occupydemocrats--2020-10-06--AOC valiantly comes to Ilhan’s defense after Tulsi-backed smear is exposed as fake

The Republican Party ’ s fixation on Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-MN ) is pathological .
They hate that she ’ s an immigrant , hate that she ’ s a woman of color , hate that she ’ s Muslim , and most of all they hate that she is all three of these things while also completely unafraid to stand up to their hateful , reactionary worldview .
She ’ s been hit with all manner of vile smears since she came into office with disgusting Islamophobic insults being a frequent line of attack from her conservative ill-wishers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right-wing propaganda crew run by the infamous James O ’ Keefe , released a video claiming that Omar was secretly operating a “ massive voter fraud ” operation in Minnesota in connection with people working for Minneapolis ’ s Ward 6 Councilman Jamal Osman .
According to Veritas , she and her associates were paying to harvest ballots .
The outlandish claims were focused on videos posted by Osman ’ s brother Liban .
The clips , stripped entirely of context , appeared to show Liban Osman driving while talking about politics and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside his car .
Even by the incredibly low standards of Project Veritas , the story seemed like an enormous stretch and lacked any real evidence .
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Despite the dubious nature of the accusations , right-wingers latched onto the story and propagated it all across social media .
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard ( D-HI ) , a frequent fifth columnist within the Democratic Party who should be neither trusted nor supported , boosted Project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spreading bad faith Republican talking points in the process .
Yesterday , it was revealed that there was much more to the story than O ’ Keefe let on .
Liban Osman came forward to claim that a man named Omar Jamal who was an “ insider ” for ” Project Veritas offered him a $ 10,000 bribe to confirm the story and claim that he was in fact collecting ballots to help Ilham Omar cheat in the election .
Osman also said that what appeared to be ballots in the videos shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the ballots came in , which voters had asked him to dispose of out of an abundance of caution .
In other words , it appears that the Veritas reportage was not only wrong but intentionally and maliciously misleading .
At this point , it ’ s exactly what we should expect from these right-wingers and anyone who fell for their narrative should be embarrassed .
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) , a woman of color who has faced a barrage of right-wing attacks similar to the one focused on Omar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and tweeted that Tulsi Gabbard “ along with everyone else who amplified this fraudulent story ” needs to publicly apologize to Omar .
As usual , AOC was quick and confident in standing up for an ally and friend .
Whether or not Gabbard , a Democrat notorious for lending aid and comfort to the GOP , will actually offer an apology is anyone ’ s guess .
Omar saw AOC ’ s defense and sent her a brief thanks while calling out the “ lack of integrity ” of those involved with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these two will get the last laugh in this little saga .
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The Republican Party’s fixation on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is pathological. They hate that she’s an immigrant, hate that she’s a woman of color, hate that she’s Muslim, and most of all they hate that she is all three of these things while also completely unafraid to stand up to their hateful, reactionary worldview. She’s been hit with all manner of vile smears since she came into office with disgusting Islamophobic insults being a frequent line of attack from her conservative ill-wishers.
Recently, Project Veritas, the right-wing propaganda crew run by the infamous James O’Keefe, released a video claiming that Omar was secretly operating a “massive voter fraud” operation in Minnesota in connection with people working for Minneapolis’s Ward 6 Councilman Jamal Osman. According to Veritas, she and her associates were paying to harvest ballots.
The outlandish claims were focused on videos posted by Osman’s brother Liban. The clips, stripped entirely of context, appeared to show Liban Osman driving while talking about politics and money with what appeared to be ballots inside his car. Even by the incredibly low standards of Project Veritas, the story seemed like an enormous stretch and lacked any real evidence.
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Despite the dubious nature of the accusations, right-wingers latched onto the story and propagated it all across social media. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), a frequent fifth columnist within the Democratic Party who should be neither trusted nor supported, boosted Project Veritas’s shaky reporting, happily spreading bad faith Republican talking points in the process.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1310768812883496966?s=20
Yesterday, it was revealed that there was much more to the story than O’Keefe let on. Liban Osman came forward to claim that a man named Omar Jamal who was an “insider” for” Project Veritas offered him a $10,000 bribe to confirm the story and claim that he was in fact collecting ballots to help Ilham Omar cheat in the election.
Osman also said that what appeared to be ballots in the videos shared by Veritas were in fact the envelopes that the ballots came in, which voters had asked him to dispose of out of an abundance of caution. In other words, it appears that the Veritas reportage was not only wrong but intentionally and maliciously misleading. At this point, it’s exactly what we should expect from these right-wingers and anyone who fell for their narrative should be embarrassed.
BREAKING: Liban Osman, subject of Project Veritas alleged voter fraud story, tells @LydenFOX9 he was offered $10K by Omar Jamal to say he was collecting ballots for Congresswoman @IlhanMN. Omar Jamal was Project Veritas’ insider in the Somali community. https://t.co/AXv8oaODfE — Mukhtar M. Ibrahim (@mukhtaryare) October 6, 2020
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a woman of color who has faced a barrage of right-wing attacks similar to the one focused on Omar, saw the new report about Osman and tweeted that Tulsi Gabbard “along with everyone else who amplified this fraudulent story” needs to publicly apologize to Omar. As usual, AOC was quick and confident in standing up for an ally and friend. Whether or not Gabbard, a Democrat notorious for lending aid and comfort to the GOP, will actually offer an apology is anyone’s guess.
.@TulsiGabbard – You, along with everyone else who amplified this fraudulent story, owe Rep. Omar a public apology. https://t.co/20FHctFFFs — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 6, 2020
Omar saw AOC’s defense and sent her a brief thanks while calling out the “lack of integrity” of those involved with the smear. Thankfully, it appears these two will get the last laugh in this little saga.
Thank you Alex, lack of integrity from these folks is astonishing. — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 6, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-06--CNN’s Jake Tapper rips Trump for ridiculous maskless strongman balcony stunt

It must be the steroids .
The side effects of the Dexamethasone that Donald Trump was given during his too brief stay at the Walter Reed Medical Center include aggression , agitation , insomnia , irritability , mental depression , mood changes , and trouble thinking , speaking , or walking .
That may help explain the decision by the Trump campaign to release this banana republic-style video of the dear leader triumphantly returning to the White House in his official helicopter while a bombastic musical score plays and culminating in an Eva Peron-like appearance on the balcony saluting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who just risked their own health by ferrying the COVID-19-shedding president back to what will hopefully be his home for only a short time more .
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CNN ’ s Jake Tapper saw the quickly produced propaganda — so tonally reminiscent of the iconographic films that Leni Riefenstahl directed for Adolph Hitler ’ s benefit during World War II , if less artfully crafted — and couldn ’ t help but reply with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film .
One must congratulate Jake Tapper for seeing through the “ cinematic flourishes ” to the essential reality of what the video portrays : a sick president — in any sense of the word sick that you choose — foolishly ignoring yet again the advice of the nation ’ s top scientists and medical experts and selfishly ignoring the health and safety of others for his own benefit .
Let ’ s hope that the vast majority of the electorate are able to see through the grandiose music and banal images of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steroid-laden and delusional president at the ballot box in a few short weeks .
That is if a coronavirus relapse doesn ’ t get him first .
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It must be the steroids.
The side effects of the Dexamethasone that Donald Trump was given during his too brief stay at the Walter Reed Medical Center include aggression, agitation, insomnia, irritability, mental depression, mood changes, and trouble thinking, speaking, or walking.
That may help explain the decision by the Trump campaign to release this banana republic-style video of the dear leader triumphantly returning to the White House in his official helicopter while a bombastic musical score plays and culminating in an Eva Peron-like appearance on the balcony saluting the departing helicopter filled with armed forces personnel who just risked their own health by ferrying the COVID-19-shedding president back to what will hopefully be his home for only a short time more.
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CNN’s Jake Tapper saw the quickly produced propaganda — so tonally reminiscent of the iconographic films that Leni Riefenstahl directed for Adolph Hitler’s benefit during World War II, if less artfully crafted — and couldn’t help but reply with his own Rotten Tomatoes-style review of the short film.
Cinematic flourishes aside, this is video of a 74-year-old clinically obese man with COVID-19, on serious medication, as he goes home to risk exposing even more healthy people to the virus he has, with a current death count of more than 210,000. https://t.co/s2RDAoKWuJ — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 6, 2020
One must congratulate Jake Tapper for seeing through the “cinematic flourishes” to the essential reality of what the video portrays: a sick president — in any sense of the word sick that you choose — foolishly ignoring yet again the advice of the nation’s top scientists and medical experts and selfishly ignoring the health and safety of others for his own benefit.
Let’s hope that the vast majority of the electorate are able to see through the grandiose music and banal images of false patriotism and will soundly reject this steroid-laden and delusional president at the ballot box in a few short weeks.
That is if a coronavirus relapse doesn’t get him first.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-06--Fox host torches Trump spokesman for ridiculous whatabout Biden defense of Trump’s recklessness

