House Fires at Ethics and Shoots Self

Mr. Trump’s response was something altogether different. He didn’t condemn these Republicans for defying and undermining his drain-the-swamp pledge. He asked them to address more urgent business first, like destroying health care reform and passing tax cuts for the rich. Indeed, while he was tweeting on Tuesday morning, Kellyanne Conway, the incoming counselor to the president, had already been on television supporting Mr. Goodlatte and his gang, saying House Republicans had a “mandate” to curb “overzealousness” over ethics.

Kenneth Starr’s Baylor Exit Followed Years of Hidden Turmoil

Starr and Briles were fired last May following an outside investigation that described “institutional failures at every level” in addressing sexual violence on campus.

.. Baylor officials told The Wall Street Journal that the investigation found 19 Baylor football players were involved in alleged incidents of domestic and sexual assaults since 2011, including four gang rapes.

.. The backstage disputes provide a window into how a prominent former federal judge turned no-holds-barred prosecutor—best known for his controversial 1990s investigation of Bill Clinton—lost his job in part for not effectively responding to reports of sexual misconduct.

.. Briles’s attorney, Ernest Cannon, said he believes “there was a great deal of friction between Starr and the regents, and they saw the (investigation) as a way to get rid of him.

.. while Starr was a standout at external functions such as alumni and student relations, he was a poor administrator when it came to managing a university with an annual budget of almost half a billion dollars

.. he is skeptical of some of the allegations released thus far.

“I personally have doubts that there were gang rapes,” he said.

.. Baylor boomed during most of Starr’s leadership: applications soared, fundraising hit new records and many of the school’s athletic teams— including football—enjoyed unprecedented success.

Orrin Hatch May Prove a Crucial Ally for Donald Trump

Chairman of Senate Finance Committee is set to oversee confirmation of many cabinet nominees and approval of president-elect’s legislative agenda

 .. Mr. Hatch was one of the first senators to endorse Mr. Trump for president
.. The committee will handle several other priorities for Mr. Trump, including replacing President Barack Obama’s health-care law and overhauling the tax system.
.. Mr. Trump doesn’t have close ties with many members of Congress, so Mr. Hatch has become an important middleman between Mr. Trump and the Senate. A few weeks ago, Mr. Trump tapped Mr. Hatch’s chief of staff, Robert Porter, to assist with his transition process.
.. Mr. Hatch has also forged a close relationship beginning this summer with Reince Priebus, who has been chairman of the Republican National Committee and is Mr. Trump’s incoming chief of staff. Mr. Hatch donated a total of $75,000 from his political-action committee to the RNC and Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, one of the few senators to do so.
.. Mr. Hatch endorsed Mr. Trump in May, when the nomination was all but sewn up. Still, he was among the first senators to do so.
.. When Mr. Trump suggested a federal judge’s Mexican heritage should disqualify him from overseeing a case involving Trump University, the now defunct real-estate school, Mr. Hatch told the Los Angeles Times: “Be nice to him. He’s a poor first-time candidate.”
.. At the summer’s Republican convention, Mr. Hatch sat in the Trump family’s box on occasion
.. In October, after the release of a tape of Mr. Trump making lewd comments about groping women, Mr. Hatch was steadfast in his support, though he called Mr. Trump’s comments “offensive and disgusting.”
.. Last month, the two had several conversations about potential nominees for secretary of state, including former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.