crooksandliars--2020-12-18--Wisconsin Justices Receive Threats And Hate After Elections Ruling

On Monday , just before the Electoral College was scheduled to convene , the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a ruling denying Trump 's challenge to the election results and request to have all the state electors vote for him .
Even before the ruling was issued , some of the Justices started receiving hate mail and voicemails , and some were based solely on misogyny and anti-Semitism .
After the ruling , the hate and vitriol continued to flow .
Justices Jill Karofsky and Rebecca Dallet appeared to have caught the brunt of these attacks .
As reported by Ruth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ included a bizarre rant on a white supremist website : Karofsky and Dallet were the targets of an online anti-Semitic attack on a blog reposted by the white supremacist website Daily Stormer that identifies Karofsky and Dallet as “ Wisconsin Jews.
” “ Powerful Jews came together to assure their people hold as many positions of power as possible , ” it asserts , and repeats anti-Semitic canards about a cabal of wealthy Jews who dominate Ivy League universities and businesses .
Both the blog post and the obscenity-laced messages to Karofsky ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump campaign ’ s effort to throw out votes “ smacks of racism.
” During oral arguments , Karofsky pointed out to Trump campaign lawyer Jim Troupis that he was seeking to throw out votes only in the two Wisconsin counties with the highest number of Black voters .
“ This lawsuit , Mr. Troupis , smacks of racism , ” Karofsky said .
“ I do not know how you can come before this court and possibly ask for a remedy that is unheard of in U.S. history .
… It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post asserts that the “ racism hoax ” is “ very close to the hearts of the Jews.
” Bill Lueders of The Progressive , who originally broke the story , shared some of the vulgar voicemails left for the two justices , including this doozy for Karofsky : : “ You got a lot of guts , ” one caller stated , as recorded in an MP3 file released Wednesday to The Progressive in response to an open records request .
“ You refer to Trump as a king ?
Yet you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tyrant bitch who allows cheating and fraud to put a socialist puppet of China in the White House .
Trump is not a king .
Trump is a President legally elected by the people , not the fraud you allow , you fucking bitch .
You ’ re the socialist tyrant bitch .
Trump is an American patriot .
And you ’ re fucking garbage , you fucking piece of shit pig.
” Dallet , who did n't release as many pieces of hate , had received this : In another article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hagedorn , the lone conservative to side with democracy , also was subjected to the messages of hate , although not nearly at the level of vitriol and intensity which were directed at the women Justices .
Some of these messages included these : “ I think you should resign , ” declared one message left on Hagedorn ’ s public phone line by a man who identified himself as Ron , last name phonetically Olincheck [ caller number 17 on linked recording ] .
“ You gave us a lot of lies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative .
You ’ re not .
You ’ re terrible .
Hopefully someday , you ’ ll get paid back on this .
Resign .
You ’ re a piece of garbage.
” Other callers voiced similar assessments .
“ You are an absolute disgrace , ” said one male caller who did not give his name [ message 2 ] .
“ And we the people of Wisconsin are completely embarrassed to have you on the court .
Not sure how you can look at yourself in the mirror , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four words are spoken as : “ You .
Are .
A. Coward.
” I really do n't understand what these haters were thinking or expecting , especially considering that Trump had already lost scores of similar challenges across the nation , including some in Wisconsin .
If one really wants to subject themselves to this vitriol and insanity , Lueders did provide to MP3 recordings of the voicemails sent to the three justices .
However , I would call these NSFW , due to the length if not necessarily the language : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here .
Rebecca Dallet 's can be found here .
Brian Hagedorn 's can be found here .

On Monday, just before the Electoral College was scheduled to convene, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a ruling denying Trump's challenge to the election results and request to have all the state electors vote for him.
Even before the ruling was issued, some of the Justices started receiving hate mail and voicemails, and some were based solely on misogyny and anti-Semitism. After the ruling, the hate and vitriol continued to flow.
Justices Jill Karofsky and Rebecca Dallet appeared to have caught the brunt of these attacks. As reported by Ruth Conniff of Wisconsin Examiner, these attacks included a bizarre rant on a white supremist website:
Karofsky and Dallet were the targets of an online anti-Semitic attack on a blog reposted by the white supremacist website Daily Stormer that identifies Karofsky and Dallet as “Wisconsin Jews.” “Powerful Jews came together to assure their people hold as many positions of power as possible,” it asserts, and repeats anti-Semitic canards about a cabal of wealthy Jews who dominate Ivy League universities and businesses. Both the blog post and the obscenity-laced messages to Karofsky’s office focus on her comment that the Trump campaign’s effort to throw out votes “smacks of racism.” During oral arguments, Karofsky pointed out to Trump campaign lawyer Jim Troupis that he was seeking to throw out votes only in the two Wisconsin counties with the highest number of Black voters. “This lawsuit, Mr. Troupis, smacks of racism,” Karofsky said. “I do not know how you can come before this court and possibly ask for a remedy that is unheard of in U.S. history. … It is not normal.” The anti-Semitic blog post asserts that the “racism hoax” is “very close to the hearts of the Jews.”
Bill Lueders of The Progressive, who originally broke the story, shared some of the vulgar voicemails left for the two justices, including this doozy for Karofsky:
:“You got a lot of guts,” one caller stated, as recorded in an MP3 file released Wednesday to The Progressive in response to an open records request. “You refer to Trump as a king? Yet you are the tyrant bitch. You are the tyrant bitch who allows cheating and fraud to put a socialist puppet of China in the White House. Trump is not a king. Trump is a President legally elected by the people, not the fraud you allow, you fucking bitch. You’re the socialist tyrant bitch. Trump is an American patriot. And you’re fucking garbage, you fucking piece of shit pig.”
Dallet, who didn't release as many pieces of hate, had received this:
The voicemail left on Dallet’s office phone was from a woman caller who did not leave her name. The message said: “Hey, you’re a piece of shit. Not any old piece of shit—an Obama, George Soros, liberal, lefty piece of shit.”
In another article, Lueders reports that even Justice Brian Hagedorn, the lone conservative to side with democracy, also was subjected to the messages of hate, although not nearly at the level of vitriol and intensity which were directed at the women Justices. Some of these messages included these:
“I think you should resign,” declared one message left on Hagedorn’s public phone line by a man who identified himself as Ron, last name phonetically Olincheck [caller number 17 on linked recording]. “You gave us a lot of lies. You said you were a Republican conservative. You’re not. You’re terrible. Hopefully someday, you’ll get paid back on this. Resign. You’re a piece of garbage.” Other callers voiced similar assessments. “You are an absolute disgrace,” said one male caller who did not give his name [message 2]. “And we the people of Wisconsin are completely embarrassed to have you on the court. Not sure how you can look at yourself in the mirror, but you are a coward.” The last four words are spoken as: “You. Are. A. Coward.”
I really don't understand what these haters were thinking or expecting, especially considering that Trump had already lost scores of similar challenges across the nation, including some in Wisconsin.
If one really wants to subject themselves to this vitriol and insanity, Lueders did provide to MP3 recordings of the voicemails sent to the three justices. However, I would call these NSFW, due to the length if not necessarily the language::
Jill Karofsky's can be found here.
Rebecca Dallet's can be found here.
Brian Hagedorn's can be found here.


crooksandliars--2020-12-18--Deb Haaland Set To Be First Native American Secretary Of Interior

If confirmed , Haaland would be the first Native American cabinet secretary .
That is long overdue given that the position oversees tribal lands .
There are more reasons to cheer her appointment : A member of New Mexico ’ s Laguna Pueblo people , Haaland brings a major outside voice to a Biden Cabinet so far dominated by former Obama officials .
Before being elected to Congress in 2018 , she started a small business , put herself through school with the help of student loans and food stamps and led the Democratic Party in New Mexico , helping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She supports the Green New Deal : As head of the Interior Department , Haaland would also oversee aspects of oil and gas drilling sites on public lands .
In her recent campaign for Congress , Haaland had said that it was time for New Mexico to rethink its reliance on the oil and gas industry , citing droughts in the Southwest , floods in the Southeast and burning wildfires in the West .
She has said she supports a ban on fracking and the Green New Deal .
You may recall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Standing Rock Sioux ’ s reservation to join tribal leaders ' opposition to the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline .
The only downside is that Democrats are losing a House seat that is only Democratic-leaning .
From The Albuquerque Journal : Her appointment could also set off a wild scramble to fill her Democratic-leaning congressional seat , which represents most of Albuquerque in Congress .
Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham would have to call a special election to fill the seat between 84 to 91 days of it being vacated , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be no primary elections held before the special election , as political parties ’ central committees would instead nominate their own candidates .