Donald Trump is no longer in the hospital for treatment for his COVID-19 infection but despite the rosy rhetoric from his surrogates , the president is still ill , still symptomatic , and still contagious .
His decision to ride around in an SUV to feed his ego by waving to his supporters put the lives of the Secret Service agents crammed into the vehicle with him at stake , a deeply selfish move that has now been compounded by his decision to return to the White House and put the staff there at risk too .
On Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hogan Gidley tried and failed to defend the president ’ s reckless behavior .
Host Sandra Smith asked him about the now-viral moment shortly after returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue when Trump stood on a balcony and ripped his mask off in front of cameras before heading inside , sending a dangerous message to the country about the necessity of masks in the process .
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“ Okay , a couple things there again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the balcony outside .
He takes his mask off !
Flip over a few channels .
Take a look at MSNBC .
Joe Biden is sitting there without a mask next to Lester Holt without a mask , ” said Gidley trying to shift the focus to Biden despite the fact that the former vice president regularly practices social distancing and mask use .
“ It ’ s absolutely ridiculous to hear the media go apoplectic over this and by the way I didn ’ t hear any concern when members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Briefing Room and turn around and do live shots , ” Gidley went on , unleashing a torrent of unrelated attempts to distract from the behavior of the president .
“ Hogan , one big difference is that the president is currently shedding the virus .
He ’ s still in the middle of the ten-day virus phase , ” pointed out Smith , immediately shutting down the Trump minion ’ s inane talking points .
A simple rejoinder to be sure , but a perfect evisceration of Gidley ’ s bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excusing the president .
He ’ s carrying a deadly virus and doesn ’ t care who he spreads it to .
Whataboutism can ’ t hide that .
To make matters worse , CNN ’ s fact-checker pointed out that Gidley ’ s claim that Trump was alone on the balcony was either a mistake or a lie , as images of the incident show a photographer standing closely behind the president .
The simple , undeniable fact is that Donald Trump does not care who he infects .
He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political career and if he thinks there is something to be gained personally from actions that happen to endanger others he ’ s more than happy to pursue them .
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Donald Trump is no longer in the hospital for treatment for his COVID-19 infection but despite the rosy rhetoric from his surrogates, the president is still ill, still symptomatic, and still contagious. His decision to ride around in an SUV to feed his ego by waving to his supporters put the lives of the Secret Service agents crammed into the vehicle with him at stake, a deeply selfish move that has now been compounded by his decision to return to the White House and put the staff there at risk too.
On Fox News today, White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley tried and failed to defend the president’s reckless behavior. Host Sandra Smith asked him about the now-viral moment shortly after returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue when Trump stood on a balcony and ripped his mask off in front of cameras before heading inside, sending a dangerous message to the country about the necessity of masks in the process.
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“Okay, a couple things there again. The president’s alone on the balcony outside. He takes his mask off! Flip over a few channels. Take a look at MSNBC. Joe Biden is sitting there without a mask next to Lester Holt without a mask,” said Gidley trying to shift the focus to Biden despite the fact that the former vice president regularly practices social distancing and mask use.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous to hear the media go apoplectic over this and by the way I didn’t hear any concern when members of the media take their own masks off inside the Briefing Room and turn around and do live shots,” Gidley went on, unleashing a torrent of unrelated attempts to distract from the behavior of the president.
“Hogan, one big difference is that the president is currently shedding the virus. He’s still in the middle of the ten-day virus phase,” pointed out Smith, immediately shutting down the Trump minion’s inane talking points. A simple rejoinder to be sure, but a perfect evisceration of Gidley’s bad faith talking points. There is no excusing the president. He’s carrying a deadly virus and doesn’t care who he spreads it to. Whataboutism can’t hide that.
Not a particularly successful attempt at whataboutism pic.twitter.com/EP31D8CjVm — Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) October 6, 2020
To make matters worse, CNN’s fact-checker pointed out that Gidley’s claim that Trump was alone on the balcony was either a mistake or a lie, as images of the incident show a photographer standing closely behind the president. The simple, undeniable fact is that Donald Trump does not care who he infects. He’s entirely fixated on his own ego and political career and if he thinks there is something to be gained personally from actions that happen to endanger others he’s more than happy to pursue them.
Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley just claimed on Fox that Trump was “alone on the balcony outside” when he was maskless. He was not alone. There was a photographer right behind him. He then walked inside, and there were at least two other people visible near him there. pic.twitter.com/HbG6PcdzNj — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 6, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-06--Claudia Conway posts video of Kellyanne cursing her out for revealing their infection

The family drama chez Kellyanne continues to unfold in a disturbing fashion .
A new video recorded by the former Trump spin doctor ’ s daughter Claudia shows Kellyanne Conway cursing out her daughter for publicly accusing her mother of having brought COVID-19 into their home .
Implicit in the young Conway ’ s accusations is that her mother had followed the rest of the Trump team in disregarding all basic preventative measures in an effort to publicly downplay the severity of the virus and shield the president from backlash from a pandemic that has killed over 211,000 people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the deadly disease .
Claudia Conway posted a video to social media app TikTok which shows Kellyanne yelling at her daughter , claiming she ’ s caused so much “ disruption ” and that she “ lied about your own f*cking mother , about COVID !
” Claudia responds by saying “ that ’ s just how I interpreted it !
” before angling the camera to show Kellyanne ’ s face , which gave away that she was filming .
Kellyanne Conway later took to Twitter and made yet another plea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter ’ s illuminating glimpses into their home life , but couldn ’ t help work in a jab at the Fake News Media that she spent so many hours railing against on behalf of the President .
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Claudia Conway , who is staunchly anti-Trump , began spilling her parents ’ dirty laundry when they attempted to rein in her social media use .
One clip that she posted appears to allege physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might argue that private family affairs should be kept within the family , others might argue these moments of public humiliation for Kellyanne Conway at the hands of her own daughter are just the tip of the karmic iceberg for a woman who invented fake terrorist attacks and turned lying to the public into an art form on behalf of an authoritarian racist and serial sexual predator .

The family drama chez Kellyanne continues to unfold in a disturbing fashion. A new video recorded by the former Trump spin doctor’s daughter Claudia shows Kellyanne Conway cursing out her daughter for publicly accusing her mother of having brought COVID-19 into their home.
Implicit in the young Conway’s accusations is that her mother had followed the rest of the Trump team in disregarding all basic preventative measures in an effort to publicly downplay the severity of the virus and shield the president from backlash from a pandemic that has killed over 211,000 people, and in doing so infected her family with the deadly disease.
Claudia Conway posted a video to social media app TikTok which shows Kellyanne yelling at her daughter, claiming she’s caused so much “disruption” and that she
“lied about your own f*cking mother, about COVID!”
Claudia responds by saying “that’s just how I interpreted it!” before angling the camera to show Kellyanne’s face, which gave away that she was filming.
https://twitter.com/sbstryker/status/1313350441091047425?s=20
Kellyanne Conway later took to Twitter and made yet another plea to the media to stop covering her daughter’s illuminating glimpses into their home life, but couldn’t help work in a jab at the Fake News Media that she spent so many hours railing against on behalf of the President.
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My daughter, Claudia, is beautiful & brilliant. She has access to top doctors & health care & lives comfortably Like all of you, she speculates on social media Yet she’s 15 You are adults We have COVID, but it’s clear who’s really sick — Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) October 6, 2020
Claudia Conway, who is staunchly anti-Trump, began spilling her parents’ dirty laundry when they attempted to rein in her social media use. One clip that she posted appears to allege physical abuse by her mother.
While some might argue that private family affairs should be kept within the family, others might argue these moments of public humiliation for Kellyanne Conway at the hands of her own daughter are just the tip of the karmic iceberg for a woman who invented fake terrorist attacks and turned lying to the public into an art form on behalf of an authoritarian racist and serial sexual predator.
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Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-07--Trump issues manic all-caps tirade after watching conspiracy video from “Girl Bot”

