Although our own Shaun Mullen posted earlier concerning Trent Lott’s planned resignation from the US Senate, we thought a round-up might be in order.
The New York Times:
Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, who was forced to step down as majority leader in 2002 after making a remark that seemed to support segregation, announced today that he will resign by the end of the year.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters at a televised news conference in Pascagoula, Miss., Mr. Lott said he and his wife, Trish, had decided that they still had enough “time left to do something else” after his 35 years in the House and Senate.
He said he had “nothing definite at this time,” but suggested he might want to teach. He said he had called President Bush and Vice President Cheney last night to notify them of his decision.
He was re-elected in 2006 to his fourth Senate term and had rebounded to become the No. 2 Republican this year after his party had lost its majority in the Senate. But in recent months, Mr. Lott, 66, has made no secret of his deepening frustration in the Senate, not only because his party is in the minority but also because an increasingly bitter partisan divide this year has left little use for his skills as a deal-maker.
After the news conference, he said the frustration was not the sole motivation for his decision, but admitted it was a factor. “I’ve switched back and forth six times, and the majority is better,” he said. “I like to get things done.”
By resigning before the end of the year, Mr. Lott would beat the effective date for new ethics rules that double to two years the amount of time former Senators must wait before they can join a firm to lobby former colleagues. The new rule applies to those who leave office “on or after” Dec. 31.
Could Lott’s announcement be causing Vice President Cheney’s heart to flutter?
Lott’s full statement is HERE.
Lott’s move shocked Republicans on Capitol Hill, who have seen a wave of veterans announce their decision to retire next year as the GOP looks increasingly certain to remain in the minority.
But Lott is the most senior Republican to announce he is leaving office, and his decision comes barely a year after he won re-election to a six-year term.
Lott’s departure is equally stunning because, after cruising to his re-election last year, he completed a political rehabilitation from allegations of racial insensitivity because of remarks he made at a 100th birthday party for Strom Thurmond in December 2002, which led to his banishment from GOP leadership. Last November, after four years as a back-bench Republican who burnished his image as a deal-maker, Lott won a narrow race to become GOP whip, the No. 2 post in leadership.
Lott said that he was going to move into the private sector after 35 years in Congress, but denied that he was getting out before a new two-year “cooling-off” restriction takes effect on Jan. 1. The restriction bars lawmakers from taking lobbying jobs for two years after they leave public service. Lott also denied that health issues were the cause. “Let me make it clear: There are no problems, I feel fine,” he said.
Sen. Lott’s shameful record of opposing and working against GLBT civil rights during his 35 years in Congress, including being a key sponsor of anti-gay marriage constitutional amendments in 2004 and 2006 and recent vote against hate crimes, has earned him a lineup of zeroes on HRC’s congressional scorecards from 2002 – 2006.
Christian Science Monitor: GOP loses a leader
Appearing before supporters in Pascagoula, Miss., the senator said his 35 years in Congress – 16 in the House and 19 in the Senate – were “quite a wild ride, a very enjoyable one.” The Senate minority whip said, “Let me make it clear. There are no problems.” He added, “This is not a negative thing. There is no malice and no anger.”
In explaining the timing of the decision, Lott said that he and his wife, Tricia, recently attended a service at a Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss. The preacher cited the verse from Ecclesiastes about there being “a time to every purpose under heaven.” The senator said, “It seemed to be speaking to me and to us.”
Lott also said that new restrictions on lobbying that take effect Dec. 31 “didn’t have a big role” in his decision. The new regulations extend the “cooling off” period for former members of Congress from one to two years.
TNR’s The Plank speculates that Lott’s office has complained about the media coverage:
So is Trent Lott insufficiently venal to quit his term early to avoid lobbying restrictions? Or is he venal enough to do just that and then complain when anyone takes note of it? You be the judge.
Kathy at Birmingham Blues: Another One Bites the Dust
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) plans to resign his seat effective at year end according to sources in Congress and the Bush administration. Those sources aren’t giving any reason for his resignation other than to say it has nothing to do with his health. He’s going to pursue “other opportunities”. Hmmm. Lott was elected to a fourth Senate term in 2006, and he’s leaving now? Curiouser and curiouser. He’s the sixth Republican to resign this year.
Mississippi’s Republican governor will appoint a replacement who will serve until a special election in 2008. Former Rep. Chip Pickering, who recently retired from the House, is considered the top pick. Stay tuned.
Well, I saw Lott on PBS NewsHour. He is “retiring” and said something about spending more time with his family. I have to wonder if Larry Flynt’s got the goods on Trent Lott. APPARENTLY, I’m not the only one wondering. Mind you, this is a rumor from a blog I’ve never heard of until John Aravosis at AMERICAblog threw cold water on it. Some gossip about Lott having a rent boy and Flynt having proof. Perez Hilton.
Steven Reynolds at AllSpinZone:
Of course, this is still just a rumor. I couldn’t imagine, after all, a Republican Senator paying someone for sex, after all. Surely *cough* Vitter and Craig *cough* were the only Republicans who would do such a thing, weren’t they?
BELTWAY BLOGROLL: Trent Lott ‘Will Not Be Missed’ By Bloggers
By his own account, Trent Lott was the “first pelt” of the blogosphere. Although Lott’s political career was revived somewhat last year with his elevation to Senate minority whip, the Mississippi Republican has been a bit player on the Washington scene since bloggers helped force him from the Senate majority leader’s post five years ago next month.
With that in mind, you can expect a lot of celebration today if, as expected, Lott announces that he will be resigning from the Senate at the end of the year. The good-riddance blogging already has begun, in fact….