talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-13--At Least Four Stabbed After Thousands Swarmed DC During Pro-Trump Rally

Two days before the electoral college is set to make President-elect Joe Biden ’ s return to the White House official , a rally in Washington D.C. on Saturday featuring thousands of maskless rallygoers who won ’ t accept that President Trump lost grew increasingly violent , with at least four people stabbed at a gathering point for the Proud Boys .
According to the Washington Post , the falsehood-filled spectacle on Saturday began with rallygoers roaming from the Capitol to the Mall and back again .
They cheered on for the newly pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reveled of over a flyover from what appeared to be Marine One .
At nightfall , however , the scene escalated with the stabbing of at least four people near Harry ’ s Bar at 11th and F streets NW — a gathering point for the extremist group known as the Proud Boys , which Trump refused to condemn during a presidential debate in September by telling them to “ stand back and stand by.
” D.C. fire spokesman Doug Buchanan said the victims were hospitalized and possibly suffered life-threatening injuries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the attackers or the injured may have affiliations with .
According to the Post , the violence escalated after rallygoers sparred with counterprotesters near Harry ’ s Bar , Black Lives Matter Plaza , Franklin Square , and other spots in the downtown area .
“ Both sides of the aisle hate you now .
Congratulations , ” a Proud Boy shouted at officers in riot gear who tried to block their course while marching through downtown in military-like rows , according to the Post .
The Post reported that punching , kicking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swarmed the scene and pulled instigators apart .
Chemical irritants were figred and lines were formed between the sides .
The amount of injuries is unclear .
According to the Post , soon after a fight was tamped down , another started in a different part of town .
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told protesters : “ We ’ re doing the best we can , ” according to the Post .
Newsham told the Post that police units were deployed across downtown to separate groups , but that smaller segments of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ intent on conflict.
” As of 9 p.m. Saturday , D.C. police reported the arrests of 23 people .
Ten were charged with misdemeanor assaults , six with assaulting police officers and four with rioting .
Police said one person had an illegal Taser .
Police also reported that two officers were hospitalized with moderate injuries from clashes at 16th and K streets NW .
Police said eight people — including the four stabbing victims and the two officers — were injured .

Two days before the electoral college is set to make President-elect Joe Biden’s return to the White House official, a rally in Washington D.C. on Saturday featuring thousands of maskless rallygoers who won’t accept that President Trump lost grew increasingly violent, with at least four people stabbed at a gathering point for the Proud Boys.
According to the Washington Post, the falsehood-filled spectacle on Saturday began with rallygoers roaming from the Capitol to the Mall and back again. They cheered on for the newly pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn, marched alongside conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and reveled of over a flyover from what appeared to be Marine One.
At nightfall, however, the scene escalated with the stabbing of at least four people near Harry’s Bar at 11th and F streets NW — a gathering point for the extremist group known as the Proud Boys, which Trump refused to condemn during a presidential debate in September by telling them to “stand back and stand by.”
D.C. fire spokesman Doug Buchanan said the victims were hospitalized and possibly suffered life-threatening injuries. It has not been determined which groups the attackers or the injured may have affiliations with.
According to the Post, the violence escalated after rallygoers sparred with counterprotesters near Harry’s Bar, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Franklin Square, and other spots in the downtown area.
“Both sides of the aisle hate you now. Congratulations,” a Proud Boy shouted at officers in riot gear who tried to block their course while marching through downtown in military-like rows, according to the Post.
The Post reported that punching, kicking and wrestling amongst agitators ensued as officers swarmed the scene and pulled instigators apart. Chemical irritants were figred and lines were formed between the sides. The amount of injuries is unclear.
According to the Post, soon after a fight was tamped down, another started in a different part of town.
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told protesters: “We’re doing the best we can,” according to the Post.
Newsham told the Post that police units were deployed across downtown to separate groups, but that smaller segments of people who broke from larger gatherings appeared “intent on conflict.”
As of 9 p.m. Saturday, D.C. police reported the arrests of 23 people. Ten were charged with misdemeanor assaults, six with assaulting police officers and four with rioting. Police said one person had an illegal Taser.
Police also reported that two officers were hospitalized with moderate injuries from clashes at 16th and K streets NW. Police said eight people — including the four stabbing victims and the two officers — were injured.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--Trump Says WH Will Get Vaccine ‘Somewhat Later’ Following Reports He’ll Be Among First To Get It

President Donald Trump said late Sunday night that he and the rest of the White House would not immediately receive @ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 .
“ People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat @ @ @ @ @ unless specifically necessary .
I have asked that this adjustment be made , ” he @ @ @ @ @ not scheduled to take the vaccine , but look forward to doing so at the @ @ @ @ @ s announcement came after the New York Times and Bloomberg reported that he and senior @ @ @ @ @ among the first to get the new vaccine as it rolls out over the next @ @ @ @ @ and many of his top aides were infected with the virus amid their refusal to @ @ @ @ @ down of the pandemic .
Pfizer began shipping out the vaccine on Sunday .
Heath @ @ @ @ @ residents are top priority to be vaccinated as daily infections skyrocket across the country .

President Donald Trump said late Sunday night that he and the rest of the White House would not immediately receive Pfizer’s new vaccine for COVID-19.
“People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary. I have asked that this adjustment be made,” he tweeted. “I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time.”
Trump’s announcement came after the New York Times and Bloomberg reported that he and senior White House officials would be among the first to get the new vaccine as it rolls out over the next several days. The President and many of his top aides were infected with the virus amid their refusal to wear masks and persistent playing down of the pandemic.
Pfizer began shipping out the vaccine on Sunday. Heath care workers and nursing home residents are top priority to be vaccinated as daily infections skyrocket across the country.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-15--Biden Takes Victory Lap For Democracy After Electoral College Cements His Win

President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory lap after the Electoral College affirmed his win on Monday touted the preservation of democracy amid President Trump ’ s fruitless legal battles centered on bogus voter fraud allegations and the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 Americans thus far .
In a short series of remarks , Biden commended election officials who stood their ground and made clear that there shouldn ’ t be any doubt that he is headed to the White House after he clinched the votes needed from the Electoral College to do so .
“ In America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the will of the people prevail , ” Biden said .
“ Our democracy pushed , tested , threatened , proved to be resilient .
True and strong.
” The Electoral College votes that affirmed his victory “ respect the fact that even in the face of a public health crisis , people voted , ” Biden said .
The President-elect stressed that this year ’ s record-breaking voter turnout is “ the clearest demonstration of the true will of the American people.
” “ One of the most amazing demonstrations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , ” Biden said .
“ It should be celebrated not attacked.
” Biden pointed out that both he and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris earned 306 electoral votes — the same amount Trump and Vice President Mike Pence scored in 2016 .
The President-elect then jabbed Trump for calling the electoral votes he received in 2016 a “ landslide ” — a bit of punditry cast in a new light now that the sitting President has still refused to concede and vowed to keep waging his legal battles to contest the election results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers represented a clear victory then , ” Biden said .
“ And I respectfully suggest they do so now.
” After saying that “ the flame of democracy ” couldn ’ t be extinguished — even during a pandemic or through an “ abuse of power ” — Biden praised elections officials and poll workers for their “ deep and unwavering faith in , and the commitment to , the law.
” “ They knew this election was overseen — was overseen by them — and honest and free and fair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their own eyes , and wouldn ’ t be bullied into saying anything different .
It was remarkable.
” Biden pointed to Trump ’ s failed lawsuits , the Supreme Court ’ s rejection of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton ’ s ( R ) lawsuit attempting to overturn election results in four battleground states and Trump ’ s attacks against his fellow Republicans who refused to do his bidding as reasons why there shouldn ’ t be any more doubt about his victory .
Biden also reflected on his term as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it was his duty to announce the tally of the electoral votes of the joint session of Congress that elected Trump .
“ I did my job .
I ’ m pleased but not surprised a number of former Republican colleagues in the Senate acknowledged already the results of the electoral college , ” Biden said .
“ I thank them .
And I ’ m convinced we can work together for the good of the nation.
” Towards the end of his speech , Biden emphasized that “ democracy prevailed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the integrity of the election remains intact.
” “ Now it ’ s time to turn the page as we have done throughout history .
To unite and heal , ” Biden said .
“ As I said in the campaign , I will be President for all Americans .
I will work just as hard for those who didn ’ t vote for me as I will for those who did .
There ’ s urgent work in front of us.
” Biden also addressed a grim milestone the country had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Trump has not publicly remarked on thus far .
“ My heart goes out to each of you .
In this dark winter of the pandemic .
About to spend the holidays and the new year with a black hole in your hearts , ” Biden said .
“ Without the ones you loved at your side .
My heart goes out to all of you who have fallen on hard times through no fault of your own.
” Biden quoted the prayer of St. Francis as he concluded his remarks by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over our democracy .
”