If there is anyone left in the Trump administration who somehow still cares about the president ’ s political future they need to speak up right now and tell him to stop tweeting .
Since dragging his coronavirus-infested body back to the White House from Walter Reed Medical Center , the commander-in-chief has been on a nonstop Twitter binge .
Whether it ’ s because the virus is clouding his mind , or because the doctors have possibly pumped him full of powerful drugs , or simply because he knows his reelection chances are tanking is unclear .
What is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blasts out reinforces the idea that the man is completely unhinged and undeniably unfit for office .
His caps lock must be screaming for mercy at this point and yet he shows no signs of stopping .
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In addition to the usual victimhood narrative and self-pitying whining we ’ ve come to expect from this deeply pathetic man , Trump is also slinging out barely coherent references to some of his favorite conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he retweeted a poorly made video from a Twitter account named “ Girl Bot ” and penned a message claiming that “ THE BIGGEST OF ALL POLITICAL SCANDALS ( IN HISTORY !
!
!
” is the thoroughly debunked Spygate fantasy which alleges that the Obama administration abused its federal powers to sabotage the 2016 election .
In reality , federal agents were simply investigating the numerous and disturbing connections between the Trump campaign and Russia .
Trump , still using all caps , attacked Biden , Obama , and “ CROOKED @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them of engaging in a “ TREASONOUS PLOT.
” He ended by claiming that Biden , who is now thoroughly drubbing him in the polls , “ SHOULDN ’ T BE ALLOWED TO RUN.
” It ’ s the desperate plea of a man staring down defeat , but it ’ s unlikely to strike a chord with anyone who doesn ’ t already own a MAGA hat .
The president is unraveling before our very eyes and as he does it seems his only strategy is to sink further and further into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We want to hear what YOU have to say .
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If there is anyone left in the Trump administration who somehow still cares about the president’s political future they need to speak up right now and tell him to stop tweeting. Since dragging his coronavirus-infested body back to the White House from Walter Reed Medical Center, the commander-in-chief has been on a nonstop Twitter binge.
Whether it’s because the virus is clouding his mind, or because the doctors have possibly pumped him full of powerful drugs, or simply because he knows his reelection chances are tanking is unclear. What is clear is that every new tweet he blasts out reinforces the idea that the man is completely unhinged and undeniably unfit for office. His caps lock must be screaming for mercy at this point and yet he shows no signs of stopping.
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In addition to the usual victimhood narrative and self-pitying whining we’ve come to expect from this deeply pathetic man, Trump is also slinging out barely coherent references to some of his favorite conspiracy theories.
Typing in all capital letters, he retweeted a poorly made video from a Twitter account named “Girl Bot” and penned a message claiming that “THE BIGGEST OF ALL POLITICAL SCANDALS (IN HISTORY!!!” is the thoroughly debunked Spygate fantasy which alleges that the Obama administration abused its federal powers to sabotage the 2016 election. In reality, federal agents were simply investigating the numerous and disturbing connections between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Trump, still using all caps, attacked Biden, Obama, and “CROOKED HILLARY” in his tweet and accused them of engaging in a “TREASONOUS PLOT.” He ended by claiming that Biden, who is now thoroughly drubbing him in the polls, “SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO RUN.”
It’s the desperate plea of a man staring down defeat, but it’s unlikely to strike a chord with anyone who doesn’t already own a MAGA hat. The president is unraveling before our very eyes and as he does it seems his only strategy is to sink further and further into a fever swamp of right-wing paranoia.
Wow!!! NOW DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, THE BIGGEST OF ALL POLITICAL SCANDALS (IN HISTORY)!!! BIDEN, OBAMA AND CROOKED HILLARY LED THIS TREASONOUS PLOT!!! BIDEN SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO RUN – GOT CAUGHT!!! https://t.co/hf7zjqZYQ4 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-07--Trump AG Bill Barr suddenly changes rules, opens gates of legal interference in election

It ’ s been a long-standing policy of the United States Justice Department to do everything possible to avoid doing anything that would present the appearance of interfering in our national elections .
Hence the uproar when then-FBI Director James Comey announced just two weeks before the 2016 election that it was reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton ’ s email server while remaining publically mum about its ongoing investigation of the Trump campaign in its counter-intelligence inquiry about Russian electoral interference .
As it turned out , Hillary Clinton ’ s email scandal turned out to be an overblown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that senior members of the Trump campaign coordinated with Russian agents were proven accurate by the inquiry conducted by the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee .
Now ProPublica has revealed that the Trump Department of Justice under Attorney General William Barr “ has weakened its long-standing prohibition against interfering in elections , ” citing the two anonymous Justice Department officials .
Officially , the Department ’ s mandate to avoid interfering in elections , in place since 1980 , “ generally bars prosecutors not only from making any announcement about ongoing investigations close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps — such as an arrest or a raid — before a vote is finalized because the publicity could tip the balance of a race , ” as ProPublica writes .
The non-profit news outlet specialing in investigating abuses of power today revealed that : “ According to an email sent Friday by an official in the Public Integrity Section in Washington , now if a U.S. attorney ’ s office suspects election fraud that involves postal workers or military employees , federal investigators will be allowed to take public investigative steps before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions risk affecting the outcome of the election.
” “ The email announced ‘ an exception to the general non-interference with elections policy.
’ The new exemption , the email stated , applied to instances in which ‘ the integrity of any component of the federal government is implicated by election offenses within the scope of the policy including but not limited to misconduct by federal officials or employees administering an aspect of the voting process through the United States Postal Service , the Department of Defense or any other federal department or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell Mitch McConnell : No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration !
The specific mention of postal service workers and military personnel in the email dovetails perfectly and conveniently with the many outrageously false accusations of voter fraud being tweeted out on a nearly daily basis by Donald Trump .
Former DOJ employees are worried that “ the exception is written so broadly that it could cover other types of investigations as well , ” according to ProPublica .
They are also concerned that the rule change could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as his poll numbers continue to plummet after a disastrous debate performance , a tax scandal , and his inability to keep even himself safe from .
the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic .
Gupta is right to be afraid .
“ In a break from long-standing practice last month , a U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania publicly announced that the DOJ was investigating whether local elections officials illegally discarded nine mail-in military ballots .
Attorney General William Barr personally briefed Trump on the case before it was publicly announced , The Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an example to support his claims of widespread mail-in voter fraud , a false assertion Barr has has helped amplify .
It ’ s not clear where the federal probe stands , but Pennsylvania ’ s top elections official said early indications point to an error , not fraud , ” ProPublica writes .
“ The new policy carveout , Gupta said , could be designed to both justify the widely criticized Pennsylvania announcement and open the door for more such moves in the coming weeks , ” the publication continued .
Other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns .
The new email changing the non-interference policy was sent to a group of dozens of prosecutors around the country known as district election officers .
These officials monitor the conduct of election procedures and handle public complaints on Election Day about any alleged crimes .
They serve as the main federal points of contact for local election officials during the election season .
The news that ProPublica uncovered should only serve to further encourage voters to support Joe Biden to support a return to normal ethics in government after the corrupt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s hope that the rule change doesn ’ t ensure a heavy Department of Justice hand on the scales of the election , but given the track record of this administration so far , expect the dirty tricks to begin shortly .
Original reporting by Robert Faturechi and Justin Elliott at Pro Publica .
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It’s been a long-standing policy of the United States Justice Department to do everything possible to avoid doing anything that would present the appearance of interfering in our national elections.
Hence the uproar when then-FBI Director James Comey announced just two weeks before the 2016 election that it was reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server while remaining publically mum about its ongoing investigation of the Trump campaign in its counter-intelligence inquiry about Russian electoral interference.
As it turned out, Hillary Clinton’s email scandal turned out to be an overblown bust of an investigation while the accusations that senior members of the Trump campaign coordinated with Russian agents were proven accurate by the inquiry conducted by the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee.
Now ProPublica has revealed that the Trump Department of Justice under Attorney General William Barr “has weakened its long-standing prohibition against interfering in elections,” citing the two anonymous Justice Department officials.
Officially, the Department’s mandate to avoid interfering in elections, in place since 1980, “generally bars prosecutors not only from making any announcement about ongoing investigations close to an election but also from taking public steps — such as an arrest or a raid — before a vote is finalized because the publicity could tip the balance of a race,” as ProPublica writes.
The non-profit news outlet specialing in investigating abuses of power today revealed that:
“According to an email sent Friday by an official in the Public Integrity Section in Washington, now if a U.S. attorney’s office suspects election fraud that involves postal workers or military employees, federal investigators will be allowed to take public investigative steps before the polls close, even if those actions risk affecting the outcome of the election.” “The email announced ‘an exception to the general non-interference with elections policy.’ The new exemption, the email stated, applied to instances in which ‘the integrity of any component of the federal government is implicated by election offenses within the scope of the policy including but not limited to misconduct by federal officials or employees administering an aspect of the voting process through the United States Postal Service, the Department of Defense or any other federal department or agency.’”
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The specific mention of postal service workers and military personnel in the email dovetails perfectly and conveniently with the many outrageously false accusations of voter fraud being tweeted out on a nearly daily basis by Donald Trump.
Former DOJ employees are worried that “the exception is written so broadly that it could cover other types of investigations as well,” according to ProPublica. They are also concerned that the rule change could be used to assist the failing Trump campaign as his poll numbers continue to plummet after a disastrous debate performance, a tax scandal, and his inability to keep even himself safe from. the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s unusual that they’re carving out this exception,” said Vanita Gupta, the former head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under President Obama. “It may be creating a predicate for the Justice Department to make inflated announcements about mail-in vote fraud and the like in the run-up to the election.”
Gupta is right to be afraid.
“In a break from long-standing practice last month, a U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania publicly announced that the DOJ was investigating whether local elections officials illegally discarded nine mail-in military ballots. Attorney General William Barr personally briefed Trump on the case before it was publicly announced, The Washington Post reported. Trump later cited it as an example to support his claims of widespread mail-in voter fraud, a false assertion Barr has has helped amplify. It’s not clear where the federal probe stands, but Pennsylvania’s top elections official said early indications point to an error, not fraud,” ProPublica writes. “The new policy carveout, Gupta said, could be designed to both justify the widely criticized Pennsylvania announcement and open the door for more such moves in the coming weeks,” the publication continued.
Other former DOJ officials also expressed their serious concerns.
“It alarms me that the DOJ would want to authorize more of the same in and around the election,” said Justin Levitt, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the department’s civil rights division. “It’s incredibly painful for me to say, but given what we’ve seen recently, Americans shouldn’t trust DOJ announcements right now.”
The new email changing the non-interference policy was sent to a group of dozens of prosecutors around the country known as district election officers. These officials monitor the conduct of election procedures and handle public complaints on Election Day about any alleged crimes. They serve as the main federal points of contact for local election officials during the election season.
The news that ProPublica uncovered should only serve to further encourage voters to support Joe Biden to support a return to normal ethics in government after the corrupt excesses of the Trump administration.
Let’s hope that the rule change doesn’t ensure a heavy Department of Justice hand on the scales of the election, but given the track record of this administration so far, expect the dirty tricks to begin shortly.
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Original reporting by Robert Faturechi and Justin Elliott at Pro Publica.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-07--“There’s something wrong:” Pelosi sounds the alarm about Trump’s erratic behavior