If confirmed, Haaland would be the first Native American cabinet secretary. That is long overdue given that the position oversees tribal lands.
There are more reasons to cheer her appointment:
A member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo people, Haaland brings a major outside voice to a Biden Cabinet so far dominated by former Obama officials. Before being elected to Congress in 2018, she started a small business, put herself through school with the help of student loans and food stamps and led the Democratic Party in New Mexico, helping flip the state house to Democratic control.
She supports the Green New Deal:
As head of the Interior Department, Haaland would also oversee aspects of oil and gas drilling sites on public lands. In her recent campaign for Congress, Haaland had said that it was time for New Mexico to rethink its reliance on the oil and gas industry, citing droughts in the Southwest, floods in the Southeast and burning wildfires in the West. She has said she supports a ban on fracking and the Green New Deal.
You may recall that in 2016, she went to the Standing Rock Sioux’s reservation to join tribal leaders' opposition to the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline.
The only downside is that Democrats are losing a House seat that is only Democratic-leaning. From The Albuquerque Journal:


crooksandliars--2020-12-18--Stephen Colbert Welcomes Joe And Jill Biden To His Show And It's Heartwarming

I 'd forgotten what a real president who 's also a decent human being sounds like .
Stephen Colbert welcomed Joe and Dr. Jill Biden to his show last night .
It was , dare I say , inspiring .
Via Deadline : As they had in a previous interview , Colbert and Biden talked about their own experiences with grief , but this time it was about the more than 300,000 who have died from Covid-19 .
“ Our country has an unaddressed grief , ” Colbert said .
“ Over 300,000 people who have died , partly because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to acknowledge the dimension of this tragedy .
…What do you think the role of the president is in leading the country to face loss ?
” “ It ’ s profound , ” Biden said .
“ Think of all the people this Christmas who are going to sit at a table , an empty chair across the table , a son or a daughter or mom or dad .
As you know , people want to know people who have been through it .
‘ Can I make it ?
Can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I talked about is that I think empathy is a critically important thing .
It doesn ’ t make it easier to talk about it if you have been through it .
But when you have been through it , you talk to people , they go , ‘ Okay I know he or she understands .
They have been through it.
” Colbert responded , “ But how do we address that right now , because there is this unaddressed grief , and it seems to me it is not healthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am worried that we are not addressing it.
” Biden said , “ The role of the presidency is to say , grieve .
There is a reason to grieve .
You ’ ve had great loss , but there will come a time , remind yourself , but the time will come , when you think of your husband , wife , son daughter , mom or dad , you will get a smile to your lips before you get a tear to your eye .
That ’ s when you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

I'd forgotten what a real president who's also a decent human being sounds like. Stephen Colbert welcomed Joe and Dr. Jill Biden to his show last night. It was, dare I say, inspiring. Via Deadline:
As they had in a previous interview, Colbert and Biden talked about their own experiences with grief, but this time it was about the more than 300,000 who have died from Covid-19.
“Our country has an unaddressed grief,” Colbert said. “Over 300,000 people who have died, partly because our presidential leadership doesn’t want to acknowledge the dimension of this tragedy. …What do you think the role of the president is in leading the country to face loss?”
“It’s profound,” Biden said. “Think of all the people this Christmas who are going to sit at a table, an empty chair across the table, a son or a daughter or mom or dad. As you know, people want to know people who have been through it. ‘Can I make it? Can I make it?’ What you and I talked about is that I think empathy is a critically important thing. It doesn’t make it easier to talk about it if you have been through it. But when you have been through it, you talk to people, they go, ‘Okay I know he or she understands. They have been through it.”
Colbert responded, “But how do we address that right now, because there is this unaddressed grief, and it seems to me it is not healthy for the nation to pretend like something…I am worried that we are not addressing it.”
Biden said, “The role of the presidency is to say, grieve. There is a reason to grieve. You’ve had great loss, but there will come a time, remind yourself, but the time will come, when you think of your husband, wife, son daughter, mom or dad, you will get a smile to your lips before you get a tear to your eye. That’s when you know you are going to make it.”


crooksandliars--2020-12-18--Lyin' Mike Flynn Urges Trump To Impose Martial Law For Election Do-Over

Good old Mike Flynn is at it again !
His favorite hobby is sedition , and he sure is embracing it with gusto .
During an appearance on Newsmax last night , he told Greg Kelly that Trump has “ military capabilities ” to force election do-overs in some states .
You know , the ones that did n't vote for you-know-who ?
“ There is no way in the world we are going to be able to move forward as a nation .
He could immediately , on his order , seize every single one of these machines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , referring to the nutty conspiracy theory about Dominion voting machines .
“ He could order the , within the swing states , if he wanted to , he could take military capabilities , and he could place those in states and basically rerun an election in each of those states .
I mean , it ’ s not unprecedented .
These people are out there talking about martial law like it ’ s something that we ’ ve never done .
Martial law has been instituted 64 times.
” There you go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding elections until the giant Man Baby finally gets the result he wants ?
According to Wikipedia , the times it was used include : New Orleans during the Battle of New Orleans ; after major disasters , such as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 , the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , or during riots , such as the Omaha race riot of 1919 or the 1920 Lexington riots ; local leaders declared martial law to protect themselves from mob violence , such as Nauvoo , Illinois , during the Illinois Mormon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ War ; or in response to chaos associated with protests and rioting , such as the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike , in Hawaii after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , and during the Civil Rights Movement in response to the Cambridge riot of 1963 .
Nothing in there about hurt fee-fees , but there 's always a first time , right ?

Good old Mike Flynn is at it again! His favorite hobby is sedition, and he sure is embracing it with gusto.
During an appearance on Newsmax last night, he told Greg Kelly that Trump has “military capabilities” to force election do-overs in some states. You know, the ones that didn't vote for you-know-who?
“There is no way in the world we are going to be able to move forward as a nation. He could immediately, on his order, seize every single one of these machines, on his order,” Flynn said, referring to the nutty conspiracy theory about Dominion voting machines.
“He could order the, within the swing states, if he wanted to, he could take military capabilities, and he could place those in states and basically rerun an election in each of those states. I mean, it’s not unprecedented. These people are out there talking about martial law like it’s something that we’ve never done. Martial law has been instituted 64 times.”
There you go! Why not use it to keep holding elections until the giant Man Baby finally gets the result he wants?
According to Wikipedia, the times it was used include:
New Orleans during the Battle of New Orleans; after major disasters, such as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, or during riots, such as the Omaha race riot of 1919 or the 1920 Lexington riots; local leaders declared martial law to protect themselves from mob violence, such as Nauvoo, Illinois, during the Illinois Mormon War, or Utah during the Utah War; or in response to chaos associated with protests and rioting, such as the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike, in Hawaii after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and during the Civil Rights Movement in response to the Cambridge riot of 1963.
Nothing in there about hurt fee-fees, but there's always a first time, right?


crooksandliars--2020-12-18--Damning Supercut Of GOP Pushing Deadly Herd Immunity Speaks Louder Than Their Lies

Because Republicanism has become synonymous with dishonesty , a large part of political news coverage must now be devoted to simply debunking the lies they tell .
This public service is performed more than ably by Brianna Keilar on a regular basis .
Never so thoroughly , though , as on Thursday , when she spent nine full minutes on a supercut of the GOP lying about herd immunity : first denying that they ever advocated it as an approach to COVID-19 , then a parade of clips wherein they did just that .
KEILAR : Throughout the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to the top insisted they were not pursuing herd immunity with the laissez faire response to the coronavirus , their words and actions gave them away .
[ ... ] With the coronavirus , in the absence of a vaccine , 2 million Americans would have to die to achieve herd immunity .
Needless to say , it is not a public health strategy .
We learned a former top appointee of the president 's urged health officials to make it so , according to emails obtained by the House Oversight Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Health and Human Services department said in July that Americans , quote , `` Must go on with life . ''
He said this : `` So the bottom line , if it is more infectious now , the issue is who cares .
If it is causing more cases in young , my word is who cares , as long as we make sensible decisions , and protect the elderly and nursing homes , we must go on with life .
Who cares if we test more and get more positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he writes there 's no other way , we need to establish herd .
And it only comes about allowing the non-high risk groups expose themselves to the virus .
PERIOD .
And he pushed his caps locks button to make the point .
So adamant was he that herd immunity was the only way to address the virus .
Keilar went on to explain that HHS insists it is n't the department 's official policy , ( Paul Alexander could n't be bothered to respond to CNN 's requests for comment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration 's policy , no matter what Kayleigh McEnFuckinLiar says at her propagandapaloozas .
In September , the press secretary said this : MCENANY : Herd immunity , so-called theory , was something made up in the fanciful minds of the media .
That was never something ever considered here at the White House .
No , Kayleigh , just the White House DOCTOR , Scott Atlas .
He , also denies pushing herd immunity , saying such accusations were a `` disgusting lie , '' but Keilar goes on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushing that very approach .
She prefaced the clips by saying , `` It may be disgusting , but it is not a lie .
It 's the truth .
Here 's tape of Dr. Atlas pushing herd immunity . ''
ATLAS : We can allow a lot of people to get infected , those who are not at risk to die or have serious hospital requiring illness .
We should be fine with letting them infected , generating immunity on their own , and the more immunity in the community , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus , including the threat to people who are vulnerable .
That 's what herd immunity is .
*** When younger , healthier people get the disease , they do n't have a problem with the disease .
I 'm not sure why that 's so difficult for everyone to acknowledge .
These people getting the infection is not really a problem and in fact , as we said months ago , when you isolate everyone , including the healthy people , you 're prolonging the problem because you 're preventing population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection is not a problem .
Then Keilar played tape of Donald Trump advocating herd immunity .
Then Tucker Carlson .
Then Laura Ingram .
Then three of her guests .
Then , though , Keilar discussed the `` right-wing 's darling , '' Sweden 's Prime Minister , who had adopted herd immunity approach to the pandemic for his nation , and is now very , very sorry .
KEILAR : The PM goes on , understating the obvious , here , `` Some conclusions about where we could have been better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been .
Drawn by a death rate that approaches that of the U.S .
Even with Sweden 's universal health care system and liberal work leave policies .
But Fox championed Sweden as the example to follow and viewers listened and they 're doing this again right now , telling people to get together for the holidays .
[ clip ] INGRAHAM : Of course act cautiously .
But Christmas is meant to be spend with family , not isolated in lockdown .
Joining me now , Dr. Scott Atlas .

