Watch live: Mace holds first town hall after launching bid for SC governor
Mace on Monday joined a crowded Republican primary field to succeed Gov. Henry McMaster (R), which includes Rep. Ralph Norman (S.C.), state Attorney General Alan Wilson, state Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell.
Mace has also pushed back against criticism of her bid, leaning into her relationship with President Trump and her aggressive stance on immigration and transgender rights, calling them 'fights worth fighting for.'
'There's nothing combative about wanting a bigger, better and brighter future for the entire state of South Carolina,' she told NewsNation on Monday evening.
According to her campaign, the ' Mother of All Townhalls ' will include a 'no-holds-barred conversation.'
The event in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. EDT.
Watch the live video above.
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New York Post
12 minutes ago
- New York Post
Rep. Jasmine Crockett is a no-show boss from hell who terrorizes staffers, aides say: 'All diva, no wow'
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jasmine Crockett has positioned herself as an unfiltered critic of President Trump, earning regular TV appearances and an enthusiastic online following, but congressional aides tell The Post that the Dallas Democrat is just as 'rude' and mean to her own staff. The liberal loudmouth, 44, has rocketed to fame since taking office in January 2023 as a fiery assailant of the Republican president and his allies. But three sources who have worked with or for Crockett say she's rarely present when TV cameras aren't rolling — and terrorizes staff when she does appear. Crockett is not often found at her government-provided suite in the Longworth House Office Building, with one insider saying she prefers to work from her nearby luxury apartment building, sometimes for weeks on end. 3 Rep. Jasmine Crockett has been among the loudest Democrats in Congress since taking office in 2023. Houston Chronicle via Getty Images 'She is laying around her apartment, won't come into the office, and is really just indifferent to staff and will scream at them,' the former aide said. 'She is never in the office and is very disengaged. She does her bulls— that goes viral, and then freaks out over the most random things.' A second source close to Crockett's team added: 'It is widely known that she's not nice to staff and is just not a really dedicated member focused on constituents.' 'She is focused almost exclusively on being an influencer, not a member of Congress,' said a third source who has worked with Crockett, describing her as 'all diva, no wow.' 'You're stupid if you think so' When Crockett does show up for work on Capitol Hill — often to attend a committee hearing where she deploys a made-for-social media attack on Trump — she prefers to have a staff member drive her the short distance to her office in a rented car rather than the staffer's own, a cheaper option commonly used by lawmakers. The staffer is expected to stand outside the vehicle, which 'has to be an Escalade' or similar upscale make, and open the door for her. 3 Sources describe the Democrat as a disengaged public servant when the cameras aren't rolling. AP 'You're technically allowed to do this but it's wildly inefficient. Instead of using the scheduler's car, she rents a car every week in DC,' one source said. 'She expects her staff to drive her around while she's in the back seat,' they added, calling it a 'power play' akin to 'treating the staffer like an Uber driver.' Crockett, a former criminal defense attorney and Texas state legislator, burst into the national spotlight in May 2024 when she attacked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) at a committee hearing for having a 'bleach blonde bad built butch body' after Greene ridiculed her 'fake eyelashes.' While Crockett tried to fundraise off the 'Real Housewives'-style viral clash, the congresswoman's staff — which includes multiple gay and lesbian members — were left with mixed feelings. Complaints poured in from lesbians who objected to Crockett's derogatory use of the term 'butch' to attack Greene, which even left some aides uneasy. 'She told her gay staff members, 'That's not offensive. You're stupid if you think so',' a former aide recounted to the Post. 'It was kind of like how Trump says, 'The gays love me'.' Three months later, Crockett was given a coveted speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention, where she ripped the former and future president as a 'vindictive vile villain.' 'Toxic staff environment' Crockett has burned through employees at such a pace that she's becoming known as a present-day version of the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), long known as the Capitol's toughest boss. A number of staff have become fed up with their treatment, while others have either been fired or left on their own — a distinction often difficult to discern in Washington. Some former aides cited fear of retribution when declining to participate in this story. 'She thinks she's her own best adviser, she knows best, and has this toxic staff environment,' a source said. 'She gets rid of press people because she's like, 'I do all of the press stuff.'' On one occasion described to The Post, Crockett reduced a legislative aide to tears, bellowing: 'Do you really want to be here? And if not you can leave!' 3 'The only person that she thinks about and cares about is herself,' a former Democratic aide said of Crockett. REUTERS Another aide, a young black woman, was fired abruptly and confided to a colleague: 'I don't want to hear Jasmine Crockett talk about helping black women when she just fired one for no reason!' Capitol Hill jobs often are filled based on personal connections and openings are circulated among friend groups. A source told The Post that a job listing for Crockett's team recently was shared among a large group of black Democratic women — but nobody expressed interest in the gig. 'You would think working for a black woman, if you were a young black woman or a young person of color, you would feel empowered in that space,' said a former Democratic congressional aide. 'But truly, the only person that she thinks about and cares about is herself. 'The staff is really just an island unto itself, because she doesn't care about the local issues happening in her district,' this person added. 'She's more focused on, 'Get me on 'The View,' get me on this late night talk show. 'A lot of [congressional] hearings are on the most boring, basic s—. So how is it at every hearing, it's about Trump? It's about Trump again and again and again. And it's like, she's not actually doing any real work. She's at a hearing — we can be talking about the budget, they can be talking about appropriations — and she brings it back to Trump every time,' the source griped. 'She causes some kind of tension and issue, the hearing has to stop, the chairman has to bang the gavel. It's like a spectacle and a show … Not everything has to be clipped for MSNBC.' Crockett has also cycled through several chiefs of staff, with one observer saying it's 'because they want her to do her actual job, and the actual job of a member of Congress isn't fun and glamorous. So unless you are somebody willing to say yes to all of the outrageous things she would like to do, you're not gonna last long.' 