Suspicions about Donald Trump ’ s drug use have surrounded the president for quite some time .
Former Celebrity Apprentice staffer Noel Casler is on record saying that Trump abused Adderall in order to focus enough to read the cue cards while on the set of the “ reality ” show and in recent months the president was caught on camera during one of his campaign events masquerading as a coronavirus press briefing expelling a suspicious bit of white matter from his nose .
Now that Trump has contracted COVID-19 , however , his physicians have dosed him with some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antiviral drugs in a combination that has rarely if ever been prescribed with each other before — with some serious psychological side effects that may exacerbate the president ’ s own ingrained personality disorders .
Yet despite the known psychological side effects of the Dexamethasone treatment that the president has received – including aggression , agitation , anxiety , irritability , depression , psychosis , delirium , and mania — the president still has access to the nuclear codes .
If ever there was a time to invoke the 25th amendment , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D-CA ) was forthright about Trump ’ s mental condition today during an interview on ABC ‘ s The View .
Speaking with The View co-host Ana Navarro about the president ’ s sudden decision yesterday to call off negotiations over stimulus talks , Speaker Pelosi acknowledged that Trump ’ s behavior has “ always ” been “ erratic.
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Pelosi is primarily concerned right now about the effect that Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts to provide pandemic stimulus relief to the American people , but when The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg asked her whether she ’ d be willing to go to the White House to hash out a compromise with the president , the House Speaker quickly demurred for two primary reasons , only one of which had to do with its status as a coronavirus hot spot .
The House Speaker noted that she ’ s believed that Trump was medicated the last time she saw him in person , way back at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had spread widely throughout the country .
She was even more concerned about how the Dexamethasone — as well as the coronavirus infection itself — were affecting the president ’ s already questionable mental condition .
While the House Speaker is clearly worried about the impact of a mentally unstable president on the future of our country , she did not go so far as to call for an invocation of the 25th Amendment to transfer power temporarily to Vice President Mike Pence , perhaps to avoid triggering a potentially disastrous bout of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and defensive Trump .
While Nancy Pelosi may be too canny to call directly for the president to be relieved from his duties until he has either recovered from COVID-19 and its drug regimen or has ultimately succumbed to it , the rest of the American public have the freedom to make their own resounding call for the emergency invocation of the 25th Amendment .
Call your elected representatives now and demand that they insist that Donald Trump be temporarily removed from the presidency until we have the opportunity to remove him permanently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the only sensible course of action for a president who has lost all semblance of sense beyond dangerously drug-addled notions of self-preservation .
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Suspicions about Donald Trump’s drug use have surrounded the president for quite some time.
Former Celebrity Apprentice staffer Noel Casler is on record saying that Trump abused Adderall in order to focus enough to read the cue cards while on the set of the “reality” show and in recent months the president was caught on camera during one of his campaign events masquerading as a coronavirus press briefing expelling a suspicious bit of white matter from his nose.
Now that Trump has contracted COVID-19, however, his physicians have dosed him with some very powerful steroids — together with other antiviral drugs in a combination that has rarely if ever been prescribed with each other before — with some serious psychological side effects that may exacerbate the president’s own ingrained personality disorders.
Yet despite the known psychological side effects of the Dexamethasone treatment that the president has received – including aggression, agitation, anxiety, irritability, depression, psychosis, delirium, and mania — the president still has access to the nuclear codes.
If ever there was a time to invoke the 25th amendment, it is now.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was forthright about Trump’s mental condition today during an interview on ABC‘s The View.
Speaking with The View co-host Ana Navarro about the president’s sudden decision yesterday to call off negotiations over stimulus talks, Speaker Pelosi acknowledged that Trump’s behavior has “always” been “erratic.”
“The president has always had erratic behavior,” @SpeakerPelosi tells @TheView after Pres. Trump changed course on coronavirus relief negotiations. “It is really important for us to come to this agreement.” https://t.co/ICL6fkcngO pic.twitter.com/jkm7Wbif3i — The View (@TheView) October 7, 2020
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Pelosi is primarily concerned right now about the effect that Trump’s disordered thinking is having on her efforts to provide pandemic stimulus relief to the American people, but when The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg asked her whether she’d be willing to go to the White House to hash out a compromise with the president, the House Speaker quickly demurred for two primary reasons, only one of which had to do with its status as a coronavirus hot spot.
“I wouldn’t go anywhere near the White House,” Pelosi said. “It’s one of the most dangerous places in the country, both in terms of the assault that it makes on truth as well as health,” Pelosi quickly replied.
The House Speaker noted that she’s believed that Trump was medicated the last time she saw him in person, way back at the beginning of February before the COVID-19 pandemic had spread widely throughout the country.
“Last time I had an interaction with the president was the State of the Union address, and then after that, I said to my staff, I said, ‘I think he was medicated, there’s something wrong with how he came on and presented,’” Pelosi stated.
She was even more concerned about how the Dexamethasone — as well as the coronavirus infection itself — were affecting the president’s already questionable mental condition.
“I said yesterday yesterday to my colleagues, I said, there are those who say that a steroid has an impact on people’s thinking,” she said. “I don’t know, but there are those health care providers who say that. Also, if you have the coronavirus, it has an impact as well.”
Asked if she would go to the White House to negotiate with Pres. Trump, @SpeakerPelosi says she “wouldn’t go anywhere near” it: “It’s one of the most dangerous places in the country both in terms of the assault that it makes on truth as well as health.” https://t.co/ICL6fkcngO pic.twitter.com/18eGZiqiQQ — The View (@TheView) October 7, 2020
While the House Speaker is clearly worried about the impact of a mentally unstable president on the future of our country, she did not go so far as to call for an invocation of the 25th Amendment to transfer power temporarily to Vice President Mike Pence, perhaps to avoid triggering a potentially disastrous bout of “roid rage” from the thin-skinned and defensive Trump.
While Nancy Pelosi may be too canny to call directly for the president to be relieved from his duties until he has either recovered from COVID-19 and its drug regimen or has ultimately succumbed to it, the rest of the American public have the freedom to make their own resounding call for the emergency invocation of the 25th Amendment.
Call your elected representatives now and demand that they insist that Donald Trump be temporarily removed from the presidency until we have the opportunity to remove him permanently via the ballot box.
It’s the only sensible course of action for a president who has lost all semblance of sense beyond dangerously drug-addled notions of self-preservation.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Travis Gettys at RawStory.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-07--Trump advisor curses out reporters for catching him wearing a mask

