crooksandliars--2020-12-01--The Media Hasn't Learned A Thing, Part Infinity

Now that we have a Democratic president , let 's take a look at how the media is reacting .
The first thing is , notice how quickly we 've turned from the sacred `` the new president deserves to have the team he wants '' mantra to `` Joe Biden will have the team Republicans let him have '' ?
Trump could nominate a bunch of boogers from his own nose to cabinet positions ( in fact , I 'm pretty sure he did ) and the media would caution Democrats , `` The president is entitled to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed on the basis of their qualifications , not their ideology . ''
( Even though the Republicans voted for every single unqualified nominee Trump put forth . )
Now ?
The media falls into the same servile position they always show to Republicans .
`` This nominee might be a sacrifice to the confirmation process ... '' WTF ?
Remember the `` nominees should be confirmed if they 're qualified '' ?
Now , we certainly know Republicans do n't listen to people like us .
They do n't directly listen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do notice when the media stops cooperating with them , and so we have to train the media not to uphold these double standards by hitting them on the nose with a rolled-up paper every single time .
BAD DOG !
Here you go , perfect example .
This is such a bullshit story , all ponderance and self-importance , and just like the attacks on Hillary Clinton , damns by virtue that the Times has chosen to highlight this nonsense -- to make up for all the hard-hitting stories they did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And here is the correct kind of response : Look at John Cornyn 's response , unremarked by `` serious '' journalists : Got that , kids ?
Tax returns are suddenly all the rage again !

Now that we have a Democratic president, let's take a look at how the media is reacting.
The first thing is, notice how quickly we've turned from the sacred "the new president deserves to have the team he wants" mantra to "Joe Biden will have the team Republicans let him have"?
Trump could nominate a bunch of boogers from his own nose to cabinet positions (in fact, I'm pretty sure he did) and the media would caution Democrats, "The president is entitled to his team of boogers. Nominees should be confirmed on the basis of their qualifications, not their ideology." (Even though the Republicans voted for every single unqualified nominee Trump put forth.)
Now? The media falls into the same servile position they always show to Republicans. "This nominee might be a sacrifice to the confirmation process..." WTF? Remember the "nominees should be confirmed if they're qualified"?
Now, we certainly know Republicans don't listen to people like us. They don't directly listen to the media, either. BUT they do notice when the media stops cooperating with them, and so we have to train the media not to uphold these double standards by hitting them on the nose with a rolled-up paper every single time. BAD DOG!
Here you go, perfect example. This is such a bullshit story, all ponderance and self-importance, and just like the attacks on Hillary Clinton, damns by virtue that the Times has chosen to highlight this nonsense -- to make up for all the hard-hitting stories they didn't write about Trump, I guess?
JUST POSTED: NYT takes deep look at WestExec, secretive consulting firm run by several key Biden advisors. WestExec has become effectively a White House in waiting. Clients include an Artificial Intelligence firm selling drones to Pentagon. With @kenvogel https://t.co/dtRa3pIjtq — Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) November 28, 2020
And here is the correct kind of response:
I see we are going to get 4 years of you all going after Biden with the kind of zeal you never had for the monster currently occupying the White House. — HawaiiDelilah™ (@HawaiiDelilah) November 28, 2020
Look at John Cornyn's response, unremarked by "serious" journalists:
Sen. Cornyn: "I will not support any nominee who doesn't provide full transparency into their work on behalf of a foreign government. I will not do it. The American people deserve to know if these or any future nominees are beholden to anything other than our national interest." pic.twitter.com/D7hmDZ0Pu5 — The Hill (@thehill) November 30, 2020
CORNYN adds — @neeratanden is “radioactive.” Says he wonders if Biden even thought about the nom, and is surprised there was no consultation. Says the Biden team could be saved “embarrassment” if they consulted hill Rs. — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) November 30, 2020
Oh, the irony!
Andrea ["BUT HER EMAILS!!!] @Mitchellreports just now on @MSNBC: "We now know that President-Elect Biden hurt his foot on Saturday and yet we knew nothing about it until a few hours later when he saw a doctor to get x-rays. Makes us wonder about the Biden team's transparency..." pic.twitter.com/DIGB214bNN — Ryan Adams 🎞🏳🌈 (@filmystic) November 30, 2020
WTAF Andrea Mitchell? She just said the Biden camp was not very forthcoming w/Biden's foot injury as the press would like. We still don't know why Trump went to Walter Reed a fucking YEAR ago. I'm not spending 4 yrs w/the press complaining about Biden's lack of transparency. — Julia (@Julia_In_FL) November 30, 2020
Outgoing Senate Finance Chair @ChuckGrassley on Yellen. “I believe that she would get a favorable view.” But notes committee must examine her tax returns etc before he can make final judgment — Erik Wasson (@elwasson) November 30, 2020
Got that, kids? Tax returns are suddenly all the rage again!
(And by the way: As you know, I've been the Social Security guard dog and deficit skeptic for almost 20 years. Stop all the handwringing about Neera Tanden -- if I thought she was a threat, I would tell you.)


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--It's Pardonpalooza At The White House!

It's Pardonpalooza At The White House!

It looks like the most coveted Christmas gift from Donald Trump this year will be a blanket presidential pardon .
The New York Times is reporting that Trump has discussed pardons for not only Rudy Giuliani , but also for his 3 eldest children and his son-in-law .
What federal crimes would any of them needed to be pardoned from ?
Any pardons for Guiliani would surely raise questions about whether he is using them to obstruct investigations .
And his children - my god .
Why ?
What have they done ( or does he fear they did ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have to protect them from ?
Is he worried that an incoming Biden administration Attorney General could discover serious federal crimes committed while he was in office ?
Reports are that Trump discussed these blanket pardons with aides as of last week .
And the rate at which he has been dismantling norms and destroying our country , it would not be shocking to see him set off a bunch of legal bombshells in his last weeks , just to piss everyone off .
Interestingly , he is not concerned about protecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She has kept herself out of White House affairsn and focused on her law degree , so she probably did n't do any criming .
The same can not ( probably ) be said for Ivanka , Don Jr , Eric and Jared Kushner .
There are concerns about statements and testimony given during the Mueller investigation .
There are also serious issues raised during security clearance investigations for Ivanka and Jared Kushner .
It is unclear what Don Jr or Eric did , but who knows what has gone on with that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York State regarding the Trump Organization , shady tax dealings and `` consulting fees '' paid to Ivanka .
But a *federal* pardon would not help them with *state* investigations .
In fact , accepting a pardon for federal charges that are in line with the state charges would actually put them in a more precarious legal position , possibly .
It is unclear what legal trouble Rudy needs protection from , but he was recently under investigation for shady dealings with Ukraine .
Just a reminder that on Monday night , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump to pardon his entire family , saying : “ If Biden ever became president , I ’ d tell Trump pardon yourself and pardon your family . ''
In the pardon itself , Trump would have to explain what crimes were committed .
So it would be interesting to see what he claims Rudy did , specifically , especially since it could lead to State charges in New York .
And , of course , there is the question of a SELF pardon , which everyone fully expects Donald Trump to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge and jury and determining that he is the most innocent man in the world , the biggest victim of the worst witch hunt in the history of the world , even counting the ACTUAL Salem Witch Trials .

It looks like the most coveted Christmas gift from Donald Trump this year will be a blanket presidential pardon. The New York Times is reporting that Trump has discussed pardons for not only Rudy Giuliani, but also for his 3 eldest children and his son-in-law.
What federal crimes would any of them needed to be pardoned from? Any pardons for Guiliani would surely raise questions about whether he is using them to obstruct investigations. And his children - my god. Why? What have they done (or does he fear they did) that could lead to charges that he would have to protect them from? Is he worried that an incoming Biden administration Attorney General could discover serious federal crimes committed while he was in office?
Reports are that Trump discussed these blanket pardons with aides as of last week. And the rate at which he has been dismantling norms and destroying our country, it would not be shocking to see him set off a bunch of legal bombshells in his last weeks, just to piss everyone off. Interestingly, he is not concerned about protecting his other eldest child, Tiffany. She has kept herself out of White House affairs and focused on her law degree, so she probably didn't do any criming.
The same cannot (probably) be said for Ivanka, Don Jr, Eric and Jared Kushner.
There are concerns about statements and testimony given during the Mueller investigation. There are also serious issues raised during security clearance investigations for Ivanka and Jared Kushner. It is unclear what Don Jr or Eric did, but who knows what has gone on with that family. There are ongoing investigations in New York State regarding the Trump Organization, shady tax dealings and "consulting fees" paid to Ivanka. But a *federal* pardon would not help them with *state* investigations. In fact, accepting a pardon for federal charges that are in line with the state charges would actually put them in a more precarious legal position, possibly.
It is unclear what legal trouble Rudy needs protection from, but he was recently under investigation for shady dealings with Ukraine.
Just a reminder that on Monday night, FOX News Host Sean Hannity actually advised Donald Trump to pardon his entire family, saying: “If Biden ever became president, I’d tell Trump pardon yourself and pardon your family."
In the pardon itself, Trump would have to explain what crimes were committed. So it would be interesting to see what he claims Rudy did, specifically, especially since it could lead to State charges in New York.
And, of course, there is the question of a SELF pardon, which everyone fully expects Donald Trump to issue. Literally acting as his own judge and jury and determining that he is the most innocent man in the world, the biggest victim of the worst witch hunt in the history of the world, even counting the ACTUAL Salem Witch Trials.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Mike's Blog Round Up

Mike's Blog Round Up

Lawyers , Guns and Money : Defending slave labor for corporations at the United States Supreme Court is not a @ @ @ @ @ Being the President of the United States while retweeting an account called “ Cat Turd @ @ @ @ @ look .
Informed Comment : Claiming “ the world should thank Israel ” for assassinating @ @ @ @ @ not a good look .
Towleroad : Being a high-profile anti-LGBTQ politician in Hungary and @ @ @ @ @ COVID lockdown orgy at a gay club is not a good look .
Speaking of @ @ @ @ @ the day : `` Just think of what we could accomplish…if we spent less time @ @ @ @ @ time on our knees . ''
( Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay , May @ @ @ @ @ blogging Mike 's Blog Round Up this week is Jon Perr from Perrspectives .
Send @ @ @ @ @ comments and angst to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com .

