crooksandliars--2020-12-30--Trump Keeps Awarding Border Wall Contracts But Doesn’t Own The Land To Build On

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LA GRULLA , Texas — The federal government said it needed Ociel Mendoza 's land on the outskirts of this tiny Texas town — and it could n't wait any longer .
Each additional day of delay was costing the government $ 15,000 as contractors waited to begin construction on the border fence slated to go through Mendoza 's ranch , the Department of Justice argued in court filings .
By Nov. 24 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1.6 million , the land acquisition manager for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an affidavit .
More than a year earlier , CBP had awarded a contract then worth $ 33 million to a New Mexico-based company to build 4 miles of fencing in Starr County .
The county is one of the top targets of President Donald Trump ’ s administration for a border wall and a place agents have called the most volatile stretch in the nation .
Construction was slated to begin in November 2019 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The government had awarded the contract before obtaining the land it needed , including Mendoza ’ s .
This September , after more than a year without getting that land , CBP had to suspend the contract to Southwest Valley Constructors , accruing “ substantial ” charges along the way , according to court documents .
An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune has found that the government 's strategy of awarding contracts before acquiring titles to the land in Texas has led to millions of dollars in costs for delays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made by CBP officials in court filings .
On at least two dozen occasions , the agency has used the argument , often successfully , to convince even dubious federal judges to immediately seize land from property owners fighting their eminent domain cases .
The situation could become even more complicated if President-elect Joe Biden makes good on his promise to stop border wall construction .
Mendoza , an entrepreneur , said the government ’ s latest offer , which he said was about $ 136,000 , fell short of the $ 200,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially personal .
It ’ s a piece of land he vowed to own after he crossed the border illegally over the property as a teen more than 40 years ago .
“ It represents a dream to me , ” said Mendoza , who became a permanent resident in the 1980s .
“ The American dream.
” Since 2017 , the federal government has awarded at least a dozen contracts in South Texas worth more than $ 2 billion prior to obtaining all the land it needed for the projects .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border wall and install nearly three dozen gates .
But very little construction has been completed .
Out of the 110 miles the administration planned to build in the Rio Grande Valley , where most of the land is privately owned , 15 miles had been finished as of mid-December .
The Army Corps of Engineers generally requires land to be acquired prior to awarding contracts , but the policy allows exceptions if approved by high-level officials , said Grace Geiger , an agency spokeswoman .
While posing greater risks for the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to lead to greater costs as , depending on the situation , the government may still be able to acquire the land before the contractor needs to enter the site .
Contract experts say the practice violates principles of sound procurement .
“ It sounds like a formula for waste , or worse , to make the construction contract first and only acquire the land months or years later , ” said Charles Tiefer , a University of Baltimore contracting expert .
Austin Evers , the executive director of American Oversight and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during President Barack Obama 's second term , said the practice should be investigated by federal watchdogs .
“ The government is arguing that it has to seize these lands right now because it is being penalized under the contract it already signed , ” Evers said .
“ In plain English , what that means is that American taxpayers are seeing their money thrown away for no purpose because the government signed the contract before it could execute the project.
” Federal judges hearing CBP ’ s eminent domain cases in South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government ’ s legal argument for immediate possession in Starr County .
In recent weeks , a segment of border fencing has quietly gone up in a remote area near Mendoza ’ s ranch .
While the government gets the title to the property as soon as it files what ’ s called a “ declaration of taking ” and deposits the amount it deems reasonable with the court , it can ’ t begin construction until a judge approves an order to possess the land .
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government attorneys ’ request to take immediate possession of Mendoza ’ s ranch , arguing that the agency has had the funds to acquire private land in Starr County for nearly two years .
“ The United States ’ delay until November 2020 to file its motion for possession is not within the Court ’ s control ... and ( does ) not create an emergency for this court , ” she wrote Dec. 17 .
“ The Court has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the United States ’ requests for expedited relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to expedited relief , and should cease requesting such relief without good cause.
” However , Alvarez said that under the Declaration of Taking Act , she had little option but to grant the government ’ s request to take possession of Mendoza ’ s land , noting that Mendoza had not responded in time and that the government had filed the correct documentation and deposited what it estimated it would pay for the land seizure .
Even as government attorneys continue to cite the growing costs of delays to judges , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courtroom .
“ CBP will not know if there are any associated delay costs due to real estate until the end of the contract , as the Contractor may be able to make up any potential delays incurred , ” CBP spokesman Matthew Dyman told ProPublica and the Tribune on Friday .
Dyman declined to clarify the statement , citing the ongoing litigation .
CBP also insists that awarding contracts without first obtaining land is efficient .
“ Once the border wall system design is approved by the Government , and sufficient real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ construction activities can begin , ” wrote Roger Maier , a spokesman for CBP .
The government has been here before .
A decade ago , CBP learned that building in this part of the border would be especially challenging , between acquiring the land — which in some cases took more than two years — and flooding concerns .
Under the Bush and Obama administrations , several border wall fence projects , also awarded before the government obtained the land , died because the agency couldn ’ t get them built before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s legal efforts have only intensified , with nearly 40 new eminent domain lawsuits filed in the Southern District of Texas since Election Day .
All of which leaves the incoming Biden administration and hundreds of Texas landowners in a web of title and compensation disputes , multimillion-dollar contracts and a string of unfinished — and disconnected — projects all along the Rio Grande .
Biden has said he will cease wall construction and drop all the lawsuits on day one .
His transition team didn ’ t respond to a request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration would go about canceling existing contracts nor what it would do with land it now owns as part of the eminent domain push .
Biden could save up to $ 2.6 billion if he halts construction , according to Army Corps of Engineers documents reviewed by The Washington Post .
This will not be the first time Biden confronts this issue .
Last time he was in the White House , the Obama-Biden administration allowed the lawsuits and contracts to proceed .
By the end of their first term , 54 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in South Texas .
One of CBP ’ s toughest fights over eminent domain centers on Starr County , a poor , mostly rural county where family properties date back to original Spanish land grants issued 250 years ago , well before the Rio Grande served as an international boundary .
For more than a decade , residents and county officials have resisted the agency ’ s push to build a border wall in Starr County , which the government has said in court filings is the No .
1 county for narcotics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States .
Starr and neighboring Hidalgo and Cameron counties are part of the agency ’ s Rio Grande Valley sector , which accounts for 40 % of immigrant arrests and 43 % of the marijuana seizures along the southwest border .
Under the Trump administration , Starr has become one of the agency ’ s top priorities for the border wall .
Hidalgo and Cameron counties already have about 60 miles of border fencing , built upon concrete levee systems .
But Starr County , which lacks a levee system , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first proposed building there in 2017 .
Three years later , CBP has awarded contracts for 55 miles , but only about 5 miles have been built , mostly on U.S .
Fish and Wildlife refuge land in remote corners of the county .
As it was a decade ago , the government ’ s effort is once again mired in complicated eminent domain legal battles that have so far prevented construction on the remaining miles .
Of 70 condemnation cases filed by the government since September in South Texas , 53 are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has only accelerated legal action since Election Day ( 25 lawsuits have been filed in this county since Nov. 3 ) .
In one case filed at the end of November , the government is seeking to seize a triangle of land smaller than 2 acres in the county .
Despite the tract ’ s small size , there are more than 30 individuals with possible ownership rights , scattered across Texas and as far away as Washington state , according to court records .
Lawyers say that as land has passed through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been documented properly in official records , resulting in a thicket of potential land ownership that the government has struggled to unravel .
“ The title issues in Starr County seem to be far more complicated and difficult than what we 've seen in the other border counties , ” said Roy Brandys , an Austin-based eminent domain attorney who represents border residents in these cases .
“ On several of the cases we 've been working on in Starr County , one of the reasons they have not progressed even faster is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the landowners ’ representatives , are trying to work out the title issues before they move forward.
” According to a recent Government Accountability Office report , title issues in Starr have slowed construction timelines considerably .
“ Some counties in South Texas , such as Starr County , do not have the infrastructure or funding to maintain recordkeeping systems , ” the report says .
But where the federal government sees as a maze of legal hurdles , local officials see a reflection of the region ’ s heritage .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their families for generations , ” said Joel Villarreal , mayor of the Starr County seat of Rio Grande City .
“ We have a large number of residents that own land and they are proud of that heritage to own land .
They speak of it as something to be cherished , the idea of having land.
” On a recent morning , Mendoza , 60 , stood in front of his ranch as orange survey markers fluttered in the wind around him .
At regular intervals , he has built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tube fencing , allowing would-be border crossers to climb over .
He said Border Patrol agents have asked him why he built them .
“ I tell them for one , I was undocumented when I came here , ” he explained .
“ And two , so they don ’ t break down my fence !
” The ranch holds a special place in the heart of Mendoza , who owns several businesses and properties in Starr County .
In 1979 , he crossed the border as an undocumented immigrant , passing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his way to a new life in Houston .
Thirty years later he bought the ranch when it came up for sale , and he is loath to lose it .
If the wall comes through the front of his ranch as proposed , Mendoza said he would have to move the fence and an expensive front gate , as well as the corral for the 40 or so cattle he raises on the land .
Worse , he said , the wall would render the ranch virtually worthless by placing it almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t have any value afterwards ” he said .
“ Anything could happen on the other side of the wall .
I won ’ t be protected inside there.
” The government first made Mendoza an offer to buy his land in April , according to court documents .
Five months later , federal prosecutors sued to take part of his ranch , depositing about $ 93,000 with the court as a “ just compensation.
” The government claimed in Mendoza ’ s case that the cost of suspending work was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other cases , the government contended that delays have added as much as $ 100,000 per day , depending on the size of the contract , according to a review by ProPublica and the Tribune .
The expenses came from what officials called de- and re-mobilization and from having equipment and crew on standby beyond the date construction was scheduled to begin .
In four Rio Grande Valley projects alone , where the government has detailed the costs of delays in court filings , the total is nearly $ 9 million , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order for immediate possession , which is when work can begin .
Despite not having been able to break ground in 18 months , the original $ 33 million contract to Southwest Valley Constructors is now worth $ 42 million thanks to contract options the government has exercised .
An earlier review of federal spending data by ProPublica and the Tribune found modifications to contracts have increased the price of the border wall by billions , costing about five times more per mile than it did under previous administrations .
Francis Rooney , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longtime real estate developer , called the practice “ ridiculous.
” From a contractor point of view , he said , there ’ s the risk of inflation and rises in labor or material costs , for instance , as work on those sites is delayed .
“ That sounds a little reckless to me , but I ’ m not surprised given some of what this administration has done , ” he said , in reference to Trump declaring a national emergency and using military funding to accelerate border wall building .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the companies with contracts in the Rio Grande Valley awarded under the practice .
Most didn ’ t respond and Kiewit Infrastructure West , an affiliate of Southwest Valley Constructors , referred questions to the Army Corps of Engineers .
Raini Bruni , another spokeswoman with the Corps , said border wall contracts are written in a way that puts much of the risk on the contractor , who can request compensation in cases where there ’ s a delay or suspension , approved on a case-by-case basis .
But beyond the risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practice can lead to a loss of protections to landowners , experts said .
Due process is at the heart of the government ’ s power to take private property , said Evers of the nonpartisan watchdog American Oversight .
But it is being ignored by rushing things through based on emergencies of the administration ’ s own creation , he added , “ which runs counter to basic American values.
” Beyond the fight over the value of his land , Mendoza doesn ’ t believe the wall will achieve its goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop , ” he said .
“ It wouldn ’ t have stopped me , I would have jumped over.
” “ They Use the Legal System as a Threat ” About 20 miles upriver from Mendoza , the Muñiz family is also fighting the government ’ s attempt to seize its land in a case that shows the pressure government agents have put on local landowners , especially in the final months of 2020 .
On Sept. 1 , the government sued Noelia Muñiz and offered to pay $ 5,500 for about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court documents , she felt harassed by constant phone calls that she said were taking a toll on her health .
“ They call every day , they threaten that if you don ’ t show your face they will take you to court , ” said her brother Noe Muñiz Jr. , 63 , outside their home .
“ They use the legal system as a threat .
...
It ’ s very stressful for her.
” Usually the government first tries to settle with landowners but sues when they can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unclear who owns the land .
Since the beginning of the Trump administration , the government has filed 193 lawsuits — three-fourths just in the past year — asking Texas landowners to relinquish , temporarily or permanently , more than 5,800 acres , according to information provided by the Texas Civil Rights Project and court documents .
Noe Muñiz Jr. said the family has been going through the process without an attorney because it can ’ t afford to pay one .
“ We have no support at all , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it takes money and no one has money .
...
I ’ m pretty sure they wouldn ’ t do this in a place where the majority of people are white .
Here you have Mexican people and they are poor , so come on.
” In a normal condemnation case there would be safeguards in place such as environmental reviews , hydrology reports prior to starting the project , said Brandys , who has represented border residents under the current and previous administrations .
But due to what he calls the politicization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney and those building the wall are under significant pressure from Washington to get as much done as possible .
All of which can significantly impact the landowners , he said , adding , “ Unfortunately in some of those situations you wo n't know until the wall is built and the projects are up and we see what the effects are.
” The Department of Homeland Security has a record of abusing the eminent domain process to build border barriers .
In 2017 , a ProPublica-Tribune investigation found DHS had cut unfair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safeguards for property owners and ultimately abused the government ’ s power to take land from private citizens .
In some cases , the DOJ bungled hundreds of condemnation cases , taking property without knowing the identity of the owners and condemning land without researching facts as basic as property lines .
Under the George W. Bush administration , the federal government filed more than 360 eminent domain lawsuits along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of an effort to build up to 700 miles of fencing by December 2008 .
Along the Rio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in disconnected strips and seized a total of 564 acres for which it paid $ 18.2 million , ProPublica and the Tribune reported .
There are still 20 cases pending in South Texas from that era , involving about 440 owners , according to the DOJ .
While lawyers and residents say some things have improved , such as the government providing more details about the property it is trying to take , the pressure on landowners has not eased .
Daniel Villarreal , a 56-year-old bail bondsman in Rio Grande City , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year he either had to accept their offer or they would take it anyway .
But following Biden ’ s victory , he is starting to feel pangs of regret about selling about an acre of his riverfront property to the government .
He didn ’ t want to say how much he agreed to but said it ’ s not life-changing money .
“ They say they gave me market value , but how long is that going to last ?
A year or two ?
” he said .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a monument to a man I don ’ t even like.
” The wall would also cut Villarreal off from the beauty of the river ’ s edge , a fear echoed by other property owners .
Growing up , Noe Muñiz said he and his siblings swam daily in the river .
As he grew older , the river offered respite after a long day of working in cantaloupe and onion fields .
He still fishes there but worries that after a wall is built , the river would become too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s land that would be created south of the barrier .
Even though the Muñiz family will likely lose the battle to keep its land , it is trying to get what it considers just compensation , he said , and holding onto hope that Biden will cancel the wall contract in the area .
“ You can ’ t give up on the land .
It ’ s not the government ’ s land , ” he said .
“ It ’ s hard to let go .
”

