inquisitr--2020-02-05--Donald Trump Allies Slam ‘Sore Loser’ Mitt Romney Over Impeachment Vote

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah broke ranks with the Republican Party on Wednesday , voting to convict President Donald Trump on the charge of abuse of power .
Romney is being praised by Democrats in both chambers of Congress , but apparently some Republican members of Congress are not happy with his decision .
According to a new report from The Hill , House Republican lawmakers closely allied with Trump are now slamming the junior Utah senator for voting against the commander-in-chief .
In a statement , Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York called Romney a “ sore loser , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chairman Adam Schiff , who led the effort to remove Trump from office .
“ Mitt Romney absolutely despises that Donald Trump was elected POTUS & he was not .
The sore loser mentality launched this sham impeachment & corruptly rigged & jammed it through the House .
It looks like Schiff recruited himself a sore loser buddy on the GOP side to play along , ” Zeldin said .
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida went a step further than Zeldin , blasting Romney for losing to former President Barack Obama in 2012 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remove Trump because he holds a grudge against him .
“ I can ’ t tell if Mitt hasn ’ t forgiven Trump for not picking him for Secretary of State , or if Mitt just hasn ’ t forgiven himself for giving us four unnecessary years of Obama , ” he said .
In a tweet , Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana suggested that Romney is after publicity , pointing to the senator ’ s television appearances and various media interviews .
Romney , Banks said , “ is trying to inflict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is why he is going on television to talk about his vote to convict .
Chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus , Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona , was not as critical of Romney as some of his Republican colleagues .
In a video posted to social media , Biggs said that he does not know what Romney ’ s “ motivation ” was , arguing that Trump did nothing wrong during his contacts with the Ukrainian government .
As The Hill notes , during a speech on the Senate floor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his vote .
In an emotional address , the Utah senator explained that he believes Trump ’ s actions rise to the level of “ high crimes and misdemeanors ” as defined in the United States Constitution , announcing that he is voting to convict the president of abuse of power .
As The Inquisitr reported , Trump was acquitted on all charges in a 52-48 vote on the first article of impeachment and 53-47 on the second .
All Democrats and Independents voted to convict the president .

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah broke ranks with the Republican Party on Wednesday, voting to convict President Donald Trump on the charge of abuse of power. Romney is being praised by Democrats in both chambers of Congress, but apparently some Republican members of Congress are not happy with his decision.
According to a new report from The Hill, House Republican lawmakers closely allied with Trump are now slamming the junior Utah senator for voting against the commander-in-chief. In a statement, Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York called Romney a “sore loser,” likening him to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who led the effort to remove Trump from office.
“Mitt Romney absolutely despises that Donald Trump was elected POTUS & he was not. The sore loser mentality launched this sham impeachment & corruptly rigged & jammed it through the House. It looks like Schiff recruited himself a sore loser buddy on the GOP side to play along,” Zeldin said.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida went a step further than Zeldin, blasting Romney for losing to former President Barack Obama in 2012, suggesting that the senator voted to remove Trump because he holds a grudge against him.
“I can’t tell if Mitt hasn’t forgiven Trump for not picking him for Secretary of State, or if Mitt just hasn’t forgiven himself for giving us four unnecessary years of Obama,” he said.
In a tweet, Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana suggested that Romney is after publicity, pointing to the senator’s television appearances and various media interviews. Romney, Banks said, “is trying to inflict maximum damage” on the president, which is why he is going on television to talk about his vote to convict.
Chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, was not as critical of Romney as some of his Republican colleagues. In a video posted to social media, Biggs said that he does not know what Romney’s “motivation” was, arguing that Trump did nothing wrong during his contacts with the Ukrainian government.
As The Hill notes, during a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Romney explained the reasoning behind his vote. In an emotional address, the Utah senator explained that he believes Trump’s actions rise to the level of “high crimes and misdemeanors” as defined in the United States Constitution, announcing that he is voting to convict the president of abuse of power.
As The Inquisitr reported, Trump was acquitted on all charges in a 52-48 vote on the first article of impeachment and 53-47 on the second. All Democrats and Independents voted to convict the president.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Michael Bloomberg Surrogates Have Seats On DNC Rules Committees, Says Report

A new Sludge report claims that two Michael Bloomberg surrogates have positions on the Democratic National Committee ’ s Rules Committee and the Standing Rules and Bylaws Committee .
The news comes not long after the DNC faced accusations of rigging the primary process against Bernie Sanders from the presidential candidate ’ s allies .
The publication notes that such appointments could help Bloomberg if nominating rules are re-opened for amendment before the July Democratic National Convention .
Such a move could be possible , as Politico reports that DNC members have expressed concern about Sanders ’ polling support and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limitations that were placed on superdelegates after the 2016 election .
Specifically , such DNC members reportedly want to allow superdelegates to vote on the first ballot of the DNC convention to give more power to members of the DNC and Congress , as well as other top party officials .
As of now , they must wait for the second ballot to exert their influence .
As for Bloomberg ’ s surrogates , Michael Nutter , the former Mayor of Philadelphia , is a member of the Standing Rules and Bylaws Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s national political chair in December 2019 .
A statement from the Bloomberg campaign that month claimed that Nutter will “ advise the campaign on policy development and strategy ” and serve as a national campaign surrogate .
The other surrogate , Alexandra Rooker , is a superdelegate from California and a member of the Rules Committee .
She was reportedly hired as a senior Bloomberg campaign adviser in January and is the vice-chair of the California Democratic Party .
Sanders ’ speechwriter , David Sirota , previously accused Bloomberg of entering the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking down the Vermont Senator .
“ Bloomberg is primarily motivated by a desire to stop Bernie and his working-class movement , ” he wrote in his Bern Notice newsletter , noting that Bloomberg entered the race as Sanders began to rise .
Sirota also said that Bloomberg was pushed to run for president by billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos , who he called the 78-year-old politician ’ s “ nemesis.
” The full results of the Iowa caucuses have yet to be released , although the results released thus far show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late release of the results and lack of transparency from the Iowa Democratic Party has pushed many , such as progressive commentator Krystal Ball , to claim the process is rigged .

A new Sludge report claims that two Michael Bloomberg surrogates have positions on the Democratic National Committee’s Rules Committee and the Standing Rules and Bylaws Committee. The news comes not long after the DNC faced accusations of rigging the primary process against Bernie Sanders from the presidential candidate’s allies.
The publication notes that such appointments could help Bloomberg if nominating rules are re-opened for amendment before the July Democratic National Convention. Such a move could be possible, as Politico reports that DNC members have expressed concern about Sanders’ polling support and floated the idea of rolling back power limitations that were placed on superdelegates after the 2016 election.
Specifically, such DNC members reportedly want to allow superdelegates to vote on the first ballot of the DNC convention to give more power to members of the DNC and Congress, as well as other top party officials. As of now, they must wait for the second ballot to exert their influence.
As for Bloomberg’s surrogates, Michael Nutter, the former Mayor of Philadelphia, is a member of the Standing Rules and Bylaws Committee and was appointed as the campaign’s national political chair in December 2019. A statement from the Bloomberg campaign that month claimed that Nutter will “advise the campaign on policy development and strategy” and serve as a national campaign surrogate.
The other surrogate, Alexandra Rooker, is a superdelegate from California and a member of the Rules Committee. She was reportedly hired as a senior Bloomberg campaign adviser in January and is the vice-chair of the California Democratic Party.
The DNC drastically changed its debate requirement rules to ensure the inclusion of Mike Bloomberg, mostly because he’s a billionaire. Right before the change, he donated $325,000+ to the Democratic national committee. Quid pro quo? pic.twitter.com/IOs36uI2c8 — Mike Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) February 1, 2020
Sanders’ speechwriter, David Sirota, previously accused Bloomberg of entering the Democratic primary for the sole purpose of taking down the Vermont Senator.
“Bloomberg is primarily motivated by a desire to stop Bernie and his working-class movement,” he wrote in his Bern Notice newsletter, noting that Bloomberg entered the race as Sanders began to rise.
“Bloomberg began floating the idea of a presidential bid in 2016, just as Bernie was beginning to gain momentum in that race. At the time, Bloomberg disparaged Bernie and his campaign’s challenge to Wall Street.”
Sirota also said that Bloomberg was pushed to run for president by billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who he called the 78-year-old politician’s “nemesis.”
The full results of the Iowa caucuses have yet to be released, although the results released thus far show Sanders and Pete Buttigieg neck-and-neck. The late release of the results and lack of transparency from the Iowa Democratic Party has pushed many, such as progressive commentator Krystal Ball, to claim the process is rigged.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Trump Impeachment Results: See How Each Senator Voted In President’s Acquittal