Things are looking grim for the Trump White House .
The president is spending his time recovering from COVID-19 tweeting nonstop like a deranged old man , possibly in an altered state from some kind of drug cocktail .
The fact that we don ’ t know for sure what ’ s going on with him is due to the usual aversion to transparency and fondness for mendacity that has characterized this administration since day one .
Trump ’ s base incompetency at governing is now being exacerbated by his illness and he seems incapable of making a political move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face .
His announcement yesterday that he will be scuttling stimulus talks with the Democrats until after the election , even as Americans go hungry and die from the pandemic , is a prime example of how completely broken his political instincts are .
Meanwhile , Joe Biden is pulling even further ahead in the polls .
It looks like—barring some incredible development—the vice president stands a great chance of winning the presidency next month .
The public ’ s faith in President Trump ( what little there was to begin with ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ botching of the coronavirus outbreak , a historic failure which was only underlined by his own contracting of the virus .
The Trump team is in desperate need of a drastic pivot in not only campaign strategy but general rhetoric .
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell : No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration !
Instead , it looks like the administration intends to double down on its toxic behavior .
Trump made headlines by ripping his mask off immediately after returning to the White House , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no intention of adjusting his messaging on COVID-19 .
In addition to setting terrible examples , it appears Trump ’ s lackeys plan on maintaining the same ignorant belligerence they ’ ve long displayed .
According to Politico ’ s Meridith McGraw , Trump ’ s assistant and Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro walked by members of the press dressed in a mask and workout gear today .
When some of the photographers snapped pictures of him he yelled that they were “ assholes.
” The mix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety precautions wed with the incredible hostility to the press is a perfect distillation of everything wrong with this White House .
It may seem like a small thing , but it ’ s indicative of the much larger problems .
Hopefully , we ’ ll soon be rid of all of these monsters and competent adults will once again be governing at 1600 Pennslyvania Avenue .
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Things are looking grim for the Trump White House. The president is spending his time recovering from COVID-19 tweeting nonstop like a deranged old man, possibly in an altered state from some kind of drug cocktail. The fact that we don’t know for sure what’s going on with him is due to the usual aversion to transparency and fondness for mendacity that has characterized this administration since day one.
Trump’s base incompetency at governing is now being exacerbated by his illness and he seems incapable of making a political move that doesn’t backfire in his face. His announcement yesterday that he will be scuttling stimulus talks with the Democrats until after the election, even as Americans go hungry and die from the pandemic, is a prime example of how completely broken his political instincts are.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden is pulling even further ahead in the polls. It looks like—barring some incredible development—the vice president stands a great chance of winning the presidency next month. The public’s faith in President Trump (what little there was to begin with) has been perhaps irreparably damaged by his botching of the coronavirus outbreak, a historic failure which was only underlined by his own contracting of the virus. The Trump team is in desperate need of a drastic pivot in not only campaign strategy but general rhetoric.
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell: No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration!
Instead, it looks like the administration intends to double down on its toxic behavior. Trump made headlines by ripping his mask off immediately after returning to the White House, sending a clear signal that he has no intention of adjusting his messaging on COVID-19. In addition to setting terrible examples, it appears Trump’s lackeys plan on maintaining the same ignorant belligerence they’ve long displayed.
According to Politico’s Meridith McGraw, Trump’s assistant and Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro walked by members of the press dressed in a mask and workout gear today. When some of the photographers snapped pictures of him he yelled that they were “assholes.”
The mix of embarrassment at being seen taking necessary safety precautions wed with the incredible hostility to the press is a perfect distillation of everything wrong with this White House. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s indicative of the much larger problems. Hopefully, we’ll soon be rid of all of these monsters and competent adults will once again be governing at 1600 Pennslyvania Avenue.
Peter Navarro, wearing a mask and workout gear, just walked by press sitting outside the West Wing. Some photographers took photos and he called them “assholes.” — Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) October 7, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-07--Trump unleashes barrage of unhinged rage-tweets crying victimhood as he plummets in polls

Panic at his tanking polls and perhaps some chemical encouragement from the steroids he ’ s taking to battle the COVID-19 raging through his lungs sparked a furious barrage of insane and angry tweets from President Trump on Wednesday morning .
In the space of a few hours , the President had cranked out a staggering 49 tweets and retweets about everything and everything that makes up the right-wing ’ s apocalyptic and delusional worldview , focusing on the imaginary “ Obamagate coup ” that the President and his propagandists are convinced the Obama-Biden administration attempted to perpetrate against him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and of course , the evil fake news media .
Disturbingly , the President again called for the arrests of his political enemies and promoted ridiculous conspiracy theories — this time in multiple all-caps outbursts that let us all know how he ’ s really feeling .
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Of course , if you ask the President himself what exactly Obamagate is , as Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker did at a White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you won ’ t be able to get a straight answer , as evidenced by this surreal response from Trump : “ It ’ s been going on for a long time .
It ’ s been going on from before I even got elected .
And it ’ s a disgrace that it happened and if you look at what ’ s gone on and if you look at now all of this information that ’ s being released .
And from what I understand that ’ s only the beginning…some terrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed to happen in our country again…And you ’ ll be seeing what ’ s going on over the coming weeks and I wish you ’ d write honestly about it but unfortunately , you choose not to do so…You know what the crime is .
The crime is very obvious to everybody .
All you have to do is read the newspapers , except yours.
” It truly is remarkable to see how a man who has been handed everything he ever wanted on a silver plate has the nerve to complain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all times .
New polls that came out yesterday showed the president down by a staggering 20pts with seniors , the key demographic for Trump ’ s victory and America ’ s most reliable voting block .
It appears Trump ’ s appalling debate performance was not well received by the public , and coupled with his refusal to pass any new stimulus and general mismanagement of a pandemic that has killed over 210,000 people , Biden is poised to win comfortably — if the polls hold up and voting is allowed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s reaction to this news is fairly evident from the wild behavior of his Twitter feed this morning — as if we needed another reason to vote him out !

Panic at his tanking polls and perhaps some chemical encouragement from the steroids he’s taking to battle the COVID-19 raging through his lungs sparked a furious barrage of insane and angry tweets from President Trump on Wednesday morning.
In the space of a few hours, the President had cranked out a staggering 49 tweets and retweets about everything and everything that makes up the right-wing’s apocalyptic and delusional worldview, focusing on the imaginary “Obamagate coup” that the President and his propagandists are convinced the Obama-Biden administration attempted to perpetrate against him, Hillary Clinton’s imaginary crimes, and of course, the evil fake news media.
Disturbingly, the President again called for the arrests of his political enemies and promoted ridiculous conspiracy theories — this time in multiple all-caps outbursts that let us all know how he’s really feeling.
NOW THAT THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS GOT CAUGHT COLD IN THE (NON) FRIENDLY TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT, IN FACT, THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN AND WENT FOR A COUP, WE ARE ENTITLED TO ASK THE VOTERS FOR FOUR MORE YEARS. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU VOTE! https://t.co/gsFSghkmdM — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
Ari, THE MEDIA IS CORRUPT, JUST LIKE OUR DEMOCRAT RUN BALLOT SYSTEM IS CORRUPT! Look at what’s happening with Fake, Missing and Fraudulent Ballots all over the Country??? VOTE https://t.co/PaFBuskB19 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
Where are all of the arrests? Can you imagine if the roles were reversed? Long term sentences would have started two years ago. Shameful! https://t.co/w2s8LdiRu0 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
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Talks unity but illegally spied on my campaign, and much worse – COUP! Too late for the nice talk Sleepy Joe! VOTE https://t.co/BBC2I7imfx — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
…And I had to put up with these losers and still run a Country, AND VERY WELL! https://t.co/PagynNnMrF — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
I just hope the voter understands that they are all Fake News trying hard to push a man that should NEVER be president of our Country. https://t.co/RjP9lBJe7a — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
Of course, if you ask the President himself what exactly Obamagate is, as Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker did at a White House press conference a few months ago, you won’t be able to get a straight answer, as evidenced by this surreal response from Trump:
“It’s been going on for a long time. It’s been going on from before I even got elected. And it’s a disgrace that it happened and if you look at what’s gone on and if you look at now all of this information that’s being released. And from what I understand that’s only the beginning…some terrible things happened and it should never be allowed to happen in our country again…And you’ll be seeing what’s going on over the coming weeks and I wish you’d write honestly about it but unfortunately, you choose not to do so…You know what the crime is. The crime is very obvious to everybody. All you have to do is read the newspapers, except yours.”
It truly is remarkable to see how a man who has been handed everything he ever wanted on a silver plate has the nerve to complain about what a victim he is at all times.
New polls that came out yesterday showed the president down by a staggering 20pts with seniors, the key demographic for Trump’s victory and America’s most reliable voting block. It appears Trump’s appalling debate performance was not well received by the public, and coupled with his refusal to pass any new stimulus and general mismanagement of a pandemic that has killed over 210,000 people, Biden is poised to win comfortably — if the polls hold up and voting is allowed to play out without interference.
The president’s reaction to this news is fairly evident from the wild behavior of his Twitter feed this morning — as if we needed another reason to vote him out!
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-08--White House launches disgraceful attack on Whitmer after kidnapping plot against her is thwarted