Because Republicanism has become synonymous with dishonesty, a large part of political news coverage must now be devoted to simply debunking the lies they tell. This public service is performed more than ably by Brianna Keilar on a regular basis. Never so thoroughly, though, as on Thursday, when she spent nine full minutes on a supercut of the GOP lying about herd immunity: first denying that they ever advocated it as an approach to COVID-19, then a parade of clips wherein they did just that.
KEILAR: Throughout the pandemic, even as trump administration officials all the way to the top insisted they were not pursuing herd immunity with the laissez faire response to the coronavirus, their words and actions gave them away. [...]With the coronavirus, in the absence of a vaccine, 2 million Americans would have to die to achieve herd immunity. Needless to say, it is not a public health strategy. We learned a former top appointee of the president's urged health officials to make it so, according to emails obtained by the House Oversight Committee. Paul Alexander, former senior adviser at Health and Human Services department said in July that Americans, quote, "Must go on with life." He said this: "So the bottom line, if it is more infectious now, the issue is who cares. If it is causing more cases in young, my word is who cares, as long as we make sensible decisions, and protect the elderly and nursing homes, we must go on with life. Who cares if we test more and get more positive tests." In another email, he writes there's no other way, we need to establish herd. And it only comes about allowing the non-high risk groups expose themselves to the virus. PERIOD. And he pushed his caps locks button to make the point. So adamant was he that herd immunity was the only way to address the virus.
Keilar went on to explain that HHS insists it isn't the department's official policy, (Paul Alexander couldn't be bothered to respond to CNN's requests for comment,) but it sure seems to be the Trump administration's policy, no matter what Kayleigh McEnFuckinLiar says at her propagandapaloozas.
In September, the press secretary said this:
MCENANY: Herd immunity, so-called theory, was something made up in the fanciful minds of the media. That was never something ever considered here at the White House.
No, Kayleigh, just the White House DOCTOR, Scott Atlas. He, also denies pushing herd immunity, saying such accusations were a "disgusting lie," but Keilar goes on to play quite a few clips of him pushing that very approach. She prefaced the clips by saying, "It may be disgusting, but it is not a lie. It's the truth. Here's tape of Dr. Atlas pushing herd immunity."
ATLAS: We can allow a lot of people to get infected, those who are not at risk to die or have serious hospital requiring illness. We should be fine with letting them infected, generating immunity on their own, and the more immunity in the community, the better we can eradicate the threat of the virus, including the threat to people who are vulnerable. That's what herd immunity is.
***
When younger, healthier people get the disease, they don't have a problem with the disease. I'm not sure why that's so difficult for everyone to acknowledge. These people getting the infection is not really a problem and in fact, as we said months ago, when you isolate everyone, including the healthy people, you're prolonging the problem because you're preventing population immunity. Low risk groups getting the infection is not a problem.
Then Keilar played tape of Donald Trump advocating herd immunity. Then Tucker Carlson. Then Laura Ingraham. Then three of her guests.
Then, though, Keilar discussed the "right-wing's darling," Sweden's Prime Minister, who had adopted herd immunity approach to the pandemic for his nation, and is now very, very sorry.
KEILAR: The PM goes on, understating the obvious, here, "Some conclusions about where we could have been better have already been drawn." They have been. Drawn by a death rate that approaches that of the U.S. Even with Sweden's universal health care system and liberal work leave policies. But Fox championed Sweden as the example to follow and viewers listened and they're doing this again right now, telling people to get together for the holidays.
[clip]
INGRAHAM: Of course act cautiously. But Christmas is meant to be spend with family, not isolated in lockdown. Joining me now, Dr. Scott Atlas.
Yes. THAT Scott Atlas.


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--Facebook Antitrust Case Relies Heavily On Mark Zuckerberg's Emails

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ’ s own words play a starring role in the government ’ s case to break up his social network .
“ It is better to buy than compete , ” he allegedly wrote in an email in 2008 , according to the lawsuit .
Four years later , after Facebook purchased what he had called a “ very disruptive ” photo-sharing app , he celebrated by explaining to a colleague in another email : “ Instagram was our threat .
… One thing about startups though is you can often acquire them.
” As an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called “ Antitrust for Big Tech , ” I read the FTC ’ s Dec. 9 complaint with great interest .
I have taught my students for years that internal documents can come back to haunt antitrust defendants .
But I have never seen a plaintiff ’ s case rely so heavily on a CEO ’ s own words .
As I read the FTC ’ s summary of the arguments it plans to make at trial , I began to highlight every direct quote from an internal Facebook communication .
My highlighter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monopolization case on a CEO ’ s own explanations of his conduct may seem like a straightforward strategy to most people .
But among judges and antitrust scholars , it ’ s actually controversial , as it is sure to be in this case .
Despite that controversy , the FTC ’ s choice to hoist Facebook by its own petard makes sense .
Zuckerberg ’ s emails are voluminous and specific in describing how the mergers will insulate his company from competition .
They avoid most of the problems critics have with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to make an antitrust case .
And anyway , it ’ s worked before .
The case against Facebook bears similarities to U.S. v. Microsoft , the landmark 2001 case that found the software company liable for monopolization .
Here , the FTC will have to prove that Facebook , like Microsoft , acquired its market power in the social media market by excluding rivals , not merely by making a great product .
And in both cases , internal statements by executives play a big role .
In the case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Microsoft founder Bill Gates identified Netscape as “ a new competitor ‘ born ’ on the internet.
” A few years later , another executive allegedly said , “ We are going to cut off [ Netscape ’ s ] air supply.
” When Microsoft proceeded to do so by impeding Netscape ’ s access to Windows users , statements like these made it hard for the company to argue that its conduct wasn ’ t predatory , and Microsoft lost the case .
As successful and intuitive as the strategy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their antitrust rulings on internal documents revealing an executive ’ s intent .
The problem with relying too much on internal emails Judges often say that antitrust law is interested only in the economic effects of a business ’ s conduct – such as whether it suppressed competition – not the motives of its executives .
Critics have argued that CEOs are not economists and are sometimes prone to chest-thumping braggadocio , making their emails and other communications better for wowing juries than making an economic argument .
Judges and scholars worry that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence of exclusionary intent .
But you can “ destroy ” a competitor by outdoing him ; economists call that competition .
For example , Facebook ’ s employee manual reads : “ If we don ’ t create the thing that kills Facebook , something else will.
” That sounds ominous , but creating things to keep rival startups at bay is exactly what the antitrust laws want Facebook to do – innovate .
More fundamentally , relying on statements like these – where a defendant seems to reveal subjective intent – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about why or whether a defendant ’ s intent to suppress competition matters at all .
The clearest statement we get on the issue – from U.S. v. Alcoa – is enigmatic : “ To read the [ law ] as demanding any ‘ specific ’ intent , makes nonsense of it , for no monopolist monopolizes unconscious of what he is doing.
” Even lawyers haven ’ t been able to figure out exactly what that means .
The role of intent as evidence On the other hand , other types of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an antitrust case .
The inquiry in a monopolization case is often framed as whether the monopolist enjoys its market position because it excluded rivals or because it made a better or cheaper product .
The difficulty with using only objective market evidence to answer that question is that the evidence usually points in both directions .
Defendants can almost always identify some product improvement that came from their conduct , muddying the waters of the plaintiff ’ s story of exclusion .
In the Facebook case , the company has pointed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improved interface during its time under Facebook ’ s control .
So in most monopolization cases , courts get stuck if they try to use only market facts to answer the ultimate question : Did the monopolist flourish because of the improvements or because of diminished competition ?
That ’ s where “ intent evidence ” – information about what a defendant was thinking – can help .
If a CEO intended a merger to insulate her company from competition , it likely did in fact insulate the company from competition .
Judges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s dominance to exclusion , and that violates the antitrust laws .
That ’ s why judges will turn to evidence of intent , especially if it is more than just economically ambiguous declarations of war against rivals .
Unfortunately for Facebook , Zuckerberg ’ s emails are explicit and detailed in describing his desire to avoid competing with Instagram and WhatsApp .
The court will find that relevant – and possibly damning .
For example , in the months leading up to the acquisition , Facebook ’ s chief financial officer outlined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goes on to explain Instagram ’ s competitive threat at length .
By the time he gets to the product improvement explanation , he ’ s changed his mind .
“ ( 3 ) is also a factor , but in reality we already know [ Instagram ’ s ] social dynamics and we will integrate them in the next 12-24 months anyway.
” [ Deep knowledge , daily .
Sign up for The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
After the Microsoft case , many companies adopted communications policies that discourage the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google , for one , circulates a five-point antitrust “ communications safety ” policy to employees .
What I find truly remarkable about this case is not the volume of internal quotes in the complaint , but the paper trail a sophisticated CEO like Zuckerberg created of Facebook ’ s transgressions – which is now why a federal antitrust lawsuit poses an existential threat to his company .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Rebecca Haw Allensworth, Vanderbilt University
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s own words play a starring role in the government’s case to break up his social network.
“It is better to buy than compete,” he allegedly wrote in an email in 2008, according to the lawsuit. Four years later, after Facebook purchased what he had called a “very disruptive” photo-sharing app, he celebrated by explaining to a colleague in another email: “Instagram was our threat. … One thing about startups though is you can often acquire them.”
As an antitrust professor preparing a new spring course called “Antitrust for Big Tech,” I read the FTC’s Dec. 9 complaint with great interest. I have taught my students for years that internal documents can come back to haunt antitrust defendants. But I have never seen a plaintiff’s case rely so heavily on a CEO’s own words.
As I read the FTC’s summary of the arguments it plans to make at trial, I began to highlight every direct quote from an internal Facebook communication. My highlighter ran out of ink.
Basing a monopolization case on a CEO’s own explanations of his conduct may seem like a straightforward strategy to most people. But among judges and antitrust scholars, it’s actually controversial, as it is sure to be in this case.
Despite that controversy, the FTC’s choice to hoist Facebook by its own petard makes sense. Zuckerberg’s emails are voluminous and specific in describing how the mergers will insulate his company from competition. They avoid most of the problems critics have with using what lawyers call “hot documents” to make an antitrust case.
It worked against Microsoft
And anyway, it’s worked before.
The case against Facebook bears similarities to U.S. v. Microsoft, the landmark 2001 case that found the software company liable for monopolization. Here, the FTC will have to prove that Facebook, like Microsoft, acquired its market power in the social media market by excluding rivals, not merely by making a great product. And in both cases, internal statements by executives play a big role.
In the case, the government produced a 1995 memo in which Microsoft founder Bill Gates identified Netscape as “a new competitor ‘born’ on the internet.” A few years later, another executive allegedly said, “We are going to cut off [Netscape’s] air supply.”
When Microsoft proceeded to do so by impeding Netscape’s access to Windows users, statements like these made it hard for the company to argue that its conduct wasn’t predatory, and Microsoft lost the case.
As successful and intuitive as the strategy is, courts are surprisingly reluctant to hang their antitrust rulings on internal documents revealing an executive’s intent.
The problem with relying too much on internal emails
Judges often say that antitrust law is interested only in the economic effects of a business’s conduct – such as whether it suppressed competition – not the motives of its executives. Critics have argued that CEOs are not economists and are sometimes prone to chest-thumping braggadocio, making their emails and other communications better for wowing juries than making an economic argument.
Judges and scholars worry that juries will see all aggressive comments as evidence of exclusionary intent. But you can “destroy” a competitor by outdoing him; economists call that competition.
For example, Facebook’s employee manual reads: “If we don’t create the thing that kills Facebook, something else will.” That sounds ominous, but creating things to keep rival startups at bay is exactly what the antitrust laws want Facebook to do – innovate.
More fundamentally, relying on statements like these – where a defendant seems to reveal subjective intent – is controversial because the law is unclear about why or whether a defendant’s intent to suppress competition matters at all. The clearest statement we get on the issue – from U.S. v. Alcoa – is enigmatic: “To read the [law] as demanding any ‘specific’ intent, makes nonsense of it, for no monopolist monopolizes unconscious of what he is doing.”
Even lawyers haven’t been able to figure out exactly what that means.
The role of intent as evidence
On the other hand, other types of evidence may not be enough to make an antitrust case.
The inquiry in a monopolization case is often framed as whether the monopolist enjoys its market position because it excluded rivals or because it made a better or cheaper product. The difficulty with using only objective market evidence to answer that question is that the evidence usually points in both directions.
Defendants can almost always identify some product improvement that came from their conduct, muddying the waters of the plaintiff’s story of exclusion. In the Facebook case, the company has pointed to Instagram’s growing user base and improved interface during its time under Facebook’s control.
So in most monopolization cases, courts get stuck if they try to use only market facts to answer the ultimate question: Did the monopolist flourish because of the improvements or because of diminished competition?
That’s where “intent evidence” – information about what a defendant was thinking – can help. If a CEO intended a merger to insulate her company from competition, it likely did in fact insulate the company from competition. Judges will attribute some of the company’s dominance to exclusion, and that violates the antitrust laws.
That’s why judges will turn to evidence of intent, especially if it is more than just economically ambiguous declarations of war against rivals.
Neutralizing competitors
Unfortunately for Facebook, Zuckerberg’s emails are explicit and detailed in describing his desire to avoid competing with Instagram and WhatsApp. The court will find that relevant – and possibly damning.
For example, in the months leading up to the acquisition, Facebook’s chief financial officer outlined three reasons for buying Instagram:
“1) neutralize a potential competitor?… 2) acquire talent?… 3) integrate their products with ours in order to improve our service?” Zuckerberg responded, “It’s a combination of (1) and (3).”
Zuckerberg goes on to explain Instagram’s competitive threat at length. By the time he gets to the product improvement explanation, he’s changed his mind. “(3) is also a factor, but in reality we already know [Instagram’s] social dynamics and we will integrate them in the next 12-24 months anyway.”
[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]
After the Microsoft case, many companies adopted communications policies that discourage the creation of documents just like these. Google, for one, circulates a five-point antitrust “communications safety” policy to employees.
What I find truly remarkable about this case is not the volume of internal quotes in the complaint, but the paper trail a sophisticated CEO like Zuckerberg created of Facebook’s transgressions – which is now why a federal antitrust lawsuit poses an existential threat to his company.
Rebecca Haw Allensworth, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