The impeachment of President Donald Trump has come to a conclusion , ending in a seemingly inevitable acquittal , mostly along party lines , as reported by The Inquisitr .
The 100-member upper house of the United States legislature voted for acquittal on the two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — by a margin of 52-48 on the former and 53-47 on the latter .
Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah notably broke from his Republican colleagues , voting in favor of Trump ’ s conviction on article one — abuse of power — after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a measured speech earlier on Wednesday .
Romney voted for Trump ’ s acquittal on the second article of impeachment , obstruction of Congress .
In his speech , Romney recalled the oath he took “ before God , to exercise impartial justice ” and outlined his belief that Trump ’ s actions did indeed meet the standards of high crimes and misdemeanors .
He noted that he expects to face disapproval as a result of his vote and that he will be “ vehemently denounced.
” “ I ’ m sure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters .
Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded of me ?
” Romney asked .
“ With my vote , I will tell my children , and their children , that I did my duty to the best of my ability , believing that my country expected it of me .
I will only be one name among many — no more , no less — to future generations of Americans who look at the record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merely that I was among the senators who determined that what the president did was wrong , grievously wrong.
” While other Republicans throughout the course of the proceedings acknowledged the impropriety of Trump ’ s actions to varying degrees , none joined Romney in his belief in — and vote for — a verdict of conviction .
Sen. Susan Collins ( R-Maine ) had joined Romney in breaking from Republican ranks by voting in favor of witness testimony , but ultimately voted in favor of acquittal , having previously said she believed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesson ” from being impeached .
None of the Senate ’ s 45 Democrats voted in favor of acquittal , nor did its two Independents .
Readers can check the state-by-state votes below to see how their senators voted .
Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans John Boozman and Tom Cotton voted in favor of acquittal .
Democrats Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Thomas Carper and Christopher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans Rick Scott and Marco Rubio voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue voted in favor of acquittal .
Democrats Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz voted in favor of conviction .
Republicans Mike Crapo and James Risch voted in favor of acquittal .
Democrats Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin voted in favor of conviction .
Republicans Mike Braun and Todd Young voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts voted in favor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rand Paul voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy voted in favor of acquittal .
Democrats Benjamin Cardin and Chris Van Hollen voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith voted in favor of conviction .
Republicans Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley voted in favor of acquittal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in favor of acquittal .
Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Margaret Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Cory Booker and Robert Menendez voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer voted in favor of conviction .
Republicans Richard Burr and Thom Tillis voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans James Inhofe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquittal .
Democrats Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse voted in favor of conviction .
Republicans Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans Mike Rounds and John Thune voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn voted in favor of acquittal .
Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted in favor of acquittal .
Republican Mitt Romney voted in favor of conviction of abuse of power and of acquittal of obstruction of Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner voted in favor of conviction .
Democrats Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray voted in favor of conviction .
Republicans John Barrasso and Michael Enzi voted in favor of acquittal .

The impeachment of President Donald Trump has come to a conclusion, ending in a seemingly inevitable acquittal, mostly along party lines, as reported by The Inquisitr.
The 100-member upper house of the United States legislature voted for acquittal on the two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — by a margin of 52-48 on the former and 53-47 on the latter.
Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah notably broke from his Republican colleagues, voting in favor of Trump’s conviction on article one — abuse of power — after signaling his intention to do so in a measured speech earlier on Wednesday. Romney voted for Trump’s acquittal on the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress.
In his speech, Romney recalled the oath he took “before God, to exercise impartial justice” and outlined his belief that Trump’s actions did indeed meet the standards of high crimes and misdemeanors. He noted that he expects to face disapproval as a result of his vote and that he will be “vehemently denounced.”
“I’m sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded of me?” Romney asked.
“With my vote, I will tell my children, and their children, that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me. I will only be one name among many — no more, no less — to future generations of Americans who look at the record of this trial. They will note merely that I was among the senators who determined that what the president did was wrong, grievously wrong.”
While other Republicans throughout the course of the proceedings acknowledged the impropriety of Trump’s actions to varying degrees, none joined Romney in his belief in — and vote for — a verdict of conviction. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) had joined Romney in breaking from Republican ranks by voting in favor of witness testimony, but ultimately voted in favor of acquittal, having previously said she believed Trump had learned a “pretty big lesson” from being impeached.
None of the Senate’s 45 Democrats voted in favor of acquittal, nor did its two Independents.
Readers can check the state-by-state votes below to see how their senators voted.
Alabama
Republican Richard Shelby voted in favor of acquittal.
Democrat Doug Jones voted in favor of conviction.
Alaska
Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan voted in favor of acquittal.
Arizona
Republican Martha McSally voted in favor of acquittal.
Democrat Kyrsten Sinema voted in favor of conviction.
Arkansas
Republicans John Boozman and Tom Cotton voted in favor of acquittal.
California
Democrats Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris voted in favor of conviction.
Colorado
Democrat Michael Bennet voted in favor of conviction.
Republican Cory Gardner voted in favor of acquittal.
Connecticut
Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy voted in favor of conviction.
Delaware
Democrats Thomas Carper and Christopher Coons voted in favor of conviction.
Florida
Republicans Rick Scott and Marco Rubio voted in favor of acquittal.
Georgia
Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue voted in favor of acquittal.
Hawaii
Democrats Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz voted in favor of conviction.
Idaho
Republicans Mike Crapo and James Risch voted in favor of acquittal.
Illinois
Democrats Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin voted in favor of conviction.
Indiana
Republicans Mike Braun and Todd Young voted in favor of acquittal.
Iowa
Republicans Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley voted in favor of acquittal.
Kansas
Republicans Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts voted in favor of acquittal.
Kentucky
Republicans Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul voted in favor of acquittal.
Louisiana
Republicans Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy voted in favor of acquittal.
Maine
Republican Susan Collins voted in favor of acquittal.
Independent Angus King voted in favor of conviction.
Maryland
Democrats Benjamin Cardin and Chris Van Hollen voted in favor of conviction.
Massachusetts
Democrats Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren voted in favor of conviction.
Michigan
Democrats Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow voted in favor of conviction.
Minnesota
Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith voted in favor of conviction.
Mississippi
Republicans Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker voted in favor of acquittal.
Missouri
Republicans Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley voted in favor of acquittal.
Montana
Republican Steve Daines voted in favor of acquittal.
Democrat Jon Tester voted in favor of conviction.
Nebraska
Republicans Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse voted in favor of acquittal.
Nevada
Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen voted in favor of conviction.
New Hampshire
Democrats Margaret Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen voted in favor of conviction.
New Jersey
Democrats Cory Booker and Robert Menendez voted in favor of conviction.
New Mexico
Democrats Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall voted in favor of conviction.
New York
Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer voted in favor of conviction.
North Carolina
Republicans Richard Burr and Thom Tillis voted in favor of acquittal.
North Dakota
Republicans Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven voted in favor of acquittal.
Ohio
Democrat Sherrod Brown voted in favor of conviction.
Republican Rob Portman voted in favor of acquittal.
Oklahoma
Republicans James Inhofe and James Lankford voted in favor of acquittal.
Oregon
Democrats Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden voted in favor of conviction.
Pennsylvania
Democrat Robert Casey voted in favor of conviction.
Republican Patrick Toomey voted in favor of acquittal.
Rhode Island
Democrats Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse voted in favor of conviction.
South Carolina
Republicans Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott voted in favor of acquittal.
South Dakota
Republicans Mike Rounds and John Thune voted in favor of acquittal.
Tennessee
Republicans Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn voted in favor of acquittal.
Texas
Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted in favor of acquittal.
Utah
Republican Mike Lee voted in favor of acquittal.
Republican Mitt Romney voted in favor of conviction of abuse of power and of acquittal of obstruction of Congress.
Vermont
Democrat Patrick Leahy and Independent Bernie Sanders voted in favor of conviction.
Virginia
Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner voted in favor of conviction.
Washington
Democrats Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray voted in favor of conviction.
West Virginia
Republican Shelley Capito voted in favor of acquittal.
Democrat Joe Manchin voted in favor of conviction.
Wisconsin
Democrat Tammy Baldwin voted in favor of conviction.
Republican Ron Johnson voted in favor of acquittal.
Wyoming
Republicans John Barrasso and Michael Enzi voted in favor of acquittal.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Donald Trump Acquitted On Both Articles Of Impeachment In Senate Trial By Votes Of 52-48 & 53-47

President Donald Trump was acquitted on all charges by the Senate on Wednesday afternoon .
After a vote of 52-48 in favor of Trump ’ s acquittal , the third presidential impeachment trial in the history of the United States was brought to a close .
Many Senators took issue with Trump ’ s actions surrounding an attempted effort to pressure the government of Ukraine into investigating presidential candidate Joe Biden and his family .
Two articles of impeachment were levied against the president — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
However , there was nowhere near enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make up the two-thirds majority necessary to convict Trump and remove him from the White House , as required by the Constitution ’ s bar of high crimes and misdemeanors .
During the trial that lasted about three weeks , prosecuting Democrats built a case that Trump had abused the power of the presidency when he made a phone call to the president of Ukraine and referred to needing a “ favor.
” Shortly after that call was made , the United States froze its aid to Ukraine , who has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia in recent years .
When these actions came under investigation , the president instructed his members of the Executive Branch not to testify , leading to the charge of obstruction of Congress .
The voting process consisted of Chief Justice John Roberts , who presided over the trial , calling a roll call of the Senate , with each senator giving a vote of either “ guilty ” or “ not guilty.
” The vote saw very few members crossing party lines , a departure from the previous impeachment trials of Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1868 , in which both men received cross-party support to remain in office .
Richard Nixon — who resigned rather than face an impeachment trial — would have likely also seen cross-party cooperation , in support of his removal from office , however .
The final vote brings to an end five months of impeachment hearings that operated almost entirely along party lines as it progressed through the Democrat-controlled House into the Senate .
No sitting president has ever been removed by the Senate .
During his State of the Union speech on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the impeachment as he spoke in front of the same House that had impeached him .
When he finished giving his speech , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up a printed transcript of the speech that was in front of her .

