Wes Modder

Voters Tired of a Halfway House

Let’s hope Congress got plenty of rest in August, because it looks like they’re going to need it! With just 12 legislative days to handle a bushel basket of crises, members won’t have the luxury of easing back into their routines. [Today’s] first GOP conference of September will likely be a long one, as conservatives try to hash out their strategies over two critical issues. On the foreign policy front, members will be tackling the President’s deeply flawed Iran deal, while on the domestic side, Congress is mulling a budgetary response to the abominable Planned Parenthood. Before the House and Senate recessed, most Republicans left little doubt as to where they stood on the issues. But where they stand and how they respond are two very different questions for this leadership team.

Navy Exonerates Chaplain Accused of Being Anti-Gay

A Navy chaplain accused of failing to show “tolerance and respect” toward gay sailors has been cleared of all wrongdoing and will not be removed from the military. “I am relieved the Navy sided with me,” Lt. Cmdr. Wes Modder told me. Modder, a highly decorated veteran who once ministered to an elite Navy SEAL unit, had been given a “detachment for cause” letter in February. He was removed from his job after his commander accused him of being intolerant and unable to “function in the diverse and pluralistic environment” of the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Goose Creek, S.C.

Navy Commander Punishing Chaplain Over Beliefs