freebeacon--2020-12-23--Dark Money Behemoth That Hosts BLM Foundation Received $16 Million in Government Grants

The dark money network that houses the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation received nearly $ 16 million in taxpayer-funded grants last year , financial filings reveal .
The Tides Center , a California-based nonprofit incubator , reported the government grants on its 2019 tax forms .
It operates by acting as a fiscal sponsor to several left-wing nonprofits , including the BLM Global Network Foundation , which has advocated for abolishing the nuclear family and defunding the police .
This arrangement lets the nonprofits avoid disclosing their financial activity , and thus makes it difficult to know where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ center 's 2019 windfall adds to the $ 170 million it has received in government grants since 2001—grants that have drawn criticism from nonprofit watchdogs .
Scott Walter , president of the Capital Research Center , has called Tides as `` liberal and politically active as they come '' and questioned whether American tax dollars should be awarded to groups housed at such networks .
The new filings show that the center took in $ 155 million in anonymous contributions on top of the $ 16 million in government grants it received in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over its 2018 totals .
It also cut nearly $ 20 million in grants to outside groups , including the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and the New Venture Fund , a separate nonprofit incubator that is part of a $ 715 million secret money network managed by Arabella Advisors .
The Tides Center was launched in 1996 as an offshoot of the Tides Foundation .
It has incubated numerous social justice , environmental , gun-control , and abortion-rights groups .
George Soros 's Open Society Foundations , the Ford Foundation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Kellogg Foundation , and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation have all pushed funding through the network .
The Tides Center did not respond to a request for comment .

The dark money network that houses the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation received nearly $16 million in taxpayer-funded grants last year, financial filings reveal.
The Tides Center, a California-based nonprofit incubator, reported the government grants on its 2019 tax forms. It operates by acting as a fiscal sponsor to several left-wing nonprofits, including the BLM Global Network Foundation, which has advocated for abolishing the nuclear family and defunding the police. This arrangement lets the nonprofits avoid disclosing their financial activity, and thus makes it difficult to know where the taxpayer-funded cash ultimately ends up.
The center's 2019 windfall adds to the $170 million it has received in government grants since 2001—grants that have drawn criticism from nonprofit watchdogs. Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center, has called Tides as "liberal and politically active as they come" and questioned whether American tax dollars should be awarded to groups housed at such networks.
The new filings show that the center took in $155 million in anonymous contributions on top of the $16 million in government grants it received in 2019, a $34 million increase over its 2018 totals. It also cut nearly $20 million in grants to outside groups, including the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and the New Venture Fund, a separate nonprofit incubator that is part of a $715 million secret money network managed by Arabella Advisors.
The Tides Center was launched in 1996 as an offshoot of the Tides Foundation. It has incubated numerous social justice, environmental, gun-control, and abortion-rights groups. George Soros's Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation have all pushed funding through the network.
The Tides Center did not respond to a request for comment.


freebeacon--2020-12-23--Truth Check: Warnock Won’t Deny Being a ‘Radical Liberal’

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ‘ s coverage of the Senate runoff elections in Georgia has included numerous attempts to `` fact check '' the candidates , nearly all of which are extremely deferential to the Democratic candidates .
Last week , for example , the AJC analyzed Raphael Warnock 's ( unequivocally false ) claim that his opponent , Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R. , Ga. ) , had `` voted to defund the police '' and failed to render a verdict either way .
The paper also defended Warnock against Loeffler 's charge that he supports court packing , citing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to direct questions .
A few days later , the paper tackled allegations that Warnock is `` anti-Israel '' and did n't find much evidence to support them—apart from the time he signed a letter describing Israel as an `` apartheid state , '' or the time he defended a radical pastor who accused Israel of `` ethnic cleansing '' and denounced the influence of `` them Jews '' over former president Barack Obama , or the time he attended a campaign event with a former congressman who compared Israeli Jews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the AJC published an item challenging `` Loeffler 's view that she 's not racist , '' citing Warnock 's counterargument ( `` Yes , she is . ''
) as evidence .
The publication has yet to perform a `` truth check '' on some of Loeffler 's most prominent accusations , so the Washington Free Beacon decided to do it for them .
Loeffler described Warnock as a `` radical liberal '' 13 times during a debate earlier this month .
Warnock has refused to deny the accusation .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberal statements he made in the past may have been taken `` out of context . ''
Loeffler 's use of the term `` radical liberal '' amounted to `` vile fearmongering '' against the black community , said Rev .
Al Sharpton , who knows a thing or two about vile fearmongering and should never be taken seriously by anyone .
Where there 's smoke , there 's fire .
Recently released police bodycam footage shed more light on a March 2020 domestic dispute between Warnock and his ex-wife , Ouleye Ndoye @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her foot with his car .
Ndoye told police that for the sake of Warnock 's `` reputation , '' she had `` tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time , '' adding that Warnock is a `` great actor '' who is `` phenomenal at putting on a really good show . ''
Warnock told police he did n't `` think '' he ran over his ex-wife 's foot with his car and later told the AJC that it `` did n't happen . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his family '' by expressing concern over the allegations of domestic abuse .
Allegations of domestic abuse are deeply troubling .
Unlike Rev .
Warnock , we think women deserve to be heard , and to be believed .
Proponents of domestic abuse already have a champion in the form of Sen. Tom Carper ( D. , Del. )
.
They do n't need another .

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's coverage of the Senate runoff elections in Georgia has included numerous attempts to "fact check" the candidates, nearly all of which are extremely deferential to the Democratic candidates.
Last week, for example, the AJC analyzed Raphael Warnock's (unequivocally false) claim that his opponent, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R., Ga.), had "voted to defund the police" and failed to render a verdict either way. The paper also defended Warnock against Loeffler's charge that he supports court packing, citing his repeated refusal to oppose court packing in response to direct questions.
A few days later, the paper tackled allegations that Warnock is "anti-Israel" and didn't find much evidence to support them—apart from the time he signed a letter describing Israel as an "apartheid state," or the time he defended a radical pastor who accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" and denounced the influence of "them Jews" over former president Barack Obama, or the time he attended a campaign event with a former congressman who compared Israeli Jews to "termites."
On Tuesday, the AJC published an item challenging "Loeffler's view that she's not racist," citing Warnock's counterargument ("Yes, she is.") as evidence. The publication has yet to perform a "truth check" on some of Loeffler's most prominent accusations, so the Washington Free Beacon decided to do it for them.
The statement:
"Radical liberal Raphael Warnock." —Sen. Kelly Loeffler
What we found:
Loeffler described Warnock as a "radical liberal" 13 times during a debate earlier this month. Warnock has refused to deny the accusation. Instead, he has suggested that the radical liberal statements he made in the past may have been taken "out of context."
Loeffler's use of the term "radical liberal" amounted to "vile fearmongering" against the black community, said Rev. Al Sharpton, who knows a thing or two about vile fearmongering and should never be taken seriously by anyone.
Warnock seems like a radical lib.
Conclusion:
Where there's smoke, there's fire.
The statement:
"Raphael Warnock's ex-wife Ouleye's allegations are deeply troubling." —Sen. Kelly Loeffler
What we found:
Recently released police bodycam footage shed more light on a March 2020 domestic dispute between Warnock and his ex-wife, Ouleye Ndoye, who accused him of running over her foot with his car.
Ndoye told police that for the sake of Warnock's "reputation," she had "tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time," adding that Warnock is a "great actor" who is "phenomenal at putting on a really good show."
Warnock told police he didn't "think" he ran over his ex-wife's foot with his car and later told the AJC that it "didn't happen." His campaign accused Loeffler of "attacking his family" by expressing concern over the allegations of domestic abuse.
Conclusion:
Allegations of domestic abuse are deeply troubling. Unlike Rev. Warnock, we think women deserve to be heard, and to be believed. Proponents of domestic abuse already have a champion in the form of Sen. Tom Carper (D., Del.). They don't need another.


freebeacon--2020-12-23--Ossoff Refuses to Release ‘Further Financial Information’ After Controversial Payments Surface

Even after a number of controversial payments to Jon Ossoff 's foreign film company surfaced in September—including one from a Chinese-backed media giant—the Georgia Democrat refused to release additional financial documents from the company .
In a recent interview with the Washington Post , Ossoff declined the outlet 's request to `` release further financial information '' relating to his company , noting that `` the particulars of our annual finances are confidential . ''
The refusal comes months after Ossoff quietly disclosed receiving at least $ 5,000 from PCCW , a Hong Kong-based media corporation owned in part by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withholding of financial information could undermine his ability to fend off attacks from his Republican opponent .
Senator David Perdue has criticized Ossoff for accepting funds from a `` communist Chinese news agency '' and called on him to explain `` where his money comes from '' in an October debate .
Ossoff failed to include the PCCW payment in his May candidate financial disclosure before revealing it nearly two months later in an amended filing .
While his campaign initially blamed the discrepancy on a `` paperwork oversight , '' spokeswoman Miryam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the payment was `` around $ 1,000 . ''
Senate ethics rules , however , only require candidates to disclose payments exceeding $ 5,000 .
Lipper responded by telling the Journal-Constitution that—despite falling below the reporting threshold—the payment was disclosed `` in the interest of transparency . ''
The Ossoff campaign declined a Washington Free Beacon request to review documents surrounding the payment , instead pointing to the Journal–Constitution ‘ s review of the company 's 2018 quarterly payments .
The outlet , which did not respond to a request for comment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 950 '' from PCCW in 2018 , though it did not review subsequent years .
The campaign claims that the 2018 records `` document the only transactions '' between Ossoff 's company and PCCW .
In addition to the payment he received from PCCW , Ossoff also received at least $ 5,000 from the Qatari-backed Al Jazeera network , his financial disclosures show .
The network sparked controversy when it aired flattering footage of Osama bin Laden in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks .
Its English-language counterpart has since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ing ] coverage to promote Qatar . ''
Ossoff defended the payment in his Washington Post interview , calling Al Jazeera English a `` completely respected news organization '' with which he negotiated `` directly . ''
Ossoff used a sizable family inheritance to purchase London-based film company Insight TWI in 2013 .
He told the Washington Post that he first loaned the company $ 250,000 before investing `` an unspecified additional amount '' that made him CEO and majority owner .
Ossoff also declined to reveal the total amount he inherited .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` trust fund socialist . ''
Ossoff and Perdue will square off in Georgia 's January 5 Senate runoff election .