President-elect Joe Biden’s victory lap after the Electoral College affirmed his win on Monday touted the preservation of democracy amid President Trump’s fruitless legal battles centered on bogus voter fraud allegations and the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 Americans thus far.
In a short series of remarks, Biden commended election officials who stood their ground and made clear that there shouldn’t be any doubt that he is headed to the White House after he clinched the votes needed from the Electoral College to do so.
“In America the rule of law, our Constitution and the will of the people prevail,” Biden said. “Our democracy pushed, tested, threatened, proved to be resilient. True and strong.”
The Electoral College votes that affirmed his victory “respect the fact that even in the face of a public health crisis, people voted,” Biden said.
The President-elect stressed that this year’s record-breaking voter turnout is “the clearest demonstration of the true will of the American people.”
“One of the most amazing demonstrations of civic duty we have seen in our country,” Biden said. “It should be celebrated not attacked.”
Biden pointed out that both he and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris earned 306 electoral votes — the same amount Trump and Vice President Mike Pence scored in 2016.
The President-elect then jabbed Trump for calling the electoral votes he received in 2016 a “landslide” — a bit of punditry cast in a new light now that the sitting President has still refused to concede and vowed to keep waging his legal battles to contest the election results.
“By his own standards these numbers represented a clear victory then,” Biden said. “And I respectfully suggest they do so now.”
After saying that “the flame of democracy” couldn’t be extinguished — even during a pandemic or through an “abuse of power” — Biden praised elections officials and poll workers for their “deep and unwavering faith in, and the commitment to, the law.”
“They knew this election was overseen — was overseen by them — and honest and free and fair,” Biden said. “They saw with their own eyes, and wouldn’t be bullied into saying anything different. It was remarkable.”
Biden pointed to Trump’s failed lawsuits, the Supreme Court’s rejection of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s (R) lawsuit attempting to overturn election results in four battleground states and Trump’s attacks against his fellow Republicans who refused to do his bidding as reasons why there shouldn’t be any more doubt about his victory.
Biden also reflected on his term as vice president during the Obama administration, when it was his duty to announce the tally of the electoral votes of the joint session of Congress that elected Trump.
“I did my job. I’m pleased but not surprised a number of former Republican colleagues in the Senate acknowledged already the results of the electoral college,” Biden said. “I thank them. And I’m convinced we can work together for the good of the nation.”
Towards the end of his speech, Biden emphasized that “democracy prevailed,” the votes are in and that “the integrity of the election remains intact.”
“Now it’s time to turn the page as we have done throughout history. To unite and heal,” Biden said. “As I said in the campaign, I will be President for all Americans. I will work just as hard for those who didn’t vote for me as I will for those who did. There’s urgent work in front of us.”
Biden also addressed a grim milestone the country had recently passed: 300,000 COVID-19 fatalities, which Trump has not publicly remarked on thus far.
“My heart goes out to each of you. In this dark winter of the pandemic. About to spend the holidays and the new year with a black hole in your hearts,” Biden said. “Without the ones you loved at your side. My heart goes out to all of you who have fallen on hard times through no fault of your own.”
Biden quoted the prayer of St. Francis as he concluded his remarks by thanking “all those who stand watch over our democracy.”
Watch Biden’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--Biden Clears 270 Electoral College Vote Mark As Trump Eggs On Fake Fraud War

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — The Electoral College gave Joe Biden a majority of its votes Monday , confirming his victory in last month ’ s election in state-by-state voting that took on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump ’ s refusal to concede he lost .
California ’ s 55 electoral votes put Biden over the top , clearing the 270-vote mark that affirmed he will be the nation ’ s next president .
Heightened security was in place in some states as electors met on the day by federal law .
Electors cast paper ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 states and the District of Columbia , with masks , social distancing and other virus precautions the order of the day .
The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside .
There was little suspense and no surprises as all the electoral votes allocated to Biden and Trump in last month ’ s popular vote went to each man .
In Arizona , Georgia , Michigan , Nevada , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contested — electors gave Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes Monday in low-key proceedings .
Nevada ’ s electors met via Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic .
When all the votes are in , Biden was expected to have 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump .
Hawaii was the only state that had yet to vote .
Biden topped Trump by more than 7 million votes nationwide .
“ In this battle for the soul of America , democracy prevailed , ” Biden said in remarks prepared for an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted .
Faith in our institutions held .
The integrity of our elections remains intact .
And so , now it is time to turn the page .
To unite .
To heal.
” Biden renewed his campaign promise to be a president for all Americans , whether they voted for him or not , and said the country has hard work ahead on the virus and economy .
Former Maryland state Sen. Gloria Lawlah , in a state Biden won easily , said the votes for the Democratic ticket were “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divisiveness.
” But not everyone was ready to say the election was over , even with the casting of electoral votes .
Trump has refused to concede and continues to make unsupported allegations of fraud .
There have been concerns about safety for the electors , virtually unheard of in previous years .
In Michigan , lawmakers from both parties reported receiving threats , and legislative offices were closed over threats of violence .
Biden won the state by 154,000 votes , or 2.8 percentage points , over Trump .
Georgia state police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitol in Atlanta before Democratic electors pledged to Biden met .
There were no protesters seen .
Even with the Electoral College ’ s confirmation of Biden ’ s victory , some Republicans continued to refuse to acknowledge that reality .
Yet their opposition to Biden had no practical effect on the electoral process , with the Democrat to be sworn in on Jan. 20 .
Despite Biden ’ s wins in Georgia , Michigan , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin , Republicans who would have been Trump electors met anyway .
Pennsylvania Republicans said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump and Pence in case courts that have repeatedly rejected challenges to Biden ’ s victory were to somehow still determine that Trump had won .
In North Carolina , Utah and other states across the country where Trump won , his electors turned out to duly cast their ballots for him .
Electors in North Carolina had their temperatures checked before being allowed to enter the Capitol to vote .
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes withdrew as a Trump elector and was in quarantine because he was exposed to someone with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , whom Trump defeated four years ago , were among New York ’ s 29 electors for Biden and Harris .
In New Hampshire , before the state ’ s four electors voted for Biden at the State House in Concord , 13-year-old Brayden Harrington led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance .
He had delivered a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention in August about the struggle with stuttering he shares with Biden .
Vermont ’ s electors were the first in the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Harris .
Biden will address the nation Monday night , after the electors have voted .
Trump , meanwhile , is clinging to his false claims that he won the election , and trying to undermine Biden ’ s presidency before it begins .
“ No , I worry about the country having an illegitimate president , that ’ s what I worry about .
A president that lost and lost badly , ” Trump said in a Fox News interview that was taped Saturday .
Following weeks of Republican legal challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump and Republican allies tried to persuade the Supreme Court last week to set aside 62 electoral votes for Biden in four states , which might have thrown the outcome into doubt .
The justices rejected the effort on Friday .
In 32 states and the District of Columbia , laws require electors to vote for the popular-vote winner .
The Supreme Court unanimously upheld this arrangement in July .
Electors almost always vote for the state winner anyway because they generally are devoted to their political parties .
There was no reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Electoral College was the product of compromise during the drafting of the Constitution between those who favored electing the president by popular vote and those who opposed giving the people the power to directly choose their leader .
Each state gets a number of electors equal to its total number of seats in Congress : two senators plus however many members the state has in the House of Representatives .
Washington , D.C. , has three votes , under a constitutional amendment that was ratified in 1961 .
With the exception of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their Electoral College votes to the winner of the popular vote in their state .
The bargain struck by the nation ’ s founders has produced five elections in which the president did not win the popular vote .
Trump was the most recent example in 2016 .
Associated Press writers across the United States contributed to this report .