Lawyers, Guns and Money: Defending slave labor for corporations at the United States Supreme Court is not a good look.
Hackwhackers: Being the President of the United States while retweeting an account called “Cat Turd” is not a good look.
Informed Comment: Claiming “the world should thank Israel” for assassinating an Iranian nuclear scientist is not a good look.
Towleroad: Being a high-profile anti-LGBTQ politician in Hungary and then getting busted fleeing a COVID lockdown orgy at a gay club is not a good look.
Speaking of which, your quote of the day:
"Just think of what we could accomplish…if we spent less time on our soapboxes and more time on our knees." (Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay, May 5, 2005)
Guest blogging Mike's Blog Round Up this week is Jon Perr from Perrspectives. Send your tips, recommendations, comments and angst to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Betsy Devos Calls Student Debt Forgiveness 'A Truly Insidious Notion'

See , this is what happens when you put someone in a position she never had any business being in in the first place ( confirmed only after a 50-50 senate vote , with Mike Pence having to cast the deciding ballot , so atrocious that even a few Republicans voted against her ) .
You get the usual right-wing talking points , sloganeering , and talk of the `` higher education industry '' as a sort of for-profit balance sheet only , when the public sector dominates and actually educates most of the students in the United States .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spirited defense of her record after four years and skewered proposals from progressive politicians related to student debt cancellation and free college at the virtual 2020 Federal Student Aid ( FSA ) Training Conference on Tuesday .
... DeVos took aim at proposals to cancel student debt , a proposal that the incoming Biden administration campaigned on , calling debt forgiveness “ the truly insidious notion of government gift-giving.
” “ We ’ ve heard shrill calls to ‘ cancel , ’ to ‘ forgive , ’ to ‘ make it all free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Any innocuous label out there can ’ t obfuscate what it really is : wrong.
” She also condemned the Democrat-supported idea of providing free college to lower-income Americans , calling the proposal “ a socialist takeover of higher education.
” “ Now , depending on your personal politics , some of you might not find that notion as scary as I do , ” DeVos said .
“ But mark my words : None of you would like the way it will work.
” ... Making college free would water down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed , adding : “ If the politicians proposing ‘ free college ’ today get their way , just watch our colleges and universities begin to resemble a failing K-12 school , with the customer service of the DMV to boot.
” In a Trump cabinet that featured the worst bunch of crooks and liars since the time of Warren G. Harding , Betsy DeVos might be the worst of the lot .

See, this is what happens when you put someone in a position she never had any business being in in the first place (confirmed only after a 50-50 senate vote, with Mike Pence having to cast the deciding ballot, so atrocious that even a few Republicans voted against her). You get the usual right-wing talking points, sloganeering, and talk of the "higher education industry" as a sort of for-profit balance sheet only, when the public sector dominates and actually educates most of the students in the United States.
Source: Yahoo Finance
Outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos presented a spirited defense of her record after four years and skewered proposals from progressive politicians related to student debt cancellation and free college at the virtual 2020 Federal Student Aid (FSA) Training Conference on Tuesday.
...
DeVos took aim at proposals to cancel student debt, a proposal that the incoming Biden administration campaigned on, calling debt forgiveness “the truly insidious notion of government gift-giving.”
“We’ve heard shrill calls to ‘cancel,’ to ‘forgive,’ to ‘make it all free,’” Devos added. “Any innocuous label out there can’t obfuscate what it really is: wrong.”
She also condemned the Democrat-supported idea of providing free college to lower-income Americans, calling the proposal “a socialist takeover of higher education.”
“Now, depending on your personal politics, some of you might not find that notion as scary as I do,” DeVos said. “But mark my words: None of you would like the way it will work.”
...
Making college free would water down the quality of American higher ed, DeVos claimed, adding: “If the politicians proposing ‘free college’ today get their way, just watch our colleges and universities begin to resemble a failing K-12 school, with the customer service of the DMV to boot.”


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Obama Admits He Has Not Scheduled A Tee Time With Trump

Remember how much Trump complained about Obama 's golf habit ?
Trump has played 170 percent more golf than Obama @ @ @ @ @ his first term , and cost taxpayers 340 percent more than Obama spent .
https @ @

Can you help us out?
For 18 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--GA Republican: Trump ‘Complicit’ In Threats Against Election Officials

Sterling called on Trump as well as Georgia ’ s two Republican senators to “ take a position of leadership ” and condemn the inflammatory rhetoric that has led to death threats against Georgia ’ s election officials after the state ’ s vote went to Joe Biden .
“ All of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this , ” Sterling said .
STERLING : Mr. President , you have not condemned these actions or this language .
Senators , you have not condemned this language or these actions .
This has to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and if you are going to take a position of leadership , show some .
This is elections .
This is the backbone of democracy and all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this .
It 's too much .
Yes , fight for every legal vote .
Go through your due process .
We encourage you , use your First Amendment , that 's fine .
Death threats , physical threats , intimidation , it 's too much .
It 's not right .
They have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it is .

Sterling called on Trump as well as Georgia’s two Republican senators to “take a position of leadership” and condemn the inflammatory rhetoric that has led to death threats against Georgia’s election officials after the state’s vote went to Joe Biden. “All of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this,” Sterling said.
Nicolle Wallace played a clip:
STERLING: Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language. Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions. This has to stop. We need you to step up and if you are going to take a position of leadership, show some. This is elections. This is the backbone of democracy and all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this. It's too much. Yes, fight for every legal vote. Go through your due process. We encourage you, use your First Amendment, that's fine. Death threats, physical threats, intimidation, it's too much. It's not right. They have lost the moral high ground to claim that it is.
Reuters reporter Brad Heath has more:
Gabriel Sterling, Georgia's voting systems manager, is just exasperated. "It has all gone too far." A technician in Gwinnett County was told he should be hung for treason. The Secretary of State's wife is getting "sexualized threats."
"It has to stop." pic.twitter.com/qSuukNfJib — Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 1, 2020
Sterling, a Georgia election official and a Republican: "Mr. President. It looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia. ... Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone's going to get hurt, someone's going to get shot, someone's going to get killed." — Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 1, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Ron Johnson Privately Admits Biden Won, But Publicly Pushes Trump's Lies

As a caveat , the gentle reader should be aware that the following is an excerpt from an article by Mark Becker , former chair of the Brown County Republicans ( Brown County is the home of Green Bay ) and was published in The Bulwark , a right wing site founded by radical right winger Charlie Sykes , who helped usher in Scott Walker , David Clarke and Ron Johnson and who is now trying to cash in on the `` Never Trump '' wing of the Republicans .
With that in mind , the reader can take it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports that he had a 30-minute conversation with RoJo to discuss Becker 's concern 's about the direction that the GOP is taking .
While the whole article is worthy of a read the real insight into RoJo 's depravity is here : After dismissing the notion that being honest with his constituents about election integrity was important , Sen. Johnson said that although Biden had won , he was , “ the worst candidate for president in the history of the country.
” He said that Biden won strictly because of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the media every single day .
We spoke of organizations such as the Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump .
Johnson said that he loathed these organizations because “ they are money-grubbing pieces of shit.
” He said that these organizations and the media refused to accept all the good things Trump has done , “ even though he [ Trump ] is an asshole , he was right on so many things.
” He talked about his displeasure for the “ political establishment.
” He said that he “ honestly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitch McConnell , ” because of his entrenchment within said establishment .
The senator talked about Trump being right on the First Step Act , right on China , and right on the economy .
He said that Trump had so many accomplishments but that nobody wants to talk about them because everyone hates his guts .
He said that with him , “ it ’ s really about what ’ s right and what ’ s wrong , ” and in his mind Trump was right on so many things .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about right versus wrong , why doesn ’ t he call out what Trump does wrong ?
His answer : In essence , that it would be political suicide .
In summary , RoJo thinks being honest with the people of Wisconsin is less important that kissing Trump 's orange ass , even though Trump is on his way out .
Also , RoJo keeps irony alive by calling the `` Never Trump '' groups `` money-grubbing pieces of shit . ''
Does RoJo even own a mirror ?
And all of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the MAGAts would not be nice to him .
In other words , RoJo 's too chickenshit to be honest with the people despite everyone already knowing the truth .
Maybe Trump can take RoJo with him when he leaves .
Now , is n't that a happy thought ?