President Donald Trump was acquitted on all charges by the Senate on Wednesday afternoon. After a vote of 52-48 in favor of Trump’s acquittal, the third presidential impeachment trial in the history of the United States was brought to a close.
Many Senators took issue with Trump’s actions surrounding an attempted effort to pressure the government of Ukraine into investigating presidential candidate Joe Biden and his family. Two articles of impeachment were levied against the president — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. However, there was nowhere near enough support for impeachment in the Republican-controlled Senate to make up the two-thirds majority necessary to convict Trump and remove him from the White House, as required by the Constitution’s bar of high crimes and misdemeanors.
During the trial that lasted about three weeks, prosecuting Democrats built a case that Trump had abused the power of the presidency when he made a phone call to the president of Ukraine and referred to needing a “favor.” Shortly after that call was made, the United States froze its aid to Ukraine, who has been engaged in military actions with its neighbor Russia in recent years. When these actions came under investigation, the president instructed his members of the Executive Branch not to testify, leading to the charge of obstruction of Congress.
Republicans planning to expunge Trump impeachment if they win back the House https://t.co/79u3Muc75u pic.twitter.com/iuZmIYKhTZ — New York Post (@nypost) February 5, 2020
The voting process consisted of Chief Justice John Roberts, who presided over the trial, calling a roll call of the Senate, with each senator giving a vote of either “guilty” or “not guilty.” The vote saw very few members crossing party lines, a departure from the previous impeachment trials of Bill Clinton in 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868, in which both men received cross-party support to remain in office. Richard Nixon — who resigned rather than face an impeachment trial — would have likely also seen cross-party cooperation, in support of his removal from office, however.
The final vote brings to an end five months of impeachment hearings that operated almost entirely along party lines as it progressed through the Democrat-controlled House into the Senate. No sitting president has ever been removed by the Senate.
During his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, Trump made no mention of the impeachment as he spoke in front of the same House that had impeached him. When he finished giving his speech, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up a printed transcript of the speech that was in front of her.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Donald Trump’s GOP Primary Opponent Says Republican Party Is A Cult, ‘Trump Is Their Cultish Dear Le

Donald Trump’s GOP Primary Opponent Says Republican Party Is A Cult, ‘Trump Is Their Cultish Dear Leader’

The man trying to steal the Republican nomination from Donald Trump spoke out against the party after a sound defeat in the first contest , calling the GOP a cult and Trump their “ cultish dear leader.
” Former Congressman Joe Walsh had launched a longshot bid to win the Republican nomination , entering the primary along with former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld .
While most of the attention on Monday was on the Democratic caucuses in Iowa , there were also Republican contests as both Weld and Walsh attempted to win over voters and take the nomination .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handily .
The president took more than 97 percent of the vote , with both Weld and Walsh receiving just a little more than 1 percent each .
The former congressman ’ s message did not land well with voters .
Video from the caucus showed Walsh attempting to make his pitch directly to caucusgoers , only to be met with boos .
After the resounding loss , Walsh took to Twitter to admit that he would not be able to pull off the long-shot bid and went on to criticize both Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t beat Donald Trump in the Republican Primary .
Nobody can , ” he tweeted .
In a string of tweets after the win , Walsh called on non-Trump-supporting conservatives to come together in a new movement , noting that the 3,000 Republicans he spoke to on caucus night were “ like a MAGA rally ” and could not come to admit that Trump was a liar .
Though he failed to garner any significant support to start the Republican primary , Walsh does have some people in his corner .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal challenge against his state ’ s Republican party for not putting any of the other primary candidates on its ballot against Trump .
As the Star-Tribune reported , small business owner Jim Martin said the decision was creating a “ Soviet-style ” election where voters could only select Trump .
He pointed out that Trump ’ s campaign donated $ 50,000 to the Republican National Committee , and on the same day , the RNC gave money to the Minnesota Republican Party .
“ I want to be in an American election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s something that sets us apart from the world , ” he added .
Other states had joined Minnesota in keeping Trump ’ s opponents off the ballot or canceling primaries entirely .

The man trying to steal the Republican nomination from Donald Trump spoke out against the party after a sound defeat in the first contest, calling the GOP a cult and Trump their “cultish dear leader.”
Former Congressman Joe Walsh had launched a longshot bid to win the Republican nomination, entering the primary along with former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld. While most of the attention on Monday was on the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, there were also Republican contests as both Weld and Walsh attempted to win over voters and take the nomination.
As The Associated Press reported, Trump won handily. The president took more than 97 percent of the vote, with both Weld and Walsh receiving just a little more than 1 percent each.
The former congressman’s message did not land well with voters. Video from the caucus showed Walsh attempting to make his pitch directly to caucusgoers, only to be met with boos.
After the resounding loss, Walsh took to Twitter to admit that he would not be able to pull off the long-shot bid and went on to criticize both Trump and the GOP.
“I can’t beat Donald Trump in the Republican Primary. Nobody can,” he tweeted.
“The Republican Party is a cult. Trump is their cultish dear leader. He can lie, cheat, & break the law. Doesn’t matter. He can do no wrong. But Trump must be stopped. And ALL of us must come together to stop him.”
https://twitter.com/alexplitsas/status/1224513432667467777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1224513432667467777&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdailycaller.com%2F2020%2F02%2F03%2Fjoe-walsh-iowa-caucus%2F
In a string of tweets after the win, Walsh called on non-Trump-supporting conservatives to come together in a new movement, noting that the 3,000 Republicans he spoke to on caucus night were “like a MAGA rally” and could not come to admit that Trump was a liar.
Though he failed to garner any significant support to start the Republican primary, Walsh does have some people in his corner. Last year, a Minnesota voter filed a legal challenge against his state’s Republican party for not putting any of the other primary candidates on its ballot against Trump.
As the Star-Tribune reported, small business owner Jim Martin said the decision was creating a “Soviet-style” election where voters could only select Trump. He pointed out that Trump’s campaign donated $50,000 to the Republican National Committee, and on the same day, the RNC gave money to the Minnesota Republican Party.
“I want to be in an American election,” Martin said. “It’s something that sets us apart from the world,” he added.
Other states had joined Minnesota in keeping Trump’s opponents off the ballot or canceling primaries entirely.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Joe Scarborough Slams Donald Trump For ‘Riding The Obama Wave’ During State Of The Union Address

Joe Scarborough used Wednesday ’ s edition of MSNBC ’ s Morning Joe to fact-check many of the economic claims made by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address on Tuesday .
In particular , Scarborough slammed Trump for taking credit for the economy he purportedly inherited from former President Barack Obama , Newsweek reports .
“ It ’ s just absolutely preposterous that Donald Trump suggests that had he not turned things around from Barack Obama this economy would be in terrible shape , when he ’ s riding the Obama wave , ” Scarborough said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the global financial crisis Obama inherited is 11 years and pointed to the fact that Obama created more jobs over his last three years in office than Trump did in his first three years .
Scarborough also referenced data showing that GDP growth has been an average of 2.5 percent under Trump , which is allegedly low compared to many of his recent predecessors .
He noted that the average was 3.2 percent under Jimmy Carter and 3.8 percent under Bill Clinton .
Newsweek claims that economists generally tie the significant decrease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of economic recovery kick-started by the Obama administration .
Obama ’ s former speechwriter , Cody Keenan , addressed Trump ’ s speech on MSNBC ’ s 11th Hour .
Keenan said the first 10 minutes of the president ’ s speech made a good case for Obama ’ s economy and expressed his belief that Obama ’ s presidency paved the way for the foundation of the modern economy .
“ I think he sees that as a way to turn out his base , along with what I think was actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s economy in the first 10 minutes , ” he said , per Newsweek .
Keenan also made similar comments on Twitter in response to Trump ’ s speech .
“ Almost every single economic statistic Trump bragged about tonight is one that started under Barack Obama , ” he wrote .
Many have disputed the effectiveness of Trump ’ s approach to the economy .
In particular , one of Trump ’ s signature policies , the Tax Cut and Jobs Act ( TCJA ) , has reportedly failed to deliver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported , the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that more than 60 percent of the savings went to the wealthiest 20 percent .
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also reported that the cuts would cause the federal debt to increase by $ 2 trillion over 11 years .
In addition , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ’ s claim that the tax cut would permanently boost U.S. economic growth has failed to come to fruition .
As of December , economic growth was reportedly the same as it was in 2015 .