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
LA GRULLA, Texas — The federal government said it needed Ociel Mendoza's land on the outskirts of this tiny Texas town — and it couldn't wait any longer.
Each additional day of delay was costing the government $15,000 as contractors waited to begin construction on the border fence slated to go through Mendoza's ranch, the Department of Justice argued in court filings. By Nov. 24, the tab for the delay had reached nearly $1.6 million, the land acquisition manager for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an affidavit.
More than a year earlier, CBP had awarded a contract then worth $33 million to a New Mexico-based company to build 4 miles of fencing in Starr County. The county is one of the top targets of President Donald Trump’s administration for a border wall and a place agents have called the most volatile stretch in the nation. Construction was slated to begin in November 2019, the agency announced.
There was one problem: The government had awarded the contract before obtaining the land it needed, including Mendoza’s. This September, after more than a year without getting that land, CBP had to suspend the contract to Southwest Valley Constructors, accruing “substantial” charges along the way, according to court documents.
An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune has found that the government's strategy of awarding contracts before acquiring titles to the land in Texas has led to millions of dollars in costs for delays, according to calculations based on statements made by CBP officials in court filings. On at least two dozen occasions, the agency has used the argument, often successfully, to convince even dubious federal judges to immediately seize land from property owners fighting their eminent domain cases.
The situation could become even more complicated if President-elect Joe Biden makes good on his promise to stop border wall construction.
Mendoza, an entrepreneur, said the government’s latest offer, which he said was about $136,000, fell short of the $200,000 he was seeking. The ranch is especially personal. It’s a piece of land he vowed to own after he crossed the border illegally over the property as a teen more than 40 years ago.
“It represents a dream to me,” said Mendoza, who became a permanent resident in the 1980s. “The American dream.”
Since 2017, the federal government has awarded at least a dozen contracts in South Texas worth more than $2 billion prior to obtaining all the land it needed for the projects. The agreements are to build 146 miles of border wall and install nearly three dozen gates.
But very little construction has been completed. Out of the 110 miles the administration planned to build in the Rio Grande Valley, where most of the land is privately owned, 15 miles had been finished as of mid-December.
The Army Corps of Engineers generally requires land to be acquired prior to awarding contracts, but the policy allows exceptions if approved by high-level officials, said Grace Geiger, an agency spokeswoman.
While posing greater risks for the government, she said the practice doesn't have to lead to greater costs as, depending on the situation, the government may still be able to acquire the land before the contractor needs to enter the site.
Contract experts say the practice violates principles of sound procurement.
“It sounds like a formula for waste, or worse, to make the construction contract first and only acquire the land months or years later,” said Charles Tiefer, a University of Baltimore contracting expert.
Austin Evers, the executive director of American Oversight and a senior counsel for the State Department during President Barack Obama's second term, said the practice should be investigated by federal watchdogs.
“The government is arguing that it has to seize these lands right now because it is being penalized under the contract it already signed,” Evers said. “In plain English, what that means is that American taxpayers are seeing their money thrown away for no purpose because the government signed the contract before it could execute the project.”
Federal judges hearing CBP’s eminent domain cases in South Texas also have expressed frustration with the government’s legal argument for immediate possession in Starr County. In recent weeks, a segment of border fencing has quietly gone up in a remote area near Mendoza’s ranch.
While the government gets the title to the property as soon as it files what’s called a “declaration of taking” and deposits the amount it deems reasonable with the court, it can’t begin construction until a judge approves an order to possess the land. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez, a George W. Bush appointee, blasted government attorneys’ request to take immediate possession of Mendoza’s ranch, arguing that the agency has had the funds to acquire private land in Starr County for nearly two years.
“The United States’ delay until November 2020 to file its motion for possession is not within the Court’s control ... and (does) not create an emergency for this court,” she wrote Dec. 17. “The Court has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the United States’ requests for expedited relief. The United States is not entitled to expedited relief, and should cease requesting such relief without good cause.”
However, Alvarez said that under the Declaration of Taking Act, she had little option but to grant the government’s request to take possession of Mendoza’s land, noting that Mendoza had not responded in time and that the government had filed the correct documentation and deposited what it estimated it would pay for the land seizure.
Even as government attorneys continue to cite the growing costs of delays to judges, the agency has downplayed the issue outside the courtroom.
“CBP will not know if there are any associated delay costs due to real estate until the end of the contract, as the Contractor may be able to make up any potential delays incurred,” CBP spokesman Matthew Dyman told ProPublica and the Tribune on Friday. Dyman declined to clarify the statement, citing the ongoing litigation.
CBP also insists that awarding contracts without first obtaining land is efficient.
“Once the border wall system design is approved by the Government, and sufficient real estate is acquired by the Government, construction activities can begin,” wrote Roger Maier, a spokesman for CBP.
The government has been here before. A decade ago, CBP learned that building in this part of the border would be especially challenging, between acquiring the land — which in some cases took more than two years — and flooding concerns. Under the Bush and Obama administrations, several border wall fence projects, also awarded before the government obtained the land, died because the agency couldn’t get them built before funding dried up.
The Trump administration’s legal efforts have only intensified, with nearly 40 new eminent domain lawsuits filed in the Southern District of Texas since Election Day.
All of which leaves the incoming Biden administration and hundreds of Texas landowners in a web of title and compensation disputes, multimillion-dollar contracts and a string of unfinished — and disconnected — projects all along the Rio Grande.
Biden has said he will cease wall construction and drop all the lawsuits on day one. His transition team didn’t respond to a request for comment as to how exactly the administration would go about canceling existing contracts nor what it would do with land it now owns as part of the eminent domain push. Biden could save up to $2.6 billion if he halts construction, according to Army Corps of Engineers documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
This will not be the first time Biden confronts this issue. Last time he was in the White House, the Obama-Biden administration allowed the lawsuits and contracts to proceed. By the end of their first term, 54 new miles of border fence had been built in South Texas.
Starr County
One of CBP’s toughest fights over eminent domain centers on Starr County, a poor, mostly rural county where family properties date back to original Spanish land grants issued 250 years ago, well before the Rio Grande served as an international boundary.
For more than a decade, residents and county officials have resisted the agency’s push to build a border wall in Starr County, which the government has said in court filings is the No. 1 county for narcotics seizures across the entire southern border of the United States.
Starr and neighboring Hidalgo and Cameron counties are part of the agency’s Rio Grande Valley sector, which accounts for 40% of immigrant arrests and 43% of the marijuana seizures along the southwest border.
Under the Trump administration, Starr has become one of the agency’s top priorities for the border wall. Hidalgo and Cameron counties already have about 60 miles of border fencing, built upon concrete levee systems.
But Starr County, which lacks a levee system, had no wall before the Trump administration first proposed building there in 2017. Three years later, CBP has awarded contracts for 55 miles, but only about 5 miles have been built, mostly on U.S. Fish and Wildlife refuge land in remote corners of the county.
As it was a decade ago, the government’s effort is once again mired in complicated eminent domain legal battles that have so far prevented construction on the remaining miles.
Of 70 condemnation cases filed by the government since September in South Texas, 53 are in Starr County, where the government has only accelerated legal action since Election Day (25 lawsuits have been filed in this county since Nov. 3).
In one case filed at the end of November, the government is seeking to seize a triangle of land smaller than 2 acres in the county. Despite the tract’s small size, there are more than 30 individuals with possible ownership rights, scattered across Texas and as far away as Washington state, according to court records.
Lawyers say that as land has passed through the generations, many partitions have not been documented properly in official records, resulting in a thicket of potential land ownership that the government has struggled to unravel.
