alternet--2020-12-24--Trump's tangled relationship with the Saudi royal family now includes extensive cover-ups for multip

Trump's tangled relationship with the Saudi royal family now includes extensive cover-ups for multiple murders

One year ago , three U.S. servicemen were killed in a terrorist attack at Pensacola Naval Air Station by an officer in the Royal Saudi Air Force , who had been coordinating with al-Qaida operatives for years while completing a pilot training program at the base .
Earlier this month the three service members were posthumously honored with the Purple Heart .
Their families , however , are still waiting for President Trump to make good on what he had assured them the day after their children were killed : That he would get to the bottom of the attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — specifically , King Salman himself , the desert monarchy 's absolute ruler — would take care of them .
They are also still waiting for Trump himself , or anyone in the administration , to contact them .
Now the Trump administration is reportedly weighing whether to grant Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman legal immunity from a federal lawsuit accusing him of targeting a former intelligence officer for assassination .
The decision could also lead to the dismissal of other cases against MBS , including one accusing him of directing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Khashoggi in 2018 .
The move , however , could also thwart possible legal action on the part of the Pensacola victims , who may be covered under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act , which gives federal courts jurisdiction over a foreign state 's support for acts of terrorism against U.S. targets , even if the foreign county is not a designated state sponsor of terrorism .
Hanging over all this is the recently renewed possibility that members of the Saudi Royal family could be called as witnesses in a lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims of the Sept. 11 , 2001 , attacks on the U.S .
The Pensacola attacker , Mohammad al-Shamrani , was later revealed to have been in regular contact since 2015 with what the FBI described as `` dangerous operatives '' in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP ) .
That predates by two years his 2017 arrival at the U.S. on a special visa for flight training at NAS Pensacola , the same base where some of the 9/11 hijackers listed an address .
About a week before the attack , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and on Sept. 11 , 2019 , just months before the shooting , he posted a social media message saying that `` the countdown has begun . ''
While officials have not gone so far to say the attacker was directed by al-Qaida , they have said his ties to the group were `` significant . ''
No foreign terrorist organization has successfully directed a deadly attack in the U.S. since 2001 .
The attack lasted about 15 minutes before security forces killed the shooter .
In that time he shot to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3rd Class Mohammed Haitham and Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Walter , and wounded eight other service members , using a semiautomatic handgun with about 180 rounds of ammunition .
The morning after the shooting , President Trump told reporters as he departed for a fundraiser at another location in Florida that King Salman was `` very , very devastated '' about the shooting , and the royal family would help the affected families `` very greatly . ''
The king , Trump said , would involve himself in the effort personally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi Arabia .
They are devastated in Saudi Arabia , '' the president said .
`` We 're finding out what took place , whether it 's one person or a number of people .
And the king will be involved in taking care of families and loved ones .
He feels very strongly .
He 's very , very devastated by what happened and what took place .
Likewise the crown prince .
They are devastated by what took place in Pensacola .
And I think they 're going to help out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But , right now , they send their condolences , '' Trump continued .
`` And , as you know , I 've sent my condolences .
It 's a very shocking thing .
And we 'll find out — we 'll get to the bottom of it very quickly . ''
A family member of one of the victims told Salon that neither country had lived up to its promises .
`` No one from the Saudi government has reached out to any of the families , '' this person said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has ever called us .
No one has been held accountable .
We 're still waiting . ''
The Navy released its investigation in November .
The heavily redacted report concluded that the attacker had self-radicalized , but a synopsis added that `` the organizational environment inherent in the aviation pipeline '' played a role , and that conditions to an extent were little different from what could lead to similar actions from `` our own Sailors and civilian personnel . ''
( The report notes `` an adverse microclimate for all students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` derogatory and sometimes abusive comments as well as humiliating public reprimands '' — such an incident in which an instructor referred to al-Shamrani as `` Pornstache . ''
) A month after the attack , Attorney General Bill Barr announced that nearly two dozen other Saudis in the U.S. for military training were being deported for having anti-American or `` jihadist '' content on their social media .
Seventeen of them had also reportedly come in contact with child pornography .
However , the unclassified sections of the 267-page Navy report contain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At one point the report reveals that investigators had not reviewed the shooter 's responses to security questions on his visa application : `` The security portion contains 55 yes or no questions pertaining to such areas as terrorism , espionage , illegal activity , immigration violations , felony convictions , etc .
The submitted A-2 visa application was not reviewed for derogatory material as part of this investigation . ''
The document contrasts sharply with FBI Director Christopher Wray 's press conference six months earlier .
`` The new evidence shows that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. but at least as far back as 2015 , and that he had been connecting and associating with a number of dangerous AQAP operatives ever since , '' Wray said .
`` It shows that al-Shamrani described a desire to learn about flying years ago , around the same time he talked about attending the Saudi Air Force Academy in order to carry out what he called a 'special operation . '
And he then pressed his plans forward , joining the Air Force and bringing his plot here — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the attacker associated with AQAP while he lived in Texas and Florida , and discussed his plans and tactics directly with the group , `` taking advantage of the information he acquired here , to assess how many people he could try to kill . ''
`` He was meticulous in his planning , '' Wray said , adding : `` He was n't just coordinating with them about planning and tactics — he was helping the organization make the most it could out of his murders .
And he continued to confer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end , the very night before he started shooting . ''
In the days after that attack , Trump , offered a conspicuous non-response , strongly out of character for someone who has often been among the first public figures to politicize a terrorist attack apparently carried out by a Muslim .
Early in his presidency he falsely denounced a casino robbery in the Philippines as an act of terrorism , a knee-jerk mistake that reportedly in the White House situation room .
He once appeared to invent a terrorist attack in Sweden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubled down on it .
But the president refused to call the al-Qaida-inspired attack on U.S. troops an act of terrorism , let alone `` radical Islamic terrorism . ''
( Barr called it a terrorist attack the next month , following an preliminary investigation . )
The closest Trump came was a retweet of a TV interview of Rep. Matt Gaetz , R-Fla. , using the term .
Trump 's own tweet after the attack , however , only said he 'd spoken on the phone with King Salman , who expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 11 months prior , Trump boasted on Twitter about avenging al-Qaida 's 2000 bombing of the USS Cole , claiming that `` our work against al Qaeda continues . ''
`` Our GREAT MILITARY has delivered justice for the heroes lost and wounded in the cowardly attack on the USS Cole .
We have just killed the leader of that attack , Jamal al-Badawi , '' Trump wrote .
`` Our work against al Qaeda continues .
We will never stop in our fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism ! ''
Two months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it had killed the AQAP leader who claimed responsibility for the attack , in a drone strike in Yemen .
Trump had already alluded to the assassination in several tweets , but he still had not contacted any of the families robbed of their loved ones in an attack on his own soldiers at Pensacola .
`` Where was our president ? ''
asked the family member who spoke to Salon .
`` Where was the man that refuses to lose and loves America ? ''
For whatever reason , Trump 's fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ royal palace .
For instance , the president took the kingdom 's side when it blockaded Qatar , home to a critical U.S. military base .
He has defended the country 's continued bombing of Yemen , which has created a humanitarian disaster , and vetoed an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill to halt weapons sales as that tragedy escalated .
Weeks before the Pensacola shooting , CNN reported that the State Department and Pentagon were deploying teams to Saudi Arabia to investigate the network 's reports that , only months after Trump jammed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S.-made weapons were being transferred to groups including al-Qaida fighters in Yemen , in violation of the sales agreement .
The State Department said that the Saudis ' `` continued insufficient responses '' were muddling the probe .
Trump 's deference to the Saudis came to the forefront the year before , in October 2018 , when a hit team of Saudi nationals dismembered Khashoggi — a Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident — in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul .
U.S. intelligence with its highest degree of certainty that Crown Prince Mohammed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In October 2019 , MBS for the killing , but denied any advance knowledge . )
In a rare moment of bipartisanship , Congress condemned Saudi Arabia and passed legislation blocking arms sales to the kingdom — sales Trump had bragged about repeatedly .
Trump disputed his intelligence community 's conclusion on the Khashoggi murder , and the New York Times that Jared Kushner advised the president to ignore the bipartisan outrage and support Prince Mohammed until it passed .
A few weeks after the murder , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed-door meeting he reportedly a `` road map '' meant to help him navigate the scandal .
According to a last year , Pompeo was reportedly one of only two men in the room with Trump — the other being former national security adviser John Bolton — during the president 's post-Khashoggi phone call with Saudi leaders .
The transcript of that call was immediately sequestered .
`` Officials who ordinarily would have been given access to a rough transcript of the conversation never saw one , according to one source , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transcript was never circulated at all , which the source said was highly unusual . ''
Additionally , CNN reported that there were `` no transcripts made of the phone conversations between Trump and the Saudi king or crown prince to prevent leaks . ''
The officials said the radical step did n't stem from concerns about classified information , but instead seemed designed to shield Trump from potential political consequences .
The White House , of course , was not the only party capable of creating transcripts or recording those calls .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would include various parties on the Saudi side or any intelligence agencies that might have intercepted the call — would have devastating blackmail material on the outgoing president .
That would also include the Saudis themselves .
`` They give us a lot of jobs .
They give us a lot of business , '' Trump said to explain his non-response to Khashoggi 's murder .
Though Trump has in recent years denied having financial ties to Saudi Arabia , he and a number of people close to him have had many business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 campaign rally , candidate Trump said , `` Saudi Arabia , I get along with all of them .
They buy apartments from me .
They spend $ 40 million , $ 50 million .
Am I supposed to dislike them ?
I like them very much . ''
He also that he likes doing deals with the Saudis because `` Saudi Arabia pays cash . ''
In May 2017 , Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner flew to Saudi Arabia on the president 's first international visit .
On that trip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arms deal with the Saudis — a number since proved to be — as part of an even larger , in which the royal family pledged to invest $ 20 billion in a $ 40 billion U.S. infrastructure fund .
Kushner is literally in debt to the company that this fund — the Blackstone Group — which over the last six years has loaned Kushner Companies , long by financial woes , more than to fund a number of deals .
Kushner also has to Tom Barrack , who went in with Blackstone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged the Trump administration to share nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia while simultaneously going in with the kingdom on a company that would benefit from the new policy .
In 2018 , The New York Times reported that the Saudis have been ingratiating themselves to Kushner for years .
In October 2017 , a year before Khashoggi 's murder , Kushner made an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia , where he reportedly gave Prince Mohammed a list of Saudi dissidents that came directly from the President 's Daily Brief , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Six months later , MBS visited Trump in Washington , but a sizable portion of the Saudi entourage stayed in Manhattan at the Trump International Hotel .
The Washington Post 's David Farenthold that the Saudis ' five-day stay yielded a profit for the quarter : And in the summer of 2016 , weeks after Trump claimed the GOP nomination , Donald Trump Jr. met in Trump Tower with George Nader — an adviser to Prince Mohammed — along with a representative from an Israeli psy-ops firm .
that Nader told Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Emirates royal families were `` eager to help his father win election as president . ''
It 's not clear what , if anything , came of this , but Nader later cut the owner of the Israeli firm a check for up to $ 2 million .
One explanation for the payment , according to the Times , concerned `` an elaborate presentation about the significance of social media campaigning to Mr. Trump 's victory . ''

