the matter.

Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, said the Senate should give the intelligence committee time to complete its investigation before considering additional steps.

"A special prosecutor generally is far-ranging and never stops," Shelby said. "It goes everywhere and generally there's not much discipline to them."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the first Republican senator on Wednesday to suggest a special prosecutor was needed to investigate the Russia allegations.

"It's imperative that we Congress, the FBI, the administration work to restore the public's trust," she said in a statement. "In order to gain the credibility, it may be that we need to look to an independent commission or special prosecutor."

"It is time we look at the idea of an independent commission or special prosecutor," the Illinois Republican told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day.

And Rep. Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican, also endorsed an independent commission for the Russia investigation, though he made the distinction that he did not support appointing a special prosecutor. He argued that the congressional investigations would be tainted by partisanship.

"Nobody's going to believe them," Simpson told reporters. "That's unfortunately just the way it is because it got so partisan."

Rep. Walter Jones, a North Carolina Republican, has also signed on to Democrat efforts to create an independent commission.

Several committees in Congress were quickly moving to address the Comey memo story Wednesday. The Senate intelligence committee invited Comey to testify and sought his memos, while the Senate judiciary committee requested the FBI memos as well as any possible tapes from the White House in response to Trump's tweet last week suggesting he had taped conversations with Comey.

And House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz announced he was inviting Comey to testify before his committee next Wednesday, though the committee has yet to make contact with the former FBI director.

House Democrats also sought to ramp up pressure on Republicans by pushing for a discharge petition to force a vote on creating an independent commission.

Republicans on the intelligence panels defended their ability to carry out their investigations.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a Senate intelligence committee member, said on CNN's "New Day" she did not support a special prosecutor for the investigation.

"I am confident that we will do a good job," Collins said. "I do think it would help if we brought in an experienced former prosecutor or an experienced investigator, and I have made that recommendation to both the chairman and the vice chairman."

Other Republicans are also sticking by the intelligence committees, saying they weren't confident that an independent commission or special prosecutor was a better option.

Sen. John McCain has long called for a select committee to investigate Russia, but the Arizona Republican does not back a special prosecutor.

"The problem with a special prosecutor is we've had mixed results in the past," McCain said.

Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, pointed to bipartisan agreement thus far in the Senate intelligence investigation, although the House's probe has run into partisan problems.

"I still have a lot of confidence in the Senate intelligence committee," Toomey said. "There's bipartisan leadership that have both very publicly committed to getting this job done."

CNN's Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

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Republican voices grow for independent Russia probe - CNN