crooksandliars--2020-10-21--Petty Lindsey Graham Wants To Investigate ActBlue Over His Own Failed Fundraising

Disclosure : C & L and Blue America PAC have used ActBlue for many years as our online fundraising tool .
Now that Lindsey Graham has been completely overwhelmed by Democratic challenger Jamie Harrison 's fundraising prowess in the South Carolina US Senate race , Graham claims the left-wing internet fundraising tool ActBlue needs to be reviewed by Congress .
If Graham had any pride in himself he 'd be embarrassed , but he does not .
And it 's so typical of Republicans to hold sham investigations to hold on to power .
After begging for campaign donation scraps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the halls of Congress , in the final stretch Graham is whining and moaning like a wounded animal .
It 's coming from small donors and donations , Senator Graham .
And you know this .
But maybe a fake investigation will turn things around for you .
An ActBlue representative responded to Graham 's specious and outrageous claims : An ActBlue spokesperson said the group reports even its smallest donations to the Federal Election Commission ( FEC ) , which oversees fundraising for federal campaigns .
An ActBlue spokesperson said the claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 200 is false .
The spokesperson said ActBlue reports every contribution , including those under $ 200 , and that every federal donation made on ActBlue , including donations of only $ 1 , can be verified on the FEC ’ s website .
While Majority Leader McConnell does not want to look into Act Blue , several other Republican senators who have fallen short in fundraising to their opponents are also interested in opening up investigations .
Because that 's the only tool in their shed .
The GOP are one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Too bad for them the Blue Wave is real .

Disclosure: C&L and Blue America PAC have used ActBlue for many years as our online fundraising tool.
Now that Lindsey Graham has been completely overwhelmed by Democratic challenger Jamie Harrison's fundraising prowess in the South Carolina US Senate race, Graham claims the left-wing internet fundraising tool ActBlue needs to be reviewed by Congress.
If Graham had any pride in himself he'd be embarrassed, but he does not.
And it's so typical of Republicans to hold sham investigations to hold on to power.
After begging for campaign donation scraps on Fox News, and illegally in the halls of Congress, in the final stretch Graham is whining and moaning like a wounded animal.
“Where’s all this money coming from ActBlue coming from? How easy would it be to just have a bunch of pre-paid credit cards?” he asked The Hill.
It's coming from small donors and donations, Senator Graham. And you know this. But maybe a fake investigation will turn things around for you.
An ActBlue representative responded to Graham's specious and outrageous claims:
An ActBlue spokesperson said the group reports even its smallest donations to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which oversees fundraising for federal campaigns. An ActBlue spokesperson said the claim that ActBlue does not report contributions under $200 is false. The spokesperson said ActBlue reports every contribution, including those under $200, and that every federal donation made on ActBlue, including donations of only $1, can be verified on the FEC’s website.
While Majority Leader McConnell does not want to look into Act Blue, several other Republican senators who have fallen short in fundraising to their opponents are also interested in opening up investigations. Because that's the only tool in their shed.
The GOP are one big tent populated by scalawags and reprobates. Too bad for them the Blue Wave is real.


crooksandliars--2020-10-21--James Clyburn Has Perfect Answer For Media's Stupid 'Court Packing' Question

James Clyburn is not one to sugarcoat it .
This morning on CNN the South Carolina Congressman compared today 's Supreme Court to the court that decided ... Dred Scott .
OUCH .
But accurate .
Poppy Harlow started with the stupid media framing that puts fake responsibility for `` court packing '' on the Democrats .
Clyburn would n't have it .
POPPY HARLOW , CNN : If Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court this week , if Joe Biden wins the presidential election , do you support a President Biden packing the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think the Supreme Court is being packed now .
That I think HARLOW : -- but more justices .
To the question of more justices , adding them , is that a good idea ?
CLYBURN : Well , adding justices ...
I think we need to unpack the Supreme Court .
There needs to be balance in the Supreme Court .
You know , I know , what the Supreme Court was like during the Dred Scott decision , I know what the Supreme Court was like during Ferguson and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developing now is a throw back to Ferguson and even Dred Scott .
CLYBURN : Absolutely I do believe that .
I have said before and I believe very strongly that the Shelby v. Holder decision that got rid of the Voting Rights Act was the worst decision of the Supreme Court since Dred Scott .
I said that , I believe that very strongly because I know what the vote does for people of color and I know what happened here in South Carolina and other states immediately after that decision , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done to people 's voting rights .
That 's what 's going on right now .
A massive suppress-the-vote effort made possible -- made possible by Holder -- or Shelby v. Holder , would not happen but for that Supreme Court decision .
HARLOW : Congressman Clyburn , we will talk more about this when we have you on next .
We are out of time .
I appreciate you joining us this morning .
Thank you .
CLYBURN : Thank you for having me .

James Clyburn is not one to sugarcoat it.
This morning on CNN the South Carolina Congressman compared today's Supreme Court to the court that decided...Dred Scott. OUCH. But accurate. Poppy Harlow started with the stupid media framing that puts fake responsibility for "court packing" on the Democrats. Clyburn wouldn't have it.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN: If Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court this week, if Joe Biden wins the presidential election, do you support a President Biden packing the Supreme Court?
REP. JAMES CLYBURN: Well, I think the Supreme Court is being packed now. That I think
HARLOW: -- but more justices. To the question of more justices, adding them, is that a good idea?
CLYBURN: Well, adding justices... I think we need to unpack the Supreme Court. There needs to be balance in the Supreme Court. You know, I know, what the Supreme Court was like during the Dred Scott decision, I know what the Supreme Court was like during Ferguson and I think that this court that we see developing now is a throw back to Ferguson and even Dred Scott.
HARLOW: You do?
CLYBURN: Absolutely I do believe that. I have said before and I believe very strongly that the Shelby v. Holder decision that got rid of the Voting Rights Act was the worst decision of the Supreme Court since Dred Scott. I said that, I believe that very strongly because I know what the vote does for people of color and I know what happened here in South Carolina and other states immediately after that decision, when all of these onerous things were done to people's voting rights. That's what's going on right now. A massive suppress-the-vote effort made possible -- made possible by Holder -- or Shelby v. Holder, would not happen but for that Supreme Court decision.
HARLOW: Congressman Clyburn, we will talk more about this when we have you on next. We are out of time. I appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you.
CLYBURN: Thank you for having me.


crooksandliars--2020-10-21--Surprise!  Trump Has Been Hiding His Secret Bank Account In China

Everywhere he goes , Donald Trump should bring a screen .
Because there ’ s no one better at projecting .
After literally years of claims that Joe Biden has some hidden cash connection with China , the latest installment of The New York Times examination of Trump ’ s taxes , shows that Trump has an account at an unspecified bank , holding an unknown amount of money , somewhere in China .
The secret Chinese bank account is controlled through one of Trump ’ s business subsidiaries , Trump International Hotels Management , and did not appear on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they explain everything anyone wanted to know without revealing his taxes .
But since Donald Trump owns 100 % of the Trump Organization , all of these accounts should have been on his public financial disclosures .
It ’ s not .
The Times research suggests that Trump has three unreported accounts .
One in the U.K. , another in Ireland , and the third in China .
The British and Irish accounts are apparently used to control funds related to his golf courses there .
Which may be true , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not report these accounts on a form that is supposed to list all his foreign assets .
It also doesn ’ t explain why Trump has an account in China where , supposedly , he has no properties .
The explanation from a lawyer at the Trump Organization is that the Chinese account is related to business efforts that Trump made prior to taking office , and that he “ opened an account with a Chinese bank having offices in the United States in order to pay the local taxes.
” However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries across the Middle East , Europe , and Asia , without apparently feeling the need to have a local bank account ( Unless , of course , there are still other accounts waiting to be discovered ) .
So … why China ?
There ’ s also a little matter of what bank the account is in .
Trump ’ s taxes don ’ t specify , and Trump ’ s lawyer wouldn ’ t help .
However , until last year the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China—a large , state-controlled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump Tower in New York .
Though most of that lease ended in 2019 , the bank still maintains executive offices in Trump ’ s building .
Then there ’ s the even bigger matter of … just how much money does Trump have in his Chinese bank account and where did it come from ?
According to his attorney , the account holds only “ a few thousand ” dollars .
However , Trump ’ s Hotels company paid $ 188,561 between 2013 and 2015 , which would seem to signal that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generating a significant amount of revenue in China .
Of course , that always was the source of Trump ’ s oversized novelty ties .
And of the Little Red Hats that his follower must wear to signal their allegiance .
There are also all the Chinese trademarks which have been helpfully fast-tracked for Ivanka , including a batch that showed up just last month .
Back in April , Vanity Fair reported that Trump owed “ tens of millions ” to the Bank of China over a deal in New York City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loan had already been shuffled to another bank .
However , what wasn ’ t in error was that the Trump Organization had contracted with Chinese state-owned construction firms that were—and are—building new Trump properties in the U.A.E .
Where is Trump ’ s Chinese bank account ?
Why does he have an account there , but not in countries like Indonesia and the U.A.E .
where he ’ s engaged in active deals ?
And did Trump actually pay more taxes in China than in the United States ?
That one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a secret China connection , and that the candidate would not be Joe Biden , seems absolutely predictable .
Now , someone needs to bring Trump some coffee .
Apparently he ’ s feeling “ sleepy ” all the time .

