Dennis Kucinich claims the intelligence community, seeking to start another Cold War, leaked the secret conversations that led to National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation. Rob Portman explains and defends his vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary. And Ed FitzGerald is still spending thousands in campaign cash – including some on political meetings. Today’s Ohio Politics Roundup is brought to you by Jeremy Pelzer.
Kucinich says intel ‘axis’ targeted Flynn: Ex-Rep. Dennis Kucinich claims that the intelligence community schemed against former national security adviser Michael Flynn to reignite the Cold War between the United States and Russia, cleveland.com’s Sabrina Eaton reports. Flynn resigned Monday night amid reports he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about pre-inauguration discussions with the Russian ambassador to the United Nations about U.S. sanctions on Russia.
Kucinich, a liberal former presidential candidate, speaking Tuesday on Fox Business, worried that Flynn’s telephone calls with Russian officials were intercepted by U.S. intelligence agencies and shared with the media. A new Cold War, he said, would allow the military, industrial, and intelligence “axis” to “cash in.” Kucinich: “It’s early in the morning, it’s Valentine’s Day, but wake up America.”
It’s not the first time Kucinich has sided with Donald Trump. Last month, he praised Trump’s inauguration speech on Twitter and urged people to “give him and ourselves a chance.”
Brown, Portman praise Flynn’s departure: Both of Ohio’s U.S. senators said Flynn’s resignation Monday was the right move, according to the Columbus Dispatch’s Jack Torry. Democrat Sherrod Brown said Flynn was “unqualified from day one” because of his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia Today, a TV network controlled by the Russian government. Republican Rob Portman told reporters Tuesday that “it was appropriate” for Flynn “to step down.”
Ohioan takes Flynn’s place: Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a Dayton native, will serve as interim national security adviser, according to the Dayton Daily News’ Barrie Barber. “Kellogg had previously been appointed the National Security Council chief of staff and, along with Flynn, advised Trump on national security and foreign policy issues during the campaign.”
Defending DeVos: Portman said Tuesday that he heard constituents’ criticism of Betsy DeVos, Trump’s pick for education secretary. But Portman, who voted to confirm DeVos, said he did his own research and was satisfied with her answers, including her commitment to public schools and local control, cleveland.com’s Stephen Koff reports. In addition, the senator said he gave the same deference to Trump to pick his own cabinet as he did with Barack Obama.
Signs of life from Ed FitzGerald? The former Cuyahoga County executive has stayed out of the political scene since he was trounced in the 2014 gubernatorial election. But as cleveland.com’s Henry J. Gomez finds, FitzGerald spent more than $19,000 last year from his campaign account, and campaign filings show he held a number of meetings labeled “political” last year. There’s been no word from FitzGerald so far about the aim of his recent political activity.
The Ohio GOP has a new executive director: He’s Rob Secaur, who led the Republican National Committee’s grassroots and ground-game efforts in Ohio during last year’s campaign, new state party chair Jane Timken announced Tuesday. It’s the latest personnel move since Timken was elected Ohio Republican Party chair last month over Matt Borges. Secaur takes over the Ohio Republican Party’s day-to-day operations from Katie Eagan, who was hired by Borges.
Exact campaign chairs may vary by location: “Senate candidate Josh Mandel’s announcement that he had recruited campaign chairs in each of Ohio’s 88 counties caught at least one person by surprise: Janet Esposito, the woman he listed as leading the charge for him in Portage County,” Gomez writes. “Esposito, who serves as county auditor and is a former chairwoman of the county’s Republican Party, said Tuesday that no one from Mandel’s team had sought her help. …Mandel spokesman Chris Berry said Elayne Cross, vice chairwoman of the Portage County GOP, instead will serve as a campaign chair there.”
SEIU bashes Jackson in radio ad: “The Service Employees International Union District 1199 on Monday released a radio ad blaming Mayor Frank Jackson and his administration for the city’s poverty, homicide rate and neighborhood deterioration,” reports cleveland.com’s Leila Atassi. Jackson, who’s seeking a fourth term as Cleveland mayor this fall, is criticized in the ad for, among other things, having “lavishly hosted Donald Trump and the RNC” while “neighborhoods are still falling apart.” The union has endorsed City Councilman Jeffrey Johnson for mayor.
If you won’t eat our beef, we won’t ride your Vespas: U.S. officials are looking at retaliating against a decades-long European ban on American beef by imposing big import taxes on European motor scooters and small motorcycles, Koff writes. While it may seem odd that scooters could be used to retaliate against a beef ban, “there is a simple reason in this case, trade experts say: The United States does not import much European beef.”
In defense of athletes getting political: Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon is taking issue with critics who say pro athletes shouldn’t weigh in on politics – such as Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer’s pro-Trump tweets or LeBron James’ public criticism of the president. “Telling either of them to ‘stick to sports’ is entirely un-American,” Vardon asserts.
A ‘Take Your Teacher To Work’ Program? “Ohio teachers would have to job shadow someone in a local business to renew their licenses under a provision in Gov. John Kasich’s state budget proposal,” cleveland.com’s Jackie Borchardt reports. “The ‘externship’ would be completed with a local business or chamber of commerce and could count toward required continuing education courses. The idea is the latest in Kasich’s push to better connect schools with their local business communities.” Educators quickly criticized the idea on social media.
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