“The title issues in Starr County seem to be far more complicated and difficult than what we've seen in the other border counties,” said Roy Brandys, an Austin-based eminent domain attorney who represents border residents in these cases. “On several of the cases we've been working on in Starr County, one of the reasons they have not progressed even faster is because the government and frankly, we as the landowners’ representatives, are trying to work out the title issues before they move forward.”
According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, title issues in Starr have slowed construction timelines considerably. “Some counties in South Texas, such as Starr County, do not have the infrastructure or funding to maintain recordkeeping systems,” the report says.
But where the federal government sees as a maze of legal hurdles, local officials see a reflection of the region’s heritage.
“For many, the land has been in their families for generations,” said Joel Villarreal, mayor of the Starr County seat of Rio Grande City. “We have a large number of residents that own land and they are proud of that heritage to own land. They speak of it as something to be cherished, the idea of having land.”
Fight Over Land
On a recent morning, Mendoza, 60, stood in front of his ranch as orange survey markers fluttered in the wind around him.
At regular intervals, he has built steps into his own mesh and metal tube fencing, allowing would-be border crossers to climb over. He said Border Patrol agents have asked him why he built them. “I tell them for one, I was undocumented when I came here,” he explained. “And two, so they don’t break down my fence!”
The ranch holds a special place in the heart of Mendoza, who owns several businesses and properties in Starr County. In 1979, he crossed the border as an undocumented immigrant, passing through the same piece of property on his way to a new life in Houston. Thirty years later he bought the ranch when it came up for sale, and he is loath to lose it.
If the wall comes through the front of his ranch as proposed, Mendoza said he would have to move the fence and an expensive front gate, as well as the corral for the 40 or so cattle he raises on the land. Worse, he said, the wall would render the ranch virtually worthless by placing it almost entirely behind the barrier.
“It won’t have any value afterwards” he said. “Anything could happen on the other side of the wall. I won’t be protected inside there.”
The government first made Mendoza an offer to buy his land in April, according to court documents. Five months later, federal prosecutors sued to take part of his ranch, depositing about $93,000 with the court as a “just compensation.”
The government claimed in Mendoza’s case that the cost of suspending work was about $15,000 per day. In other cases, the government contended that delays have added as much as $100,000 per day, depending on the size of the contract, according to a review by ProPublica and the Tribune. The expenses came from what officials called de- and re-mobilization and from having equipment and crew on standby beyond the date construction was scheduled to begin.
In four Rio Grande Valley projects alone, where the government has detailed the costs of delays in court filings, the total is nearly $9 million, as of the date the court granted the order for immediate possession, which is when work can begin.
Despite not having been able to break ground in 18 months, the original $33 million contract to Southwest Valley Constructors is now worth $42 million thanks to contract options the government has exercised. An earlier review of federal spending data by ProPublica and the Tribune found modifications to contracts have increased the price of the border wall by billions, costing about five times more per mile than it did under previous administrations.
Francis Rooney, a Republican U.S. representative from Florida and longtime real estate developer, called the practice “ridiculous.” From a contractor point of view, he said, there’s the risk of inflation and rises in labor or material costs, for instance, as work on those sites is delayed.
“That sounds a little reckless to me, but I’m not surprised given some of what this administration has done,” he said, in reference to Trump declaring a national emergency and using military funding to accelerate border wall building.
ProPublica and the Tribune reached out to the companies with contracts in the Rio Grande Valley awarded under the practice. Most didn’t respond and Kiewit Infrastructure West, an affiliate of Southwest Valley Constructors, referred questions to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Raini Bruni, another spokeswoman with the Corps, said border wall contracts are written in a way that puts much of the risk on the contractor, who can request compensation in cases where there’s a delay or suspension, approved on a case-by-case basis.
But beyond the risk to the government and contractors, the practice can lead to a loss of protections to landowners, experts said.
Due process is at the heart of the government’s power to take private property, said Evers of the nonpartisan watchdog American Oversight. But it is being ignored by rushing things through based on emergencies of the administration’s own creation, he added, “which runs counter to basic American values.”
Beyond the fight over the value of his land, Mendoza doesn’t believe the wall will achieve its goal. “The people won’t stop,” he said. “It wouldn’t have stopped me, I would have jumped over.”
“They Use the Legal System as a Threat”
About 20 miles upriver from Mendoza, the Muñiz family is also fighting the government’s attempt to seize its land in a case that shows the pressure government agents have put on local landowners, especially in the final months of 2020.
On Sept. 1, the government sued Noelia Muñiz and offered to pay $5,500 for about an acre of land. According to court documents, she felt harassed by constant phone calls that she said were taking a toll on her health.
“They call every day, they threaten that if you don’t show your face they will take you to court,” said her brother Noe Muñiz Jr., 63, outside their home. “They use the legal system as a threat. ... It’s very stressful for her.”
Usually the government first tries to settle with landowners but sues when they can’t reach an agreement or it’s unclear who owns the land.
Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the government has filed 193 lawsuits — three-fourths just in the past year — asking Texas landowners to relinquish, temporarily or permanently, more than 5,800 acres, according to information provided by the Texas Civil Rights Project and court documents.
Noe Muñiz Jr. said the family has been going through the process without an attorney because it can’t afford to pay one. “We have no support at all,” he said. “If you want support it takes money and no one has money. ... I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t do this in a place where the majority of people are white. Here you have Mexican people and they are poor, so come on.”
In a normal condemnation case there would be safeguards in place such as environmental reviews, hydrology reports prior to starting the project, said Brandys, who has represented border residents under the current and previous administrations.
But due to what he calls the politicization of border wall construction, the U.S. attorney and those building the wall are under significant pressure from Washington to get as much done as possible. All of which can significantly impact the landowners, he said, adding, “Unfortunately in some of those situations you won't know until the wall is built and the projects are up and we see what the effects are.”
The Department of Homeland Security has a record of abusing the eminent domain process to build border barriers.
In 2017, a ProPublica-Tribune investigation found DHS had cut unfair real estate deals, secretly waived legal safeguards for property owners and ultimately abused the government’s power to take land from private citizens. In some cases, the DOJ bungled hundreds of condemnation cases, taking property without knowing the identity of the owners and condemning land without researching facts as basic as property lines.
Under the George W. Bush administration, the federal government filed more than 360 eminent domain lawsuits along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of an effort to build up to 700 miles of fencing by December 2008. Along the Rio Grande, the agency built 50 miles in disconnected strips and seized a total of 564 acres for which it paid $18.2 million, ProPublica and the Tribune reported.
There are still 20 cases pending in South Texas from that era, involving about 440 owners, according to the DOJ.
While lawyers and residents say some things have improved, such as the government providing more details about the property it is trying to take, the pressure on landowners has not eased.
Daniel Villarreal, a 56-year-old bail bondsman in Rio Grande City, said government negotiators told him earlier this year he either had to accept their offer or they would take it anyway.
But following Biden’s victory, he is starting to feel pangs of regret about selling about an acre of his riverfront property to the government.
He didn’t want to say how much he agreed to but said it’s not life-changing money. “They say they gave me market value, but how long is that going to last? A year or two?” he said. “And then what you’re left with is a monument to a man I don’t even like.”
The wall would also cut Villarreal off from the beauty of the river’s edge, a fear echoed by other property owners.
Growing up, Noe Muñiz said he and his siblings swam daily in the river. As he grew older, the river offered respite after a long day of working in cantaloupe and onion fields. He still fishes there but worries that after a wall is built, the river would become too dangerous to visit inside the no man’s land that would be created south of the barrier.
Even though the Muñiz family will likely lose the battle to keep its land, it is trying to get what it considers just compensation, he said, and holding onto hope that Biden will cancel the wall contract in the area. “You can’t give up on the land. It’s not the government’s land,” he said. “It’s hard to let go.”