Everywhere he goes, Donald Trump should bring a screen. Because there’s no one better at projecting. After literally years of claims that Joe Biden has some hidden cash connection with China, the latest installment of The New York Times examination of Trump’s taxes, shows that Trump has an account at an unspecified bank, holding an unknown amount of money, somewhere in China.
The secret Chinese bank account is controlled through one of Trump’s business subsidiaries, Trump International Hotels Management, and did not appear on the public documents Trump filed with claims that they explain everything anyone wanted to know without revealing his taxes. But since Donald Trump owns 100% of the Trump Organization, all of these accounts should have been on his public financial disclosures. It’s not.
The Times research suggests that Trump has three unreported accounts. One in the U.K., another in Ireland, and the third in China. The British and Irish accounts are apparently used to control funds related to his golf courses there. Which may be true, but doesn’t explain why he did not report these accounts on a form that is supposed to list all his foreign assets. It also doesn’t explain why Trump has an account in China where, supposedly, he has no properties.
The explanation from a lawyer at the Trump Organization is that the Chinese account is related to business efforts that Trump made prior to taking office, and that he “opened an account with a Chinese bank having offices in the United States in order to pay the local taxes.” However, Trump has made business deals in many countries across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, without apparently feeling the need to have a local bank account (Unless, of course, there are still other accounts waiting to be discovered). So … why China?
There’s also a little matter of what bank the account is in. Trump’s taxes don’t specify, and Trump’s lawyer wouldn’t help. However, until last year the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China—a large, state-controlled bank—held one of the largest leases at Trump Tower in New York. Though most of that lease ended in 2019, the bank still maintains executive offices in Trump’s building.
Then there’s the even bigger matter of … just how much money does Trump have in his Chinese bank account and where did it come from? According to his attorney, the account holds only “a few thousand” dollars. However, Trump’s Hotels company paid $188,561 between 2013 and 2015, which would seem to signal that … somewhere, somehow … Trump is generating a significant amount of revenue in China.
Of course, that always was the source of Trump’s oversized novelty ties. And of the Little Red Hats that his follower must wear to signal their allegiance. There are also all the Chinese trademarks which have been helpfully fast-tracked for Ivanka, including a batch that showed up just last month.
Back in April, Vanity Fair reported that Trump owed “tens of millions” to the Bank of China over a deal in New York City. However, it turned out that loan had already been shuffled to another bank. However, what wasn’t in error was that the Trump Organization had contracted with Chinese state-owned construction firms that were—and are—building new Trump properties in the U.A.E.
Where is Trump’s Chinese bank account? Why does he have an account there, but not in countries like Indonesia and the U.A.E. where he’s engaged in active deals? And did Trump actually pay more taxes in China than in the United States?
That one of the candidates would turn out to have a secret China connection, and that the candidate would not be Joe Biden, seems absolutely predictable. Now, someone needs to bring Trump some coffee. Apparently he’s feeling “sleepy” all the time.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-10-21--NBC News: Lawyers Can't Locate Deported Parents Of 545 Migrant Children

Who could not have predicted this heartbreaking turn of events ?
Via NBC News : WASHINGTON — Lawyers appointed by a federal judge to identify migrant families who were separated by the Trump administration say that they have yet to track down the parents of 545 children and that about two-thirds of those parents were deported to Central America without their children , according to a filing Tuesday from the American Civil Liberties Union .
The Trump administration instituted a `` zero tolerance '' policy in 2018 that separated migrant children and parents at the southern U.S. border .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begun separating families in 2017 along some parts of the border under a pilot program .
The ACLU and other pro-bono law firms were tasked with finding the members of families separated during the pilot program .
Unlike the 2,800 families separated under zero tolerance in 2018 , most of whom remained in custody when the policy was ended by executive order , many of the more than 1,000 parents separated from their children under the pilot program had already been deported before a federal judge in California ordered that they be found @

Who could not have predicted this heartbreaking turn of events? Via NBC News:
WASHINGTON — Lawyers appointed by a federal judge to identify migrant families who were separated by the Trump administration say that they have yet to track down the parents of 545 children and that about two-thirds of those parents were deported to Central America without their children, according to a filing Tuesday from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Trump administration instituted a "zero tolerance" policy in 2018 that separated migrant children and parents at the southern U.S. border. The administration later confirmed that it had actually begun separating families in 2017 along some parts of the border under a pilot program. The ACLU and other pro-bono law firms were tasked with finding the members of families separated during the pilot program.
Unlike the 2,800 families separated under zero tolerance in 2018, most of whom remained in custody when the policy was ended by executive order, many of the more than 1,000 parents separated from their children under the pilot program had already been deported before a federal judge in California ordered that they be found.


crooksandliars--2020-10-21--CNN: Mitch McConnell Warned Trump Not To Make Stimulus Deal Before Election

New Day 's John Berman talked about the stimulus package that Republicans are so reluctant to pass .
`` So talks resume this morning on a new relief package to help millions of struggling Americans .
Multiple sources , though , tell CNN that the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is warning the White House not to get behind a deal at the risk of dividing Senate Republicans before the election , '' Berman said , bringing on Sen. Chris Coons .
`` Let me read you a little bit of CNN 's reporting on what 's going on in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ package .
At a closed-door lunch on Tuesday , he said he warned the White House against getting behind such a proposal before November 3rd that would badly divide Senate Republicans .
So McConnell is n't jumping up and down about this .
What do you want this morning ? ''
Coons said he wanted `` real progress '' for Americans who are struggling through the pandemic recession .
`` We have more than 25 million Americans on unemployment right now .
More than 8 million Americans infected .
More than 220,000 Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis of epic proportions and our economy is barely hanging on , because of the unanimous support of the Senate six months ago for the CARES relief act .
`` McConnell has been AWOL , he has been absent , a total nonparticipant and is now actually being a critical speed bump in the last days as Speaker Pelosi is trying hard to work out a robust package of relief .
We have 6 million Americans late on their mortgage or their rent .
That should be in this bill .
Every state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms of their budgets and the pandemic response .
`` Robust state and local government relief should be in this bill .
And there should be another round of support for families .
I hope we can get this done .
I have confidence in Speaker Pelosi and her negotiations .
Many of us in the Senate are ready to support a broad and significant bill like this .
But it 's striking that Republicans in the midst of this public health crisis , are signaling they will not support any more funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this recession and pandemic , '' Coons said .
Berman then brought out the heavy cable-TV guns : `` Maybe do n't make the perfect the enemy of the good .
Maybe even take the deal a little bit north of the $ 1.8 trillion the White House last offered was . ''
( C'mon , John , you know the White House offer was filled with tax cuts and discretionary spending for a Republican slush fund ! )
`` Look , let 's put this into broader perspective .
$ 1.8 trillion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It 's more than double the amount of the relief package , the Recovery Act that the Obama/Biden administration was able to get .
I 'll remind you , in 2009 , when the Obama/Biden administration came in , our economy was in free fall , because of the collapse in Wall Street , and Republicans doggedly objected to moving forward with any relief , insisted on major tax cuts to get anything .
This is about three times the size of the real stimulus that was in that bill .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for American families who are struggling .
`` That 's why Joe Biden should be our next president .
He knows how to lead us out of this pandemic .
How to get our kids back to school safely .
How to provide support for our seniors who are in skilled nursing facilities , who are most at risk .
How to get a vaccine safely out to the American public and our economy reopened , and how to restore our place on the world stage .
Joe Biden will show tomorrow night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential .
`` He 's going to be standing opposite a guy who 's acting like he 's president , but does n't have any idea how to actually do the job . ''
Sounds about right .
Just as Trump played a successful businessman on TV , he plays at being a president .
We 've all seen the results .

New Day's John Berman talked about the stimulus package that Republicans are so reluctant to pass.
"So talks resume this morning on a new relief package to help millions of struggling Americans. Multiple sources, though, tell CNN that the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is warning the White House not to get behind a deal at the risk of dividing Senate Republicans before the election," Berman said, bringing on Sen. Chris Coons.
"Let me read you a little bit of CNN's reporting on what's going on in the Senate in regards to this relief package. At a closed-door lunch on Tuesday, he said he warned the White House against getting behind such a proposal before November 3rd that would badly divide Senate Republicans. So McConnell isn't jumping up and down about this. What do you want this morning?"
Coons said he wanted "real progress" for Americans who are struggling through the pandemic recession.
"We have more than 25 million Americans on unemployment right now. More than 8 million Americans infected. More than 220,000 Americans dead. This is a public health crisis of epic proportions and our economy is barely hanging on, because of the unanimous support of the Senate six months ago for the CARES relief act.
"McConnell has been AWOL, he has been absent, a total nonparticipant and is now actually being a critical speed bump in the last days as Speaker Pelosi is trying hard to work out a robust package of relief. We have 6 million Americans late on their mortgage or their rent. That should be in this bill. Every state is facing rising challenges, both in terms of their budgets and the pandemic response.
"Robust state and local government relief should be in this bill. And there should be another round of support for families. I hope we can get this done. I have confidence in Speaker Pelosi and her negotiations. Many of us in the Senate are ready to support a broad and significant bill like this. But it's striking that Republicans in the midst of this public health crisis, are signaling they will not support any more funding for American families in the middle of this recession and pandemic," Coons said.
Berman then brought out the heavy cable-TV guns: "Maybe don't make the perfect the enemy of the good. Maybe even take the deal a little bit north of the $1.8 trillion the White House last offered was." (C'mon, John, you know the White House offer was filled with tax cuts and discretionary spending for a Republican slush fund!)
Coons didn't take the bait.
"Look, let's put this into broader perspective. $1.8 trillion is an enormous amount of money. It's more than double the amount of the relief package, the Recovery Act that the Obama/Biden administration was able to get. I'll remind you, in 2009, when the Obama/Biden administration came in, our economy was in free fall, because of the collapse in Wall Street, and Republicans doggedly objected to moving forward with any relief, insisted on major tax cuts to get anything. This is about three times the size of the real stimulus that was in that bill. This is what Democrats care about, providing support for American families who are struggling.
"That's why Joe Biden should be our next president. He knows how to lead us out of this pandemic. How to get our kids back to school safely. How to provide support for our seniors who are in skilled nursing facilities, who are most at risk. How to get a vaccine safely out to the American public and our economy reopened, and how to restore our place on the world stage. Joe Biden will show tomorrow night in the presidential debate that he's presidential.
"He's going to be standing opposite a guy who's acting like he's president, but doesn't have any idea how to actually do the job."
Sounds about right. Just as Trump played a successful businessman on TV, he plays at being a president. We've all seen the results.