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Electoral College gave Joe Biden a majority of its votes Monday, confirming his victory in last month’s election in state-by-state voting that took on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he lost.
California’s 55 electoral votes put Biden over the top, clearing the 270-vote mark that affirmed he will be the nation’s next president.
Heightened security was in place in some states as electors met on the day by federal law. Electors cast paper ballots in gatherings that took place in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with masks, social distancing and other virus precautions the order of the day. The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside.
There was little suspense and no surprises as all the electoral votes allocated to Biden and Trump in last month’s popular vote went to each man.
In Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the six battleground states that Biden won and Trump contested — electors gave Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes Monday in low-key proceedings. Nevada’s electors met via Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic.
When all the votes are in, Biden was expected to have 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump. Hawaii was the only state that had yet to vote. Biden topped Trump by more than 7 million votes nationwide.
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden said in remarks prepared for an evening speech. “We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal.”
Biden renewed his campaign promise to be a president for all Americans, whether they voted for him or not, and said the country has hard work ahead on the virus and economy.
Former Maryland state Sen. Gloria Lawlah, in a state Biden won easily, said the votes for the Democratic ticket were “a repudiation of hate, a repudiation of divisiveness.”
But not everyone was ready to say the election was over, even with the casting of electoral votes. Trump has refused to concede and continues to make unsupported allegations of fraud.
There have been concerns about safety for the electors, virtually unheard of in previous years. In Michigan, lawmakers from both parties reported receiving threats, and legislative offices were closed over threats of violence. Biden won the state by 154,000 votes, or 2.8 percentage points, over Trump.
Georgia state police were out in force at the state Capitol in Atlanta before Democratic electors pledged to Biden met. There were no protesters seen.
Even with the Electoral College’s confirmation of Biden’s victory, some Republicans continued to refuse to acknowledge that reality. Yet their opposition to Biden had no practical effect on the electoral process, with the Democrat to be sworn in on Jan. 20.
Despite Biden’s wins in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Republicans who would have been Trump electors met anyway. Pennsylvania Republicans said they cast a “procedural vote” for Trump and Pence in case courts that have repeatedly rejected challenges to Biden’s victory were to somehow still determine that Trump had won.
In North Carolina, Utah and other states across the country where Trump won, his electors turned out to duly cast their ballots for him. Electors in North Carolina had their temperatures checked before being allowed to enter the Capitol to vote. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes withdrew as a Trump elector and was in quarantine because he was exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated four years ago, were among New York’s 29 electors for Biden and Harris.
In New Hampshire, before the state’s four electors voted for Biden at the State House in Concord, 13-year-old Brayden Harrington led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. He had delivered a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention in August about the struggle with stuttering he shares with Biden.
Vermont’s electors were the first in the nation to vote Monday and they chose Biden and Harris.
Biden will address the nation Monday night, after the electors have voted. Trump, meanwhile, is clinging to his false claims that he won the election, and trying to undermine Biden’s presidency before it begins.
“No, I worry about the country having an illegitimate president, that’s what I worry about. A president that lost and lost badly,” Trump said in a Fox News interview that was taped Saturday.
Following weeks of Republican legal challenges that were easily dismissed by judges, Trump and Republican allies tried to persuade the Supreme Court last week to set aside 62 electoral votes for Biden in four states, which might have thrown the outcome into doubt.
The justices rejected the effort on Friday.
In 32 states and the District of Columbia, laws require electors to vote for the popular-vote winner. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld this arrangement in July.
Electors almost always vote for the state winner anyway because they generally are devoted to their political parties. There was no reason to expect any defections this year.
The Electoral College was the product of compromise during the drafting of the Constitution between those who favored electing the president by popular vote and those who opposed giving the people the power to directly choose their leader.
Each state gets a number of electors equal to its total number of seats in Congress: two senators plus however many members the state has in the House of Representatives. Washington, D.C., has three votes, under a constitutional amendment that was ratified in 1961. With the exception of Maine and Nebraska, states award all their Electoral College votes to the winner of the popular vote in their state.
The bargain struck by the nation’s founders has produced five elections in which the president did not win the popular vote. Trump was the most recent example in 2016.
___
Associated Press writers across the United States contributed to this report.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--MI GOP Rep Departs Party Due To Trump’s ‘Unacceptable’ Efforts To Overturn Results

Rep. Paul Mitchell ( R-MI ) on Monday issued a pointed rebuke of President Trump as he announced his departure from the Republican Party , citing the sitting president ’ s vehement refusal to halt his legal efforts challenging election results even as the Electoral College is set to cement President-elect Joe Biden ’ s win .
Mitchell , who announced last year that he would not seek a third term and will retire at the end of this session of Congress , wrote in a letter to GOP leaders on Monday that he is fed up with Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the election process , which spurred him to request that the Clerk of the House change his party affiliation to “ independent.
” Mitchell also told GOP leaders in a letter issued Monday that he has decided to withdraw from “ engagement and association with the Republican Party at both the national and state level.
” Mitchell wrote in his letter that he is concerned with House GOP leadership continuing to egg on Trump ’ s bogus allegations of widespread election fraud as the sitting president ’ s legal team attempts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to overturn Biden ’ s legitimate victory have proven fruitless .
Mitchell warned that Trump ’ s lawsuits sowing doubt on the election process could cause “ long-term harm to our democracy ” and that it is “ unacceptable for political candidates to treat our election system as though we are a third-world nation and incite distrust of something so basic as the sanctity of our vote.
” Mitchell took further aim at Republican leaders who had been “ collectively sit ( ting ) back and tolerat ( ing ) unfounded conspiracy theories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without speaking out for our electoral process , ” and that the breaking point for him was when “ the leadership of the Republican Party and our Republican Conference in the House actively participating in at least some of those efforts.
” Mitchell , who voted for Trump twice and has been a strong supporter of the President policy-wise as well , also appeared to jab Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in his letter .
Mitchell suggested to McDaniel that he ’ s sure she knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baseless voter fraud claims that Trump has spouted .
During an interview on CNN Monday afternoon , Mitchell reiterated his rebuke of Trump ’ s flailing efforts to overturn the election results and Republican leaders who are still going along with the sitting president ’ s long shot efforts of a second term .
Mitchell ’ s latest remarks come a week after 126 House Republicans banned together to back Texas attorney general Ken Paxton ’ s ( R ) lawsuit that attempted to toss votes in four battleground states that Biden won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejected Paxon ’ s lawsuit .
This isn ’ t the first time Mitchell has called Trump out on his legal battles that have failed to gain steam .
Mitchell took aim at Trump after the sitting president vowed to “ keep going ” in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday morning .
Late last month , Mitchell urged Trump to stop waging lawsuits that center around baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud .

Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) on Monday issued a pointed rebuke of President Trump as he announced his departure from the Republican Party, citing the sitting president’s vehement refusal to halt his legal efforts challenging election results even as the Electoral College is set to cement President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
Mitchell, who announced last year that he would not seek a third term and will retire at the end of this session of Congress, wrote in a letter to GOP leaders on Monday that he is fed up with Trump’s legal efforts to challenge the legitimacy of the election process, which spurred him to request that the Clerk of the House change his party affiliation to “independent.”
Mitchell also told GOP leaders in a letter issued Monday that he has decided to withdraw from “engagement and association with the Republican Party at both the national and state level.”
Mitchell wrote in his letter that he is concerned with House GOP leadership continuing to egg on Trump’s bogus allegations of widespread election fraud as the sitting president’s legal team attempts to throw out millions of ballots in order to overturn Biden’s legitimate victory have proven fruitless.
Mitchell warned that Trump’s lawsuits sowing doubt on the election process could cause “long-term harm to our democracy” and that it is “unacceptable for political candidates to treat our election system as though we are a third-world nation and incite distrust of something so basic as the sanctity of our vote.”
Mitchell took further aim at Republican leaders who had been “collectively sit(ting) back and tolerat(ing) unfounded conspiracy theories and ‘stop the steal’ rallies without speaking out for our electoral process,” and that the breaking point for him was when “the leadership of the Republican Party and our Republican Conference in the House actively participating in at least some of those efforts.”
Mitchell, who voted for Trump twice and has been a strong supporter of the President policy-wise as well, also appeared to jab Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in his letter. Mitchell suggested to McDaniel that he’s sure she knows better than to play along with the baseless voter fraud claims that Trump has spouted.
Today I am disaffiliating from the Republican Party. See my letter below: pic.twitter.com/76IxC4FMvJ — Rep. Paul Mitchell (@RepPaulMitchell) December 14, 2020
During an interview on CNN Monday afternoon, Mitchell reiterated his rebuke of Trump’s flailing efforts to overturn the election results and Republican leaders who are still going along with the sitting president’s long shot efforts of a second term.
Retiring MI @RepPaulMitchell, who voted for Trump, announces he is leaving the GOP and becoming an Independent: “I could no longer be associated with a Republican party that leadership does not stand up and say the process, the election, is over. It's over today.” pic.twitter.com/Ym6rvaA71a — The Recount (@therecount) December 14, 2020
Mitchell’s latest remarks come a week after 126 House Republicans banned together to back Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s (R) lawsuit that attempted to toss votes in four battleground states that Biden won. On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected Paxon’s lawsuit.
This isn’t the first time Mitchell has called Trump out on his legal battles that have failed to gain steam.
Mitchell took aim at Trump after the sitting president vowed to “keep going” in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday morning.
Courts have heard the “evidence” provided of “fraud” and found it unsubstantiated numerous times. Continuing this circus is just …so damaging … so unproductive … so narcissistic…what about our country? https://t.co/QsA1hLJ2iq — Rep. Paul Mitchell (@RepPaulMitchell) December 13, 2020
Late last month, Mitchell urged Trump to stop waging lawsuits that center around baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--Trump Announces Barr’s Resignation