'This looks like crap' Crockett hasn't been coy about her treatment of staff — recently offering two examples of rough treatment of subordinates in an interview with Atlantic magazine journalist Elaine Godfrey. 'Behind the scenes, the representative speaks casually,' Godfrey reported. 'She can also be brusque. During our interview at the Waldorf, she dialed up a staffer in DC in front of me and scolded him for an unclear note on her schedule. Another time, in the car, after an aide brought Crockett a paper bag full of food from a fundraiser, she peered inside, scrunched her nose, and said, 'This looks like crap.'' The Texas congresswoman, despite granting Godfrey access for the profile, attempted to retract her interview remarks when the journalist didn't ask her permission to request comment from other members of Congress, most of whom reportedly would not volunteer flattering words. The lawmaker claimed she was 'shutting down the profile and revoking all permissions.' It wasn't Crockett's first self-inflicted PR problem. In May, she allegedly boarded a commercial flight ahead of two handicapped people, according to Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.). 'Her cutting in line in front of a handicapped person is really indicative of the type of person she is,' said a source who has worked with Crockett. 'She is interpersonally very rude and doesn't get along well with people.' The Post did not receive a reply after sending multiple detailed emails requesting comment to a press-request email advertised on Crockett's website. Nobody answered the phones at her DC or Dallas offices during the workday; both went straight to voicemail.
New York Post
12 minutes ago
- New York Post
FBI helping Texas law enforcement locate ‘rogue' Dems who fled state redistricting session
WASHINGTON — The FBI is now assisting Texas authorities with finding 'rogue' Democrats who fled the state to stall a redistricting effort, according to a bureau spokesperson. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) had requested FBI involvement after the 57 legislators decamped to blue states — including Illinois, Massachusetts and New York — in the middle of a special session convened to redraw congressional maps. 'I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,' Cornyn said in a statement after asking the feds to help round up the 'potential lawbreakers.' Advertisement 'I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas. We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities.' The Texas Dems' absence prevented the state legislature from establishing a quorum necessary to consider the redistricting and other bills, with several decrying the GOP's effort as an attempt to secure more seats in next year's midterms. 5 The FBI is now assisting Texas authorities in locating 'rogue' Democrats who fled the state to stall a redistricting effort, according to a bureau spokesperson. AP Advertisement 'I will liken this to the Holocaust,' Texas Democratic state Rep. Jolanda Jones said Tuesday, before issuing an apology for the unhinged comparison between partisan politicking and the slaughter of more than 6 million Jews by the Nazis. Republican Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows set a Friday deadline for the runaway Democrats to reappear before 'judicial orders' are sought declaring that they have 'vacated their office.' President Trump had indicated Tuesday that the FBI 'may have to' get involved to force the runaway legislators back to Austin. 5 State House Speaker Dustin Burrows set a Friday deadline for the runaway Democrats to reappear before 'judicial orders' are sought declaring that they have 'vacated their office.' Getty Images Advertisement Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state authorities Monday to 'arrest' the 'delinquent Texas House Democrats' and bring them back for the special legislative session in the state's capital. 'As we're talking right now, Texas Department of Public Safety officers are on the streets looking for those Democrat House members to arrest them and to take them to the Texas capitol and hold them there until a quorum is reached,' Abbott told Fox News' 'The Will Cain Show' on Tuesday. Cornyn's Tuesday letter to Patel also expressed concerns 'that legislators who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses.' 5 Republican Gov. Greg Abbott had previously ordered state authorities to 'arrest' the 'delinquent Texas House Democrats' and bring them back for the legislative session in the state's capital. AP Advertisement On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a probe into any 'unlawful activity' by former Rep. Beto O'Rourke's political group that could have aided state Dems. O'Rourke's Powered by People PAC, founded in 2019 during his failed Democratic presidential bid, may have run afoul of state bribery laws by 'bankrolling' the trip by Texas House Democrats who flew to deep-blue Illinois to meet with Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. 'Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,' Paxton said in a statement. 'Texas cannot be bought. I look forward to thoroughly reviewing all of the documents and communications obtained throughout this investigation.' 5 Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin held a press conference in Illinois with Gov. JB Pritzker and the Texas Democratic lawmakers after they left the state to deny Republicans a quorum. REUTERS Abbott indicated on 'The Will Cain Show' Tuesday that state Democrats who took financial assistance for their trip could be removed from office. Pritzker got a dose of his own medicine later Tuesday during an appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' when the lame-duck late night host confronted the Illinois governor with a map of his state's own gerrymandered House districts. 'Take a look at this. Look at [District] 17 here. It does that, then it comes up here and it sneaks around there and goes all the way up here, and then goes right over there like that. And look at this one, kind of goes whoop up there,' Colbert noted, brandishing a map of Illinois' congressional boundaries. 5 Pritzker got a dose of his own medicine later Tuesday during an appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' when the lame-duck late night host brandished a map of gerrymandered House districts in Illinois. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Advertisement One looked like 'the stinger on a scorpion,' the recently canceled CBS host noted. 'As I've said, everything's on the table,' Pritzker told Colbert, suggesting Illinois Democrats could convene their own special session to mark up new district lines. Redistricting usually occurs through state legislatures or independent commissions every 10 years after a census is released. In recent years, Texas, Pennsylvania and North Carolina have convened special sessions before the decennial population count to make new boundaries, which drew legal challenges.