Everybody Hates Pence

It is n't just Louis Gohmert who believes it 's Mike Pence 's job to steal the election for Donald Trump ... .
Rep. Louie Gohmert ( R-Texas ) and President Donald Trump 's defeated electors from Arizona may force Vice President Mike Pence to publicly pick a side in Trump ’ s bid to overturn his 2020 election loss .
Gohmert and a handful of the would-be electors sued Pence in federal court on Monday ... .
The lawsuit asserts that the 1887 law known as the Electoral Count Act ... unconstitutionally binds Pence from exercising total authority to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under the Twelfth Amendment , Defendant Pence alone has the exclusive authority and sole discretion to open and permit the counting of the electoral votes for a given state , and where there are competing slates of electors , or where there is objection to any single slate of electors , to determine which electors ’ votes , or whether none , shall be counted , '' the suit contends .
And it is n't just the Rasmussen polling firm in addition to Gohmert ... .
In addition to those folks , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gateway Pundit and similar sites .
Apologies for quoting GP twice in one day , but the language here is really over the top : “ You Have a Rendezvous with Destiny , Mr. Vice President ” – On January 6th Vice President Pence Will Choose the Direction of the World for Years to Come – Like Thomas Jefferson Did Centuries Ago VP Mike Pence has the unique opportunity in world history where he can keep the nation and its people free or he can sentence the world to generations of slavery in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ron at CodeMonkeyZ tweeted this iconic article from NeonRevolt today : Neonrevolt was all over the fraudulent Mueller investigation .
He was so effective that Jack at Twitter censored him and kicked him off his site .
But Neonrevolt did not go away .
He now has written an excellent piece regarding VP Mike Pence ’ s duties on January 6th .
His efforts can save the country and the world or damn all of us and all future generations into slavery .
Neonrevolt ends his piece on Pence ’ s opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mr. Vice President .
Either you will rise up with courage and become the hero who saved the Republic , or you will spend the rest of your days reviled in ignominy as your children , and your grandchildren , and their descendants end up as little more than chattel on the global plantation .
I don ’ t think I ’ m exaggerating the stakes .
Go with God , Mr. Vice President .
Fight for the people on that day .
Strike the giants , and cut off all their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with this immense and Constitutional power – to safeguard the Republic on that day when our enemies would snatch it away from us – we , the people , will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can trust you in 2024 and beyond .
I 've been saying this for a few days , but it 's obvious now : Pence simply ca n't go to Congress on January 6 , do his constitutional duty by ratifying the electoral vote count , and then expect to have even a slight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If he does that , members of the GOP may very well introduce articles of impeachment against Pence on January 7 , or whenever the vote is ratified .
Pence wo n't be impeached , obviously , with Democrats in charge and two weeks left in his term , but he 'll become one of the most hated RINOs in America .
So he has to make trouble -- or skip the ceremony altogether and let someone else act as the president of the Senate , as I explained yesterday .
Yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political career , in the interests of preserving faith in American democracy -- he 's in his early sixties and could easily just retire -- but he still wants to be president , so we know he wo n't do that .
So expect a shitshow in Congress next week .

It isn't just Louis Gohmert who believes it's Mike Pence's job to steal the election for Donald Trump....
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and President Donald Trump's defeated electors from Arizona may force Vice President Mike Pence to publicly pick a side in Trump’s bid to overturn his 2020 election loss. Gohmert and a handful of the would-be electors sued Pence in federal court on Monday.... The lawsuit asserts that the 1887 law known as the Electoral Count Act ... unconstitutionally binds Pence from exercising total authority to choose which votes to count. "Under the Twelfth Amendment, Defendant Pence alone has the exclusive authority and sole discretion to open and permit the counting of the electoral votes for a given state, and where there are competing slates of electors, or where there is objection to any single slate of electors, to determine which electors’ votes, or whether none, shall be counted," the suit contends.
And it isn't just the Rasmussen polling firm in addition to Gohmert....
At that moment, the Presidency will be in his hands.
And there is nothing stopping Pence, under the (plenary and unappealable) authority vested in him as President of the Senate, from declining to open and count the certificates from the six disputed states.
2/4 — Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) December 27, 2020
Per the 12th Amendment: "[T]he votes shall then be counted[.] ... The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President[.]"
Reader comments?
4/4
More here - https://t.co/ehnnu84Lgi — Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) December 27, 2020
In addition to those folks, they're also getting a tad overheated at Gateway Pundit and similar sites. Apologies for quoting GP twice in one day, but the language here is really over the top:
“You Have a Rendezvous with Destiny, Mr. Vice President” – On January 6th Vice President Pence Will Choose the Direction of the World for Years to Come – Like Thomas Jefferson Did Centuries Ago VP Mike Pence has the unique opportunity in world history where he can keep the nation and its people free or he can sentence the world to generations of slavery in a matter of minutes on January 6th. Ron at CodeMonkeyZ tweeted this iconic article from NeonRevolt today:
“On [January 6], you and you alone will have the power to set not just America, but all of humanity free – or you will have the power to sentence us all to slavery.”@Mike_Pence
“@VP’s Rendezvous with Destiny”https://t.co/jmofk412Ph — Ron (@CodeMonkeyZ) December 28, 2020
Neonrevolt was all over the fraudulent Mueller investigation. He was so effective that Jack at Twitter censored him and kicked him off his site. But Neonrevolt did not go away. He now has written an excellent piece regarding VP Mike Pence’s duties on January 6th. His efforts can save the country and the world or damn all of us and all future generations into slavery. Neonrevolt ends his piece on Pence’s opportunity with this: You have a choice, Mr. Vice President. Either you will rise up with courage and become the hero who saved the Republic, or you will spend the rest of your days reviled in ignominy as your children, and your grandchildren, and their descendants end up as little more than chattel on the global plantation. I don’t think I’m exaggerating the stakes. Go with God, Mr. Vice President. Fight for the people on that day. Strike the giants, and cut off all their heads. If you can be entrusted with this immense and Constitutional power – to safeguard the Republic on that day when our enemies would snatch it away from us – we, the people, will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can trust you in 2024 and beyond.
Wow.
I've been saying this for a few days, but it's obvious now: Pence simply can't go to Congress on January 6, do his constitutional duty by ratifying the electoral vote count, and then expect to have even a slight chance at the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. If he does that, members of the GOP may very well introduce articles of impeachment against Pence on January 7, or whenever the vote is ratified. Pence won't be impeached, obviously, with Democrats in charge and two weeks left in his term, but he'll become one of the most hated RINOs in America.
So he has to make trouble -- or skip the ceremony altogether and let someone else act as the president of the Senate, as I explained yesterday. Yes, in theory he could sacrifice his political career, in the interests of preserving faith in American democracy -- he's in his early sixties and could easily just retire -- but he still wants to be president, so we know he won't do that.
So expect a shitshow in Congress next week.