Joe Scarborough used Wednesday’s edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe to fact-check many of the economic claims made by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. In particular, Scarborough slammed Trump for taking credit for the economy he purportedly inherited from former President Barack Obama, Newsweek reports.
“It’s just absolutely preposterous that Donald Trump suggests that had he not turned things around from Barack Obama this economy would be in terrible shape, when he’s riding the Obama wave,” Scarborough said.
He claimed that the recovery time from the global financial crisis Obama inherited is 11 years and pointed to the fact that Obama created more jobs over his last three years in office than Trump did in his first three years.
Scarborough also referenced data showing that GDP growth has been an average of 2.5 percent under Trump, which is allegedly low compared to many of his recent predecessors. He noted that the average was 3.2 percent under Jimmy Carter and 3.8 percent under Bill Clinton.
Newsweek claims that economists generally tie the significant decrease in unemployment under Trump to the period of economic recovery kick-started by the Obama administration.
Obama’s former speechwriter, Cody Keenan, addressed Trump’s speech on MSNBC’s 11th Hour. Keenan said the first 10 minutes of the president’s speech made a good case for Obama’s economy and expressed his belief that Obama’s presidency paved the way for the foundation of the modern economy.
“I think he sees that as a way to turn out his base, along with what I think was actually a really good case for Barack Obama’s economy in the first 10 minutes,” he said, per Newsweek.
Keenan also made similar comments on Twitter in response to Trump’s speech.
“Almost every single economic statistic Trump bragged about tonight is one that started under Barack Obama,” he wrote.
Yeah, can really tell where Trump turned the economy around pic.twitter.com/0cI58Wk4FA — Pat Bagley (@Patbagley) February 5, 2020
Many have disputed the effectiveness of Trump’s approach to the economy. In particular, one of Trump’s signature policies, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA), has reportedly failed to deliver on its promises. As The Inquisitr reported, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that more than 60 percent of the savings went to the wealthiest 20 percent. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also reported that the cuts would cause the federal debt to increase by $2 trillion over 11 years.
In addition, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s claim that the tax cut would permanently boost U.S. economic growth has failed to come to fruition. As of December, economic growth was reportedly the same as it was in 2015.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Krystal Ball Says Iowa Caucuses Were Rigged: ‘This Is Not A Conspiracy’

The results of the Iowa caucuses have yet to be released due to problems involving the app used to tabulate results .
During a recent episode of The Hill ’ s Rising , progressive commentator Krystal Ball expressed her belief that the caucuses were rigged .
“ It was rigged , what can I tell ya ?
That is not a conspiracy , it is a simple objective statement of fact , ” she began .
Ball pointed to the Iowa Democratic Party ’ s “ absolutely inexplicable decision ” to release partial results Tuesday and questioned their reasoning for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world would you take a mess of already historic proportions and make it even worse ?
” she asked .
Ball noted that the Democratic process is already hampered by mistrust after the Democratic National Committee ’ s alleged bias against Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders back in 2016 and said that there is currently no reason for any supporter of an anti-establishment candidate to have any trust in the process .
The 38-year-old former MSNBC contributor pointed to the recent Des Moines Register poll that was spiked after Pete Buttigieg ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a choice to some poll recipients , per BuzzFeed News .
She also noted Buttigieg ’ s claim of early victory in Iowa and alleged connections to the developer of the problematic app , Shadow .
To make things more interesting , Shadow is reportedly close with liberal firm ACRONYM , whose top officials have allegedly expressed hostility toward Sanders .
The firm is also run by Democratic operative Tara McGowan , who is married to Michael Halle , a senior strategist with the Buttigieg campaign .
According to Ball , democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ coalition of grifters and donors.
” She pointed the lack of transparency among Iowa Democratic Party officials , who have not revealed any information on how they picked the precincts they decided to release .
“ When ’ s the rest of it coming ?
Who knows !
Effectively erasing massive swaths of Iowa voters , ” she said .
The full results of the Iowa caucuses have yet to be released .
As of now , The New York Times reports that Buttigieg leads Sanders by 1.6 percent based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buttigieg has 419 state delegate equivalents for a total of 26.8 percent , while Sanders has 394 state delegate equivalents for a total of 25.2 percent .

The results of the Iowa caucuses have yet to be released due to problems involving the app used to tabulate results. During a recent episode of The Hill’s Rising, progressive commentator Krystal Ball expressed her belief that the caucuses were rigged.
“It was rigged, what can I tell ya? That is not a conspiracy, it is a simple objective statement of fact,” she began.
Ball pointed to the Iowa Democratic Party’s “absolutely inexplicable decision” to release partial results Tuesday and questioned their reasoning for doing so.
“Why in the world would you take a mess of already historic proportions and make it even worse?” she asked.
Ball noted that the Democratic process is already hampered by mistrust after the Democratic National Committee’s alleged bias against Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders back in 2016 and said that there is currently no reason for any supporter of an anti-establishment candidate to have any trust in the process.
The 38-year-old former MSNBC contributor pointed to the recent Des Moines Register poll that was spiked after Pete Buttigieg’s campaign complained that he was not offered as a choice to some poll recipients, per BuzzFeed News. She also noted Buttigieg’s claim of early victory in Iowa and alleged connections to the developer of the problematic app, Shadow.
To make things more interesting, Shadow is reportedly close with liberal firm ACRONYM, whose top officials have allegedly expressed hostility toward Sanders. The firm is also run by Democratic operative Tara McGowan, who is married to Michael Halle, a senior strategist with the Buttigieg campaign.
“You cannot look at the whole timeline and really expect a group of people who are consistently smeared and dissed by the establishment to feel like they are getting a fair shake — of course they don’t feel that way.”
According to Ball, democratic institutions are “clearly sold” to a “coalition of grifters and donors.” She pointed the lack of transparency among Iowa Democratic Party officials, who have not revealed any information on how they picked the precincts they decided to release.
“When’s the rest of it coming? Who knows! Effectively erasing massive swaths of Iowa voters,” she said.
The full results of the Iowa caucuses have yet to be released. As of now, The New York Times reports that Buttigieg leads Sanders by 1.6 percent based on data from 71 percent of precincts.
Buttigieg has 419 state delegate equivalents for a total of 26.8 percent, while Sanders has 394 state delegate equivalents for a total of 25.2 percent.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--John Leguizamo Talks About Support For Andrew Yang On ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’

Actor John Leguizamo recently appeared on The Late Show and spoke to host Stephen Colbert about his support for Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang , who he endorsed late last month .
According to the 55-year-old actor , his decision came after his son , Ryder Lee “ Lucas ” Leguizamo , turned him on to the Venture for America founder ’ s platform , which centers around a universal basic income ( UBI ) of $ 1,000 per month for all Americans .
“ I was like , yeah , son !
You want that thousand dollars I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m gon na join the Yang Gang , ” Leguizamo said in a YouTube clip of the appearance .
Leguizamo also pointed out that Yang is the last person of color in the Democratic primary .
When Colbert asked him who was to blame for the lack of diversity — the Democratic Party or the voters — the actor suggested it was the voters .
During one of Yang ’ s appearances on The Late Show , Colbert posed him the same question .
The 45-year-old serial entrepreneur touched on the lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it is a reflection of the “ inequities and realities ” in the current United States economy .
Yang noted that fewer than 5 percent of Americans donate to political campaigns , highlighting that such donations require disposable income .
He added that communities of color often lack resources — something he believes must be addressed to increase diversity in politics .
“ We should be more concerned with changing those realities on the ground and if we did that , than the stage would look very , very different , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s proposals is Democracy Dollars , which would provide $ 100 to every American each election cycle to be donated to candidates of their choice .
According to Yang , this would put $ 20 billion each year into the hands of voters , which he claims would help communities of color that lack resources as well as give regular Americans more power to combat the influence of moneyed interests .
According to The New York Times , Yang is in sixth place in the recent Iowa caucus based on the results from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received 16 state delegate equivalents for a 1 percent total and over 5 percent of the popular vote based on early results .
Yang is set to appear at Friday ’ s Democratic presidential debate , Rolling Stone reports .

Actor John Leguizamo recently appeared on The Late Show and spoke to host Stephen Colbert about his support for Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who he endorsed late last month.
According to the 55-year-old actor, his decision came after his son, Ryder Lee “Lucas” Leguizamo, turned him on to the Venture for America founder’s platform, which centers around a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 per month for all Americans.
“I was like, yeah, son! You want that thousand dollars I’ll get it for you. I’m gonna join the Yang Gang,” Leguizamo said in a YouTube clip of the appearance.
Leguizamo also pointed out that Yang is the last person of color in the Democratic primary. When Colbert asked him who was to blame for the lack of diversity — the Democratic Party or the voters — the actor suggested it was the voters.
“They feel like they’re looking for the candidate that can beat Trump. They want a safe choice, and that’s what — they don’t want anybody who’s gonna shake things up and maybe not get the Independents, not get the moderate Republicans. So everybody’s playing it safe.”
During one of Yang’s appearances on The Late Show, Colbert posed him the same question. The 45-year-old serial entrepreneur touched on the lack of diversity on the debate stage and said it is a reflection of the “inequities and realities” in the current United States economy.
Yang noted that fewer than 5 percent of Americans donate to political campaigns, highlighting that such donations require disposable income. He added that communities of color often lack resources — something he believes must be addressed to increase diversity in politics.
“We should be more concerned with changing those realities on the ground and if we did that, than the stage would look very, very different,” he said.
One of Yang’s proposals is Democracy Dollars, which would provide $100 to every American each election cycle to be donated to candidates of their choice. According to Yang, this would put $20 billion each year into the hands of voters, which he claims would help communities of color that lack resources as well as give regular Americans more power to combat the influence of moneyed interests.
Early returns in Iowa have us at 5.2% of the popular vote. Not far from projections going in – THANK YOU to everyone who worked hard to get us there. 😀👍🙏 — Andrew Yang🧢⬆🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) February 4, 2020
According to The New York Times, Yang is in sixth place in the recent Iowa caucus based on the results from 71 percent of the precincts. He received 16 state delegate equivalents for a 1 percent total and over 5 percent of the popular vote based on early results.
Yang is set to appear at Friday’s Democratic presidential debate, Rolling Stone reports.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Nancy Pelosi Reveals Why She Ripped Up State Of The Union ‘Manifesto Of Mistruths’