One year ago, three U.S. servicemen were killed in a terrorist attack at Pensacola Naval Air Station by an officer in the Royal Saudi Air Force, who had been coordinating with al-Qaida operatives for years while completing a pilot training program at the base. Earlier this month the three service members were posthumously honored with the Purple Heart. Their families, however, are still waiting for President Trump to make good on what he had assured them the day after their children were killed: That he would get to the bottom of the attack, and that the Saudi royal family — specifically, King Salman himself, the desert monarchy's absolute ruler — would take care of them.
They are also still waiting for Trump himself, or anyone in the administration, to contact them.
Now the Trump administration is reportedly weighing whether to grant Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman legal immunity from a federal lawsuit accusing him of targeting a former intelligence officer for assassination. The decision could also lead to the dismissal of other cases against MBS, including one accusing him of directing the murder and dismemberment of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
The move, however, could also thwart possible legal action on the part of the Pensacola victims, who may be covered under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which gives federal courts jurisdiction over a foreign state's support for acts of terrorism against U.S. targets, even if the foreign county is not a designated state sponsor of terrorism.
Hanging over all this is the recently renewed possibility that members of the Saudi Royal family could be called as witnesses in a lawsuit brought against the kingdom by families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S.
The Pensacola attacker, Mohammad al-Shamrani, was later revealed to have been in regular contact since 2015 with what the FBI described as "dangerous operatives" in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). That predates by two years his 2017 arrival at the U.S. on a special visa for flight training at NAS Pensacola, the same base where some of the 9/11 hijackers listed an address.
About a week before the attack, al-Shamrani visited the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan, and on Sept. 11, 2019, just months before the shooting, he posted a social media message saying that "the countdown has begun." While officials have not gone so far to say the attacker was directed by al-Qaida, they have said his ties to the group were "significant." No foreign terrorist organization has successfully directed a deadly attack in the U.S. since 2001.
The attack lasted about 15 minutes before security forces killed the shooter. In that time he shot to death Ensign Joshua Watson, Petty Officer 3rd Class Mohammed Haitham and Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Walter, and wounded eight other service members, using a semiautomatic handgun with about 180 rounds of ammunition.
The morning after the shooting, President Trump told reporters as he departed for a fundraiser at another location in Florida that King Salman was "very, very devastated" about the shooting, and the royal family would help the affected families "very greatly." The king, Trump said, would involve himself in the effort personally.
"I spoke with the King of Saudi Arabia. They are devastated in Saudi Arabia," the president said. "We're finding out what took place, whether it's one person or a number of people. And the king will be involved in taking care of families and loved ones. He feels very strongly. He's very, very devastated by what happened and what took place. Likewise the crown prince. They are devastated by what took place in Pensacola. And I think they're going to help out the families very greatly."
"But, right now, they send their condolences," Trump continued. "And, as you know, I've sent my condolences. It's a very shocking thing. And we'll find out — we'll get to the bottom of it very quickly."
A family member of one of the victims told Salon that neither country had lived up to its promises. "No one from the Saudi government has reached out to any of the families," this person said. "No one from the White House has ever called us. No one has been held accountable. We're still waiting."
The Navy released its investigation in November. The heavily redacted report concluded that the attacker had self-radicalized, but a synopsis added that "the organizational environment inherent in the aviation pipeline" played a role, and that conditions to an extent were little different from what could lead to similar actions from "our own Sailors and civilian personnel." (The report notes "an adverse microclimate for all students" where superiors subjected foreign students to "derogatory and sometimes abusive comments as well as humiliating public reprimands" — such an incident in which an instructor referred to al-Shamrani as "Pornstache.")
A month after the attack, Attorney General Bill Barr announced that nearly two dozen other Saudis in the U.S. for military training were being deported for having anti-American or "jihadist" content on their social media. Seventeen of them had also reportedly come in contact with child pornography.
However, the unclassified sections of the 267-page Navy report contain just one passing mention of AQAP. At one point the report reveals that investigators had not reviewed the shooter's responses to security questions on his visa application: "The security portion contains 55 yes or no questions pertaining to such areas as terrorism, espionage, illegal activity, immigration violations, felony convictions, etc. The submitted A-2 visa application was not reviewed for derogatory material as part of this investigation."
The document contrasts sharply with FBI Director Christopher Wray's press conference six months earlier.
"The new evidence shows that al-Shamrani had radicalized not after training here in the U.S. but at least as far back as 2015, and that he had been connecting and associating with a number of dangerous AQAP operatives ever since," Wray said. "It shows that al-Shamrani described a desire to learn about flying years ago, around the same time he talked about attending the Saudi Air Force Academy in order to carry out what he called a 'special operation.' And he then pressed his plans forward, joining the Air Force and bringing his plot here — to America."
Wray said that the attacker associated with AQAP while he lived in Texas and Florida, and discussed his plans and tactics directly with the group, "taking advantage of the information he acquired here, to assess how many people he could try to kill."
"He was meticulous in his planning," Wray said, adding: "He wasn't just coordinating with them about planning and tactics — he was helping the organization make the most it could out of his murders. And he continued to confer with his AQAP associates right until the end, the very night before he started shooting."
In the days after that attack, Trump, offered a conspicuous non-response, strongly out of character for someone who has often been among the first public figures to politicize a terrorist attack apparently carried out by a Muslim. Early in his presidency he falsely denounced a casino robbery in the Philippines as an act of terrorism, a knee-jerk mistake that reportedly drew laughs in the White House situation room. He once appeared to invent a terrorist attack in Sweden that had not happened, and then doubled down on it .
But the president refused to call the al-Qaida-inspired attack on U.S. troops an act of terrorism, let alone "radical Islamic terrorism." (Barr called it a terrorist attack the next month, following an preliminary investigation.) The closest Trump came was a retweet of a TV interview of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., using the term.
(The president, whose retweets are a cesspool of fringe-right and white supremacist accounts , often uses the technique to create a layer of deniability between himself and the tweet's actual claim. "That was a retweet," he once said , after sharing a tweet that connected the Clintons to the death in custody of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. "That wasn't from me. That was from [the original account].")
Trump's own tweet after the attack, however, only said he'd spoken on the phone with King Salman, who expressed "sincere condolences":
King Salman of Saudi Arabia just called to express his sincere condolences and give his sympathies to the families and friends of the warriors who were killed and wounded in the attack that took place in Pensacola, Florida. The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter, and that this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people who love the American people.
By contrast, 11 months prior, Trump boasted on Twitter about avenging al-Qaida's 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, claiming that "our work against al Qaeda continues."
"Our GREAT MILITARY has delivered justice for the heroes lost and wounded in the cowardly attack on the USS Cole. We have just killed the leader of that attack, Jamal al-Badawi," Trump wrote. "Our work against al Qaeda continues. We will never stop in our fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism!"
Two months after Pensacola, the U.S. confirmed that it had killed the AQAP leader who claimed responsibility for the attack, in a drone strike in Yemen. Trump had already alluded to the assassination in several tweets, but he still had not contacted any of the families robbed of their loved ones in an attack on his own soldiers at Pensacola.
"Where was our president?" asked the family member who spoke to Salon. "Where was the man that refuses to lose and loves America?"
For whatever reason, Trump's fight stops at the gates of the Saudi royal palace. For instance, the president took the kingdom's side when it blockaded Qatar, home to a critical U.S. military base. He has defended the country's continued bombing of Yemen, which has created a humanitarian disaster, and vetoed an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill to halt weapons sales as that tragedy escalated.
Weeks before the Pensacola shooting, CNN reported that the State Department and Pentagon were deploying teams to Saudi Arabia to investigate the network's reports that, only months after Trump jammed a multibillion-dollar Saudi weapons deal through Congress, U.S.-made weapons were being transferred to groups including al-Qaida fighters in Yemen, in violation of the sales agreement. The State Department said that the Saudis' "continued insufficient responses" were muddling the probe.
(The joint U.S.-Saudi military training program at Pensacola NAS is a part of the weapons package.)
Trump's deference to the Saudis came to the forefront the year before, in October 2018, when a hit team of Saudi nationals dismembered Khashoggi — a Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident — in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. U.S. intelligence concluded with its highest degree of certainty that Crown Prince Mohammed had personally directed the murder. (In October 2019, MBS took "full responsibility" for the killing, but denied any advance knowledge.) In a rare moment of bipartisanship, Congress condemned Saudi Arabia and passed legislation blocking arms sales to the kingdom — sales Trump had bragged about repeatedly.
Trump disputed his intelligence community's conclusion on the Khashoggi murder, and the New York Times reported that Jared Kushner advised the president to ignore the bipartisan outrage and support Prince Mohammed until it passed. A few weeks after the murder, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Saudi Arabia, where in a closed-door meeting he reportedly passed the Crown Prince a "road map" meant to help him navigate the scandal.
According to a CNN report last year, Pompeo was reportedly one of only two men in the room with Trump — the other being former national security adviser John Bolton — during the president's post-Khashoggi phone call with Saudi leaders. The transcript of that call was immediately sequestered.
"Officials who ordinarily would have been given access to a rough transcript of the conversation never saw one, according to one source," CNN reported. "Instead, a transcript was never circulated at all, which the source said was highly unusual."
Additionally, CNN reported that there were "no transcripts made of the phone conversations between Trump and the Saudi king or crown prince to prevent leaks." The officials said the radical step didn't stem from concerns about classified information, but instead seemed designed to shield Trump from potential political consequences.
The White House, of course, was not the only party capable of creating transcripts or recording those calls. Whoever else might have them — which would include various parties on the Saudi side or any intelligence agencies that might have intercepted the call — would have devastating blackmail material on the outgoing president. That would also include the Saudis themselves.
"They give us a lot of jobs. They give us a lot of business," Trump said to explain his non-response to Khashoggi's murder.
Though Trump has in recent years denied having financial ties to Saudi Arabia, he and a number of people close to him have had many business dealings with the kingdom. At a 2015 campaign rally, candidate Trump said, "Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much." He also said that he likes doing deals with the Saudis because "Saudi Arabia pays cash."
In May 2017, Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner flew to Saudi Arabia on the president's first international visit. On that trip, Trump announced a $110 billion arms deal with the Saudis — a number since proved to be wildly overstated — as part of an even larger $350 billion investment deal , in which the royal family pledged to invest $20 billion in a $40 billion U.S. infrastructure fund.
Kushner is literally in debt to the company that manages this fund — the Blackstone Group — which over the last six years has loaned Kushner Companies, long plagued by financial woes, more than $400 million to fund a number of deals. Kushner also has ties to Tom Barrack, who went in with Blackstone on the fund. A 2019 congressional report alleged that Barrack urged the Trump administration to share nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia while simultaneously going in with the kingdom on a company that would benefit from the new policy.
In 2018, The New York Times reported that the Saudis have been ingratiating themselves to Kushner for years. In October 2017, a year before Khashoggi's murder, Kushner made an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia, where he reportedly gave Prince Mohammed a list of Saudi dissidents that came directly from the President's Daily Brief, one of the U.S. government's most sensitive intelligence documents. Six months later, MBS visited Trump in Washington, but a sizable portion of the Saudi entourage stayed in Manhattan at the Trump International Hotel. The Washington Post's David Farenthold reported that the Saudis' five-day stay yielded a profit for the quarter:
After two years of decline, revenue from room rentals went up 13 percent in the first three months of 2018. What caused the uptick at President Trump's flagship hotel in New York? One major factor: "a last-minute visit to New York by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia," wrote [the hotel's] general manager Prince A. Sanders in a May 15 letter, which was obtained by The Washington Post...."Due to our close industry relationships,' he wrote, 'we were able to accommodate many of the accompanying travelers."


