talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--Giuliani Raises Risk Of Disclosing Bad Acts With Pardon Discussion

Rudy Giuliani ’ s reported discussion of a pardon from President Trump could force the White House to reveal some more details about what exactly the President ’ s lawyer has been up to .
The problem is simple : how do you issue a pardon without giving away the act for which you ’ re providing clemency ?
Legal experts told TPM that while Trump is safely within his powers to issue pre-emptive pardons , he could face some issues regarding how specific he wants those pardons to be .
“ The more general it gets , the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan State law professor Brian Kalt told TPM .
“ He ’ ll have to balance the atmospherics , the politics of it , with the legal effects.
” Giuliani , who denies that a conversation about a pardon took place , has been working as Trump ’ s attorney since 2018 , during the Mueller investigation .
Since then , he ’ s gotten his client impeached over an effort to pressure the Ukrainian government into manufacturing dirt on Joe Biden .
His colloquy-for-clemency also comes as various people aligned with Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sweeping range of pardons .
Sean Hannity , a Trump ally and perpetually enraged supporter , said on his radio show Monday night that Trump should immediately “ pardon his whole family and himself because they want this witch hunt to go on in perpetuity.
” According to Kalt , the historical bare minimum that a President has had to disclose when issuing a pardon has been a timeframe .
Gerald Ford , for example , pardoned Richard Nixon for “ for all offenses against the United States ” that he committed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jimmy Carter issued a pre-emptive pardon for all Vietnam war draft-dodgers from 1964 to 1973 .
Neither of those pardons were challenged on specificity grounds .
And , for Giuliani , it ’ s not clear what conduct would earn him the pardon .
Manhattan federal prosecutors have been probing his role in the Ukraine scandal , specifically relating to allegations around a deal in the Eastern European gas business .
Separately , some of Giuliani ’ s representations of foreign clients have led to allegations that he ’ s run afoul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a foreign agent .
But a broad , pre-emptive pardon has never been challenged in court on the grounds that it ’ s too vague .
Aaron Rappaport , a law professor at UC-Hastings College of Law , argues that a specificity requirement does exist in the Constitution for presidential pardons .
“ It raises the costs for pardons , ” Rappaport said , adding that specificity would force a level of transparency on the reasoning for any broad presidential pardon .
Kalt , the Michigan law professor , pointed out that accepting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admission of guilt .
Even if the White House were to spell out in excruciating detail that whatever Giuliani has been up to over the past few years can not be prosecuted , Giuliani ’ s acceptance of the pardon wouldn ’ t itself mean that he was confessing to having taken the actions that the pardon outlined .
“ It doesn ’ t look good if you pardon someone , because you ’ re suggesting that there was something to pardon them for , ” Kalt added .
“ But it doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect , it ’ s not officially declaring your guilt .
But it could set the stage for potential future pardons of other Trump associates , or perhaps of the President himself .
“ Trump is going to be getting a pardon , whether it ’ s a self pardon or by someone else , ” Rappaport predicted .
“ This is a trial balloon .
”

Rudy Giuliani’s reported discussion of a pardon from President Trump could force the White House to reveal some more details about what exactly the President’s lawyer has been up to.
The problem is simple: how do you issue a pardon without giving away the act for which you’re providing clemency?
Legal experts told TPM that while Trump is safely within his powers to issue pre-emptive pardons, he could face some issues regarding how specific he wants those pardons to be.
“The more general it gets, the more open to challenge it is,” Michigan State law professor Brian Kalt told TPM. “He’ll have to balance the atmospherics, the politics of it, with the legal effects.”
Visually, it’s quite a mess.
Giuliani, who denies that a conversation about a pardon took place, has been working as Trump’s attorney since 2018, during the Mueller investigation. Since then, he’s gotten his client impeached over an effort to pressure the Ukrainian government into manufacturing dirt on Joe Biden.
His colloquy-for-clemency also comes as various people aligned with Trump push for the President to issue a sweeping range of pardons.
Sean Hannity, a Trump ally and perpetually enraged supporter, said on his radio show Monday night that Trump should immediately “pardon his whole family and himself because they want this witch hunt to go on in perpetuity.”
According to Kalt, the historical bare minimum that a President has had to disclose when issuing a pardon has been a timeframe. Gerald Ford, for example, pardoned Richard Nixon for “for all offenses against the United States” that he committed for the duration of his presidency.
Later, Jimmy Carter issued a pre-emptive pardon for all Vietnam war draft-dodgers from 1964 to 1973.
Neither of those pardons were challenged on specificity grounds. And, for Giuliani, it’s not clear what conduct would earn him the pardon. Manhattan federal prosecutors have been probing his role in the Ukraine scandal, specifically relating to allegations around a deal in the Eastern European gas business. Separately, some of Giuliani’s representations of foreign clients have led to allegations that he’s run afoul of laws mandating that he register as a foreign agent.
Giuliani denies those allegations.
But a broad, pre-emptive pardon has never been challenged in court on the grounds that it’s too vague.
Aaron Rappaport, a law professor at UC-Hastings College of Law, argues that a specificity requirement does exist in the Constitution for presidential pardons.
“It raises the costs for pardons,” Rappaport said, adding that specificity would force a level of transparency on the reasoning for any broad presidential pardon.
Kalt, the Michigan law professor, pointed out that accepting a pardon doesn’t constitute an admission of guilt. Even if the White House were to spell out in excruciating detail that whatever Giuliani has been up to over the past few years cannot be prosecuted, Giuliani’s acceptance of the pardon wouldn’t itself mean that he was confessing to having taken the actions that the pardon outlined.
“It doesn’t look good if you pardon someone, because you’re suggesting that there was something to pardon them for,” Kalt added. “But it doesn’t have any sort of legal effect, it’s not officially declaring your guilt.
But it could set the stage for potential future pardons of other Trump associates, or perhaps of the President himself.
“Trump is going to be getting a pardon, whether it’s a self pardon or by someone else,” Rappaport predicted. “This is a trial balloon.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--Barr Appoints Special Counsel To Keep Investigating Russia Probe Origins

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Attorney General William Barr has given extra protection to the prosecutor he appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe , giving him the authority of a special counsel to complete his work without being easily fired .
Barr told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he had appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel in October under the same federal statute that governed special counsel Robert Mueller in the original Russia probe .
He said Durham ’ s investigation has been narrowing to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known as Crossfire Hurricane .
The investigations grew out of allegations of cooperation between Donald Trump ’ s 2016 presidential campaign and Russians to help him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton .
With the 2020 election approaching , Barr told the AP on Tuesday , “ I decided the best thing to do would be to appoint them under the same regulation that covered Bob Mueller , to provide Durham and his team some assurance that they ’ d be able to complete their work regardless of the outcome of the election.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had begun very broadly but has since “ narrowed considerably ” and now “ really is focused on the activities of the crossfire hurricane investigation within the FBI , ” Barr said .
He said he expects Durham would detail whether any additional prosecutions will be brought and make public a report of the investigation ’ s findings .
In an Oct. 19 order , obtained by The Associated Press , Barr says Durham is authorized “ to investigate whether any federal official , employee or any person or entity violated the law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or law enforcement activities ” directed at the 2016 presidential campaigns , anyone associated with the campaigns or the Trump administration .
A senior Justice Department official told the AP that although the order details that it is “ including but not limited to Crossfire Hurricane and the investigation of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III , ” the Durham probe has not expanded .
The official said that line specifically relates to FBI personnel who worked on the Russia investigation before the May 2017 appointment of Mueller , a critical area of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Department inspector general , which identified a series of errors and omissions in surveillance applications targeting a former Trump campaign associate .
The focus on the FBI , rather than the CIA and the intelligence community , suggests that Durham may have moved past some of the more incendiary claims that Trump supporters had hoped would yield allegations of misconduct , or even crimes — namely , the question of how intelligence agencies reached their conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election .
Appointing Durham as a special counsel would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for very specific reasons under the law .
Under the regulations , a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons , such as misconduct , dereliction of duty , conflict of interest of other violations of Justice Department policies .
An attorney general must allow document those reasons in writing .