As a caveat, the gentle reader should be aware that the following is an excerpt from an article by Mark Becker, former chair of the Brown County Republicans (Brown County is the home of Green Bay) and was published in The Bulwark, a right wing site founded by radical right winger Charlie Sykes, who helped usher in Scott Walker, David Clarke and Ron Johnson and who is now trying to cash in on the "Never Trump" wing of the Republicans. With that in mind, the reader can take it for what it's worth.
Becker reports that he had a 30-minute conversation with RoJo to discuss Becker's concern's about the direction that the GOP is taking. While the whole article is worthy of a read the real insight into RoJo's depravity is here:
After dismissing the notion that being honest with his constituents about election integrity was important, Sen. Johnson said that although Biden had won, he was, “the worst candidate for president in the history of the country.” He said that Biden won strictly because of all the hatred for Trump that was advanced by the media every single day. We spoke of organizations such as the Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump. Johnson said that he loathed these organizations because “they are money-grubbing pieces of shit.” He said that these organizations and the media refused to accept all the good things Trump has done, “even though he [Trump] is an asshole, he was right on so many things.” He talked about his displeasure for the “political establishment.” He said that he “honestly doesn’t even much care for Mitch McConnell,” because of his entrenchment within said establishment. The senator talked about Trump being right on the First Step Act, right on China, and right on the economy. He said that Trump had so many accomplishments but that nobody wants to talk about them because everyone hates his guts. He said that with him, “it’s really about what’s right and what’s wrong,” and in his mind Trump was right on so many things. I asked him that if it truly is about right versus wrong, why doesn’t he call out what Trump does wrong? His answer: In essence, that it would be political suicide.
In summary, RoJo thinks being honest with the people of Wisconsin is less important that kissing Trump's orange ass, even though Trump is on his way out.
Also, RoJo keeps irony alive by calling the "Never Trump" groups "money-grubbing pieces of shit." Does RoJo even own a mirror?
And all of this stems from RoJo's deep-seated fear that the MAGAts would not be nice to him. In other words, RoJo's too chickenshit to be honest with the people despite everyone already knowing the truth. Maybe Trump can take RoJo with him when he leaves. Now, isn't that a happy thought?


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Rep. Katie Porter Pantses Steve Mnuchin: 'Is Today The Year 2026?'

Many rich , entitled , white men have appeared before Rep. Katie Porter feeling superior and prepared , only to be humiliated and humbled by her simple and straightforward recitation of facts and logic proving them criminally corrupt .
No one deserves this treatment more than Steve Mnuchin , but he was particularly resentful of having to undergo the Katie Porter Treatment , as evidenced by his sexist and condescending behavior towards her today .
Under her line of questioning about why he was trying to move $ 455 billion of COVID relief back to Treasury now , when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before 2026 , Rep. Porter challenged him with such brain-twisters as , `` Is today the year 2026 ? ''
Consequently , he became offended and sniffed that it was ridiculous for her to be wasting his time with such questions .
Her response was , `` Well , Secretary Mnuchin , I think it 's ridiculous that you 're play-acting to be a lawyer when you have no legal degree . ''
In a a thoroughly predictable move , he claimed the lawyers at Treasury were enough to advise him , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frikkin offer to MANSPLAIN it to Chairwoman Maxine Waters at a later date — as if Rep. Porter was too stupid to understand the legal issues involved .
In response , Rep. Porter asked him directly if he held a legal degree , and he said he did not .
Similarly , she asked Chairman Powell , ( who disagrees about the money going back into the general Treasury fund ) if he has a legal degree , and the answer was yes .
As a way of pointing out Mnuchin 's lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Powell 's , implying the one with the law degree would have a better idea of how the law should be applied as written .
Clearly chaffing at being outranked academically ( and intellectually , ) he attempted then to insult HER , by asking , `` Are YOU a lawyer ? ''
Not only is Rep. Porter a lawyer , Steven , she went to Harvard Law , studied under Sen. Elizabeth Warren , taught law at UC Irvine , wrote a Consumer Protection Law textbook , and is currently writing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Twitter had thoughts , beginning with Rep. Porter herself .
* *I have no idea what the first letter of each sentence of this post spells .
Do you ?

Many rich, entitled, white men have appeared before Rep. Katie Porter feeling superior and prepared, only to be humiliated and humbled by her simple and straightforward recitation of facts and logic proving them criminally corrupt. No one deserves this treatment more than Steve Mnuchin, but he was particularly resentful of having to undergo the Katie Porter Treatment, as evidenced by his sexist and condescending behavior towards her today.
Under her line of questioning about why he was trying to move $455 billion of COVID relief back to Treasury now, when the law says it cannot be done before 2026, Rep. Porter challenged him with such brain-twisters as, "Is today the year 2026?" Consequently, he became offended and sniffed that it was ridiculous for her to be wasting his time with such questions.
Her response was, "Well, Secretary Mnuchin, I think it's ridiculous that you're play-acting to be a lawyer when you have no legal degree." In a a thoroughly predictable move, he claimed the lawyers at Treasury were enough to advise him, but then he went a step further to frikkin offer to MANSPLAIN it to Chairwoman Maxine Waters at a later date — as if Rep. Porter was too stupid to understand the legal issues involved.
Not cool, Steven.
In response, Rep. Porter asked him directly if he held a legal degree, and he said he did not. Similarly, she asked Chairman Powell, (who disagrees about the money going back into the general Treasury fund) if he has a legal degree, and the answer was yes.
As a way of pointing out Mnuchin's lack of credentials, Rep. Porter compared his to Powell's, implying the one with the law degree would have a better idea of how the law should be applied as written. Clearly chaffing at being outranked academically (and intellectually,) he attempted then to insult HER, by asking, "Are YOU a lawyer?"
UNREAL.
Not only is Rep. Porter a lawyer, Steven, she went to Harvard Law, studied under Sen. Elizabeth Warren, taught law at UC Irvine, wrote a Consumer Protection Law textbook, and is currently writing law as a sitting member of Congress.
Twitter had thoughts, beginning with Rep. Porter herself.*
*I have no idea what the first letter of each sentence of this post spells. Do you?
I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck, @stevenmnuchin1. I’ve been holding Wall Street bankers and predatory lenders accountable for more than a decade. pic.twitter.com/7f6TJpfcrd — Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) December 2, 2020
I made this helpful guide for people over at the Treasury confused about the relative statuses of Katie Porter and Steven Mnuchin. pic.twitter.com/MqcBwIXYVY — Joseph (@jhkayejr) December 2, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Gaetz And Hannity Urge Trump To Admit He And His Family Are Guilty Of Committing Federal Crimes

Someone needs to remind Trump lickspittles Matt Gaetz and Sean Hannity that accepting pardons also means an admission of guilt .
Following the news that Trump has been considering giving blanket pardons to members of his family , Rudy Giuliani and even himself , Hannity doubled down on his television show on Fox Tuesday night and urged Trump to do just that .
On Tuesday night , in a panel with strident pro-Trump supporters Congressman Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) and Fox commentator Greg Jarrett , Hannity reiterated his public call from the day before .
During his Monday radio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to self-pardon himself and also pardon untold numbers of his family before leaving office next month .
Just as he had on Monday , Hannity singled out former Mueller probe deputy Andrew Weissman in his rationale for short circuiting the rule of law , pointing to recent comments by Weissman urging Biden ’ s as-yet-unnamed attorney general to not shy away from investigation and prosecuting Trump for misconduct while in office , saying his “ criminal exposure is clear.
” “ Three years he was Robert Mueller ’ s pitbull .
Didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now he ’ s saying that if Biden becomes president , as an AG , he wants Trump investigated in perpetuity , ” Hannity said .
“ If this is the threat they ’ re going to make to a guy leaving office perhaps one day , my question is , why wouldn ’ t he just pardon himself and his family on the way out the door ?
Because I think it would be right to do so , because these people are nuts.
” Gaetz quickly upped the ante even further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for almost everyone who ever worked for him in government — as well as random supporters .
“ The president should pardon himself , his family , his administration officials , and if his supporters who have been targeted , ” Gaetz proclaimed , before expressing his disappointment at the belated news of John Durham ’ s status as special counsel .
As we already discussed here , that 's not going to save Trump or the rest of them from state charges , and Cuomo just signed a law in October closing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid facing charges in New York .
And as ABC recently reported , `` Trump 's loss in the 2020 election could serve to significantly complicate his efforts to fight off a host of lawsuits and investigations into himself and his company , forcing him to shed what has been one of his most effective legal shields for the past four years , according to legal experts . ''
While Trump certainly has n't escaped legal scrutiny during his time in office , his attorneys , in their efforts to delay or derail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to claim the office of the presidency essentially granted him immunity .
In several cases , the Justice Department has intervened on Trump 's behalf , throwing its legal firepower behind his personal defense attorneys .
Upon departing office on Jan. 20 , Trump would have to shift that strategy as he faces the new reality of managing his defenses as a private citizen , both with respect to pending civil cases , as well as investigations which could have both civil and criminal implications .
No more hiding behind the office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually doing something besides watching Fox and rage-tweeting all day .