Even after a number of controversial payments to Jon Ossoff's foreign film company surfaced in September—including one from a Chinese-backed media giant—the Georgia Democrat refused to release additional financial documents from the company.
In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Ossoff declined the outlet's request to "release further financial information" relating to his company, noting that "the particulars of our annual finances are confidential." The refusal comes months after Ossoff quietly disclosed receiving at least $5,000 from PCCW, a Hong Kong-based media corporation owned in part by the Chinese Communist Party.
Ossoff's withholding of financial information could undermine his ability to fend off attacks from his Republican opponent. Senator David Perdue has criticized Ossoff for accepting funds from a "communist Chinese news agency" and called on him to explain "where his money comes from" in an October debate.
Ossoff failed to include the PCCW payment in his May candidate financial disclosure before revealing it nearly two months later in an amended filing. While his campaign initially blamed the discrepancy on a "paperwork oversight," spokeswoman Miryam Lipper later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the payment was "around $1,000." Senate ethics rules, however, only require candidates to disclose payments exceeding $5,000. Lipper responded by telling the Journal-Constitution that—despite falling below the reporting threshold—the payment was disclosed "in the interest of transparency."
The Ossoff campaign declined a Washington Free Beacon request to review documents surrounding the payment, instead pointing to the Journal-Constitution's review of the company's 2018 quarterly payments. The outlet, which did not respond to a request for comment, found that Ossoff's company received "about $950" from PCCW in 2018, though it did not review subsequent years. The campaign claims that the 2018 records "document the only transactions" between Ossoff's company and PCCW.
In addition to the payment he received from PCCW, Ossoff also received at least $5,000 from the Qatari-backed Al Jazeera network, his financial disclosures show. The network sparked controversy when it aired flattering footage of Osama bin Laden in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Its English-language counterpart has since faced criticism for "regularly skew[ing] coverage to promote Qatar." Ossoff defended the payment in his Washington Post interview, calling Al Jazeera English a "completely respected news organization" with which he negotiated "directly."
Ossoff used a sizable family inheritance to purchase London-based film company Insight TWI in 2013. He told the Washington Post that he first loaned the company $250,000 before investing "an unspecified additional amount" that made him CEO and majority owner. Ossoff also declined to reveal the total amount he inherited. Perdue has labeled the Georgia Democrat a "trust fund socialist."
Ossoff and Perdue will square off in Georgia's January 5 Senate runoff election.


freebeacon--2020-12-23--Continetti: Biden Knows Russia Didn’t Cause Investigation Into Hunter’s Taxes

Washington Free Beacon founding editor Matthew Continetti said President-elect Joe Biden knows it 's incorrect to claim the Russians manufactured the scandal ensnaring Hunter Biden .
`` We know that the Justice Department is conducting an investigation into Hunter Biden 's taxes , '' Continetti said on Fox News 's Special Report Tuesday .
`` [ Joe ] Biden even seems to hint that he knows that it 's real , that it 's not disinformation . ''
Many Democrats and members of the media have dismissed reports about Hunter Biden 's overseas business dealings , saying such stories are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not be taken seriously .
However , the Justice Department is investigating Hunter Biden 's taxes , while the FBI and various news outlets have found no evidence of Russian disinformation .
Biden , however , has continued to criticize anyone who asks about the investigation of his son , as he did when he called Fox 's Peter Doocy a `` one-horse pony '' for raising the topic .
Continetti said senators should not be deterred from demanding that Biden 's choice for attorney general allows investigations to proceed .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general needs to face tough questioning from Senate Republicans about whether [ the nominee ] will be independent and let these investigations proceed as they normally would , '' Continetti said .

Washington Free Beacon founding editor Matthew Continetti said President-elect Joe Biden knows it's incorrect to claim the Russians manufactured the scandal ensnaring Hunter Biden.
"We know that the Justice Department is conducting an investigation into Hunter Biden's taxes," Continetti said on Fox News's Special Report Tuesday. "[Joe] Biden even seems to hint that he knows that it's real, that it's not disinformation."
Many Democrats and members of the media have dismissed reports about Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings, saying such stories are part of a Russian disinformation campaign that should not be taken seriously. However, the Justice Department is investigating Hunter Biden's taxes, while the FBI and various news outlets have found no evidence of Russian disinformation.
Biden, however, has continued to criticize anyone who asks about the investigation of his son, as he did when he called Fox's Peter Doocy a "one-horse pony" for raising the topic. Continetti said senators should not be deterred from demanding that Biden's choice for attorney general allows investigations to proceed.
"Whoever Biden nominates to be his attorney general needs to face tough questioning from Senate Republicans about whether [the nominee] will be independent and let these investigations proceed as they normally would," Continetti said.


freebeacon--2020-12-23--Former Free Beacon ‘Men of the Year’ Winners Who Made Us Proud in 2020

It 's almost that time of year again , when the Washington Free Beacon celebrates the men who went above and beyond the call of manhood .
Stay tuned to find out who earned `` Man of the Year '' honors in 2020 .
In the meantime , we 'd like to take the opportunity to highlight previous winners who shined ( again ) in 2020 .
Because we take this task so seriously , few MOTY winners have ever disappointed us .
Perhaps the only exception is NFL defensive back Richard Sherman , who had his 2014 award rescinded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government propaganda video urging Americans to sign up for Obamacare .
Sherman 's fortunes have faded ever since .
Earlier this year , for example , he represented Nancy Pelosi 's hometown of San Francisco , aka `` Poop City , '' in the Super Bowl .
Before the big game , Sherman expressed `` doubt '' as to whether he 'd accept President Trump 's invitation to the White House if the 49ers won .
They did not .
Here are a few Free Beacon MOTY winners of years past who , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
Honored in 2019 for living life to the fullest , Hunter managed to avoid falling off the wagon during the 2020 campaign .
The DOJ investigation into his shady business activity is a real bummer—now that the media have finally acknowledged it—because it might complicate his ability to cash in on his dad 's promotion .
He remains a hero in the eyes of many .
Recognized in 2019 for his role in helping his former lover , Kamala Harris , rise to national prominence during the Democratic primary .
Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second person of color to serve as vice president and will be just one 78-year-old heartbeat away from the highest office in the land .
Honored in 2018 for keeping `` Notorious RBG '' in shape and thereby influencing her decision not to retire during Barack Obama 's presidency .
This year , President Donald J. Trump honored the late justice 's legacy by replacing her with Amy Coney Barrett , a working mom who is also in really good shape .
The Free Beacon celebrated Sandmann in 2019 for standing tall amidst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrate him still , because in 2020 the Kentucky teenager reached financial settlements with CNN and the Washington Post after suing the media outlets for defamation , and won a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention .
To this date the only former Man of the Year winner to be hired by the Free Beacon , Anderson did to Democratic Senate candidates in 2020 what he did to Claire McCaskill back in 2018 : publicly humiliate them and dance on their political graves .
Next up : Jon Ossoff , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose another election in Georgia .
They did n't find success in the Democratic Party , but these 2019 MOTY winners continued to win in 2020 through their courageous leadership in the midst of a global pandemic .
Donald J. Trump , our billionaire president , personally conquered the coronavirus and helped engineer a vaccine in record time .
Other billionaires , such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos , got even richer by providing a valuable service .
Recognized in 2018 for his role in securing enough Republican votes to ensure the confirmation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stand '' Kavanaugh , the former # Resistance lawyer deserves additional recognition for utterly beclowning the national media .
Once a mainstay of network `` news '' coverage , who was even floated as a possible Democratic candidate for president , Avenatti was arrested in 2019 and convicted in 2020 on fraud and embezzlement charges .
Celebrated in 2018 for his efforts to keep America 's prisons full , Cotton 's zeal for law and order was on full display in 2020 .
His June 3 op-ed in the New York Times—urging President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' in response to violent unrest in America 's cities—forced many liberals to finally acknowledge their opposition to free speech .
Months later , the Times published an op-ed in support of China 's military crackdown in Hong Kong .
Honored for eluding justice in 2019 , the person responsible for the billionaire pedophile 's untimely jailhouse `` suicide '' remains at large in Chappaqua , N.Y .
The Free Beacon ‘ s 2020 Men of the Year will begin rolling out Thursday .