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has given extra protection to the prosecutor he appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, giving him the authority of a special counsel to complete his work without being easily fired.
Barr told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he had appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel in October under the same federal statute that governed special counsel Robert Mueller in the original Russia probe. He said Durham’s investigation has been narrowing to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents who worked on the Russia investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane.
The investigations grew out of allegations of cooperation between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russians to help him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.
With the 2020 election approaching, Barr told the AP on Tuesday, “I decided the best thing to do would be to appoint them under the same regulation that covered Bob Mueller, to provide Durham and his team some assurance that they’d be able to complete their work regardless of the outcome of the election.”
The current investigation, a criminal probe, had begun very broadly but has since “narrowed considerably” and now “really is focused on the activities of the crossfire hurricane investigation within the FBI,” Barr said. He said he expects Durham would detail whether any additional prosecutions will be brought and make public a report of the investigation’s findings.
In an Oct. 19 order, obtained by The Associated Press, Barr says Durham is authorized “to investigate whether any federal official, employee or any person or entity violated the law in connection with the intelligence, counter-intelligence or law enforcement activities” directed at the 2016 presidential campaigns, anyone associated with the campaigns or the Trump administration.
A senior Justice Department official told the AP that although the order details that it is “including but not limited to Crossfire Hurricane and the investigation of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III,” the Durham probe has not expanded. The official said that line specifically relates to FBI personnel who worked on the Russia investigation before the May 2017 appointment of Mueller, a critical area of scrutiny for both Durham and for the Justice Department inspector general, which identified a series of errors and omissions in surveillance applications targeting a former Trump campaign associate.
The focus on the FBI, rather than the CIA and the intelligence community, suggests that Durham may have moved past some of the more incendiary claims that Trump supporters had hoped would yield allegations of misconduct, or even crimes — namely, the question of how intelligence agencies reached their conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election.
Appointing Durham as a special counsel would mean that he could only be fired for very specific reasons under the law.
Under the regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons, such as misconduct, dereliction of duty, conflict of interest of other violations of Justice Department policies. An attorney general must allow document those reasons in writing.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--Giuliani Shamelessly Eggs On Trump Legal Battles After Barr Rules Out Fraud

Trump ’ s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday claims he does not have his tail between his legs even after Attorney General Bill Barr stated the obvious in an interview with the Associated Press : there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would hand President Trump an election victory .
Barr , a Trump official who has been notorious for indulging Trump ’ s bogus mail-in voter fraud claims and issued a directive to U.S. attorneys nationwide allowing them to pursue any “ substantial allegations ” of voting irregularities , told the AP that U.S. attorneys and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would change the outcome of the election .
“ To date , we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election , ” Barr told the AP .
Giuliani appeared unfazed by Barr ’ s failed attempt at boosting the Trumpworld ’ s flailing legal battles by quipping in a statement that there supposedly “ hasn ’ t been any semblance of a Department of Justice investigation.
” Giuliani , without evidence , spewed falsehoods of Trump ’ s legal team having “ gathered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least six states ” with “ many witnesses ” swearing under oath of witnessing crimes related to voter fraud .
“ As far as we know , not a single one has been interviewed by the DOJ , ” Giuliani said .
“ The Justice Department also hasn ’ t audited any voting machines or used their subpoena powers to determine the truth.
” Trump ’ s ardent foot soldier maintained that the President ’ s legal team will continue waging lawsuits attempting to delegitimize President-elect Joe Biden ’ s legitimate election victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr .
“ Again , with the greatest respect to the Attorney General , his opinion appears to be without any knowledge or investigation of the substantial irregularities and evidence of systemic fraud , ” Giuliani said .

Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday claims he does not have his tail between his legs even after Attorney General Bill Barr stated the obvious in an interview with the Associated Press: there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would hand President Trump an election victory.
Barr, a Trump official who has been notorious for indulging Trump’s bogus mail-in voter fraud claims and issued a directive to U.S. attorneys nationwide allowing them to pursue any “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, told the AP that U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have uncovered no evidence that would change the outcome of the election.
“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election,” Barr told the AP.
Giuliani appeared unfazed by Barr’s failed attempt at boosting the Trumpworld’s flailing legal battles by quipping in a statement that there supposedly “hasn’t been any semblance of a Department of Justice investigation.”
Giuliani, without evidence, spewed falsehoods of Trump’s legal team having “gathered ample evidence of illegal voting in at least six states” with “many witnesses” swearing under oath of witnessing crimes related to voter fraud.
“As far as we know, not a single one has been interviewed by the DOJ,” Giuliani said. “The Justice Department also hasn’t audited any voting machines or used their subpoena powers to determine the truth.”
Trump’s ardent foot soldier maintained that the President’s legal team will continue waging lawsuits attempting to delegitimize President-elect Joe Biden’s legitimate election victory, before giving a backhanded compliment to Barr.
“Again, with the greatest respect to the Attorney General, his opinion appears to be without any knowledge or investigation of the substantial irregularities and evidence of systemic fraud,” Giuliani said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--Without Action From Congress, Millions Of Americans Face A Benefits Cliff

As legislators resume going through the motions of preparing to act on COVID-19 relief , economists and advocates are warning that millions of Americans could face a loss of benefits by the end of December if Congress fails to act .
Among them are 12 million people who could lose their unemployment benefits .
“ That ’ s the real war on Christmas ” quipped Arnab Datta , a senior legislative counsel at Employ America .
“ It ’ s not just shameful , it ’ s gon na devastate the economy.
” “ The longer this drags on , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added Stephanie Aaronson , director of the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institute .
“ When people face long-term unemployment or drop out of the labor force , there is a lower likelihood that they ’ ll go back in , so it will take even longer for the economy to recover.
” A bipartisan working group — including Sens .
Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) , Chris Coons ( D-DE ) , Joe Manchin ( D-WV ) and others — unveiled a COVID relief proposal packed with concessions for both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rings in at $ 908 billion , includes Democratic priorities like billions for state and local governments , and Republican priorities like a short-term liability shield to protect companies from COVID-19-related lawsuits .
It ’ s not at all clear that the plan will coax either party ’ s leadership out of their months-long entrenched positions .
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also told reporters Tuesday that he ’ d meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) later in the day to discuss funding .
While Mnuchin ’ s involvement seems more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Staff Mark Meadows ’ — someone Democrats found impossible to work with in previous COVID-19 relief negotiations — it ’ s still not certain that the fundamentals of the impasse have changed .
Democrats still want an expansive package to cover many industries and facets of the flailing economy ; Republicans want limited , smaller relief for certain parts .
The gravity of the situation has continued to worsen .
Since the passage of the CARES Act last March , hundreds of thousands of Americans have died of the virus or lost their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs report , unemployment has been decreasing , long-term unemployment — defined as sixth months of joblessness — is growing .
There is also a serious concern that any economic improvement is temporary as the cold winter months drive people indoors and rising numbers of COVID-19 cases shutter businesses .
Many have come to rely on what aid Congress has been able to pass , particularly Pandemic Unemployment Assistance ( PUA ) for gig workers and those not entitled to regular benefits , and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation ( PEUC ) , federally-funded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Funding for those programs expires the day after Christmas , leaving , by one estimate , 12 million people without benefits .
That ’ s on top of the 4 million people who The Century Foundation calculates will have already run through their CARES Act aid before that date .
While the December 26 cliff has many advocates most worried , there are plenty of other holiday disasters around the corner if Congress fails to act .
The CDC ’ s eviction moratorium expires on December 31 .
That ’ s the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on federal student loans ends , as does the 0 % interest rate on those loans .
“ I am nearly panicked about the expirations coming at the end of the year , ” Wendy Edelberg , senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution , told TPM .
“ Months ago , my hoped-for goal was more fiscal support for the economy .
Now my goal is at least maintaining what we have.
” And there are some coming problems that have nearly escaped notice altogether .
PUA , the benefit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a policy to waive recoupment for overpayment , like most other unemployment insurance programs were .
In other words , if someone has accidentally been overpaid for months due to an error by the agency or employer , the worker will owe that money back .
That repayment could be in the neighborhood of tens of thousands of dollars , per Michele Evermore , senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project .
“ Without congressional action , people get the notice and can ’ t do much about it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can appeal , but the appeals process takes forever.
” The majority of states waive the repayment of accidental overpaying if it would cause financial hardship to the recipient and is the fault of the agency or employer .
Congress could write into a relief package an allowance to let states also waive repayment related to the pandemic assistance .
Such a fix was included in the second incarnation of the House ’ s HEROES Act , an omnibus relief package passed by Democrats in October and flatly rejected by Senate Republicans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be even more important to install the safety net than it is with regular unemployment insurance .
Usually , agencies have the bandwidth to check for overpayment mistakes regularly , which helps keep the monetary amounts lower , Evermore said .
But with the agencies more overburdened amid the pandemic , those checks have been less frequent , resulting in larger amounts .
In addition , these pandemic programs were set up quickly , to get money out the door fast — a situation Evermore described as a recipe for potential mistakes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said of regular unemployment insurance .
“ At its peak , 15 million people were on PUA .
That rate will probably be significantly higher because of so many more mistakes — I ’ m thinking we could be facing up to 25 percent overpayment.
” “ It ’ s the most important thing no one ’ s talking about , ” she added .
All of these threats together paint a very bleak winter , if Congress doesn ’ t act .
And the damage done will be much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brookings .
“ That will create a level of hardship that we have not really experienced , ” she said .
“ The longer these conditions persist , the harder it will be for us to recover .
After months of unemployment when people max out their credit cards and lose their leases — that ’ s when the real structural damage kicks in .
”