Someone needs to remind Trump lickspittles Matt Gaetz and Sean Hannity that accepting pardons also means an admission of guilt. Following the news that Trump has been considering giving blanket pardons to members of his family, Rudy Giuliani and even himself, Hannity doubled down on his television show on Fox Tuesday night and urged Trump to do just that.
On Tuesday night, in a panel with strident pro-Trump supporters Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Fox commentator Greg Jarrett, Hannity reiterated his public call from the day before. During his Monday radio show, Hannity had unabashedly encouraged Trump to self-pardon himself and also pardon untold numbers of his family before leaving office next month. Just as he had on Monday, Hannity singled out former Mueller probe deputy Andrew Weissman in his rationale for short circuiting the rule of law, pointing to recent comments by Weissman urging Biden’s as-yet-unnamed attorney general to not shy away from investigation and prosecuting Trump for misconduct while in office, saying his “criminal exposure is clear.” “Three years he was Robert Mueller’s pitbull. Didn’t get the result he wanted. Now he’s saying that if Biden becomes president, as an AG, he wants Trump investigated in perpetuity,” Hannity said. “If this is the threat they’re going to make to a guy leaving office perhaps one day, my question is, why wouldn’t he just pardon himself and his family on the way out the door? Because I think it would be right to do so, because these people are nuts.” Gaetz quickly upped the ante even further, calling on Trump to issue pardons for almost everyone who ever worked for him in government — as well as random supporters. “The president should pardon himself, his family, his administration officials, and if his supporters who have been targeted,” Gaetz proclaimed, before expressing his disappointment at the belated news of John Durham’s status as special counsel.
As we already discussed here, that's not going to save Trump or the rest of them from state charges, and Cuomo just signed a law in October closing the loophole that may have helped them avoid facing charges in New York.
And as ABC recently reported, "Trump's loss in the 2020 election could serve to significantly complicate his efforts to fight off a host of lawsuits and investigations into himself and his company, forcing him to shed what has been one of his most effective legal shields for the past four years, according to legal experts."
While Trump certainly hasn't escaped legal scrutiny during his time in office, his attorneys, in their efforts to delay or derail various investigations and cases, have repeatedly tried to claim the office of the presidency essentially granted him immunity. In several cases, the Justice Department has intervened on Trump's behalf, throwing its legal firepower behind his personal defense attorneys. Upon departing office on Jan. 20, Trump would have to shift that strategy as he faces the new reality of managing his defenses as a private citizen, both with respect to pending civil cases, as well as investigations which could have both civil and criminal implications.
No more hiding behind the office of the presidency and pretending he's actually doing something besides watching Fox and rage-tweeting all day.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--'Lock Him Up!' Trump Attorney Incites Violence Against Georgia Governor

An attorney who says he is representing President Donald Trump encouraged a group of angry supporters to target Gov .
Brian Kemp ( R ) at a “ Stop the Steal ” rally in Georgia on Wednesday .
“ We ’ re going to send them a message !
” Wood shouted , referring to Georgia officials .
“ And the message is this .
It ’ s 1776 in America again !
And you ’ re not going to take our freedom .
We ’ re going to fight for our liberty !
” “ This is America !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , ” he continued .
“ Get out of our country , George Soros !
We are not going to allow ourselves to go back into the polling booth — and you hear us out , Gov .
Kemp , you hear me.
” “ You ’ re not going to sell our votes to China !
” Wood said .
“ We ’ re not going to vote on your damn machines made in China !
We ’ re going to vote on machines made in the USA !
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time called upon the Black Americans to take action , ” Wood said .
“ Martin Luther King , Jr. believed in non-violent civil disobedience .
I want you to go to the governor ’ s mansion , I want you to circle it , I want you to blow your horns until Brian Kemp comes out and orders a special session of the Georgia Legislature .
Get us our legislature !
And we want him to fix the mess that he created !
” “ And then he can resign .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned , lock him up !
” he shouted , prompting the crowd to chant , “ Lock him up !
Lock him up !
” In recent days , Georgia election officials have worried President Donald Trump and his supporters could incite violence in the state .

An attorney who says he is representing President Donald Trump encouraged a group of angry supporters to target Gov. Brian Kemp (R) at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Georgia on Wednesday.
“We’re going to send them a message!” Wood shouted, referring to Georgia officials. “And the message is this. It’s 1776 in America again! And you’re not going to take our freedom. We’re going to fight for our liberty!”
“This is America! You picked a fight with the wrong people,” he continued. “Get out of our country, George Soros! We are not going to allow ourselves to go back into the polling booth — and you hear us out, Gov. Kemp, you hear me.”
“You’re not going to sell our votes to China!” Wood said. “We’re not going to vote on your damn machines made in China! We’re going to vote on machines made in the USA!”
Trump’s attorney then invoked Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I believe that a great man one time called upon the Black Americans to take action,” Wood said. “Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in non-violent civil disobedience. I want you to go to the governor’s mansion, I want you to circle it, I want you to blow your horns until Brian Kemp comes out and orders a special session of the Georgia Legislature. Get us our legislature! And we want him to fix the mess that he created!”
“And then he can resign. And then as far as I’m concerned, lock him up!” he shouted, prompting the crowd to chant, “Lock him up! Lock him up!”
In recent days, Georgia election officials have worried President Donald Trump and his supporters could incite violence in the state.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--This Must Stop: CNN Host Asks If Progressives Drive Dems Too Far Left

Dana Bash asked Doug Jones about whether coastal progressives are driving the party 's agenda , which is nothing more than classic Beltway bias .
Jones dodged elegantly , but it 's time for the media to stop doing this .
During an interview with Jones on CNN Wednesday , Bash actually asked this question : `` Are you worried that the party is too focused on the coast , too focused on the big cities , and are being driven -- is the party being driven , too much , by progressives ? ''
Ah , the `` coastal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who live on the West Coast and see their states being consumed in fire or the people who live on the East Coast who are witnessing a record number of hurricanes in one year are somehow pushing the Democratic party in a bad direction .
What the hell ?
Jones lobbed that loaded question right back at her skillfully , noting that Democrats are a big-tent party with people on either end of the spectrum who tangle .
`` But , at the end of the day , we all want the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We all want good health care for the American people .
We all want good jobs and good-paying jobs , and try to -- try to lower , you know , to narrow the income gap that we got out there .
We want to keep America secure , both in our elections , as well as our nation secure .
How you get there is , I think , is -- is the issue . ''
`` And I believe that we can do that , and I -- I 'm really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he continued .
`` They see the problems that we 've got in some of the rural areas .
They understand that .
And I believe as we go forward , they are going to see the messages because it was -- it was the Democratic party that brought Social Security , Medicare , Medicaid , all of those issues that those rural areas need and that they want . ''
Yes , indeed .
There is broad agreement on the goals .
It 's the road to get there , with progressives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
And what is wrong with that ?
Seriously , media must stop framing these questions as though there is some sort of liability for wanting to do good things for people .
ALL PEOPLE .
Bash 's question is especially bad right now , when we have the so-called `` President '' and his legal minions pulling out all of the stops to push over 70 million people into believing that Joe Biden did not win this election by delegitimizing mail-in ballots because Democrats cast them .
On Tuesday , disgraced-and-yet-pardoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declare martial law , throw out the election results and hold another election overseen by the military .
Seriously .
As Josh Marshall noted in a thread about that tweet , it is sedition .
Where are the questions to Republicans about that ?
Where are the interviews with outgoing Republican Senator Lamar Alexander about Flynn ?
Where are the expressed concerns about Flynn endorsing the same behavior that brought on the Nazi era ?
Instead we get concern trolling about progressives driving the Democratic Party .
Here 's another question for Bash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at YOU , Andrea Mitchell ) : That 's right , why is it that we 're not hearing more about how the GOP is being driven hard right by the QAnon freaks and their delusional side show ?
We ca n't get Beltway media to focus on Biden 's 80 million votes while they obsess on the minority who voted for Trump .
That 's bad enough , but asking these kinds of questions of the one party who is trying to govern responsibly is media malpractice .

Dana Bash asked Doug Jones about whether coastal progressives are driving the party's agenda, which is nothing more than classic Beltway bias. Jones dodged elegantly, but it's time for the media to stop doing this.
During an interview with Jones on CNN Wednesday, Bash actually asked this question: "Are you worried that the party is too focused on the coast, too focused on the big cities, and are being driven -- is the party being driven, too much, by progressives?"
Ah, the "coastal elite" framing, as if people who live on the West Coast and see their states being consumed in fire or the people who live on the East Coast who are witnessing a record number of hurricanes in one year are somehow pushing the Democratic party in a bad direction. What the hell?
Jones lobbed that loaded question right back at her skillfully, noting that Democrats are a big-tent party with people on either end of the spectrum who tangle.
"But, at the end of the day, we all want the same things," he said. "We all want good health care for the American people. We all want good jobs and good-paying jobs, and try to -- try to lower, you know, to narrow the income gap that we got out there. We want to keep America secure, both in our elections, as well as our nation secure. How you get there is, I think, is -- is the issue."
"And I believe that we can do that, and I -- I'm really hopeful for the Democratic party," he continued. "They see the problems that we've got in some of the rural areas. They understand that. And I believe as we go forward, they are going to see the messages because it was -- it was the Democratic party that brought Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, all of those issues that those rural areas need and that they want."
Yes, indeed. There is broad agreement on the goals. It's the road to get there, with progressives pushing for the most direct and effective one. And what is wrong with that? Seriously, media must stop framing these questions as though there is some sort of liability for wanting to do good things for people. ALL PEOPLE.
Bash's question is especially bad right now, when we have the so-called "President" and his legal minions pulling out all of the stops to push over 70 million people into believing that Joe Biden did not win this election by delegitimizing mail-in ballots because Democrats cast them.
On Tuesday, disgraced-and-yet-pardoned Mike Flynn tweeted support for Trump to declare martial law, throw out the election results and hold another election overseen by the military. Seriously.
As Josh Marshall noted in a thread about that tweet, it is sedition.
Where are the questions to Republicans about that? Where are the interviews with outgoing Republican Senator Lamar Alexander about Flynn? Where are the expressed concerns about Flynn endorsing the same behavior that brought on the Nazi era?
Instead we get concern trolling about progressives driving the Democratic Party.
Here's another question for Bash and others just like her (looking at YOU, Andrea Mitchell):
Does she ever ask Republicans if they're pushed too hard by QAnon? — Sybill “ByeDon” Trelawney (@SybilT2) December 2, 2020
That's right, why is it that we're not hearing more about how the GOP is being driven hard right by the QAnon freaks and their delusional side show?
We can't get Beltway media to focus on Biden's 80 million votes while they obsess on the minority who voted for Trump. That's bad enough, but asking these kinds of questions of the one party who is trying to govern responsibly is media malpractice.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Oh Noes! Right Wing Site Parler Has A Porn Problem