crooksandliars--2020-12-29--Federal Judge Halts Voter Purge In Georgia Election

A federal judge blocked an attempt to purge Georgia 's voting rolls of approximately 4,000 voters in the midst of early voting in the state 's Senate runoff elections .
It was widely seen as a GOP voter suppression effort , as the majority of the voters the county boards tried to purge were Democrats .
The bulk of the registrations that the counties sought to rescind , more than 4,000 , were in Muscogee County , which Biden won handily in November .
An additional 150 were from Ben Hill County , which Trump won by a wide margin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forward , represented by National Democratic Party attorney Marc Elias , followed an effort to challenge the lengthy roster of voters simply because their registrations appeared to match U.S .
Postal Service change-of address records .
Voting officials in the two counties agreed to remove the voters , despite warnings from Democrats that such postal data is not a reliable or conclusive indicator that a voter has given up their local residence .
The decisions by the county boards to purge the voters from the rolls were based on one man 's search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change-of-address forms indicated that the voters had moved out of state .
That 's it .
No further evidence was provided .
The Muscogee board met Dec. 16 and backed Russell ’ s motion 3-1 , even though he didn ’ t attend the meeting and provided no additional evidence to support his challenge .
Voters on Russell ’ s list , per the board , would be required to vote by provisional ballot and present additional evidence of residency to vote .
In Ben Hill County , the board voted 2-1 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a member of the City Council in Fitzgerald , Ga. Roberts similarly relied on change-of-address data , and the board backed him despite evidence that the data could not be verified and would be inadmissible in court .
Marc Elias , representing the Democrats in the group Majority Forward , brought suit against the county boards , and won , keeping these voters on the rolls and able to vote .
The federal judge who issued the ruling is Leslie Abrams Gardner .
Gardner ’ s 11-page ruling released Monday night noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to violate federal law because they were not given proper notice and because they qualify as the type of systematic voter roll cleaning that is not permitted within 90 days of a federal election .
Judge Gardner happens to be Stacey Abrams ' sister , so of course , cue Republican outrage and racist posturing that she should have recused herself from the case .
Judge Gardner acknowledged the formal request for recusal in her ruling , but wrote , `` The Court has reviewed the motion and finds no basis for recusal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s reasoning is forthcoming . ''

A federal judge blocked an attempt to purge Georgia's voting rolls of approximately 4,000 voters in the midst of early voting in the state's Senate runoff elections. It was widely seen as a GOP voter suppression effort, as the majority of the voters the county boards tried to purge were Democrats.
According to Politico:
The bulk of the registrations that the counties sought to rescind, more than 4,000, were in Muscogee County, which Biden won handily in November. An additional 150 were from Ben Hill County, which Trump won by a wide margin. The suit, brought by Majority Forward, represented by National Democratic Party attorney Marc Elias, followed an effort to challenge the lengthy roster of voters simply because their registrations appeared to match U.S. Postal Service change-of address records. Voting officials in the two counties agreed to remove the voters, despite warnings from Democrats that such postal data is not a reliable or conclusive indicator that a voter has given up their local residence.
The decisions by the county boards to purge the voters from the rolls were based on one man's search of public records to show that postal change-of-address forms indicated that the voters had moved out of state. That's it. No further evidence was provided.
The Muscogee board met Dec. 16 and backed Russell’s motion 3-1, even though he didn’t attend the meeting and provided no additional evidence to support his challenge. Voters on Russell’s list, per the board, would be required to vote by provisional ballot and present additional evidence of residency to vote. In Ben Hill County, the board voted 2-1 to support a challenge lodged by Tommy Roberts, a member of the City Council in Fitzgerald, Ga. Roberts similarly relied on change-of-address data, and the board backed him despite evidence that the data could not be verified and would be inadmissible in court.
Marc Elias, representing the Democrats in the group Majority Forward, brought suit against the county boards, and won, keeping these voters on the rolls and able to vote. The federal judge who issued the ruling is Leslie Abrams Gardner.
Gardner’s 11-page ruling released Monday night noted that the removals of the voters appeared to violate federal law because they were not given proper notice and because they qualify as the type of systematic voter roll cleaning that is not permitted within 90 days of a federal election.
Judge Gardner happens to be Stacey Abrams' sister, so of course, cue Republican outrage and racist posturing that she should have recused herself from the case. Judge Gardner acknowledged the formal request for recusal in her ruling, but wrote, "The Court has reviewed the motion and finds no basis for recusal. An Order detailing the Court’s reasoning is forthcoming."


crooksandliars--2020-12-29--GOP Blocks Violence Against Women Act Because Stalkers Should Have Guns

You would think being `` anti-wife beating '' would be a bipartisan thing .
But what about `` that guy I went out with once is stalking me and he has a gun '' ?
This week Senate Republicans again showed us who they are .
Senate Republicans are blocking re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act ( VAWA ) over the so-called `` Boyfriend Loophole . ''
USA Today : ... the most recent version of the bill passed by the House last year intended to close the “ boyfriend loophole , ” which proved to be a large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Previous versions of the act barred those convicted of domestic violence or abuse from purchasing and owning a gun if they were married to , lived with or had a child with the victim .
But the 2019 amendment hoped to extend that provision to include dating partners and stalkers .
Though it had support from all Democrats who voted but one , only 33 Republicans voted to move the legislation forward , and the GOP has been accused of giving into the National Rifle Association , which has opposed the change .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with `` Republicans are evil '' but sometimes I do n't have a choice .

You would think being "anti-wife beating" would be a bipartisan thing.
But what about "that guy I went out with once is stalking me and he has a gun"?
This week Senate Republicans again showed us who they are.
Senate Republicans are blocking re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) over the so-called "Boyfriend Loophole." USA Today:
...the most recent version of the bill passed by the House last year intended to close the “boyfriend loophole,” which proved to be a large point of contention for many Republicans. Previous versions of the act barred those convicted of domestic violence or abuse from purchasing and owning a gun if they were married to, lived with or had a child with the victim. But the 2019 amendment hoped to extend that provision to include dating partners and stalkers. Though it had support from all Democrats who voted but one, only 33 Republicans voted to move the legislation forward, and the GOP has been accused of giving into the National Rifle Association, which has opposed the change.
I really don't like ending posts with "Republicans are evil" but sometimes I don't have a choice.
Mitch McConnell has been blocking bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (#VAWA) for 633 days. https://t.co/GPk2ZW4Y3b — The Leadership Conference (@civilrightsorg) December 27, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-12-29--WATCH LIVE:  Sanders And Markey Filibuster NDAA Override To Push $2000 Covid Aid

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( Ky. ) on Tuesday blocked consideration of a House bill that would deliver a @ @ @ @ @ most Americans — spurning a request made by President Trump even as more Senate Republicans @ @ @ @ @ larger checks .
McConnell ’ s move was just the beginning of a saga that @ @ @ @ @ Senate for the rest of the week .
Democrats are pushing for an up-or-down vote @ @ @ @ @ while more Republicans acknowledge a need for larger stimulus checks ... Emboldened politically , Sen. @ @ @ @ @ also issued his own ultimatum on Monday , threatening to hold up the chamber unless @ @ @ @ @ on the heightened stimulus payments .

Live Senate Debate. WaPo reports:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Tuesday blocked consideration of a House bill that would deliver a $2,000 stimulus payments to most Americans — spurning a request made by President Trump even as more Senate Republicans voiced support for the dramatically larger checks.
McConnell’s move was just the beginning of a saga that is likely to engulf the Senate for the rest of the week. Democrats are pushing for an up-or-down vote on the House bill, while more Republicans acknowledge a need for larger stimulus checks...
Emboldened politically, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also issued his own ultimatum on Monday, threatening to hold up the chamber unless lawmakers are able to vote on the heightened stimulus payments.


crooksandliars--2020-12-29--Whoops, Trump's DC Hotel Puts Inauguration Rooms On Sale

Joe Biden is asking people to stay home and stay safe on his Inauguration Day .
The traditional inauguration day luncheon with Congress is canceled due to Covid , as well as balls , parades , and other festivities .
The Presidential Inaugural Committee ( PIC ) is urging people to celebrate from home : “ President-elect Biden ’ s unwavering commitment to the safety of the American people is our North Star as we plan an inauguration that protects public health while honoring inaugural traditions and engaging Americans across the country .
We are excited to share more information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Americans can watch and participate in a historic inauguration that will unify our country , ” said PIC Executive Director Maju Varghese .
“ The pandemic is continuing to have a significant public health impact across the nation .
Americans everywhere must do their part to slow the spread of the virus : wear masks , stay home , and limit gatherings .
We are asking Americans to participate in inaugural events from home to protect themselves , their families , friends , and communities , ” said PIC Chief Medical Advisor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half as good a job with the Inauguration as they did with the virtual Democratic Convention last summer , it will be fine .
And it appears the Trump Hotel in DC is conceding that they wo n't be , ahem , full of MAGA acolytes on January 20 .
I assume even at the discount , the rooms are too expensive for the Proud Boys ?