alternet--2020-12-24--US companies no longer required to pay COVID-related sick leave for workers — thanks to Mitch McConn

US companies no longer required to pay COVID-related sick leave for workers — thanks to Mitch McConnell

Companies in the United States will no longer be obligated to pay COVID-related sick leave for American workers due to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) blocking a bill that would have extended the much-needed policy as the coronavirus continues to ravage states across the country Under the CARES Act , which was passed in March , Congress incorporated legislation that gave employees the ability to receive up to two weeks worth of paid leave under a number of COVID-related circumstances including : `` to care for a quarantining relative , and up to 10 weeks of paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose school or daycare is closed for COVID-related reasons . ''
However , McConnell reportedly blocked that language from being included in the latest $ 900 billion stimulus package .
According to Buzzfeed , `` Republican and Democratic Congressional aides '' noted that `` the extension of paid leave was left out of the bill as a concession to Mr. McConnell , who had been pushing for it not to be included . ''
While the paid sick leave mandate was blocked , the bill does offer an extension of the `` refundable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to businesses of paying out sick leave . ''
That extension is set to expire in March 2021 .
Despite McConnell 's block , Democratic lawmakers have vowed to continue their push for an extension .
Sen. Patty Murray ( D-WA ) , the top-ranking Democratic lawmaker on the Senate Health Committee , noted how the pandemic has illuminated the need for better paid leave measures .
Democrats are also optimistic about the possibility of passing another stimulus package once President-elect Joe Biden is in office .
`` Businesses can use these tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their workers , and I hope they do — but it 's not nearly enough , '' said Murray .
`` This crisis has made it clearer than ever why paid leave for every worker is so important to families , communities , and our economy as a whole . ''
According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research , out of 22 of the wealthiest nations , the United States is the only one without any paid sick leave requirement .

Companies in the United States will no longer be obligated to pay COVID-related sick leave for American workers due to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blocking a bill that would have extended the much-needed policy as the coronavirus continues to ravage states across the country
Under the CARES Act, which was passed in March, Congress incorporated legislation that gave employees the ability to receive up to two weeks worth of paid leave under a number of COVID-related circumstances including: "to care for a quarantining relative, and up to 10 weeks of paid family leave to care for a child whose school or daycare is closed for COVID-related reasons."
However, McConnell reportedly blocked that language from being included in the latest $900 billion stimulus package. According to Buzzfeed, "Republican and Democratic Congressional aides" noted that "the extension of paid leave was left out of the bill as a concession to Mr. McConnell, who had been pushing for it not to be included."
While the paid sick leave mandate was blocked, the bill does offer an extension of the "refundable tax credit that fully subsidizes the cost to businesses of paying out sick leave." That extension is set to expire in March 2021.
Despite McConnell's block, Democratic lawmakers have vowed to continue their push for an extension. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top-ranking Democratic lawmaker on the Senate Health Committee, noted how the pandemic has illuminated the need for better paid leave measures. Democrats are also optimistic about the possibility of passing another stimulus package once President-elect Joe Biden is in office.
"Businesses can use these tax credits to provide paid sick days to their workers, and I hope they do — but it's not nearly enough," said Murray. "This crisis has made it clearer than ever why paid leave for every worker is so important to families, communities, and our economy as a whole."
According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, out of 22 of the wealthiest nations, the United States is the only one without any paid sick leave requirement.