Nancy Pelosi weighed in on why she decided to tear up her copy of Donald Trump ’ s State of the Union speech on Tuesday night , saying that the document was a “ manifesto of mistruths.
” The House Speaker shocked and angered some , and was celebrated by others when she stood behind the president after he concluded his speech , slowly ripping one page after another of the document .
According to a video shared by ABC News , the House Speaker was approached by reporters after leaving the address , and unsurprisingly , she was quizzed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most talked-about parts of the address .
When asked why she ripped up the document , she said : “ because it was a manifesto of mistruths.
” “ And what did you think about him not shaking your hand ?
” a reporter asked .
“ We always extend a hand of friendship… ” she said .
“ Will you invite him to another State of the Union ?
” the reporter asked .
“ Hopefully not , I ’ m expecting another president nine months from today , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donner posted his questions aimed at Pelosi as she was leaving the Capitol , showing the House leader saying that she ripped up the speech because it was better than the alternative that she apparently had in mind , though she didn ’ t elaborate on what else she would have liked to do .
While some have attacked Pelosi for the move , including Donald Trump in a series of nearly two dozen retweets calling out the California Democrat , as The Inquisitr previously reported .
Critics say that her decision to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played into “ every female stereotype.
” Others accused her of “ pitching a hissy fit.
” “ Disappointed to see @ SpeakerPelosi rip up the speech that mentioned lives we ’ ve lost and heroes we celebrated at the SOTU .
No matter how you feel or what you disagree with , remember others are watching .
This was unbecoming of someone at her level in office , ” said former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley .
But members of the “ squad , ” the group of young progressive lawmakers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , and Ayanna Pressley , cheered Pelosi .
According to Fox News , Tlaib said she would have done the same , while Omar posted a tweet showing a gif of Pelosi ripping up the document .
While Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi haven ’ t always seen eye to eye , the New York lawmaker posted a video of the viral moment with a pair of shocked eye emojis .
Pressley retweeted a message from her policy adviser with hands clapping in support of Pelosi .

Nancy Pelosi weighed in on why she decided to tear up her copy of Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, saying that the document was a “manifesto of mistruths.” The House Speaker shocked and angered some, and was celebrated by others when she stood behind the president after he concluded his speech, slowly ripping one page after another of the document.
According to a video shared by ABC News, the House Speaker was approached by reporters after leaving the address, and unsurprisingly, she was quizzed on the moment which as become one of the most talked-about parts of the address.
When asked why she ripped up the document, she said: “because it was a manifesto of mistruths.”
“And what did you think about him not shaking your hand?” a reporter asked.
“We always extend a hand of friendship…” she said.
“Will you invite him to another State of the Union?” the reporter asked.
“Hopefully not, I’m expecting another president nine months from today,” she said.
Fox News reporter Jason Donner posted his questions aimed at Pelosi as she was leaving the Capitol, showing the House leader saying that she ripped up the speech because it was better than the alternative that she apparently had in mind, though she didn’t elaborate on what else she would have liked to do.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on why she ripped up President Trump’s speech: “Because it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives.” pic.twitter.com/nYTjAZAwGo — Jason Donner (@jason_donner) February 5, 2020
While some have attacked Pelosi for the move, including Donald Trump in a series of nearly two dozen retweets calling out the California Democrat, as The Inquisitr previously reported. Critics say that her decision to rip up the document was disrespectful and played into “every female stereotype.”
Others accused her of “pitching a hissy fit.”
“Disappointed to see @SpeakerPelosi rip up the speech that mentioned lives we’ve lost and heroes we celebrated at the SOTU. No matter how you feel or what you disagree with, remember others are watching. This was unbecoming of someone at her level in office,” said former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
But members of the “squad,” the group of young progressive lawmakers that includes Representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ayanna Pressley, cheered Pelosi. According to Fox News, Tlaib said she would have done the same, while Omar posted a tweet showing a gif of Pelosi ripping up the document.
While Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi haven’t always seen eye to eye, the New York lawmaker posted a video of the viral moment with a pair of shocked eye emojis. Pressley retweeted a message from her policy adviser with hands clapping in support of Pelosi.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Van Jones Says Donald Trump’s State Of The Union Address Is A ‘Warning Shot To Liberals’

In the wake of Donald Trump ‘ s State of the Union address , CNN commentator Van Jones appeared on a network panel and spoke about the speech , Breitbart reports .
The 51-year-old author posted a clip of his appearance on Twitter along with a summary of his thoughts .
“ The # IowaCaucus was a debacle , followed by a strong # SOTU speech laying out Trump ’ s strategy to win – which includes going for Black voters , ” he wrote , referring to the results of the Democratic Iowa caucuses , which were delayed due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to convey the results .
According to Jones , Trump effectively used his speech to address his base and show what the president “ thinks he needs to do and when.
” “ He knows he ’ s got ta give a lot of red meat to his base and he gave it , ” Jones said , noting the focus on religious liberty , abortion , and the military .
He also claimed that Trump appears to have decided to focus on the African American community while “ doubling-down ” on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Jones pointed to Trump ’ s decision to use his speech to focus on his several efforts to help the African American community , including his budget ’ s “ lifeline ” for struggling black colleges and universities , as well as criminal justice reform and school choice .
“ What he was saying to African Americans can be effective , ” Jones continued .
Trump honored several African American figures during the speech , including Army Veteran Tony Rankins and Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee .
Regardless , Jones admitted he believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Latinos with his focus on border enforcement .
CNN reports that Trump ’ s address was “ dazzling ” but divisive .
Echoing Jones , the network noted that Trump appeared to be speaking directly to his base and took aim at the Democrats ’ botched Iowa caucuses .
However , CNN also stated that the speech — in typical Trump fashion — was riddled with “ exaggerations , falsehoods and misleading rhetoric.
” Trump ’ s address received attention for his apparent snub of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi .
Following his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ copy of his statement — a move the president addressed on Twitter on Wednesday via a series of retweets .
“ That was weak , Nancy .
I wish she held her cool .
Plays into every female stereotype , ” one of the retweets read .
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said she was “ disappointed ” in Pelosi ’ s decision and said it was “ unbecoming ” of someone of her political stature .

In the wake of Donald Trump‘s State of the Union address, CNN commentator Van Jones appeared on a network panel and spoke about the speech, Breitbart reports. The 51-year-old author posted a clip of his appearance on Twitter along with a summary of his thoughts.
“The #IowaCaucus was a debacle, followed by a strong #SOTU speech laying out Trump’s strategy to win – which includes going for Black voters,” he wrote, referring to the results of the Democratic Iowa caucuses, which were delayed due to reported problems with the app used to convey the results.
“This was a warning shot from the Trump campaign to liberals, and we need to take this VERY seriously in order to win.”
According to Jones, Trump effectively used his speech to address his base and show what the president “thinks he needs to do and when.”
“He knows he’s gotta give a lot of red meat to his base and he gave it,” Jones said, noting the focus on religious liberty, abortion, and the military.
He also claimed that Trump appears to have decided to focus on the African American community while “doubling-down” on his hardline immigration stance against the Latino community.
Jones pointed to Trump’s decision to use his speech to focus on his several efforts to help the African American community, including his budget’s “lifeline” for struggling black colleges and universities, as well as criminal justice reform and school choice.
“What he was saying to African Americans can be effective,” Jones continued.
Trump honored several African American figures during the speech, including Army Veteran Tony Rankins and Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee.
Regardless, Jones admitted he believes Trump is attempting to divide African Americans and Latinos with his focus on border enforcement.
CNN reports that Trump’s address was “dazzling” but divisive. Echoing Jones, the network noted that Trump appeared to be speaking directly to his base and took aim at the Democrats’ botched Iowa caucuses. However, CNN also stated that the speech — in typical Trump fashion — was riddled with “exaggerations, falsehoods and misleading rhetoric.”
Trump’s address received attention for his apparent snub of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Following his speech, Pelosi dramatically ripped up a copy of his statement — a move the president addressed on Twitter on Wednesday via a series of retweets.
“That was weak, Nancy. I wish she held her cool. Plays into every female stereotype,” one of the retweets read.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said she was “disappointed” in Pelosi’s decision and said it was “unbecoming” of someone of her political stature.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Donald Trump Slams ‘Drama Queen’ Nancy Pelosi In Retweet Marathon: ‘Plays Into Every Female Stereoty

Donald Trump Slams ‘Drama Queen’ Nancy Pelosi In Retweet Marathon: ‘Plays Into Every Female Stereotype’