As legislators resume going through the motions of preparing to act on COVID-19 relief, economists and advocates are warning that millions of Americans could face a loss of benefits by the end of December if Congress fails to act.
Among them are 12 million people who could lose their unemployment benefits.
“That’s the real war on Christmas” quipped Arnab Datta, a senior legislative counsel at Employ America. “It’s not just shameful, it’s gonna devastate the economy.”
“The longer this drags on, the worse it will be,” added Stephanie Aaronson, director of the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institute. “When people face long-term unemployment or drop out of the labor force, there is a lower likelihood that they’ll go back in, so it will take even longer for the economy to recover.”
A bipartisan working group — including Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and others — unveiled a COVID relief proposal packed with concessions for both sides on Tuesday. The package, which rings in at $908 billion, includes Democratic priorities like billions for state and local governments, and Republican priorities like a short-term liability shield to protect companies from COVID-19-related lawsuits.
It’s not at all clear that the plan will coax either party’s leadership out of their months-long entrenched positions.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also told reporters Tuesday that he’d meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) later in the day to discuss funding. While Mnuchin’s involvement seems more auspicious than, say, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ — someone Democrats found impossible to work with in previous COVID-19 relief negotiations — it’s still not certain that the fundamentals of the impasse have changed. Democrats still want an expansive package to cover many industries and facets of the flailing economy; Republicans want limited, smaller relief for certain parts.
The gravity of the situation has continued to worsen. Since the passage of the CARES Act last March, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died of the virus or lost their jobs. While, per the October jobs report, unemployment has been decreasing, long-term unemployment — defined as sixth months of joblessness — is growing. There is also a serious concern that any economic improvement is temporary as the cold winter months drive people indoors and rising numbers of COVID-19 cases shutter businesses.
Many have come to rely on what aid Congress has been able to pass, particularly Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for gig workers and those not entitled to regular benefits, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), federally-funded benefits for those facing long-term unemployment.
Funding for those programs expires the day after Christmas, leaving, by one estimate, 12 million people without benefits. That’s on top of the 4 million people who The Century Foundation calculates will have already run through their CARES Act aid before that date.
While the December 26 cliff has many advocates most worried, there are plenty of other holiday disasters around the corner if Congress fails to act. The CDC’s eviction moratorium expires on December 31. That’s the same day that the period of suspended payments on federal student loans ends, as does the 0% interest rate on those loans.
“I am nearly panicked about the expirations coming at the end of the year,” Wendy Edelberg, senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, told TPM. “Months ago, my hoped-for goal was more fiscal support for the economy. Now my goal is at least maintaining what we have.”
And there are some coming problems that have nearly escaped notice altogether.
PUA, the benefit for gig workers, was not written with a policy to waive recoupment for overpayment, like most other unemployment insurance programs were. In other words, if someone has accidentally been overpaid for months due to an error by the agency or employer, the worker will owe that money back. That repayment could be in the neighborhood of tens of thousands of dollars, per Michele Evermore, senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project.
“Without congressional action, people get the notice and can’t do much about it,” Evermore told TPM. “They can appeal, but the appeals process takes forever.”
The majority of states waive the repayment of accidental overpaying if it would cause financial hardship to the recipient and is the fault of the agency or employer. Congress could write into a relief package an allowance to let states also waive repayment related to the pandemic assistance. Such a fix was included in the second incarnation of the House’s HEROES Act, an omnibus relief package passed by Democrats in October and flatly rejected by Senate Republicans.
With the pandemic assistance, it will be even more important to install the safety net than it is with regular unemployment insurance. Usually, agencies have the bandwidth to check for overpayment mistakes regularly, which helps keep the monetary amounts lower, Evermore said. But with the agencies more overburdened amid the pandemic, those checks have been less frequent, resulting in larger amounts. In addition, these pandemic programs were set up quickly, to get money out the door fast — a situation Evermore described as a recipe for potential mistakes.
“Usually overpayment is about 10 percent,” she said of regular unemployment insurance. “At its peak, 15 million people were on PUA. That rate will probably be significantly higher because of so many more mistakes — I’m thinking we could be facing up to 25 percent overpayment.”
“It’s the most important thing no one’s talking about,” she added.
All of these threats together paint a very bleak winter, if Congress doesn’t act. And the damage done will be much harder to rectify, said Aaronson of Brookings.
“That will create a level of hardship that we have not really experienced,” she said. “The longer these conditions persist, the harder it will be for us to recover. After months of unemployment when people max out their credit cards and lose their leases — that’s when the real structural damage kicks in.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--Barr States The Obvious: No Mass Voter Fraud That Would Swing Election Results