alternet--2020-12-24--Military on 'red alert' that Trump may invoke martial law to stay in power: report

A series of pardons , post-election protests claiming voter fraud that has never been proven , and one man 's probable mental illness at the head of the nation are adding up to a `` red alert '' in what has normally been a quiet time of the year for many : the holidays .
But not this year .
`` Pentagon and Washington-area military leaders are on red alert , wary of what President Donald Trump might do in his remaining days in office , '' Newsweek reported on Thursday .
One officer who spoke with Newsweek on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transitional planning is being kept out of sight of the White House and Trump loyalists in the Pentagon for fear that it would be shut down .
`` I 've been associated with the military for over 40 years and I 've never seen the discussions that are being had right now , the need for such discussions , '' said the retired flag officer , who is currently a defense contractor .
He was granted anonymity in order to speak without fear of reprisal .
`` Right now , because of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , `` the president actually has unprecedented emergency powers , ones that might convince him—particularly if he listens to certain of his supporters—that he has unlimited powers and is above the law . ''
He continued , `` But martial law is the wrong paradigm to think about the dangers ahead . ''
`` There is no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of an American election , '' Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff General James McConville said in a joint statement last Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling what the president might do in the next month , '' a former Northern Command ( NORTHCOM ) commander told Newsweek .
`` Though I 'm confident that the uniformed military leadership has their heads screwed on right , the craziness is unprecedented and the possibilities are endless . ''
The retired flag officer also requested anonymity because he is actively advising senior officers and is not authorized to speak on the record .
Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn , President Trump 's first national security advisor and a recently pardoned felon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law on the conservative channel Newsmax last week , saying that the president should use the military to seize voting boxes and `` rerun '' the election in certain states .
`` He could take military capabilities and he could … basically rerun an election , '' Flynn said .
`` The president has to plan for every eventuality because we can not allow this election and the integrity of our election to go the way it is . ''
Flynn 's statement has been condemned by numerous retired officers who referred to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uniform . ''
Trump has so far denied the martial law suggestion publicly .

A series of pardons, post-election protests claiming voter fraud that has never been proven, and one man's probable mental illness at the head of the nation are adding up to a "red alert" in what has normally been a quiet time of the year for many: the holidays. But not this year.
"Pentagon and Washington-area military leaders are on red alert, wary of what President Donald Trump might do in his remaining days in office," Newsweekreported on Thursday.
One officer who spoke with Newsweek on the condition of anonymity said the inaugural and transitional planning is being kept out of sight of the White House and Trump loyalists in the Pentagon for fear that it would be shut down.
"I've been associated with the military for over 40 years and I've never seen the discussions that are being had right now, the need for such discussions," said the retired flag officer, who is currently a defense contractor. He was granted anonymity in order to speak without fear of reprisal.
"Right now, because of coronavirus," one retired judge advocate general said, "the president actually has unprecedented emergency powers, ones that might convince him—particularly if he listens to certain of his supporters—that he has unlimited powers and is above the law."
He continued, "But martial law is the wrong paradigm to think about the dangers ahead."
"There is no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of an American election," Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff General James McConville said in a joint statement last Friday.
"At this point there's no telling what the president might do in the next month," a former Northern Command (NORTHCOM) commander told Newsweek. "Though I'm confident that the uniformed military leadership has their heads screwed on right, the craziness is unprecedented and the possibilities are endless."
The retired flag officer also requested anonymity because he is actively advising senior officers and is not authorized to speak on the record.
Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn, President Trump's first national security advisor and a recently pardoned felon, publicly broached the subject of martial law on the conservative channel Newsmax last week, saying that the president should use the military to seize voting boxes and "rerun" the election in certain states.
"He could take military capabilities and he could … basically rerun an election," Flynn said. "The president has to plan for every eventuality because we cannot allow this election and the integrity of our election to go the way it is."
Flynn's statement has been condemned by numerous retired officers who referred to Flynn as a "disgrace to his uniform."
Trump has so far denied the martial law suggestion publicly.


alternet--2020-12-24--Former Justice Department official admits grave mistake she made working for the Trump administratio

Former Justice Department official admits grave mistake she made working for the Trump administration

Sarah Isgur , former director of the Office of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice , is speaking out about the grave mistake she made working under the Trump administration .
In an editorial published by The Washington Post , Isgur recalled her time working for the federal agency as she highlighted where she believes many government officials went wrong during the Trump presidency .
Isgur said she approached working for the Trump administration as `` the only person able to stop bad things from happening . ''
However , she quickly realized the error in that approach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump 's presidency , she and other officials `` only masked the absurdity of the Trump administration from voters . ''
`` I believed that in 2017 .
There is always a tendency to see oneself as a white knight — the only person able to stop bad things from happening , '' Isgur said .
`` But too many of us only imagined we were saving the country when in reality we were just nonfactors .
And even for those who prevented real harm , we only masked the absurdity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We told ourselves that , by going in , we were preventing greater harm to the country .
But we obscured the reality of a Trump presidency from the public .
We gave voters a false sense of what kind of president Trump was .
And now , more than 74 million people have voted to reelect a president who refuses to honor our most basic of values — the transfer of power based on the will of the American electorate . ''
She also weighed in on the `` so-called deep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Trump administration .
According to Isgur , Trump administration officials could be better described as `` the shallow state . ''
`` These are n't members of the so-called deep state who supposedly sabotage elected officials by secretly thwarting their policy goals , '' Isgur said .
`` This might be called `` the shallow state '' — people who accepted jobs in the Trump administration despite their profound concerns about the president .
We believed that good and competent people should work in our government and that conservatism 's traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — could still thrive in a Trump administration . ''

Sarah Isgur, former director of the Office of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice, is speaking out about the grave mistake she made working under the Trump administration.
In an editorial published by The Washington Post, Isgur recalled her time working for the federal agency as she highlighted where she believes many government officials went wrong during the Trump presidency.
Isgur said she approached working for the Trump administration as "the only person able to stop bad things from happening." However, she quickly realized the error in that approach. By not focusing on the reality of Trump's presidency, she and other officials "only masked the absurdity of the Trump administration from voters."
"I believed that in 2017. There is always a tendency to see oneself as a white knight — the only person able to stop bad things from happening," Isgur said. "But too many of us only imagined we were saving the country when in reality we were just nonfactors. And even for those who prevented real harm, we only masked the absurdity of the Trump administration from voters."
"We told ourselves that, by going in, we were preventing greater harm to the country. But we obscured the reality of a Trump presidency from the public. We gave voters a false sense of what kind of president Trump was. And now, more than 74 million people have voted to reelect a president who refuses to honor our most basic of values — the transfer of power based on the will of the American electorate."
She also weighed in on the "so-called deep state" as it relates to members of the Trump administration. According to Isgur, Trump administration officials could be better described as "the shallow state."
"These aren't members of the so-called deep state who supposedly sabotage elected officials by secretly thwarting their policy goals," Isgur said. "This might be called "the shallow state" — people who accepted jobs in the Trump administration despite their profound concerns about the president. We believed that good and competent people should work in our government and that conservatism's traditional goals — individual liberty and limited government — could still thrive in a Trump administration."


alternet--2020-12-24--House GOP strikes down unanimous consent of $2000 direct payments to Americans

House Democrats echoed President Donald Trump 's request for $ 2,000 direct payments to Americans but Republicans have , once again , struck down the initiative which would have provided a much-needed financial boost for American workers .
Shortly after Trump 's press conference on Tuesday , Dec. 22 , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) signaled her support of increasing payments .
The president lambasted lawmakers ' $ 900 billion bill , which included direct payments of $ 600 to Americans—an amount Trump deemed inadequate .
According to The Hill , House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer ( D-MD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for increased payments .
However , Rep .
Rob Wittman ( R-VA ) presented a countermeasure .
Ultimately , Rep. Debbie Dingell ( D-MI ) struck down both requests arguing that `` legislation ca n't be considered by unanimous consent unless there is the approval of bipartisan House floor and committee leadership . ''
Despite the latest ruling , Democrats will likely continue their efforts .
Amid Republicans ' denial of unanimous consent for $ 2,000 direct payments , Pelosi released a statement on Thursday morning criticizing lawmakers for their blatant disregard of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic .
`` Today , on Christmas Eve morning , House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $ 2,000 that the President agreed to support .
If the President is serious about the $ 2,000 direct payments , he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction , '' Pelosi said in the statement .
`` To vote against this bill is to deny the financial hardship that families face and to deny them the relief they need , '' she said .
`` Hopefully by then the President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bicameral legislation to keep government open and to deliver coronavirus relief . ''
Pelosi also vowed to hold another House session on Monday , Dec. 28 .
`` On Monday , I will bring the House back to session where we will hold a recorded vote on our stand-alone bill to increase economic impact payments to $ 2,000 . ''