It's almost that time of year again, when the Washington Free Beacon celebrates the men who went above and beyond the call of manhood.
Stay tuned to find out who earned "Man of the Year" honors in 2020. In the meantime, we'd like to take the opportunity to highlight previous winners who shined (again) in 2020.
Because we take this task so seriously, few MOTY winners have ever disappointed us. Perhaps the only exception is NFL defensive back Richard Sherman, who had his 2014 award rescinded the following year after appearing in a government propaganda video urging Americans to sign up for Obamacare.
Sherman's fortunes have faded ever since. Earlier this year, for example, he represented Nancy Pelosi's hometown of San Francisco, aka "Poop City," in the Super Bowl. Before the big game, Sherman expressed "doubt" as to whether he'd accept President Trump's invitation to the White House if the 49ers won. They did not.
Here are a few Free Beacon MOTY winners of years past who, unlike Sherman, made us proud in 2020.
Hunter Biden
Honored in 2019 for living life to the fullest, Hunter managed to avoid falling off the wagon during the 2020 campaign. The DOJ investigation into his shady business activity is a real bummer—now that the media have finally acknowledged it—because it might complicate his ability to cash in on his dad's promotion. He remains a hero in the eyes of many.
Willie Brown
Recognized in 2019 for his role in helping his former lover, Kamala Harris, rise to national prominence during the Democratic primary. Harris is now in line to become the second person of color to serve as vice president and will be just one 78-year-old heartbeat away from the highest office in the land.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's personal trainer
Honored in 2018 for keeping "Notorious RBG" in shape and thereby influencing her decision not to retire during Barack Obama's presidency. This year, President Donald J. Trump honored the late justice's legacy by replacing her with Amy Coney Barrett, a working mom who is also in really good shape.
Nick Sandmann
The Free Beacon celebrated Sandmann in 2019 for standing tall amidst a torrent of media-driven smears. We celebrate him still, because in 2020 the Kentucky teenager reached financial settlements with CNN and the Washington Post after suing the media outlets for defamation, and won a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention.
Collin Anderson
To this date the only former Man of the Year winner to be hired by the Free Beacon, Anderson did to Democratic Senate candidates in 2020 what he did to Claire McCaskill back in 2018: publicly humiliate them and dance on their political graves. Next up: Jon Ossoff, the trust fund kid who is about to lose another election in Georgia.
Billionaires
They didn't find success in the Democratic Party, but these 2019 MOTY winners continued to win in 2020 through their courageous leadership in the midst of a global pandemic. Donald J. Trump, our billionaire president, personally conquered the coronavirus and helped engineer a vaccine in record time. Other billionaires, such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, got even richer by providing a valuable service.
Michael Avenatti
Recognized in 2018 for his role in securing enough Republican votes to ensure the confirmation of Supreme Court justice Brett "Keg Stand" Kavanaugh, the former #Resistance lawyer deserves additional recognition for utterly beclowning the national media. Once a mainstay of network "news" coverage, who was even floated as a possible Democratic candidate for president, Avenatti was arrested in 2019 and convicted in 2020 on fraud and embezzlement charges.
Tom Cotton
Celebrated in 2018 for his efforts to keep America's prisons full, Cotton's zeal for law and order was on full display in 2020. His June 3 op-ed in the New York Times—urging President Trump to "send in the troops" in response to violent unrest in America's cities—forced many liberals to finally acknowledge their opposition to free speech. Months later, the Times published an op-ed in support of China's military crackdown in Hong Kong.
Jeffrey Epstein's assassin
Honored for eluding justice in 2019, the person responsible for the billionaire pedophile's untimely jailhouse "suicide" remains at large in Chappaqua, N.Y.
The Free Beacon's 2020 Men of the Year will begin rolling out Thursday.


Left-Wingers in Disarray

On Nov. 2 , before the first votes in the presidential election had even been tallied , the foreign policy `` experts '' from the Blame America wing of the Democratic Party laid out their demands .
Foreign Policy described their `` wish list , '' which included above all else their pick of jobs in the expected Biden administration .
They ’ d kept their mouths shut for six months and now they wanted their reward .
Or , as Foreign Policy put it , they were preparing to `` take off the gloves , setting the stage for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s soul over policy and political appointments to the most senior positions . ''
But Biden ’ s victory was less sweeping than expected , and as early as Nov. 6 , Foreign Policy was reporting that progressives were panicking that the election results would `` ease pressure on Biden to offer progressives key positions in the new administration . ''
Still , the nomenklatura have pressed on , presenting the Biden transition team with a list of 100 names they must consider for senior jobs in the new administration .
The list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Politico , but the Washington Free Beacon obtained the document and published it in full .
It includes a rogue ’ s gallery of fringe figures—anti-Semites , operatives with deep ties to unsavory regimes , and the merely unserious and unqualified .
And it quickly became clear that the organizers did not want the list to see the light of day .
The Free Beacon ’ s publication of the dossier elicited recriminations and finger pointing .
List organizers accused the mainstream reporters with whom they 'd shared the list—presumably , an accurate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( us ) .
At the same time , they told us we 'd obtained an inaccurate copy , representative only of `` research materials . ''
False , unless they were bamboozling us all .
The contretemps is revealing of how quickly the Democratic Party ’ s progressive wing went from demanding to begging , and of the disorganization and unseriousness of its efforts .
Turns out , one mainstream reporter said , that list organizers hadn ’ t even consulted with several of those named on the list before including their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vanquished in the primaries and now at risk of exclusion from the new administration , they are in disarray .
A compelling story , if anybody cared to cover it .

On Nov. 2, before the first votes in the presidential election had even been tallied, the foreign policy "experts" from the Blame America wing of the Democratic Party laid out their demands. Foreign Policy described their "wish list," which included above all else their pick of jobs in the expected Biden administration.
They’d kept their mouths shut for six months and now they wanted their reward. Or, as Foreign Policy put it, they were preparing to "take off the gloves, setting the stage for a public brawl for the party’s soul over policy and political appointments to the most senior positions."
But Biden’s victory was less sweeping than expected, and as early as Nov. 6, Foreign Policy was reporting that progressives were panicking that the election results would "ease pressure on Biden to offer progressives key positions in the new administration."
Still, the nomenklatura have pressed on, presenting the Biden transition team with a list of 100 names they must consider for senior jobs in the new administration.
The list’s existence was first reported by Politico, but the Washington Free Beacon obtained the document and published it in full. It includes a rogue’s gallery of fringe figures—anti-Semites, operatives with deep ties to unsavory regimes, and the merely unserious and unqualified.
And it quickly became clear that the organizers did not want the list to see the light of day. The Free Beacon’s publication of the dossier elicited recriminations and finger pointing. List organizers accused the mainstream reporters with whom they'd shared the list—presumably, an accurate one—of leaking the document to their enemies (us). At the same time, they told us we'd obtained an inaccurate copy, representative only of "research materials." False, unless they were bamboozling us all.
The contretemps is revealing of how quickly the Democratic Party’s progressive wing went from demanding to begging, and of the disorganization and unseriousness of its efforts. Turns out, one mainstream reporter said, that list organizers hadn’t even consulted with several of those named on the list before including their names and résumés without their permission.
Vanquished in the primaries and now at risk of exclusion from the new administration, they are in disarray. A compelling story, if anybody cared to cover it.


freebeacon--2020-12-24--War on Christmas? Biden’s Ag Sec Once Tried to Tax Christmas Trees

President-elect Joe Biden 's pick to lead the Department of Agriculture tried to put a tax on Christmas trees the last time he was in charge of the agency .
Tom Vilsack ( D. ) , a former Iowa governor who was agriculture secretary when Biden was vice president , implemented a 15-cent tax on each live Christmas tree in the United States in 2011 .
His attempt ultimately fell short : Facing widespread criticism , the Obama administration paused the tax just one day after it went into effect and abandoned it altogether the following week .
Vilsack 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to subsidize a $ 2 million advertising campaign to counter market trends that it claimed increasingly favored plastic Christmas trees over their live counterparts .
It was also intended to fund research into growing trees that shed fewer needles .
Critics scoffed at the idea that a tax was needed to promote Christmas .
Then-senator Jim DeMint ( R. , S.C. ) called Vilsack 's move `` the stupidest tax of all time '' and questioned the need for a government-backed advertising scheme for one of America 's favorite Christmas symbols .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christmas trees have a bad image that needs taxpayer-subsidized improvement ? ''
DeMint asked .
Rep. Steve Scalise ( R. , La . )
said the tax was a `` smack in the face '' to all who celebrate Christmas .
`` It is shocking that President Obama tried to sneak through this new tax on Christmas trees .
He might have thought nobody would realize what he did , but I will fight to prevent President Obama from becoming the Grinch who taxed Christmas , '' Scalise said .
`` This new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to each and every American who celebrates Christmas . ''
The tax was implemented while the United States was crawling out of the Great Recession , imposing additional financial strain on the American people , David Addington of the Heritage Foundation noted .
`` The economy is barely growing and 9 percent of the American people have no jobs , '' Addington wrote .
`` Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do ? ''
Since being selected for agriculture secretary earlier this month , Vilsack has yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christmas tree tax under the Biden administration .
The Biden transition team did not respond to the Washington Free Beacon ‘ s request for comment .