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election .
His comments come despite President Donald Trump ’ s repeated claims that the election was stolen , and his refusal to concede his loss to President-Elect Joe Biden .
In an interview with The Associated Press , Barr said U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific complaints and information they ’ ve received , but they ’ ve uncovered no evidence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ To date , we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election , ” Barr told the AP .
The comments are especially direct coming from Barr , who has been one of the president ’ s most ardent allies .
Before the election , he had repeatedly raised the notion that mail-in voter fraud could be especially vulnerable to fraud during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans feared going to polls and instead chose to vote by mail .
Last month , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the country allowing them to pursue any “ substantial allegations ” of voting irregularities , if they existed , before the 2020 presidential election was certified , despite no evidence at that time of widespread fraud .
That memorandum gave prosecutors the ability to go around longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would prohibit such overt actions before the election was certified .
Soon after it was issued , the department ’ s top elections crime official announced he would step aside from that position because of the memo .
The Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been alleging a widespread conspiracy by Democrats to dump millions of illegal votes into the system with no evidence .
They have filed multiple lawsuits in battleground states alleging that partisan poll watchers didn ’ t have a clear enough view at polling sites in some locations and therefore something illegal must have happened .
The claims have been repeatedly dismissed including by Republican judges who have ruled the suits lacked evidence .
Local Republicans in some battleground states have followed Trump in making similar unsupported claims .
Trump has railed against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own administration has said the 2020 election was the most secure ever .
Trump recently allowed his administration to begin the transition over to Biden , but has still refused to admit he lost .
The issues Trump ’ s campaign and its allies have pointed to are typical in every election : Problems with signatures , secrecy envelopes and postal marks on mail-in ballots , as well as the potential for a small number of ballots miscast or lost .
But they ’ ve also requested federal probes into the claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tales of election systems flipping votes , German servers storing U.S. voting information and election software created in Venezuela “ at the direction of Hugo Chavez , ” – the late Venezuelan president who died in 2013 .
Powell has since been removed from the legal team after an interview she gave where she threatened to “ blow up ” Georgia with a “ biblical ” court filing .
Barr didn ’ t name Powell specifically but said : “ There ’ s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programmed essentially to skew the election results .
And the DHS and DOJ have looked into that , and so far , we haven ’ t seen anything to substantiate that , ” Barr said .
He said people were confusing the use of the federal criminal justice system with allegations that should be made in civil lawsuits .
He said such a remedy for those complaints would be a top-down audit conducted by state or local officials , not the U.S. Justice Department .
“ There ’ s a growing tendency to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a default fix-all , and people don ’ t like something they want the Department of Justice to come in and ‘ investigate , ’ ” Barr said .
He said first of all there must be a basis to believe there is a crime to investigate .
“ Most claims of fraud are very particularized to a particular set of circumstances or actors or conduct .
They are not systemic allegations and .
And those have been run down ; they are being run down , ” Barr said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few thousand votes .
They have been followed up on .
”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
His comments come despite President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the election was stolen, and his refusal to concede his loss to President-Elect Joe Biden.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Barr said U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific complaints and information they’ve received, but they’ve uncovered no evidence that would change the outcome of the election.
“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election,” Barr told the AP.
The comments are especially direct coming from Barr, who has been one of the president’s most ardent allies. Before the election, he had repeatedly raised the notion that mail-in voter fraud could be especially vulnerable to fraud during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans feared going to polls and instead chose to vote by mail.
Last month, Barr issued a directive to U.S. attorneys across the country allowing them to pursue any “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, if they existed, before the 2020 presidential election was certified, despite no evidence at that time of widespread fraud. That memorandum gave prosecutors the ability to go around longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would prohibit such overt actions before the election was certified. Soon after it was issued, the department’s top elections crime official announced he would step aside from that position because of the memo.
The Trump campaign team led by Rudy Giuliani has been alleging a widespread conspiracy by Democrats to dump millions of illegal votes into the system with no evidence. They have filed multiple lawsuits in battleground states alleging that partisan poll watchers didn’t have a clear enough view at polling sites in some locations and therefore something illegal must have happened. The claims have been repeatedly dismissed including by Republican judges who have ruled the suits lacked evidence. Local Republicans in some battleground states have followed Trump in making similar unsupported claims.
Trump has railed against the election in tweets and in interviews though his own administration has said the 2020 election was the most secure ever. Trump recently allowed his administration to begin the transition over to Biden, but has still refused to admit he lost.
The issues Trump’s campaign and its allies have pointed to are typical in every election: Problems with signatures, secrecy envelopes and postal marks on mail-in ballots, as well as the potential for a small number of ballots miscast or lost.
But they’ve also requested federal probes into the claims. Attorney Sidney Powell has spun fictional tales of election systems flipping votes, German servers storing U.S. voting information and election software created in Venezuela “at the direction of Hugo Chavez,” – the late Venezuelan president who died in 2013. Powell has since been removed from the legal team after an interview she gave where she threatened to “blow up” Georgia with a “biblical” court filing.
Barr didn’t name Powell specifically but said: “There’s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essentially to skew the election results. And the DHS and DOJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven’t seen anything to substantiate that,” Barr said.
He said people were confusing the use of the federal criminal justice system with allegations that should be made in civil lawsuits. He said such a remedy for those complaints would be a top-down audit conducted by state or local officials, not the U.S. Justice Department.
“There’s a growing tendency to use the criminal justice system as sort of a default fix-all, and people don’t like something they want the Department of Justice to come in and ‘investigate,’” Barr said.
He said first of all there must be a basis to believe there is a crime to investigate.
“Most claims of fraud are very particularized to a particular set of circumstances or actors or conduct. They are not systemic allegations and. And those have been run down; they are being run down,” Barr said. “Some have been broad and potentially cover a few thousand votes. They have been followed up on.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--How Your COVID-Flooded Hospital Will Triage

Hospitals around the country face a grim winter as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge .
It ’ s shaping up to be a national triage situation .
But many state and local governments , and hospital associations , have planned for what could be reality in a few weeks .
That is , what to do when the number of patients far outstrips the ability of a hospital or health care system to treat them ?
The upshot is that as numbers continue to grow , the effects of overwhelmed hospitals could stretch far beyond the ward .
For example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hospitals may not be able to take in those injured from car accidents .
In some areas , COVID patients won ’ t be able to get on oxygen or a ventilator .
Here ’ s what that may look like in several key states if trends continue over the coming weeks .
The Dallas County Medical Society has guidelines for triaging patients that north Texas hospitals have been using in the crisis .
• A separate palliative care team created to relieve the pain of those who can ’ t get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct who gets what care • Doctors start evaluating new patients for criteria that would deny them hospital admission • Surgeries only performed on those who need it to live or for discharge California developed crisis standards of care guidelines in June for how its hospitals should triage patients amid a total lack of capacity .
• Doctors recommended not to try saving those already dying • Those most likely to survive get limited oxygen tanks , ventilators • Family members called upon to provide basic hygiene services to patients In late April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic had come to an end in the five boroughs , New York City released its crisis standards of care plan .
That has since become a model for other local governments and hospital systems as they try to anticipate what is to come .
• A triage officer or committee is activated to decide who receives lifesaving care and who receives palliative care • Patients on limited “ life-saving technologies ” re-evaluated at 48 and 120 hours to determine if the plug should be pulled • Family members may be asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , stricken by case loads and hospitalization rates that may be showing signs of stabilization , has a plan for triaging a pandemic from years ago .
• No attempts to resuscitate people in cardiac arrest , either at a hospital or by paramedics in the field • Paramedics treat people in the field to prevent additional crowding at emergency rooms Wisconsin ’ s state government committed to creating triage guidelines in March , but as cases dropped off , so did the effort .
Instead , the state ’ s hospital association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use .
• Palliative care for those who “ altruistically choose to forego treatment ” The State of Florida has yet to draft crisis guidelines for its hospitals , and instead punted the question to the private sector .
The Florida Hospital Association ratified triage guidelines developed by a group of in-state hospitals in April .
• New patients scored for admission based off of condition of organs , dementia , cancer , and other issues with age as a tiebreaker • Patients taken off ventilators if their condition gets worse after 48 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s department of health services has an extremely detailed and comprehensive plan for its crisis standards of care .
To date , it ’ s the only state to have activated its plan .
• Scored admission to hospitals based on pre-existing conditions , likelihood of survival • Triage officers appointed at hospitals to direct patients to ICU or comfort care The Oklahoma State Department of Health has a detailed list of triage guidelines for hospitals in the state .
• Patients receive smaller doses than needed of medications in shortage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Look for additional medical equipment like IV hookups at veterinary offices • Some patients only receive comfort care before death , no effort is made to save them if they ’ re beyond a certain point Idaho just developed its triage protocols , as cases have been spiking in the state .
• Emergency responders decline 911 calls with no immediate threat to life • Hospitals only admit patients with a chance of survival • Palliative care teams of “ physicians , nurses , clergy , and lay persons ” created to @ @ @ @