[ Above , a Sidney Powell look-a-like holds a really big gun while wearing a swimsuit .
Not found at Parler , but it could be ! ]
Turns out the Twitter-alternative for Right-Wingers has a porn problem ?
Color me not shocked one bit .
It 's the INTERNET , after all .
Parler has gained a rapid following because they promise not to delete your racist sexist sh*tpost , Dwayne .
Who knew the constituency that considers Tomi Lahren a `` commentator '' would go the `` hot chicks free nudes '' route ?
All of us .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Parler crowd in a different manner than on Twitter .
This being the Internet , there 's also ... a lot of porno stuff on the `` no Twitter jail yay ! ''
website ?
Go figure .
WaPo reports : Parler once banned all pornography but in recent months revised its terms of service to permit essentially anything that ’ s legal , making its policy close to Twitter ’ s , if slightly more permissive .
Twitter , however , also has automated systems that prevent excessively rapid posting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and employs human moderators to enforce its policies .
Parler , by contrast , outsources moderation to volunteers who judge potentially objectionable content after it has been flagged by other users .
Its systems and policies have given wide latitude for images of adult nudity and sexual behavior , a Washington Post review in recent weeks found .
A variety of pornography is easy to find on the site , using both search terms that are explicitly pornographic and others that are not .
These included # trump2020 and # wwg1wga , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory , with its baseless claims that leading Democrats and Hollywood celebrities are Satan-worshipping pedophiles .
Searches of another hashtag popular with QAnon adherents , # sextrafficking , also yielded numerous pornographic images the same week that they appeared on # sexytrumpgirl , The Post ’ s review found .
An account responsible for many of the pornographic images on those hashtags is now restricted as “ private.
” Did they search for `` cheese pizza '' yet ?

[Above, a Sidney Powell look-a-like holds a really big gun while wearing a swimsuit. Not found at Parler, but it could be!]
Turns out the Twitter-alternative for Right-Wingers has a porn problem? Color me not shocked one bit. It's the INTERNET, after all.
Parler has gained a rapid following because they promise not to delete your racist sexist sh*tpost, Dwayne.
Who knew the constituency that considers Tomi Lahren a "commentator" would go the "hot chicks free nudes" route? All of us.
And it also appears certain legislators cater to the Parler crowd in a different manner than on Twitter.
My first Parler insight: Mike Lee on Twitter is talking legislation he's working on and the GA Senate races. On Parler he's stoking the idea that Trump maybe won pic.twitter.com/qVKw2qRVB8 — Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) November 23, 2020
This being the Internet, there's also...a lot of porno stuff on the "no Twitter jail yay!" website? Go figure. WaPo reports:
Parler once banned all pornography but in recent months revised its terms of service to permit essentially anything that’s legal, making its policy close to Twitter’s, if slightly more permissive. Twitter, however, also has automated systems that prevent excessively rapid posting, as well as other spammy behavior, and employs human moderators to enforce its policies. Parler, by contrast, outsources moderation to volunteers who judge potentially objectionable content after it has been flagged by other users. Its systems and policies have given wide latitude for images of adult nudity and sexual behavior, a Washington Post review in recent weeks found. A variety of pornography is easy to find on the site, using both search terms that are explicitly pornographic and others that are not. These included #trump2020 and #wwg1wga, a slogan for the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory, with its baseless claims that leading Democrats and Hollywood celebrities are Satan-worshipping pedophiles. Searches of another hashtag popular with QAnon adherents, #sextrafficking, also yielded numerous pornographic images the same week that they appeared on #sexytrumpgirl, The Post’s review found. An account responsible for many of the pornographic images on those hashtags is now restricted as “private.”
Did they search for "cheese pizza" yet?


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Another Day One Job For Biden: Cut Off Trump's Intelligence Briefings

It 's customary for former presidents to be in the loop on international developments , including classified information .
In normal cases , former presidents have diplomatic connections and experience that can prove invaluable for the current government .
So intelligence agents and officials have routinely provided classified briefings and given access to the nation 's secrets .
That needs to end with Donald Trump , some of these agents say , publicly .
David Priess was a CIA officer who used to brief former President George H.W .
Bush on national security concerns in the Middle East .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk and should n't get those briefings .
He points to the revelation from The New York Times that Trump 's $ 400 million debt is coming due soon .
`` Is that a risk ? ''
said Priess .
`` If it were someone applying for a security clearance , damn right it would be a risk . ''
Jack Goldsmith , a senior Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration concurs .
`` He 's shown as president that he does n't take secret-keeping terribly seriously , '' Goldsmith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tendency to disrespect rules related to national security .
And he has a known tendency to like to sell things that are valuable to him . ''
Trump has a very long history of letting national security secrets out of the bag .
Like right out of the gate when he was meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak in the Oval Office and told them highly classified and sensitive intelligence information the U.S. had just received .
Or the secret nuclear weapons system he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year .
Or when he disclosed classified information in his public announcement of the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi .
Or when he blabbed to the president of the Philippines the location of two nuclear submarines that were near North Korea .
Also when he was having a classified briefing about North Korea with the Japanese prime minister at Mar-a-Lago and a member of the club took pictures and posted it on Facebook .
Oh , and the tweeting out a satellite photo of what experts said was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a bit of a security risk there .
His abiding love for Vladimir Putin is also kind of concerning to many in national security .
Doug Wise , a former CIA officer , writes at Just Security that as both a former president and potential 2024 candidate , `` Trump could also remain politically active and by doing so the Russians could benefit from his nurturing chaos and inflaming divisiveness ; all of this in exchange for partial or complete absolution of his hundreds of millions of dollars in loans . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ security clearance ?
Probably not , so that 's all Biden would need to have to justify cutting off his access .
`` With Trump 's unexplained finances , unclear relationships with shadowy Russian figures and espoused admiration for Russia and Putin this would easily make him ineligible for access to America 's secrets .
As it should be . ''

It's customary for former presidents to be in the loop on international developments, including classified information. In normal cases, former presidents have diplomatic connections and experience that can prove invaluable for the current government. So intelligence agents and officials have routinely provided classified briefings and given access to the nation's secrets. That needs to end with Donald Trump, some of these agents say, publicly.
David Priess was a CIA officer who used to brief former President George H.W. Bush on national security concerns in the Middle East. Now he says that Trump is a security risk and shouldn't get those briefings. He points to the revelation from The New York Times that Trump's $400 million debt is coming due soon. "Is that a risk?" said Priess. "If it were someone applying for a security clearance, damn right it would be a risk." Jack Goldsmith, a senior Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration concurs. "He's shown as president that he doesn't take secret-keeping terribly seriously," Goldsmith said. "He has a known tendency to disrespect rules related to national security. And he has a known tendency to like to sell things that are valuable to him."
Trump has a very long history of letting national security secrets out of the bag. Like right out of the gate when he was meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak in the Oval Office and told them highly classified and sensitive intelligence information the U.S. had just received. Or the secret nuclear weapons system he blabbed about to Bob Woodward in interviews this year. Or when he disclosed classified information in his public announcement of the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Or when he blabbed to the president of the Philippines the location of two nuclear submarines that were near North Korea. Also when he was having a classified briefing about North Korea with the Japanese prime minister at Mar-a-Lago and a member of the club took pictures and posted it on Facebook. Oh, and the tweeting out a satellite photo of what experts said was an Iranian nuclear facility.
So, yeah, a bit of a security risk there. His abiding love for Vladimir Putin is also kind of concerning to many in national security. Doug Wise, a former CIA officer, writes at Just Security that as both a former president and potential 2024 candidate, "Trump could also remain politically active and by doing so the Russians could benefit from his nurturing chaos and inflaming divisiveness; all of this in exchange for partial or complete absolution of his hundreds of millions of dollars in loans."
Would Trump be able to clear a security clearance? Probably not, so that's all Biden would need to have to justify cutting off his access. "With Trump's unexplained finances, unclear relationships with shadowy Russian figures and espoused admiration for Russia and Putin this would easily make him ineligible for access to America's secrets. As it should be."
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--Trump Claims DoJ Pay-For-Pardon Stories Are, Of Course, 'Fake News'

Trump of course denies that the DoJ investigation into a pay-for-pardon scheme , despite the documentation released last night , @ @ @ @ @ Points Memo : It ’ s unclear whether Trump ’ s brief tweet is a @ @ @ @ @ s existence as a whole or of the suspected activity being investigated .
The investigation @ @ @ @ @ Chief Judge Beryl Howell unsealed a court order on Tuesday authorizing prosecutors to access communications @ @ @ @ @ the scheme .
The order , which was heavily redacted before being made public , @ @ @ @ @ and does not indicate whether or not Trump was directly involved .