President-elect Joe Biden's pick to lead the Department of Agriculture tried to put a tax on Christmas trees the last time he was in charge of the agency.
Tom Vilsack (D.), a former Iowa governor who was agriculture secretary when Biden was vice president, implemented a 15-cent tax on each live Christmas tree in the United States in 2011. His attempt ultimately fell short: Facing widespread criticism, the Obama administration paused the tax just one day after it went into effect and abandoned it altogether the following week.
Vilsack's agency said the Christmas-tree tax was intended to subsidize a $2 million advertising campaign to counter market trends that it claimed increasingly favored plastic Christmas trees over their live counterparts. It was also intended to fund research into growing trees that shed fewer needles.
Critics scoffed at the idea that a tax was needed to promote Christmas. Then-senator Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) called Vilsack's move "the stupidest tax of all time" and questioned the need for a government-backed advertising scheme for one of America's favorite Christmas symbols.
"Does anyone in America—anyone?—believe that Christmas trees have a bad image that needs taxpayer-subsidized improvement?" DeMint asked.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R., La.) said the tax was a "smack in the face" to all who celebrate Christmas.
"It is shocking that President Obama tried to sneak through this new tax on Christmas trees. He might have thought nobody would realize what he did, but I will fight to prevent President Obama from becoming the Grinch who taxed Christmas," Scalise said. "This new tax is a smack in the face to each and every American who celebrates Christmas."
The tax was implemented while the United States was crawling out of the Great Recession, imposing additional financial strain on the American people, David Addington of the Heritage Foundation noted.
"The economy is barely growing and 9 percent of the American people have no jobs," Addington wrote. "Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?"
Since being selected for agriculture secretary earlier this month, Vilsack has yet to say whether he would attempt another Christmas tree tax under the Biden administration. The Biden transition team did not respond to the Washington Free Beacon's request for comment.


freebeacon--2020-12-26--This Week In Campus Insanity Vol. 25

This Week In Campus Insanity Vol. 25

Welcome back to Campus Insanity , a weekly roundup of the craziest developments at our nation 's 4,000-plus institutions of higher education .
6 .
Florida Lawmaker Calls on University of Central Florida to Investigate Professor for Using Term ‘ Wuhan Coronavirus ' | The College Fix Students and state lawmakers are calling on UCF to investigate politics professor Alvin Quackenbush after he sent a message to students in April about the `` Wuhan Corona virus . ''
Students at Tufts University passed a ballot measure that would prohibit campus police from attending counterterrorism training in Israel .
4 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' Taxes Were Investigated for Ties to Slavery | Campus Reform A New York University professor suggested that white people should be forced to submit their taxes to be checked for ties to slavery .
3 .
University of Michigan Task Force Claims ‘ Picnic , ' ‘ Long Time , No See , ' Are Not ‘ Inclusive ' | The College Fix The University of Michigan ’ s IT department created a list of non-inclusive words and phrases alongside more inclusive alternatives .
It suggests swapping `` folks '' for `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` built-in '' for `` native , '' and `` gathering '' for `` picnic . ''
Newspeak 101 .
2 .
University of Rhode Island Students Want ‘ White List , ' Threaten to Sue School if Next President Is n't Black | Campus Reform Students at the University of Rhode Island are making a `` White List '' of professors who speak about diversity without actively pushing the school to hire a more diverse administration .
Students also threatened to file a lawsuit against the school if its next president is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Black Americans ' Votes Should Count Twice | The College Fix A law professor at Washington and Lee University said the votes of black Americans should be counted twice as a form of `` voter reparations . ''
Want more Campus Insanity ?
Read Vol .
24 here .
Stay tuned for `` This Year In Campus Insanity , '' a roundup of the craziest campus stories of 2020 .
If you have any suggestions for our Top 6 stories please email chrissy @ freebeacon.com & nester @ freebeacon.com .

Welcome back to Campus Insanity, a weekly roundup of the craziest developments at our nation's 4,000-plus institutions of higher education.
6. Florida Lawmaker Calls on University of Central Florida to Investigate Professor for Using Term 'Wuhan Coronavirus' | The College Fix
Students and state lawmakers are calling on UCF to investigate politics professor Alvin Quackenbush after he sent a message to students in April about the "Wuhan Corona virus."
5. Tufts Students Pass Anti-Israel Ballot Measure | Washington Free Beacon
Students at Tufts University passed a ballot measure that would prohibit campus police from attending counterterrorism training in Israel.
4. NYU Professor: What if White Americans' Taxes Were Investigated for Ties to Slavery | Campus Reform
A New York University professor suggested that white people should be forced to submit their taxes to be checked for ties to slavery.
3. University of Michigan Task Force Claims 'Picnic,' 'Long Time, No See,' Are Not 'Inclusive' | The College Fix
The University of Michigan’s IT department created a list of non-inclusive words and phrases alongside more inclusive alternatives. It suggests swapping "folks" for "guys" and "gals," "built-in" for "native," and "gathering" for "picnic." Newspeak 101.
2. University of Rhode Island Students Want 'White List,' Threaten to Sue School if Next President Isn't Black | Campus Reform
Students at the University of Rhode Island are making a "White List" of professors who speak about diversity without actively pushing the school to hire a more diverse administration. Students also threatened to file a lawsuit against the school if its next president is not black.
1. Law Professor: Black Americans' Votes Should Count Twice | The College Fix
A law professor at Washington and Lee University said the votes of black Americans should be counted twice as a form of "voter reparations."
Want more Campus Insanity? Read Vol. 24 here. Stay tuned for "This Year In Campus Insanity," a roundup of the craziest campus stories of 2020.
If you have any suggestions for our Top 6 stories please email chrissy@freebeacon.com & nester@freebeacon.com.


freebeacon--2020-12-27--2020 Man of the Year: Dianne Feinstein

2020 Man of the Year: Dianne Feinstein

But is n't it ?
Having cleared the way for Neil Gorsuch , Brett Kavanaugh , and # GloriousACB , Dianne Feinstein has done more to neuter John Roberts than any Federalist Society dweeb ever could .
In fairness , Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer deserves a share of the credit .
Schumer trusted three Supreme Court nominations to a sweet old lady one should n't even trust with the car keys .
But as the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg 's sad deterioration on the High Court showed , elder abuse is in the best traditions of the Democratic Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was n't until Dr .
( DOCTOR ! )
Christine Blasey Ford came to Feinstein with a gauzy and uncorroborated story about beer and bawdiness that Democrats began to wonder if maybe a woman nearing her ninth decade was in decline .
Feinstein sat on the allegations for weeks .
Insiders were dumbstruck .
Was she playing a long game ?
Nope .
She just forgot about it !
But it was n't total cognitive collapse that finally did her in with her own party so much as the unforgivable sin of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fleeting moment of lucidity during the Barrett hearings , Feinstein acknowledged that Lindsey Graham really is a nice young man .
She even gave him a great big hug and said kind things about the Barrett brood .
What else are 87-year-olds for ?
As pinching Lindsey 's buoyant cheeks is a capital crime , Schumer finally demanded that Feinstein step down as the Senate Judiciary Committee 's ranking member .
But Feinstein would n't take no for an answer .
She literally does n't know how .
So Chuck had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Life Alert for DiFi 's career ?
Probably not .
So before Schumer slips a children 's Benadryl into her pudding and smothers her with a pillow in the Democratic cloakroom , as a final homage for loading the Supreme Court with conservatives , Dianne Feinstein is a 2020 Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year .

Don't call it the Feinstein Court.
But isn't it? Having cleared the way for Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and #GloriousACB, Dianne Feinstein has done more to neuter John Roberts than any Federalist Society dweeb ever could.
In fairness, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer deserves a share of the credit. Schumer trusted three Supreme Court nominations to a sweet old lady one shouldn't even trust with the car keys. But as the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg's sad deterioration on the High Court showed, elder abuse is in the best traditions of the Democratic Party.
The Gorsuch hearings were forgettable. It wasn't until Dr. (DOCTOR!) Christine Blasey Ford came to Feinstein with a gauzy and uncorroborated story about beer and bawdiness that Democrats began to wonder if maybe a woman nearing her ninth decade was in decline. Feinstein sat on the allegations for weeks. Insiders were dumbstruck. Was she playing a long game? Nope. She just forgot about it!
But it wasn't total cognitive collapse that finally did her in with her own party so much as the unforgivable sin of being polite to a Republican. In a fleeting moment of lucidity during the Barrett hearings, Feinstein acknowledged that Lindsey Graham really is a nice young man. She even gave him a great big hug and said kind things about the Barrett brood. What else are 87-year-olds for?
As pinching Lindsey's buoyant cheeks is a capital crime, Schumer finally demanded that Feinstein step down as the Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking member. But Feinstein wouldn't take no for an answer. She literally doesn't know how. So Chuck had to tell her twice.
Is there a Life Alert for DiFi's career? Probably not. So before Schumer slips a children's Benadryl into her pudding and smothers her with a pillow in the Democratic cloakroom, as a final homage for loading the Supreme Court with conservatives, Dianne Feinstein is a 2020 Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year.


freebeacon--2020-12-27--2020 Man of the Year: Jesse Barrett

2020 Man of the Year: Jesse Barrett

Winston Churchill offered his `` blood , toil , tears , and sweat '' to fight the enemies of freedom on the beaches and the landing grounds .
A sacrifice ?
Sure , but one that pales in comparison to that of Jesse M. Barrett .
In October , the Notorious J & B , as his friends call him , offered up his very own Handmaid to defend the United States of America from the freedom-haters of the 21st century .
The South Bend attorney allowed his wife , Mrs. Jesse Barrett , to exchange her red robe and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court .
Mr. Barrett has always been a selfless man , but never was that more apparent than during his wife 's confirmation battle .
He shepherded the couple 's seven kids through grueling Senate hearings , successfully steering them away from notorious Washington , D.C. , predators known to target children .
Mr. Barrett 's service recalls the famous words of another great Englishman : The beneficiaries of toxic male privilege sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to let their wives visit violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harm .

