MSNBC is reporting the following:
NBC News has learned that Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., the minority whip is in the midst of informing close allies that he plans to resign his senate seat before the end of the year. It’s possible a formal announcement of his plans could take place as early as today….
While the exactly [sic] reason Lott is stepping down before he finishes his term is unknown, the general speculation is that a quick departure immunizes Lott against tougher restrictions in a new lobbying law that takes effect at the end of the year. That law would require Senators to wait two-years before entering the lucrative world of lobbying Congress….
Lott’s departure would leave a vacancy in the Senate GOP Leadership. As minority whip, Lott is the party’s #2, behind Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Sources tell NBC News Lott is backing Arizona’s Jon Kyl to replace him in the party leadership, but that would be determined by secret ballot within the Republican caucus.
So, let’s see if we have this straight: he’s cashing in before the lobbying restriction goes into effect — hello oil, gas, and gambling interests that he was already serving anyway — and he wants to torture everyone by putting Jon Kyl in a position to be on television regularly as the #2 Republican in the Senate. Good lord, what a way to start the day…
In case you missed the book salon yesterday with John Anderson about, in part, the GOP connections to the K Street revolving door, now would be a good time to read through the thread. Best of luck, Trent…clearly you’ve already got a platinum parachute lined up, or you wouldn’t be jumping ship. Cozy.
I feel the Honorary Trent Lott Seersucker Senate Week just waiting in the wings…
(Photo via jrotunda85.)
Related posts:
Spotlight
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
Advanced search
gmornin
2 mornin everyone
Boy of boy. Lotsa early morning activity here.
Good riddance to Trent Lott.
We will miss him alott.
heh heh
Morning…let us all take a moment of gratitude for coffee…
Sicko.
I gotta stick with Edwards, DK, and Ron Paul on this – hope everyone comes to say it. The system is sick, corrupt, and broken.
Good Morning Christy!
I’m shocked, shocked!
One of these days I am gonna remember to grind the coffee before going to bed. Then I wouldn’t be stuck without caffeine in the house of the sleeping children.
Christy -nothing like a well placed sic (exactly) with coffee! And, if you take the peanut to see Bee movie, I am curious about YOUR take on the anti-JD, class action suit agenda in it.
Smgumby @ 8
The best way to start the day is just to push the button on the coffee machine that was all set up the night before. Timer doesn’t work for me because I don’t arise at any set hour.
He’s resigning before they find out about his homosexual love affair.
Richmond at 9 — We saw it. I think my comment at the time was “don’t bother,” but it was based on overall script and not a law commentary. But I did note that lawyers overall — be they plaintiffs or defense — don’t come off very well in the film. As per usual… SIGH
democracynow doing segment on Sanchez and what a travesty it was for the Ds to allow Torture Man to do the Ds radio address.
Guess this is just the start on the run to the lobbying bank
Is Larry Flynt involved in this?
Wow! that’s an eye-opener!
coffee is brewing, it’ll be ready in a minute… waking up at “work time” is just a little bit cruel after 4 days of normal sleeping…
George Simian @ 11
Heh! One of my DC friends claimed that Lott’s ‘disguise’ when cruising the area gay bars was to change toupées.
twolf1 @ 15
A lot of folks have been thinking that.
Well at least he is leaving to pursue the values he has fought for in the name of the GOP all these years.
Money, greed, corruption, corporate power.
Good times…
twolf1 @ 15
my first sleepy thought…
Christy Hardin Smith @ 12
That is definitely a societal thing lately. Done purely for laughs, I’m sure, and not trying to push an agenda.
Phoenix Woman @ 17
Here’s his disguise…
Phoenix Woman @ 17
.
Attaturk
I think he is guilty of cutting and running. Just when his party and fellow Mississippians need him most.
It could be just a simple reason. Like, maybe he couldn’t stop salivating when he heard that John Ashmore’s firm got $52 million for monitoring a medical settlement.
Public service is a wonderful thing.
