If anyone’s wondering how Nancy Mace’s unusual comments were acceptable at a prayer breakfast…
ProPublica – Speaker Mike Johnson Is Living in a D.C. House That Is the Center of a Pastor’s Secretive Influence Campaign by Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski Feb. 28, 2025, 9:45 a.m. EST The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor. It’s the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians. Beaman was once so fed up with the restrictions that came with owning a home on a “government-controlled lake” that he bought a sprawling property with a 50-acre private lake of its own, according to a profile in an architecture book. He became a fixture of Nashville media in recent years because of sordid allegations made by his fourth wife during their divorce, including that he made her watch what he called “training films” of him having sex with a prostitute. Beaman’s lawyers wrote at the time that his wife’s filing contained “impertinent and scandalous matter only meant to harass Mr. Beaman.”
It’s not just the Trump administration, but of course it’s especially the Trump administration.
The New Republic – Edith Olmsted / February 17, 2025 Trump Pressures Romania on Andrew Tate in Stunning New Low The Trump administration is harassing Romania about easing up on the far-right misogynist accused of sex trafficking. Tate’s name was first floated by a U.S. official during a phone call with the Romanian government last week, and then revisited by Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell, who spoke with Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu when he traveled to Munich last week, three people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times.
In an interesting twist, Ron Desantis isn’t keen on the Tate brothers.
AP – After the Tate brothers return to the US, DeSantis says they are not welcome. Here’s what to know. By KATE PAYNE Updated 3:04 PM EST, February 28, 2025 The Tates, who are dual U.S.-British citizens, were arrested in late 2022 and formally indicted last year on charges they participated in a criminal ring that lured women to Romania, where they were sexually exploited. Andrew Tate was also charged with rape. They deny the allegations. The Tates’ departure came after Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu said this month that a Trump administration official expressed interest in the brothers’ case at the recent Munich Security Conference.
And just in case anyone thinks it’s just allegations, what Andrew Tate has himself said in public is…
Byline Times – ‘Nigel Farage’s Endorsement of Andrew Tate’s Matrix Won’t Win My Vote’ There are three legal cases against Tate pending – involving accusations of abusive behaviour towards women, human trafficking, and sexual assault Otto English and James Scott 24 June 2024 Tate has expressed even more disturbing and violent opinions on how women should be treated – including, notoriously, suggesting that if a woman accuses her male partner of cheating on her: “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face, you grip her up by the neck, ‘WHAT’S UP BITCH’… you go f**k her. That’s how it goes, you go slap, slap, grab, choke, ‘shut up bitch’, sex.”
I think we shouldn’t let Republicans off the hook on this gross stuff, and politicians should be forced to take a position, including Democrats, if the likes of Governor Ron Desantis is willing to do so. This is about the overton window needing to be yanked back over to decency.
My letter to reps:
Do you endorse Andrew Tate, the guy the Trump administration pressured Romania to release? This is the guy who said quote “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face, you grip her up by the neck, ‘WHAT’S UP B**CH’ … you go f**k her. That’s how it goes, you go slap, slap, grab, choke, ‘shut up b**ch’, sex.” So do you also endorse this Andrew Tate person and his sentiments and statements? Is this your values? That you?
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.