Trump Announces Barr’s Resignation

President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday that Attorney General Bill Barr is resigning .
Trump appended to the tweet an obsequious letter from Barr , dated Monday , in which he confirmed his resignation and offered an “ update ” on bogus voter fraud allegations .
Barr has become the subject of the President ’ s ire in recent weeks , after announcing that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread fraud in the November presidential election .
“ AG Barr resigned on his own accord , ” a White House official told TPM .
“ He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to resign .
It was a very amicable meeting and as you can tell from the letter he thinks very highly of the President.
” The resignation also comes after the work of John Durham — the prosecutor tasked with investigating those who investigated Russia ’ s interference in the 2016 election — failed to produce any public report before Election Day .
Trump was further infuriated after finding out that Barr kept the probe of Hunter Biden ’ s taxes quiet until after the election .
Trump ’ s turning on Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working relationship , by Trump administration standards .
Despite that , once the President distanced himself from his attorney general , the MAGA set wasted no time in parroting him , proclaiming Barr a RINO and little better than a Democrat .
Just a few weeks ago , Trump refused to say whether he had confidence in his attorney general .
In his resignation letter , Barr offered cloying praise for President Trump , telling him that his “ record is all the more historic because you accomplished it in the face of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump accomplished his agenda in spite of the “ frenzied and baseless ” allegations that underpinned the Mueller investigation — which Barr described as “ the nadir of this campaign ” to cripple Trump ’ s presidency .
He provided a “ greatest hits ” list of administrative accomplishments wholly separate from his own department , praising Trump for economic achievements , Middle East diplomacy and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Barr himself stood out as an attorney general uniquely willing to contort the powers of his office to political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mischaracterizing the results of the Mueller investigation to the public , before acceding to Trump ’ s requests to go easy on Roger Stone and Michael Flynn , both allies of the President .
In Stone ’ s case , Barr overrode line prosecutors to ask for a lighter sentence for the longtime GOP operative .
For Flynn , Barr made the unprecedented decision to drop charges in the case , after the onetime national security advisor had pleaded guilty , and then withdrawn his plea .
Both cases enraged federal prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presiding over the Flynn case , who refused to accept the DOJ ’ s motion to dismiss the charges absent judicial scrutiny of the about-face .
“ Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool , but it is no way to run a federal agency , ” Barr said at a widely criticized press conference .
His tenure saw the DOJ devote resources to probing bogus claims emanating from Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani ’ s adventures in Ukraine , and to surging Bureau @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington , D.C .
Under his leadership , and as Trump was publicly playing down the threat of COVID-19 , the Department acted aggressively to back those bringing legal challenges to COVID-related public health ordinances .
And despite his December decision to state publicly that the DOJ had not found evidence of voter fraud after President Trump had clearly lost in November , Barr spent much of the run-up to the election laying the groundwork for such claims .
He told a Chicago radio host in September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to concede in the event of a loss were overblown and projections of liberal malfeasance .
“ They are creating an incendiary situation where there ’ s going to be loss of confidence in the vote , it ’ ll be a close vote , ” Barr said .
“ People will say ‘ The President won Nevada — oh , wait a minute !
We just discovered a hundred thousand ballots , every vote must be counted !
’ ” Separately , Barr changed longstanding DOJ policy meant to keep federal law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under that policy change — which led to the resignation of the longtime head of the DOJ ’ s election crimes division — prosecutors were permitted to open investigations of election fraud claims before the results themselves were certified .
But in spite of that , Barr ’ s eventual admission that the DOJ had not identified any evidence of substantial fraud in the election triggered Trump ’ s ire .
“ At a time when the country is so deeply divided , it is incumbent on all levels of government , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do all we can to assure the integrity of elections and promote public confidence in their outcome , ” Barr wrote in his letter .
It was Trump , he concluded later in the letter , who “ supported the men and women of law enforcement who selflessly — and too often thanklessly — risk their lives to keep our communities safe.
” This post has been updated .

President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday that Attorney General Bill Barr is resigning.
…Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all! pic.twitter.com/V5sqOJT9PM — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
Trump appended to the tweet an obsequious letter from Barr, dated Monday, in which he confirmed his resignation and offered an “update” on bogus voter fraud allegations.
Barr has become the subject of the President’s ire in recent weeks, after announcing that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread fraud in the November presidential election.
“AG Barr resigned on his own accord,” a White House official told TPM. “He wasn’t pushed out or forced to resign. It was a very amicable meeting and as you can tell from the letter he thinks very highly of the President.”
The resignation also comes after the work of John Durham — the prosecutor tasked with investigating those who investigated Russia’s interference in the 2016 election — failed to produce any public report before Election Day. Trump was further infuriated after finding out that Barr kept the probe of Hunter Biden’s taxes quiet until after the election.
Trump’s turning on Barr came after a relatively long and cohesive working relationship, by Trump administration standards. Despite that, once the President distanced himself from his attorney general, the MAGA set wasted no time in parroting him, proclaiming Barr a RINO and little better than a Democrat. Just a few weeks ago, Trump refused to say whether he had confidence in his attorney general.
In his resignation letter, Barr offered cloying praise for President Trump, telling him that his “record is all the more historic because you accomplished it in the face of relentless, implacable resistance.”
Barr added that Trump accomplished his agenda in spite of the “frenzied and baseless” allegations that underpinned the Mueller investigation — which Barr described as “the nadir of this campaign” to cripple Trump’s presidency.
He provided a “greatest hits” list of administrative accomplishments wholly separate from his own department, praising Trump for economic achievements, Middle East diplomacy and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barr himself stood out as an attorney general uniquely willing to contort the powers of his office to political ends.
He began a devastating tenure by mischaracterizing the results of the Mueller investigation to the public, before acceding to Trump’s requests to go easy on Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, both allies of the President.
In Stone’s case, Barr overrode line prosecutors to ask for a lighter sentence for the longtime GOP operative. For Flynn, Barr made the unprecedented decision to drop charges in the case, after the onetime national security advisor had pleaded guilty, and then withdrawn his plea.
Both cases enraged federal prosecutors and drew the ire of the judge presiding over the Flynn case, who refused to accept the DOJ’s motion to dismiss the charges absent judicial scrutiny of the about-face.
“Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool, but it is no way to run a federal agency,” Barr said at a widely criticized press conference.
His tenure saw the DOJ devote resources to probing bogus claims emanating from Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s adventures in Ukraine, and to surging Bureau of Prisoners riot control squads to counter peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington, D.C. Under his leadership, and as Trump was publicly playing down the threat of COVID-19, the Department acted aggressively to back those bringing legal challenges to COVID-related public health ordinances.
And despite his December decision to state publicly that the DOJ had not found evidence of voter fraud after President Trump had clearly lost in November, Barr spent much of the run-up to the election laying the groundwork for such claims.
He told a Chicago radio host in September that fears that President Trump would refuse to concede in the event of a loss were overblown and projections of liberal malfeasance.
“They are creating an incendiary situation where there’s going to be loss of confidence in the vote, it’ll be a close vote,” Barr said. “People will say ‘The President won Nevada — oh, wait a minute! We just discovered a hundred thousand ballots, every vote must be counted!’”
Separately, Barr changed longstanding DOJ policy meant to keep federal law enforcement out of politicized election disputes. Under that policy change — which led to the resignation of the longtime head of the DOJ’s election crimes division — prosecutors were permitted to open investigations of election fraud claims before the results themselves were certified.
But in spite of that, Barr’s eventual admission that the DOJ had not identified any evidence of substantial fraud in the election triggered Trump’s ire.
“At a time when the country is so deeply divided, it is incumbent on all levels of government, and all agencies acting within their purview, to do all we can to assure the integrity of elections and promote public confidence in their outcome,” Barr wrote in his letter.
It was Trump, he concluded later in the letter, who “supported the men and women of law enforcement who selflessly — and too often thanklessly — risk their lives to keep our communities safe.”
This post has been updated.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--Vaccine Distribution Rehearsals Portend Delays, State Official Told Congress

As COVID-19 vaccine distribution is getting underway around the country , at least one state official has warned that serious delays could affect the rollout .
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine told a House committee last week that a quarter of states had seen significant issues in mock distribution scenarios hosted by the federal government .
“ In recent mock shipments of vaccine to train and test the transportation/logistics planning that has been done by [ Operation Warp Speed ] , there have been varying levels of success , ” Levine said .
Hospitals around country began vaccinating their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a first step towards what could bring the pandemic to an end .
But while the start of the vaccination campaign has been greeted with fanfare , Levine ’ s comments suggest that the plan could suffer from delays going forward .
The Trump administration ’ s bid to accelerate vaccine development , Operation Warp Speed , has succeeded in bringing Pfizer ’ s COVID-19 shot to early approval , while Moderna ’ s inoculation is likely to receive the same emergency approval from federal regulators next week .
Trump officials have planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government will allocate vaccine to the states , who then have to get the pandemic-ending shot out to citizens themselves .
Levine and other state officials have said that Congress needs to allocate up to $ 9 billion to ensure that this happens ; to date , Congress has allocated nothing .
The Trump administration has stepped in with a federal partnership that will ensure vaccinations for the first two categories of people : frontline health-care workers and nursing home residents .
That effort will likely last until the end of President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden with a giant , unsolved problem .
Levine said that rehearsals of the federal distribution portion — getting the vaccine to the states — had already revealed problems .
“ In approximately one-quarter of states , at least one significant issue arose during the mock shipment that requires attention prior to shipping actual vaccine , ” Levine said .
She added that states had seen “ ancillary supplies ” — kits that include needles , syringes , and PPE for vaccinators — arrive two days after the vaccines themselves .
“ Vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to administer it will delay the vaccination of key prioritized populations , ” she told lawmakers .
Levine added that the federal government had only allocated around $ 340 million for the distribution effort , based on pre-existing funding .
“ That ’ s about $ 1 per American to mount an immunization enterprise that is unparalleled in scale and complication , ” she said .

