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Seth McLaughlin

smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com

Seth McLaughlin, a reporter on the Politics Desk, can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SethMcLaughlin1

Articles by Seth McLaughlin

Former President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd as he speaks at the North Carolina Republican Convention Saturday, June 5, 2021, in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Emails show Trump, White House aides pressured DOJ over 2020 election fraud claims

President Trump and White House aides pressured then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to look into stolen election allegations following the November 2020 presidential vote, according to a batch of emails released Tuesday by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

June 15, 2021

Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are fenced in a secure area as a box is delivered to be examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, Thursday, May 6, 2021, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, Pool) ** FILE **

Arizona audit of 2020 election has become a mecca for GOP candidates

Kristina Karamo wants voters to know she made the 2,000-mile trek from Michigan to Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix to get a firsthand glimpse of the Maricopa County election audit that has become a cause celeb for supporters of former President Donald Trump.

June 15, 2021

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the annual Hillsborough County NH GOP Lincoln-Reagan Dinner, Thursday, June 3, 2021, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) **FILE**

Ex-VP Mike Pence returns to Iowa, site of first 2024 caucuses

Former Vice President Mike Pence is headed back to Iowa.

June 11, 2021

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin arrives for an event in Richmond, Va., on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) **FILE**

McAuliffe, Youngkin locked in tight gubernatorial race in Virginia: Poll

Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe isn't running away with the victory in Virginia's gubernatorial contest, according to a poll that shows Republican Glenn Youngkin statistically tied as the general election contest gets underway.

June 10, 2021

In this Saturday, May 8, 2021, file photo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis watches the foursome matches during the Walker Cup golf tournament, in Juno Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) ** FILE **

Florida schools approve DeSantis-backed rule barring critical race theory

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday put his stamp on the debate over critical race theory by getting the Florida State Board of Education to pass a rule barring it from being taught in public schools.

June 10, 2021

Winner of the Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, gestures as he addresses the crowd during an election party in McLean, Va., Tuesday, June 8, 2021. McAuliffe faced four other Democrats in Tuesday's primary. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

If you believe the candidates, Virginia’s governor race pits clueless Dem relic vs. Trump lackey

Republican Glenn Youngkin welcomed Democrat Terry McAuliffe to the general election race in Virginia's gubernatorial contest by casting Mr. McAuliffe as a relic who is out of touch with voters, including his base.

June 10, 2021

In this Jan. 18, 2019, photo, abortion rights activists protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, during the March for Life in Washington. Emboldened by the new conservative majority on the Supreme Court, anti-abortion lawmakers and activists in numerous states are pushing near-total bans on the procedure in a deliberate frontal attack on Roe v. Wade. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) **FILE**

Most Americans don’t want to overturn Roe v. Wade: Gallup

A Gallup poll released Wednesday found that Americans by a 58%-32% margin do not want to nix the Supreme Court's landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion a constitutional right.

June 9, 2021

New Jersey Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli speaks during a Republican gubernatorial primary debate against Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, Thursday, May 18, 2017, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, Pool)

‘Never Trumper’ staves off Trump devotees in New Jersey gubernatorial primary

The most fervent supporters of former President Donald Trump fell short Tuesday in their underdog bids for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in New Jersey, but left with some bragging rights after collecting a sizable share of the vote.

June 8, 2021

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to the chamber for final votes before the Memorial Day recess, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, May 28, 2021. Senate Republicans successfully blocked the creation of a commission to study the Jan. 6 insurrection by rioters loyal to former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate GOP campaign committee raises $10M in May

The campaign arm of Senate Republicans announced Tuesday it raised over $10 million last month thanks in part to a $5 million transfer from the Republican National Committee.

June 8, 2021

Former President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd before he speaks at the North Carolina Republican Convention Saturday, June 5, 2021, in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Trump loyalty put to the test in New Jersey GOP primary

Hirsh Vardhan Singh is closing out his underdog bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in New Jersey with a full-throated endorsement of former President Trump's claim that he won the 2020 election.

June 8, 2021

Former President Barack Obama speaks as he campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at Florida International University, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in North Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) **FILE**

Obama on Trump-inspired GOP: ‘We have got a problem’

Former President Barack Obama says he is shocked at the GOP's reluctance to stand up against former President Donald Trump's stolen election claims.

June 7, 2021

President Joe Biden salutes before speaking during the National Memorial Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 31, 2021, in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Joe Biden honors the fallen on Memorial Day, vows to fight for stronger democracy

President Biden used his Memorial Day address to call on the nation to remember and honor the legacy and sacrifice of fallen members of the armed services and their families.

May 31, 2021

President Joe Biden places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 2021, in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Joe Biden marks Memorial Day with a wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery

President Biden participated in a wreath-laying ceremony Monday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor members of the military who died serving their country.

May 31, 2021

Then-President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visit Arlington National Cemetery for the annual Flags In ceremony ahead of Memorial Day Thursday, May 23, 2019, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ** FILE **

Donald Trump pays tribute to ‘fallen heroes’ on Memorial Day

Former President Donald Trump said Monday that Memorial Day is a chance to remember "the fallen heroes who took their last breaths in defense of our Nation, our families, our citizens, and our sacred freedoms."

May 31, 2021

President Joe Biden speaks at a Memorial Day event at Veterans Memorial Park at the Delaware Memorial Bridge in New Castle, Del., Sunday, May 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Biden on Memorial Day: ‘Military community is spine of country’

President Biden said Sunday Memorial Day provides the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices members of the military and their families have made to protect the United States and defend its values around the world.

May 30, 2021

House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Hakeem Jeffries: Dems won’t give up on Jan. 6 panel

The battle over the Jan. 6 commission is far from over, according to Democrats who say they are regrouping and exploring the best path forward after Republicans torpedoed a proposed 9-11 style commission to probe the U.S. Capitol attack.

May 30, 2021

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during a press conference at the Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. office space in downtown Atlanta, Friday, May 21, 2021. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Pete Buttigieg: Joe Biden’s budget is bold and responsible

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pushed back against fiscal concerns over President Biden's spending plans, saying the $6 trillion budget blueprint is a "bold" and "responsible budget."

May 30, 2021

In this May 6, 2021 file photo, Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, Pool) **FILE**

Arizona election audit promises more intrigue than answers

The ongoing audit of the 2020 election in Arizona has the state's Republican leaders at each other's throats and their disputes over the process are raising doubts about the outcome of the high-tech recount.

May 29, 2021

GOP senators, from left, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., talk to reporters as the Senate tries to finish to its work going into the Memorial Day recess, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, May 28, 2021. Republican leaders are insisting they will block a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection by a mob loyal to former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate GOP blocks Jan. 6 commission

Senate Republicans on Friday blocked a proposal to create an independent 9-11 style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, dismissing the Democrat-led push as a purely political exercise.

May 28, 2021

In this Nov. 5, 2020, file photo, Jacob Anthony Chansley, who also goes by the name Jake Angeli, a Qanon believer speaks to a crowd of President Donald Trump supporters outside of the Maricopa County Recorder's Office where votes in the general election are being counted, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)

Nearly a quarter of Republicans embrace QAnon theories: poll

The "QAnon Shaman" apparently is one of many. A Public Religion Research Institute and the Interfaith Youth Core survey released this week found that 15% of Americans are QAnon believers.

May 28, 2021