House Democrats echoed President Donald Trump's request for $2,000 direct payments to Americans but Republicans have, once again, struck down the initiative which would have provided a much-needed financial boost for American workers.
Shortly after Trump's press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 22, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signaled her support of increasing payments. The president lambasted lawmakers' $900 billion bill, which included direct payments of $600 to Americans—an amount Trump deemed inadequate.
According to The Hill, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) worked to pass the latest initiative for increased payments. However, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) presented a countermeasure. Ultimately, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) struck down both requests arguing that "legislation can't be considered by unanimous consent unless there is the approval of bipartisan House floor and committee leadership."
Despite the latest ruling, Democrats will likely continue their efforts. Amid Republicans' denial of unanimous consent for $2,000 direct payments, Pelosi released a statement on Thursday morning criticizing lawmakers for their blatant disregard of Americans' "financial hardship" amid the pandemic.
"Today, on Christmas Eve morning, House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $2,000 that the President agreed to support. If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction," Pelosi said in the statement.
"To vote against this bill is to deny the financial hardship that families face and to deny them the relief they need," she said. "Hopefully by then the President will have already signed the bipartisan and bicameral legislation to keep government open and to deliver coronavirus relief."
Pelosi also vowed to hold another House session on Monday, Dec. 28. "On Monday, I will bring the House back to session where we will hold a recorded vote on our stand-alone bill to increase economic impact payments to $2,000."


alternet--2020-12-24--Fox News has barely covered Trump supporters’ martial law recommendations: report

That some supporters of President Donald Trump have been urging him to declare martial law — including Atlanta-based attorney Lin Wood , former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell — has received a great deal of coverage .
But according to Media Matters ' Eric Kleefeld , right-wing Fox News has barely covered the disturbing recommendation that has been coming from some Trump supporters '' Fox News , the network that avidly promoted President Donald Trump 's efforts to subvert the election results , is now almost silent on a major story from over the weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times and Axios that Trump is flirting with martial law , '' Kleefeld explains .
`` The news outlets reported , over the weekend , that Trump met with conspiracy theorist attorney Sidney Powell and his disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn , with Trump pondering whether to seize voting machines for examination , and perhaps even to appoint Powell as a special counsel to investigate the election . ''
Kleefeld notes that Flynn `` has been publicly calling for Trump to impose martial law in order to nullify the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the swing states , if he wanted to , he could take military capabilities , and he could place them in those states and basically re-run an election in each of those states . '
'' Kleefeld points out that Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway mentioned Trump 's `` fake news '' and `` martial law '' reference of December 20 , saying , `` President Trump tweeted last night , I believe , that that was fake news .
So , you have it from the horse 's mouth that he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything else crazy that the media are putting out there . ''
But Hemingway also said , `` There are very legitimate concerns about this very sloppy election . ''
According to Kleefeld , `` The cause of rejecting the democratic process and seizing election equipment received further promotion Monday morning on Fox Business , when anchor Maria Bartiromo hosted White House trade adviser Peter Navarro to promote his new report claiming election theft occurred in six swing states . ''

That some supporters of President Donald Trump have been urging him to declare martial law — including Atlanta-based attorney Lin Wood, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell — has received a great deal of coverage. But according to Media Matters' Eric Kleefeld, right-wing Fox News has barely covered the disturbing recommendation that has been coming from some Trump supporters
"Fox News, the network that avidly promoted President Donald Trump's efforts to subvert the election results, is now almost silent on a major story from over the weekend: the reports in both The New York Times and Axios that Trump is flirting with martial law," Kleefeld explains. "The news outlets reported, over the weekend, that Trump met with conspiracy theorist attorney Sidney Powell and his disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, with Trump pondering whether to seize voting machines for examination, and perhaps even to appoint Powell as a special counsel to investigate the election."
Kleefeld notes that Flynn "has been publicly calling for Trump to impose martial law in order to nullify the election, telling Newsmax last week that 'within the swing states, if he wanted to, he could take military capabilities, and he could place them in those states and basically re-run an election in each of those states.'"
On December 20, Trump tweeted:
But on December 1, Powell ally Wood tweeted:
Kleefeld points out that Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway mentioned Trump's "fake news" and "martial law" reference of December 20, saying, "President Trump tweeted last night, I believe, that that was fake news. So, you have it from the horse's mouth that he has no intention of declaring martial law or anything else crazy that the media are putting out there." But Hemingway also said, "There are very legitimate concerns about this very sloppy election."
According to Kleefeld, "The cause of rejecting the democratic process and seizing election equipment received further promotion Monday morning on Fox Business, when anchor Maria Bartiromo hosted White House trade adviser Peter Navarro to promote his new report claiming election theft occurred in six swing states."


alternet--2020-12-24--Here’s what legal experts are saying about Trump’s Manafort, Kushner pardons

On Wednesday night , December 23 , President Donald Trump announced yet another round of pardons — and this time @ @ @ @ @ 2016 campaign manager , Paul Manafort to Charles Kushner , the father of his son-in-law @ @ @ @ @ Jared Kushner .
Manafort and the older Kushner were both prosecuted for financial crimes , @ @ @ @ @ witness retaliation as well .
In addition to the Manafort and Kushner pardons , Trump @ @ @ @ @ Roger Stone , who was found guilty of obstruction of justice , witness tampering and @ @ @ @ @ already commuted Stone 's prison sentence , but on December 22 , the president went @ @ @ @ @ Stone a full presidential pardon .
The pardons of Manafort , Kushner , Stone and @ @ @ @ @ surprising , but that does n't mean that the president 's critics are finding them @ @ @ @ @ 's what legal experts , politicians and media figures have been saying on Twitter about @ @ @ @ @ .

Understand the importance of honest news ?
So do we.
The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.
We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.
We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.
Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.
Click to donate by check.


alternet--2020-12-24--Congress' spending and COVID relief bill included a $3M cut to programs for healthcare workers' ment

Congress' spending and COVID relief bill included a $3M cut to programs for healthcare workers' mental illnesses

The latest government spending and coronavirus relief bill included a $ 3 million cut for programs to aid the United States ' most critical workers amid the pandemic , according to The Daily Beast .
According to the Beast , Congress managed to cancel out $ 3 million worth of funding for The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act .
The bill , introduced earlier this year , was named after Dr. Breen who tragically took her own life .
Back in September , the president of the American Medical Association wrote : '' The bill is titled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protection Act , named after Lorna Breen , a tragic example of the pandemic 's toll on such workers .
A longtime New York City emergency room doctor , Breen died by suicide in April as the virus surged in the city and overwhelmed doctors and nurses treating the sick and dying .
As the pandemic has dragged on nationally , it has 'brought physician wellness to a crisis point . '
'' At the time , the bill seemed to be a necessity given the level of stress healthcare workers have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Corey Feist , Breen 's brother-in-law who also founded the Dr. Breen Heroes Foundation , revealed the bill initially received monumental support and appeared to be moving in the `` right direction . ''
However , advocates of the bill were shocked to see that it had been removed from the stimulus relief package .
`` Everyone is supportive , '' said Feist .
`` It tells me we 're onto something , we 're headed in the right direction . ''
One Democratic staffer expressed how disheartening Congress ' deduction was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the bill .
It was on the table until late in the process , '' the unnamed Democratic staffer said .
`` We were initially hopeful it would be included and were disappointed to find it did n't make it into the final package . ''
As of Thursday , Dec. 24 , healthcare workers across the country continue to battle a surge of COVID-19 cases .
The country has reported more than 18 million coronavirus cases as the death toll continues to rise .