As COVID-19 vaccine distribution is getting underway around the country, at least one state official has warned that serious delays could affect the rollout.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine told a House committee last week that a quarter of states had seen significant issues in mock distribution scenarios hosted by the federal government.
“In recent mock shipments of vaccine to train and test the transportation/logistics planning that has been done by [Operation Warp Speed], there have been varying levels of success,” Levine said.
Hospitals around country began vaccinating their frontline health care workers today, marking a first step towards what could bring the pandemic to an end.
But while the start of the vaccination campaign has been greeted with fanfare, Levine’s comments suggest that the plan could suffer from delays going forward.
The Trump administration’s bid to accelerate vaccine development, Operation Warp Speed, has succeeded in bringing Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot to early approval, while Moderna’s inoculation is likely to receive the same emergency approval from federal regulators next week.
Trump officials have planned a distribution system in which the federal government will allocate vaccine to the states, who then have to get the pandemic-ending shot out to citizens themselves. Levine and other state officials have said that Congress needs to allocate up to $9 billion to ensure that this happens; to date, Congress has allocated nothing.
The Trump administration has stepped in with a federal partnership that will ensure vaccinations for the first two categories of people: frontline health-care workers and nursing home residents. That effort will likely last until the end of President Trump’s administration, leaving President-elect Joe Biden with a giant, unsolved problem.
Levine said that rehearsals of the federal distribution portion — getting the vaccine to the states — had already revealed problems.
“In approximately one-quarter of states, at least one significant issue arose during the mock shipment that requires attention prior to shipping actual vaccine,” Levine said.
She added that states had seen “ancillary supplies” — kits that include needles, syringes, and PPE for vaccinators — arrive two days after the vaccines themselves.
“Vaccine that arrives without the ancillary supplies required to administer it will delay the vaccination of key prioritized populations,” she told lawmakers.
Levine added that the federal government had only allocated around $340 million for the distribution effort, based on pre-existing funding.
“That’s about $1 per American to mount an immunization enterprise that is unparalleled in scale and complication,” she said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--MI GOP Leader Slaps Rep On Wrist For Suggesting Violence During Electoral Vote Count

Michigan state House Speaker Lee Chatfield ( R ) stripped Rep. Gary Eisen ( R ) of his committee assignments on Monday after he hinted at participating in violence at the state capitol in Lansing as the electors cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden in the Electoral College .
Chatfield said in a statement that violence and intimidation are “ never appropriate and never acceptable.
” “ We as elected officials must be clear that violence has no place in our democratic process , ” the GOP leader said .
“ We must be held to a higher standard.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he called “ the confusion ” over his remarks .
“ I regret the confusion over my comments this morning , and I want to assure everyone that those of us who are supporting an alternative slate of electors intend to do so peacefully and legally , ” he said .
Earlier on Monday morning , Eisen told local radio show WPHM about a “ hail Mary ” that he and an unnamed group of people planned on carrying out that day that involved them trying to enter the capitol building , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to threats .
Eisen refused to divulge what exactly he would do , saying only that “ it ’ ll be all over the news later on.
” The GOP lawmaker did not rule out violence .
“ No , ” Eisen replied when asked if he could assure listeners that it would be a safe day in Lansing .
“ I don ’ t know .
Because what we ’ re doing today is uncharted .
It hasn ’ t been done .
”

Michigan state House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R) stripped Rep. Gary Eisen (R) of his committee assignments on Monday after he hinted at participating in violence at the state capitol in Lansing as the electors cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden in the Electoral College.
Chatfield said in a statement that violence and intimidation are “never appropriate and never acceptable.”
“We as elected officials must be clear that violence has no place in our democratic process,” the GOP leader said. “We must be held to a higher standard.”
Eisen released a statement regarding what he called “the confusion” over his remarks.
“I regret the confusion over my comments this morning, and I want to assure everyone that those of us who are supporting an alternative slate of electors intend to do so peacefully and legally,” he said.
Earlier on Monday morning, Eisen told local radio show WPHM about a “hail Mary” that he and an unnamed group of people planned on carrying out that day that involved them trying to enter the capitol building, which has been shut down for the day due to threats.
Eisen refused to divulge what exactly he would do, saying only that “it’ll be all over the news later on.”
The GOP lawmaker did not rule out violence.
“No,” Eisen replied when asked if he could assure listeners that it would be a safe day in Lansing. “I don’t know. Because what we’re doing today is uncharted. It hasn’t been done.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--WH Feigns Selflessness Before Admitting Some Staff Will Still Get Early Vaccine Access

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tried to spin President Trump ’ s denial of reports that senior White House officials would be among the first to get access to COVID-19 vaccines into an act of selflessness during an interview on Fox News Monday afternoon .
Hours after Pfizer began shipping out the vaccine on Sunday , the New York Times and Bloomberg reported that Trump and senior White House officials — who ’ ve repeatedly downplayed the severity of the pandemic and have thrown several largely maskless and crowded holiday gatherings on White House grounds — would get early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the next several days .
Late Sunday night , Trump disputed reports by tweeting that White House staffers would “ receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program , unless specifically necessary ” — an “ adjustment ” that the sitting president seemed to pat himself on the back for .
Trump foot soldier McEnany took a cue from the President during her appearance on Fox News the day after .
When Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner argued that Trump ’ s tweet is “ kind of a reversal ” of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — which permits government officials to continue their essential operations during a wide range of emergencies — McEnany deflected by saying “ that policy directive was actually passed by President Obama.
” Although Obama issued two executive orders in 2012 that greatly expanded presidential powers in the event of a national emergency , the country has had policy in place that predate Obama ’ s term to continue the operation of the government following a catastrophic attack .
“ We were putting that into place , ” McEnany said , before insisting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers and residents at long-term care facilities “ need to come first.
” McEnany touted that “ we would still have continuity in government ” as she didn ’ t deny that White House staffers and members of Congress members could get early access to COVID-19 vaccines .
“ Key officials , like Situation Room staff among others , will have access to this vaccine , certain members of Congress , ” McEnany said .
McEnany reiterated that “ there will be continuity of government ” while boosting Trump for his supposedly selfless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front of the line in getting a COVID-19 vaccine .
Trump has yet to issue public remarks addressing the record surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide , which include nearly 300,000 fatalities from the pandemic thus far .
“ But he is unashamed in saying number one , it is the most vulnerable , it ’ s our heroic frontline workers — who should be Time Person of the Year , by the way , ” McEnany said .
“ And it should be our residents in long-term care facilities .
”

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tried to spin President Trump’s denial of reports that senior White House officials would be among the first to get access to COVID-19 vaccines into an act of selflessness during an interview on Fox News Monday afternoon.
Hours after Pfizer began shipping out the vaccine on Sunday, the New York Times and Bloomberg reported that Trump and senior White House officials — who’ve repeatedly downplayed the severity of the pandemic and have thrown several largely maskless and crowded holiday gatherings on White House grounds — would get early access to it as it rolls out over the next several days.
Late Sunday night, Trump disputed reports by tweeting that White House staffers would “receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary” — an “adjustment” that the sitting president seemed to pat himself on the back for.
People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary. I have asked that this adjustment be made. I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time. Thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
Trump foot soldier McEnany took a cue from the President during her appearance on Fox News the day after.
When Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner argued that Trump’s tweet is “kind of a reversal” of the principle of “continuity of government” — which permits government officials to continue their essential operations during a wide range of emergencies — McEnany deflected by saying “that policy directive was actually passed by President Obama.”
Although Obama issued two executive orders in 2012 that greatly expanded presidential powers in the event of a national emergency, the country has had policy in place that predate Obama’s term to continue the operation of the government following a catastrophic attack.
“We were putting that into place,” McEnany said, before insisting that Trump was selfless in saying that frontline workers and residents at long-term care facilities “need to come first.”
McEnany touted that “we would still have continuity in government” as she didn’t deny that White House staffers and members of Congress members could get early access to COVID-19 vaccines.
“Key officials, like Situation Room staff among others, will have access to this vaccine, certain members of Congress,” McEnany said.
McEnany reiterated that “there will be continuity of government” while boosting Trump for his supposedly selfless approach to who should be at the front of the line in getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Trump has yet to issue public remarks addressing the record surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide, which include nearly 300,000 fatalities from the pandemic thus far.
“But he is unashamed in saying number one, it is the most vulnerable, it’s our heroic frontline workers — who should be Time Person of the Year, by the way,” McEnany said. “And it should be our residents in long-term care facilities.”
Watch McEnany’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--It’s Good To Be The King’s Lawyer: Giuliani Details ‘Celebrity’ COVID Treatment