Trump of course denies that the DoJ investigation into a pay-for-pardon scheme, despite the documentation released last night, was fake. Via Talking Points Memo:
“Pardon investigation is Fake News!” he tweeted.
It’s unclear whether Trump’s brief tweet is a denial of the probe’s existence as a whole or of the suspected activity being investigated.
The investigation itself indisputably exists; Federal Chief Judge Beryl Howell unsealed a court order on Tuesday authorizing prosecutors to access communications between individuals allegedly involved in the scheme.
The order, which was heavily redacted before being made public, does not identify those individuals and does not indicate whether or not Trump was directly involved.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--#MoscowMitch Just Doesn't Want To Help Any Blue States In Stimulus Deal

Sen. Angus King talked to CNN 's John Berman this morning about the difficulty of getting a stimulus bill passed under the reign of Mitch McConnell .
`` We could have a bill supported by 99 senators and if the majority leader said , ' I 'm not going to bring it up , ' it does n't come up .
And there 's no mechanism seriously to make that happen , '' he said .
`` So , he 's got to listen .
And I 'm hoping he 's going to listen to the members of his caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do something , it 's urgent .
People are going to be losing benefits .
People are going to be losing their places to live .
They 're going to be evicted .
Schools are going to have really serious problems .
We 've got to do something , and we 've put forward a good faith effort to make that happen . '
`` '' You say , ' I do n't know what the majority leader 's problem is .
His plan that he 's laying out is half , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , does n't include any state and local government aid at all .
If that 's the only thing that gets to the floor , is that better than nothing ? ''
Berman asked .
`` That 's a decision we 'll have to make .
This business of no help for the states and localities , I do n't get .
What we have here , John , is a natural disaster .
It 's a biological hurricane , if you will .
And it 's striking some states more seriously than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night , there 's something like 25 republican-dominated states , red states , that are in serious financial difficulty , both in their localities and in their states .
It 's not just a blue state problem , '' King said .
`` But what really bothers me is , you know , I betcha I voted on 10 or 12 or 15 or I do n't want know how many natural disaster bills for various parts of the country , and it never occurred to me to ask , well , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state that 's going to get this money ?
If Florida gets hit by a hurricane , we give them some help .
And we 're one country and that 's really what this is all about .
And somehow at the beginning of this , Senator McConnell got into his head -- he used the term 'blue state bailout . '
`` And it 's simply trying to help states and localities that are struggling to keep , for example , first responders on the payroll .
Otherwise , states ca n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll have to either raise taxes or cut expenditures , which means laying people off .
And that 's just not a practical alternative .
I really wish the majority leader would take a broader view of this and realize , this is really important .
And what we 're proposing in this framework is less than half of what the National Governor 's Association said we would really need , and half of what the president said he would accept months ago .
`` Joe Biden did an interview with Thomas Friedman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward .
This is what Biden said .
He said , ' I think there are trade-offs , that not all compromise is walking away from principle .
Biden added , 'He knows me , I know him .
I do n't ask him to embarrass himself to make a deal . '
So President-elect Biden is holding out hope to be able to work with Mitch McConnell .
How much hope realistically do you have that that will be successful ? ''
Berman said .
King said the real questions is what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he gets enough members of the Republican caucus -- and by the way , we had a number come forward yesterday saying , 'We think this is a good plan , we would like to be involved . '
So if there 's sort of a growing momentum there , you know , he 's going to work with his caucus and I hope that he understands that this is really something important for the country and that the issue of assistance for state and localities , look , they 're really hurting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ironically , there 's a lag here where states that are just going into the real crisis mode will see the fiscal impact in a month or two .
They may think they 're okay now , but then they 'll find out their revenues are collapsing .
This should be an essential part of this .
It was a hard-fought in our group . ''
Or , when we eliminate all those reasons , we are left with the conclusion that Mitch is doing what he loves best : Salting the earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course King is not going to admit that just yet .

Sen. Angus King talked to CNN's John Berman this morning about the difficulty of getting a stimulus bill passed under the reign of Mitch McConnell.
"We could have a bill supported by 99 senators and if the majority leader said, 'I'm not going to bring it up,' it doesn't come up. And there's no mechanism seriously to make that happen," he said.
"So, he's got to listen. And I'm hoping he's going to listen to the members of his caucus saying, 'Look, we need to do something, it's urgent. People are going to be losing benefits. People are going to be losing their places to live. They're going to be evicted. Schools are going to have really serious problems. We've got to do something, and we've put forward a good faith effort to make that happen.' "
"You say, 'I don't know what the majority leader's problem is. His plan that he's laying out is half, if that, of what you're suggesting, doesn't include any state and local government aid at all. If that's the only thing that gets to the floor, is that better than nothing?" Berman asked.
"That's a decision we'll have to make. This business of no help for the states and localities, I don't get. What we have here, John, is a natural disaster. It's a biological hurricane, if you will. And it's striking some states more seriously than others, although I just looked last night, there's something like 25 republican-dominated states, red states, that are in serious financial difficulty, both in their localities and in their states. It's not just a blue state problem," King said.
"But what really bothers me is, you know, I betcha I voted on 10 or 12 or 15 or I don't want know how many natural disaster bills for various parts of the country, and it never occurred to me to ask, well, is this a blue state or a red state that's going to get this money? If Florida gets hit by a hurricane, we give them some help. And we're one country and that's really what this is all about. And somehow at the beginning of this, Senator McConnell got into his head -- he used the term 'blue state bailout.'
"And it's simply trying to help states and localities that are struggling to keep, for example, first responders on the payroll. Otherwise, states can't borrow like the federal government and they'll have to either raise taxes or cut expenditures, which means laying people off. And that's just not a practical alternative. I really wish the majority leader would take a broader view of this and realize, this is really important. And what we're proposing in this framework is less than half of what the National Governor's Association said we would really need, and half of what the president said he would accept months ago.
"Joe Biden did an interview with Thomas Friedman overnight and talked about Mitch McConnell going forward. This is what Biden said. He said, 'I think there are trade-offs, that not all compromise is walking away from principle. Biden added, 'He knows me, I know him. I don't ask him to embarrass himself to make a deal.' So President-elect Biden is holding out hope to be able to work with Mitch McConnell. How much hope realistically do you have that that will be successful?" Berman said.
King said the real questions is what the Republican caucus thinks.
"If he gets enough members of the Republican caucus -- and by the way, we had a number come forward yesterday saying, 'We think this is a good plan, we would like to be involved.' So if there's sort of a growing momentum there, you know, he's going to work with his caucus and I hope that he understands that this is really something important for the country and that the issue of assistance for state and localities, look, they're really hurting. and many of them -- and ironically, there's a lag here where states that are just going into the real crisis mode will see the fiscal impact in a month or two. They may think they're okay now, but then they'll find out their revenues are collapsing. This should be an essential part of this. It was a hard-fought in our group."
Or, when we eliminate all those reasons, we are left with the conclusion that Mitch is doing what he loves best: Salting the earth for a Democratic president. But of course King is not going to admit that just yet.


crooksandliars--2020-12-02--In Latest Episode Of 'Lou Dobbs: Stupid Or Evil?', Dobbs Accuses Barr Of Joining Resistance

Here 's the thing : The only person who has any credibility in Trumpworld is ... Trump .
( Or , as Rick Wilson puts it , `` Everything Trump Touches Dies . ''
) You would think that if anyone has credibility for fighting for Trump , it would be Bill Barr .
You would know that if Bill Barr told you there was no significant election fraud , Trump supporters could believe it .
But you would be wrong .
Last night , a semi-hysterical Lou Dobbs instead said Barr was appearing to `` join in with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resistance.
” ( Imagine .
Bill f*cking Barr ! )
“ For the Attorney General of the United States to make that statement , he is either a liar or a fool but both .
He may be perhaps compromised .
He may be simply unprincipled .
Or he may be personally distraught or ill. ” Barr also debunked the Dominion voting machine conspiracy theories about voting machines , which set Dobbs off .
Dobbs said the DOJ and FBI was `` politically corrupt to the core.
” We did learn last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a special counsel position to continue his Russia probe investigation , but that was n't enough for good old Lou .
“ Durham ’ s investigation started some 568 days ago .
It appears it is not over .
But I will wager this : it will amount to nothing , because any Department of Justice , any special prosecutor or counsel now , who could go this long without unearthing anything of importance to the American people to be presented at least in a report if not an indictment , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s as nicely as I can put it , ” he said .

Here's the thing: The only person who has any credibility in Trumpworld is... Trump. (Or, as Rick Wilson puts it, "Everything Trump Touches Dies.")
You would think that if anyone has credibility for fighting for Trump, it would be Bill Barr. You would know that if Bill Barr told you there was no significant election fraud, Trump supporters could believe it. But you would be wrong.
Last night, a semi-hysterical Lou Dobbs instead said Barr was appearing to "join in with the radical Dems and the deep state and the resistance.” (Imagine. Bill f*cking Barr!)
“For the Attorney General of the United States to make that statement, he is either a liar or a fool but both. He may be perhaps compromised. He may be simply unprincipled. Or he may be personally distraught or ill.”
(What's your excuse, Lou?)
Barr also debunked the Dominion voting machine conspiracy theories about voting machines, which set Dobbs off.
Dobbs said the DOJ and FBI was "politically corrupt to the core.” We did learn last night that Barr secretly appointed John Durham to a special counsel position to continue his Russia probe investigation, but that wasn't enough for good old Lou.
“Durham’s investigation started some 568 days ago. It appears it is not over. But I will wager this: it will amount to nothing, because any Department of Justice, any special prosecutor or counsel now, who could go this long without unearthing anything of importance to the American people to be presented at least in a report if not an indictment, is an act of craven insincerity.
"That’s as nicely as I can put it,” he said.


crooksandliars--2020-12-03--ICYMI: Katie Porter And Elizabeth Warren Use Math To Make Fun Of Trump

According to The Washington Post , the White House is planning on throwing a ton of indoor holiday parties .
@ @ @ @ @ experts would like to set for the country .


crooksandliars--2020-12-04--Pompeo Plans Massive Christmas Party At State Department

In more advanced countries , such behavior would get you arrested , as people who have hosted their own house parties found out , facing jail time and/or massive fines .
But Trump people are a breed apart .
For them , there are no rules , no social standards of decency that they themselves have to follow .
Following a sharp spike in coronavirus cases across the country , State Department leadership sent out a notice to employees one week ago recommending that “ any non-mission critical events ” be changed to “ virtual events as opposed to in-person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event planners were told that the guidance did not apply to the upcoming functions they were working on : large indoor holiday parties hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife , Susan , on the eighth floor of the State Department involving hundreds of guests , food and drinks .
Pompeo ’ s lineup of parties in the next three weeks comes as the Trump administration ’ s own health experts are imploring Americans to limit travel and avoid large gatherings amid a pandemic that has killed more than 270,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States .
A copy of one invitation , obtained by The Washington Post , welcomes guests to a Dec. 15 event titled “ Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays ” in the Benjamin Franklin Room , the department ’ s flagship reception space , which features cut-glass chandeliers and towering Corinthian columns .
Invitations have already gone out to 900 people , said two U.S. officials familiar with the planning , raising concerns about a potential superspreader event .