Nancy Pelosi defiantly ripped up a copy of Donald Trump ‘ s State of the Union address on Tuesday night , as The Inquisitr previously reported , earning her cheers and jeers from people across the political spectrum .
The president weighed in on the controversy with a lengthy series of retweets , ranging from slamming the House speaker for “ pitching a hissy fit ” to a tweet that accused Pelosi of playing into “ every female stereotype.
” Trump began retweeting messages shortly after his speech , starting with a tweet from his former United Nations Ambassador Nikki @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SpeakerPelosi rip up the speech that mentioned lives we ’ ve lost and heroes we celebrated at the SOTU .
No matter how you feel or what you disagree with , remember others are watching .
This was unbecoming of someone at her level in office , ” she wrote .
Some criticized Pelosi for tearing up a document that contained the names of people who had died , while others said she was disrespectful to the country when she ripped up the speech .
All told , Trump retweeted 23 critical messages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his speech over several hours , more than four times the number of tweets or retweets he made about the speech itself .
White House bureau chief at The Washington Post , Philip Rucker , weighed in on Trump ’ s retweeting marathon .
“ If there were any doubt that Speaker Pelosi tearing up his speech bothered President Trump , take a look at his Twitter feed this morning , ” he wrote .
The controversy began when Trump appeared to refuse to shake Pelosi ’ s hand when she offered it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After listening to his State of the Union address , she picked up her copy of the speech and slowly ripped it up in full view of the cameras .
The president and the speaker have been on bad terms for a while now .
While Pelosi has always been a target of the president ’ s attacks , things have gotten worse since the impeachment proceedings began .
The two reportedly haven ’ t spoken since October .
Pelosi took to Twitter to comment on Trump ’ s refusal to shake her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to try to work with Republicans for the country .
As reported by The Inquisitr , one Trump adviser said he believed Trump could have made a gesture of unification had he accepted Pelosi ’ s hand .
“ The country seems very , very divided but I think Trump made a mistake not shaking her hand.
” The impeachment proceedings are slated to end on Wednesday , when the Senate votes to acquit or convict the president on the two articles of impeachment .

Nancy Pelosi defiantly ripped up a copy of Donald Trump‘s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, as The Inquisitr previously reported, earning her cheers and jeers from people across the political spectrum. The president weighed in on the controversy with a lengthy series of retweets, ranging from slamming the House speaker for “pitching a hissy fit” to a tweet that accused Pelosi of playing into “every female stereotype.”
Trump began retweeting messages shortly after his speech, starting with a tweet from his former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
“Disappointed to see @SpeakerPelosi rip up the speech that mentioned lives we’ve lost and heroes we celebrated at the SOTU. No matter how you feel or what you disagree with, remember others are watching. This was unbecoming of someone at her level in office,” she wrote.
Some criticized Pelosi for tearing up a document that contained the names of people who had died, while others said she was disrespectful to the country when she ripped up the speech.
All told, Trump retweeted 23 critical messages related to Pelosi’s response to his speech over several hours, more than four times the number of tweets or retweets he made about the speech itself.
White House bureau chief at The Washington Post, Philip Rucker, weighed in on Trump’s retweeting marathon.
“If there were any doubt that Speaker Pelosi tearing up his speech bothered President Trump, take a look at his Twitter feed this morning,” he wrote.
The controversy began when Trump appeared to refuse to shake Pelosi’s hand when she offered it to him prior to his speech. After listening to his State of the Union address, she picked up her copy of the speech and slowly ripped it up in full view of the cameras.
The president and the speaker have been on bad terms for a while now. While Pelosi has always been a target of the president’s attacks, things have gotten worse since the impeachment proceedings began. The two reportedly haven’t spoken since October.
Pelosi took to Twitter to comment on Trump’s refusal to shake her hand, saying that Democrats would continue to try to work with Republicans for the country. As reported by The Inquisitr, one Trump adviser said he believed Trump could have made a gesture of unification had he accepted Pelosi’s hand.
“The country seems very, very divided but I think Trump made a mistake not shaking her hand.”
The impeachment proceedings are slated to end on Wednesday, when the Senate votes to acquit or convict the president on the two articles of impeachment.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Barack Obama’s Speechwriters React To Donald Trump’s State Of The Union Address

Cody Keenan , a former Barack Obama speechwriter who wrote the 58-year-old politician ’ s State of the Union Addresses while president , appeared on MSNBC ’ s 11th Hour after Donald Trump ’ s Tuesday address and revealed his thoughts .
According to Keenan , Trump ’ s speech did a great job of showcasing Obama ’ s economic record , Newsweek reports .
During Trump ’ s address , he touted the United States ’ economy , pointing to declines in poverty , increases in incomes , and a boom of jobs , among other things .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result of addressing and reversing the “ failed economic policies ” of the Obama administration , which began as the country was still reeling from the global financial crisis .
In response , Keenan pushed back on Trump ’ s claims , suggesting that Obama laid the foundation of the current economy during his presidency .
“ Tonight ’ s [ speech ] basically started out as a fact sheet that was bereft of facts [ then ] went into the gifts for all the voters he wants this year , ” Keenan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s speeches ] have this tendency at the end of [ a ] speech to just Google a bunch of historical things that happened in America and try to string them together .
As a speechwriter , I ’ m in mourning for what I saw tonight .
He added that the first 10 minutes of Trump ’ s speech was “ actually a really good case ” for Obama ’ s economy .
Obama ’ s former Director of Speechwriting , Jonathan Favreau , also reacted to the address , although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi ’ s decision to tear up Trump ’ s speech after he concluded .
Favreau said Pelosi ’ s move was a “ page out of Trump ’ s playbook ” and effectively “ stole the spotlight away.
” Pelosi was critical of Trump ’ s address in part for his failure to provide a positive health care message .
According to Pelosi , Democrats were told such a message would be present in the address .
The 79-year-old politician also attacked the “ manifesto of mistruths ” allegedly contained in Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people deserve a president with “ integrity and respect for the aspirations for their children.
” Aside from touting his accomplishments over his predecessor , Trump ’ s address also explored the burden of war and its effects on military families .
After his remarks , he spoke to Amy Williams — a North Carolina mom — and her kids , who were surprised by father and husband Sergeant Townsend Williams , who had returned early from deployment .
Trump also presented conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to present the award leaked earlier after Trump met with network anchors during a private White House lunch preceding the address .

Cody Keenan, a former Barack Obama speechwriter who wrote the 58-year-old politician’s State of the Union Addresses while president, appeared on MSNBC’s 11th Hour after Donald Trump’s Tuesday address and revealed his thoughts. According to Keenan, Trump’s speech did a great job of showcasing Obama’s economic record, Newsweek reports.
During Trump’s address, he touted the United States’ economy, pointing to declines in poverty, increases in incomes, and a boom of jobs, among other things. He also suggested that his success was a result of addressing and reversing the “failed economic policies” of the Obama administration, which began as the country was still reeling from the global financial crisis.
In response, Keenan pushed back on Trump’s claims, suggesting that Obama laid the foundation of the current economy during his presidency.
“Tonight’s [speech] basically started out as a fact sheet that was bereft of facts [then] went into the gifts for all the voters he wants this year,” Keenan said. “And then [Trump’s speeches] have this tendency at the end of [a] speech to just Google a bunch of historical things that happened in America and try to string them together. As a speechwriter, I’m in mourning for what I saw tonight.
He added that the first 10 minutes of Trump’s speech was “actually a really good case” for Obama’s economy.
Exclusive Ogilvy Interview with @BarackObama's Speechwriter@CodyKeenan worked with Barack Obama and his administration on a staggering 3500 speeches, including many of his most famous, and still works closely with him today.#OgilvyInterview pic.twitter.com/As49TOE1Ve — Ogilvy (@Ogilvy) January 4, 2018
Obama’s former Director of Speechwriting, Jonathan Favreau, also reacted to the address, although he focused instead on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to tear up Trump’s speech after he concluded. Favreau said Pelosi’s move was a “page out of Trump’s playbook” and effectively “stole the spotlight away.”
Pelosi was critical of Trump’s address in part for his failure to provide a positive health care message. According to Pelosi, Democrats were told such a message would be present in the address.
The 79-year-old politician also attacked the “manifesto of mistruths” allegedly contained in Trump’s address and said the American people deserve a president with “integrity and respect for the aspirations for their children.”
Aside from touting his accomplishments over his predecessor, Trump’s address also explored the burden of war and its effects on military families. After his remarks, he spoke to Amy Williams — a North Carolina mom — and her kids, who were surprised by father and husband Sergeant Townsend Williams, who had returned early from deployment.
Trump also presented conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The president’s plan to present the award leaked earlier after Trump met with network anchors during a private White House lunch preceding the address.


inquisitr--2020-02-05--Nancy Pelosi Rips Up Donald Trump’s State Of The Union Address After He Appears To Snub Her Handshak

Nancy Pelosi Rips Up Donald Trump’s State Of The Union Address After He Appears To Snub Her Handshake

Following President Donald Trump ’ s State of the Union address on Tuesday night , Nancy Pelosi was seen ripping up his speech , reported CNN .
Prior to the speech , the Speaker of the House reportedly extended her hand to shake his , which Trump either didn ’ t see or chose to ignore .
The snub comes just over a month since House Democrats voted to impeach the president .
A source close to Pelosi revealed to the news outlet that Pelosi was not planning on ripping up Trump ’ s speech and that she most likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump did not confirm that he snubbed Pelosi ’ s handshake on purpose , a Trump adviser commented that by apparently snubbing the House speaker ’ s gesture , the president missed out on an opportunity to heal the nation .
The tension appears to be rising between Trump and Pelosi as the House speaker confirmed earlier this week that she had not spoken with the president since the White House Syria meeting in October .
Following the meeting , the White House reportedly circulated an image of Pelosi standing up and pointing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Union speech , Pelosi took to social media platform Twitter to apparently call the president out on his choice to ignore her handshake .
Writing that the Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done , Pelosi added that they will work to find common ground where they can and stand their ground where they can not .
She added the hashtag “ # ForThePeople ” to her post .
Tension between Democrats and Republicans is also continuing to rise , especially following Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts on Wednesday .
Speaking with Fox News this past weekend , Trump expressed that he expects to have a hard time continuing to work with the Democrats , although he ’ d like to .
He compares the Democrats ’ efforts to impeach him to a witch hunt or hoax , telling the news outlet that they don ’ t care about fairness or lying .
“ You look at the lies , you look at the reports that were done that were so false .
The level of hypocrisy .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it , to be honest .
I think they just want to win , and it doesn ’ t matter how they win .
”