Hospitals around the country face a grim winter as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge. It’s shaping up to be a national triage situation.
But many state and local governments, and hospital associations, have planned for what could be reality in a few weeks. That is, what to do when the number of patients far outstrips the ability of a hospital or health care system to treat them?
The upshot is that as numbers continue to grow, the effects of overwhelmed hospitals could stretch far beyond the ward. For example, in some parts of the country, hospitals may not be able to take in those injured from car accidents. In some areas, COVID patients won’t be able to get on oxygen or a ventilator.
Here’s what that may look like in several key states if trends continue over the coming weeks.
Texas
The Dallas County Medical Society has guidelines for triaging patients that north Texas hospitals have been using in the crisis.
A separate palliative care team created to relieve the pain of those who can’t get full treatment and a triage committee to direct who gets what care
Doctors start evaluating new patients for criteria that would deny them hospital admission
Surgeries only performed on those who need it to live or for discharge
California
California developed crisis standards of care guidelines in June for how its hospitals should triage patients amid a total lack of capacity.
Doctors recommended not to try saving those already dying
Those most likely to survive get limited oxygen tanks, ventilators
Family members called upon to provide basic hygiene services to patients
New York City
In late April, weeks after the worst phase of the pandemic had come to an end in the five boroughs, New York City released its crisis standards of care plan. That has since become a model for other local governments and hospital systems as they try to anticipate what is to come.
A triage officer or committee is activated to decide who receives lifesaving care and who receives palliative care
Patients on limited “life-saving technologies” re-evaluated at 48 and 120 hours to determine if the plug should be pulled
Family members may be asked to operate manual oxygen ventilators
North Dakota
North Dakota, stricken by case loads and hospitalization rates that may be showing signs of stabilization, has a plan for triaging a pandemic from years ago.
Volunteer-staffed minimal care field hospitals set up for pandemic patients
No attempts to resuscitate people in cardiac arrest, either at a hospital or by paramedics in the field
Paramedics treat people in the field to prevent additional crowding at emergency rooms
Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s state government committed to creating triage guidelines in March, but as cases dropped off, so did the effort. Instead, the state’s hospital association has a plan for its members to use.
Expanding bed space to include conference rooms, hallways, outdoor tents
Patients excluded from treatment based on pre-existing conditions
Palliative care for those who “altruistically choose to forego treatment”
Florida
The State of Florida has yet to draft crisis guidelines for its hospitals, and instead punted the question to the private sector. The Florida Hospital Association ratified triage guidelines developed by a group of in-state hospitals in April.
Public health workers given treatment priority
New patients scored for admission based off of condition of organs, dementia, cancer, and other issues with age as a tiebreaker
Patients taken off ventilators if their condition gets worse after 48 hours and 120 hours after intubation
Arizona
Arizona’s department of health services has an extremely detailed and comprehensive plan for its crisis standards of care. To date, it’s the only state to have activated its plan.
Comfort care sites established for patients expected to die
Scored admission to hospitals based on pre-existing conditions, likelihood of survival
Triage officers appointed at hospitals to direct patients to ICU or comfort care
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has a detailed list of triage guidelines for hospitals in the state.
Staff at laboratories, radiology, testing re-directed to treat patients
Patients receive smaller doses than needed of medications in shortage, or are asked to take expired medicines
Look for additional medical equipment like IV hookups at veterinary offices
Some patients only receive comfort care before death, no effort is made to save them if they’re beyond a certain point
Idaho
Idaho just developed its triage protocols, as cases have been spiking in the state.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--Parscale Says He Hasn’t Spoken With POTUS Lately After Hospitalization: ‘It’s Pretty Hurtful’

Brad Parscale , President Donald Trump ’ s former 2020 campaign manager who was hospitalized in September over a suicide threat , said on Tuesday night that he and the President haven ’ t been in contact lately .
“ I have not , ” Parscale replied when Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked in a pre-taped interview if the two men had spoken with each other recently .
“ And it ’ s pretty hurtful.
” “ But it ’ s probably just as much my fault as his , ” he added .
“ I love that family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my life to them .
Every inch.
” Asked what he would say to Trump , Parscale said “ Keep fighting .
Don ’ t give up .
Don ’ t give up .
The country needs you.
” Near the end of September , Fort Lauderdale Police ( FLPD ) officers were dispatched to Parscale ’ s home after his wife Candice Blount reported that the then-campaign official , who had been demoted several months prior , was armed and threatening suicide .
Parscale was then taken to a nearby hospital .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was “ stepping away ” from “ any role in the campaign for the immediate future.
” Shortly after the incident , Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh called Parscale a “ member of our family ” whom “ we all love.
” “ We are ready to support him and his family in any way possible , ” said Murtaugh .

Brad Parscale, President Donald Trump’s former 2020 campaign manager who was hospitalized in September over a suicide threat, said on Tuesday night that he and the President haven’t been in contact lately.
“I have not,” Parscale replied when Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked in a pre-taped interview if the two men had spoken with each other recently. “And it’s pretty hurtful.”
“But it’s probably just as much my fault as his,” he added. “I love that family, and I gave every inch of my life to them. Every inch.”
Asked what he would say to Trump, Parscale said “Keep fighting. Don’t give up. Don’t give up. The country needs you.”
Near the end of September, Fort Lauderdale Police (FLPD) officers were dispatched to Parscale’s home after his wife Candice Blount reported that the then-campaign official, who had been demoted several months prior, was armed and threatening suicide. Parscale was then taken to a nearby hospital.
Several days later, Parscale announced that he was “stepping away” from “any role in the campaign for the immediate future.”
Shortly after the incident, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh called Parscale a “member of our family” whom “we all love.”
“We are ready to support him and his family in any way possible,” said Murtaugh.
Watch Parscale below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--Report: Trump Has Discussed Pardoning Three Of His Children, Jared Kushner

President Trump has consulted with advisers about potentially granting pre-emptive pardons to his children and to his son-in-law , the New York Times reported early Wednesday .
The news comes after an earlier report from the Times that Rudy Giuliani has discussed a potential pre-emptive pardon with the President .
According to the Times ’ reporting , Trump is wary that the incoming Justice Department could target three of his children — Don Jr. , Eric , and Ivanka Trump— as well as Ivanka ’ s husband Jared Kushner , a White House senior adviser .
Although the cited reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the Times , some of the underlying reasons prompting the desire for the shelter of a potential pardoning are obvious .
Don Jr. had been under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller for contacts with Russians who had damaging information ahead of the 2016 presidential election about then Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton .
Seeking a security clearance , Kushner provided false information to federal authorities about his contacts with foreigners .
Per the Times , an investigation into the Trump Organization by the Manhattan district attorney , however , includes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of which appear to have gone to Ivanka Trump , although it ’ s unclear if this would be the underlying reason for the President to attempt to pardon his daughter .
President Trump ’ s concerns about Eric Trump are even less clear — although vague and broad pre-emptive pardoning has historical precedent .
The news comes as Fox News host Sean Hannity suggested during his Monday night show that Trump extend pardons to his entire family .
Blaming Democrats for a “ witch hunt ” he told viewers that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family and himself because they want this witch hunt to go on in perpetuity .
”

President Trump has consulted with advisers about potentially granting pre-emptive pardons to his children and to his son-in-law, the New York Times reported early Wednesday.
The news comes after an earlier report from the Times that Rudy Giuliani has discussed a potential pre-emptive pardon with the President.
According to the Times’ reporting, Trump is wary that the incoming Justice Department could target three of his children — Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka Trump— as well as Ivanka’s husband Jared Kushner, a White House senior adviser.
Although the cited reasons for the discussions of pardoning were retribution, according to the Times, some of the underlying reasons prompting the desire for the shelter of a potential pardoning are obvious. Don Jr. had been under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller for contacts with Russians who had damaging information ahead of the 2016 presidential election about then Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Seeking a security clearance, Kushner provided false information to federal authorities about his contacts with foreigners.
Per the Times, an investigation into the Trump Organization by the Manhattan district attorney, however, includes millions of dollars of tax write-offs, some of which appear to have gone to Ivanka Trump, although it’s unclear if this would be the underlying reason for the President to attempt to pardon his daughter.
President Trump’s concerns about Eric Trump are even less clear — although vague and broad pre-emptive pardoning has historical precedent.
The news comes as Fox News host Sean Hannity suggested during his Monday night show that Trump extend pardons to his entire family.
Blaming Democrats for a “witch hunt” he told viewers that the President should immediately “pardon his whole family and himself because they want this witch hunt to go on in perpetuity.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--Trump Accuses DOJ Probe Into Alleged Bribery-For-Pardon Plot Of Being ‘Fake News’

President Donald Trump called the Justice Department ’ s investigation into an alleged scheme involving a bribe in return for @ @ @ @ @ news ” on Tuesday night .
It ’ s unclear whether Trump ’ s brief @ @ @ @ @ the probe ’ s existence as a whole or of the suspected activity being investigated @ @ @ @ @ exists ; Federal Chief Judge Beryl Howell unsealed a court order on Tuesday authorizing prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ allegedly involved in the scheme .
The order , which was heavily redacted before being @ @ @ @ @ identify those individuals and does not indicate whether or not Trump was directly involved .
@ @ @ @ @ an individual would offer a “ substantial political contribution ” in exchange for a pardon @ @ @ @ @ sentence .
”