crooksandliars--2020-10-21--Best Campaign Ad Of The Cycle: Joe Biden's 'Go From There'

Via Deadline , a look at the inspiring new Biden ad , featuring Sam Elliott : Sam Elliott lends his @ @ @ @ @ campaign , narrating a new advertisement for the former vice president ’ s 2020 presidential @ @ @ @ @ ad , titled Go From There , premiered on Tuesday during the first game of @ @ @ @ @ Series .
Over a simple piano rendition of the “ Star Spangled Banner ” the @ @ @ @ @ Road House actor tells viewers that there is no one America .
“ No Democratic @ @ @ @ @ , just this great land and all that ’ s possible on it with a @ @ @ @ @ actor says over golden shots of the American landscape and various citizens .
“ Cures @ @ @ @ @ we can shape , work to reward , dignity to protect .
”

Via Deadline, a look at the inspiring new Biden ad, featuring Sam Elliott:
Sam Elliott lends his voice to the Joe Biden campaign, narrating a new advertisement for the former vice president’s 2020 presidential run. A new Biden ad, titled Go From There, premiered on Tuesday during the first game of the Major League Baseball World Series.
Over a simple piano rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” the A Star is Born and Road House actor tells viewers that there is no one America.
“No Democratic rivers, no Republican mountains, just this great land and all that’s possible on it with a fresh start,” the actor says over golden shots of the American landscape and various citizens. “Cures we can find, futures we can shape, work to reward, dignity to protect.”


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Louis DeJoy Pull Postal Cops Off The Streets, Two Weeks Before The Election

A strange order by the U.S .
Postal Service to pull its uniformed police officers meant to protect the security of the mail off the streets , sparking a lawsuit .
Via MarketWatch : The agency ’ s unilateral order ended daily patrols meant to prevent robberies of blue collection boxes and mail vehicles , and has left letter carriers without escorts on unsafe routes in some of the nation ’ s biggest cities , according to interviews with police officers and union representatives opposed to the change and a copy of the directive , titled “ Postal Police Utilization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Journal .
Mail thieves , in the past , often targeted mail for credit cards and checks .
Now , the postal police officers said the fear is that thieves also will get ballots , which could be ditched .
The union representing the officers filed a lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking an emergency reversal of the management order , noting the need to “ ensure the integrity of the mail.
” The court hasn ’ t ruled on the request , and the Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismiss the lawsuit , arguing , among other things , that the court lacks jurisdiction .
We 've already seen two stories about postal workers dumping mail .
Can you think of any benign reason why this enforcement is being pulled ?
Come on , we all know why it 's happening .
It 's just part of the massive sh*tstorm of effluvia meant to obscure Trump 's efforts to steal this election .
Via MSN.com : Postal police union members told The Wall Street Journal last week that they had no evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security .
But Jim Bjork , a retired letter carrier and officer as well as a representative for the PPOA , told the paper that if undermining trust in election-mail security was n't the goal : `` then why not wait until after the election to neuter the postal police ? ''
TURN UP THE HEAT .
Call the U.S .
Postal Inspection Service : 1-877-876-2455 and tell them to put uniformed postal police back on routes now .

A strange order by the U.S. Postal Service to pull its uniformed police officers meant to protect the security of the mail off the streets, sparking a lawsuit. Via MarketWatch:
The agency’s unilateral order ended daily patrols meant to prevent robberies of blue collection boxes and mail vehicles, and has left letter carriers without escorts on unsafe routes in some of the nation’s biggest cities, according to interviews with police officers and union representatives opposed to the change and a copy of the directive, titled “Postal Police Utilization,” reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Mail thieves, in the past, often targeted mail for credit cards and checks. Now, the postal police officers said the fear is that thieves also will get ballots, which could be ditched. The union representing the officers filed a lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking an emergency reversal of the management order, noting the need to “ensure the integrity of the mail.” The court hasn’t ruled on the request, and the Justice Department has asked the federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing, among other things, that the court lacks jurisdiction.
We've already seen two stories about postal workers dumping mail. Can you think of any benign reason why this enforcement is being pulled? Come on, we all know why it's happening. It's just part of the massive sh*tstorm of effluvia meant to obscure Trump's efforts to steal this election. Via MSN.com:
Postal police union members told The Wall Street Journal last week that they had no evidence to suggest the order has compromised election-mail security. But Jim Bjork, a retired letter carrier and officer as well as a representative for the PPOA, told the paper that if undermining trust in election-mail security wasn't the goal: "then why not wait until after the election to neuter the postal police?"
TURN UP THE HEAT. Call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service: 1-877-876-2455 and tell them to put uniformed postal police back on routes now.


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--DHS Blames Iran For ‘Proud Boys’ Emails Threatening Democrats

I previously wrote about a barrage of emails from “ Proud Boys ” to Democrats telling them to vote for Trump “ or we will come after you.
” John Ratcliffe , Trump ’ s unqualified , loyalist DNI made a statement implying that the Proud Boys emails came from Iran , but did not actually say so : RATCLIFFE : We would like to alert the public that we have identified that two foreign actors , Iran and Russia , have taken specific actions to influence public opinion relating to our elections .
First , we have confirme that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Iran and , separately , by Russia .
This data can be used by foreign actors to attempt to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion , sow chaos and undermine your confidence in American democracy .
To that end , we have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters , incite social unrest and damage President Trump .
You may have seen some reporting on this in the last 24 hours or you may have even been one of the recipients of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boys or their emails .
It appears that an anonymous source fingered the Proud Boys .
From The Washington Post : The emails claimed to be from the Proud Boys , a far-right group supportive of Trump , but instead were engineered by someone working at the behest of the Iranian government , according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter ’ s sensitivity .
The operation appeared to exploit a vulnerability in the group ’ s online network .
Now , why would a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connection to The Post , claiming sensitivity , when DNI Ratcliffe clearly implied it ?
I 'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it 's because Ratcliffe could n't make the connection .
The Daily Beast notes , “ Ratcliffe and FBI Director Christopher did not supply specific evidence connecting Iran to the Proud Boys impersonation.
” Another odd thing is that in August , U.S. intelligence said that Iran doesn ’ t want Trump to win a second term , which seems like a no-brainer .
So why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arm Democrats into voting for Trump and threatening them if they don ’ t ?
The Post goes on to explain some of the details of the vulnerability in the Proud Boys ’ online network .
I do n't know enough about that sort of thing to comment .
But it ’ s pretty obvious that Donald Trump and his cronies installed in the Intel Community would jump at an opportunity to acquit Trump ’ s white nationalist pals and blame Iran .
I ’ ll just leave it there for now .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the Congressional intelligence committees review and report on this material .

I previously wrote about a barrage of emails from “Proud Boys” to Democrats telling them to vote for Trump “or we will come after you.”
John Ratcliffe, Trump’s unqualified, loyalist DNI made a statement implying that the Proud Boys emails came from Iran, but did not actually say so:
RATCLIFFE: We would like to alert the public that we have identified that two foreign actors, Iran and Russia, have taken specific actions to influence public opinion relating to our elections. First, we have confirme that some voter registration information has been obtained by Iran and, separately, by Russia. This data can be used by foreign actors to attempt to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion, sow chaos and undermine your confidence in American democracy. To that end, we have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump. You may have seen some reporting on this in the last 24 hours or you may have even been one of the recipients of those emails.
Ratcliffe never mentioned the Proud Boys or their emails.
It appears that an anonymous source fingered the Proud Boys. From The Washington Post:
The emails claimed to be from the Proud Boys, a far-right group supportive of Trump, but instead were engineered by someone working at the behest of the Iranian government, according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. The operation appeared to exploit a vulnerability in the group’s online network.
Now, why would a “U.S. official” leak the connection to The Post, claiming sensitivity, when DNI Ratcliffe clearly implied it? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it's because Ratcliffe couldn't make the connection. The Daily Beast notes, “Ratcliffe and FBI Director Christopher did not supply specific evidence connecting Iran to the Proud Boys impersonation.”
Another odd thing is that in August, U.S. intelligence said that Iran doesn’t want Trump to win a second term, which seems like a no-brainer. So why would Iran send emails trying to strong arm Democrats into voting for Trump and threatening them if they don’t?
The Post goes on to explain some of the details of the vulnerability in the Proud Boys’ online network. I don't know enough about that sort of thing to comment.
But it’s pretty obvious that Donald Trump and his cronies installed in the Intel Community would jump at an opportunity to acquit Trump’s white nationalist pals and blame Iran.
I’ll just leave it there for now. I look forward to having the Democrats on the Congressional intelligence committees review and report on this material.


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Maryland Man Arrested Over SICK Kidnapping And Murder Plot Against Joe Biden And Kamala Harris

A Maryland man was arrested this week after he allegedly threatened to kidnap and kill Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris .
WJZ reported that James Dale Reed , 42 , of Maryland was arrested earlier this month after he admitted writing a letter and leaving it at a Frederick home on the morning of Oct. 4 .
A Ring door camera caught an image of the person .
According to The New York Times , Reed is accused of threatening to kidnap and murder the Democratic candidates .
“ This is a warning to anyone reading this letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be targeted , ” the letter states .
“ We have a list of homes and addresses by your election signs .
We are the ones with those scary guns , We are the ones your children have nightmares about… ” WJZ described the rest of the message as “ too graphic ” to print .
Reed initially denied that he wrote the letter when he was interviewed by the Secret Service on Oct. 13 .
But the suspect admitted writing the letter and was arrested two days later .
He is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass violence .
Reed was said to be known by the Secret Service for a threat against a protected person in 2014 .