The latest government spending and coronavirus relief bill included a $3 million cut for programs to aid the United States' most critical workers amid the pandemic, according to The Daily Beast.
According to the Beast, Congress managed to cancel out $3 million worth of funding for The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. The bill, introduced earlier this year, was named after Dr. Breen who tragically took her own life.
Back in September, the president of the American Medical Association wrote:
"The bill is titled The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, named after Lorna Breen, a tragic example of the pandemic's toll on such workers. A longtime New York City emergency room doctor, Breen died by suicide in April as the virus surged in the city and overwhelmed doctors and nurses treating the sick and dying. As the pandemic has dragged on nationally, it has 'brought physician wellness to a crisis point.'"
At the time, the bill seemed to be a necessity given the level of stress healthcare workers have been under amid the pandemic. In fact, Corey Feist, Breen's brother-in-law who also founded the Dr. Breen Heroes Foundation, revealed the bill initially received monumental support and appeared to be moving in the "right direction." However, advocates of the bill were shocked to see that it had been removed from the stimulus relief package.
"Everyone is supportive," said Feist. "It tells me we're onto something, we're headed in the right direction."
One Democratic staffer expressed how disheartening Congress' deduction was.
"We pushed hard for inclusion of the bill. It was on the table until late in the process," the unnamed Democratic staffer said. "We were initially hopeful it would be included and were disappointed to find it didn't make it into the final package."
As of Thursday, Dec. 24, healthcare workers across the country continue to battle a surge of COVID-19 cases. The country has reported more than 18 million coronavirus cases as the death toll continues to rise.


alternet--2020-12-25--The chaos of this lame duck period was totally predictable — and Trump’s GOP enablers are to blame:

The chaos of this lame duck period was totally predictable — and Trump’s GOP enablers are to blame: conservative

During the 2020 presidential election , numerous critics of President Donald Trump —from liberals and progressives to right-wing Never Trump conservatives — warned that the lame duck period would be incredibly chaotic if Trump lost and that the president would not accept defeat gracefully .
Those critics were accused of having `` Trump derangement syndrome '' by Fox News and talk radio pundits .
But in a December 23 column for the conservative website The Bulwark , Never Trump journalist Charlie Sykes argues that those who predicted major chaos after the election were spot on and that those who disagreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` It 's not like you were not warned .
Again and again .
It 's not as if it was n't obvious from the very beginning who Donald Trump was .
You had to know it would come to something like this . ''
The Bulwark columnist notes some of the things the United States is experiencing during Trump 's final weeks in office , and they include `` more than 323,000 dead Americans , a president plotting to steal an election , whispers of military coups , pardons for crooks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a possible government shutdown — and , after four interminable years , a nation that is dumber , crueler and more divided . ''
Sykes , in his column , makes it clear that he has no patience with all the Republicans who , in 2020 , were willing to look the other way when Trump said and did appalling things .
`` The anti-anti-Trumpers sat it out , or spent their time assuring us it was n't so bad — and that the real threat was radical woke socialists like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` When they were n't actually concocting elaborate defenses for Trump 's mendacity , they rationalized , or played an endless game of whataboutism . ''
When Sykes mentions `` radical woke socialists '' and President-elect Joe Biden in the same sentence , he is mocking Trump 's GOP enablers and being quite ironic .
Biden has a very centrist record — first as a U.S. senator , then as vice president under President Barack Obama — and a long list of conservatives supported him in the 2020 election , from the late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McCain , to former Ohio Gov .
John Kasich to former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina to former GOP Sen. Jeff Flake to the Lincoln Project to Sykes himself .
Expressing his frustration , Sykes stresses that Trump 's GOP enablers are partly to blame for the chaos of this lame duck period .
`` So , do n't pretend you are really surprised , '' Sykes writes .
`` You may be appalled by what you are seeing , but nothing that is happening now — the reckless attacks on constitutional norms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theories , the bullying , insults or chaos — is inconsistent in any way with what you have known for years .
But you truckled , wheedled and hoped he 'd eat you last .
And here we are , you miserable bastards . ''

During the 2020 presidential election, numerous critics of President Donald Trump —from liberals and progressives to right-wing Never Trump conservatives — warned that the lame duck period would be incredibly chaotic if Trump lost and that the president would not accept defeat gracefully. Those critics were accused of having "Trump derangement syndrome" by Fox News and talk radio pundits. But in a December 23 column for the conservative website The Bulwark, Never Trump journalist Charlie Sykes argues that those who predicted major chaos after the election were spot on and that those who disagreed were painfully naïve.
Sykes writes, "It's not like you were not warned. Again and again. It's not as if it wasn't obvious from the very beginning who Donald Trump was. You had to know it would come to something like this."
The Bulwark columnist notes some of the things the United States is experiencing during Trump's final weeks in office, and they include "more than 323,000 dead Americans, a president plotting to steal an election, whispers of military coups, pardons for crooks and war criminals, a potential constitutional crisis, and a possible government shutdown — and, after four interminable years, a nation that is dumber, crueler and more divided."
Sykes, in his column, makes it clear that he has no patience with all the Republicans who, in 2020, were willing to look the other way when Trump said and did appalling things.
"The anti-anti-Trumpers sat it out, or spent their time assuring us it wasn't so bad — and that the real threat was radical woke socialists like Joe Biden," Sykes laments. "When they weren't actually concocting elaborate defenses for Trump's mendacity, they rationalized, or played an endless game of whataboutism."
When Sykes mentions "radical woke socialists" and President-elect Joe Biden in the same sentence, he is mocking Trump's GOP enablers and being quite ironic. Biden has a very centrist record — first as a U.S. senator, then as vice president under President Barack Obama — and a long list of conservatives supported him in the 2020 election, from the late Sen. John McCain's widow, Cindy McCain, to former Ohio Gov. John Kasich to former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina to former GOP Sen. Jeff Flake to the Lincoln Project to Sykes himself.
Expressing his frustration, Sykes stresses that Trump's GOP enablers are partly to blame for the chaos of this lame duck period.
"So, don't pretend you are really surprised," Sykes writes. "You may be appalled by what you are seeing, but nothing that is happening now — the reckless attacks on constitutional norms, the flood of lies and conspiracy theories, the bullying, insults or chaos — is inconsistent in any way with what you have known for years. But you truckled, wheedled and hoped he'd eat you last. And here we are, you miserable bastards."


alternet--2020-12-25--Loeffler didn't disclose top donors own multibillion-dollar company cited for illegal hiring scheme

Georgia 's unelected Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler received several recent max-out donations from ten members of the Asplundh family , which owns the eponymous Pennsylvania-based utility and infrastructure clearing company , as well as from the company 's president , according to two recent filings with the Federal Election Commission .
However , the Loeffler campaign filings did not fulfill the federal agency 's requirement to report who employed those donors .
Their company , Asplundh Tree Expert Co. , a Pennsylvania-based tree trimming company , notably settled a $ 95 million criminal settlement after a Department of Homeland Security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undercut competitors by hiring undocumented workers .
Asplundh has also faced backlash in Loeffler 's home state of Georgia for discriminatory employment practices against Black employees and applicants .
In 2019 , the Department of Labor forced the company to pay back wages to employees of color who were victim of the `` illegal practices '' at its Macon facility .
According to a government press release , the action came after an investigation found that , beginning in 2015 , Asplundh had discriminated against 124 Black applicants in the hiring and selection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its Macon facility .
As part of the arrangement , the company agreed to make job offers for specific positions , for `` eligible class members . ''
Loeffler happens to sit on the Senate committee that oversees labor and the Senate 's forestry subcommittee , which oversees aspects of Asplundh 's business .
The federal government is also an Asplundh customer , with contracts for infrastructure work through the Department of Energy .
Despite what the Loeffler campaign describes as its `` best efforts '' — as well as readily available public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own recent FEC contribution history as well as from the company itself — Loeffler 's joint fundraising committee , which shares the same treasurer as the Loeffler campaign , responded to an FEC notice that it had not reported employer information for dozens of donations over the summer .
In addition to the Asplundhs , Loeffler 's campaign failed to provide employer information for more than 100 donors in its latest report .
Indeed , the campaign for the multimillionaire appointed by Georgia 's GOP governor failed to identify employers for hundreds more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the FEC notice — for example , here ; here ; here ; and here .
Loeffler happens to sit on the Senate committee that oversees labor and the Senate 's forestry subcommittee , which oversees aspects of Asplundh 's business .
The federal government is also an Asplundh customer , with contracts for infrastructure work through the Department of Energy .
Despite what the Loeffler campaign describes as its `` best efforts '' — as well as readily available public information , including from the donors ' own recent FEC contribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself — Loeffler 's joint fundraising committee , which shares the same treasurer as the Loeffler campaign , responded to an FEC notice that it had not reported employer information for dozens of donations over the summer .
In addition to the Asplundhs , Loeffler 's campaign failed to provide employer information for more than 100 donors in its latest report .
Indeed , the campaign for the multimillionaire appointed by Georgia 's GOP governor failed to identify employers for hundreds more donors in several reports filed since responding to the FEC notice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; here ; and here .
`` The FEC will definitely be asking the Loeffler campaign for an explanation for why it failed to provide occupation and employer information for such a large number of contributors , '' Kappel said .
Loeffler , a former top executive at a financial multinational whose husband chairs the New York Stock Exchange , has for months faced scrutiny from the media , the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission for well-timed stock transactions made in advance of the coronavirus epidemic .
Last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donations to a Loeffler-backing super PAC from billionaire hedge fund exec Ken Griffin , who had business before the NYSE .
The Senator also happens to sit on the committee that has direct oversight of her husband 's companies and her former colleagues and Wall Street associates , and she was also a member of the subcommittee that focused specifically on the subject , only stepping aside after her trades became public .
That same committee also has jurisdiction over her brother 's agriculture operation in Illinois , which has received millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report two months ago married the two subjects : Members of the Asplundh family have been in talks with investment bankers about a sale in anticipation of possible tax hikes under a Biden administration .
The article cites a senior partner at investment firm PJT Partners named David Perdue , son of the Georgia Senator who has also been investigated amid allegations of insider trading .
`` Since the summer we have seen a lot of dialogue from family offices about exploring a sale of some assets .
Many of these investors are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a tax perspective , '' Perdue told the outlet .
In late November , two days before the first Asplundh maximum contributions to Loeffler rolled in , the company 's PAC reported that it only had $ 1,100 in its account .
None of the family donors gave to Loeffler before the general election , according to FEC records .