Earlier today , The Detroit News broke the shocking story that federal agents stopped twelve far-right terrorists who were planning what has been described as a “ major operation ” to overthrow the government and kidnap Gretchen Whitmer , the Democratic Governor of Michigan .
According to the court filings , the men involved in the plot carried out surveillance of Whitmer ’ s vacation home at least twice and discussed how they would abscond with her to a “ secure ” Wisconsin location where they would carry out some kind of sham trial for imagined “ treason ” on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that some of the plotters discussed killing “ tyrants ” and the “ taking ” of a governor .
Hoping to expand into something more akin to all-out insurrection , the men planned to recruit more conspirators by reaching out to likeminded individuals .
Whitmer has become a lightning rod for conservative criticisms due to the strong measures she has implemented to halt the spread of COVID-19 .
Some Republicans have taken to regularly comparing her to Hitler over her previously issued stay-at-home order , in no small part because many right-wingers have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoax or at the very least overblown .
This kidnapping plot is the natural terminus for such paranoia .
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Immediately after the news broke , commentators brought up a previous tweet from President Trump in which he urged his followers to “ LIBERATE MICHIGAN !
” The intentionally vague nature of the tweet means it could easily have been interpreted by fringe right-wing groups as a call to violence .
Whitmer responded powerfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to task for “ stoking distrust , fomenting anger , and giving comfort to those who spread fear and hatred and division.
” The governor went on to criticize Trump ’ s refusal to forcefully denounce white supremacists during his debate with Joe Biden as well as his order to the cryptofascist Proud Boys group to “ stand back and stand by.
” Astonishingly , the White House does not see the kidnapping plot as a reason to tone down Trump ’ s rhetoric or come out in strong opposition to right-wing terror @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using this story as an excuse to attack Governor Whitmer personally .
“ President Trump has continually condemned white supremacists and all forms of hate .
Governor Whitmer is sowing division by making these outlandish allegations .
America stands united against hate and in support of our federal law enforcement who stopped this plot , ” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement .
As if McEnany ’ s gross victim-blaming wasn ’ t enough , Trump campaign senior advisor Jason Miller—the same man who was accused of secretly slipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Fox News and told Whitmer to “ go look in the mirror ” if she wanted to discuss “ hatred ” before whinging about the criticisms she ’ s leveled against our disastrous , bigoted president .
It was exactly the kind of disgraceful media performance one would expect from someone as morally bankrupt as Miller .
Clearly , the Trump administration could not care less about violent plots against Democratic politicians .
If these monsters aren ’ t removed from power and stripped of the state legitimacy they ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s no telling what kind of attack conservatives will plan next .
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Earlier today, The Detroit News broke the shocking story that federal agents stopped twelve far-right terrorists who were planning what has been described as a “major operation” to overthrow the government and kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic Governor of Michigan.
According to the court filings, the men involved in the plot carried out surveillance of Whitmer’s vacation home at least twice and discussed how they would abscond with her to a “secure” Wisconsin location where they would carry out some kind of sham trial for imagined “treason” on her part.
An FBI affidavit revealed that some of the plotters discussed killing “tyrants” and the “taking” of a governor. Hoping to expand into something more akin to all-out insurrection, the men planned to recruit more conspirators by reaching out to likeminded individuals.
Whitmer has become a lightning rod for conservative criticisms due to the strong measures she has implemented to halt the spread of COVID-19. Some Republicans have taken to regularly comparing her to Hitler over her previously issued stay-at-home order, in no small part because many right-wingers have become convinced that the coronavirus is a hoax or at the very least overblown. This kidnapping plot is the natural terminus for such paranoia.
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell: No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration!
Immediately after the news broke, commentators brought up a previous tweet from President Trump in which he urged his followers to “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” The intentionally vague nature of the tweet means it could easily have been interpreted by fringe right-wing groups as a call to violence.
LIBERATE MICHIGAN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
Whitmer responded powerfully to the kidnapping story by taking Trump to task for “stoking distrust, fomenting anger, and giving comfort to those who spread fear and hatred and division.” The governor went on to criticize Trump’s refusal to forcefully denounce white supremacists during his debate with Joe Biden as well as his order to the cryptofascist Proud Boys group to “stand back and stand by.”
Whitmer: "Our head of state has spent the past 7 months denying science, ignoring his own health experts, stoking distrust, fomenting anger, & giving comfort to those who spread fear … just last week, POTUS stood before the people and refused to condemn white supremacists." pic.twitter.com/LKfUht5rD4 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2020
Astonishingly, the White House does not see the kidnapping plot as a reason to tone down Trump’s rhetoric or come out in strong opposition to right-wing terror. Instead, the Trump administration is using this story as an excuse to attack Governor Whitmer personally.
“President Trump has continually condemned white supremacists and all forms of hate. Governor Whitmer is sowing division by making these outlandish allegations. America stands united against hate and in support of our federal law enforcement who stopped this plot,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.
As if McEnany’s gross victim-blaming wasn’t enough, Trump campaign senior advisor Jason Miller—the same man who was accused of secretly slipping an abortion pill to his stripper mistress—appeared on Fox News and told Whitmer to “go look in the mirror” if she wanted to discuss “hatred” before whinging about the criticisms she’s leveled against our disastrous, bigoted president. It was exactly the kind of disgraceful media performance one would expect from someone as morally bankrupt as Miller.
Clearly, the Trump administration could not care less about violent plots against Democratic politicians. If these monsters aren’t removed from power and stripped of the state legitimacy they’ve been abusing to incite dangerous groups there’s no telling what kind of attack conservatives will plan next.
Trump campaign official Jason Miller is on Fox News attacking Gretchen Whitmer, the victim of a kidnapping plot: "If we want to talk about hatred, then Gov. Whitmer, go look in the mirror — the fact that she wakes up everyday with such hatred in her heart for President Trump." pic.twitter.com/sMXv7mgBfa — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-08--FOX guest gets banned from the network after vile sexist attack on Kamala Harris

In today ’ s media landscape , it seems like right-wing commentators can say any number of appalling things and get away with barely a slap on the wrist , so it ’ s nice to see karma come crashing down every once in a while — especially when the offense is particularly heinous , like Harlan Z. Hill ’ s tweet about Senator Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) last night .
Hill , a fervent Trump-loving FOX guest most well known for looking like a cigar-smoking cherub and for the extremely graphic text messages he allegedly sent to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divorce ( allegedly ) , decided to go full misogynist last night and called Sen. Harris a “ b*tch ” in his commentary on the debate .
It ’ s disgusting to see Hill smearing a historic moment like our nation ’ s first Black and Indian Vice Presidential nominee debate on the national stage with petty insults based on nothing but her gender — but nothing more can be expected from a self-centered and morally vacant snotling like Hill .
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His comeuppance came rather quickly , however .
In a statement to the Daily Beast , a FOX News spokesperson announced that “ We have no intention of booking him as a guest on any of our platforms.
” Though he is not on the FOX payroll — contrary to what his Twitter bio would have you believe — he has appeared on FOX News and FOX Business some 47 times since 2017 , most recently in July 2020 .
When pressed for comment by the Daily Beast , Hill doubled down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was extraordinarily disrespectful to the vice president last night , lied to the American people repeatedly on The Biden/Harris platform , and was just generally unlikable and smug .
I tweeted what I tweeted and I ’ d tweet it again ” texted Hill .
Clearly , this — arguably — “ man ” has some serious internal issues that he should probably seek therapy for .
In any case , we hope that his insults were worth losing the last shred of professional legitimacy that he had .

In today’s media landscape, it seems like right-wing commentators can say any number of appalling things and get away with barely a slap on the wrist, so it’s nice to see karma come crashing down every once in a while — especially when the offense is particularly heinous, like Harlan Z. Hill’s tweet about Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) last night.
Hill, a fervent Trump-loving FOX guest most well known for looking like a cigar-smoking cherub and for the extremely graphic text messages he allegedly sent to a woman on Twitter that led to his divorce (allegedly), decided to go full misogynist last night and called Sen. Harris a “b*tch” in his commentary on the debate.
https://twitter.com/Harlan/status/1314023565222608905?s=20
It’s disgusting to see Hill smearing a historic moment like our nation’s first Black and Indian Vice Presidential nominee debate on the national stage with petty insults based on nothing but her gender — but nothing more can be expected from a self-centered and morally vacant snotling like Hill.
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His comeuppance came rather quickly, however. In a statement to the Daily Beast, a FOX News spokesperson announced that “We have no intention of booking him as a guest on any of our platforms.” Though he is not on the FOX payroll — contrary to what his Twitter bio would have you believe — he has appeared on FOX News and FOX Business some 47 times since 2017, most recently in July 2020.
When pressed for comment by the Daily Beast, Hill doubled down on his misogyny. “Kamala Harris was extraordinarily disrespectful to the vice president last night, lied to the American people repeatedly on The Biden/Harris platform, and was just generally unlikable and smug. I tweeted what I tweeted and I’d tweet it again” texted Hill.
Clearly, this — arguably — “man” has some serious internal issues that he should probably seek therapy for. In any case, we hope that his insults were worth losing the last shred of professional legitimacy that he had.
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Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-08--Ocasio-Cortez deftly roasts Mike Lee for his disrespect to American Democracy