A Maryland man was arrested this week after he allegedly threatened to kidnap and kill Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
WJZ reported that James Dale Reed, 42, of Maryland was arrested earlier this month after he admitted writing a letter and leaving it at a Frederick home on the morning of Oct. 4. A Ring door camera caught an image of the person.
According to The New York Times, Reed is accused of threatening to kidnap and murder the Democratic candidates.
“This is a warning to anyone reading this letter if you are a Biden/Harris supporter you will be targeted,” the letter states. “We have a list of homes and addresses by your election signs. We are the ones with those scary guns, We are the ones your children have nightmares about…”
WJZ described the rest of the message as “too graphic” to print.
The rest of the message is too graphic to detail, but claims that they will allegedly beat Biden and sodomize Harris before executing them on national television.
Reed initially denied that he wrote the letter when he was interviewed by the Secret Service on Oct. 13. But the suspect admitted writing the letter and was arrested two days later. He is facing charges of voter intimidation and threatening mass violence.
Reed was said to be known by the Secret Service for a threat against a protected person in 2014.


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Using DOJ 'To Crush A Victim,' Barr Claims Trump Cannot Be Sued For Denying E. Jean Carroll's Rape A

Using DOJ 'To Crush A Victim,' Barr Claims Trump Cannot Be Sued For Denying E. Jean Carroll's Rape Accusation

In Attorney General Bill Barr 's latest attempt to help President Donald Trump avoid accountability for an alleged rape he is accused of committing in the 1990s , Barr on Monday argued in court filings that when the president denied columnist E. Jean Carroll 's accusation last year , he was acting not on behalf of his own interests but in his capacity as a public servant representing the people of the United States .
`` Given the president 's position in our constitutional structure , his role in communicating with the public is especially significant , '' wrote Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr 's direction replaced Trump 's personal legal team to represent the president in the case , in a highly unusual move .
`` The president 's statements fall within the scope of his employment for multiple reasons . ''
The statements the government lawyers were referring to include Trump 's claim that Carroll was `` not [ his ] type , '' that he had never met her despite photographic evidence to the contrary , and that she was a liar who was trying to sell books by accusing him of raping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two decades ago , long before Trump 's political career began .
`` There is not a single person in the United States—not the president and not anyone else—whose job description includes slandering women they sexually assaulted , '' Carroll 's attorneys wrote in response to the DOJ 's claim on Monday .
Carroll , who sued Trump for defamation in a New York state court following his remarks , tweeted that she and her legal team are planning to argue in court that Trump 's denial was `` not an official act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes a month after Barr intervened in Carroll 's case against Trump , both by replacing the president 's legal representation and by attempting to transfer the lawsuit from the state court to a federal district court .
Both moves suggest the DOJ aims to have the case treated as one that was filed against a government employee who is immune from defamation lawsuits , in order to have Carroll 's case dismissed .
Former federal prosecutor and NBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner tweeted that Barr 's latest action goes against the department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of victims . ''
`` Bill Barr is trying to use the DOJ to crush a victim , '' Kirschner said .
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden last week criticized the president for using the DOJ as his `` own law firm '' to gain the upper hand in his legal troubles .
`` ' I 'm being sued because a woman ’ s accusing me of rape .
Represent me .
Represent me , ' '' Mr. Biden said in imitation of the president .
`` What 's that all about ?
@

In Attorney General Bill Barr's latest attempt to help President Donald Trump avoid accountability for an alleged rape he is accused of committing in the 1990s, Barr on Monday argued in court filings that when the president denied columnist E. Jean Carroll's accusation last year, he was acting not on behalf of his own interests but in his capacity as a public servant representing the people of the United States.
"Given the president's position in our constitutional structure, his role in communicating with the public is especially significant," wrote Justice Department lawyers, who last month at Barr's direction replaced Trump's personal legal team to represent the president in the case, in a highly unusual move. "The president's statements fall within the scope of his employment for multiple reasons."
The statements the government lawyers were referring to include Trump's claim that Carroll was "not [his] type," that he had never met her despite photographic evidence to the contrary, and that she was a liar who was trying to sell books by accusing him of raping her in a department store more than two decades ago, long before Trump's political career began.
"There is not a single person in the United States—not the president and not anyone else—whose job description includes slandering women they sexually assaulted," Carroll's attorneys wrote in response to the DOJ's claim on Monday.
Carroll, who sued Trump for defamation in a New York state court following his remarks, tweeted that she and her legal team are planning to argue in court that Trump's denial was "not an official act."
We are REALLY looking forward to meeting you in court and arguing it was NOT an "official act."https://t.co/yicFk1DjNp — E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) October 19, 2020
The DOJ lawyers' claim comes a month after Barr intervened in Carroll's case against Trump, both by replacing the president's legal representation and by attempting to transfer the lawsuit from the state court to a federal district court. Both moves suggest the DOJ aims to have the case treated as one that was filed against a government employee who is immune from defamation lawsuits, in order to have Carroll's case dismissed.
Former federal prosecutor and NBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner tweeted that Barr's latest action goes against the department's responsibility to work "on behalf of victims."
"Bill Barr is trying to use the DOJ to crush a victim," Kirschner said.
E. Jean Carroll reported that Trump raped her. He then defamed her. In the decades I spent as a prosecutor w/the DOJ we worked ON BEHALF OF victims, we tried to help them & vindicate the crimes committed against them. Bill Barr is trying to use the DOJ to crush a victim. https://t.co/xWl9oin2r0 — Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) October 19, 2020
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden last week criticized the president for using the DOJ as his "own law firm" to gain the upper hand in his legal troubles.
"'I'm being sued because a woman’s accusing me of rape. Represent me. Represent me,'" Mr. Biden said in imitation of the president. "What's that all about?"
Republished from Common Dreams (Julia Conley, staff writer) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--WATCH LIVE: Biden-Trump Final Presidential Debate

Kristen Welker of NBC News will moderate the debate , which will take place in Nashville .
It will begin @ @ @ @ @ run for 90 minutes .
The announced topics include fighting the coronavirus , American families @ @ @ @ @ States , climate change , national security and leadership .

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


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Trump's 60 Minutes Interview Reveals Him To Be A Whiny Brat

60 Minutes sent out a preview clip of Leslie Stahl interviewing Trump , while the Trump campaign sent out a video of the whole interview in which they claim Leslie Stahl was so biased against him that he stormed off the set .
He did not storm out .
After Trump started complaining about being told there would be tough questions at the beginning of the interview and complaining that he did n't want any , his aide interrupted and said they had about five minutes left before VP Mike Pence would step in .
Trump replied , `` Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 'll see you . ''
That 's hardly a storm off .
Trump acted like a whiny entitled little brat while Leslie Stahl was calm , cool and collected throughout his 37 minutes on camera .
Donald 's responses were a travesty of outright lies , unverified claims , attacks on his political opponents and a massive amount of conspiracies .
Trump had one goal : To force the Rudy Giuliani miraculously found laptop into the interview and bash Hunter Biden relentlessly to gaslight Joe Biden and downplay his total and complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any of it , but she was n't abrasive or nasty at all and let him spout his lunacy throughout .
She later pivoted to his egregious actions against Gov .
Whitmer , after a militia plot to kidnap and kill her was foiled .
Stahl asked him why he encouraged his supporters to chant `` Lock her up . ''
Trump immediately lied and claimed he never said that and also , Lesley Stahl was vicious for daring to ask that question .
Here 's what he said .
Stahl then again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden and Obama and she asked how 'd he like it if Joe Biden wanted his Attorney General to lock HIM up .
Trump then started whining about the beginning of the interview about 35 minutes earlier .
Then Trump attacked Leslie Stahl for her supposed softball interview with Joe Biden but she had n't interviewed Joe Biden yet .
When she corrected him , he ended the interview .
Trump was caught in so many lies it was embarrassing .
His whining and ref-working was obnoxious and stupid .
But mostly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which ought to be run in ads over and over again before the Senate votes on Barrett .
There 's a whole thread .
Here 's the gist :