In more advanced countries, such behavior would get you arrested, as people who have hosted their own house parties found out, facing jail time and/or massive fines. But Trump people are a breed apart. For them, there are no rules, no social standards of decency that they themselves have to follow.
Source: Washington Post
Following a sharp spike in coronavirus cases across the country, State Department leadership sent out a notice to employees one week ago recommending that “any non-mission critical events” be changed to “virtual events as opposed to in-person gatherings.”
That same week, U.S. event planners were told that the guidance did not apply to the upcoming functions they were working on: large indoor holiday parties hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife, Susan, on the eighth floor of the State Department involving hundreds of guests, food and drinks.
Pompeo’s lineup of parties in the next three weeks comes as the Trump administration’s own health experts are imploring Americans to limit travel and avoid large gatherings amid a pandemic that has killed more than 270,000 Americans and infected nearly 14 million across the United States.
A copy of one invitation, obtained by The Washington Post, welcomes guests to a Dec. 15 event titled “Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays” in the Benjamin Franklin Room, the department’s flagship reception space, which features cut-glass chandeliers and towering Corinthian columns. Invitations have already gone out to 900 people, said two U.S. officials familiar with the planning, raising concerns about a potential superspreader event.


crooksandliars--2020-12-03--California Sheriff Tests Positive For COVID-19 After Refusing To Enforce State Restrictions

I 'd mention the usual tripe about Karma here but , unfortunately , the Sheriff 's symptoms appear to be only mild and not as substantial as he deserves , in my opinion .
A California sheriff who made headlines after refusing to enforce the governor ’ s curfew and stay-at-home orders has tested positive for COVID-19 , the sheriff ’ s office said Wednesday .
According to the sheriff ’ s office , Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones developed symptoms last week “ after a workplace exposure to an employee ( who ) later tested positive.
” On Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congestion , light-headedness and a headache , according to the sheriff ’ s office .
Jones ’ symptoms were said to be mild , and had mostly gone away by Wednesday , officials said .
The sheriff and his immediate family are quarantining as his family members await test results .
On Nov. 24 , Jones said he wouldn ’ t enforce a curfew or stay-at-home order amid surging COVID-19 cases in the state , citing Sacramento County ’ s previous successes following health guidelines .
“ I have a tremendous amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relative to COVID , ” Jones said .

I'd mention the usual tripe about Karma here but, unfortunately, the Sheriff's symptoms appear to be only mild and not as substantial as he deserves, in my opinion.
Source: KTXL, Sacremento
A California sheriff who made headlines after refusing to enforce the governor’s curfew and stay-at-home orders has tested positive for COVID-19, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.
According to the sheriff’s office, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones developed symptoms last week “after a workplace exposure to an employee (who) later tested positive.”
On Friday, Jones started experiencing a fever, congestion, light-headedness and a headache, according to the sheriff’s office.
Jones’ symptoms were said to be mild, and had mostly gone away by Wednesday, officials said.
The sheriff and his immediate family are quarantining as his family members await test results.
On Nov. 24, Jones said he wouldn’t enforce a curfew or stay-at-home order amid surging COVID-19 cases in the state, citing Sacramento County’s previous successes following health guidelines.
“I have a tremendous amount of faith in folks to make those assessments relative to COVID,” Jones said.


crooksandliars--2020-12-03--Denying Covid Relief, The GOP Has Left 'Children Begging Santa For Their Basic Needs'

A collection of letters from American children to Santa Claus , sent through the U.S .
Postal Service 's Operation Santa program and posted on social media Tuesday , revealed the despair millions of children are facing amid the coronavirus pandemic , months after any federal aid has been offered to the public .
Hilary Agro , a PhD student in anthropology at the University of British Columbia , posted images of several letters from children on Twitter .
One child asked for a sofa bed for a family 's one-room apartment , another requested a new wheelchair , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggling parents .
`` We live in the cruelest country , '' Agro tweeted .
The letters come nine months into the coronavirus pandemic , which has killed nearly 270,000 people and has left more than 11 million people unemployed .
A temporary enhanced unemployment benefit of $ 600 per week had a measurable , positive impact on the number of American households in poverty last spring , but the Republican-led Senate allowed the benefit to expire in July .
As Common Dreams reported last week , food banks across the country are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 50 million Americans are expected to experience food insecurity before the end of the year , while the White House last month issued guidance making it easier for corporate landlords to evict tenants who are struggling to pay rent due to the pandemic .
Meanwhile , several Covid-19 relief bills including aid for state and local governments , direct payments to American households , and a reinstated enhanced unemployment benefit , have languished on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 's desk for months .
Rep.-elect Jamaal Bowman ( D-N.Y. ) tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` the people of this country NEED a relief check now . ''
The letters were posted hours after a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a new $ 908 billion Covid-19 relief proposal including a $ 300 federal unemployment benefit for four months , $ 160 billion for state and local governments , and funding for small businesses , schools , and other sectors .
Republican lawmakers were already complaining Tuesday about the cost of the bill , the Washington Post reported , and McConnell indicated the package will be passed as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republicans to limit its size .
Starting December 4 , members of the public will be able to sign up to `` adopt '' or sponsor children who write to Santa Claus through Operation Santa , but Agro tweeted that simply fulfilling struggling children 's holiday wishes wo n't solve the structural economic issues which have pushed them and their families into poverty in the wealthiest country in the world .
`` We can either have billionaires , or we can make sure all children are fed , with warm beds to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Pick one .
We can not have both . ''

A collection of letters from American children to Santa Claus, sent through the U.S. Postal Service's Operation Santa program and posted on social media Tuesday, revealed the despair millions of children are facing amid the coronavirus pandemic, months after any federal aid has been offered to the public.
Hilary Agro, a PhD student in anthropology at the University of British Columbia, posted images of several letters from children on Twitter. One child asked for a sofa bed for a family's one-room apartment, another requested a new wheelchair, and a third asked for money for his struggling parents.
"We live in the cruelest country," Agro tweeted.
I am in shambles. We live in the cruelest society pic.twitter.com/j0f6wmpQhD — Hilary Agro (@hilaryagro) December 1, 2020
The letters come nine months into the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 270,000 people and has left more than 11 million people unemployed.
A temporary enhanced unemployment benefit of $600 per week had a measurable, positive impact on the number of American households in poverty last spring, but the Republican-led Senate allowed the benefit to expire in July.
As Common Dreams reported last week, food banks across the country are struggling to keep up with demand as more than 50 million Americans are expected to experience food insecurity before the end of the year, while the White House last month issued guidance making it easier for corporate landlords to evict tenants who are struggling to pay rent due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, several Covid-19 relief bills including aid for state and local governments, direct payments to American households, and a reinstated enhanced unemployment benefit, have languished on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's desk for months.
Rep.-elect Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) tweeted that the Operation Santa letters show that "the people of this country NEED a relief check now."
My Goodness. A society that tells people you're on your own during a pandemic, is a society that leaves children begging Santa for their basic needs. The people of this country NEED a relief check now. It can't be on Santa to provide coats and gloves for our children! https://t.co/ZAHDZ5xCow — Jamaal Bowman (@JamaalBowmanNY) December 1, 2020
The letters were posted hours after a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a new $908 billion Covid-19 relief proposal including a $300 federal unemployment benefit for four months, $160 billion for state and local governments, and funding for small businesses, schools, and other sectors.
Republican lawmakers were already complaining Tuesday about the cost of the bill, the Washington Post reported, and McConnell indicated the package will be passed as part of an omnibus spending bill, allowing the Republicans to limit its size.
Starting December 4, members of the public will be able to sign up to "adopt" or sponsor children who write to Santa Claus through Operation Santa, but Agro tweeted that simply fulfilling struggling children's holiday wishes won't solve the structural economic issues which have pushed them and their families into poverty in the wealthiest country in the world.
Let this radicalize you. People need to understand that this is not a fluke in the capitalist system we live under. It's essential to how it functions.It's by design. No amount of incremental tweaking is going to fix this as long as we allow income inequality to continue. — Hilary Agro (@hilaryagro) December 1, 2020
We can either have billionaires, or we can make sure all children are fed, with warm beds to sleep in. Pick one. We cannot have both. Billionaires' existence depends on poverty. Massive wealth inequality is extracted from the bottom, and maintained with money in politics. — Hilary Agro (@hilaryagro) December 1, 2020
"We can either have billionaires, or we can make sure all children are fed, with warm beds to sleep in," said Agro. "Pick one. We cannot have both."
Republished from Common Dreams (Julia Conley, staff writer) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.