The reverberations of the audacious anti-democracy stance that Senator Mike Lee ( R-UT ) revealed on Twitter during the last 24 hours continue to echo down the halls of Congress .
Senator Lee shocked Americans last night with a series of posts denigrating America ’ s democratic system as “ rank ” and undermining our democratic constitutional order as not “ the objective ” of our government .
The libertarian-leaning senator ’ s posts immediately came under a barrage of criticism that called his statement out as the first outright expression of the up-to-now unstated desire of the Republican party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fascist state to replace our current democracy .
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) saw one of Senator Lee ’ s posts and responded this morning with a pithy comeback for the budding authoritarian in the GOP .
It was a simple and easy way for the progressive legislator to cut to the heart of the matter .
Forget arguing over whether our nation is a true representative democracy or actually a republic .
That question has already been answered quite definitively by Eugene Volokh , an opinion writer for The Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over five years ago that the distinction is a false dichotomy since the United States is actually both a representative democracy and a constitutional republic .
The question indeed is not what form of government that we actually have at this moment in time but what form of government we need to have going forward : one that allows the elite class of billionaires to control the political process through secretive campaign contributions and high-priced lobbyists or one that actually represents the will of the citizens who actually cast their ballots expecting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own well-being rather than that of the GOP ’ s corporate masters ?
Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez wasn ’ t the only Democratic politician , progressive luminary , or even “ Never-Trump ” Republican to condemn Senator Lee ’ s fascistic philosophy .
Here are some of the other responses to the Utah reactionary ’ s extremist interpretation of the Constitution .
Even White House correspondents and Hollywood celebrities condemned the senator for his condescending elitist attitude towards allowing the rabble to have a voice in how they are governed .
It seems as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the very concept of democracy have struck a nerve with anyone who believes in our nation ’ s founding principles as expressed in the U.S. Constitution which in its very opening words– “ We the People ” — exemplifies the supremacy of the people as the only legitimate source of government power .
A senator who does not believe in democracy should not be participating in our legislative body .
Senator Lee should resign or be recalled by the people of Utah before being allowed to continue to represent their state for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And let ’ s vote the rest of the GOP — the ones who believe what Senator Lee expressed about democracy , but are smart enough not to say it out loud — out of their offices while we ’ re at it .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

The reverberations of the audacious anti-democracy stance that Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) revealed on Twitter during the last 24 hours continue to echo down the halls of Congress.
Senator Lee shocked Americans last night with a series of posts denigrating America’s democratic system as “rank” and undermining our democratic constitutional order as not “the objective” of our government.
Democracy isn’t the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that. — Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 8, 2020
The libertarian-leaning senator’s posts immediately came under a barrage of criticism that called his statement out as the first outright expression of the up-to-now unstated desire of the Republican party to institute a non-representative, authoritarian, fascist state to replace our current democracy.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) saw one of Senator Lee’s posts and responded this morning with a pithy comeback for the budding authoritarian in the GOP.
We’re not a democracy. — Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 8, 2020
It was a simple and easy way for the progressive legislator to cut to the heart of the matter.
Forget arguing over whether our nation is a true representative democracy or actually a republic. That question has already been answered quite definitively by Eugene Volokh, an opinion writer for The Washington Post, who concluded in an op-ed written over five years ago that the distinction is a false dichotomy since the United States is actually both a representative democracy and a constitutional republic.
The question indeed is not what form of government that we actually have at this moment in time but what form of government we need to have going forward: one that allows the elite class of billionaires to control the political process through secretive campaign contributions and high-priced lobbyists or one that actually represents the will of the citizens who actually cast their ballots expecting to see their representatives pass legislation that benefits their own well-being rather than that of the GOP’s corporate masters?
Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez wasn’t the only Democratic politician, progressive luminary, or even “Never-Trump” Republican to condemn Senator Lee’s fascistic philosophy. Here are some of the other responses to the Utah reactionary’s extremist interpretation of the Constitution.
Dear @SenMikeLee: The American people rejected your view that “Democracy isn’t the objective” when they ratified the 17th Amendment. You became a senator through rank democracy. And can you please get @GOP to adopt anti-democracy as your new campaign slogan? It’s a real winner. https://t.co/mYBD83E7hz — Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 8, 2020
A 6th GOP justice was nominated by an impeached president who lost the popular vote by 3M, and will be confirmed by GOP senators representing 11M fewer Americans than their Dem colleagues, after Obama's pick couldn't even get a vote. Mike Lee simply said the quiet part out loud. https://t.co/yVvzokxZtd — Robert Reich (@RBReich) October 8, 2020
run against this guy. Someone should think about it. @ProjectLincoln — Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) October 8, 2020
Even White House correspondents and Hollywood celebrities condemned the senator for his condescending elitist attitude towards allowing the rabble to have a voice in how they are governed.
"We the people" in your state elected you. Take a civics course. Democracy is the best means to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Your rank stupidity thwarts that. Read a history book @SenMikeLee then take a hike. We'll "flourish" just fine. https://t.co/z2AFJQD8LQ — Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) October 8, 2020
Get out. You are only where you are for the grace of democracy. Go hit the streets and get a regular job. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) October 8, 2020
It seems as if Senator Lee’s tweets disrespecting the very concept of democracy have struck a nerve with anyone who believes in our nation’s founding principles as expressed in the U.S. Constitution which in its very opening words– “We the People” — exemplifies the supremacy of the people as the only legitimate source of government power.
A senator who does not believe in democracy should not be participating in our legislative body.
Senator Lee should resign or be recalled by the people of Utah before being allowed to continue to represent their state for the remaining four years of his term.
And let’s vote the rest of the GOP — the ones who believe what Senator Lee expressed about democracy, but are smart enough not to say it out loud — out of their offices while we’re at it.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-08--Trump sparks mockery with  bizarre video about how we didn’t know he’s a “senior”

The president ’ s bizarre post-Walter Reed behavior shows no signs of normalizing .
Since returning to the White House with his COVID-19 infection , Trump has spent his time composing rambling Twitter rants and calling into Fox News to deliver confusing rants .
While this man has never been normal in any real sense of the world , it seems that something has changed in his demeanor and behavior .
Trump appears to be more abrasive and scatterbrained than usual , raising questions as to whether or not he should still be in the hospital recuperating .
Given the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wouldn ’ t be surprising to learn that the virus itself or possibly the steroids administered to combat the coronavirus are in fact altering his mind .
Earlier today , he released a truly weird video of himself standing on the White House lawn .
In what appeared to be a largely unscripted monologue , the president babbled to senior citizens , who he called his “ favorite people in the world.
” If the topic seems odd at first , one need only look at the recent polls showing Biden crushing Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tell Mitch McConnell : No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration !
“ I ’ m a senior , I know you don ’ t know that .
Nobody knows that .
Maybe you don ’ t have to tell them but I ’ m a senior , ” said Trump , who is 74 years old .
The president then fumbled his way through his usual talking points on the pandemic : blaming China , promising miracle cures for the virus , and bragging about his government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ re taking care of our seniors .
You ’ re not vulnerable but they like to say “ the vulnerable ” but you ’ re the least vulnerable but for this one thing you are vulnerable and so am I , ” Trump said , repeatedly contradicting himself like a confused old man .
The rest of the video was every bit as circuitous as Trump struggled in real-time to concoct a coherent message , jumping from bragging about himself to attacking Joe Biden .
When you watch the clip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coughing and churning inside his head as he stumbles from one thought to the next without stopping .
Not surprisingly , the Twitter reaction to the deeply weird video was a mix of mockery and anger .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