Nola Sue’s take
Thanks Chrisy – I went “over the top” with the comment that lawyers are “blood sucking parasites” (a mosquito attorney), the over the top obese attorney working against the bees, the class action suit success because it was made into a circus (complete with a bear) by the bees’ lawyer (a flower shop owner w. no training!), the suggestion that class action suits could destroy life on the planet, the idea that the workers once relieved of menial jobs would just lay around sun-tanning, and the bomber-jacketed thug-like “heros” (pollen collectors) who are the only ones allowed out of the hive because only they can deal with the real world issues.
To the contrary, Enchanted worked well.
Richmond @ 26
And here I thought it was just overpriced entertainment for my 5 year old…
When is enough money, enough? How much do these people need?
What do they plan during a recession?
But its good news, Lott is smarmy at best.
snowbird42 @ 28
Recessions are for the little people.
While this is slightly OT…it is appropriate in a thread about Trent Lott.
please watch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nh2C8q8jnM
snowbird42 at 28 — Well, gee, renovating your vacation home takes a lot of cash these days, given the costs of construction, the rising gas costs for transportation of construction materials and such. Trent’s luxury vacation home on the coast isn’t going to rebuild itself…
AP update:
Peterr at 32 — TWO news conferences? Because one viewing of Trent Lott just isn’t enough?
I suppose his seat is not contestable by Ds?
Christy Hardin Smith @ 33
One for each face.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 31
So Bush can come sit on the front porch. I bet it is looking good already. Pour the julep.
But isnt it power they want when money is no object?
I guess DiFI will have one less best friend and criminal cohort in the Senate. Awww poor DiFi!
Hmmmm…interesting. Politico is reporting that Lott’s seat would have to be filled by special election according to state law, NOT by gubernatorial appointment.
Franco at 37 — Oh no. I feel the Honorary Trent Lott Seersucker Senate Week waiting in the wings…
I wonder what is amiss in Link to Cochran articleMississippi? Wasn’t there mention of Sen. Thad Cochran of Ms retiring just a few weeks ago?
Maybe it is just due to the new lobbying law scheduled to take effect in January. Seems kinda of coincidental that both Mississippi Senators would be retiring at the same time.
Christy@39
Yikes…..My poor eyes and sensabilities!
After I clean up my laptop, I have to make another pot of coffee.
707
Christy Hardin Smith @ 38
so how much does a special election cost the taxpayers of his state?
and then how much will he be make by quitting early? Maybe it would be cheaper for Miss. to pay him to stay on.
I wonder what is amiss in Mississippi? Wasn’t there mention of Sen. Thad Cochran of Ms retiring just a few weeks ago?
Maybe it is just due to the new lobbying law scheduled to take effect in January. Seems kinda of coincidental that both Mississippi Senators would be retiring at the same time.
“>Link to Cochran Article
Christy Hardin Smith @ 33
I think he’s trying to mimic Bush, who has developed this odd habit of swearing in everybody twice — once ASAP, to get them working, and a second time with all the bells and whistles of a fullblown photo-op.
Perhaps Larry Craig will take over as Minority Whip.
larry flynt vs trent lott
Peterr @ 45
Didn’t catch that Larry Craig was into B&D. Linky? *g*
Does Lott have to hand over the ball-gag, stilleto pumps and cat-o-nine-tails in a formal public ceremony, or does that take place in the GOP executive dungeon?
Kevin at 48 — Oh lordy, now I have to go and find my bleach…
I think that the whole effort by current Senators to resign “early” so that they miss the enactment of the revised Ethics law could be dealt with by a law that forbade any current Government officials from interacting on an government issue with a former Government official within the past two years who acts as a lobbyist. That way the limitation would not be on the person resigning…but on the gov’t officials.
ot – congress is still in recess (until next week). your weekly list of congressional hearings will return then…
eCAHNomics @ 47
Craig was the Republican Wipe…using second-hand toilet paper picked up off the floor.
Trent Loot resigning? To garner more loot no doubt. Wish I could find a vid of the old Dan Hicks number “How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away” to link this a.m.