60 Minutes sent out a preview clip of Lesley Stahl interviewing Trump, while the Trump campaign sent out a video of the whole interview in which they claim Lesley Stahl was so biased against him that he stormed off the set.
That's a lie.
He did not storm out.
Here's where it began:
LESLEY STAHL: "You're okay with some tough questions?"
TRUMP: "No, I'm not."
STAHL: "You're not okay with tough questions?"
Trump thinks this looks *good* for him!!! pic.twitter.com/fhfPUnpFwn — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 22, 2020
After Trump started complaining about being told there would be tough questions at the beginning of the interview and complaining that he didn't want any, his aide interrupted and said they had about five minutes left before VP Mike Pence would step in.
Trump replied, "Well, I think we have enough -- I'll see you."
That's hardly a storm off.
Trump acted like a whiny entitled little brat while Lesley Stahl was calm, cool and collected throughout his 37 minutes on camera. Donald's responses were a travesty of outright lies, unverified claims, attacks on his political opponents and a massive amount of conspiracies.
Trump had one goal: To force the Rudy Giuliani miraculously found laptop into the interview and bash Hunter Biden relentlessly to gaslight Joe Biden and downplay his total and complete inept presidency.
Stahl wasn't having any of it, but she wasn't abrasive or nasty at all and let him spout his lunacy throughout.
She later pivoted to his egregious actions against Gov. Whitmer, after a militia plot to kidnap and kill her was foiled. Stahl asked him why he encouraged his supporters to chant "Lock her up."
Trump immediately lied and claimed he never said that and also, Lesley Stahl was vicious for daring to ask that question.
Here's what he said.
"You've gotta get your governor to open up your state, OK?" Trump said. The crowd cheered and erupted into chants of "lock her up!" The president smirked and responded: "Lock 'em all up."
Stahl then again asked him why wants to lock up Biden and Obama and she asked how'd he like it if Joe Biden wanted his Attorney General to lock HIM up.
Trump then started whining about the beginning of the interview about 35 minutes earlier.
Then Trump attacked Lesley Stahl for her supposed softball interview with Joe Biden but she hadn't interviewed Joe Biden yet. When she corrected him, he ended the interview.
Karoli adds:
Trump was caught in so many lies it was embarrassing. His whining and ref-working was obnoxious and stupid. But mostly, he's a monster for this exchange, which ought to be run in ads over and over again before the Senate votes on Barrett.
Trump tells @60Minutes in footage he released that he wants to see the Supreme Court wipe out Obamacare.
“I hope that they end it.” — Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 22, 2020
There's a whole thread. Here's the gist:


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Chris Wallace Blocks Biden Smear: ‘We Would Have Seen The Fruits Of That Investigation By Now’

Fox News host Chris Wallace on Thursday warned that Democratic nominee Joe Biden could expose President Donald Trump ’ s “ secret ” Chinese bank account during the final presidential debate .
While appearing on Fox News , Wallace predicted that Trump will try to attack Biden ’ s son , Hunter , at Thursday ’ s presidential debate .
“ It ’ s certainly going to be brought up tonight , ” Wallace said .
“ If [ debate moderator ] Kristen Welker doesn ’ t bring it up — and I think she will — the president will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several conservative pundits have cautioned Trump against making the allegations against Hunter Biden the focus of the debate .
“ I think the president has to be a little careful , ” the Fox News host continued .
“ Because you heard Barack Obama yesterday point out that The New York Times had revealed that Donald Trump has — not had , but has — a secret bank in China .
And said that , you know , if that had come out when he was president , people would have called him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me that Biden is going to have something to come back at , ” he remarked .
Wallace went on to note that the attempt to smear Biden ’ s family may not be based on the truth .
“ The question is whether or not he personally benefitted financially , ” Wallace explained .
“ Remember that the hard drive [ that the computer repair shop ] gave to the FBI in December of 2019 — so about 10-11 months ago — they ’ ve had and one assumes that had Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was vice president and had he lied because we ’ ve seen his tax returns from 2019 that we would have seen the fruits of that investigation by now .
”

Fox News host Chris Wallace on Thursday warned that Democratic nominee Joe Biden could expose President Donald Trump’s “secret” Chinese bank account during the final presidential debate.
While appearing on Fox News, Wallace predicted that Trump will try to attack Biden’s son, Hunter, at Thursday’s presidential debate.
“It’s certainly going to be brought up tonight,” Wallace said. “If [debate moderator] Kristen Welker doesn’t bring it up — and I think she will — the president will bring it up.”
Wallace noted that several conservative pundits have cautioned Trump against making the allegations against Hunter Biden the focus of the debate.
“I think the president has to be a little careful,” the Fox News host continued. “Because you heard Barack Obama yesterday point out that The New York Times had revealed that Donald Trump has — not had, but has — a secret bank in China. And said that, you know, if that had come out when he was president, people would have called him Beijing Barry.”
“It seems to me that Biden is going to have something to come back at,” he remarked.
Wallace went on to note that the attempt to smear Biden’s family may not be based on the truth.
“The question is whether or not he personally benefitted financially,” Wallace explained. “Remember that the hard drive [that the computer repair shop] gave to the FBI in December of 2019 — so about 10-11 months ago — they’ve had and one assumes that had Biden taken money from a foreign entity while he was vice president and had he lied because we’ve seen his tax returns from 2019 that we would have seen the fruits of that investigation by now.”


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Triggered By Obama, Trump Tells Rally His Inauguration Was Bigger

Really , guys , it 's less than two weeks until Election Day , millions of Americans have already voted @ @ @ @ @ sales pitch to the electorate is , `` My inauguration was the biggest crowd ever @ @ @ @ @ that Stable Genius wasted his first month as so-called president feuding with the media over @ @ @ @ @ than his predecessor .
And of course , Trump 's inauguration was not only eclipsed @ @ @ @ @ by The Women 's March the day after the Trump inaugural .
Trump fired up @ @ @ @ @ 's middle name and then went on a five-minute rant about the his inauguration and @ @ @ @ @ a photo of his crowd hours before the event .
There is no point in @ @ @ @ @ ranting .
It 's important to realize what a terrible CANDIDATE Trump really is .
@ @ @

Really, guys, it's less than two weeks until Election Day, millions of Americans have already voted, and Trump's final sales pitch to the electorate is, "My inauguration was the biggest crowd ever?"
You may recall that Stable Genius wasted his first month as so-called president feuding with the media over having a larger inauguration crowd than his predecessor.
And of course, Trump's inauguration was not only eclipsed by Obama's, but by The Women's March the day after the Trump inaugural.
Trump fired up the crowd by using Obama's middle name and then went on a five-minute rant about the his inauguration and how "they" took a photo of his crowd hours before the event.
if anyone wondered whether Obama’s attack would trigger Trump, the answer is already yes - within minutes
currently referring to the former president at his NC rally as “Barack Hussein Obama,” and insisting his inauguration audience really was bigger than Obama’s after all https://t.co/tEwUHHAs2i — John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) October 21, 2020
There is no point in pretending to fact-check this nonsensical ranting.
Interesting that at no point in his speech today did Obama mention the size of his inauguration crowd size. Something that Trump obsessed about tonight again. https://t.co/KDHdTiW1xC — zou2 🌵🇫🇷⚜⚖ (@zou2) October 21, 2020
It's important to realize what a terrible CANDIDATE Trump really is. The end.


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Don Jr: Trump Campaign Will Have Someone At Presidential Debate To Heckle Kristen Welker

Trump 's unhinged son joined Fox and Friends this morning , once again hopped up on something and armed with QAnon conspiracies .
Great family surrogate you got there , Mister so-called president .
But there was a surprise in the interview : Don Jr. admitted that the Trump campaign will have someone in the debate hall to attack and cause chaos against Kirsten Welker , the debate moderator , whenever they like .
Co-host Ainsley Earhardt said the Trump campaign is going to have people at the debate monitoring Kristin Welker and her use of the mute button .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ? ''
she asked .
`` Well , they 're gon na have someone in the room and we 're gon na call nonsense when we see nonsense . ''
Junior said .
The Trump campaign is injecting intimidation in the heart of a presidential debate .
My only question is , will this person be a member of the Proud boys or some other white supremacist militia group ?
I think this may be the first time in presidential debating history that security services are going to be needed to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scene by Trump , to create chaos during the debate .
His purpose is obviously to cover-up his glaring lies and disgraceful behavior .
Don Jr. pushed another ridiculous conspiracy this morning , that during the 2016 debate , the commission supposedly messed with Trump 's microphone .
Junior then attacked the entire debate commission and the moderators for being anti-Trump .
`` It 's literally hard to believe that we are in a free country , '' Jr. said .
My thoughts exactly .
Trump masquerades as an authoritarian ruler who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has covered Kristin Welker for years and years and she 's never come off as a Democratic plant or a never-Trumper , but truth does not enter into the minds of the Rudy Giuliani-led smear campaigns .
Don Junior 's call of bias against his poor pappy is indicative of their desperation .
Bitching , complaining , moaning , and crying are the only political tools the Trump campaign , his kids , and all their minions on TV have to offer the American people .
Meanwhile , they offer no solutions or @ @ @ @ @ @

Trump's unhinged son joined Fox and Friends this morning, once again hopped up on something and armed with QAnon conspiracies.
Great family surrogate you got there, Mister so-called president.
But there was a surprise in the interview: Don Jr. admitted that the Trump campaign will have someone in the debate hall to attack and cause chaos against Kirsten Welker, the debate moderator, whenever they like.
Co-host Ainsley Earhardt said the Trump campaign is going to have people at the debate monitoring Kristin Welker and her use of the mute button.
"How are they going to do that?" she asked.
"Well, they're gonna have someone in the room and we're gonna call nonsense when we see nonsense." Junior said.
The Trump campaign is injecting intimidation in the heart of a presidential debate. My only question is, will this person be a member of the Proud boys or some other white supremacist militia group?
I think this may be the first time in presidential debating history that security services are going to be needed to stop what appears to be an already scripted scene by Trump, to create chaos during the debate.
His purpose is obviously to cover-up his glaring lies and disgraceful behavior.
Don Jr. pushed another ridiculous conspiracy this morning, that during the 2016 debate, the commission supposedly messed with Trump's microphone.
Junior then attacked the entire debate commission and the moderators for being anti-Trump.
"It's literally hard to believe that we are in a free country," Jr. said.
My thoughts exactly. Trump masquerades as an authoritarian ruler who is above the Constitution.
Crooks and Liars has covered Kristin Welker for years and years and she's never come off as a Democratic plant or a never-Trumper, but truth does not enter into the minds of the Rudy Giuliani-led smear campaigns.
Don Junior's call of bias against his poor pappy is indicative of their desperation.
Bitching, complaining, moaning, and crying are the only political tools the Trump campaign, his kids, and all their minions on TV have to offer the American people.
Meanwhile, they offer no solutions or plans to combat Covid 19.
How high will Don Jr be tonight on the post-debate shows? — A Proud Man Not A Proud Boy🌹 (@SwingLeftBR) October 22, 2020
Or Maybe ... the grown children of candidates “should” be off limits in this debate. What about Ivanka’s trademarks, Don Jr is obviously “altered” in his online rants, Eric is testifying in the NY attorney’s inquiry and all 3 of them are banned from running a charity ... — Jill F 😷 (@JillF11755) October 17, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Dutch Hacker Gains Access To Trump's Twitter Account