Following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Nancy Pelosi was seen ripping up his speech, reported CNN. Prior to the speech, the Speaker of the House reportedly extended her hand to shake his, which Trump either didn’t see or chose to ignore. The snub comes just over a month since House Democrats voted to impeach the president.
A source close to Pelosi revealed to the news outlet that Pelosi was not planning on ripping up Trump’s speech and that she most likely did so out of anger.
While Trump did not confirm that he snubbed Pelosi’s handshake on purpose, a Trump adviser commented that by apparently snubbing the House speaker’s gesture, the president missed out on an opportunity to heal the nation.
“The country seems very, very divided but I think Trump made a mistake not shaking her hand.”
The tension appears to be rising between Trump and Pelosi as the House speaker confirmed earlier this week that she had not spoken with the president since the White House Syria meeting in October. Following the meeting, the White House reportedly circulated an image of Pelosi standing up and pointing at Trump.
“You mean where he circulated the picture of my saying ‘All roads lead to Putin,’ that one? Is that what we’re talking about?… We haven’t spoken since then.”
Following the State of the Union speech, Pelosi took to social media platform Twitter to apparently call the president out on his choice to ignore her handshake. Writing that the Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done, Pelosi added that they will work to find common ground where they can and stand their ground where they cannot. She added the hashtag “#ForThePeople” to her post.
Tension between Democrats and Republicans is also continuing to rise, especially following Trump’s expected acquittal in the Democrats’ impeachment efforts on Wednesday.
Speaking with Fox News this past weekend, Trump expressed that he expects to have a hard time continuing to work with the Democrats, although he’d like to. He compares the Democrats’ efforts to impeach him to a witch hunt or hoax, telling the news outlet that they don’t care about fairness or lying.


inquisitr--2020-02-06--GOP Senators Privately Admit Donald Trump Is ‘Reckless And Unfit’ But Still Voted To Acquit, Democra

GOP Senators Privately Admit Donald Trump Is ‘Reckless And Unfit’ But Still Voted To Acquit, Democrat Says

Senate Republicans voted nearly unanimously to acquit Donald Trump at the completion of his impeachment trial on Wednesday , but one Democratic senator said they felt much differently when discussing his conduct in private .
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown said on Wednesday that many of his Republican colleagues believed that Trump ’ s conduct warranted impeachment and that he was “ reckless and unfit ” but were too afraid to go against him and the party .
Brown wrote in a New York Times op-ed that even if they believed his conduct could warrant removal from office , the majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming under attack from Fox News pundits , talk radio mouthpieces , and Trump-supporting “ Twitter trolls.
” “ My colleagues know they all just might .
There ’ s an old Russian proverb : The tallest blade of grass is the first cut by the scythe , ” he wrote .
“ In private , many of my colleagues agree that the president is reckless and unfit .
They admit his lies .
And they acknowledge what he did was wrong .
They know this president has done things Richard Nixon never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damning evidence is likely to come out.
” This is not the first time that Brown has accused his Republican counterparts of acting one way in public and another in private .
Back in November , he appeared on the Yahoo !
News podcast Skullduggery to share that Republicans would say that they saw Trump as dishonest and racist , even if they would not be willing to say it .
“ I hear Republican members of the Senate say things like , ‘ We know he ’ s pretty crooked , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pretty bad guy.
’ Some of them will say , ‘ We know he ’ s a racist.
’ But they are not saying it publicly , ” Brown said .
Brown ’ s latest op-ed was published as all but one Republican Senator voted to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment , with only Utah Senator Mitt Romney breaking ranks .
True to Brown ’ s prediction , Romney came under attack from many pundits and from the president ’ s own family , with Donald Trump Jr. taking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to expel him from their ranks .
Some other Republican Senators admitted that Trump ’ s actions in pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden were not appropriate , but said the House prosecutors had not made a strong enough case for them to vote to convict and remove him from office , ultimately voting to acquit him .

Senate Republicans voted nearly unanimously to acquit Donald Trump at the completion of his impeachment trial on Wednesday, but one Democratic senator said they felt much differently when discussing his conduct in private.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown said on Wednesday that many of his Republican colleagues believed that Trump’s conduct warranted impeachment and that he was “reckless and unfit” but were too afraid to go against him and the party. Brown wrote in a New York Times op-ed that even if they believed his conduct could warrant removal from office, the majority of Republicans did not want to risk coming under attack from Fox News pundits, talk radio mouthpieces, and Trump-supporting “Twitter trolls.”
“My colleagues know they all just might. There’s an old Russian proverb: The tallest blade of grass is the first cut by the scythe,” he wrote.
“In private, many of my colleagues agree that the president is reckless and unfit. They admit his lies. And they acknowledge what he did was wrong. They know this president has done things Richard Nixon never did. And they know that more damning evidence is likely to come out.”
This is not the first time that Brown has accused his Republican counterparts of acting one way in public and another in private. Back in November, he appeared on the Yahoo! News podcast Skullduggery to share that Republicans would say that they saw Trump as dishonest and racist, even if they would not be willing to say it.
“I hear Republican members of the Senate say things like, ‘We know he’s pretty crooked, he lies a lot, he’s a pretty bad guy.’ Some of them will say, ‘We know he’s a racist.’ But they are not saying it publicly,” Brown said.
Brown’s latest op-ed was published as all but one Republican Senator voted to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment, with only Utah Senator Mitt Romney breaking ranks. True to Brown’s prediction, Romney came under attack from many pundits and from the president’s own family, with Donald Trump Jr. taking to Twitter to call on the Republican Party to expel him from their ranks.
Some other Republican Senators admitted that Trump’s actions in pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden were not appropriate, but said the House prosecutors had not made a strong enough case for them to vote to convict and remove him from office, ultimately voting to acquit him.


inquisitr--2020-02-06--White House Reportedly Sending Talking Points Encouraging Attacks On Mitt Romney After Impeachment V

White House Reportedly Sending Talking Points Encouraging Attacks On Mitt Romney After Impeachment Vote

Donald Trump is apparently not ready to let his impeachment go quietly by , with a new report claiming that the White House is circulating talking points encouraging supporters to attack Utah Senator Mitt Romney for his vote to convict the president .
Romney made a surprising vote on Wednesday to convict Trump and remove him from office , the only member of the Republican Party to break ranks and vote against the president .
After Trump ’ s acquittal , he and close allies quickly shifted to attacking Romney , and the White House is now reportedly coordinating those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Washington Post White House correspondent Ashley Parker reported on Twitter , the White House is trying to bring allies together in coordinated attacks on Romney by issuing talking points .
“ The WH is now sending around anti-Romney talking points , including : •Romney ’ s decision was unsurprising as this display of self-serving political expedience has come to define his career .
•Romney has a long history of flip-flopping , with no sign of principles to be found , ” she reported .
Some Republicans expressed hope that Trump would act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but instead the president gave a speech on Thursday in which he declared victory and renewed attacks on those who led the impeachment process .
As The Inquisitr reported , Trump and close family members have already launched their own personal attacks on Romney .
President Trump shared a video claiming that Romney was only pretending to be a Republican and was actually secretly working with Democrats .
His son , Donald Trump Jr. , made a more crude attack by sharing an image on Instagram that called the 2012 Republican presidential nominee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS .
He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so he ’ s joining them now , ” he wrote .
“ He ’ s now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the GOP.
” It was not clear if the White House talking points were being utilized .
While a number of Senate Republicans said they disagreed with Romney ’ s decision to vote in favor of conviction , they did not take the personal attacks outlined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Utah Senator Mike Lee said Romney had a right to vote the way he did , though he personally believed there was not sufficient evidence to vote against the president .
“ Now , look , it ’ s every person ’ s right to decide how they ’ re going to approach any given situation .
I understand that , ” Lee said , via Fox News .
“ But let ’ s not pretend that there were any valid bases for impeaching Donald Trump here .
There simply were not .
@