crooksandliars--2020-12-20--New Scandal: Georgia's Sec Of State Asked Chinese-Americans To Vote For Him!

This is what the right now considers a scandal : In several videos posted to YouTube , Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger begged Chinese-Americans to vote for him by mail in his 2015 Georgia House of Representatives race .
Raffensperger went on to win this race by 159 votes .
The videos , apparently recorded in Raffensperger ’ s home , seem to be tied to Atlanta 168 , a Chinese-American community located in Georgia .
Raffensperger is seen in one video begging for at least 100 votes from the Chinese community , specifically suggesting they use absentee voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going out of town , ” said Raffensperger .
“ We brought applications today that you can fill out , we ’ ll even give you envelopes with a stamp on it .
You can fill it out , and the Board of Elections will send you your absentee ballot , and you can just fill it out and send it back.
” The story is from National File , a website edited by Tom Pappert , who used to write for a wingnut site called Big League Politics and has been known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broadcast .
National File made news during the 2020 when it accurately reported on explicit texts sent by North Carolina Senate candidate Cal Cunningham to a woman who was not his wife , and then falsely accused Mark Kelly , a Senate candidate from Arizona , of dressing as Hitler for a 1985 Halloween party .
Cunningham lost his race ; Kelly won his .
The scandal in Raffensperger 's case , according to National File , is that Raffensperger attended to a gathering of Chinese-American citizens and urged them to vote for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Watch the video .
This was a perfectly innocuous candidate forum in someone 's house , like the ones candidates conduct in every election .
( Atlanta168.com is a web portal for Chinese-Americans in the Atlanta area . )
The right does n't like Brad Raffensperger because he chose to follow the law rather than the demands of his own party when he ratified Joe Biden 's victory in his state .
National File is suggesting here that it 's sinister for Raffensperger -- and , presumably , any other politician -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ descent .
I do n't have to explain how dangerous this message is , do I ?
Published with permission of No More Mr. Nice Blog

This is what the right now considers a scandal:
In several videos posted to YouTube, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger begged Chinese-Americans to vote for him by mail in his 2015 Georgia House of Representatives race. Raffensperger went on to win this race by 159 votes. The videos, apparently recorded in Raffensperger’s home, seem to be tied to Atlanta 168, a Chinese-American community located in Georgia. Raffensperger is seen in one video begging for at least 100 votes from the Chinese community, specifically suggesting they use absentee voting. “Some of you may be going out of town,” said Raffensperger. “We brought applications today that you can fill out, we’ll even give you envelopes with a stamp on it. You can fill it out, and the Board of Elections will send you your absentee ballot, and you can just fill it out and send it back.”
The story is from National File, a website edited by Tom Pappert, who used to write for a wingnut site called Big League Politics and has been known to appear on Alex Jones's InfoWars broadcast. National File made news during the 2020 when it accurately reported on explicit texts sent by North Carolina Senate candidate Cal Cunningham to a woman who was not his wife, and then falsely accused Mark Kelly, a Senate candidate from Arizona, of dressing as Hitler for a 1985 Halloween party. Cunningham lost his race; Kelly won his.
The scandal in Raffensperger's case, according to National File, is that Raffensperger attended to a gathering of Chinese-American citizens and urged them to vote for him. That's all he did. Watch the video. This was a perfectly innocuous candidate forum in someone's house, like the ones candidates conduct in every election. (Atlanta168.com is a web portal for Chinese-Americans in the Atlanta area.)
The right doesn't like Brad Raffensperger because he chose to follow the law rather than the demands of his own party when he ratified Joe Biden's victory in his state. National File is suggesting here that it's sinister for Raffensperger -- and, presumably, any other politician -- merely to associate with people of Chinese descent. I don't have to explain how dangerous this message is, do I?
Published with permission of No More Mr. Nice Blog


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--GOP Congressman Announces That He Won't Take The COVID Vaccine Because He's An American

See , this is what happens when you put irresponsible people in positions of responsibility .
They endanger other people with their willful ignorance and inevitably this leads to more people behaving in similar , destructive fashion .
A Republican congressman from Colorado announced he would not be taking the coronavirus vaccine because he ’ s “ an American ” , a statement that ’ s sparked controversy among officials .
Representative Ken Buck was asked on Friday about when he would receive the coronavirus vaccine given other members of Congress , such as Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I will not be taking the vaccine , ” he told Fox News host Neil Caputo .
“ I ’ m an American .
I have the freedom to decide if I ’ m going to take a vaccine or not and in this case I am not going to take the vaccine .
I ’ m more concerned about the safety of the vaccine than I am the side effects of the disease.
” Dr Jonathan Reiner on CNN was not impressed , nor was Rep. Eric Swalwell .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science denialism masquerading as libertarianism , ” Mr Reiner said on CNN Friday .
“ The reason for a congressman to be vaccinated now is not simply to protect him from disease , it ’ s hopefully to protect his community from transmission .
When you vaccinate someone hopefully you ’ re blocking the transmission of the virus and maybe most importantly now for a Member of Congress is to model the kind of behavior we want their constituents to adopt .
”

See, this is what happens when you put irresponsible people in positions of responsibility. They endanger other people with their willful ignorance and inevitably this leads to more people behaving in similar, destructive fashion.
Source: The Independent
A Republican congressman from Colorado announced he would not be taking the coronavirus vaccine because he’s “an American”, a statement that’s sparked controversy among officials.
Representative Ken Buck was asked on Friday about when he would receive the coronavirus vaccine given other members of Congress, such as Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, got the jab.
“I will not be taking the vaccine,” he told Fox News host Neil Caputo. “I’m an American. I have the freedom to decide if I’m going to take a vaccine or not and in this case I am not going to take the vaccine. I’m more concerned about the safety of the vaccine than I am the side effects of the disease.”