crooksandliars--2020-12-03--Trump Threatens To Fire Bill Barr Over Election Fraud Comments

During a press hit earlier this morning , Trump issued a veiled threat against his Attorney General , signaling that unless Bill Barr investigates the many phony claims of voter fraud to help Trump overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election his job is gone .
NBC 's Kristin Welker asked Trump to respond to Bill Barr 's comments he made the other day when he said he had not seen any evidence of election fraud enough to overturn the election .
`` Given that , why is not the time to concede ? ''
Welker asked .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done anything so he has n't looked , '' Trump replied .
`` When he looks , he 'll see the kind of evidence you 're seeing in the Georgia Senate -- they 're finding tremendous volumes , '' he lied .
`` He has n't looked very hard which is a disappointment to be honest with you because it 's massive fraud ... '' Trump listed all the lawsuits and nonsense Giuliani has been spewing and bragged about the pending suits in Wisconsin , Michigan , Pennsylvania , Nevada , and Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he lost .
`` You still have confidence in Bill Barr ? ''
Welker asked .
Trump paused and said , `` Ask me that in a number of weeks from now .
They should be looking at all this fraud .
This is not civil .
He thought it was civil . ''
In other words Bill Barr needs to recant his election fraud statements and seriously attempt to aid Trump in overthrowing the 2020 presidential election .
The Washington Post is reporting that aides are trying to stop Trump from firing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said there was a chance Trump would fire his attorney general and asserted that the president was not merely frustrated over Barr ’ s fraud-related assertions .
The person said that several people are trying to persuade Trump not to do so .
Like others , this official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations .

During a press hit earlier this morning, Trump issued a veiled threat against his Attorney General, signaling that unless Bill Barr investigates the many phony claims of voter fraud to help Trump overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election his job is gone.
NBC's Kristin Welker asked Trump to respond to Bill Barr's comments he made the other day when he said he had not seen any evidence of election fraud enough to overturn the election.
"Given that, why is not the time to concede?" Welker asked.
"Well, [Barr] hasn't done anything so he hasn't looked," Trump replied.
(There is no way the most corrupt Attorney General in our lifetime would make those comments without investigating the court cases and claims Trump's legal team made in their ridiculous attempts to undermine the will of the American people.)
"When he looks, he'll see the kind of evidence you're seeing in the Georgia Senate -- they're finding tremendous volumes," he lied. "He hasn't looked very hard which is a disappointment to be honest with you because it's massive fraud..."
Trump listed all the lawsuits and nonsense Giuliani has been spewing and bragged about the pending suits in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia.
Trump claims he won every state he lost.
"You still have confidence in Bill Barr?" Welker asked.
Trump paused and said, "Ask me that in a number of weeks from now. They should be looking at all this fraud. This is not civil. He thought it was civil."
In other words Bill Barr needs to recant his election fraud statements and seriously attempt to aid Trump in overthrowing the 2020 presidential election.
The Washington Post is reporting that aides are trying to stop Trump from firing Bill Barr.
One senior administration official said there was a chance Trump would fire his attorney general and asserted that the president was not merely frustrated over Barr’s fraud-related assertions. The person said that several people are trying to persuade Trump not to do so. Like others, this official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
48 days left until he's gone.


crooksandliars--2020-12-03--After Wisconsin Recount, Frivolous Lawsuits Fly

Trump 's partial recount is done .
It only cost Trump $ 34,000 per vote for the 87 additional votes that Biden had gained over him .
Governor Evers certified the final count on Monday .
Now the frivolous , and sometimes illegal , lawsuits are flying in fast and heavy .
Even before the final results were certified , MAGAts had already filed two lawsuits with the Wisconsin Supreme Court , each one looking for the results to be declared null and void and control of the state 's 10 electors to be handed over to the Republican-controlled legislature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump allies have also filed lawsuits challenging the election result .
One filed last Tuesday by the conservative Wisconsin Voters Alliance asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to toss out the results of the presidential election and replace the will of the voters with electors appointed by the state ’ s Republican-controlled Legislature .
Another lawsuit filed by a Chippewa County resident called on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to stop certification of the presidential election based on an argument that ballot boxes used to collect absentee ballots are illegal .
It should be notes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit had already filed a similar lawsuit in federal court even before the recount .
It was summarily dismissed as frivolous .
The second lawsuit is n't going to go anywhere either .
Almost every county used the ballot boxes and there is no way to differentiate those dropped off in a ballot box to other votes cast .
Then Trump filed not one , but two lawsuits .
One was filed with the State Supreme Court and the other was filed in federal court .
If you thought the first ones were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold of these .
You ai n't seen nothing yet .
In the state lawsuit , which should have been filed in circuit court instead of with the supreme court , Trump is asking for more than 220.000 voices to be silenced for various reasons .
Each one is laughable , especially since he has only until December 8th to get his challenges resolved..
Suddenly , Trump does n't like early voting and especially loathes absentee ballots , even though he 's encouraged people to use both and voted absentee himself .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which the Republicans created over eight years ago .
It should be noted that Trump tried the same thing in other states and got absolutely nowhere with them .
I 'd expect the same thing to happen in Wisconsin .
The federal lawsuit is so flawed and so ridiculous , it would be surprising if it 's not rejected before it 's even heard .
To give you the first clue where this is going , it was filed by former Trump attorney Sidney Powell , whom Trump has distanced himself from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that Wisconsin Secretary of State Bob Lafollette is listed as a defendant even though he has nothing to do with elections .
Adding to that , the lawsuit also lists Derrick Van Orden as a plaintiff , even though he never gave permission for his name to be used .
Other errors in the lawsuit include these : And if the cases were somehow accepted by the courts , the defendants could always just call on Bill Barr as a witness .
Barr has stated that no significant voter fraud had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any results .
But I do n't think Trump is seriously trying to get the state 's election results overturned .
Given his track record in other states and the very limited amount of time he has , he has to know that he does n't stand a very good chance with these lawsuits either .
And even if he did manage to get Wisconsin overturned , Biden would still win the election .
Furthermore , he does know that he faces a world of hurt after he is out of office and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , facing a ton of legal issues , both criminal and civil .
Also he is still fundraising like crazy .
That would indicate that he is trying to build up as big a treasure chest as he can as a sort of legal defense fund for when his world come crashing down on him and his family .

Trump's partial recount is done. It only cost Trump $34,000 per vote for the 87 additional votes that Biden had gained over him. Governor Evers certified the final count on Monday.
Now the frivolous, and sometimes illegal, lawsuits are flying in fast and heavy.
Even before the final results were certified, MAGAts had already filed two lawsuits with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, each one looking for the results to be declared null and void and control of the state's 10 electors to be handed over to the Republican-controlled legislature:
: Besides the Trump campaign, Trump allies have also filed lawsuits challenging the election result. One filed last Tuesday by the conservative Wisconsin Voters Alliance asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to toss out the results of the presidential election and replace the will of the voters with electors appointed by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature. Another lawsuit filed by a Chippewa County resident called on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to stop certification of the presidential election based on an argument that ballot boxes used to collect absentee ballots are illegal.
It should be notes that the group that filed the first lawsuit had already filed a similar lawsuit in federal court even before the recount. It was summarily dismissed as frivolous.
The second lawsuit isn't going to go anywhere either. Almost every county used the ballot boxes and there is no way to differentiate those dropped off in a ballot box to other votes cast.
Then Trump filed not one, but two lawsuits. One was filed with the State Supreme Court and the other was filed in federal court. If you thought the first ones were ridiculous, wait until you get a hold of these.
You ain't seen nothing yet.
In the state lawsuit, which should have been filed in circuit court instead of with the supreme court, Trump is asking for more than 220.000 voices to be silenced for various reasons. Each one is laughable, especially since he has only until December 8th to get his challenges resolved..
Suddenly, Trump doesn't like early voting and especially loathes absentee ballots, even though he's encouraged people to use both and voted absentee himself. Trump also complains about the Wisconsin Election Commission, which the Republicans created over eight years ago. It should be noted that Trump tried the same thing in other states and got absolutely nowhere with them. I'd expect the same thing to happen in Wisconsin.
The federal lawsuit is so flawed and so ridiculous, it would be surprising if it's not rejected before it's even heard. To give you the first clue where this is going, it was filed by former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, whom Trump has distanced himself from with all haste.
The first error is that Wisconsin Secretary of State Bob Lafollette is listed as a defendant even though he has nothing to do with elections. Adding to that, the lawsuit also lists Derrick Van Orden as a plaintiff, even though he never gave permission for his name to be used.
Other errors in the lawsuit include these:
According to a report from Riley Vetterkind of the Wisconsin State Journal, Powell made several mistakes in the lawsuit. She referred to the "Wisconsin Board of State Canvassers," which does not exist, and asked for security camera footage from a convention center in Detroit, Michigan.
And if the cases were somehow accepted by the courts, the defendants could always just call on Bill Barr as a witness. Barr has stated that no significant voter fraud had been found and certainly not enough to change any results.
But I don't think Trump is seriously trying to get the state's election results overturned. Given his track record in other states and the very limited amount of time he has, he has to know that he doesn't stand a very good chance with these lawsuits either. And even if he did manage to get Wisconsin overturned, Biden would still win the election.
Furthermore, he does know that he faces a world of hurt after he is out of office and will be in a world of hurt, facing a ton of legal issues, both criminal and civil. Also he is still fundraising like crazy. That would indicate that he is trying to build up as big a treasure chest as he can as a sort of legal defense fund for when his world come crashing down on him and his family.
Cross posted from Cognitive Dissidence