President Donald Trump called the Justice Department’s investigation into an alleged scheme involving a bribe in return for a presidential pardon “fake news” on Tuesday night.
“Pardon investigation is Fake News!” he tweeted.
It’s unclear whether Trump’s brief tweet is a denial of the probe’s existence as a whole or of the suspected activity being investigated.
The investigation itself indisputably exists; Federal Chief Judge Beryl Howell unsealed a court order on Tuesday authorizing prosecutors to access communications between individuals allegedly involved in the scheme.
The order, which was heavily redacted before being made public, does not identify those individuals and does not indicate whether or not Trump was directly involved.
In the alleged scheme, an individual would offer a “substantial political contribution” in exchange for a pardon or a “reprieve of sentence.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--Pompeo Plans Packed Holiday Parties As State Dept Leadership Decries In-Person Gatherings

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife reportedly plan on hosting large indoor holiday parties , despite a notice issued by State Department leadership to employees last week advising that “ any non-mission critical events ” should be held virtually , according to the Washington Post on Wednesday .
However , U.S. event planners were reportedly told that the State Department leadership ’ s guidance does not apply to the holiday parties hosted by the Pompeos on the 8th floor of the State Department .
The holiday events involve hundreds of invited guests , food and drinks — which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health experts who ’ ve warned against large gathering amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 270,000 Americans thus far .
According to the Post , invites to a Dec. 15 event titled “ Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays ” in the Benjamin Franklin Room , the department ’ s flagship reception space , have already been sent to 900 people .
A State Department spokesman told the Post that “ we plan to fully enforce social distancing measures at this reception , and face coverings are mandatory for admittance.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t respond when asked about how he can expect attendees to wear masks at an event that serves food and drinks , nor did he detail how the department would enforce social distancing .
“ All proper food and beverage safety precautions will be taken by catering services and staff — all will wear gloves and masks and any food or beverage will be served individually , ” the spokesman told the Post .
The Pompeos also plan to host two other holiday parties , according to the Post .
Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diplomatic Corps at the State Department on Dec. 16 , with invites having gone out to about 180 foreign ambassadors .
Attendees can bring their spouses , according to the Post .
A State Department spokesman told the Post that “ attendance is optional based on the comfort of each chief of mission ” and that the event will be “ broken into two separate receptions to minimize the number of guests in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at one time.
” Another State Department holiday party will be hosted by the department ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which will involve tours of both the White House and the Blair House ( the President ’ s guest house that is managed by the State Department . )
The White House is also reportedly going all out by hosting indoor holiday parties .
On Tuesday , the Post reported that President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are hellbent on hosting their final holiday hurrah in the White House as many supporters of the Trump administration who plan to attend the events hold a skeptical view of coronavirus restrictions .
Last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House that health safety measures apply to everyone ahead of the first lady ’ s indoors “ holiday reception.
” The health official pointed to the CDC ’ s guidelines on holiday festivities that urge people to keep the gatherings small and limited to those living in the same household .
“ These apply to the White House , they apply to the American people .
They apply to everyone , ” Adams said .

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife reportedly plan on hosting large indoor holiday parties, despite a notice issued by State Department leadership to employees last week advising that “any non-mission critical events” should be held virtually, according to the Washington Post on Wednesday.
However, U.S. event planners were reportedly told that the State Department leadership’s guidance does not apply to the holiday parties hosted by the Pompeos on the 8th floor of the State Department.
The holiday events involve hundreds of invited guests, food and drinks — which starkly contradict the Trump administration’s health experts who’ve warned against large gathering amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 270,000 Americans thus far.
According to the Post, invites to a Dec. 15 event titled “Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays” in the Benjamin Franklin Room, the department’s flagship reception space, have already been sent to 900 people.
A State Department spokesman told the Post that “we plan to fully enforce social distancing measures at this reception, and face coverings are mandatory for admittance.”
The Post reported that the spokesman didn’t respond when asked about how he can expect attendees to wear masks at an event that serves food and drinks, nor did he detail how the department would enforce social distancing.
“All proper food and beverage safety precautions will be taken by catering services and staff — all will wear gloves and masks and any food or beverage will be served individually,” the spokesman told the Post.
The Pompeos also plan to host two other holiday parties, according to the Post.
Pompeo will host a reception for the Washington Diplomatic Corps at the State Department on Dec. 16, with invites having gone out to about 180 foreign ambassadors. Attendees can bring their spouses, according to the Post.
A State Department spokesman told the Post that “attendance is optional based on the comfort of each chief of mission” and that the event will be “broken into two separate receptions to minimize the number of guests in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at one time.”
Another State Department holiday party will be hosted by the department’s chief of protocol Cam Henderson, which will involve tours of both the White House and the Blair House (the President’s guest house that is managed by the State Department.)
The White House is also reportedly going all out by hosting indoor holiday parties. On Tuesday, the Post reported that President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are hellbent on hosting their final holiday hurrah in the White House as many supporters of the Trump administration who plan to attend the events hold a skeptical view of coronavirus restrictions.
Last month, Surgeon General Jerome Adams reminded the White House that health safety measures apply to everyone ahead of the first lady’s indoors “holiday reception.”
The health official pointed to the CDC’s guidelines on holiday festivities that urge people to keep the gatherings small and limited to those living in the same household.
“These apply to the White House, they apply to the American people. They apply to everyone,” Adams said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--Whistleblower Docs Confirm Census Delays That Could Kill Trump Plan To Skew Count

New internal documents obtained by the House confirm that the Census Bureau has hit some snags as it moves through the final phases of the 2020 count , as first reported by TPM , and that the scope of the issues has increased since the Bureau identified them last month .
Fixing the “ anomalies ” — as the routine data issues are called — will push back until after the inauguration the date by which the Bureau can finish processing the data that will be used for congressional apportionment , according to the documents .
The would mean that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before he could implement his plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from that count , which is used to determine how many House seats each state gets .
According to a document dated Nov. 27 — last Friday — the Bureau now expects it will not be able to produce the apportionment data package with the state-by-state count of undocumented immigrants until Feb. 3 .
The number of anomalies identified in the data have grown since the delays were first reported by TPM .
At that point , the Bureau had identified roughly a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anomalies has since grown by two more , according to the new documents .
House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney ( D-NY ) released the documents along with a letter to Commerce Secretary Ross , demanding that the administration comply with a previously issued committee request for documents .
After TPM broke the news on Nov. 19 of the delay , Census Bureau Director Steve Dillingham issued a statement that acknowledged the anomalies but stayed mum on the specific impact they would have on releasing the apportionment data .
The Dillingham statement said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Census Bureau to utilize all resources available to resolve this as expeditiously as possible.
” Dillingham has also been in touch with leaders of the relevant House and Senate committees , TPM has learned , in calls during which he was similarly coy about what impact the anomalies would have on the release date of the data , according to congressional sources .
A readout of one such call provided to TPM last week by the office of Rep. James Comer ( R-KY ) , the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in number.
” “ Bureau officials confirmed they are working as expeditiously as possible with all available resources to finalize a complete and accurate census , ” Comer said .
Meanwhile on a call with Sen. Gary Peters ( D-MI ) , the top Democrat on the Senate committee with census oversight , Dillingham said that the schedule for releasing the data is in flux , according to a Peters aide , as the Bureau is looking at throwing more resources at the processing steps happening now .
“ He didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the timeline , ” the aide , who asked not to be named in order to speak about the call , told TPM .
The lack of public confirmation from the administration that it is now expecting a late January or early February release of the data has caused concerns among the census stakeholder community that the Bureau will be pressured to cut corners so that Trump still has a chance to implement the apportionment policy .
In statement released Wednesday night , the Bureau confirmed that Dillingham had told Congress that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in flux.
” “ Internal tracking documents would not convey the uncertainty around projected dates and may fail to reflect the additional resources employed to correct data anomalies , ” the statement said , while stressing the anomalies affected only a very small portion of the total records and that “ are being resolved as expeditiously as possible.
” “ What is certain is that the Census Bureau is working to thoroughly correct and address all issues and anomalies as a part of its mission to deliver accurate 2020 Census data products as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the statement said .
“ No shortcuts are being taken when it comes to patching the software to correct these anomalies , or others that may be discovered as data processing continues , and resources are being added to post-data collection processing to ensure timely and accurate data is delivered for the Census Bureau ’ s important mission.
” According to the whistleblower documents released on Tuesday , failing to fix one of the identified anomalies may cause undercounts in some populations and overcounts in others .
One of those anomalies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the delays were initially reported — risks a “ significant overcount ” in certain areas if it goes uncorrected , according to the documents .
A document dated for Nov. 19 is described by Maloney as a “ presentation for senior Census Bureau officials .
It lays out both specific anomalies and the adjustments to the release timeline that will be required to fix them .
The second document , dated Nov. 27 , updates that list of the anomalies , while the third , also dated that day , describes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps of processing the data , given the fixes .
Maloney ’ s letter to Ross said that the committee would issue subpoenas if the administration continued to refuse to provide the documents the committee requested when the delays became known .
The committee was initially told by the Department of Commerce that it would not be complying with the requests because of “ concerns about ongoing litigation , ” according to Maloney ’ s letter .
“ By blocking the production of the full set of documents requested by the Committee last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress from verifying the scope of these anomalies , their impact on the accuracy of the Census , and the time professionals at the Census Bureau need to fix them , ” Maloney said .
Her committee is also hosting a hearing on the census on Thursday morning .
No members of the Department of Commerce or the Census Bureau are scheduled to testify .
Read the documents and the letter below : Update : This story has been updated to include a response from the Census Bureau .