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--Chris Hayes Blasts Rupert Murdoch: 'One Of The Most Destructive People On The Planet'

We 've been pointing out the fact that Fox is a public health menace for some time now with all of the lies and disinformation they 've been peddling , from going along with Trump in downplaying the pandemic , to promoting his dangerous and irresponsible super-spreader rallies , to railing against lockdowns and lying about whether masks work , to giving Mitch McConnell cover for refusing to take up a relief bill , to you name it .
Sadly , way too many in the corporate media still treat Fox as though they 're a legitimate news source , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hayes has been one of the few out there blasting Fox for their dangerous lies , especially since the pandemic began , and he did it again this Friday when he ripped into raging hypocrite Rupert Murdoch now that he was among the first to get the newly approved coronavirus vaccine , and his media properties Fox News and the New York Post , and in particular , his `` minion '' Tucker Carlson , who was discouraging people to get vaccinated during yet another dangerous diatribe this week .
For the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media entities have by and large waged a war against public health and the scientific consensus on containing the coronavirus .
On Fox News and elsewhere , they 've been playing down the virus and peddling just outright lies and pushing junk science and elevating cranks , all of which has tangibly , materially contributed to behavior that has made the pandemic worse .
And what makes it all the more infuriating is that , as we have noted , while Fox hosts have been dismissing the experts and suggesting that lockdowns don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid the office , and follow public health guidelines , many Fox News employees have been working remotely , literally at the same time .
And so , now , we arrive at the question of the vaccine .
And last night , one of Rupert Murdoch 's minions went on air to coyly just ask questions and rail against the offensive pro-vaccine propaganda that 's been propagated by all corners of the media , the elite consensus that you should get the vaccine .
Quote , on the question of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-choice .
Their view is , do what you are told and do n't complain.
” Of course , no one is actually telling you what to do .
The vaccine is voluntary .
In fact , that is literally the reason there is a public relations push to get people to get vaccinated .
To persuade them in a free country , precisely because it 's not legally required .
The notion that there is something that nefarious and suspicious behind people like Mike Pence encouraging you to get the vaccine is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is the same person who questioned whether lockdowns work , and literally the reason lockdowns work is the germ theory of disease , which , it 's safe to say is settled science .
I mean , if you do n't believe me , just look what happened in Europe , where the second wave slowed last month after new lockdowns .
But of course , all this contrarian posturing is just chum thrown into the water for ratings they can then monetize .
It 's not meant to be real or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News 's own lawyers have argued that this particular Rupert Murdoch minion is not a provider of the news as we know it , and facts as we commonly understand them and the audience knows this .
It 's a remarkable thing for your own attorney to say about you .
And so , given all that context , it is not surprising that 89-year-old Rupert Murdoch himself , who of course at that age is high risk , took a convoy of Range Rovers to get his vaccine on Wednesday via the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medicine provider of the UK .
Murdoch even thanked essential workers and the staff of the National Health Service , an institution that is held up as an absolutely demonic specter by Fox News in American health care debates and Murdoch also strongly encouraged people around the world to get the vaccine , precisely the the kind of group-think propaganda his network was railing against .
Hayes wrapped things up by tearing into the NY Post 's Dean Balsamini and Susan Edelman who wrote the bullying , abusive article that doxxed a 23-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so hard up for cash that she resorted to selling nude photographs of herself online .
HAYES : Who cares , there is no news value in the fact .
The only news value in that fact , is that the people in the front lines fighting the pandemic are not getting paid enough to make ends meet , but that was not the point of the story .
The point was to bully and belittle this woman and make her life miserable , for no purpose , no other purpose than some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enjoyment that the audience might get .
And this whole thing looks like an ambush .
In a GoFundMe appeal , Kwei described her own life , her dreams and her hard work , her struggle for living wage and how the New York Post reporter did not initially reveal his angle on the story .
Once he did , she says , I told him my safety and job were going to be at risk if he posted this article .
He truly did not care .
He went on to call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters who wrote the story anyway , despite Kwei 's appeal , are Dean Balsimini and Susan Edelman .
You should know who these people are .
Here is Dean Balsomini 's sneering article about wearing a MAGA hat in New York city , complete with photo of the author .
This person you 're seeing there is someone who tried to use his position in the Rupert Murdoch empire to basically ruin the life of someone who is spending all of her time trying to save other people 's lives .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Balsomini is a disgrace to journalism , but that 's s not at all surprising , because that 's the kind of enterprise Rupert Murdoch runs .
Just another day in the life of one of the most destructive people on the planet .

We've been pointing out the fact that Fox is a public health menace for some time now with all of the lies and disinformation they've been peddling, from going along with Trump in downplaying the pandemic, to promoting his dangerous and irresponsible super-spreader rallies, to railing against lockdowns and lying about whether masks work, to giving Mitch McConnell cover for refusing to take up a relief bill, to you name it.
Sadly, way too many in the corporate media still treat Fox as though they're a legitimate news source, and not dangerous right-wing propaganda. Chris Hayes has been one of the few out there blasting Fox for their dangerous lies, especially since the pandemic began, and he did it again this Friday when he ripped into raging hypocrite Rupert Murdoch now that he was among the first to get the newly approved coronavirus vaccine, and his media properties Fox News and the New York Post, and in particular, his "minion" Tucker Carlson, who was discouraging people to get vaccinated during yet another dangerous diatribe this week.
For the past nine months or so, Rupert Murdoch-owned media entities have by and large waged a war against public health and the scientific consensus on containing the coronavirus. On Fox News and elsewhere, they've been playing down the virus and peddling just outright lies and pushing junk science and elevating cranks, all of which has tangibly, materially contributed to behavior that has made the pandemic worse. And what makes it all the more infuriating is that, as we have noted, while Fox hosts have been dismissing the experts and suggesting that lockdowns don’t work and ridiculing people that avoid the office, and follow public health guidelines, many Fox News employees have been working remotely, literally at the same time. And so, now, we arrive at the question of the vaccine. And last night, one of Rupert Murdoch's minions went on air to coyly just ask questions and rail against the offensive pro-vaccine propaganda that's been propagated by all corners of the media, the elite consensus that you should get the vaccine. Quote, on the question of the coronavirus vaccine, our leaders are definitely not pro-choice. Their view is, do what you are told and don't complain.” Of course, no one is actually telling you what to do. The vaccine is voluntary. In fact, that is literally the reason there is a public relations push to get people to get vaccinated. To persuade them in a free country, precisely because it's not legally required. The notion that there is something that nefarious and suspicious behind people like Mike Pence encouraging you to get the vaccine is of course nonsense. Of course, this is the same person who questioned whether lockdowns work, and literally the reason lockdowns work is the germ theory of disease, which, it's safe to say is settled science. I mean, if you don't believe me, just look what happened in Europe, where the second wave slowed last month after new lockdowns. But of course, all this contrarian posturing is just chum thrown into the water for ratings they can then monetize. It's not meant to be real or serious advice, in fact, Fox News's own lawyers have argued that this particular Rupert Murdoch minion is not a provider of the news as we know it, and facts as we commonly understand them and the audience knows this. It's a remarkable thing for your own attorney to say about you. And so, given all that context, it is not surprising that 89-year-old Rupert Murdoch himself, who of course at that age is high risk, took a convoy of Range Rovers to get his vaccine on Wednesday via the British National Health Service, the socialized medicine provider of the UK. Murdoch even thanked essential workers and the staff of the National Health Service, an institution that is held up as an absolutely demonic specter by Fox News in American health care debates and Murdoch also strongly encouraged people around the world to get the vaccine, precisely the the kind of group-think propaganda his network was railing against.
Hayes wrapped things up by tearing into the NY Post's Dean Balsamini and Susan Edelman who wrote the bullying, abusive article that doxxed a 23-year-old New York city paramedic, who was so hard up for cash that she resorted to selling nude photographs of herself online.


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--Lin Wood's Kraken Supreme Court Filing Is An Amazing Self-Own

A Freudian slip is defined as an `` unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings . ''
Some examples are saying the wrong name when talking about who you really love ( see Friends episode where Ross marries Emily , but actually says Rachel when taking his vows ) .
Another common one is when a school age child calls their teacher `` Mom '' or `` Dad '' ( I am guilty of this one .
5th grade .
Called my teacher Dad .
I still cringe ) .
Attorney Lin Wood , part of the Elite Strike Force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a legal Freudian slip in Georgia .
`` Under plenty of perjury '' should have read `` under penalty of perjury '' .
But oddly enough , this typo may be the only honest thing in this entire filing .
Serious question : how do attorneys like Jenna Ellis , Rudy Giuliani , Sidney Powell and Lin Wood not get disbarred ?
They clog the system with meritless claims , knowingly lie to the court and abuse the system .
Instead , the so-called President wants to appoint Sidney Powell as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud .
President Trump on Friday discussed making Sidney Powell , who as a lawyer for his campaign team unleashed a series of conspiracy theories about a Venezuelan plot to rig voting machines in the United States , a special counsel investigating voter fraud , according to two people briefed on the discussion .
It was unclear if Mr. Trump will move ahead with such a plan .