Joe Biden is asking people to stay home and stay safe on his Inauguration Day. The traditional inauguration day luncheon with Congress is canceled due to Covid, as well as balls, parades, and other festivities. The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) is urging people to celebrate from home:
“President-elect Biden’s unwavering commitment to the safety of the American people is our North Star as we plan an inauguration that protects public health while honoring inaugural traditions and engaging Americans across the country. We are excited to share more information soon about the new and innovative ways all Americans can watch and participate in a historic inauguration that will unify our country,” said PIC Executive Director Maju Varghese. “The pandemic is continuing to have a significant public health impact across the nation. Americans everywhere must do their part to slow the spread of the virus: wear masks, stay home, and limit gatherings. We are asking Americans to participate in inaugural events from home to protect themselves, their families, friends, and communities,” said PIC Chief Medical Advisor Dr. David Kessler.
If they do half as good a job with the Inauguration as they did with the virtual Democratic Convention last summer, it will be fine.
And it appears the Trump Hotel in DC is conceding that they won't be, ahem, full of MAGA acolytes on January 20.
The Trump Hotel in Washington DC has conceded the election. They’ve unblocked all the rooms they had reserved for Inauguration Week, and have made them available to anyone, at a 25% discount. pic.twitter.com/6Zvb1GLrZM — Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 28, 2020
I assume even at the discount, the rooms are too expensive for the Proud Boys?
Thoughts and prayers.


crooksandliars--2020-12-29--Nikki Haley Uses Red Scare Tweet In Attempt To Be Relevant For 2024

Nikki Haley wrote an op-ed claiming that socialism `` went mainstream in America '' because of COVID , even after Republicans in office , lead by Trump , lied to the American people and destroyed the pandemic response .
How much more can Republicans increase the suffering of the American people ?
Fox News is promoting her words as if Haley is Moses walking down from the mountain with tablets in hand .
Haley 's words are as empty and unserious as Trump 's telling Americans that the virus will just go away and to use ultraviolet lights and drink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Donald Trump purposely knew the coronavirus was as infectious and deadly as it has become back in February when Bob Woodward exposed him as lying to the American people which led the disease to grow exponentially until now we have over 335,000 deaths and climbing .
Haley then makes the case that the entire Democratic Party are unabashed socialists trying to destroy freedoms and capitalism because the federal government under the Democratic Party is trying to help ease the suffering of the American people during Trump 's failed response to the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people survive a pandemic is not saying government knows best .
It 's telling the American people that we have your backs during a time of crisis .
In actuality what we found is that when you have an incompetent buffoon who cares only about his own self-interests running the country as president , aided by a GOP cult made up of conspiracy nuts , we found that the country as a whole suffers tremendous grief , sickness , and death and then screams socialism as a way to justify their craven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that government can work better to help the American people as opposed to the fend for yourself and pick yourself up from your bootstraps approach of the free market corporate supporting con artists who make millions jilting the American people and grifting off their backs with tax cuts and austerity programs and Koch Brothers cash .
Nikki Haley is using the same failed playbook that all Republicans and Trump used during the midterms and then the 2020 presidential election by claiming if you vote for a Democratic politician you 're a communist-socialist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election from Trump .
Haley is priming the pumps for her presidential run in 2024 and it will be the same rhetoric and lies the GOP relies on to hoodwink the public .

Nikki Haley wrote an op-ed claiming that socialism "went mainstream in America" because of COVID, even after Republicans in office, lead by Trump, lied to the American people and destroyed the pandemic response.
How much more can Republicans increase the suffering of the American people?
Fox News is promoting her words as if Haley is Moses walking down from the mountain with tablets in hand.
This was the year socialism went mainstream. The dangerous ideology, which has failed everywhere it has been tried and ruined countless lives, is on its way to becoming the default economic policy of the Democratic Party. This terrifying trend threatens the future of every American.
Haley's words are as empty and unserious as Trump's telling Americans that the virus will just go away and to use ultraviolet lights and drink disinfectants as a cure.
We know that Donald Trump purposely knew the coronavirus was as infectious and deadly as it has become back in February when Bob Woodward exposed him as lying to the American people which led the disease to grow exponentially until now we have over 335,000 deaths and climbing.
Remember this lying performance by Trump?
Haley then makes the case that the entire Democratic Party are unabashed socialists trying to destroy freedoms and capitalism because the federal government under the Democratic Party is trying to help ease the suffering of the American people during Trump's failed response to the pandemic.
The left’s agenda is based on the belief that government knows best. That’s the essence of socialism and the opposite of American ideals.
Spending government funds to help the American people survive a pandemic is not saying government knows best.
It's telling the American people that we have your backs during a time of crisis.
In actuality what we found is that when you have an incompetent buffoon who cares only about his own self-interests running the country as president, aided by a GOP cult made up of conspiracy nuts, we found that the country as a whole suffers tremendous grief, sickness, and death and then screams socialism as a way to justify their craven actions and inaction.
What Democrats believe is that government can work better to help the American people as opposed to the fend for yourself and pick yourself up from your bootstraps approach of the free market corporate supporting con artists who make millions jilting the American people and grifting off their backs with tax cuts and austerity programs and Koch Brothers cash.
Nikki Haley is using the same failed playbook that all Republicans and Trump used during the midterms and then the 2020 presidential election by claiming if you vote for a Democratic politician you're a communist-socialist Hugo Chavez supporter who helped steal the election from Trump.
Haley is priming the pumps for her presidential run in 2024 and it will be the same rhetoric and lies the GOP relies on to hoodwink the public.
Go eff yourself.


crooksandliars--2020-12-29--Proud Boys' Hotel Reservations For Jan 6 Are Canceled

Got ta hand it to the Hotel Harrington in Washington DC .
They are a favorite of my family because @ @ @ @ @ and comparatively inexpensive when traveling to the Nation 's Capital .
And yesterday they read @ @ @ @ @ the hotel had been chosen as the unofficial headquarters of the Proud Boys during the @ @ @ @ @ the vote of the Electoral College on January 6 .
Donald Trump wants protestors to @ @ @ @ @ the election , or something .
And the Proud Boys were to descend on DC @ @ @ @ @ .
Create havoc with a bunch of racist violence thrown in .
Hotel Harrington canceled @ @ @ @ @ their hotel for three days .

Gotta hand it to the Hotel Harrington in Washington DC. They are a favorite of my family because the rooms are clean no-frills and comparatively inexpensive when traveling to the Nation's Capital.
And yesterday they read in The Washington Post that the hotel had been chosen as the unofficial headquarters of the Proud Boys during the promised kerfuffle over Congress accepting the vote of the Electoral College on January 6.
Donald Trump wants protestors to force Mike Pence to overturn the election, or something. And the Proud Boys were to descend on DC to do what they do. Create havoc with a bunch of racist violence thrown in.
Hotel Harrington canceled the reservations and shut down their hotel for three days.
The Proud Boys' favorite DC hotel has just announced it will be closed January 4-6th, when Trump supporters are planning to gather to protest Biden's election. All reservations are canceled. pic.twitter.com/0K3LbFMFLC — Mark Elliott (@markmobility) December 29, 2020
I may be wrong but I think there's room at the Four Seasons.
Landscaping. — The Palaeoanthropologist (@HamishAlexande6) December 29, 2020
UPDATE: The Proud Boys seem upset.


crooksandliars--2020-12-29--Dr. Fauci On Vaccination Pace: 'We're Not At The Numbers We Want To Be'

As Jim Sciutto points out to Dr. Anthony Fauci , we are nowhere near where we were projected to be with vaccinations .
`` The numbers so far , you have been asked about this , 2.1 million vaccinations .
I know there is a thought that that might be an undercount , but when the goal is 20 million by the end of this year , two days away , do you believe that momentum , as you described it , will pick up sufficiently to catch up to those goals ?
If not by the end of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sciutto asked .
`` We 're not at the numbers that we want today be at the end of December , '' Fauci said .
`` You heard us talk about 20 million doses .
How much undercount is there ?
We have spoken about this .
I believe that as we get to January , we 're going to see an increase in the momentum that allows us to catch up to the projected pace that we had spoken about a month or two ago , talking about the planned roll out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the priority people vaccinated , so we can get to the open season for the general population .
Once you do that , I mean what we 're doing now , we 're certainly saving lives , no doubt about that .
When you get to the point where you can essentially say anybody and everybody who wants to be vaccinates can be vaccinated , that is when you turn around the dynamics of the outbreak .
We hope as we get there , we will finally just be there . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is exposing holes in the vaccination plan , '' Sciutto said .
`` The point about the enormous burden being placed on private pharmacies , right ?
Pharmacy chains to roll this out .
You see it already in testing , right ?
They get overwhelmed very quickly .
Should Americans have confidence in the current plan ? ''
`` We have to see , Jim .
Not being responsible for the rollout , I ca n't personally guarantee that we will catch up .
I hope we do .
we 're looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
The question is , are we getting back to the pace where we have been ? ''
Fauci said .
And of course he wo n't come out and say it , but it 's no secret that the Trump administriation is screwing this up and they just do n't care .