On another note- the pic of Al Gore about to clap GWB on the back that’s headlining @ HuffPost is lovely. Green tie on Al a nice touch…
selise at 51 — Thanks much. I’m hearing that the floor fight on FISA and telecom immunity is heating up behind the scenes. We could be in for a bruising week next week.
cinnamonape @ 50
Excellent idea. Since the GOP likes to do things retroactively, maybe Reid can attach a rule to prevent exactly this sort of craven greed.
Here’s an article about Thad Cochran “mulling” retirement
Can I just say that retiring to “pursue other opportunities”, especially early to avoid a lobbying law, is morally disgusting. What a corrupt, soulless scumbag. He can’t finish the term that he was elected for because he has to run off and make money? Like he couldn’t make bags on money in some other way, after finishing his term? Talk about letting your electorate down.
No bathroom hijinks?
No way this is for K Street.
This is bigger. Which crime will he be indicted for?
selise @ 51
Well, technically no…they are in Pro-forma Session…Senator Reid’s gambit to prohibit recess appointments. But I’d think it would be a nice slap if the entire Democratic delegation showed up and actually started to enact legislation, thus blocking the cloture rules.
cinnamonape @ 50
The best reaction, though, would be to elect new senators and representatives who would just laugh the minute Lott walks in the door.
The John Anderson book discussed yesterday — Follow the Money: How George W. Bush and the Texas Republicans Hog-Tied America — is a great, very readable book on Tom Delay, Jack Abramoff, and the whole K Street bunch. I think that house of cards is getting ready to collapse, and if Trent wants to move in right before it does, that’s fine with me.
(BTW — I think it would be a great item for some moderate GOPer on your holiday gift list who is disgruntled at what they are just starting to learn about BushCo Industries, Inc.)
selise @ 51
Well, technically…….NOT in recess. *g* Blessings on Webb and the others who kept the thing goin’ so shrub couldn’t pull some of his recess appointments. Let’s hope Reid keeps his spine thru the Christmas break as well, tho’ I ain’t holdin’ my breath on that one.
And thanks X many for pulling your wonderful resource together every week.
I can’t wait to hear Howie Klein’s reaction to this.
*g*
Folo the Money would also be a good gift for Blue Dogs.
George Simian @ 57
electorate? It was never about the electorate. For many—too many of our elected officials, the electorate is irrelevant. It’s about power and $$$ and power.
afox @ 59
Hmmm. Kabuki?
Trent might be buying a little time to enjoy the holiday season. Everyone believes that the cheezball would jump for a lobbying gig, which prevents speculation on which crimes he will be charged with.
Wow!
Trent Lott sure knows how to give little Georgie B the smackdown! Just because the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast isn’t going “quite as well” as Little Georgie originally proclaimed it would, Trent goes off in a snit because he wants his beach house rebuilt NOW.
sniff…
Trent, we sure will miss you and your plastic fantastic hair.
cinnamonape @ 60
way too much to hope for.
RevDeb @ 65
And getting your front porch rebuilt.
Mike Huckabee To Musharraf: We Own You
Scarecrow’s up!
Lott will become the new chancellor for his alma mater; Ole Miss.
I do believe that Lott is part of the class action lawsuit against the insurance companies.
They (insurance cos.) say its a “flood”, all the reasonable people know that it was a “wind driven water event” that destroyed their homes. All the while that cash that should be paid to policy holders is sitting on their balance sheet accruing interest. Slimeballs.
Scarecrow has a fresh thread upstairs…
T- @ 72
But . . . but . . . but I thought that the rebuilding was going o-so-much better in MS than in LA, because MS has a GOPer (Haley Barbour) for its governor.
I won’t miss him. Read this and you won’t either:
http://infologr.freehostia.com/tag/trent-lott.html
Is this why Denny Hastert, IL14 and former speaker is resigning? BOTH his two kids are lobbyists and his health is good as well.
I hope their districts are OUTRAGED at the expense of special elections for public servants who decide for personal reasons they want to quit. Plus dontcha like how sissyhawks like Hastert AND Lott who were big drumbeaters for the Iraq War don’t complete their public service? Desertion?
