Trucks paid for by the American Exceptionalism Institute have been rolling around Huntsville, Ala., adorned with a picture of Mo Brooks and a reminder of what he said during the 2016 campaign: that Republicans “will be very regretful of voting for Donald Trump.”
By Glynn Wilson –
Republican Congressman Mo Brooks of Huntsville, Alabama, was in on inciting the Capitol insurrection Jan. 6 and we’ve already written that he should be investigated for his role in that.
Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks as he was attacking Republican colleagues who did not support overturning the 2020 election before a crowd of Trump supporters who later laid siege to the U.S. Capitol: Screenshot/C-SPAN
In the apparent absence of a federal or state prosecutor willing to investigate, indict and arrest him for that, he will be joined by Trump anti-immigration Nazi Steven Miller on Monday in Huntsville to announce that he’s running for Republican Richard Shelby’s Senate seat, which is becoming available due to the announcement in February by Shelby, 86, of his retirement when he indicated he would not seek a seventh term in 2022.
Former President Donald Trump, who still seems to have some sway in Republican politics in spite of all his legal troubles, is apparently torn between endorsing Brooks or his former ambassador to Slovenia, Lynda “Lindy” Blanchard, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, who held a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago last weekend, according to an email update from Politico.
Lynda Blanchard
Blanchard announced her candidacy in February for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Alabama to replace Shelby. She was the first candidate to publicly launch a campaign.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics, with a minor in computer science, from Auburn University in 1991. In 2004, Blanchard founded the 100X Development Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Montgomery. She is also the founder and former senior advisor of B&M Management Company, a real estate investment firm. She is married to John Blanchard, a real estate investor. Together, they donated more than $2.6 million to Republican candidates from 2015 to April 2019.
Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., introduces Alabama native Lynda Blanchard, the nominee for Ambassador to Slovenia, to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Aug. 16, 2018: Doug Jones / via Twitter
At the time of her appointment to First Lady Melania Trump’s native country of Slovenia, Blanchard was described by NBC News as being the founder of an evangelical charity who frequently reposted false far-right social media posts on her Facebook page.
None of Trummp’s nominees had any diplomatic experience, but they shared one trait: All were big donors to Trump’s presidential inaugural committee, which is now under federal investigation.
Donors to the Trump inaugural committee got ambassador nominations. But are they qualified?
Dark Money
An outside dark money group is trying to ward off a Trump endorsement of Brooks. Trucks paid for by the American Exceptionalism Institute have been rolling around Huntsville, Ala., adorned with Brooks’ picture and a reminder of what he said during the 2016 campaign: that Republicans “will be very regretful of voting for Donald Trump.” It states in big red letters to “Let Mo know he was wrong.” (See photo above)
Brooks announced on Twitter Wednesday that he will be holding a campaign rally in Huntsville on Monday where he will make an “exciting announcement.” Political insiders expect he will announce his run for the U.S. Senate.
Brooks said former Trump adviser Stephen Miller — known as one of the architects of Trump’s anti-immigration policies along with former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions from Mobile, Alabama — will join him.
Former Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat from Birmingham, has indicated he is not interested in running for this seat.
“I have no plans at this time,” he said.
Congresswoman Terry Sewell of Birmingham in the Seventh District has expressed an interest, but has not made an announcement to date.
Jim Folsom Jr. of Cullman told me back in April he still has some interest in the political arena. Birmingham attorney Tom Campbell, who worked for Senator Howell Heflin back in the day like Jones, would make a fine Senator, but he insists he’s not running for public office.