As Jim Sciutto points out to Dr. Anthony Fauci, we are nowhere near where we were projected to be with vaccinations.
"The numbers so far, you have been asked about this, 2.1 million vaccinations. I know there is a thought that that might be an undercount, but when the goal is 20 million by the end of this year, two days away, do you believe that momentum, as you described it, will pick up sufficiently to catch up to those goals? If not by the end of the month, then soon after?" Sciutto asked.
"We're not at the numbers that we want today be at the end of December," Fauci said.
"You heard us talk about 20 million doses. How much undercount is there? We have spoken about this. I believe that as we get to January, we're going to see an increase in the momentum that allows us to catch up to the projected pace that we had spoken about a month or two ago, talking about the planned roll out of the vaccinations. we want to get the priority people vaccinated, so we can get to the open season for the general population. Once you do that, I mean what we're doing now, we're certainly saving lives, no doubt about that. When you get to the point where you can essentially say anybody and everybody who wants to be vaccinates can be vaccinated, that is when you turn around the dynamics of the outbreak. We hope as we get there, we will finally just be there."
"I wonder if the slow start is exposing holes in the vaccination plan," Sciutto said. "The point about the enormous burden being placed on private pharmacies, right? Pharmacy chains to roll this out. You see it already in testing, right? They get overwhelmed very quickly. Should Americans have confidence in the current plan?"
"We have to see, Jim. Not being responsible for the rollout, I can't personally guarantee that we will catch up. I hope we do. we're looking at the people that were responsible for it. The question is, are we getting back to the pace where we have been?" Fauci said.
And of course he won't come out and say it, but it's no secret that the Trump administriation is screwing this up and they just don't care.


crooksandliars--2020-12-29--Lt. Gov. John Fetterman: Simping For Trump And Playing Golf 'Waters The Tree Of Liberty'

I 'm a big fan of PA Lt. Gov .
John Fetterman , who has been taunting his Texas counterpart Dan Patrick over his fake claims of Pennsylvia voter fraud , and Ali Velshi had him on last night to talk about it .
He asked if he heard from Patrick .
`` Not recently .
I heard from him early on , saying for me to get serious .
And I 'm like , hey , my dude , where 's my money , you know , '' Fetterman said .
`` And the good news I can report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 % of the dead mother vote here in our commonwealth during this last election .
So we have three cases of voter fraud .
Three cases .
Despite what the president tweeted out earlier today , the only documented cases of voter fraud in Pennsylvania were these three cases , and my dude in Texas owes Pennsylvania big bank . ''
`` Well , so Donald Trump -- I do n't want to put it up because he tweets a lot of nonsense and it was immediately countered by Twitter , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he tweeted more votes were cast in Pennsylvania than there are voters .
He 's trying every version of this possible .
Obviously you 're the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania .
You 'd know if that 's the case . ''
`` Well , of course .
let me give you the background on that nonsense .
Seventeen snake handlers out of the Pennsylvania House -- just 17 of them , not one state senator , not even the state party owns this .
Some random House members sent out this ridiculous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president .
And of course the president would re-tweet anything that tries to cast doubt on the election .
There 's zero fraud in Pennsylvania , save for these three cases that brought us here together tonight for this conversation .
They know that .
The president knows that .
Joe biden is going to be the next president .
Everyone knows that , '' Fetterman said .
`` So here 's the thing .
You were mayor here in Pennsylvania , and as soon as you get out of Philadelphia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the real Pennsylvania , or at least a different Pennsylvania , in which there are people who are suffering .
This thing that the president did where he got the bill , it was passed by both houses , and then he decided not to sign it for a few days , as I was talking to former deputy treasurer Sarah Bloom Raskin , a delay in $ 300 and checks that go out this coming Friday instead of today really , really makes a difference for a lot of people in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It sure does .
Absolutely .
One of the things that I 've learned from the GOP is that simping for the president and golfing is -- you know , waters the tree of liberty in this country .
Meanwhile , millions that are going to go without benefits in that gap now because the president delayed signing .
It really is n't important to him .
That 's really the argument that that party makes .
There is n't anything they would do or say at this point to distract the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is going to be leaving the White House next month -- actually , in , what , three weeks or so , and they 're going to do whatever they can to try to distract from that .
But it does n't change the underlying truth , '' Fetterman said .

I'm a big fan of PA Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who has been taunting his Texas counterpart Dan Patrick over his fake claims of Pennsylvia voter fraud, and Ali Velshi had him on last night to talk about it. He asked if he heard from Patrick.
"Not recently. I heard from him early on, saying for me to get serious. And I'm like, hey, my dude, where's my money, you know," Fetterman said.
"And the good news I can report from Pennsylvania is that President Trump received 100% of the dead mother vote here in our commonwealth during this last election. So we have three cases of voter fraud. Three cases. Despite what the president tweeted out earlier today, the only documented cases of voter fraud in Pennsylvania were these three cases, and my dude in Texas owes Pennsylvania big bank."
"Well, so Donald Trump -- I don't want to put it up because he tweets a lot of nonsense and it was immediately countered by Twitter," Velshi said.
"But, yeah, he tweeted more votes were cast in Pennsylvania than there are voters. He's trying every version of this possible. Obviously you're the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. You'd know if that's the case."
"Well, of course. let me give you the background on that nonsense. Seventeen snake handlers out of the Pennsylvania House -- just 17 of them, not one state senator, not even the state party owns this. Some random House members sent out this ridiculous, you know, like tribute to the president. And of course the president would re-tweet anything that tries to cast doubt on the election. There's zero fraud in Pennsylvania, save for these three cases that brought us here together tonight for this conversation. They know that. The president knows that. Joe biden is going to be the next president. Everyone knows that," Fetterman said.
"So here's the thing. You were mayor here in Pennsylvania, and as soon as you get out of Philadelphia and in some cases Pittsburgh, you see the real Pennsylvania, or at least a different Pennsylvania, in which there are people who are suffering. This thing that the president did where he got the bill, it was passed by both houses, and then he decided not to sign it for a few days, as I was talking to former deputy treasurer Sarah Bloom Raskin, a delay in $300 and checks that go out this coming Friday instead of today really, really makes a difference for a lot of people in this state," Velshi said.
"It sure does. Absolutely. One of the things that I've learned from the GOP is that simping for the president and golfing is -- you know, waters the tree of liberty in this country. Meanwhile, millions that are going to go without benefits in that gap now because the president delayed signing. It really isn't important to him. That's really the argument that that party makes. There isn't anything they would do or say at this point to distract the fact that the president lost this election and he is going to be leaving the White House next month -- actually, in, what, three weeks or so, and they're going to do whatever they can to try to distract from that. But it doesn't change the underlying truth," Fetterman said.


crooksandliars--2020-12-30--Twitter Spanks Sham Populist Josh Hawley After He Picks A Fight With Walmart

I 'm old enough to remember a couple of hours ago , when I wrote a post about Josh Hawley 's plan to subvert democracy by challenging the certification of the Electoral College vote next week in Congress .
Oooo .
Big man , Sen. Hawley , pretending to care about election security , and eVeRy vOtE cOuNtS !
If that were the case , why did n't you vote to impeach your president , who directly benefitted from Russia 's help in 2016 ?
And who subsequently sought interference with the 2020 election by suppressing Black and brown votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting during a pandemic ?
Because you DO N'T really care about election security , and the only votes that matter to you are the ones cast by white Republicans .
But shhhhhh .
Do n't say that out loud .
Anyhow , an employee of WalMart decided to call bullsh*t on Hawley 's fake populism by tweeting out the following in response to his plan to object to certification on Jan. 6 : Oh , dear .
Sen. Hawley took umbrage .
Do not condescend to Sen. Hawley .
Well , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throwing down of the gauntlet verrrry seriously , I assure you .
Well , actually , Walmart took him seriously .
Because ... Walmart .

I'm old enough to remember a couple of hours ago, when I wrote a post about Josh Hawley's plan to subvert democracy by challenging the certification of the Electoral College vote next week in Congress.
Oooo. Big man, Sen. Hawley, pretending to care about election security, and eVeRy vOtE cOuNtS! If that were the case, why didn't you vote to impeach your president, who directly benefitted from Russia's help in 2016? And who subsequently sought interference with the 2020 election by suppressing Black and brown votes and lying about the efficacy of mail-in voting during a pandemic?
Because you DON'T really care about election security, and the only votes that matter to you are the ones cast by white Republicans. But shhhhhh. Don't say that out loud.
Anyhow, an employee of WalMart decided to call bullsh*t on Hawley's fake populism by tweeting out the following in response to his plan to object to certification on Jan. 6:
Oh, dear. Sen. Hawley took umbrage. Do not condescend to Sen. Hawley.
Thanks @Walmart for your insulting condescension. Now that you’ve insulted 75 million Americans, will you at least apologize for using slave labor? pic.twitter.com/oYJP4Cv2qE — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 30, 2020
Ruh roh. He wasn't done.
Or maybe you’d like to apologize for the pathetic wages you pay your workers as you drive mom and pop stores out of business — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 30, 2020
Well, I say, there. Everyone took this throwing down of the gauntlet verrrry seriously, I assure you.
Oh my god. Shut up. You're a joke. — Red (@Redpainter1) December 30, 2020
bro, enjoy your 2-hour debate #soreloser — Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) December 30, 2020
Hawley & Rubio can, if GA goes GOP, de facto choose a different majority leader by withholding their votes until a potential Senate GOP leader comes forward who will allow a vote on a clean $2,000 check bill. (2/2) — Jeff Hauser (@jeffhauser) December 30, 2020
Hawley at the end of day only excels in performative populism. When it comes down to it he is just another Trump bootlicker with a whiff of Ivy sophistication. https://t.co/1KhoD5aRwL — Murshed Zaheed (@murshedz) December 30, 2020
("Performative populism." I like that. *Makes note to steal that term*)
No one should ever listen to this fraud again when he claims to speak for the "great American middle." He won't acknowledge the preference of a majority of American voters! Those who play footsie with his "conservative populism" should admit to its genuine authoritarian side. https://t.co/10RwByW5JG — Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) December 30, 2020
Well, actually, Walmart took him seriously. Because...Walmart.