A Freudian slip is defined as an "unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings." Some examples are saying the wrong name when talking about who you really love (see Friends episode where Ross marries Emily, but actually says Rachel when taking his vows). Another common one is when a school age child calls their teacher "Mom" or "Dad" (I am guilty of this one. 5th grade. Called my teacher Dad. I still cringe).
Attorney Lin Wood, part of the Elite Strike Force Team of Krakens, filed the equivalent of a legal Freudian slip in Georgia.
In an effort to enter the Bar Association’s Self-Own Hall of Fame, Lin Wood files Georgia election fraud complaint “under plenty of perjury” pic.twitter.com/aUP2MgZK9j — Nathaniel Persily (@persily) December 19, 2020
"Under plenty of perjury" should have read "under penalty of perjury". But oddly enough, this typo may be the only honest thing in this entire filing.
Law Twitter erupted.
“You’re honor, I affirm under plenty of perjury my lawsuit is bark raving nuts.” Lin Wood - probably. — Andrew C Laufer, Esq (@lauferlaw) December 19, 2020
Wow. I remember Ken Starr confidently telling me, when he and I were interviewed this November 15 by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, "Nobody messes with Lin Wood." Well, we'll just have to see -- now that attorney Lin Wood has pretty clearly committed perjury in plain view. https://t.co/6MBJltf7uN — Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) December 19, 2020
In an effort to enter the Bar Association’s Self-Own Hall of Fame, Lin Wood files Georgia election fraud complaint “under plenty of perjury” pic.twitter.com/aUP2MgZK9j — Nathaniel Persily (@persily) December 19, 2020
At this point, we're going to have to stop calling phrases like "under plenty of perjury" Freudian slips and call them what they really are: THE TRUTH. https://t.co/ahHku0F9N7 — ReallyAmerican.com 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) December 19, 2020
How *not* to verify a complaint: tell the court that you verify it under "plenty of perjury." No, really, that just happened. *gigglesnort* pic.twitter.com/j72d7hYIyd — Amy Washburn (@AIWashburn) December 19, 2020
Gigglesnort is right.
Serious question: how do attorneys like Jenna Ellis, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Lin Wood not get disbarred? They clog the system with meritless claims, knowingly lie to the court and abuse the system.
Instead, the so-called President wants to appoint Sidney Powell as a Special Counsel to investigate the non-existent voter fraud.


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--Under Threat Of Lawsuit, Dobbs Suddenly Fact Checks His Voting Conspiracy Theories

Here ’ s what Dobbs aired last night under the pretense of “ reaching out ” for “ insight ” and “ assessment ” of “ recent claims ” about Smarmatic .
Dobbs didn ’ t mention that he was a prime dispenser of those claims he was about to debunk .
Nor did he reveal that his likely motivation was a big lawsuit threatened against Fox , its anchors , reporters and on-air guests : DOBBS : There are lots of opinions about the integrity of the election , the irregularities of mail-in voting , of election voting machines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies is Smartmatic , and we reached out to one of the leading authorities on open source software for elections , Eddie Perez , for his insight and views .
Eddie is the global director of tech development at the Open Source Election Technology Institute .
We asked him for his assessment of Smartmatic and recent claims about the company .
Dobbs then played a long series of questions and answers about Smartmatic with what sounded like Fox reporter Chad Pergram as the questioner .
Then , without challenge or explanation as to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viewers he had not seen any evidence that Smartmatic ’ s software was used to delete , change or alter anything related to vote tabulation , that it has no connection to Dominion voting technology ( which has threatened to sue former Trump campaign attorney and frequent Fox guest Sidney Powell ) , that its only connection to George Soros is that one executive has “ some sort of relationship with one of Soros ’ foundations , that no U.S. votes are tabulated in foreign countries , that Smartmatic technology was not banned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no U.S. customers other than Los Angeles County .
According to Mediaite , Fox News anchors Jeanine Pirro and Maria Bartiromo will air similar fact checks this weekend .
Just as important is an explanation as to how Fox allowed these falsehoods to be repeatedly aired on its networks in the first place .

Here’s what Dobbs aired last night under the pretense of “reaching out” for “insight” and “assessment” of “recent claims” about Smarmatic. Dobbs didn’t mention that he was a prime dispenser of those claims he was about to debunk. Nor did he reveal that his likely motivation was a big lawsuit threatened against Fox, its anchors, reporters and on-air guests:
DOBBS: There are lots of opinions about the integrity of the election, the irregularities of mail-in voting, of election voting machines and voting software. One of the companies is Smartmatic, and we reached out to one of the leading authorities on open source software for elections, Eddie Perez, for his insight and views. Eddie is the global director of tech development at the Open Source Election Technology Institute. We asked him for his assessment of Smartmatic and recent claims about the company.
Dobbs then played a long series of questions and answers about Smartmatic with what sounded like Fox reporter Chad Pergram as the questioner.
Then, without challenge or explanation as to how Dobbs concluded otherwise, Perez told viewers he had not seen any evidence that Smartmatic’s software was used to delete, change or alter anything related to vote tabulation, that it has no connection to Dominion voting technology (which has threatened to sue former Trump campaign attorney and frequent Fox guest Sidney Powell), that its only connection to George Soros is that one executive has “some sort of relationship with one of Soros’ foundations, that no U.S. votes are tabulated in foreign countries, that Smartmatic technology was not banned in the U.S. and that it has no U.S. customers other than Los Angeles County.
According to Mediaite, Fox News anchors Jeanine Pirro and Maria Bartiromo will air similar fact checks this weekend.
Just as important is an explanation as to how Fox allowed these falsehoods to be repeatedly aired on its networks in the first place.


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--Peter Navarro Declares Joe Biden 'Illegitimate' On Newsmax TV

Peter Navarro , the embarrassing Trump `` Trade Advisor '' who now calls himself a `` social scientist '' after he made a fool of himself told Newsmax that America can not inaugurate Joe Biden because in his eyes he 's `` illegitimate . ''
The seditious members of the outgoing Trump administration are now flocking to Greg Kelly Reports on NewsmaxTV so they can spew their treasonous vomit unimpeded .
With no proof and the most laughable court record in presidential and campaign legal history by the Trump 'legal team ' , Navarro said America is supposed to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Actually America does since almost 82 million people voted for Joe Biden , trouncing Donald Trump in record fashion .
`` We ca n't inaugurate an illegal and illegitimate president that public opinion polls show a large segment of this country thinks that he stole the election , '' Navarro said .
What did Joe Biden do illegally ?
By what means could Trump stop the inauguration ?
A military coup , perhaps ?
The amount of lies , misinformation and sedition in this one statement is record-breaking .
Only Trump cultists from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stolen because a autocratic and narcissistic king baby cries and tells them so .
By every metric we have , including the entire branch of the Judiciary in the United States , Joe Biden is the next President of the United States in 2021 .
Peter Navarro uses QAnon standards , which are measured by conspiracies , pizza pedophile rings , Hugo Chavez ' ghost , white supremacist beliefs , and alternative facts .
All these Trump liars should never be asked to appear on what America would consider mainstream media ever again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be as irrelevant as they are .

Peter Navarro, the embarrassing Trump "Trade Advisor" who now calls himself a "social scientist" after he made a fool of himself told Newsmax that America cannot inaugurate Joe Biden because in his eyes he's "illegitimate."
The seditious members of the outgoing Trump administration are now flocking to Greg Kelly Reports on NewsmaxTV so they can spew their treasonous vomit unimpeded.
With no proof and the most laughable court record in presidential and campaign legal history by the Trump 'legal team' , Navarro said America is supposed to have the greatest democracy in world history.
Actually America does since almost 82 million people voted for Joe Biden, trouncing Donald Trump in record fashion.
"We can't inaugurate an illegal and illegitimate president that public opinion polls show a large segment of this country thinks that he stole the election," Navarro said.
What did Joe Biden do illegally?
By what means could Trump stop the inauguration? A military coup, perhaps?
The amount of lies, misinformation and sedition in this one statement is record-breaking. Only Trump cultists from the Republican Party believe the election was stolen because a autocratic and narcissistic king baby cries and tells them so.
By every metric we have, including the entire branch of the Judiciary in the United States, Joe Biden is the next President of the United States in 2021.
Peter Navarro uses QAnon standards, which are measured by conspiracies, pizza pedophile rings, Hugo Chavez' ghost, white supremacist beliefs, and alternative facts.
All these Trump liars should never be asked to appear on what America would consider mainstream media ever again, and fringe media like Newsmax should be as irrelevant as they are.


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--Ron Johnson Dons His Grinch Costume To Block COVID Relief Bills

Ron Johnson is having a helluva week and ca n't get enough of making an ass out of himself .
It started when he held a sham hearing about the elections , using debunked conspiracy theories to lay the groundwork for future voter suppression laws .
Then he could n't decide whether he would keep a campaign pledge to retire at the end of this term or if he was going to run for reelection .
Now , just a week before Christmas , RoJo dons his Grinch costume and single-handedly blocked not just one , but two , COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,200 to Americans who made less than $ 75,000 : But Johnson warned that lawmakers were continuing to take a `` shotgun approach '' to coronavirus relief .
`` By and large , the initial relief packages here were a shotgun approach .
We had to move fast , we had to do something big , we had to make sure that markets would n't seize , that financial relief could be sent to people very quickly , '' Johnson said .
`` And so we passed over $ 3 trillion in financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far from perfect .
It was far from perfect , but now we 've had far more time and anything we consider for this additional package that we ’ re considering now , that ’ s being debated , that ’ s being discussed , that ’ s being negotiated ought to be far more targeted . ''
Johnson said he instead supported a program targeted for small businesses .
`` What I fear we 're going to do with this bipartisan package and what the senator from Missouri is talking about is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approach , '' he said .
I 'm more than a little surprised he was n't pushing for another big tax cut scam for the wealthiest of the wealthy instead .
After all , this is the same doofus that said `` stimulus bills do n't stimulate the economy , '' and wanted to lower regulations and tax breaks .
And we all know how well that worked out , do n't we ?

