7 Things: Britt gets Trump endorsement as polling shows her up big, group of senators agrees on framework for gun reform deal and more …

7. Alabama man arrested with a white nationalist group as they prepared to riot at pride event

In Idaho, 31 members of Patriot Front were allegedly planning to riot during a “Pride in the Park” event. The individuals were masked and arrested after being located in the back of a U-Haul with shields, masks and shin pads.
Among those arrested was a man from Lexington, Alabama, Wesley Evan Van Horn. The individuals were all wearing similar outfits of blue shirts, khaki pants, baseball caps and masks. The 31 people were from all over the country and arrested for suspected conspiracy to riot.

6. AOC pushing for the release of names of politicians who asked for pardons

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has started pushing for the names of those who requested a pardon from former President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6 to be released. It seems obvious that if some did seek a pre-emptive pardon, it would be to avoid a witch hunt from Democrats. This isn’t a good look but might be a smart play, even if the pardons didn’t happen.
AOC stated, “When you don’t know which of your colleagues were part of a potential conspiracy, then we need to find out. I believe that every member of Congress should be able to answer that question.” U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) has also brought up the issue, singling out fellow U.S. Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who denies it, and “multiple other Republican congressmen” who requested pardons from Trump.

5. Trump could be indicted according to Schiff, who made this claim many times before

According to the January 6 riot House committee, there is enough evidence to indict former President Donald Trump. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said, “I would like to see the Justice Department investigate any credible allegation of criminal activity on the part of Donald Trump.”
There are allegations that Trump and his team worked to spread misinformation, and more evidence is reportedly set to be released this week. Schiff said, “There are certain actions, parts of these different lines of effort to overturn the election that I don’t see evidence the Justice Department is investigating.”

4. Rand Paul will campaign for Brooks

U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) will face the runoff election in just over a week, and now, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will visit the state to campaign for Brooks. Paul will be visiting Huntsville and Homewood to hold town hall events.
Paul, who has endorsed Brooks in the race, declared, “Mo has proven time and time again he will stand up for liberty and do what he thinks is right.” This will be the first in-person event Paul has attended for Brooks after holding a virtual town hall for Brooks just before the primary election.

3. Gun control framework agreed upon; Legislation includes mental health funding and increased background checks

Gun control legislation has been agreed upon by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators. There is no legislation written yet — only terms of increased background checks for those under 21 years old, mental health funding, funding for school security and grants for states to move forward with red flag laws.
The Republicans supporting the framework are U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah). The National Rifle Association (NRA) responded to the news, stating, “The NRA is committed to real solutions to help stop violence in our communities. We encourage our elected officials to provide more resources to secure our schools, fix our severely broken mental health system and support law enforcement. As is our policy, the NRA does not take positions on ‘frameworks.’”

2. Britt holds commanding lead over Brooks in poll

In recent polling, U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt has maintained a lead against U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) in the runoff election. Data released by the Alabama Forestry Association, an organization that has endorsed Britt, shows that Britt has an 18-point lead. The poll was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates.
The survey showed 9% of voters remain undecided, but Britt has 54.6%, while Brooks has 36.4%. Among the respondents, 61.4% view Britt favorably, compared to 49% for Brooks, but 29% view Britt unfavorably, compared to 40.2% who view Brooks unfavorably. In the primary election, McLaughlin & Associates was the most accurate

1. Trump endorses Britt in U.S. Senate runoff

In a last-minute shocker, former President Donald Trump endorsed candidate Katie Britt in the U.S. Senate. Earlier in the election, Trump rescinded his endorsement of U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), who had been asking for Trump to re-endorse him.
In his endorsement, Trump explained why he wasn’t backing Brooks by noting the 2020 presidential election and saying, “Mo backtracked and made a big mistake by going Woke at our massive Cullman, Alabama Rally.” Trump went on to say, “Katie Britt, on the other hand, is a fearless America First Warrior. The opposition says Katie is close to Mitch McConnell, but actually she is not—in fact, she believes that McConnell put Mike Durant in the race to stop her, which is very possibly true.” The former president later added that Britt “is an Incredible Fighter for the people of Alabama.”