Winston Churchill offered his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" to fight the enemies of freedom on the beaches and the landing grounds. A sacrifice? Sure, but one that pales in comparison to that of Jesse M. Barrett.
In October, the Notorious J&B, as his friends call him, offered up his very own Handmaid to defend the United States of America from the freedom-haters of the 21st century. The South Bend attorney allowed his wife, Mrs. Jesse Barrett, to exchange her red robe and white bonnet for the black robe of the Supreme Court.
Mr. Barrett has always been a selfless man, but never was that more apparent than during his wife's confirmation battle. He shepherded the couple's seven kids through grueling Senate hearings, successfully steering them away from notorious Washington, D.C., predators known to target children.
Mr. Barrett's service recalls the famous words of another great Englishman: The beneficiaries of toxic male privilege sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to let their wives visit violence on the liberals who would do us harm.


freebeacon--2020-12-27--2020 Men of the Year: California National Guard Pilots

Flames had encircled them , hundreds of them .
They were stranded with no hope of rescue , told instead to wade into the waters of the Mammoth Pool Reservoir and hope the fire would pass them by .
But , as their prospects waned , a daring rescue mission was being organized .
Daniel Crouch , who had been trapped with his family behind the lines of a wildfire while on a camping trip , desperately retreated to the protective waters to escape certain death .
He floated with his head just above the water 's surface , dodging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to inhale the deadly smoke .
His three-year-old grandson clung to a cooler lid nearby .
`` It was go underwater , come up , take a breath , '' he told the New York Times .
Then came the telltale sound of the California Army National Guard ’ s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade .
`` The smoke was so thick , you couldn ’ t see anything , '' Crouch told the Times .
`` But you could hear the blades of the helicopter .
That thump-thump-thump of the helicopter out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 395 other stranded civilians knew in an instant they had not been forgotten or abandoned .
The rotor wash of the National Guard 's Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters blared a mighty song of victory , like Joshua at the Battle of Jericho , and the wall of flames surrounding those stranded at the reservoir fell .
The ordeal was n't over yet .
The hundreds of stranded civilians could not be lifted away from the fire all at once .
The 40th Combat Aviation Brigade—the civilians ' only lifeline—would have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Our job was to make sure we landed , and when we did land , I was met with the worst sight of my life , '' Sgt .
George Esquivel , a flight engineer on the Chinook , said in an Army report on the rescue mission .
`` A lot of people referred to the sight as apocalyptic , and I agree . ''
`` Every piece of vegetation as far as you could see around that lake was on fire , '' Chief Warrant Officer Kipp Goding , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said .
Undeterred , the helicopter crews just kept coming back .
It was like the Berlin airlift , if West Berlin had been surrounded by literal walls of fire .
The crews made three round trips to the reservoir on Sept. 5-6 .
On Sept. 8 , they turned their attention to civilians stranded at China Peak , Lake Edison , and Muir Trail Ranch .
The Creek Fire burned about 380,000 acres of California wilderness but thanks to the daring of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade did n't claim a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved , risking it all to save lives is simply what they do .
`` I was at my mom ’ s house in Merced about to jump in a pool to cool off with my son , '' Esquivel said in the Army report .
`` I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes .
I don ’ t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it ’ s what we do . ''
Goding , pilot Irvin Hernandez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Black Hawk , while Esquivel , pilot-in-command Joseph Rosamond , pilot Brady Hlebain , and flight engineer Cameron Powell manned the Chinook .
All of them are heroes .
All of them are Washington Free Beacon Men of the Year .
`` Our job was to make sure we landed , and when we did land , I was met with the worst sight of my life , '' Sgt .
George Esquivel , a flight engineer on the Chinook , said in an Army report on the rescue mission .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sight as apocalyptic , and I agree . ''
`` Every piece of vegetation as far as you could see around that lake was on fire , '' Chief Warrant Officer Kipp Goding , the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter , said .
Undeterred , the helicopter crews just kept coming back .
It was like the Berlin airlift , if West Berlin had been surrounded by literal walls of fire .
The crews made three round trips to the reservoir on Sept. 5-6 .
On Sept. 8 , they turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peak , Lake Edison , and Muir Trail Ranch .
The Creek Fire burned about 380,000 acres of California wilderness but thanks to the daring of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade did n't claim a single life .
For the brave soldiers involved , risking it all to save lives is simply what they do .
`` I was at my mom ’ s house in Merced about to jump in a pool to cool off with my son , '' Esquivel said in the Army report .
`` I received a text @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to go and I replied yes .
I don ’ t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it ’ s what we do . ''
Goding , pilot Irvin Hernandez , and crew chief Ge Xiong were in the Black Hawk , while Esquivel , pilot-in-command Joseph Rosamond , pilot Brady Hlebain , and flight engineer Cameron Powell manned the Chinook .
All of them are heroes .
All of them are Washington Free Beacon Men of the Year .

Flames had encircled them, hundreds of them. They were stranded with no hope of rescue, told instead to wade into the waters of the Mammoth Pool Reservoir and hope the fire would pass them by. But, as their prospects waned, a daring rescue mission was being organized.
Daniel Crouch, who had been trapped with his family behind the lines of a wildfire while on a camping trip, desperately retreated to the protective waters to escape certain death. He floated with his head just above the water's surface, dodging the embers that poured down and trying not to inhale the deadly smoke. His three-year-old grandson clung to a cooler lid nearby.
"It was go underwater, come up, take a breath," he told the New York Times.
Then came the telltale sound of the California Army National Guard’s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade.
"The smoke was so thick, you couldn’t see anything," Crouch told the Times. "But you could hear the blades of the helicopter. That thump-thump-thump of the helicopter out in the distance."
Crouch and the 395 other stranded civilians knew in an instant they had not been forgotten or abandoned. The rotor wash of the National Guard's Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters blared a mighty song of victory, like Joshua at the Battle of Jericho, and the wall of flames surrounding those stranded at the reservoir fell.
"People started cheering," Crouch said.
The ordeal wasn't over yet. The hundreds of stranded civilians could not be lifted away from the fire all at once. The 40th Combat Aviation Brigade—the civilians' only lifeline—would have to fly through the flames again and again.
"Our job was to make sure we landed, and when we did land, I was met with the worst sight of my life," Sgt. George Esquivel, a flight engineer on the Chinook, said in an Army report on the rescue mission. "A lot of people referred to the sight as apocalyptic, and I agree."
"Every piece of vegetation as far as you could see around that lake was on fire," Chief Warrant Officer Kipp Goding, the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter, said.
Undeterred, the helicopter crews just kept coming back. It was like the Berlin airlift, if West Berlin had been surrounded by literal walls of fire. The crews made three round trips to the reservoir on Sept. 5-6. On Sept. 8, they turned their attention to civilians stranded at China Peak, Lake Edison, and Muir Trail Ranch. The Creek Fire burned about 380,000 acres of California wilderness but thanks to the daring of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade didn't claim a single life.
For the brave soldiers involved, risking it all to save lives is simply what they do.
"I was at my mom’s house in Merced about to jump in a pool to cool off with my son," Esquivel said in the Army report. "I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes. I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do."
Goding, pilot Irvin Hernandez, and crew chief Ge Xiong were in the Black Hawk, while Esquivel, pilot-in-command Joseph Rosamond, pilot Brady Hlebain, and flight engineer Cameron Powell manned the Chinook. All of them are heroes. All of them are Washington Free Beacon Men of the Year.
"Our job was to make sure we landed, and when we did land, I was met with the worst sight of my life," Sgt. George Esquivel, a flight engineer on the Chinook, said in an Army report on the rescue mission. "A lot of people referred to the sight as apocalyptic, and I agree."
"Every piece of vegetation as far as you could see around that lake was on fire," Chief Warrant Officer Kipp Goding, the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter, said.
Undeterred, the helicopter crews just kept coming back. It was like the Berlin airlift, if West Berlin had been surrounded by literal walls of fire. The crews made three round trips to the reservoir on Sept. 5-6. On Sept. 8, they turned their attention to civilians stranded at China Peak, Lake Edison, and Muir Trail Ranch. The Creek Fire burned about 380,000 acres of California wilderness but thanks to the daring of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade didn't claim a single life.
For the brave soldiers involved, risking it all to save lives is simply what they do.
"I was at my mom’s house in Merced about to jump in a pool to cool off with my son," Esquivel said in the Army report. "I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes. I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do."
Goding, pilot Irvin Hernandez, and crew chief Ge Xiong were in the Black Hawk, while Esquivel, pilot-in-command Joseph Rosamond, pilot Brady Hlebain, and flight engineer Cameron Powell manned the Chinook. All of them are heroes. All of them are Washington Free Beacon Men of the Year.


freebeacon--2020-12-27--2020 Man of the Year: Brian Fallon

2020 Man of the Year: Brian Fallon

Not just any Democratic operative can successfully flush tens of millions of dollars from the wealthiest libs down the toilet day after day , month after month , with not even accidental victories to point to along the way .
To pull that off , Democrats had to look to former Hillary Clinton flack Brian Fallon .
Atop the dark-money behemoth Demand Justice , Fallon pledged to spend $ 5 million on advertising to stop Brett Kavanaugh ’ s ascension to the Supreme Court .
Boof .
And that was nothing compared to the sum Fallon lit on fire in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amount to prevent the unpreventable Amy Coney Barrett from joining the High Court .
Those failures in hand , Fallon stood at the vanguard of Democratic calls to defund the police and expand the Supreme Court .
Failing to meet the challenge of the moment does not a Man of the Year make .
Leading congressional Democrats on deeply unpopular , entirely unnecessary , and ultimately disastrous endeavors out of pique—that is an act worthy of recognition .
Fallon buoyed Republican candidates across the country in the 2020 election .
As a young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wanted to `` make news '' and see his name in print .
Since high school , he wrote , he had been guided by Benjamin Franklin ’ s dictum : `` If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten , either write things worth reading , or do things worth the writing . ''
Congratulations , Brian .
Mission accomplished .
In recognition of this noble work , and for demonstrating that it ’ s still possible for cis white men to fail up in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beacon Man of the Year .