We now know , via Rudy G. himself , how much he owes to President Trump for his lux COVID-19 treatment .
“ Dr .
Trump , he was very confident in it , ” Rudy Giuliani said in an appearance on his video podcast , Common Sense , released Friday , referring to the scarce and experimental treatment that he received .
Days after being released from Georgetown University hospital , Giuliani provided on the podcast more detail than he has before about his velvet-rope COVID treatment .
Special attention from the White House and access to rare , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declining oxygen levels to health in a matter of days .
Giuliani said that he had gotten the medicine , a monoclonal antibody treatment manufactured by Regeneron , out of an exception “ if you ’ re willing to take whatever risk there is , which I was willing to take because Dr. [ Sean ] Conley had used it for President Trump.
” “ I took that along with the flu shot and some other medicines , ” Giuliani added .
“ And I must say I recovered.
” But even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medicines – get the practical credit for Giuliani ’ s treatment , he assigned the real cause for his cure to President Trump .
Giuliani ’ s comments provide some access to the strange world in which President Trump can dispense medical care as a benefit to those in his inner circle , and receive fealty as a response .
The former New York City mayor went further than he previously has in claiming that White House doctors were responsible for his care .
“ Dr .
Sean Conley , the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ [ He ] kept in touch , made sure everything went right , gave me a lot of good advice.
” The former New York City mayor said that he fell ill on Dec. 3 .
Giuliani said that while he was a “ big believer ” in “ early detection ” of the “ CCP virus , ” among other ailments , but that this time he declined to get tested after first experiencing symptoms .
“ I probably did have symptoms for a few days – I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state after another testifying in hearings concerning the election , I had gone in five days to four states , ” Giuliani said .
“ Really stressful hearings – some people were threatened , this whole anti-Trump thing has become a horrible sickness eating away at the souls of many people.
” But it wasn ’ t until he got home and spoke with his girlfriend Maria Ryan , a nurse practitioner and New Hampshire hospital CEO , that he found out he had the virus .
“ She noticed that I looked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , before telling him that he had symptoms of COVID after noticing that his blood oxygen levels were dangerously low .
“ She got my son on the phone , and he said the same .
Finally she got Dr. Conley on the phone from the White House who I ’ ve gotten to know working with President Trump , ” Giuliani said .
“ And the combination of three doctors , Dr. Ryan , Dr. Conley , and now Dr. Giuliani , who took over my care , got me to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , without elaborating , that his time at the hospital began with a “ substantial ” emergency operation .
Doctors found that he had “ COVID pneumonia , ” and administered oxygen to him , along with remdesivir ( “ the new medicine that ’ s been developed within the last , less than a year , for dealing with the viral load of CCP virus ” ) , four days of the steroid Dexmethasone ( “ I probably have more energy now than when I went in ” ) , and Regeneron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Doctors thought it was almost miraculous how fast I recovered , ” Giuliani said .
“ From the first day even to the second day , there was remarkable recovery.
” The former New York City mayor added that his son , Andrew , took over his role on litigation filed by the state of Texas in the Supreme Court as he convalesced .
The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on Friday .

We now know, via Rudy G. himself, how much he owes to President Trump for his lux COVID-19 treatment.
“Dr. Trump, he was very confident in it,” Rudy Giuliani said in an appearance on his video podcast, Common Sense, released Friday, referring to the scarce and experimental treatment that he received.
Days after being released from Georgetown University hospital, Giuliani provided on the podcast more detail than he has before about his velvet-rope COVID treatment. Special attention from the White House and access to rare, newly developed treatments spirited Giuliani from precipitously declining oxygen levels to health in a matter of days.
Giuliani said that he had gotten the medicine, a monoclonal antibody treatment manufactured by Regeneron, out of an exception “if you’re willing to take whatever risk there is, which I was willing to take because Dr. [Sean] Conley had used it for President Trump.”
“I took that along with the flu shot and some other medicines,” Giuliani added. “And I must say I recovered.”
But even though Conley – and an assortment of rare medicines – get the practical credit for Giuliani’s treatment, he assigned the real cause for his cure to President Trump.
Giuliani’s comments provide some access to the strange world in which President Trump can dispense medical care as a benefit to those in his inner circle, and receive fealty as a response.
The former New York City mayor went further than he previously has in claiming that White House doctors were responsible for his care.
“Dr. Sean Conley, the White House physician, oversaw it,” Giuliani said.
“[He] kept in touch, made sure everything went right, gave me a lot of good advice.”
The former New York City mayor said that he fell ill on Dec. 3.
Giuliani said that while he was a “big believer” in “early detection” of the “CCP virus,” among other ailments, but that this time he declined to get tested after first experiencing symptoms.
“I probably did have symptoms for a few days – I was traveling very fast and going to one state after another testifying in hearings concerning the election, I had gone in five days to four states,” Giuliani said. “Really stressful hearings – some people were threatened, this whole anti-Trump thing has become a horrible sickness eating away at the souls of many people.”
But it wasn’t until he got home and spoke with his girlfriend Maria Ryan, a nurse practitioner and New Hampshire hospital CEO, that he found out he had the virus.
“She noticed that I looked a little pale,” Giuliani said, before telling him that he had symptoms of COVID after noticing that his blood oxygen levels were dangerously low.
“She got my son on the phone, and he said the same. Finally she got Dr. Conley on the phone from the White House who I’ve gotten to know working with President Trump,” Giuliani said. “And the combination of three doctors, Dr. Ryan, Dr. Conley, and now Dr. Giuliani, who took over my care, got me to go to the hospital.”
Giuliani later added, without elaborating, that his time at the hospital began with a “substantial” emergency operation. Doctors found that he had “COVID pneumonia,” and administered oxygen to him, along with remdesivir (“the new medicine that’s been developed within the last, less than a year, for dealing with the viral load of CCP virus”), four days of the steroid Dexmethasone (“I probably have more energy now than when I went in”), and Regeneron, the much sought-after monoclonal antibody treatment.
“Doctors thought it was almost miraculous how fast I recovered,” Giuliani said. “From the first day even to the second day, there was remarkable recovery.”
The former New York City mayor added that his son, Andrew, took over his role on litigation filed by the state of Texas in the Supreme Court as he convalesced. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on Friday.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--WI Supreme Court Delivers Blow To Trump An Hour Before Electors Seal Biden’s Win

MADISON , Wis. ( AP ) — A narrowly divided Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump ’ s lawsuit attempting to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the battleground state , ending Trump ’ s legal challenges in state court about an hour before the Electoral College was to meet to cast the state ’ s 10 votes for Biden .
In the 4-3 ruling , the court ’ s three liberal justices were joined by conservative swing Justice Brian Hagedorn who said three of Trump ’ s four claims were filed too late and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president sought to have more than 221,000 ballots disqualified in Dane and Milwaukee counties , the state ’ s two most heavily Democratic counties .
Those were the only counties where Trump sought a recount , even though he lost statewide by just short of 21,000 votes , a margin of about 0.6 % .
Hagedorn said the Trump campaign was “ not entitled to the relief it seeks.
” Hagedorn used a sports analogy when ruling against Trump , saying he should not have waited until his election loss was announced to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow the challenge flag to be thrown regarding various aspects of election administration , ” Hagedorn wrote .
“ The challenges raised by the Campaign in this case , however , come long after the last play or even the last game ; the Campaign is challenging the rulebook adopted before the season began.
” Trump wanted to disqualify absentee ballots cast early and in-person , saying there wasn ’ t a proper written request made for the ballots ; absentee ballots cast by people who claimed “ indefinitely confined ” status ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Madison parks ; and absentee ballots where clerks filled in missing information on ballot envelopes .
The court ruled that Trump ’ s challenge to voters who were indefinitely confined was without merit and that the other claims came too late .
The three dissenting conservative justices , led by Chief Justice Patience Roggensack , said the court should have decided whether votes should have counted in each of the four categories Trump challenged and also clarified the law for future elections .
“ A significant portion of the public does not believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election was fairly conducted , ” Roggensack wrote .
“ Once again , four justices on this court can not be bothered with addressing what the statutes require to assure that absentee ballots are lawfully cast.
” Liberal justices Rebecca Dallet and Jill Karofsky , who sided with Hagedorn , wrote separately to emphasize that there was no evidence of fraud in Wisconsin ’ s election .
“ Wisconsin voters complied with the election rulebook , ” Dallet and Karofksy said .
“ No penalties were committed and the final score was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election.
” Trump and his allies have suffered dozens of defeats in Wisconsin and across the country in lawsuits that rely on unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud and election abuse .
On Friday , the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Texas lawsuit that sought to invalidate Biden ’ s win by throwing out millions of votes in four battleground states , including Wisconsin .
On Saturday , former Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a federal case she lost in Wisconsin seeking to order the GOP-controlled Legislature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also lost similar cases in Georgia and Arizona .
Also on Saturday , while the Supreme Court was holding arguments in Trump ’ s state case , a federal judge dismissed another Trump lawsuit seeking to overturn his loss in Wisconsin .
Trump appealed that ruling .