Ron Johnson is having a helluva week and can't get enough of making an ass out of himself.
It started when he held a sham hearing about the elections, using debunked conspiracy theories to lay the groundwork for future voter suppression laws. Then he couldn't decide whether he would keep a campaign pledge to retire at the end of this term or if he was going to run for reelection.
Now, just a week before Christmas, RoJo dons his Grinch costume and single-handedly blocked not just one, but two, COVID relief bills that would have sent $1,200 to Americans who made less than $75,000:
But Johnson warned that lawmakers were continuing to take a "shotgun approach" to coronavirus relief.
"By and large, the initial relief packages here were a shotgun approach. We had to move fast, we had to do something big, we had to make sure that markets wouldn't seize, that financial relief could be sent to people very quickly," Johnson said. "And so we passed over $3 trillion in financial relief. I knew it would be far from perfect. It was far from perfect, but now we've had far more time and anything we consider for this additional package that we’re considering now, that’s being debated, that’s being discussed, that’s being negotiated ought to be far more targeted." Johnson said he instead supported a program targeted for small businesses. "What I fear we're going to do with this bipartisan package and what the senator from Missouri is talking about is the same thing, is a shotgun approach," he said.
I'm more than a little surprised he wasn't pushing for another big tax cut scam for the wealthiest of the wealthy instead.
After all, this is the same doofus that said "stimulus bills don't stimulate the economy," and wanted to lower regulations and tax breaks.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) objects to a relief bill, saying stimulus bills don't stimulate the economy.
He instead proposes “lower regulation” and “a competitive tax system.” pic.twitter.com/tp7CYLY3mk — The Recount (@therecount) December 18, 2020
And we all know how well that worked out, don't we?


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--Proud Boys Torch Their Claims To Nonviolence With Hate Crime Attacks On Black Churches In D.C.

One of the recurrent myths that far-right street brawlers such as the Proud Boys like to tell each other , in bullhorn speeches and social media posts , is that what differentiates them from “ rioters ” like antifa and Black Lives Matter ( BLM ) is that they don ’ t engage in arson and property damage : “ That ’ s not who we are !
” is a common refrain heard at right-wing events , including the recent pro-Trump “ Stop the Steal ” protests .
But it is , in fact , who they are , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invaded Washington , D.C. , last Saturday to protest Joe Biden ’ s election made that more than clear when they began attacking and vandalizing African American churches with Black Lives Matter signs and banners , tearing them down and burning them in the streets .
Metro D.C. police are now investigating the acts as hate crimes .
“ Last night demonstrators who were part of the MAGA gatherings tore down our Black Lives Matter sign and literally burned it in the street , ” wrote Dr. Ianther M. Mills , the pastor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a public statement .
“ The sign burning was captured on Twitter .
It pained me to see our name , Asbury , in flames .
For me it was reminiscent of cross burnings.
” The attacks occurred at the culmination of a night full of assaults and confrontations with both counter-protesters and police by the participants in the earlier “ March for Trump ” organized by “ Stop the Steal ” groups , but populated by Proud Boys , “ Three Percent ” militiamen , and other far-right groups who dominated the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evening .
The first vandalization occurred at Asbury , one of the city ’ s oldest African American churches .
A group of Proud Boys tore down the church ’ s large Black Lives Matter banner and carried it into the streets , parading it as a trophy .
Eventually , a cluster of them set the banner aflame in the street , dousing it with liquid fuel .
The men chanted , “ Fuck antifa !
” and the white nationalist dogwhistle , “ Uhuru !
” Later , another group of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church , another historic African American church that had erected several BLM signs .
The men tore down the signs and destroyed them .
Two other churches , Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Luther Place Memorial Church , reportedly also suffered damage during the demonstration , according to Metro D.C. police .
Officials told reporters all four incidents were being investigated as hate crimes , but declined to say whether any arrests had been made in the cases .
As Cassie Miller of the Southern Poverty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Proud Boys wore shirts that were variations on standard Proud Boys garb that indicated further affiliations with violent white supremacist and fascist movements .
Notably , several of the men seen burning the BLM banner wore shirts with the acronym “ RWDS , ” which stands for “ Right Wing Death Squad , ” a meme first popularized by white nationalists on internet platforms such as Reddit .
One Proud Boy was spotted by journalist Chad Loder sporting an RWDS shirt that primarily featured a fascist symbol on the chest , along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 Million Wasn ’ t Enough , ” a reference to the estimated numbers of Jews killed in the Holocaust .
The same man wore a death-skull “ Siege ” mask favored by the followers of neo-Nazi figure James Mason .
Such masks and others—notably branded Proud Boys and American flag kerchief masks—have become common sights at far-right events in recent years , manifesting how readily the groups pushing the politics of intimidation will abandon their own myths .
In the earliest phases of the ongoing confrontations between far-right street brawlers and antifascists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hear the Proud Boys and their white nationalist cohorts jeer at masked antifascists , calling them “ cowards ” for hiding their faces .
It was a hypocritical taunt since there already were a number of masked far-right rioters engaging in that violence even then .
Now the masks are not only commonplace but virtually de rigeur among the far-right protest crowds .
Similarly , one of the street brawlers ’ favorite talking points , both to media and among themselves , is the belief that they don ’ t instigate violence or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , they argue , as Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson regularly claims , that their opponents are the violent ones : “ They ’ ve caused riots , they ’ ve confronted the police , they ’ ve physically assaulted people , they ’ ve damaged property , they ’ ve set fire , they ’ ve done all those things and , yet , conservatives just don ’ t tend to roll that way , ” he told one reporter .
The reality is that far-right street-brawling groups have always rolled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what crimes can be laid at the doorstep of antifascist and anti-police brutality protesters , hate crimes are not among them .
Moreover , the context of these particular hate crimes is important .
As Cassie Miller explains : Rev .
Mills observed that what made the attacks on the churches especially disturbing is the response from law enforcement on the scene , and by leading politicians afterwards :

One of the recurrent myths that far-right street brawlers such as the Proud Boys like to tell each other, in bullhorn speeches and social media posts, is that what differentiates them from “rioters” like antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) is that they don’t engage in arson and property damage: “That’s not who we are!” is a common refrain heard at right-wing events, including the recent pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” protests.
But it is, in fact, who they are, and worse. The Proud Boys who invaded Washington, D.C., last Saturday to protest Joe Biden’s election made that more than clear when they began attacking and vandalizing African American churches with Black Lives Matter signs and banners, tearing them down and burning them in the streets. Metro D.C. police are now investigating the acts as hate crimes.
“Last night demonstrators who were part of the MAGA gatherings tore down our Black Lives Matter sign and literally burned it in the street,” wrote Dr. Ianther M. Mills, the pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church, in a public statement. “The sign burning was captured on Twitter. It pained me to see our name, Asbury, in flames. For me it was reminiscent of cross burnings.”
The attacks occurred at the culmination of a night full of assaults and confrontations with both counter-protesters and police by the participants in the earlier “March for Trump” organized by “Stop the Steal” groups, but populated by Proud Boys, “Three Percent” militiamen, and other far-right groups who dominated the violence that followed in the streets that evening.
The first vandalization occurred at Asbury, one of the city’s oldest African American churches. A group of Proud Boys tore down the church’s large Black Lives Matter banner and carried it into the streets, parading it as a trophy.
Eventually, a cluster of them set the banner aflame in the street, dousing it with liquid fuel. The men chanted, “Fuck antifa!” and the white nationalist dogwhistle, “Uhuru!”
Later, another group of Proud Boys were seen on video vandalizing the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, another historic African American church that had erected several BLM signs. The men tore down the signs and destroyed them.
Two other churches, Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Luther Place Memorial Church, reportedly also suffered damage during the demonstration, according to Metro D.C. police. Officials told reporters all four incidents were being investigated as hate crimes, but declined to say whether any arrests had been made in the cases.
As Cassie Miller of the Southern Poverty Law Center noted, several of the Proud Boys wore shirts that were variations on standard Proud Boys garb that indicated further affiliations with violent white supremacist and fascist movements. Notably, several of the men seen burning the BLM banner wore shirts with the acronym “RWDS,” which stands for “Right Wing Death Squad,” a meme first popularized by white nationalists on internet platforms such as Reddit.
One Proud Boy was spotted by journalist Chad Loder sporting an RWDS shirt that primarily featured a fascist symbol on the chest, along with the letters “6MWE”—for “6 Million Wasn’t Enough,” a reference to the estimated numbers of Jews killed in the Holocaust. The same man wore a death-skull “Siege” mask favored by the followers of neo-Nazi figure James Mason.
Such masks and others—notably branded Proud Boys and American flag kerchief masks—have become common sights at far-right events in recent years, manifesting how readily the groups pushing the politics of intimidation will abandon their own myths. In the earliest phases of the ongoing confrontations between far-right street brawlers and antifascists in 2017, it was common to hear the Proud Boys and their white nationalist cohorts jeer at masked antifascists, calling them “cowards” for hiding their faces.
It was a hypocritical taunt since there already were a number of masked far-right rioters engaging in that violence even then. Now the masks are not only commonplace but virtually de rigeur among the far-right protest crowds.
Similarly, one of the street brawlers’ favorite talking points, both to media and among themselves, is the belief that they don’t instigate violence or engage in property damage and burning. Instead, they argue, as Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson regularly claims, that their opponents are the violent ones: “They’ve caused riots, they’ve confronted the police, they’ve physically assaulted people, they’ve damaged property, they’ve set fire, they’ve done all those things and, yet, conservatives just don’t tend to roll that way,” he told one reporter.
The reality is that far-right street-brawling groups have always rolled that way. Moreover, regardless of what crimes can be laid at the doorstep of antifascist and anti-police brutality protesters, hate crimes are not among them.
Moreover, the context of these particular hate crimes is important. As Cassie Miller explains:
Black churches have historically been one of the key organizing spaces in the Black freedom struggle and have therefore long been subject to racist attacks. They represent Black autonomy—something viewed as especially threatening in the midst of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Churches were bombed and set on fire throughout the era, including in 1963 when Klansmen bombed the 16th Street Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and killed four young girls.
Rev. Mills observed that what made the attacks on the churches especially disturbing is the response from law enforcement on the scene, and by leading politicians afterwards:
Sadly, we must point out that if this was a marauding group of men of color going through our city, and destroying property, they would have been followed and arrested. We are especially alarmed that this violence is not being denounced at the highest levels of our nation and instead the leaders of this movement are being invited to the White House.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-12-19--Rep. Crow Blasts Trump For ‘Creating Barriers’ To Deal With Russian Cyberattacks

