The Countdown: Letitia James stops campaign for gov, honoring Bob Dole & more

Thursday, December 9, 2021
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Today's political headlines:



Attorney General Letitia James suspends run for NY governor
New York Attorney General Letitia James suspended her campaign for governor on Thursday, saying she will run for reelection to her current position to "finish the job" amid numerous ongoing investigations.

James, a Democrat, had announced in late October that she was running for governor, two months after a sexual harassment investigation she oversaw led former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign.

She had been expected to be a strong challenger against Gov. Kathy Hochul for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in an increasingly crowded field.

"Stop the Steal" leader arrives for deposition in front of House Select Committee

A prominent Conservative activist who was among the people organizing the so-called "Stop the Steal" rallies for then-President Donald Trump is cooperating with the House Select Committee investigating the assault on the U.S. Capitol.

The committee deposed Ali Alexander in private in Washington. Alexander was banned from Twitter over his posts about the 2020 election.

He denies he was to blame for the violence. He said he attended the Trump rally on the National Mall only as a guest.

Biden honors 'giant of our history' Bob Dole at US Capitol
Bob Dole lay in state Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, as the president and others gathered to pay tribute to a "giant of our history" who served the country in war and in politics with pragmatism, self-deprecating wit and a bygone era's sense of common civility and compromise.

President Joe Biden, a longtime friend, said Dole, the former Republican senator, presidential contender and World War II veteran, should have the final word as he read from his colleague of 25 years' own observation that he had served the country best when putting "principles over party."
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