Not just any Democratic operative can successfully flush tens of millions of dollars from the wealthiest libs down the toilet day after day, month after month, with not even accidental victories to point to along the way. To pull that off, Democrats had to look to former Hillary Clinton flack Brian Fallon.
Atop the dark-money behemoth Demand Justice, Fallon pledged to spend $5 million on advertising to stop Brett Kavanaugh’s ascension to the Supreme Court. Boof. And that was nothing compared to the sum Fallon lit on fire in 2020: He promised to double that amount to prevent the unpreventable Amy Coney Barrett from joining the High Court.
Those failures in hand, Fallon stood at the vanguard of Democratic calls to defund the police and expand the Supreme Court. Failing to meet the challenge of the moment does not a Man of the Year make. Leading congressional Democrats on deeply unpopular, entirely unnecessary, and ultimately disastrous endeavors out of pique—that is an act worthy of recognition. Fallon buoyed Republican candidates across the country in the 2020 election.
As a young Harvard student, the precocious Fallon said he wanted to "make news" and see his name in print. Since high school, he wrote, he had been guided by Benjamin Franklin’s dictum: "If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing."
Congratulations, Brian. Mission accomplished. In recognition of this noble work, and for demonstrating that it’s still possible for cis white men to fail up in politics, Fallon is a Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year.


freebeacon--2020-12-28--2020 Man of the Year: Woke Capitalists

2020 Man of the Year: Woke Capitalists

Nothing is more truly American than the pursuit of a good old U.S. dollar .
In 2020 , few were more patriotic than the consultants , organizers , and professional scolds who earned big bucks calling America and capitalism irredeemably racist , sexist , and downright mean .
Amid a summer of mob rule peaceful protest , rich liberals poured cash into baby books , gender-neutral apparel , and kente cloth sashes to show they were `` hip '' and `` woke . ''
The scions of billionaires dropped mom and dad 's dough on the hippest new causes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to eat the rich .
At the Washington Free Beacon , we salute all those savvy capitalists taking the other side of these deals .
Some of these entrepreneurs made it big on the lecture circuit .
Take small-business owner Robin DiAngelo , who made five figures for a two-hour Zoom talk , 70 percent more than the black woman she was presenting alongside .
You go , girl !
Others got fancy new jobs .
Progressive prophet Dr. Ibram X. Kendi collected $ 10 million from Twitter 's Jack Dorsey after Boston @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new research center and the chair once held by Elie Wiesel .
Never mind that Kendi 's last center did n't produce any real research—the man worked hard for the money .
Few were so daring , however , as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D. , N.Y. ) .
The socialist darling cut out the middle man , peddling $ 60 `` tax the rich '' sweatshirts directly to her fans .
Thriftier shoppers could pick up a `` social economic & racial justice '' mug for just $ 27 .
Talk about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't offset the $ 2 billion of Americans ' livelihoods destroyed by protests these people stoked .
Nonetheless , for the millions you took out of the pockets of the rich , liberal , and dumb , congratulations , woke capitalists : You 're Free Beacon men of the year .

Nothing is more truly American than the pursuit of a good old U.S. dollar. In 2020, few were more patriotic than the consultants, organizers, and professional scolds who earned big bucks calling America and capitalism irredeemably racist, sexist, and downright mean.
Amid a summer of mob rule peaceful protest, rich liberals poured cash into baby books, gender-neutral apparel, and kente cloth sashes to show they were "hip" and "woke." The scions of billionaires dropped mom and dad's dough on the hottest new causes, funneling millions to people who routinely promise to eat the rich.
At the Washington Free Beacon, we salute all those savvy capitalists taking the other side of these deals.
Some of these entrepreneurs made it big on the lecture circuit. Take small-business owner Robin DiAngelo, who made five figures for a two-hour Zoom talk, 70 percent more than the black woman she was presenting alongside. You go, girl!
Others got fancy new jobs. Progressive prophet Dr. Ibram X. Kendi collected $10 million from Twitter's Jack Dorsey after Boston University set him up with a fancy new research center and the chair once held by Elie Wiesel. Never mind that Kendi's last center didn't produce any real research—the man worked hard for the money.
Few were so daring, however, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.). The socialist darling cut out the middle man, peddling $60 "tax the rich" sweatshirts directly to her fans. Thriftier shoppers could pick up a "social economic & racial justice" mug for just $27. Talk about a deal!
All this productivity doesn't offset the $2 billion of Americans' livelihoods destroyed by protests these people stoked. Nonetheless, for the millions you took out of the pockets of the rich, liberal, and dumb, congratulations, woke capitalists: You're Free Beacon men of the year.


freebeacon--2020-12-28--Joe Biden’s Death Knell for the Death Penalty

Michael Dukakis sank his 1988 campaign for the White House with a single question at the second presidential debate : If his wife were raped and murdered , would he support executing her killer ?
The Democratic nominee 's jumbled answer , defending opposition even to that death , is considered one of the factors that led to George H.W .
Bush 's landslide victory that November .
In Dukakis 's time , opposing executions was an electoral death sentence .
Three decades later , Joe Biden will be sworn in as the first president in the modern era elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executions and on a party platform that endorsed abolishing the death penalty for only the third time since 1960 .
Biden has been mum on whether he would immediately enact a moratorium on executions upon inauguration or whether he would only seek abolition through Congress .
His team did not respond to a request for comment .
Either way , his posture is a radical departure from that of President Donald Trump , who has overseen the most federal executions in at least a century .
Biden 's history-making stance—a reversal of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as his time in the Obama White House—is a product of the influence of the so-called criminal justice reform movement on him and senior members of both parties .
While some of that movement 's goals are popular , ending capital punishment is not .
A majority of Americans , including 40 percent of Democrats , still favor death for murderers ; nearly 60 percent oppose abolition .
Instead , Biden 's about-face on capital punishment is a major victory for some of his party 's wealthiest benefactors , who are uniquely opposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donors are 40 points more likely to back death penalty abolition than the party ’ s rank and file .
This group has a history of backing anti-democratic efforts to block executions .
Now , their project has its most powerful ally yet , one whose decisions could end the death penalty—whether the American people like it or not .
That alliance was once unlikely .
Biden 's new position is a substantial departure from his decades in the Senate .
The death penalty was central to his now-infamous 1994 crime bill , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Biden then described it , the bill 's authors intended to `` do everything but hang people for jaywalking . ''
Early in his 2020 campaign , however , Biden signaled a change of heart .
While answering a question from a New Hampshire voter , he congratulated the state on its recent decision to abolish the death penalty .
A month later , he released a criminal justice platform that explicitly endorsed replacing the federal death penalty with life without parole and pushing states to do the same .
Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton but typified the stance of Democrats in 2020 .
All but one of the Democratic primary candidates—Montana governor Steve Bullock—opposed capital punishment .
Biden 's position , however , appears more than primary posturing .
He has indicated that criminal justice reform advocates are a key constituency , giving them private access in a recent meeting about his Justice Department , where leaders including the NAACP 's Sherrilyn Ifill pushed Biden to appoint a reformist attorney general—a stark departure from Trump 's picks .
Such influence is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Death penalty abolition once stood out as an electoral nonstarter , dooming candidates like Dukakis .
But that has changed in recent years .
`` In the 1990s , opposition to capital punishment was political poison , '' said Robert Dunham , director of the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center , adding that `` we 've seen in the last five or six years that candidates who have been opposed to capital punishment have not been defeated because of it . ''
The political viability of death penalty opposition tracks with declining support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fallen from a peak in the 1990s .
Today , 55 percent favor it , compared to 80 percent in 1994 .
That decline was not uniform across the political spectrum but has been most drastic among liberals .
Data from the General Social Survey show that support fell by about 11 percentage points among self-identified conservatives ( 85 percent to 74 percent ) and moderates ( 80 percent to 69 percent ) .
But among liberals , it 's plummeted from 72 percent to 44 percent .
This gap is biggest among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 12 points more likely to oppose capital punishment than less-well-off peers .
In a survey of over 1,000 political donors , including many of the top 1 percent of givers , wealthy Democrats were 40 percentage points more likely to oppose capital punishment than the average Democratic citizen , the biggest gap between donors of both parties and regular voters on any issue .
Some wealthy liberals have in fact made death penalty abolition a political goal , spending millions to push an otherwise unpopular idea to the front of the criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major priority for prominent donors such as George Soros , whose Open Society Foundations network has spent millions on criminal justice generally .
But it has also attracted lesser-known donors , such as the Fund for Nonviolence and Vital Projects Fund , which leverage the estates of successful businessmen for leftist political projects .
Pro-abolition groups enjoy generous patronage from such groups .
Last year , tax documents show , Soros gave $ 1.5 million to the Eighth Amendment Project , which aims to `` unite and lead the national movement to end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave $ 600,000 to Equal Justice USA , a New York-based anti-death-penalty group which in turn sponsors , among other initiatives , Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty , a group that backs the inaccurate claim of bipartisan death-penalty opposition .
Equal Justice USA also enjoys the patronage of Silicon Valley through a donor-advised fund run by Patty Quillin , wife of Netflix founder Reed Hastings .
Quillin is just one of the tech-wealthy who have spent big opposing capital punishment .
As much was clear in a 2016 referendum in California , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they wanted to dump the state 's death penalty .
Six Silicon Valley elites , including Hastings and Laurene Powell Jobs , gave a cumulative $ 4.2 million for the pro-62 campaign .
A further $ 500,000 from Soros and $ 1.85 million from liberal hedge-funder Tom Steyer means just eight wealthy liberals were responsible for 64 percent of pro-referendum spending .
All that money was n't enough : Californians rejected Prop .
62 by a 6-point margin .
Two years later , however , Governor Gavin Newsom ( D. ) —who backed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executions .
The move surprised California voters , who opposed it in polling .
But it was likely the kind of bold action Newsom donors like Jobs , Hastings , and Soros had in mind when they gave five figures to his campaign .
Abolition 's unpopularity regularly results in such end-runs around the democratic process .
Nationwide shortages of execution drugs , which have plagued states for over a decade , are partially a product of lobbying of foreign pharmaceutical firms by groups such as Reprieve , a U.S.- and U.K.-based anti-death-penalty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies to stop their drugs being used in executions .
Reprieve 's main arm , in the United Kingdom , has received support from donors including Soros , the Vital Projects Fund , and the Eighth Amendment Project .
The dynamic is startling : Unable to win at the ballot box , anti-death-penalty billionaires like Soros fund a foreign activist group that lobbies pharmaceutical firms to cut off execution drugs at the source , stopping American states from carrying out duly issued death sentences supported by often-large majorities .
Such individuals will soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House .
Indeed , the Biden administration 's decision on whom to prosecute , what legislation to prioritize , and whom to nominate to the Supreme Court will have a profound effect on the future of capital punishment in America .
Biden could lobby Congress to legislatively end the death penalty .
But he could also instruct his attorney general to refuse to seek death in federal prosecutions and have the Federal Bureau of Prisons decline to carry sentences out—a moratorium akin to Newsom 's .
But the biggest prize for abolitionists would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic majority—still possible in advance of January 's runoff elections in Georgia—could hand to Biden .
Doing so would allow a narrow minority of justices to once again overturn popular support for capital punishment , giving the democratically elected Biden a decidedly undemocratic lever .
It was through the Court , after all , that executions were suspended between 1972 and 1976 .
Its current conservative majority has moved to enshrine capital punishment 's presumptive constitutionality .
But liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer are likely votes for abolition .
And Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court—willing to take up a challenge , like the one recently filed by Obama solicitor general Neal Katyal , that would let them again suspend executions by fiat .
Abolition , in other words , is closer than many Americans may imagine .
That they would overwhelmingly reject it seems to matter little to its opponents , to the billionaires who back them , and to Joe Biden .