Georgia's unelected Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler received several recent max-out donations from ten members of the Asplundh family, which owns the eponymous Pennsylvania-based utility and infrastructure clearing company, as well as from the company's president, according to two recentfilings with the Federal Election Commission. However, the Loeffler campaign filings did not fulfill the federal agency's requirement to report who employed those donors. Their company, Asplundh Tree Expert Co., a Pennsylvania-based tree trimming company, notably settled a $95 million criminal settlement after a Department of Homeland Security investigation found the company circumvented laws to undercut competitors by hiring undocumented workers.
Asplundh has also faced backlash in Loeffler's home state of Georgia for discriminatory employment practices against Black employees and applicants. In 2019, the Department of Labor forced the company to pay back wages to employees of color who were victim of the "illegal practices" at its Macon facility. According to a government press release, the action came after an investigation found that, beginning in 2015, Asplundh had discriminated against 124 Black applicants in the hiring and selection process for a number of positions at its Macon facility. As part of the arrangement, the company agreed to make job offers for specific positions, for "eligible class members."
Loeffler happens to sit on the Senate committee that oversees labor and the Senate's forestry subcommittee, which oversees aspects of Asplundh's business. The federal government is also an Asplundh customer, with contracts for infrastructure work through the Department of Energy.
Despite what the Loeffler campaign describes as its "best efforts" — as well as readily available public information, including from the donors' own recent FEC contribution history as well as from the company itself — Loeffler's joint fundraising committee, which shares the same treasurer as the Loeffler campaign, responded to an FEC notice that it had not reported employer information for dozens of donations over the summer.
In addition to the Asplundhs, Loeffler's campaign failed to provide employer information for more than 100 donors in its latest report. Indeed, the campaign for the multimillionaire appointed by Georgia's GOP governor failed to identify employers for hundreds more donors in several reports filed since responding to the FEC notice — for example, here; here; here; and here.
Loeffler happens to sit on the Senate committee that oversees labor and the Senate's forestry subcommittee, which oversees aspects of Asplundh's business. The federal government is also an Asplundh customer, with contracts for infrastructure work through the Department of Energy.
Despite what the Loeffler campaign describes as its "best efforts" — as well as readily available public information, including from the donors' own recent FEC contribution history as well as from the company itself — Loeffler's joint fundraising committee, which shares the same treasurer as the Loeffler campaign, responded to an FEC notice that it had not reported employer information for dozens of donations over the summer.
In addition to the Asplundhs, Loeffler's campaign failed to provide employer information for more than 100 donors in its latest report. Indeed, the campaign for the multimillionaire appointed by Georgia's GOP governor failed to identify employers for hundreds more donors in several reports filed since responding to the FEC notice — for example, here; here; here; and here.
"The FEC will definitely be asking the Loeffler campaign for an explanation for why it failed to provide occupation and employer information for such a large number of contributors," Kappel said.
Loeffler, a former top executive at a financial multinational whose husband chairs the New York Stock Exchange, has for months faced scrutiny from the media, the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission for well-timed stock transactions made in advance of the coronavirus epidemic. Last week, Salon reported on millions of dollars in donations to a Loeffler-backing super PAC from billionaire hedge fund exec Ken Griffin, who had business before the NYSE. The Senator also happens to sit on the committee that has direct oversight of her husband's companies and her former colleagues and Wall Street associates, and she was also a member of the subcommittee that focused specifically on the subject, only stepping aside after her trades became public. That same committee also has jurisdiction over her brother's agriculture operation in Illinois, which has received millions of dollars in government funds.
A Reuters report two months ago married the two subjects: Members of the Asplundh family have been in talks with investment bankers about a sale in anticipation of possible tax hikes under a Biden administration. The article cites a senior partner at investment firm PJT Partners named David Perdue, son of the Georgia Senator who has also been investigated amid allegations of insider trading.
"Since the summer we have seen a lot of dialogue from family offices about exploring a sale of some assets. Many of these investors are sophisticated about how they handle their affairs from a tax perspective," Perdue told the outlet.
In late November, two days before the first Asplundh maximum contributions to Loeffler rolled in, the company's PAC reported that it only had $1,100 in its account. None of the family donors gave to Loeffler before the general election, according to FEC records.


alternet--2020-12-25--Paul Manafort's pardon shows that Mueller’s investigation wasn’t a 'hoax' — but a 'scandal' Trump tr

Paul Manafort's pardon shows that Mueller’s investigation wasn’t a 'hoax' — but a 'scandal' Trump tried to 'thwart': journalist

President Donald Trump 's most recent batch of pardons , announced on Wednesday , December 23 , ranges from his 2016 campaign manager , Paul Manafort , to Charles Kushner ( father of White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner ) .
During the Russia investigation , Trump repeatedly dismissed former special counsel Robert Mueller 's work as a `` hoax '' — which was the same word he later used to describe the Ukraine scandal and the COVID-19 pandemic .
But journalist Jonathan Chait , in an article published by New York Magazine , argues that Trump 's decision to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia investigation was .
Chait explains , `` The official White House statement justifying the pardon of Paul Manafort explains that his prosecution 'was premised on the Russian collusion hoax . '
But Trump 's pardon — a ploy so well signaled its inevitability was clear even before he stepped into the Oval Office and that he has floated for years to keep Manafort quiet — is the final proof the Russia investigation was not a hoax , but a scandal Trump used his powers to thwart . ''
Chait notes that Manafort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2010s `` managing the campaign of corrupt , pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych '' and `` was being paid for this job by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska . ''
`` Manafort was almost surely not an instrument for ( Russian President Vladimir ) Putin to control Trump 's campaign in anything like as direct a fashion as the Kremlin seemed to control Yanukovych 's puppet regime in Kiev , '' Chait recalls .
`` Manafort did , however , maintain a continuous line of contact with Russia throughout the 2016 campaign ( through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian spy Konstantin Kilimnik .
At one point during the campaign , Manafort met Kilimnik in New York and passed him 75 pages of detailed polling information . ''
Looking back on Manafort 's decision not to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice during the Russia investigation , Chait argues , `` The fact Manafort withheld cooperation from prosecutors , and then received a pardon from Trump , may have been sufficient to insulate either man from legal consequences .
But the pattern of facts creates an overwhelming presumption of guilt .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cooperation from prosecutors , and Trump possesses the constitutional right to reward him for doing so with a pardon .
But neither man is owed the suspension of disbelief required to consider them innocent . ''
Trump , Chait observes , `` has repeatedly floated future pardons to his partners to prevent them from ratting him out '' — and that includes Manafort .
Chait explains , `` ( Trump ) ran the Mafia-boss playbook , but one enhanced by a power no godfather could dream of wielding… .
There is an old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cover-up , not the crime , that gets you .
The line comes from an era when the crimes were more modest and cover-ups harder to sustain .
Sometimes , cover-ups succeed . ''

President Donald Trump's most recent batch of pardons, announced on Wednesday, December 23, ranges from his 2016 campaign manager, Paul Manafort, to Charles Kushner (father of White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner). During the Russia investigation, Trump repeatedly dismissed former special counsel Robert Mueller's work as a "hoax" — which was the same word he later used to describe the Ukraine scandal and the COVID-19 pandemic. But journalist Jonathan Chait, in an article published by New York Magazine, argues that Trump's decision to pardon Manafort shows just how substantial the Russia investigation was.
Chait explains, "The official White House statement justifying the pardon of Paul Manafort explains that his prosecution 'was premised on the Russian collusion hoax.' But Trump's pardon — a ploy so well signaled its inevitability was clear even before he stepped into the Oval Office and that he has floated for years to keep Manafort quiet — is the final proof the Russia investigation was not a hoax, but a scandal Trump used his powers to thwart."
Chait notes that Manafort "spent the bulk of" the 2010s "managing the campaign of corrupt, pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych" and "was being paid for this job by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska."
"Manafort was almost surely not an instrument for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to control Trump's campaign in anything like as direct a fashion as the Kremlin seemed to control Yanukovych's puppet regime in Kiev," Chait recalls. "Manafort did, however, maintain a continuous line of contact with Russia throughout the 2016 campaign (through) his former business partner, the Russian spy Konstantin Kilimnik. At one point during the campaign, Manafort met Kilimnik in New York and passed him 75 pages of detailed polling information."
Looking back on Manafort's decision not to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice during the Russia investigation, Chait argues, "The fact Manafort withheld cooperation from prosecutors, and then received a pardon from Trump, may have been sufficient to insulate either man from legal consequences. But the pattern of facts creates an overwhelming presumption of guilt. Manafort possesses the legal right to withhold cooperation from prosecutors, and Trump possesses the constitutional right to reward him for doing so with a pardon. But neither man is owed the suspension of disbelief required to consider them innocent."
Trump, Chait observes, "has repeatedly floated future pardons to his partners to prevent them from ratting him out" — and that includes Manafort.
Chait explains, "(Trump) ran the Mafia-boss playbook, but one enhanced by a power no godfather could dream of wielding…. There is an old cliché in Washington that says it's the cover-up, not the crime, that gets you. The line comes from an era when the crimes were more modest and cover-ups harder to sustain. Sometimes, cover-ups succeed."