How easy was it to `` hack '' Trump 's Twitter account ?
Ridiculously easy .
No two-step verification .
No other security measures .
The hacker , a security analyst , simply guessed .
And after a few hours of poking around and taking screenshots as proof , Gevers alerted U.S. authorities to the stunningly lax security taken by Trump .
Last week a Dutch security researcher succeeded in logging into the Twitter account of the American President Donald Trump .
Trump , an active Twitterer with 87 million followers , had an extremely weak and easy to guess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not applied two-step verification .
The researcher , Victor Gevers , had access to Trump ’ s personal messages , could post tweets in his name and change his profile .
Gevers took screenshots when he had access to Trump ’ s account .
These screenshots were shared with de Volkskrant by the monthly opinion magazine Vrij Nederland .
Dutch security experts find Gevers ’ claim credible .
On Friday morning , almost absentmindedly , Gevers tries a number of passwords and their variations .
On the fifth attempt : bingo !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ short for make America great again ) and suddenly finds himself in the Twitter account of the American President .
He is flabbergasted .
Gevers : ‘ I expected to be blocked after four failed attempts .
Or at least would be asked to provide additional information.
’ None of that .
On that Friday morning , Gevers has access to what is perhaps the most important Twitter account in the world and is in a position to send a message to 87 million people , the attentive world press , and government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think : “ Here we go again ” .
’

How easy was it to "hack" Trump's Twitter account? Ridiculously easy. No two-step verification. No other security measures. The hacker, a security analyst, simply guessed. And after a few hours of poking around and taking screenshots as proof, Gevers alerted U.S. authorities to the stunningly lax security taken by Trump.
Source: Volkskrant.NL
Last week a Dutch security researcher succeeded in logging into the Twitter account of the American President Donald Trump. Trump, an active Twitterer with 87 million followers, had an extremely weak and easy to guess password and had according to the researcher, not applied two-step verification.
The researcher, Victor Gevers, had access to Trump’s personal messages, could post tweets in his name and change his profile. Gevers took screenshots when he had access to Trump’s account. These screenshots were shared with de Volkskrant by the monthly opinion magazine Vrij Nederland. Dutch security experts find Gevers’ claim credible.
[...]
On Friday morning, almost absentmindedly, Gevers tries a number of passwords and their variations. On the fifth attempt: bingo! He tries ‘maga2020!’ (short for make America great again) and suddenly finds himself in the Twitter account of the American President. He is flabbergasted. Gevers: ‘I expected to be blocked after four failed attempts. Or at least would be asked to provide additional information.’ None of that.
On that Friday morning, Gevers has access to what is perhaps the most important Twitter account in the world and is in a position to send a message to 87 million people, the attentive world press, and government leaders. Gevers: ‘I did think: “Here we go again”.’


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Throwback Thursday: Republicans Do 'Nothing But Investigations,' 2010

Congrats to the Biden campaign for their brilliant clap back on Republicans calling for an `` investigation '' into their charter of an Amtrak train for a whistlestop tour : Biden campaign responds to GOP push to probe his Amtrak use : `` Anyone can charter a train with Amtrak .
Last time we checked , no one can charter the White House South Lawn for a political convention . ''
https : //t.co/ROqRgU5hAs And do n't forget Lindsey Graham 's reaction to being outraised massively by Jamie Harrison : investigate ActBlue !
!
!
Do n't get me started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's been their last hope for over a year , see my tweet from twelve months ago : '' But sham investigations are what we 're good at ! ''
whined the party of Solyndra Benghazi baby parts pizzagate birther tan suit Christmas card lists and the tarmac .
https : //t.co/hBSBldrByD We 've known since at least the Clinton Administration that the only tool in the House Republican shed is witch hunts .
And the video above from TEN YEARS AGO , pre-Trump presidency , proves it .
A younger ( were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking about House Republicans DEMANDING an investigation into voter suppression by ... wait for it ...
The New Black Panther Party !
And Michelle Bachmann expecting `` nothing but investigations '' from a Republican chamber .
Sham investigations are all they 've got .
Forever .
HAYES : Tom Tancredo , of course , is the anti-immigrant candidate .
He is the `` Bomb Mecca '' candidate , but perhaps most hilariously , he ` s also the `` impeach Obama '' candidate .
For reasons that are as inexplicable as they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be impeached .
And though Tom Tancredo ` s name will not have an `` R '' next to it on the ballot , if he makes it that far , it is increasingly clear the Republican governing strategy should the party win back one or both houses of Congress this fall can best be described as Clinton era-esque and then some .
Republicans in the House and Senate wrote a letter late last week to the Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee demanding an investigation into the Justice Department ` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud case involving the New Black Panther Party .
They want a full and complete investigation into this outrageous decision by the Obama administration not to pursue criminal charges , just like the Bush administration .
But that ` s not the point .
The point is this tactic works .
Investigators are now looking into the case which is described by one of those investigators , thusly , quote , `` This has to do with their , '' meaning Republicans , `` fantasies about how they could use this issue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservatives on the commission had this wild notion that they could bring Eric Holder down and really damage the president . ''
That ` s right .
She said fellow conservatives .
She ` s a conservative , the Bush administration appointee , and she ` s calling this a witch hunt .
But it is Republican Congressman Darrell Issa who has really spearheaded this part of the Republican governing strategy since Obama took office .
He has played all the songs in the Republican greatest hits collection .
He ` s requested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House .
He demanded travel documents from the administration .
He has promised that if Republicans take back the House this fall , he will practically double his team of investigators capable of issuing subpoenas .
Remember how awesome the Clinton years were ?
The $ 2 million Arkansas project launched by a conservative magazine to take President Clinton down - Whitewater , Ken star , Trooper-gate ?
The conspiracy theory that President Clinton was running drugs out of an airstrip in Arkansas ?
Yes , the bad old days .
And who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a watermelon in his backyard to prove that an administration official could not have committed suicide .
This is the governing strategy Republicans want to return to if they win back the majority this November .
But you don ` t have to take my word for it .
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN ( R-MN ) : I think all we should do is issue subpoenas and have one hearing after another .
HAYES : Now , Congressional oversight is good for democracy .
It is crucial , in fact .
And when Darrell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bailout of AIG , I cheered .
But oversight and witch hunts are two very , very different things .
And the Republican Party today is way more influenced by its kook-end fringe than it was during the days of Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay , hard as that may be to believe .
So if you like the impeach , investigate , subpoena approach of the 1990s , which slowed and/or stopped the function of the government , then no need to hop about into your own hot tub time machine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in for if the GOP regains Congress in the midterms .
I guarantee you it will actually make you miss Ken Starr .

Congrats to the Biden campaign for their brilliant clap back on Republicans calling for an "investigation" into their charter of an Amtrak train for a whistlestop tour:
Biden campaign responds to GOP push to probe his Amtrak use: "Anyone can charter a train with Amtrak. Last time we checked, no one can charter the White House South Lawn for a political convention." https://t.co/ROqRgU5hAs — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 22, 2020
And don't forget Lindsey Graham's reaction to being outraised massively by Jamie Harrison: investigate ActBlue!!!
Don't get me started about the Hunter Biden BS. That's been their last hope for over a year, see my tweet from twelve months ago:
"But sham investigations are what we're good at!" whined the party of Solyndra Benghazi baby parts pizzagate birther tan suit Christmas card lists and the tarmac. https://t.co/hBSBldrByD — Frances Langum 🧶 #BidenHarris2020 (@bluegal) November 10, 2019
We've known since at least the Clinton Administration that the only tool in the House Republican shed is witch hunts. And the video above from TEN YEARS AGO, pre-Trump presidency, proves it. A younger (weren't we all?) Chris Hayes talking about House Republicans DEMANDING an investigation into voter suppression by...wait for it...The New Black Panther Party! And Michelle Bachmann expecting "nothing but investigations" from a Republican chamber.
Sham investigations are all they've got. Forever.
Transcript of Chris Hayes from 2010, h/t Heather:


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Biden Says He Will Put Together A SCOTUS Reform Commission To Look At Options

This 60 Minutes interview with Joe Biden looks interesting , but the real news is that Joe Biden sounds deadly @ @ @ @ @ Court .
Via CBS News : '' If elected , what I will do is @ @ @ @ @ national commission of – bipartisan commission of scholars , constitutional scholars , Democrats , Republicans @ @ @ @ @ And I will ask them to over 180 days come back to me with recommendations @ @ @ @ @ the court system because it 's getting out of whack – the way in which @ @ @ @ @ it 's not about court packing .
There 's a number of other things that @ @ @ @ @ and I 've looked to see what recommendations that commission might make . ''
Biden @ @ @ @ @ a number of alternatives that are – go well beyond packing ...
The last thing @ @ @ @ @ turn the Supreme Court into just a political football , whoever has the most votes @ @ @ @ @ Presidents come and go .
Supreme Court justices stay for generations . ''

This 60 Minutes interview with Joe Biden looks interesting, but the real news is that Joe Biden sounds deadly serious about reforming the Supreme Court. Via CBS News:
"If elected, what I will do is I'll put together a national commission of – bipartisan commission of scholars, constitutional scholars, Democrats, Republicans, liberal, conservative. And I will ask them to over 180 days come back to me with recommendations as to how to reform the court system because it's getting out of whack – the way in which it's being handled and it's not about court packing. There's a number of other things that our constitutional scholars have debated and I've looked to see what recommendations that commission might make."
Biden continued: "There's a number of alternatives that are – go well beyond packing...The last thing we need to do is turn the Supreme Court into just a political football, whoever has the most votes gets whatever they want. Presidents come and go. Supreme Court justices stay for generations."