Michael Dukakis sank his 1988 campaign for the White House with a single question at the second presidential debate: If his wife were raped and murdered, would he support executing her killer? The Democratic nominee's jumbled answer, defending opposition even to that death, is considered one of the factors that led to George H.W. Bush's landslide victory that November.
In Dukakis's time, opposing executions was an electoral death sentence. Three decades later, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the first president in the modern era elected under an explicit promise to end federal executions and on a party platform that endorsed abolishing the death penalty for only the third time since 1960.
Biden has been mum on whether he would immediately enact a moratorium on executions upon inauguration or whether he would only seek abolition through Congress. His team did not respond to a request for comment. Either way, his posture is a radical departure from that of President Donald Trump, who has overseen the most federal executions in at least a century.
Biden's history-making stance—a reversal of a position he appeared to hold as recently as his time in the Obama White House—is a product of the influence of the so-called criminal justice reform movement on him and senior members of both parties. While some of that movement's goals are popular, ending capital punishment is not. A majority of Americans, including 40 percent of Democrats, still favor death for murderers; nearly 60 percent oppose abolition.
Instead, Biden's about-face on capital punishment is a major victory for some of his party's wealthiest benefactors, who are uniquely opposed to the practice: The richest Democratic donors are 40 points more likely to back death penalty abolition than the party’s rank and file. This group has a history of backing anti-democratic efforts to block executions. Now, their project has its most powerful ally yet, one whose decisions could end the death penalty—whether the American people like it or not.
That alliance was once unlikely. Biden's new position is a substantial departure from his decades in the Senate. The death penalty was central to his now-infamous 1994 crime bill, which included 60 new capital offenses. As Biden then described it, the bill's authors intended to "do everything but hang people for jaywalking."
Early in his 2020 campaign, however, Biden signaled a change of heart. While answering a question from a New Hampshire voter, he congratulated the state on its recent decision to abolish the death penalty. A month later, he released a criminal justice platform that explicitly endorsed replacing the federal death penalty with life without parole and pushing states to do the same.
Biden's reversal put him to the left of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton but typified the stance of Democrats in 2020. All but one of the Democratic primary candidates—Montana governor Steve Bullock—opposed capital punishment.
Biden's position, however, appears more than primary posturing. He has indicated that criminal justice reform advocates are a key constituency, giving them private access in a recent meeting about his Justice Department, where leaders including the NAACP's Sherrilyn Ifill pushed Biden to appoint a reformist attorney general—a stark departure from Trump's picks.
Such influence is a sign of the changing times. Death penalty abolition once stood out as an electoral nonstarter, dooming candidates like Dukakis. But that has changed in recent years.
"In the 1990s, opposition to capital punishment was political poison," said Robert Dunham, director of the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center, adding that "we've seen in the last five or six years that candidates who have been opposed to capital punishment have not been defeated because of it."
The political viability of death penalty opposition tracks with declining support for the death penalty, which has fallen from a peak in the 1990s. Today, 55 percent favor it, compared to 80 percent in 1994.
That decline was not uniform across the political spectrum but has been most drastic among liberals. Data from the General Social Survey show that support fell by about 11 percentage points among self-identified conservatives (85 percent to 74 percent) and moderates (80 percent to 69 percent). But among liberals, it's plummeted from 72 percent to 44 percent.
This gap is biggest among the wealthiest liberals, who are up to 12 points more likely to oppose capital punishment than less-well-off peers. In a survey of over 1,000 political donors, including many of the top 1 percent of givers, wealthy Democrats were 40 percentage points more likely to oppose capital punishment than the average Democratic citizen, the biggest gap between donors of both parties and regular voters on any issue.
Some wealthy liberals have in fact made death penalty abolition a political goal, spending millions to push an otherwise unpopular idea to the front of the criminal justice agenda.
The issue is a major priority for prominent donors such as George Soros, whose Open Society Foundations network has spent millions on criminal justice generally. But it has also attracted lesser-known donors, such as the Fund for Nonviolence and Vital Projects Fund, which leverage the estates of successful businessmen for leftist political projects.
Pro-abolition groups enjoy generous patronage from such groups. Last year, tax documents show, Soros gave $1.5 million to the Eighth Amendment Project, which aims to "unite and lead the national movement to end the death penalty." He also gave $600,000 to Equal Justice USA, a New York-based anti-death-penalty group which in turn sponsors, among other initiatives, Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, a group that backs the inaccurate claim of bipartisan death-penalty opposition.
Equal Justice USA also enjoys the patronage of Silicon Valley through a donor-advised fund run by Patty Quillin, wife of Netflix founder Reed Hastings. Quillin is just one of the tech-wealthy who have spent big opposing capital punishment.
As much was clear in a 2016 referendum in California, Proposition 62, which asked residents whether they wanted to dump the state's death penalty. Six Silicon Valley elites, including Hastings and Laurene Powell Jobs, gave a cumulative $4.2 million for the pro-62 campaign. A further $500,000 from Soros and $1.85 million from liberal hedge-funder Tom Steyer means just eight wealthy liberals were responsible for 64 percent of pro-referendum spending.
All that money wasn't enough: Californians rejected Prop. 62 by a 6-point margin. Two years later, however, Governor Gavin Newsom (D.)—who backed Prop. 62 as lieutenant governor—unilaterally suspended executions. The move surprised California voters, who opposed it in polling. But it was likely the kind of bold action Newsom donors like Jobs, Hastings, and Soros had in mind when they gave five figures to his campaign.
Abolition's unpopularity regularly results in such end-runs around the democratic process. Nationwide shortages of execution drugs, which have plagued states for over a decade, are partially a product of lobbying of foreign pharmaceutical firms by groups such as Reprieve, a U.S.- and U.K.-based anti-death-penalty group that "partners" with pharmaceutical companies to stop their drugs being used in executions.
Reprieve's main arm, in the United Kingdom, has received support from donors including Soros, the Vital Projects Fund, and the Eighth Amendment Project. The dynamic is startling: Unable to win at the ballot box, anti-death-penalty billionaires like Soros fund a foreign activist group that lobbies pharmaceutical firms to cut off execution drugs at the source, stopping American states from carrying out duly issued death sentences supported by often-large majorities.
Such individuals will soon have a powerful friend in the White House. Indeed, the Biden administration's decision on whom to prosecute, what legislation to prioritize, and whom to nominate to the Supreme Court will have a profound effect on the future of capital punishment in America.
Biden could lobby Congress to legislatively end the death penalty. But he could also instruct his attorney general to refuse to seek death in federal prosecutions and have the Federal Bureau of Prisons decline to carry sentences out—a moratorium akin to Newsom's.
But the biggest prize for abolitionists would be the Supreme Court, which a Democratic majority—still possible in advance of January's runoff elections in Georgia—could hand to Biden. Doing so would allow a narrow minority of justices to once again overturn popular support for capital punishment, giving the democratically elected Biden a decidedly undemocratic lever.
It was through the Court, after all, that executions were suspended between 1972 and 1976. Its current conservative majority has moved to enshrine capital punishment's presumptive constitutionality. But liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer are likely votes for abolition. And Biden could add new justices—including through packing the Court—willing to take up a challenge, like the one recently filed by Obama solicitor general Neal Katyal, that would let them again suspend executions by fiat.
Abolition, in other words, is closer than many Americans may imagine. That they would overwhelmingly reject it seems to matter little to its opponents, to the billionaires who back them, and to Joe Biden.
Joe Schoffstall contributed reporting to this article.


freebeacon--2020-12-28--2020 Man of the Year: Wood

2020 Man of the Year: Wood

You know him , everybody knows him .
Wardy Joubert III , a.k.a .
`` Wood , '' a.k.a .
`` Barry Wood , '' a.k.a .
`` Big Wood , '' is the name of the ubiquitous `` that guy '' of the 2020 coronavirus quarantine memes .
No meme dominated the springtime quarantine harder than Barry Wood .
A breaking news alert from your best friend ?
Wood .
New coronavirus mutation identified ?
Bam !
More Wood , right in your face .
Taylor Swift nudes ?
Sorry , perv , just more Wood , Big Wood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ messages of the bored , stuck-at-home masses , Wood appeared , unannounced , via weblink attached to some form of a breaking news alert sent by a formerly trusted contact .
Any time of day , any time of night , Wood would strike .
But who was the man behind the meme ?
Numerous outlets dug in deep—perhaps too deep—to fill in the backstory of the most dominant face of the quarantine .
In a time of grief , uncertainty , tragedy , and fear , for those of us left behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw his face , you knew it was time to take a break from the news .
A text of Wood meant that , perhaps , you had become too obsessed with case counts and hectoring cable-news doctors .
A text of Wood was the first sign of hope in the quarantine .
The virus may have robbed us of our freedom , but it did not take away our ability to laugh at the absurd reality we all experienced .
According to Google , the Wood meme may even be an indicator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Searches for `` Barry Wood '' climaxed in mid-April , just as the first wave of COVID-19 infections peaked in the United States .
In December , as we experience another surge of infections , Google is experiencing new growth in Wood-related inquiries .
It appears that as COVID counts rise , so too does Wood—a 2020 Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year .

