Month: March 2022

Former Kansas attorney general Phill Kline subpoenaed by Jan. 6 committee

Phill Kline

According to the subpoena, Kline convened a meeting between then-President Donald Trump and 300 state lawmakers in an attempt to “disseminate purported evidence of election fraud” and ultimately overturn the 2020 election.

by Suzanne Perez, Kansas News Service and KMUW

Wichita — A U.S. House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has subpoenaed Phill Kline, a former Kansas attorney general.

According to the subpoena, Kline convened a meeting between then-President Donald Trump and 300 state lawmakers in an attempt to “disseminate purported evidence of election fraud” and ultimately overturn the 2020 election.

The subpoena says Kline encouraged the legislators to sign a letter urging former Vice President Mike Pence to delay the electoral certification on Jan. 6, 2021.

Kline, a Republican who served as Kansas attorney general from 2003 to 2007, was one of six people subpoenaed by the committee on Tuesday. The subpoenas seek documents and testimony from attorneys who worked on behalf of Trump.

Kline has until March 15 to produce documents and was ordered to appear for a deposition on March 25.

Kline founded a group called The Amistad Project, which bills itself as “the nation’s leading election integrity watchdog.” Recent news reports reveal that the group was active in promoting fake slates of pro-Trump electors in 2020.

The new subpoenas reflect the Jan. 6 committee’s focus on Trump’s efforts to stop President Joe Biden’s certification, including plans to send slates of electors to return Trump to office.

“The select committee is seeking information about attempts to disrupt or delay the certification of electoral votes and any efforts to corruptly change the outcome of the 2020 election,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the panel, said in a statement.

“The six individuals we’ve subpoenaed today all have knowledge related to those matters and will help the select committee better understand all the various strategies employed to potentially affect the outcome of the election,” Thompson said.

Suzanne Perez reports for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
See more at https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-03-02/former-kansas-attorney-general-phill-kline-subpoenaed-by-jan-6-committee.

Temperatures cooler today, wind gusts possible

Temperatures may reach about 60 degrees on Thursday in Wyandotte County. (National Weather Service graphic)
Severe weather is possible in the region on Saturday, March 5. (National Weather Service graphic)

Today’s weather forecast will see cooler weather than the 80s seen on Wednesday, as the high will be about 60.

More see-saw temperatures, winds, rain, storms and snow all are in the forecast for the next five days.

Temperatures may rebound on Friday, and reach a high of 72, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

Then look for rain in the forecast on Saturday and Sunday, followed by a chance of snow on Sunday night and Monday, the weather service said.

Winds will gust up to 20 mph this afternoon, bringing a higher chance of fire weather, according to the weather service.

On Saturday, March 5, there will be a chance of severe weather from the late afternoon into the evening hours, the weather service said. This storm could have strong, damaging winds, frequent lightning and isolated pockets of hail, according to the weather service.

A cold front will move into the area after the Saturday storms, with rain and snow in the forecast Sunday night and Monday.

Today, it will be sunny, with a high near 60, the weather service said. An east wind of 10 to 14 mph will gust as high as 20 mph.

Tonight, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 41 and an east wind of 10 to 13 mph, according to the weather service.

Friday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 72 and a south wind of 10 to 18 mph, gusting as high as 28 mph, the weather service said.

Friday night, it will be mostly cloudy, then mostly clear, with a low of 57, according to the weather service. A south wind of 15 mph will gust as high as 22 mph.

Saturday, there is a 60 percent chance of rain, then rain is likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon, the weather service said. The high will be near 71. A south wind of 16 to 22 mph will gust as high as 33 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.

Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of rain and storms before 9 p.m., then a chance of rain between 9 p.m. and midnight. The low will be around 34. Less than a tenth of an inch of precipitation is expected.

Sunday, there is a 40 percent chance of rain after noon, with a high near 49, the weather service said.

Sunday night, there is a 50 percent chance of rain before 1 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., followed by a chance of snow after 5 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 29.

Monday, there is a 30 percent chance of snow, mixing with rain after 11 a.m., then gradually ending, the weather service said. The high will be near 42.

Monday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 23, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 50, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 28, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 54, the weather service said.

Senate approves three nominees to Kansas Board of Regents after unprecedented scrutiny

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — Bipartisan majorities in the Kansas Senate voted Wednesday to confirm three nominees to the Kansas Board of Regents recommended by Gov. Laura Kelly.

The process of considering nominations of former BNSF Railway executive Carl Ice, retired Kansas City, Kansas, school superintendent Cynthia Lane and former banker and state Sen. Wint Winter took on an unusually high level of political intrigue as some GOP lawmakers sought to derail Kelly’s picks of Lane and Winter to the state board with oversight of more than 30 public universities, community colleges and technical colleges.

The Senate Education Committee conducted an extensive evaluation of the nominees despite a unanimous vote of support last year by the interim Senate Confirmation Committee. The three nominees had been participating fully in Board of Regents meetings for months.

Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Louisburg Republican and chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, said evidence raised in the extended process resulted in a recommendation Ice be confirmed. She said the other nominees — Winter and Lane — were forwarded to the Senate without a recommendation because some lawmakers were convinced the nominees hadn’t been sufficiently transparent in answers to 44 written questions and a series of additional oral inquiries.

“They did have a fair hearing,” Baumgardner said. “It is up to this body to assure that the nomination process and the appointment process isn’t perfunctory.”

Sen. Gene Suellentrop, R-Wichita, urged senators unwilling to vote against a nominee to consider passing on the Board of Regents nominations. That same tactic could be relied upon by senators not 100% convinced in viability of a nominee, he said. If there were enough passing and no votes to block nominees, he said, Kelly would be forced to come back to the Senate with new picks for the Board of Regents.

Ice won unanimous support from the Senate with a 38-0 vote. The margin for Winter was 24-9, while Lane was confirmed 23-11. Four Republican senators passed on Winter and Lane. Two GOP senators were absent.

Before the votes, Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, delivered a speech endorsing each of the governor’s nominees for the Board of Regents.

“Having active and engaged members of this board will help in planning and oversight of secondary education in Kansas,” Francisco said. “I would be remiss if I didn’t specifically express my support for Senator Wint Winter. He was a member of the Kansas Senate for 10 years and did a good job.”

During the Senate Education Committee hearings, questions were raised by GOP lawmakers about political allegiances of the individuals selected by the Democratic governor. They quizzed Winter about his opposition to re-election of then-Gov. Sam Brownback, while Lane was questioned about her involvement in a school-finance lawsuit that led to a finding the Legislature’s approach to funding K-12 public schools was unconstitutional.

The political dimension of the Senate’s consideration of the nominees was unusual given that three of six members of the Board of Regents, aside from the three just confirmed, previously served in the Legislature.

In addition, Brownback selected Helen Van Etten, who served as Republican National Committeewoman, to serve on the board in 2013 at the same time she served in that high-level Republican Party position.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/03/02/senate-approves-three-nominees-to-kansas-board-of-regents-after-unprecedented-scrutiny/