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--'Trump' Is English For 'Castro'

'Trump' Is English For 'Castro'

Via the Tampa Bay Times , we see that this Lincoln Project ad is part of a comprehensive strategy where @ @ @ @ @ forces to defeat Trump -- and I 'm okay with that !
The effort to @ @ @ @ @ mobilize the Hispanic vote for former Vice President Joe Biden has led to some strange @ @ @ @ @ committee , The Lincoln Project , run by current and former Republicans , announced Monday @ @ @ @ @ Democrat-leaning groups to target Hispanic voters and counter the messaging of the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ One goal of the campaign , for example , is to counter the president ’ @ @ @ @ @ Venezuelans on former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ up a boogeyman of Fidel Castro , and a real-life example of the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ ’ s mismanagement , and the economic devastation , for which he has no plan @ @ @ @ @ na do quite well with this constituency , '' Madrid said .

Via the Tampa Bay Times, we see that this Lincoln Project ad is part of a comprehensive strategy where former political rivals have joined forces to defeat Trump -- and I'm okay with that!
The effort to defeat Trump in Florida and mobilize the Hispanic vote for former Vice President Joe Biden has led to some strange bedfellows.
An anti-Trump political committee, The Lincoln Project, run by current and former Republicans, announced Monday it has joined with three Democrat-leaning groups to target Hispanic voters and counter the messaging of the president’s campaign.
[...] One goal of the campaign, for example, is to counter the president’s messaging to Cubans and Venezuelans on former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
"We believe that if you put up a boogeyman of Fidel Castro, and a real-life example of the pandemic, which was exacerbated by Trump’s mismanagement, and the economic devastation, for which he has no plan, we’re gonna do quite well with this constituency,'' Madrid said.


crooksandliars--2020-10-22--Louis DeJoy Pulls Postal Cops Off The Streets, Two Weeks Before The Election


crooksandliars--2020-10-23--Project Lincoln Presses Trump Supporters With Powerful New Ad: 'Men'

I suspect many of us can relate to this one .
I know I did .
My father was a huge influence on me .
An honorable man who also had flaws , and one of them was that he voted for Richard Nixon 's second term .
As he was dying , he asked for forgiveness .
He owned up .
And that 's what this quietly powerful new Project Lincoln ad reminds me of .
That , and the appeal Trump 's brand of toxic masculinity has for male supporters NARRATOR : Our dads were n't perfect , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us to be good , to be honorable , to be men of family and faith , but above all , they taught us to own up to it when we did something wrong .
TRUMP : No , I do n't take responsibility at all .
NARRATOR : We may have thought we were doing the right thing in 2016 .
But it 's clear this is n't the America we voted for .
So it 's time to own up , to be the men our dads raised us to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be , because they 're watching us , the way we watched our dad .
It 's our turn to set the example .

I suspect many of us can relate to this one. I know I did. My father was a huge influence on me. An honorable man who also had flaws, and one of them was that he voted for Richard Nixon's second term.
As he was dying, he asked for forgiveness. He owned up.
And that's what this quietly powerful new Project Lincoln ad reminds me of. That, and the appeal Trump's brand of toxic masculinity has for male supporters


crooksandliars--2020-10-23--Another Plot To Assassinate Joe Biden Discovered By FBI - North Carolina Man In Custody Since May

We learned on Thursday that there was YET ANOTHER plot to assassinate Democratic nominee for president , Joe Biden .
In May , Alexander Hillel Treisman was arrested in North Carolina after his unlocked van was found with a crapton ( I believe that 's the legal term ) of weapons and bomb-making materials .
Among his many plans for murder and rape , one included executing Joe Biden .
When I tell you this was perhaps the least disturbing thing on this psycho 's list , I 'm only half-joking .
Earlier this week , a Maryland man was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to kidnap , sodomize , and murder Kamala Harris and Joe Biden — the terrorist 's written plans were too graphic for local TV stations to read .
A couple of weeks before that , the FBI thwarted a plot to kidnap and kill Michigan 's Democratic Governor , Gretchen Whitmer , a plot we later learned also included Democratic Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia .
This is what Hate TV has wrought .
This is what Donald Trump has wrought .
This is what an education textbook industry based almost entirely in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a thoroughly anemic civics education and a desperate need for media literacy education has wrought .
This is what systemic and openly sanctioned racism and sexism has wrought .
On Deadline White House , Nicolle Wallace spoke with Alex Wagner , who interviewed a bunch of these neo-Nazi terrorists for Showtime 's The Circus .
They were very clear about their plans and motives , violent and un-tethered from reality .
She also spoke to Elizabeth Neumann , who left the Trump administration and is now actively working against him and his goals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats from these domestic terrorists are brought to the attention of the White House , her answer was chilling .
NEUMANN : It is been widely reported that he does not want to talk about anything to do with Russia .
The trigger word .
Same thing could be said for white supremacist or domestic terrorism , and unless , and this is a fairly recent development , unless you 're talking about Antifa , in which case he thinks that is completely okay to talk about domestic terrorism in the context of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] the overwhelming majority runs 70 % — is going to be in that white supremacist , right wing extremist , anti-government extremist category , that we did see an up tick of left wing violence .
But it is relatively small compared to the much larger group of threat actors .
[ ... ] But they felt like we could not make any progress in the limited ways that we could if we talked about it in terms of `` domestic terrorism . ''
They advised we needed to talk about it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Which goes back to the — to the crux of the problem .
He is the chief radicalizer .
He is inciting people to violence .
And then you have various platforms like Fox news , or like Russian disinformation that take that , and social media being the way it is , it just propagates , and it 's created a very large segment of our society that believes a completely different set of facts .
It is setting us up for a period of really high tension , and likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WALLACE : And Alex , you get right at that .
You get right to the nut of , `` What are you going to do after election day ? ''
Did they say anything to you off camera ?
Do you think in their mind they have a threshold , `` Well if Joe Biden wins 50 states , maybe we 'll fight another day , '' or are they committed to taking to the streets if Trump is defeated ?
WAGNER : Well , they are entirely certain that Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Which is something you hear Trump say .
Trump has not opened door up to this being a close election .
So Biden wins a decisive victory , they will see that as the hard evidence of a rigged election and you heard it from Chris Hill , the leader of that militia , he 's ready to take to the streets .
Conversely , if Trump wins they are most assured that the Antifa left wing mobs are gon na be coming to a neighborhood near you so they are ready @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a defensive posture .
But even the defensive posture sounds pretty darn aggressive , Nicolle .
You know , I do n't know if we are going to see , as they predict , an American civil War Two , but I do think that we could see specific local pockets of violence in and around the election because people have ginned up so fervently by the president of the United States .
My instinct is to mock these cosplaying Storm Troopers ' stunted emotional and intellectual growth ... .until I remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they are angry .
Donald Trump knows it , and wants them on his side for when HE does n't get HIS way , and THEY know it .
But their pathetic reliance on threats of violence when they do n't get their way makes them perfect army for Trump , who we know has always had a hard-on for Hitler .