crooksandliars--2020-12-30--Rachel Campos-Duffy Claims Public School 'Communists’ Brainwashed AOC

Rachel Campos Duffy was on Faux News raising the great Red Scare by saying that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , the Squad and others like them were growing in number and strength in Congress and the only way to stop them was for Georgians to get out and vote for the Republican candidates .
But she was not done there .
Campos Duffy also said that the reason that AOC was a socialist now was because she had been brainwashed and indoctrinated in elementary school by the socialists , Marxists , communists , radicalists and any other -ist that she could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing new for Campos Duffy .
She has been spewing it for years .
But it 's not even an original thought .
The Republicans , as a whole , have been echoing it for the past 50 years .
It all originated from the Lewis Powell Memo , which has been called the blueprint for the corporate takeover of America .
Powell wrote it to the US Chamber of Commerce in 1971 .
It raises the red scare throughout and lays out their game plan for everything they 've been doing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids at a young age : Although origins , sources and causes are complex and interrelated , and obviously difficult to identify without careful qualification , there is reason to believe that the campus is the single most dynamic source .
The social science faculties usually include members who are unsympathetic to the enterprise system .
They may range from a Herbert Marcuse , Marxist faculty member at the University of California at San Diego , and convinced socialists , to the ambivalent liberal critic who finds more to condemn than to commend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a majority .
They are often personally attractive and magnetic ; they are stimulating teachers , and their controversy attracts student following ; they are prolific writers and lecturers ; they author many of the textbooks , and they exert enormous influence — far out of proportion to their numbers — on their colleagues and in the academic world .
Social science faculties ( the political scientist , economist , sociologist and many of the historians ) tend to be liberally oriented , even when leftists are not present .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the need for liberal thought is essential to a balanced viewpoint .
The difficulty is that “ balance ” is conspicuous by its absence on many campuses , with relatively few members being of conservatives or moderate persuasion and even the relatively few often being less articulate and aggressive than their crusading colleagues .
This situation extending back many years and with the imbalance gradually worsening , has had an enormous impact on millions of young American students .
In an article in Barron ’ s Weekly , seeking an answer to why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the point of being revolutionaries , it was said : “ Because they were taught that way.
” Or , as noted by columnist Stewart Alsop , writing about his alma mater : “ Yale , like every other major college , is graduating scores ’ of bright young men … who despise the American political and economic system.
” As these “ bright young men , ” from campuses across the country , seek opportunities to change a system which they have been taught to distrust — if not , indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the centers of the real power and influence in our country , namely : ( i ) with the news media , especially television ; ( ii ) in government , as “ staffers ” and consultants at various levels ; ( iii ) in elective politics ; ( iv ) as lecturers and writers , and ( v ) on the faculties at various levels of education .
This playbook then lays out the need for corporate-minded people to take over these campuses by becoming teachers , speakers , and by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I mean , after all , the Republicans ca n't possibly let the kiddos become too educated in things like science , human nature or critical thinking .
That 's how they get indoctrinated in liberalism !
So next time you hear Campos Duffy or any other right wing squawking head or politician repeating these lines , keep in mind that they are just sellouts and corporate prostitutes , then vote for the Democrats .

Rachel Campos Duffy was on Faux News raising the great Red Scare by saying that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Squad and others like them were growing in number and strength in Congress and the only way to stop them was for Georgians to get out and vote for the Republican candidates.
But she was not done there. Campos Duffy also said that the reason that AOC was a socialist now was because she had been brainwashed and indoctrinated in elementary school by the socialists, Marxists, communists, radicalists and any other -ist that she could think off.
This conspiracy theory is nothing new for Campos Duffy. She has been spewing it for years. But it's not even an original thought. The Republicans, as a whole, have been echoing it for the past 50 years.
It all originated from the Lewis Powell Memo, which has been called the blueprint for the corporate takeover of America. Powell wrote it to the US Chamber of Commerce in 1971. It raises the red scare throughout and lays out their game plan for everything they've been doing, including blaming the schools for indoctrinating the kids at a young age:
Although origins, sources and causes are complex and interrelated, and obviously difficult to identify without careful qualification, there is reason to believe that the campus is the single most dynamic source. The social science faculties usually include members who are unsympathetic to the enterprise system. They may range from a Herbert Marcuse, Marxist faculty member at the University of California at San Diego, and convinced socialists, to the ambivalent liberal critic who finds more to condemn than to commend. Such faculty members need not be in a majority. They are often personally attractive and magnetic; they are stimulating teachers, and their controversy attracts student following; they are prolific writers and lecturers; they author many of the textbooks, and they exert enormous influence — far out of proportion to their numbers — on their colleagues and in the academic world. Social science faculties (the political scientist, economist, sociologist and many of the historians) tend to be liberally oriented, even when leftists are not present. This is not a criticism per se, as the need for liberal thought is essential to a balanced viewpoint. The difficulty is that “balance” is conspicuous by its absence on many campuses, with relatively few members being of conservatives or moderate persuasion and even the relatively few often being less articulate and aggressive than their crusading colleagues. This situation extending back many years and with the imbalance gradually worsening, has had an enormous impact on millions of young American students. In an article in Barron’s Weekly, seeking an answer to why so many young people are disaffected even to the point of being revolutionaries, it was said: “Because they were taught that way.” Or, as noted by columnist Stewart Alsop, writing about his alma mater: “Yale, like every other major college, is graduating scores’ of bright young men … who despise the American political and economic system.” As these “bright young men,” from campuses across the country, seek opportunities to change a system which they have been taught to distrust — if not, indeed “despise” — they seek employment in the centers of the real power and influence in our country, namely: (i) with the news media, especially television; (ii) in government, as “staffers” and consultants at various levels; (iii) in elective politics; (iv) as lecturers and writers, and (v) on the faculties at various levels of education.
This playbook then lays out the need for corporate-minded people to take over these campuses by becoming teachers, speakers, and by closely controlling what goes into textbooks.
I mean, after all, the Republicans can't possibly let the kiddos become too educated in things like science, human nature or critical thinking. That's how they get indoctrinated in liberalism!
So next time you hear Campos Duffy or any other right wing squawking head or politician repeating these lines, keep in mind that they are just sellouts and corporate prostitutes, then vote for the Democrats.


crooksandliars--2020-12-30--Josh Hawley Bows To King Trump, Promises Challenge To Electoral College Certification

In what most grown-ups would consider a humiliating display of fealty , Sen. Josh Hawley has declared that he will move to block certification of the Electoral College 's vote count in Congress on January 6th .
This move is also fruitless , as it 's bound to do nothing but delay the inevitable certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ' crushing defeat of Donald Trump at the ballot box , but that apparently does n't seem to factor in to GOP analysis anymore .
It also runs counter to what Mitch McConnell had planned , and do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything that makes Moscow Mitch 's sphincter itch , but this is truly embarrassing .
As CNN 's Biana Golodryga and David Chalian discuss , it allows Hawley to plant his flag for 2024 's GOP nomination , so what 's a little blowing up the Constitution if he can accomplish that little nugget , right ?
GOLODRYGA : And despite the embarrassment for the democratic process here , it does raise a question of voter integrity .
And Josh Hawley said at the very least Congress should adopt measures to secure the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has failed to act .
In terms of what we have upcoming in Georgia , the two runoffs , the last thing these two senators need to have worry about is people questioning the integrity of their vote .
So how does this square ?
CHALIAN : The president of the United States is the person questioning the integrity of the Georgia vote .
He 's been doing so nonstop since November 3rd .
Today he called for the resignation of the governor .
This is -- let 's just be clear , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Josh Hawley is doing than what we saw in the past is remember in the past , [ the 2004 election ] John Kerry had already conceded the election .
Donald Trump has not conceded the election .
He had 50-something lawsuits .
To your point about voter integrity , every single challenge the Trump team brought containing voter fraud was thrown out of court , or dismissed , or ruled against .
Just as Attorney General Barr has said , former Attorney General Barr , I guess now , but he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here .
It 's not been found anywhere .
So to stand up and make a point about something that 's already gone through 50 court cases , and everyone looked at and said it did n't exist seems to me a pure political play to court favor with the base .
To your point , the runoff happens January 5th .
This will happen January 6th .
Let 's see if we have all of the counts in Georgia .
It took a while after the general election .
We may not @ @ @ @ @ @ @

In what most grown-ups would consider a humiliating display of fealty, Sen. Josh Hawley has declared that he will move to block certification of the Electoral College's vote count in Congress on January 6th. This move is also fruitless, as it's bound to do nothing but delay the inevitable certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' crushing defeat of Donald Trump at the ballot box, but that apparently doesn't seem to factor in to GOP analysis anymore.
It also runs counter to what Mitch McConnell had planned, and don't get me wrong, I do love anything that makes Moscow Mitch's sphincter itch, but this is truly embarrassing. As CNN's Biana Golodryga and David Chalian discuss, it allows Hawley to plant his flag for 2024's GOP nomination, so what's a little blowing up the Constitution if he can accomplish that little nugget, right?