TEXAS’ BRADY MAY LEAD TAX COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON» House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, soon will be named chairman of the conference committee tasked with finalizing the Republican plan to overhaul the tax code, three people familiar with the decision said.

The House and Senate have passed separate tax cut bills, and they need to reconcile differences between the legislation in a conference committee if they want the package to be signed into law.

The other potential candidate for the post was Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah.

Ventura glad legal battle against Kyle is over.

MINNEAPOLIS»

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura denounced the late “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle on Monday as an “American Liar” and said he feels vindicated in his five-year legal battle against the former Navy SEAL and his estate, although he declined to say how much his settlement is worth.

At a news conference Monday, Ventura and his lawyer would not say whether the money came from publisher HarperCollins or its insurance company. But Ventura said it didn’t come from Kyle’s widow or his estate. Ventura also said he didn’t get an apology.

Ventura, a former Underwater Demolition Teams/SEAL member, sued Kyle in 2012, alleging that Kyle defamed him in his autobiography.