The president’s bizarre post-Walter Reed behavior shows no signs of normalizing. Since returning to the White House with his COVID-19 infection, Trump has spent his time composing rambling Twitter rants and calling into Fox News to deliver confusing rants. While this man has never been normal in any real sense of the world, it seems that something has changed in his demeanor and behavior.
Trump appears to be more abrasive and scatterbrained than usual, raising questions as to whether or not he should still be in the hospital recuperating. Given the way he’s acting, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that the virus itself or possibly the steroids administered to combat the coronavirus are in fact altering his mind.
Earlier today, he released a truly weird video of himself standing on the White House lawn. In what appeared to be a largely unscripted monologue, the president babbled to senior citizens, who he called his “favorite people in the world.” If the topic seems odd at first, one need only look at the recent polls showing Biden crushing Trump with senior votings.
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell: No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration!
“I’m a senior, I know you don’t know that. Nobody knows that. Maybe you don’t have to tell them but I’m a senior,” said Trump, who is 74 years old.
The president then fumbled his way through his usual talking points on the pandemic: blaming China, promising miracle cures for the virus, and bragging about his government’s response to the outbreak.
“We’re taking care of our seniors. You’re not vulnerable but they like to say “the vulnerable” but you’re the least vulnerable but for this one thing you are vulnerable and so am I,” Trump said, repeatedly contradicting himself like a confused old man.
The rest of the video was every bit as circuitous as Trump struggled in real-time to concoct a coherent message, jumping from bragging about himself to attacking Joe Biden. When you watch the clip, you can almost see his brain coughing and churning inside his head as he stumbles from one thought to the next without stopping.
TO MY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD! pic.twitter.com/38DbQtUxEu — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2020
Not surprisingly, the Twitter reaction to the deeply weird video was a mix of mockery and anger.
That ship has sailed, nutbag. Go back inside. You look like a tray of stadium nachos. Are you sweating actual cheese? — The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) October 8, 2020
Remember back in 2016 when Donald Trump asked: 'What do you have to lose?' Well, now we know: our health care, our homes, our jobs, our loved ones, etc. Only 26 days to go… #Vote pic.twitter.com/ZeyQowvQie — Candour99 (@Candour99) October 8, 2020
Do you realize how utterly insane you look and sound? Please keep making these videos, they are helping Joe Biden gain even more support. — Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) October 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/glamelegance/status/1314255056376680448?s=20
Dude, it is OBVIOUS that you are a senior in bad health. Pandering to seniors isn't going to help after you spent months happily prepared to kill them off as sacrifice your to coronavirus Gods. BTW, there are other things happening today. Not everything is about you. Psycho. — HawaiiDelilah™ (@HawaiiDelilah) October 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/pablo_honey1/status/1314253452017623046?s=20
Covid seems to have finished his brain off completely. — Gillian Green (@GillyVanilli) October 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/RicoSuaveJD/status/1314261633233940486?s=20
You’re the least favorite president in decades. You sound kind of desperate for love. SAD! — Republicans for Joe Biden (@RepsForBiden) October 8, 2020
Wait! This video isn't in Russian.
. pic.twitter.com/e63O7zLMXi — Scapper & Pearl (I'm Yoko) (@realscapper) October 8, 2020
CAR SALESMAN This video reminds me of a trashy car salesman ad or infomercial! Trump is a conman & now at the last hour he is desperately trying to lure seniors into voting for him. They aren't falling for it. They have seen the death toll: 210,000. Seniors are voting for Biden! — MURRAY (@murray_nyc) October 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/karshaner/status/1314256540015235074?s=20
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-08--FBI indicts twelve white right-wing extremists for plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic governor

In a stunning development that once again brings the threat that right-wing terror groups pose to our national security , twelve members of a “ militia group ” are facing an indictment for planning to kidnap the Democratic governor of Michigan .
News of the impending charges broke in The Detroit News ahead of a press conference to reveal the complete details of what the FBI is describing as a “ major operation ” to put down a full-on domestic insurrection .
“ The court filing…alleges the conspirators twice conducted surveillance at Whitmer ’ s personal vacation home and discussed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in Wisconsin to stand “ trial ” for treason prior to the Nov. 3 election , ” reports the News .
Governor Gretchen Whitmer ( D-MI ) is in her first term and became the face of the right-wing ’ s astroturfed “ anti-lockdown ” movement for the difficult decisions she was forced to make in order to bring a massive coronavirus outbreak under control .
President Trump ’ s tweet demanding that somebody “ Liberate Michigan ” poured gasoline on the tensions over the lockdown , leading to a gang of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s capitol during a session of the legislature and forced the cancellation of the session .
Now , the illegal criminal conspiracy against a state and its governor that the sitting Republican President implicitly encouraged has come to fruition , as is obvious from a court document the FBI filed today : Amongst the complaints recorded by federal informants , the plotters were very upset that Governor Whitmer closed gyms , which she did because of their obviously high potential to generate deadly coronavirus super-spreader events .
The FBI identified six men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fox , Barry Croft , Garbin , Kaleb Franks , Daniel Harris , and Brandon Caserta , but didn ’ t release their hometowns .
The case is connected to a shootout that agents had in Metropolitan Detroit , in which they killed a suspect .
At the time Donald Trump began brewing today ’ s insurrection against the states of Michigan , Virginia , and Minnesota , a Georgetown University constitutional law professor opined that Trump ’ s tweets weren ’ t just awful , but they violated federal law against inciting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post : It ’ s an echo of the “ Second Amendment remedies ” rhetoric of the 2010 midterm election .
It ’ s clearly a violation of federalism principles , and it ’ s quite possibly a crime under federal law .
And insurrection or treason against state government is a crime in Virginia , Michigan and Minnesota , as well as most states .
Assembling with others to train or practice using firearms or other explosives for use during a civil disorder is also a crime in many states .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
The penalty for a federal violation of the law McCord cited against advocating the overthrow of a Government is a term of 20 years imprisonment .
However , there hasn ’ t been a notable prosecution under the above reference Smith Act since the early days of the Cold War , when the Department of Justice wielded it as a weapon against alleged Communist Party leaders , many of whom were acquitted under its overbroad language .
The Justice Department lists it and four other statutes as “ key internal security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with sabotage , rebellion or insurrection , sedition or seditious conspiracy , and making false statements in connection with national security either in connection with a plot to violently overthrow the government or on security clearance documents .
Today ’ s news that armed militia groups plotted to overthrow the state government of Michigan , kidnapping its head , should come as little surprise in the wake of the last four years of gaslighting and disinformation distributed from the White House and Fox News .
But it is an in-your-face-reminder that Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real-world outcomes in his quest to erase the thin remaining line between normalcy and chaos in America and the world at large .
UPDATE : A previous version of this article stated that six men had been arrested .
The real number is twelve .

In a stunning development that once again brings the threat that right-wing terror groups pose to our national security, twelve members of a “militia group” are facing an indictment for planning to kidnap the Democratic governor of Michigan.
News of the impending charges broke in The Detroit News ahead of a press conference to reveal the complete details of what the FBI is describing as a “major operation” to put down a full-on domestic insurrection.
“The court filing…alleges the conspirators twice conducted surveillance at Whitmer’s personal vacation home and discussed kidnapping her to a “secure location” in Wisconsin to stand “trial” for treason prior to the Nov. 3 election,” reports the News.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) is in her first term and became the face of the right-wing’s astroturfed “anti-lockdown” movement for the difficult decisions she was forced to make in order to bring a massive coronavirus outbreak under control.
President Trump’s tweet demanding that somebody “Liberate Michigan” poured gasoline on the tensions over the lockdown, leading to a gang of heavily armed thugs to invade the state’s capitol during a session of the legislature and forced the cancellation of the session.
Now, the illegal criminal conspiracy against a state and its governor that the sitting Republican President implicitly encouraged has come to fruition, as is obvious from a court document the FBI filed today:
The alleged plot involved reaching out to members of a Michigan militia, according to a federal affidavit filed Thursday. “Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor,” an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit. “The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message.”
Amongst the complaints recorded by federal informants, the plotters were very upset that Governor Whitmer closed gyms, which she did because of their obviously high potential to generate deadly coronavirus super-spreader events.
The FBI identified six men by name in its filing, Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta, but didn’t release their hometowns. The case is connected to a shootout that agents had in Metropolitan Detroit, in which they killed a suspect.
At the time Donald Trump began brewing today’s insurrection against the states of Michigan, Virginia, and Minnesota, a Georgetown University constitutional law professor opined that Trump’s tweets weren’t just awful, but they violated federal law against inciting insurrection. Mary McCord wrote in the Post:
It’s an echo of the “Second Amendment remedies” rhetoric of the 2010 midterm election. It’s clearly a violation of federalism principles, and it’s quite possibly a crime under federal law. And insurrection or treason against state government is a crime in Virginia, Michigan and Minnesota, as well as most states. Assembling with others to train or practice using firearms or other explosives for use during a civil disorder is also a crime in many states. But the president himself is calling for just that.
The penalty for a federal violation of the law McCord cited against advocating the overthrow of a Government is a term of 20 years imprisonment. However, there hasn’t been a notable prosecution under the above reference Smith Act since the early days of the Cold War, when the Department of Justice wielded it as a weapon against alleged Communist Party leaders, many of whom were acquitted under its overbroad language.
The Justice Department lists it and four other statutes as “key internal security provisions” of the federal code, along with sabotage, rebellion or insurrection, sedition or seditious conspiracy, and making false statements in connection with national security either in connection with a plot to violently overthrow the government or on security clearance documents.
Today’s news that armed militia groups plotted to overthrow the state government of Michigan, kidnapping its head, should come as little surprise in the wake of the last four years of gaslighting and disinformation distributed from the White House and Fox News.
But it is an in-your-face-reminder that Donald Trump’s demented demagoguery to dictates real-world outcomes in his quest to erase the thin remaining line between normalcy and chaos in America and the world at large.
UPDATE: A previous version of this article stated that six men had been arrested. The real number is twelve.