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A narrowly divided Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump’s lawsuit attempting to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the battleground state, ending Trump’s legal challenges in state court about an hour before the Electoral College was to meet to cast the state’s 10 votes for Biden.
In the 4-3 ruling, the court’s three liberal justices were joined by conservative swing Justice Brian Hagedorn who said three of Trump’s four claims were filed too late and the other was without merit.
The president sought to have more than 221,000 ballots disqualified in Dane and Milwaukee counties, the state’s two most heavily Democratic counties. Those were the only counties where Trump sought a recount, even though he lost statewide by just short of 21,000 votes, a margin of about 0.6%. Hagedorn said the Trump campaign was “not entitled to the relief it seeks.”
Hagedorn used a sports analogy when ruling against Trump, saying he should not have waited until his election loss was announced to raise his complaints.
“Our laws allow the challenge flag to be thrown regarding various aspects of election administration,” Hagedorn wrote. “The challenges raised by the Campaign in this case, however, come long after the last play or even the last game; the Campaign is challenging the rulebook adopted before the season began.”
Trump wanted to disqualify absentee ballots cast early and in-person, saying there wasn’t a proper written request made for the ballots; absentee ballots cast by people who claimed “indefinitely confined” status; absentee ballots collected by poll workers at Madison parks; and absentee ballots where clerks filled in missing information on ballot envelopes.
The court ruled that Trump’s challenge to voters who were indefinitely confined was without merit and that the other claims came too late.
The three dissenting conservative justices, led by Chief Justice Patience Roggensack, said the court should have decided whether votes should have counted in each of the four categories Trump challenged and also clarified the law for future elections.
“A significant portion of the public does not believe that the November 3, 2020, presidential election was fairly conducted,” Roggensack wrote. “Once again, four justices on this court cannot be bothered with addressing what the statutes require to assure that absentee ballots are lawfully cast.”
Liberal justices Rebecca Dallet and Jill Karofsky, who sided with Hagedorn, wrote separately to emphasize that there was no evidence of fraud in Wisconsin’s election.
“Wisconsin voters complied with the election rulebook,” Dallet and Karofksy said. “No penalties were committed and the final score was the result of a free and fair election.”
Trump and his allies have suffered dozens of defeats in Wisconsin and across the country in lawsuits that rely on unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud and election abuse. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Texas lawsuit that sought to invalidate Biden’s win by throwing out millions of votes in four battleground states, including Wisconsin.
On Saturday, former Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a federal case she lost in Wisconsin seeking to order the GOP-controlled Legislature to declare Trump the winner. Powell has also lost similar cases in Georgia and Arizona.
Also on Saturday, while the Supreme Court was holding arguments in Trump’s state case, a federal judge dismissed another Trump lawsuit seeking to overturn his loss in Wisconsin. Trump appealed that ruling.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-14--Kilmeade Asks Stephen Miller If Trump’s Failing Lawsuits Mean He Has ‘Worst Legal Team’

“ Fox and Friends ” co-host Brian Kilmeade wondered aloud while interviewing senior White House adviser Stephen Miller on Monday morning whether President Trump ’ s unsuccessful attempts at overturning the election means that the Trumpworld has “ the worst legal team.
” Last week , the Supreme Court rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’ s ( R ) lawsuit suing four battleground states that President-elect Joe Biden won .
Despite the fact that the Electoral College is set to secure Biden ’ s victory on Monday night , Trump told Kilmeade during a taped interview on Saturday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursuing his long-shot bid for a second term .
Some GOPers have continued egging on Trump ’ s fizzled lawsuits a day before the Electoral College is expected to seal Biden ’ s win .
In the midst of Miller spewing election fraud falsehoods during his appearance on “ Fox and Friends ” Monday morning , Kilmeade asked Miller if Trump has “ the worst legal team ” because even Trump-appointed judges didn ’ t go along with the Trumpworld ’ s bogus allegations of widespread fraud .
“ So if there were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminals voting , if there was illegal ballots cast — your legal team , in almost every state , 50 times lost , some were Trump judges , ” Kilmeade told Miller .
“ So do you have the worst legal team who just don ’ t seem to be presenting a good case or you ’ re just too late and this case should have been brought before the election ?
” Miller increasingly raised his voice as he employed the usual Trumpworld gambit of attacking the media and Democrats , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also nodded to the Trump campaign ’ s social media posts last month that contained the names of seven supposedly dead Americans who allegedly cast votes in the presidential election .
At least three of the dead voter claims by the Trump campaign have been rebutted by state and county officials — the voters in question either did not actually vote in the election , or were alive when casting their ballots .
Miller ended his bogus conspiracy-filled interview by doing more of Trump ’ s bidding by attacking Georgia Gov .
Brian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has a long-shot chance of winning the battleground state .
“ Donald Trump is the winner of Georgia .
We ’ re going to win the Senate races too , and if we similarly correct the defects that I just identified in other swing states , it ’ s all over , ” Miller said .

“Fox and Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade wondered aloud while interviewing senior White House adviser Stephen Miller on Monday morning whether President Trump’s unsuccessful attempts at overturning the election means that the Trumpworld has “the worst legal team.”
Last week, the Supreme Court rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) lawsuit suing four battleground states that President-elect Joe Biden won.
Despite the fact that the Electoral College is set to secure Biden’s victory on Monday night, Trump told Kilmeade during a taped interview on Saturday that he doesn’t plan to stop pursuing his long-shot bid for a second term. Some GOPers have continued egging on Trump’s fizzled lawsuits a day before the Electoral College is expected to seal Biden’s win.
In the midst of Miller spewing election fraud falsehoods during his appearance on “Fox and Friends” Monday morning, Kilmeade asked Miller if Trump has “the worst legal team” because even Trump-appointed judges didn’t go along with the Trumpworld’s bogus allegations of widespread fraud.
“So if there were underage people voting, if there were criminals voting, if there was illegal ballots cast — your legal team, in almost every state, 50 times lost, some were Trump judges,” Kilmeade told Miller. “So do you have the worst legal team who just don’t seem to be presenting a good case or you’re just too late and this case should have been brought before the election?”
Miller increasingly raised his voice as he employed the usual Trumpworld gambit of attacking the media and Democrats, while spewing more election fraud falsehoods.
Miller also nodded to the Trump campaign’s social media posts last month that contained the names of seven supposedly dead Americans who allegedly cast votes in the presidential election. At least three of the dead voter claims by the Trump campaign have been rebutted by state and county officials — the voters in question either did not actually vote in the election, or were alive when casting their ballots.
Miller ended his bogus conspiracy-filled interview by doing more of Trump’s bidding by attacking Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and denying that Trump has a long-shot chance of winning the battleground state.
“Donald Trump is the winner of Georgia. We’re going to win the Senate races too, and if we similarly correct the defects that I just identified in other swing states, it’s all over,” Miller said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-15--Putin Congratulates Biden Over A Month After Election

MOSCOW ( AP ) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on winning the U.S. presidential election after weeks of holding out .
Putin ’ s message to Biden came a day after the Electoral College confirmed Biden as the nation ’ s next president , ratifying his November victory in an authoritative state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump ’ s refusal to concede that he had lost .
The Kremlin had said earlier that the Russian president would hold off on congratulating Biden until the winner was officially confirmed .
“ We are just waiting for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Putin said last month , referring to numerous Republican challenges to the vote count .
In his message , Putin wished Biden “ every success , ” according to a Kremlin statement Tuesday , and expressed confidence that “ Russia and the U.S. , which bear special responsibility for global security and stability can , despite the differences , really contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing.
” The Russian president noted that “ the Russian-American cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in both countries and the entire international community.
” “ For my part , I am ready for interaction and contact with you , ” Putin was quoted by the Kremlin as saying .

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on winning the U.S. presidential election after weeks of holding out.
Putin’s message to Biden came a day after the Electoral College confirmed Biden as the nation’s next president, ratifying his November victory in an authoritative state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede that he had lost.
The Kremlin had said earlier that the Russian president would hold off on congratulating Biden until the winner was officially confirmed. “We are just waiting for the end of the internal political confrontation,” Putin said last month, referring to numerous Republican challenges to the vote count.
In his message, Putin wished Biden “every success,” according to a Kremlin statement Tuesday, and expressed confidence that “Russia and the U.S., which bear special responsibility for global security and stability can, despite the differences, really contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing.”
The Russian president noted that “the Russian-American cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual respect would meet the interests of the people in both countries and the entire international community.”
“For my part, I am ready for interaction and contact with you,” Putin was quoted by the Kremlin as saying.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-15--Report: Massive Russian Hack Effort Breached DHS, State Department And NIH

The Department of Homeland Security , the State Department and the National Institutes of Health on Monday joined a growing list of government agencies targeted in a digital spying operation by Russia whose damage remains unclear but is thought to be extensive , the Washington Post reported late Monday .
The fact that the department responsible for keeping the nation safe from cyber attacks was victimized raises question about the effectiveness of government efforts to protect against digital spying .
The list of victims of the cyberespionage , had already included the Treasury and Commerce departments , but the list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more federal agencies and numerous private companies , officials familiar with the matter told the Post .
In a federal securities filing on Monday , SolarWinds reported that “ fewer than 18,000 ” of its customers may have been affected in the attack .
The figure represents just a fraction of the maker of the popular network-managements software ’ s more than 300,000 customers worldwide , but still represents a significant group of important networks that includes the Pentagon and the White House .
Russia has denied any role in the spying effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Post , DHS spokesman Alexei Woltornist said that the department is aware of reports of a breach and is investigating the matter .
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service ( SVR ) is thought to be behind the campaign , which has been running since at least the spring .
The hackers gained access to their victims ’ systems by compromising routine software patches sent to these systems by SolarWinds .
Experts told the Post that the nature of the hacks indicated that the attackers were focused on high-value targets , although the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a part of Russian intelligence that has little known record for advancing online disinformation campaigns like the ones seen during the 2016 presidential elections .
FireEye , a top cybersecurity firm that was also breached , discovered through its own investigation that SolarWinds had been compromised .
The firm described the victims as including “ government , consulting , technology , telecom and extractive entities in North America , Europe , Asia and the Middle East.
” “ We anticipate there are additional victims in other countries and verticals , ” the fir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that FireEye used for research purposes .
John Hultquist , manager of analysis at FireEye , told the Post that intruders are “ still in these organizations .
There are a lot of information-security teams right now who are probably going to be working on this problem through Christmas.
” The details of what was taken and from whom are not yet public in the Russian operation which dates at least as far back as March and was described as active as recently as Sunday .

The Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the National Institutes of Health on Monday joined a growing list of government agencies targeted in a digital spying operation by Russia whose damage remains unclear but is thought to be extensive, the Washington Post reported late Monday.
The fact that the department responsible for keeping the nation safe from cyber attacks was victimized raises question about the effectiveness of government efforts to protect against digital spying.
The list of victims of the cyberespionage, had already included the Treasury and Commerce departments, but the list of targets is expanding and likely include more federal agencies and numerous private companies, officials familiar with the matter told the Post.
In a federal securities filing on Monday, SolarWinds reported that “fewer than 18,000” of its customers may have been affected in the attack. The figure represents just a fraction of the maker of the popular network-managements software’s more than 300,000 customers worldwide, but still represents a significant group of important networks that includes the Pentagon and the White House. Russia has denied any role in the spying effort, the Post said.
According to the Post, DHS spokesman Alexei Woltornist said that the department is aware of reports of a breach and is investigating the matter.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is thought to be behind the campaign, which has been running since at least the spring. The hackers gained access to their victims’ systems by compromising routine software patches sent to these systems by SolarWinds.
Experts told the Post that the nature of the hacks indicated that the attackers were focused on high-value targets, although the spy effort appears so far to be a part of Russian intelligence that has little known record for advancing online disinformation campaigns like the ones seen during the 2016 presidential elections.
FireEye, a top cybersecurity firm that was also breached, discovered through its own investigation that SolarWinds had been compromised. The firm described the victims as including “government, consulting, technology, telecom and extractive entities in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.”
“We anticipate there are additional victims in other countries and verticals,” the firm said.
Hackers stole potent cyberattack tools that FireEye used for research purposes, according to the Post.
John Hultquist, manager of analysis at FireEye, told the Post that intruders are “still in these organizations. There are a lot of information-security teams right now who are probably going to be working on this problem through Christmas.”
The details of what was taken and from whom are not yet public in the Russian operation which dates at least as far back as March and was described as active as recently as Sunday.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-15--Trump Tells GOPers To ‘Get Moving’ Even After Electoral College Locks In His Defeat

President Donald Trump early Tuesday morning demanded his fellow Republicans take action against the election results somehow even after the Electoral College sealed President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory on Monday .
Trump retweeted a conservative radio host calling on followers to “ ignore the electors at this moment .
“ This Fake Election can no longer stand .
Get moving Republicans , ” Trump wrote in his retweet , once again providing zero evidence of any “ fake ” election or voter fraud .
The President praised Michigan judge Kevin Elsenheimer for releasing what the President called an “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plaintiff in one of the many lawsuits challenging the election results that went up in smoke .
However , the report only includes the same litany of falsehoods and conspiracy theories parroted by Trumpland .
It ’ s unclear what exactly the President expects Republicans to do .
His attempt to pressure GOP lawmakers in swing states into deploying pro-Trump electors instead of those that Biden won fairly was a failure .
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’ s lawsuit , which was backed by more than a dozen GOP attorneys general , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states ’ votes was rejected .
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment .
While giving a speech after the Electoral College votes put him over the top at 306 votes , Biden swiped at Trump for refusing to acknowledge the election results despite the president-elect winning the same number of electoral votes as Trump did in 2016 .
At the time , Trump claimed he had won the election in a “ landslide ” “ By his own standards these numbers represented a clear victory then , ” @ @ @

President Donald Trump early Tuesday morning demanded his fellow Republicans take action against the election results somehow even after the Electoral College sealed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory on Monday.
Trump retweeted a conservative radio host calling on followers to “ignore the electors at this moment.”
“This Fake Election can no longer stand. Get moving Republicans,” Trump wrote in his retweet, once again providing zero evidence of any “fake” election or voter fraud.
The President praised Michigan judge Kevin Elsenheimer for releasing what the President called an “epic” report filed by a pro-Trump plaintiff in one of the many lawsuits challenging the election results that went up in smoke. However, the report only includes the same litany of falsehoods and conspiracy theories parroted by Trumpland.
It’s unclear what exactly the President expects Republicans to do. His attempt to pressure GOP lawmakers in swing states into deploying pro-Trump electors instead of those that Biden won fairly was a failure. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit, which was backed by more than a dozen GOP attorneys general, requesting that the Supreme Court overturn swing states’ votes was rejected.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.
While giving a speech after the Electoral College votes put him over the top at 306 votes, Biden swiped at Trump for refusing to acknowledge the election results despite the president-elect winning the same number of electoral votes as Trump did in 2016. At the time, Trump claimed he had won the election in a “landslide”
“By his own standards these numbers represented a clear victory then,” Biden said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-15--Biden’s Energy Secretary Pick Will Be His First Michigan Connection To His Cabinet

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate former Michigan Gov .
Jennifer Granholm ( D ) to lead the Energy Department , the agency that would be instrumental in fulfilling Biden ’ s commitment to move the country away from fossil fuels .
The two-term former Michigan governor ’ s familiarity with the auto industry is reportedly seen as an advantage to Biden as the President-elect aims to accelerate the distribution of electric vehicles and charging stations for them as part of his plans to address climate change .
Biden seeks to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 .
Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support of the auto industry as a potential way to bolster his appeal to blue-collar workers and the manufacturing sector as the incoming administration develops its plans for a climate-centric economic transformation .
Granholm ’ s appointment as Energy secretary would also starkly contrast President Trump ’ s first Energy secretary , former Texas Gov .
Rick Perry ( R ) , who promoted natural gas exports and coal as a power source .
Although the majority of the Energy Department ’ s budget is allocated to the maintenance of the country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operates the 17 national labs focused on the development of advanced technology used in renewables , nuclear energy and fossil fuel production .
The Energy Department will also assist the incoming administration in reducing emissions from the nation ’ s building .
Granholm has championed the auto industry ’ s transition to a clean energy economy , which is a process in line with Biden ’ s top four goals .
According to Politico , Granholm used her op-ed published in The Detroit News last month as a way to boost her profile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incoming administration .
“ [ T ] he private sector needs greater support and political will from our policymakers to help us fully realize the potential of a zero-carbon future , ” Granholm wrote in a Nov. 7 op-ed in The Detroit News .
“ The economics are clear : The time for a low-carbon recovery is now.
” Granholm — who won her second term as governor against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos ’ husband — would be the second woman to lead the department if confirmed .

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) to lead the Energy Department, the agency that would be instrumental in fulfilling Biden’s commitment to move the country away from fossil fuels.
Politico first reported the news.
The two-term former Michigan governor’s familiarity with the auto industry is reportedly seen as an advantage to Biden as the President-elect aims to accelerate the distribution of electric vehicles and charging stations for them as part of his plans to address climate change. Biden seeks to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Biden’s team views Granholm’s staunch support of the auto industry as a potential way to bolster his appeal to blue-collar workers and the manufacturing sector as the incoming administration develops its plans for a climate-centric economic transformation.
Granholm’s appointment as Energy secretary would also starkly contrast President Trump’s first Energy secretary, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), who promoted natural gas exports and coal as a power source.
Although the majority of the Energy Department’s budget is allocated to the maintenance of the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal, it also operates the 17 national labs focused on the development of advanced technology used in renewables, nuclear energy and fossil fuel production.
The Energy Department will also assist the incoming administration in reducing emissions from the nation’s building.
Granholm has championed the auto industry’s transition to a clean energy economy, which is a process in line with Biden’s top four goals. According to Politico, Granholm used her op-ed published in The Detroit News last month as a way to boost her profile as a candidate for Energy secretary in the incoming administration.
“[T]he private sector needs greater support and political will from our policymakers to help us fully realize the potential of a zero-carbon future,” Granholm wrote in a Nov. 7 op-ed in The Detroit News. “The economics are clear: The time for a low-carbon recovery is now.”
Granholm — who won her second term as governor against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ husband — would be the second woman to lead the department if confirmed.