Crow painted a terrifying picture of what the Russians got away with and how Trump is making things worse .
Crow didn ’ t have to say the word “ collusion ” or “ treason ” but even if it ’ s “ only ” shocking negligence and missteps , there isn ’ t much difference in the result .
CROW : I do n't think we can overstate how dangerous this is for our country right now .
“ Breathtaking ” is a word that certainly comes to mind for me .
And that 's why I referred to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harbor .
Both the depth and breadth of the potential breach is incredible .
We 're still getting our arms around it but it seems to have been going on for much of this year , undetected .
And in fact , we probably would not have even detected it had not a private cybersecurity company almost stumbled upon the breach and was able to unravel what was happening .
But it looks like our own agencies probably would n't have been able to detect what was happening .
So we have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration is not doing right now what needs to be done to lead us through this crisis .
Breathtaking is right .
The breach is both wide and deep .
CROW : There are 17 different critical infrastructure sectors within the United States .
Just one of those critical infrastructure sectors is the financial industry .
The financial industry has over 800,000 financial institutions .
We do believe that the financial industry was one of the impacted industries .
So what we believe the adversary did here was they created a back door @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to manage IT systems .
And we think that almost 20,000 different entities , both private companies and government agencies , downloaded and used that software and might have back doors into their system .
And that back door would allow the adversary here to have complete , unfettered access to everything within their IT network .
It 's extremely dangerous and it 's going to be very difficult to even stop it .
We think that it 's probably still ongoing as we sit here , have this discussion , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our national security and our troops deployed downrange , but for our intelligence community and , of course , our critical , private infrastructure as well .
Trump is doing nothing to interfere with his buddy Putin .
CROW : Instead of leading on this , communicating with the American people , directing resources , what instead is he doing ?
Let 's take stock of that .
Number one , he has fired and gutted most of the senior leadership in the Pentagon .
Number two , our senior cybersecurity official was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for political reasons , because the president did n't like what he had to say during interviews , and number three , he 's threatening to actually veto and he probably will veto the defense bill , which actually has money and resources and authorities to address this very issue .
So the president is not just not leading on this , but he 's actually creating barriers and standing in the way of dealing with this in a way that a commander in chief should .
Trump is also creating roadblocks for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over .
CNN anchor Brianna Keilar said the Pentagon has canceled all transition meetings for the second day in a row .
The defense secretary claims there was a mutual agreement to reschedule them , she said , but the Biden team says that ’ s not true .
CROW : Yeah , I 'm very concerned about that .
I mean , listen , transitions are vulnerable in the best of times , when you 're moving senior folks out of the positions , putting new people in .
Any transition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a time of great vulnerability for our country .
But you insert a situation like we have right now , where the president is not cooperating , his teams are not cooperating .
That transition was actually delayed by close to a month .
And they 've cut off briefings for the folks that in just a couple weeks are gon na be in the driver 's seat of dealing with this crisis and it 's a major problem .
I 'm very concerned about the incoming administration 's lack of access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to inhibit their ability to hit the ground running on Day One .
It needs to stop .
The president needs to lead .
Donald Trump needs to step up and do the responsible thing for our national security and start doing these briefings so we can have a safe transition .
Well , good luck with that .
Trump seems more interested in fighting Democrats and state electors than anything involving Putin .
Meanwhile , we ’ ve got Trumpers like Michael Flynn talking up a declaration of martial law in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crow had thoughts on that , too .
CROW : Let 's just be real about this .
Michael Flynn is a disgraced felon , regardless of the president 's abuse of power by pardoning him .
He was convicted or pled to lying to the FBI .
So he has no credibility in this debate .
And I think the other thing , if we 're talking about real talk right here , is I think we just have to admit the fact that the president has senior folks around him that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not believe in enfranchising people and allowing them to vote , and exercising their fundamental democratic rights and Michael Flynn is one of those people .
So I do n't put any stock in what Michael Flynn is saying .
And I do think it 's good that our military leaders , those who actually believe in our system and are upholding their oaths to defend democracy are correcting the record .

Crow painted a terrifying picture of what the Russians got away with and how Trump is making things worse. Crow didn’t have to say the word “collusion” or “treason” but even if it’s “only” shocking negligence and missteps, there isn’t much difference in the result.
CROW: I don't think we can overstate how dangerous this is for our country right now. “Breathtaking” is a word that certainly comes to mind for me. And that's why I referred to this earlier today as our modern-day Pearl Harbor. Both the depth and breadth of the potential breach is incredible. We're still getting our arms around it but it seems to have been going on for much of this year, undetected. And in fact, we probably would not have even detected it had not a private cybersecurity company almost stumbled upon the breach and was able to unravel what was happening. But it looks like our own agencies probably wouldn't have been able to detect what was happening. So we have a major problem on our hands and the administration is not doing right now what needs to be done to lead us through this crisis.
Breathtaking is right. The breach is both wide and deep.
CROW: There are 17 different critical infrastructure sectors within the United States. Just one of those critical infrastructure sectors is the financial industry. The financial industry has over 800,000 financial institutions. We do believe that the financial industry was one of the impacted industries. So what we believe the adversary did here was they created a back door in a widely-used software system that was used to manage IT systems. And we think that almost 20,000 different entities, both private companies and government agencies, downloaded and used that software and might have back doors into their system. And that back door would allow the adversary here to have complete, unfettered access to everything within their IT network. It's extremely dangerous and it's going to be very difficult to even stop it. We think that it's probably still ongoing as we sit here, have this discussion, which could be very dangerous not just for our national security and our troops deployed downrange, but for our intelligence community and, of course, our critical, private infrastructure as well.
Trump is doing nothing to interfere with his buddy Putin.
CROW: Instead of leading on this, communicating with the American people, directing resources, what instead is he doing? Let's take stock of that. Number one, he has fired and gutted most of the senior leadership in the Pentagon. Number two, our senior cybersecurity official was fired a couple of weeks of ago for political reasons, because the president didn't like what he had to say during interviews, and number three, he's threatening to actually veto and he probably will veto the defense bill, which actually has money and resources and authorities to address this very issue. So the president is not just not leading on this, but he's actually creating barriers and standing in the way of dealing with this in a way that a commander in chief should.
Trump is also creating roadblocks for Joe Biden to step in and take over. CNN anchor Brianna Keilar said the Pentagon has canceled all transition meetings for the second day in a row. The defense secretary claims there was a mutual agreement to reschedule them, she said, but the Biden team says that’s not true.
CROW: Yeah, I'm very concerned about that. I mean, listen, transitions are vulnerable in the best of times, when you're moving senior folks out of the positions, putting new people in. Any transition, even when it's done well, is a time of great vulnerability for our country. But you insert a situation like we have right now, where the president is not cooperating, his teams are not cooperating. That transition was actually delayed by close to a month. And they've cut off briefings for the folks that in just a couple weeks are gonna be in the driver's seat of dealing with this crisis and it's a major problem. I'm very concerned about the incoming administration's lack of access to information and how this is going to inhibit their ability to hit the ground running on Day One. It needs to stop. The president needs to lead. Donald Trump needs to step up and do the responsible thing for our national security and start doing these briefings so we can have a safe transition.
Well, good luck with that. Trump seems more interested in fighting Democrats and state electors than anything involving Putin.
Meanwhile, we’ve got Trumpers like Michael Flynn talking up a declaration of martial law in order to “re-run” the election.
Crow had thoughts on that, too.


crooksandliars--2020-12-20--Trump Reveals 'Excited' Phone Call With Tommy Tuberville After He Hints At Electoral College Challen

Trump Reveals 'Excited' Phone Call With Tommy Tuberville After He Hints At Electoral College Challenge

President Donald Trump revealed on Sunday that he had participated in a telephone call with Alabama Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville ( R ) , who has hinted at making an official objection to the Electoral College results .
The incoming senator noted last week that Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives had vowed to object to President-elect Joe Biden 's win .
`` We 're going to have to do it in the Senate , '' Tuberville said .
After tweeting a link to Tuberville 's statement on Saturday , Trump went out of his way to mention the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show .
`` I spoke to a great gentleman , Tommy Tuberville , last night , '' Trump told Giuliani .
`` And he 's so excited .
He said you made me the most popular politician in the United States .
He said , ' I ca n't believe it . '
He 's great .
Great senator . ''
A spokesperson for Tuberville later said that the senator-elect had not committed to making an objection to the Electoral College results .
`` He continues to perform due diligence , '' the @ @ @

President Donald Trump revealed on Sunday that he had participated in a telephone call with Alabama Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville (R), who has hinted at making an official objection to the Electoral College results.
The incoming senator noted last week that Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives had vowed to object to President-elect Joe Biden's win.
"We're going to have to do it in the Senate," Tuberville said.
After tweeting a link to Tuberville's statement on Saturday, Trump went out of his way to mention the senator-elect on Rudy Giuliani's Sunday radio show.
"I spoke to a great gentleman, Tommy Tuberville, last night," Trump told Giuliani. "And he's so excited. He said you made me the most popular politician in the United States. He said, 'I can't believe it.' He's great. Great senator."
A spokesperson for Tuberville later said that the senator-elect had not committed to making an objection to the Electoral College results.
"He continues to perform due diligence," the spokesperson explained.