alternet--2020-12-25--Economist Paul Krugman: Congress’ coronavirus relief bill is 'short-changing people in desperate str

Economist Paul Krugman: Congress’ coronavirus relief bill is 'short-changing people in desperate straits'

President Donald Trump has been threatening to veto the coronavirus relief bill that Congress passed on Monday , December 21 because he considers its $ 600 in direct payments inadequate .
Liberal economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman analyzes the bill in a Twitter thread , and for once , Krugman and Trump actually agree on something : $ 600 in direct payments is n't enough .
Republicans and Democrats in Congress had plenty of disagreements when the details of the bill were being worked out .
Eventually , they agreed on $ 600 in direct payments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disapproval and declared that $ 600 was insufficient .
Democrats in the House , during a session on Christmas Eve Day , responded by trying to pass $ 2000 in direct payments , but House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy opposed .
And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also believes that $ 2000 payments , which is what Trump is asking for , would be too costly .
The CARES Act , passed by Congress in March , included direct payments of $ 1200 .
Krugman tweets , `` Dems are gleefully signing on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checks , hoping to embarrass Rs ; fair enough .
And it would do no harm , since debt is not a problem given negative real interest rates .
But the way this is playing out is still bad news for the future . ''
Although Krugman has been a blistering critic of Trump , the Times columnist agrees with him that $ 600 in direct payments is too little .
But Krugman parts company with Trump by saying that even $ 2000 is insufficient in light of all the economic misery the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone who wo n't have earnings until we have mass vaccination , '' Krugman explains in his Twitter thread , `` even a $ 2000 check is n't remotely enough to compensate for the loss of that $ 300 a week extra unemployment benefit starting in mid-March 3 .
So we 're short-changing people in desperate straits , while handing out checks to people who do n't need them .
This may be good politics , but it is n't good policy . ''
Krugman , in his Times column , has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prosper during the pandemic , others have suffered months of unemployment and are struggling to pay their bills .
Those who fall into the second category , according to Krugman , need a lot more help than a $ 2000 direct payment from the federal government — while Americans who have n't lost any income because of the pandemic do n't really need a direct payment .
`` To be honest , '' Krugman tweets , `` it 's kind of a relief to be criticizing bad analysis rather than raw , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blame Ds for going with the flow .
But this really is n't the right answer to our current situation . ''

President Donald Trump has been threatening to veto the coronavirus relief bill that Congress passed on Monday, December 21 because he considers its $600 in direct payments inadequate. Liberal economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman analyzes the bill in a Twitter thread, and for once, Krugman and Trump actually agree on something: $600 in direct payments isn't enough.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress had plenty of disagreements when the details of the bill were being worked out. Eventually, they agreed on $600 in direct payments to Americans, but the president expressed his disapproval and declared that $600 was insufficient. Democrats in the House, during a session on Christmas Eve Day, responded by trying to pass $2000 in direct payments, but House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy opposed. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also believes that $2000 payments, which is what Trump is asking for, would be too costly.
The CARES Act, passed by Congress in March, included direct payments of $1200.
Krugman tweets, "Dems are gleefully signing on to Trump's demand for $2000 checks, hoping to embarrass Rs; fair enough. And it would do no harm, since debt is not a problem given negative real interest rates. But the way this is playing out is still bad news for the future."
Although Krugman has been a blistering critic of Trump, the Times columnist agrees with him that $600 in direct payments is too little. But Krugman parts company with Trump by saying that even $2000 is insufficient in light of all the economic misery the COVID-19 payment has inflicted.
"For someone who won't have earnings until we have mass vaccination," Krugman explains in his Twitter thread, "even a $2000 check isn't remotely enough to compensate for the loss of that $300 a week extra unemployment benefit starting in mid-March 3. So we're short-changing people in desperate straits, while handing out checks to people who don't need them. This may be good politics, but it isn't good policy."
Krugman, in his Times column, has been stressing that while some Americans have continued to prosper during the pandemic, others have suffered months of unemployment and are struggling to pay their bills. Those who fall into the second category, according to Krugman, need a lot more help than a $2000 direct payment from the federal government — while Americans who haven't lost any income because of the pandemic don't really need a direct payment.
"To be honest," Krugman tweets, "it's kind of a relief to be criticizing bad analysis rather than raw, malevolent dishonesty. And I don't blame Ds for going with the flow. But this really isn't the right answer to our current situation."


alternet--2020-12-25--Here’s what QAnon and the 'election coup scenario' have in common

Conspiracy theories were around long before Donald Trump 's presidency : the late conservative and National Review founder William F. Buckley , during the 1950s and 1960s , had zero patience with the outlandish claims of the John Birch Society .
But the Trump era has found conspiracy theories becoming especially plentiful , and journalist Dan Brooks compares two Trump-era conspiracy theories in a December 24 op-ed for The Guardian : QAnon and the `` coup scenario . ''
`` QAnon is essentially an online conspiracy theory based on interpreting the gnomic posts of an unidentified person or group of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a high-ranking official in the U.S. government , '' Brooks explains .
`` Q 's message to the faithful is that this government is secretly controlled by a cabal of satanic pedophiles whom Donald Trump will one day round up and execute , in a mass cleansing called the Storm . ''
Another major conspiracy theory of 2020 , Brooks adds , is `` the coup scenario . ''
Trump supporters , making baseless claims of widespread voter fraud , have filed countless lawsuits in the hope of overturning the results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those lawsuits have been running into a brick wall , and President-elect Joe Biden 's inauguration is less than a month away .
`` The coup scenario has not come to pass , unless you count the series of unsuccessful lawsuits Trump 's campaign has filed in an attempt to overturn various state election results — which I do not , '' Brooks writes .
`` The president 's motives remain inscrutable , but if you are going to risk it all on a bid to overthrow U.S. democracy , you do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both theories , according to Brooks , stem from a frustration with democracy .
`` Both QAnon and the Trump coup were dark fantasies that came with the same happy ending : a situation in which decent Americans no longer had to argue with the ignorant and evil , because we were finally justified in simply overpowering them , '' Brooks explains .
`` That we can not do so under ordinary conditions is what makes U.S. democracy such a pain in the ass . ''

Conspiracy theories were around long before Donald Trump's presidency: the late conservative and National Review founder William F. Buckley, during the 1950s and 1960s, had zero patience with the outlandish claims of the John Birch Society. But the Trump era has found conspiracy theories becoming especially plentiful, and journalist Dan Brooks compares two Trump-era conspiracy theories in a December 24 op-ed for The Guardian: QAnon and the "coup scenario."
"QAnon is essentially an online conspiracy theory based on interpreting the gnomic posts of an unidentified person or group of people known as Q, who purports to be a high-ranking official in the U.S. government," Brooks explains. "Q's message to the faithful is that this government is secretly controlled by a cabal of satanic pedophiles whom Donald Trump will one day round up and execute, in a mass cleansing called the Storm."
Another major conspiracy theory of 2020, Brooks adds, is "the coup scenario."
Trump supporters, making baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, have filed countless lawsuits in the hope of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election. But those lawsuits have been running into a brick wall, and President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration is less than a month away.
"The coup scenario has not come to pass, unless you count the series of unsuccessful lawsuits Trump's campaign has filed in an attempt to overturn various state election results — which I do not," Brooks writes. "The president's motives remain inscrutable, but if you are going to risk it all on a bid to overthrow U.S. democracy, you do not put Rudolph Giuliani in charge."
Both theories, according to Brooks, stem from a frustration with democracy.
"Both QAnon and the Trump coup were dark fantasies that came with the same happy ending: a situation in which decent Americans no longer had to argue with the ignorant and evil, because we were finally justified in simply overpowering them," Brooks explains. "That we cannot do so under ordinary conditions is what makes U.S. democracy such a pain in the ass."