We learned on Thursday that there was YET ANOTHER plot to assassinate Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden. In May, Alexander Hillel Treisman was arrested in North Carolina after his unlocked van was found with a crapton (I believe that's the legal term) of weapons and bomb-making materials. Among his many plans for murder and rape, one included executing Joe Biden.
According to WBTV:
“Through the windows, KPD officers observed an AR-15 style rifle, a box for a Taurus .380 handgun, a cannister of the explosive material Tannerite, and a box of 5.56 caliber ammunition,” the order said, referencing testimony from a FBI agent who investigated the case as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
[...]
The order said agents found child pornography on eight different electronic devices, along with other pictures and posts related to plans and ideas for possible terrorist acts, including the following:
[...] An iFunny meme posted by Defendant on April 15, 2020 with the caption “should I kill joe biden?”;
A timeline of internet searches conducted by Defendant between March and May 2020 seeking information about Joe Biden’s home address, state gun laws, rifle parts, and night vision goggles, along with actions taken by Defendant, including posting the above mentioned meme about killing Joe Biden, purchasing an AR-15 in New Hampshire, traveling to a Wendy’s within 4 miles of Joe Biden’s home, and writing a checklist note ending with “execute”
When I tell you this was perhaps the least disturbing thing on this psycho's list, I'm only half-joking.
Earlier this week, a Maryland man was arrested after the FBI discovered a plot to kidnap, sodomize, and murder Kamala Harris and Joe Biden — the terrorist's written plans were too graphic for local TV stations to read. A couple of weeks before that, the FBI thwarted a plot to kidnap and kill Michigan's Democratic Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, a plot we later learned also included Democratic Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia.
This is what Fox State Hate TV has wrought. This is what Donald Trump has wrought. This is what an education textbook industry based almost entirely in Texas has wrought. This is what a thoroughly anemic civics education and a desperate need for media literacy education has wrought. This is what systemic and openly sanctioned racism and sexism has wrought.
On Deadline White House, Nicolle Wallace spoke with Alex Wagner, who interviewed a bunch of these neo-Nazi terrorists for Showtime's The Circus. They were very clear about their plans and motives, violent and un-tethered from reality.
She also spoke to Elizabeth Neumann, who left the Trump administration and is now actively working against him and his goals. When asked what happens if the threats from these domestic terrorists are brought to the attention of the White House, her answer was chilling.
NEUMANN: It is been widely reported that he does not want to talk about anything to do with Russia. The trigger word. Same thing could be said for white supremacist or domestic terrorism, and unless, and this is a fairly recent development, unless you're talking about Antifa, in which case he thinks that is completely okay to talk about domestic terrorism in the context of left wing violence, which [...] the overwhelming majority runs 70% — is going to be in that white supremacist, right wing extremist, anti-government extremist category, that we did see an up tick of left wing violence. But it is relatively small compared to the much larger group of threat actors. [...] But they felt like we could not make any progress in the limited ways that we could if we talked about it in terms of "domestic terrorism." They advised we needed to talk about it in terms of "violence prevention." Which goes back to the — to the crux of the problem. He is the chief radicalizer. He is inciting people to violence. And then you have various platforms like Fox news, or like Russian disinformation that take that, and social media being the way it is, it just propagates, and it's created a very large segment of our society that believes a completely different set of facts. It is setting us up for a period of really high tension, and likely violence over the next two months. WALLACE: And Alex, you get right at that. You get right to the nut of, "What are you going to do after election day?" Did they say anything to you off camera? Do you think in their mind they have a threshold, "Well if Joe Biden wins 50 states, maybe we'll fight another day," or are they committed to taking to the streets if Trump is defeated? WAGNER: Well, they are entirely certain that Donald Trump is going to win in a landslide. Which is something you hear Trump say. Trump has not opened door up to this being a close election. So Biden wins a decisive victory, they will see that as the hard evidence of a rigged election and you heard it from Chris Hill, the leader of that militia, he's ready to take to the streets. Conversely, if Trump wins they are most assured that the Antifa left wing mobs are gonna be coming to a neighborhood near you so they are ready to be, as they said, in a defensive posture. But even the defensive posture sounds pretty darn aggressive, Nicolle. You know, I don't know if we are going to see, as they predict, an American civil War Two, but I do think that we could see specific local pockets of violence in and around the election because people have ginned up so fervently by the president of the United States.
My instinct is to mock these cosplaying Storm Troopers' stunted emotional and intellectual growth....until I remember they are grown-ups, have guns, and they are angry. Donald Trump knows it, and wants them on his side for when HE doesn't get HIS way, and THEY know it. But their pathetic reliance on threats of violence when they don't get their way makes them perfect army for Trump, who we know has always had a hard-on for Hitler.


crooksandliars--2020-10-23--Intel Officials ‘Far More Concerned’ About Russia Than Iran As Election Threat

Wednesday , the unqualified Trumper who is the U.S. Director of National Intelligence , made a bizarre appearance in which he suggested – but never actually stated – that Iran is behind a barrage of emails , purportedly from the Trump-allied Proud Boys , telling Democrats to vote for Trump “ or we will come after you.
” Ratcliffe also made the bizarre claim that those pro-Trump emails were sent in an effort to “ damage President Trump.
” Sen. Charles Schumer and other Democrats are not buying it .
The timing of Ratcliffe ’ s gobbledygook of an announcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortly after former President Barack Obama delivered a stemwinder against Donald Trump in a campaign speech for Biden/Harris .
Timed to distract from Obama by the Obama-obsessed Trump administration ?
I report , you decide .
New reporting by The New York Times suggests that legit intel officials are concerned about Ratcliffe putting too much blame on Iran and not enough on Russian efforts to help Trump : While senior Trump administration officials said this week that Iran has been actively interfering in the presidential election , many intelligence officials said they remained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has in recent days hacked into state and local computer networks in breaches that could allow Moscow broader access to American voting infrastructure .
The discovery of the hacks came as American intelligence agencies , infiltrating Russian networks themselves , have pieced together details of what they believe are Russia ’ s plans to interfere in the presidential race in its final days or immediately after the election on Nov. 3 .
Officials did not make clear what Russia planned to do , but they said its operations would be intended to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the results , especially if the race is too close to call .
The Times noted that the officials said Ratcliffe “ had accurately summarized the preliminary conclusion about Iran ” but that “ One official compared the Iranian action to single-A baseball , while the Russians are major leaguers.
” It turns out that the Trump administration has known for weeks that Russia hacked into elections systems .
From NBC News : In a technical alert issued Thursday , the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successfully broken into several local government networks , and as of the beginning of October , had stolen data from at least two of them .
In at least one instance , the hackers were able to crawl across the victim ’ s computer network to access a wide array of information , including how to reset passwords and print ID badges .
In other words , this :

Wednesday, the unqualified Trumper who is the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, made a bizarre appearance in which he suggested – but never actually stated – that Iran is behind a barrage of emails, purportedly from the Trump-allied Proud Boys, telling Democrats to vote for Trump “or we will come after you.” Ratcliffe also made the bizarre claim that those pro-Trump emails were sent in an effort to “damage President Trump.” Sen. Charles Schumer and other Democrats are not buying it.
The timing of Ratcliffe’s gobbledygook of an announcement is suspicious, too. It came shortly after former President Barack Obama delivered a stemwinder against Donald Trump in a campaign speech for Biden/Harris. Timed to distract from Obama by the Obama-obsessed Trump administration? I report, you decide.
New reporting by The New York Times suggests that legit intel officials are concerned about Ratcliffe putting too much blame on Iran and not enough on Russian efforts to help Trump:
While senior Trump administration officials said this week that Iran has been actively interfering in the presidential election, many intelligence officials said they remained far more concerned about Russia, which has in recent days hacked into state and local computer networks in breaches that could allow Moscow broader access to American voting infrastructure. The discovery of the hacks came as American intelligence agencies, infiltrating Russian networks themselves, have pieced together details of what they believe are Russia’s plans to interfere in the presidential race in its final days or immediately after the election on Nov. 3. Officials did not make clear what Russia planned to do, but they said its operations would be intended to help President Trump, potentially by exacerbating disputes around the results, especially if the race is too close to call.
The Times noted that the officials said Ratcliffe “had accurately summarized the preliminary conclusion about Iran” but that “One official compared the Iranian action to single-A baseball, while the Russians are major leaguers.”
It turns out that the Trump administration has known for weeks that Russia hacked into elections systems. From NBC News:
In a technical alert issued Thursday, the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said that hackers working for the Russian government had successfully broken into several local government networks, and as of the beginning of October, had stolen data from at least two of them. In at least one instance, the hackers were able to crawl across the victim’s computer network to access a wide array of information, including how to reset passwords and print ID badges.
In other words, this:
We need to be VERY clear on what has happened here.
- The Trump Admin knew Russia was seriously attacking our election and said nothing
- When that was about to come out, the Director of National Intelligence held a press conference where he flatly misled the public
1/3 https://t.co/KLCRGUILYo — The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) October 22, 2020
- Now that the news has broken, it is 100% clear Director of National Intelligence Ratcliffe knowingly and intentionally 1) misrepresented the facts; and 2) did so to help Trump
Last night’s press conference was the equivalent of Barr’s memo lying about the Mueller Report.
2/3 — The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) October 22, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-10-23--Pete Buttigieg To Fox News: Let's Talk About The President's Secret Chinese Bank Account

For some reason , Fox News keeps punching themselves in the face and letting Pete Buttigieg come on their airwaves to give viewers and the anchors a reality check .
And every time , he delivers .
On Thursday , Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum were doing their level best to flog the stupid Hunter Biden laptop story because something something trying to make a deal with someone somewhere that did n't actually go through and had nothing to do with Joe Biden even though the sleazeball in the White House desperately wants to make it so .
Bret Baier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barely spitting out `` business deal , '' before Buttigieg went to town .
`` If they want to make this about the business deals of a government official , let 's talk about the President of the United States having a secret Chinese bank account , '' Buttigieg said with just a touch of sarcasm and a dollop of good old Midwestern sincerity .
`` That 's not like something somebody said that used to work with somebody related to the president , '' he needled .
`` That 's a matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they wo n't even tell us what bank it 's with .
Does that bother Americans ?
I 'm pretty sure it bothers Americans a lot more than what they 're trying to whip up for the last 12 days of this election season . ''
There 's a nice position in a Biden cabinet waiting for Mayor Pete , no doubt .
And no , he 's not going to be the Press Secretary .
As plum a position as that is , it 's not appropriate for an aspiring politician of @ @ @

For some reason, Fox News keeps punching themselves in the face and letting Pete Buttigieg come on their airwaves to give viewers and the anchors a reality check. And every time, he delivers.
On Thursday, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum were doing their level best to flog the stupid Hunter Biden laptop story because something something trying to make a deal with someone somewhere that didn't actually go through and had nothing to do with Joe Biden even though the sleazeball in the White House desperately wants to make it so.
Bret Baier struggled with what the issue was, barely spitting out "business deal," before Buttigieg went to town.
"If they want to make this about the business deals of a government official, let's talk about the President of the United States having a secret Chinese bank account," Buttigieg said with just a touch of sarcasm and a dollop of good old Midwestern sincerity.
"That's not like something somebody said that used to work with somebody related to the president," he needled. "That's a matter of documented fact."
" And they won't even tell us what bank it's with. Does that bother Americans? I'm pretty sure it bothers Americans a lot more than what they're trying to whip up for the last 12 days of this election season."
There's a nice position in a Biden cabinet waiting for Mayor Pete, no doubt. And no, he's not going to be the Press Secretary. As plum a position as that is, it's not appropriate for an aspiring politician of his calibre.


Biden Reads Tweets

In what looks like a direct rebuke to Trump ’ s loyalist Director of National Intelligence , “ many ” @ @ @ @ @ New York Times that Russia helping Trump , not Iran opposing him , is the @ @ @ @ @ [ ... ]