You know him, everybody knows him.
Wardy Joubert III, a.k.a. "Wood," a.k.a. "Barry Wood," a.k.a. "Big Wood," is the name of the ubiquitous "that guy" of the 2020 coronavirus quarantine memes.
No meme dominated the springtime quarantine harder than Barry Wood.
A breaking news alert from your best friend? Wood.
New coronavirus mutation identified? Bam! More Wood, right in your face.
Thunderstorm rolling in? J/K, you've got Wood.
Taylor Swift nudes? Sorry, perv, just more Wood, Big Wood.
Ruthlessly invading the inboxes and text messages of the bored, stuck-at-home masses, Wood appeared, unannounced, via weblink attached to some form of a breaking news alert sent by a formerly trusted contact. Any time of day, any time of night, Wood would strike.
But who was the man behind the meme? Numerous outlets dug in deep—perhaps too deep—to fill in the backstory of the most dominant face of the quarantine. In a time of grief, uncertainty, tragedy, and fear, for those of us left behind, we had Wood.
When you saw his face, you knew it was time to take a break from the news. A text of Wood meant that, perhaps, you had become too obsessed with case counts and hectoring cable-news doctors.
A text of Wood was the first sign of hope in the quarantine. The virus may have robbed us of our freedom, but it did not take away our ability to laugh at the absurd reality we all experienced.
According to Google, the Wood meme may even be an indicator of the severity of coronavirus-infection rates. Searches for "Barry Wood" climaxed in mid-April, just as the first wave of COVID-19 infections peaked in the United States. In December, as we experience another surge of infections, Google is experiencing new growth in Wood-related inquiries.
It appears that as COVID counts rise, so too does Wood—a 2020 Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year.


freebeacon--2020-12-28--Ossoff Promoted Chinese Propaganda Outlet After Stint as ‘National Security Aide’

Georgia Democratic Senate hopeful Jon Ossoff promoted a Chinese state-run media outlet that has rebuffed U.S. lawmakers ' demands to register as a foreign agent .
Months after leaving Rep. Hank Johnson 's ( D. , Ga. ) office—where he spent five months serving as a `` national security aide '' with top-secret clearance—in August 2012 , Ossoff urged his Twitter followers to read Xinhua News Agency , a Chinese Communist Party-run propaganda organ .
The Democrat has struggled to fend off GOP senator David Perdue 's criticism of his ties to China .
In July , Ossoff quietly disclosed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant , but has since refused to release private financial information from his foreign film company , Insight TWI .
In addition , Ossoff 's father—who has bankrolled the Democrat 's political career—met with Chinese `` dignitaries '' after commissioning a 60-foot yacht from a China-based shipbuilder tied to Communist Party Officials .
The Ossoff campaign did not respond to a request for comment .
Founded in 1931 , Xinhua News Agency is the largest media outlet in China and serves as the communist nation 's primary state-run mouthpiece , though it boasts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pressure of ideological stigmatization and political bias '' in its Twitter bio .
The outlet was chastised by U.S. lawmakers in January after paying the social media giant to promote posts that attacked pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong .
`` Two months on , the escalating violence in Hong Kong has taken a heavy toll on the social order , '' one such post read .
`` Hong Kong residents have called for order to be restored . ''
Rep. Jim Banks ( R. , Ind . )
responded by asking then-Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agency , noting that the outlet rebuffed a 2018 Justice Department order to register as a foreign agent .
The Trump administration 's order followed a bipartisan appeal from senators Marco Rubio ( R. , Fla. ) and Patrick Leahy ( D. , Vt. ) .
While another Chinese state-run outlet—China Global Television Network—went on to register as a foreign agent in February 2019 , Xinhua News Agency has thus far refused .
A Washington Free Beacon review of U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act filings shows that the outlet has yet to register @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under fire for misrepresenting his time working in Johnson 's office during his failed 2017 congressional campaign .
While the Democrat claimed that he spent five years as a `` national security aide with top-secret clearance , '' Ossoff later admitted that he worked full-time for Johnson for just two years and held top-secret clearance for only five months .

Georgia Democratic Senate hopeful Jon Ossoff promoted a Chinese state-run media outlet that has rebuffed U.S. lawmakers' demands to register as a foreign agent.
Months after leaving Rep. Hank Johnson's (D., Ga.) office—where he spent five months serving as a "national security aide" with top-secret clearance—in August 2012, Ossoff urged his Twitter followers to read Xinhua News Agency, a Chinese Communist Party-run propaganda organ.
"Esp. during 18th Party Congress, #follow @XHNews (Xinhua - Chinese state media)," Ossoff wrote.
The Democrat has struggled to fend off GOP senator David Perdue's criticism of his ties to China. In July, Ossoff quietly disclosed receiving a payment from a Chinese-backed media giant, but has since refused to release private financial information from his foreign film company, Insight TWI. In addition, Ossoff's father—who has bankrolled the Democrat's political career—met with Chinese "dignitaries" after commissioning a 60-foot yacht from a China-based shipbuilder tied to Communist Party Officials.
The Ossoff campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Founded in 1931, Xinhua News Agency is the largest media outlet in China and serves as the communist nation's primary state-run mouthpiece, though it boasts that it will never "yield to the pressure of ideological stigmatization and political bias" in its Twitter bio. The outlet was chastised by U.S. lawmakers in January after paying the social media giant to promote posts that attacked pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
"Two months on, the escalating violence in Hong Kong has taken a heavy toll on the social order," one such post read. "Hong Kong residents have called for order to be restored."
Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.) responded by asking then-Attorney General William Barr to investigate Xinhua News Agency, noting that the outlet rebuffed a 2018 Justice Department order to register as a foreign agent. The Trump administration's order followed a bipartisan appeal from senators Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.).
While another Chinese state-run outlet—China Global Television Network—went on to register as a foreign agent in February 2019, Xinhua News Agency has thus far refused. A Washington Free Beacon review of U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act filings shows that the outlet has yet to register as a foreign agent.
Ossoff came under fire for misrepresenting his time working in Johnson's office during his failed 2017 congressional campaign. While the Democrat claimed that he spent five years as a "national security aide with top-secret clearance," Ossoff later admitted that he worked full-time for Johnson for just two years and held top-secret clearance for only five months.
Ossoff will face Perdue in Georgia's January 5 runoff election.


freebeacon--2020-12-28--2020 Man of the Year: Israeli Tech Who Invented Remote-Control Machine Gun

The streets of Tehran turned bloody in late November , when one of Iran 's top nuclear scientists was murdered in broad daylight .
The attack , it turns out , was committed by a remote-controlled machine gun turret , likely invented by an Israeli tech genius .
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh , a top member of Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps , was gunned down on the streets of east Tehran by what Iranian security services called `` electronic equipment . ''
Even with the protection of 11 guards , the assault left Fakhrizadeh dead by his car .
Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian nuclear scientists , has not publicly commented on the killing .
However , it appears the Jewish state created the deadly device—an electronic machine gun turret reportedly controlled by satellite technology .
Reports in the Israeli media claim the turret used `` artificial intelligence '' to carry out the attack on Fakhrizadeh .
`` The machine gun ‘ zoomed in ' on his face and fired 13 rounds , '' according to an Iranian military official .
The car-mounted rifle `` focused only on … Fakhrizadeh 's face in a way that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centimeters away , was not shot . ''
Israel , it seems , pulled a page from the Call of Duty playbook when it deployed the robotic killing machine .
Aftermath images posted on social media show a car riddled with bullets , much like a scene straight out of the popular video game .
Israel is no stranger to high-tech weaponry : The Jewish state boasts an arsenal of remote-controlled war boats , robotic soldiers , and automized machine-gun cars .
These are in addition to its backpack drones and other quick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Free Beacon awards its Man of the Year honor to an Israeli tech genius .

The streets of Tehran turned bloody in late November, when one of Iran's top nuclear scientists was murdered in broad daylight. The attack, it turns out, was committed by a remote-controlled machine gun turret, likely invented by an Israeli tech genius.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was gunned down on the streets of east Tehran by what Iranian security services called "electronic equipment." Even with the protection of 11 guards, the assault left Fakhrizadeh dead by his car.
Israel, which has a knack for assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists, has not publicly commented on the killing. However, it appears the Jewish state created the deadly device—an electronic machine gun turret reportedly controlled by satellite technology. Reports in the Israeli media claim the turret used "artificial intelligence" to carry out the attack on Fakhrizadeh.
"The machine gun ‘zoomed in' on his face and fired 13 rounds," according to an Iranian military official. The car-mounted rifle "focused only on … Fakhrizadeh's face in a way that his wife, despite being only 25 centimeters away, was not shot."
Israel, it seems, pulled a page from the Call of Duty playbook when it deployed the robotic killing machine. Aftermath images posted on social media show a car riddled with bullets, much like a scene straight out of the popular video game.
Israel is no stranger to high-tech weaponry: The Jewish state boasts an arsenal of remote-controlled war boats, robotic soldiers, and automized machine-gun cars. These are in addition to its backpack drones and other quick assassination tools.
For that, the Washington Free Beacon awards its Man of the Year honor to an Israeli tech genius.