Donald Trump is apparently not ready to let his impeachment go quietly by, with a new report claiming that the White House is circulating talking points encouraging supporters to attack Utah Senator Mitt Romney for his vote to convict the president.
Romney made a surprising vote on Wednesday to convict Trump and remove him from office, the only member of the Republican Party to break ranks and vote against him. After the president’s acquittal, he and close allies quickly shifted to attacking Romney, and the White House is now reportedly coordinating those attacks with others in the party.
As Washington Post correspondent Ashley Parker reported on Twitter, the White House is trying to bring allies together in coordinated attacks on Romney.
“The WH is now sending around anti-Romney talking points, including: •Romney’s decision was unsurprising as this display of self-serving political expedience has come to define his career. •Romney has a long history of flip-flopping, with no sign of principles to be found.”
Some Republicans expressed hope that Trump would act contrite after his impeachment trial ended. Instead, the president gave a speech on Thursday in which he declared victory and renewed attacks on those who led the impeachment process.
As The Inquisitr reported, Trump and close family members have already made seemingly personal comments about Romney. The president shared a video claiming that Romney was only pretending to be a Republican and was actually working in secret with Democrats. His son, Donald Trump Jr., made a more crude attack by sharing an image on Instagram that called the 2012 Republican presidential nominee a “p*ssy.”
“Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS. He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so he’s joining them now,” he wrote. “He’s now officially a member of the resistance & should be expelled from the GOP.”
It was not clear if the alleged talking points were being utilized. While a number of Senate Republicans said they disagreed with Romney’s decision to vote in favor of conviction, they did not make the personal attacks outlined in the supposed points. Fellow Utah Senator Mike Lee said Romney had a right to vote the way he did, though he personally believed there was not sufficient evidence to vote against the president.
“Now, look, it’s every person’s right to decide how they’re going to approach any given situation. I understand that,” Lee said, via Fox News. “But let’s not pretend that there were any valid bases for impeaching Donald Trump here. There simply were not.”


inquisitr--2020-02-06--Donald Trump Supporters Reportedly Clogged Hotline For Reporting Iowa Caucus Results In Effort To Cr

Donald Trump Supporters Reportedly Clogged Hotline For Reporting Iowa Caucus Results In Effort To Create Chaos

On the night of the Iowa caucus , Democratic leaders ran into major difficulties trying to collect results that ultimately led to the final results not being available for several days .
Now , at least one behind that delay has come out — supporters of Donald Trump purposely clogging a hotline set up for reporting results .
As Bloomberg reported , a number of people called the results hotline and expressed their support for the president .
Someone had posted photos online of the caucus paperwork that included the number for reporting results , prompting a number of Trump-supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines .
This added to delays caused by problems in an app meant to collect voting results from each of the caucus locations .
State Democratic Party leaders said that a coding error prevented the collection of numbers , though insisted that there was nothing wrong with the results themselves .
They noted that the prank calls from Trump supporters also did not affect the integrity of the election .
“ The unexplained , and at times hostile , calls contributed to the delay in the Iowa Democratic Party ’ s collection of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the integrity of information gathered or the accuracy of data sets reported , ” the Iowa Democratic Party said in a statement .
The final voting for the Iowa caucus still was not complete by Thursday afternoon , though the counting had reached up to 97 percent and showed that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg were in a virtual tie .
The Trump campaign denied any knowledge of the prank calls , but did take the chance to push blame back on Democrats .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embarrassment in modern history and they ’ re looking for someone to blame .
It ’ s pathetic , ” said Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh .
There could be more overt efforts ahead by Republicans to affect the outcome of the Democratic primary .
As the The Post and Courier reported , a group of prominent South Carolina Republicans are launching an effort to encourage Republican voters to show up for the Democratic primary there on February 29 and vote for Sanders .
The report noted that they see Sanders as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to press state Democrats into closing their primaries to voters from other parties .
“ Bernie Sanders is the most socialistic , liberal candidate running in the Democratic presidential preference primary , ” Greenville GOP chairman Nate Leupp told The Post and Courier .
“ So we feel we can make a strong point that our Democratic state legislators need to help work to close our primaries so it protects them as well as the Republican brand .
”

On the night of the Iowa caucus, Democratic leaders ran into major difficulties trying to collect results that ultimately led to the final results not being available for several days.
Now, at least one reason behind that delay has come out; supporters of Donald Trump purposely clogged a hotline set up for reporting results.
As Bloomberg reported, a number of people called the results hotline and expressed their support for the president. Someone had posted photos online of the caucus paperwork that included the number for reporting results, prompting a number of Trump-supporting trolls to call and purposely clog the lines.
This added to delays caused by problems in an app meant to collect voting results from each of the caucus locations. State Democratic Party leaders said that a coding error prevented the collection of numbers, though insisted that there was nothing wrong with the results themselves. They noted that the prank calls from Trump supporters also did not affect the integrity of the election.
“The unexplained, and at times hostile, calls contributed to the delay in the Iowa Democratic Party’s collection of results, but in no way affected the integrity of information gathered or the accuracy of data sets reported,” the Iowa Democratic Party said in a statement.
The final voting for the Iowa caucus was still not complete by Thursday afternoon, though the counting had reached up to 97 percent and showed that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg were in a virtual tie.
The Trump campaign denied any knowledge of the prank calls, but did take the chance to push blame back on Democrats.
“Democrats are engulfed in the worst election embarrassment in modern history and they’re looking for someone to blame. It’s pathetic,” said Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh.
There could be more overt efforts ahead by Republicans to affect the outcome of the Democratic primary. As the The Post and Courier reported, a group of prominent South Carolina Republicans are launching an effort to encourage Republican voters to show up for the Democratic primary there on February 29 and vote for Sanders. The report noted that they see Sanders as the weakest general election threat to Trump and want to press state Democrats into closing their primaries to voters from other parties.
“Bernie Sanders is the most socialistic, liberal candidate running in the Democratic presidential preference primary,” Greenville GOP chairman Nate Leupp told The Post and Courier. “So we feel we can make a strong point that our Democratic state legislators need to help work to close our primaries so it protects them as well as the Republican brand.”


inquisitr--2020-02-06--Tom Perez Calls For Recanvass Of Iowa Caucus Results After Reports Of Discrepancies

After the delayed results of the Iowa caucuses were riddled with inconsistencies , Democratic National Committee ( DNC ) Chairman Tom Perez is calling for a recanvass , which involves reviewing the reporting sheets from each caucus site .
Bloomberg reports .
“ Enough is enough , ” he tweeted .
“ In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results , I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass.
” Perez ’ s comment comes as Bernie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointing to his alleged lead in the initial popular vote .
Regardless , Perez does not have the authority to order a recanvass unilaterally , and Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price has denied Perez ’ s request .
According to Price , the state ’ s party will only recanvass at the request of a presidential campaign .
Per CNN , there were numerous counties with errors in their count of state delegate equivalents .
In addition , there were allegedly multiple precincts that may have included violations of caucus rules .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision , per CNN , his call for a recanvass was influenced by the worry that candidate calls would be bad optics for the Democratic Party amid an already controversial rollout of caucus results .
A The New York Times report claimed that more than 100 precincts reported “ internally inconsistent ” results , including candidates receiving the wrong number of delegates .
The issue allegedly stems from the complicated rules of the Iowa caucus , and there was reportedly no evidence of foul play .
Regardless , 97 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show Sanders and Buttigieg tied for 11 national delegates each .
Nevertheless , Sanders declared victory on Thursday , pointing to the 6000-plus people that voted for him in the popular initial vote .
Although Sanders said he or Buttigieg might gain more state delegate equivalents , he noted that this would not affect the national delegates , which he said that the “ ones that really matter ” in the nomination process .
Behind the two frontrunners is Elizabeth Warren , with 5 national delegates .
As of now , one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delegates , with Joe Biden the closest to doing so .

After the delayed results of the Iowa caucuses were riddled with inconsistencies, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez is calling for a recanvass, which involves reviewing the reporting sheets from each caucus site, Bloomberg reports.
“Enough is enough,” he tweeted. “In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass.”
Perez’s comment comes as Bernie Sanders declared victory over Pete Buttigieg, pointing to his alleged lead in the initial popular vote. Regardless, Perez does not have the authority to order a recanvass unilaterally, and Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price has denied Perez’s request.
According to Price, the state’s party will only recanvass at the request of a presidential campaign.
“In such a circumstance, the IDP will audit the paper records of report, as provided by the precinct chairs and signed by representatives of presidential campaigns. This is the official record of the Iowa Democratic caucus, and we are committed to ensuring the results accurately reflect the preference of Iowans.”
Per CNN, there were numerous counties with errors in their count of state delegate equivalents. In addition, there were allegedly multiple precincts that may have included violations of caucus rules.
According to a person familiar with Perez’s decision, per CNN, his call for a recanvass was influenced by the worry that candidate calls would be bad optics for the Democratic Party amid an already controversial rollout of caucus results.
New statement from the @iowademocrats responding to @TomPerez. It seems to be pushing back on the idea that Perez can even request the recanvass. "Should any presidential campaign in compliance with the Iowa Delegate Selection Plan request a recanvass, the IDP is prepared." pic.twitter.com/jVDlQXs5oJ — Brianne Pfannenstiel (@brianneDMR) February 6, 2020
A New York Times report claimed that more than 100 precincts reported “internally inconsistent” results, including candidates receiving the wrong number of delegates. The issue allegedly stems from the complicated rules of the Iowa caucus, and there was reportedly no evidence of foul play.
Regardless, 97 percent of the caucus results are now reported and show Sanders and Buttigieg tied for 11 national delegates each. Nevertheless, Sanders declared victory on Thursday, pointing to the 6,000-plus people that voted for him in the popular initial vote.
Although Sanders said he or Buttigieg might gain more state delegate equivalents, he noted that this would not affect the national delegates, which he said are the “ones that really matter” in the nomination process.
Behind the two frontrunners is Elizabeth Warren, with five national delegates. As of now, none of the other candidates has earned any national delegates, with Joe Biden the closest to doing so.