Los Angeles Times
12 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump seeks to change how census collects data and wants to exclude immigrants in U.S. illegally
WASHINGTON — President Trump has instructed the Commerce Department to change the way the U.S. Census Bureau collects data, seeking to exclude immigrants who are in the United States illegally, he said Thursday. The census' data collections will be based on 'modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024,' the Republican president said on his social media platform, an indication he might try to inject his politics into a head count that determines political power and how federal funding is distributed. Trump stressed that as part of the changes people in 'our Country illegally' will be excluded from census counts. Experts said it was unclear what exactly Trump was calling for, whether it was changes to the 2030 census or a mid-decade census, and, if so, whether it would be used for a mid-decade apportionment, which is the process of divvying up congressional seats among the states based on the population count. Any changes in the conduct of a national census, which is the biggest non-military undertaking by the federal government, would require alterations to the Census Act and approval from Congress, which has oversight responsibilities, and there likely would be a fierce fight. While the Census Act permits a mid-decade census for distributing federal funding, it can't be used for apportionment and must be done in a year ending in 5, said Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former congressional staffer who consults on census issues. 'He cannot unilaterally order a new census. The census is governed by law, not to mention the Constitution,' Lowenthal said. 'Logistically, it's a half-baked idea.' It would be almost logistically impossible to carry out a mid-decade census in such a short period of time, New York Law School professor Jeffrey Wice said. 'This isn't something that you can do overnight,' said Wice, a census and redistricting expert. 'To get all the pieces put together, it would be such a tremendous challenge, if not impossible.' Trump's Truth Social post fits into an overall pattern in which he has tried to reshape basic measures of how U.S. society is faring to his liking, a process that ranges from monthly jobs figures to how congressional districts are drawn going into the 2026 midterm elections. But there could be legal challenges if he were to reshape the census, which also guides the distribution of $2.8 trillion in federal funds to the states for roads, health care and other programs. In a 2019 decision, the Supreme Court effectively blocked Trump from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The 14th Amendment says that 'the whole number of persons in each state' should be counted for the numbers used for apportionment, the process of allocating congressional seats and Electoral College votes among the states based on population. The last time the census included a question about citizenship was in 1950, and the Census Bureau's own experts had predicted that millions of Hispanics and immigrants would go uncounted if the census asked everyone if he or she is an American citizen. Changes to the census could also play into the efforts by Trump to urge several Republican-led states, including Texas, to redraw their congressional maps ahead of schedule in ways that would favor GOP candidates. Redistricting typically occurs once every 10 years following the census, as states adjust district boundaries based on population changes, often gaining or losing seats in the process. Despite Texas having redrawn its maps just a few years ago, Trump is pressuring Republicans in the state to redistrict again, claiming they are 'entitled' to five additional Republican seats. Texas Republicans have cited population growth as justification for redrawing the congressional map. The state currently has 38 House seats, 25 held by Republicans. Trump's team is also engaged in similar redistricting discussions in other GOP-controlled states, including Missouri and Indiana. Last Friday, Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, after standard revisions to the monthly jobs report showed that employers added 258,000 fewer jobs than previously reported in May and June. The revisions suggested that hiring has severely weakened under Trump, undermining his claims of an economic boom. The White House insists that the problem was the size of the revisions and that it wants accurate numbers. After the citizenship question was stopped by the Supreme Court in 2019, Trump made another effort in 2020, announcing a plan to exclude people living in the country illegally from the apportionment figures. After states, cities and organizations sued, lower courts ruled the plan was illegal. By the time the Supreme Court weighed in, Trump had lost his reelection bid. The justices sidestepped a decision on the legality of Trump's plan, throwing out the case on technical procedural grounds. The court said in an unsigned opinion that spoke only for the six-justice conservative majority that 'we express no view on the merits of the constitutional and related statutory claims presented. We hold only that they are not suitable for adjudication at this time.' The three liberal justices dissented, saying the effort to exclude people in the country from the population for divvying up House seats is unlawful. 'I believe this Court should say so,' then-Justice Stephen Breyer wrote, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Boak, Schneider and Cappelletti write for the Associated Press. AP writer Mark Sherman in Washington contributed to this report. Schneider reported from Orlando, Fla.