Would this not give the Democrats the edge, however short, in actual membership in the Senate? I believe this would give them an actual majority until the vacancy was filled.
And how about the Schizoid stock-market?
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=^DJI&t=1d
Christy Hardin Smith @ 54
that’s what finally motivated me to make up the senate contact vcards (as a tool for phoning & faxing our senators)…. i’m looking forward to your posts calling us to action!
Phoenix Woman @ 18
What are the laws in Mississippi about who succeeds Lott? Is that another seat that will be in play next year? Does Haley Barbour get to appoint his short term replacement?
thanks to all for the correction – i should have written that the house is in recess and the senate is in pro-forma session until next week. *g*
All of the above.
Personally, I think this could be strategic. The Governor will name a replacement. The replacement can campaign in a special election. The term filling replacement then has a leg up in the general election to a full term. The assumption would be a Republican fills those slots and has advantages over Democratic challengers.
And he can read the tea leaves and knows it’s going to be a long wait before he chairs anything again. It’s not so much fun when you’re used to the perks, and now you’ve been demoted into the opposition.
But maybe he’s going to work on raising money for Gonzales…
Joe Klein’s conscience @ 79
Apparently there would be a special election…
Elliott @ 25
Who’s he going to lobby if there are hardly any Rs left in either house of Congress?
I personally think maybe he will be implicated somehow in the Alaska scandals, but that is only because I watched NOW on PBS last night. The program was “Oil, Politics & Bribes” and had a photo of him with others like Denny Hastert and Larry Craig on a fishing trip with the owners of Veco. Photos like these from an earlier NPR Marketplace program.
IrishJim @ 43
oh. Thad Cochran is in the same set of Alaskan fishing adventure photos.
The first thing that crossed my mind was Ted Stevens.
ps digg this
rxbusa @ 84
Maybe Trenty-boy was caught Thad-ing someone’s Coch and ran.
Is it ever any wonder why he’s so into seersuckers?
Robert Indiana (pop artist of the 70’s-80’s) said it best in a great poster:
“Just as in the anatomy of man, every nation must have its hind part: Mississippi” The greedy Mr Lott has shown us that he truly represents his state.
I’m sure his grandchildren will appreciate his legacy when he is gone, at least the $$$ part.
R
Take Firedoglake’s Quick quiz
What do you think is the REAL reason Trent Lott Is resigning?
( ) Jeff Gannon
( ) Jack Abramoff
( ) DC Madam
[Mod Note; Please note that this poll is neither associated with Gallop or with FDL. Secondly, the choice of “all of the above” seems to have inadvertently been omitted. Thank you.]
This Racist Nazis has got to get out to help re-establish the Congressional KKK. The Grand Dragon never left he just hid now he must work behind the scenes to help reestablish the American Nazis Committee (RNC formerly republican national committee)and his sacred KKK. Remember this scum bag had Black Water on the ground in his state also, and there isn’t a minority that he has met that would not be better off in slavery and serving his White Master.
Do not forget that he has a strong hand in making Lobbying the by product for all scum suckers, the US Constitution to him is a piece of paper so the next thing is to hammer the Congress and Senate to make them subservient to the Puck we call lobbyist.
This is too elaborate – I think he just wants to spend more time with his sheet and hood.
twolf1 @ 15
I was wondering that too. Flynt’s still going around saying he’s got dirt on a top Republican and that he was going to unleash the info by next week (why not now, Larry? Why the delay if it’s so juicy?).
If Lott has to wait two years to become a lobbyist, it will give him plenty of time to write some inspirational stupid book that will make him money.
PaulW @ 92
There are rumors out there about a rent boy. . . try here. There’s a few links to the rumors. Of course, that’s the Larry Flynt inspired rumors, which are about as factual as when people were linking them to Hillary. But who knows? http://tinyurl.com/397bdq
“So, let’s see if we have this straight:”
Gawd MORE irony!