New internal documents obtained by the House confirm that the Census Bureau has hit some snags as it moves through the final phases of the 2020 count, as first reported by TPM, and that the scope of the issues has increased since the Bureau identified them last month.
Fixing the “anomalies” — as the routine data issues are called — will push back until after the inauguration the date by which the Bureau can finish processing the data that will be used for congressional apportionment, according to the documents. The would mean that President Trump would be out of office before he could implement his plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from that count, which is used to determine how many House seats each state gets.
According to a document dated Nov. 27 — last Friday — the Bureau now expects it will not be able to produce the apportionment data package with the state-by-state count of undocumented immigrants until Feb. 3. The number of anomalies identified in the data have grown since the delays were first reported by TPM.
At that point, the Bureau had identified roughly a dozen issues. The number of identified anomalies has since grown by two more, according to the new documents.
House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) released the documents along with a letter to Commerce Secretary Ross, demanding that the administration comply with a previously issued committee request for documents.
After TPM broke the news on Nov. 19 of the delay, Census Bureau Director Steve Dillingham issued a statement that acknowledged the anomalies but stayed mum on the specific impact they would have on releasing the apportionment data.
The Dillingham statement said only that he was “directing the Census Bureau to utilize all resources available to resolve this as expeditiously as possible.”
Dillingham has also been in touch with leaders of the relevant House and Senate committees, TPM has learned, in calls during which he was similarly coy about what impact the anomalies would have on the release date of the data, according to congressional sources.
A readout of one such call provided to TPM last week by the office of Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, described the issues as “few in number.”
“Bureau officials confirmed they are working as expeditiously as possible with all available resources to finalize a complete and accurate census,” Comer said.
Meanwhile on a call with Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), the top Democrat on the Senate committee with census oversight, Dillingham said that the schedule for releasing the data is in flux, according to a Peters aide, as the Bureau is looking at throwing more resources at the processing steps happening now.
“He didn’t provide any clear details about the resources or the timeline,” the aide, who asked not to be named in order to speak about the call, told TPM.
The lack of public confirmation from the administration that it is now expecting a late January or early February release of the data has caused concerns among the census stakeholder community that the Bureau will be pressured to cut corners so that Trump still has a chance to implement the apportionment policy.
In statement released Wednesday night, the Bureau confirmed that Dillingham had told Congress that the release of the data remained “in flux.”
“Internal tracking documents would not convey the uncertainty around projected dates and may fail to reflect the additional resources employed to correct data anomalies,” the statement said, while stressing the anomalies affected only a very small portion of the total records and that “are being resolved as expeditiously as possible.”
“What is certain is that the Census Bureau is working to thoroughly correct and address all issues and anomalies as a part of its mission to deliver accurate 2020 Census data products as close to the statutory deadline as possible,” the statement said. “No shortcuts are being taken when it comes to patching the software to correct these anomalies, or others that may be discovered as data processing continues, and resources are being added to post-data collection processing to ensure timely and accurate data is delivered for the Census Bureau’s important mission.”
According to the whistleblower documents released on Tuesday, failing to fix one of the identified anomalies may cause undercounts in some populations and overcounts in others. One of those anomalies — among those that had been identified since the delays were initially reported — risks a “significant overcount” in certain areas if it goes uncorrected, according to the documents.
A document dated for Nov. 19 is described by Maloney as a “presentation for senior Census Bureau officials. It lays out both specific anomalies and the adjustments to the release timeline that will be required to fix them. The second document, dated Nov. 27, updates that list of the anomalies, while the third, also dated that day, describes in detail the new timeline for the final steps of processing the data, given the fixes.
Maloney’s letter to Ross said that the committee would issue subpoenas if the administration continued to refuse to provide the documents the committee requested when the delays became known. The committee was initially told by the Department of Commerce that it would not be complying with the requests because of “concerns about ongoing litigation,” according to Maloney’s letter.
“By blocking the production of the full set of documents requested by the Committee last month, the Trump Administration is preventing Congress from verifying the scope of these anomalies, their impact on the accuracy of the Census, and the time professionals at the Census Bureau need to fix them,” Maloney said.
Her committee is also hosting a hearing on the census on Thursday morning. No members of the Department of Commerce or the Census Bureau are scheduled to testify.
Read the documents and the letter below:
Update: This story has been updated to include a response from the Census Bureau.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--CDC Issues Dire Warning On Next Few Months: ‘Most Difficult In Public Health History’

CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield on Wednesday sounded the alarm on the next few months of the COVID-19 pandemic , which he warned will be among “ the most difficult in the public health history of this nation.
” During an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday , Redfield noted that about 90 % of hospitals in the country are in “ hot zones and the red zones ” and that 90 % of long-term care facilities are in areas with high levels of COVID-19 infections .
“ So we are at a very critical time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resilience of our health-care system , ” Redfield said .
Redfield issued a dire warning heading into the next few months , citing the strain on medical facilities in light of surging COVID-19 cases throughout the country .
“ The reality is December and January and February are going to be rough times , ” Redfield said .
“ I actually believe they ’ re going to be the most difficult in the public health history of this nation , largely because of the stress that ’ s going to be put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alarming rate of COVID-19 fatalities by noting that the country is reporting between 1,500 and 2,500 deaths from the novel coronavirus daily .
“ The mortality concerns are real , ” Redfield said .
“ And I do think unfortunately , before we see February , we could be close to 450,000 Americans [ that ] have died from this virus.
” Redfield later stressed that COVID-19 largely spreads through people who are asymptomatic , or spreads prior to patients developing symptoms , which presents challenges to controlling what he described as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broadly throughout the population .
Redfield added that the CDC is developing guidance for institutions and workplaces to assist them in strategically deploying testing .
Although COVID-19 vaccines are on the way , Redfield expects that the public will need to adhere to mitigation measures in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 well into next year .
The CDC director doesn ’ t expect the country to return to holding large gatherings until fall of 2021 .

CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield on Wednesday sounded the alarm on the next few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he warned will be among “the most difficult in the public health history of this nation.”
During an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Redfield noted that about 90% of hospitals in the country are in “hot zones and the red zones” and that 90% of long-term care facilities are in areas with high levels of COVID-19 infections.
“So we are at a very critical time right now about being able to maintain the resilience of our health-care system,” Redfield said.
Redfield issued a dire warning heading into the next few months, citing the strain on medical facilities in light of surging COVID-19 cases throughout the country.
“The reality is December and January and February are going to be rough times,” Redfield said. “I actually believe they’re going to be the most difficult in the public health history of this nation, largely because of the stress that’s going to be put on our health-care system.”
Redfield acknowledged the alarming rate of COVID-19 fatalities by noting that the country is reporting between 1,500 and 2,500 deaths from the novel coronavirus daily.
“The mortality concerns are real,” Redfield said. “And I do think unfortunately, before we see February, we could be close to 450,000 Americans [that] have died from this virus.”
Redfield later stressed that COVID-19 largely spreads through people who are asymptomatic, or spreads prior to patients developing symptoms, which presents challenges to controlling what he described as “the silent epidemic” without testing broadly throughout the population.
Redfield added that the CDC is developing guidance for institutions and workplaces to assist them in strategically deploying testing.
Although COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, Redfield expects that the public will need to adhere to mitigation measures in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 well into next year. The CDC director doesn’t expect the country to return to holding large gatherings until fall of 2021.
Watch Redfield’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--‘Stop The Steal’ Rallies Now Feature ‘Lock Him Up!’ Chants Aimed At Georgia Guv Brian Kemp

The pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood proclaimed near the end of a “ Stop The Steal ” rally in Georgia Wednesday that he had seen the “ real ” results of the 2020 election .
“ He won over 410 electoral votes , ” Wood said , referring to President Donald Trump .
“ He damn near won every state including California !
” That about summed up the day ’ s proceedings .
Wood and co-counsel Sidney Powell — formerly of the President ’ s campaign , now leading a bustling fundraising-based legal effort to somehow deliver Trump a second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tempting promises that Trump would , indeed , remain President on Jan. 20 .
The pair trotted out the same old nonsense they ’ ve been riding for weeks in light of Joe Biden ’ s electoral victory : The communists have infiltrated America ’ s election infrastructure !
They ’ ve bought off Georgia ’ s Republican Secretary of State !
The effort has never been legally rigorous : Powell and Wood ’ s filings have included clumsy typos and embarrassing errors ; a recent federal suit to overturn the results in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ footage from the TCF Center… which is in Detroit , Michigan .
But even now , the movement appears to be growing more aggressive .
Wood and the recently pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn , for example , called on the President to declare martial law Tuesday over the supposedly stolen election .
Powell has boosted calls for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act .
On Wednesday , at least one person in attendance carried an actual pitchfork .
Wood , rallying the crowd , seethed at outsiders .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your damn machines made in China , ” he said at one point .
“ Get out of our country , George Soros !
” he yelled separately of the American citizen and Jewish bogeyman for the right .
The pair even turned on Republicans deemed insufficiently fervent in supporting Donald Trump ’ s inevitable second term .
“ Lock him up !
” Wood said of Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp ( R ) .
Both attorneys on stage agreed that voters should not participate in the upcoming runoff elections for U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not on communist-controlled voting machines .
That dynamic threatens the Republicans ’ chances for both Senate seats .
Powell , emphasizing that attendees shouldn ’ t vote in the special election without a change in the state ’ s voting systems , even seemed to come out in opposition to the secret ballot .
“ We must have voter ID , and we probably must go back to paper ballots that are signed and have your thumbprint on them , ” she said to raucous applause .
Eventually , Wood asked members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for him .
The first woman in line posed a stumper : “ Give us some responses to give to family or loved ones who think we ’ re crazy .
”

The pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood proclaimed near the end of a “Stop The Steal” rally in Georgia Wednesday that he had seen the “real” results of the 2020 election.
“He won over 410 electoral votes,” Wood said, referring to President Donald Trump. “He damn near won every state including California!”
That about summed up the day’s proceedings. Wood and co-counsel Sidney Powell — formerly of the President’s campaign, now leading a bustling fundraising-based legal effort to somehow deliver Trump a second term — riled up the crowd with tempting promises that Trump would, indeed, remain President on Jan. 20.
The pair trotted out the same old nonsense they’ve been riding for weeks in light of Joe Biden’s electoral victory: The communists have infiltrated America’s election infrastructure! They’ve bought off Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State!
The effort has never been legally rigorous: Powell and Wood’s filings have included clumsy typos and embarrassing errors; a recent federal suit to overturn the results in Wisconsin, for example, sought video footage from the TCF Center… which is in Detroit, Michigan.
But even now, the movement appears to be growing more aggressive.
Wood and the recently pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn, for example, called on the President to declare martial law Tuesday over the supposedly stolen election. Powell has boosted calls for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act.
On Wednesday, at least one person in attendance carried an actual pitchfork. Wood, rallying the crowd, seethed at outsiders.
“We’re not going to vote on your damn machines made in China,” he said at one point.
“Get out of our country, George Soros!” he yelled separately of the American citizen and Jewish bogeyman for the right.
The pair even turned on Republicans deemed insufficiently fervent in supporting Donald Trump’s inevitable second term. “Lock him up!” Wood said of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R).
"Lock him up!" chants burst out in reference to Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) at Lin Wood and Sidney Powell's alternate reality election fraud conspiracy event. pic.twitter.com/nks8r4FZU2 — The Recount (@therecount) December 2, 2020
Both attorneys on stage agreed that voters should not participate in the upcoming runoff elections for U.S. Senate in Georgia — at least, not on communist-controlled voting machines. That dynamic threatens the Republicans’ chances for both Senate seats.
Powell, emphasizing that attendees shouldn’t vote in the special election without a change in the state’s voting systems, even seemed to come out in opposition to the secret ballot.
“We must have voter ID, and we probably must go back to paper ballots that are signed and have your thumbprint on them,” she said to raucous applause.
Eventually, Wood asked members of the audience if they had any questions for him.
The first woman in line posed a stumper: “Give us some responses to give to family or loved ones who think we’re crazy.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--Wray Will Reportedly Stick Around For Biden’s Term … If Trump Doesn’t Fire Him First

FBI Director Christopher Wray reportedly won ’ t have to job hunt when President-elect Joe Biden takes office — as long as President Trump doesn ’ t get around to firing Wray first .
According to a New York Times report on Wednesday , a senior adviser to Biden said the President-elect has no plans to remove Wray when the incoming administration is ushered in .
The Biden adviser , however , told the Times that Biden ’ s team was “ not removing the FBI director unless Trump fired him.
” Wray has been rumored to be one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s post-election chopping block after refuting Trump ’ s bogus voter fraud claims and acknowledging that far-right white nationalist-motivated violence is a national security threat to the country .
While Trump in 2017 fired former FBI Director James Comey , who was appointed by President Barack Obama , Senate-confirmed FBI directors are rarely fired and are expected to have 10-year terms .
Following Comey ’ s firing — which prompted the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to probe possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials in the 2016 campaign — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ served during President George W. Bush ’ s presidency .
The sitting president reportedly aired his frustration with Wray to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows .
According to the Times , Trump wanted to fire Wray when documents related to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn were declassified by other officials .
Trump believed Wray delayed declassifying Russia probe-related documents .
Meadows reportedly prevented Wray ’ s ouster by contacting Attorney General Bill Barr , who dissuaded Trump from firing his FBI director .

FBI Director Christopher Wray reportedly won’t have to job hunt when President-elect Joe Biden takes office — as long as President Trump doesn’t get around to firing Wray first.
According to a New York Times report on Wednesday, a senior adviser to Biden said the President-elect has no plans to remove Wray when the incoming administration is ushered in.
The Biden adviser, however, told the Times that Biden’s team was “not removing the FBI director unless Trump fired him.”
Wray has been rumored to be one of the first heads on the President’s post-election chopping block after refuting Trump’s bogus voter fraud claims and acknowledging that far-right white nationalist-motivated violence is a national security threat to the country.
While Trump in 2017 fired former FBI Director James Comey, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, Senate-confirmed FBI directors are rarely fired and are expected to have 10-year terms.
Following Comey’s firing — which prompted the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to probe possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials in the 2016 campaign — Trump appointed Wray, a Republican who served during President George W. Bush’s presidency.
The sitting president reportedly aired his frustration with Wray to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. According to the Times, Trump wanted to fire Wray when documents related to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn were declassified by other officials. Trump believed Wray delayed declassifying Russia probe-related documents.
Meadows reportedly prevented Wray’s ouster by contacting Attorney General Bill Barr, who dissuaded Trump from firing his FBI director.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-02--WH Dodges On Barr’s Fate After AG Rebukes Trump’s Bogus Voter Fraud Claims

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday predictably deployed the Trumpian tactic of deflection when pressed on whether President Trump maintains confidence in Attorney General Bill Barr after he told the Associated Press that the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election .
After nonsensically touting to reporters during a White House briefing on Wednesday that Trump has “ active cases in Nevada and Wisconsin , ” despite his lawsuits contesting the legitimacy of the election fizzling out , McEnany was asked whether Trump still has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the AP that failed to back the sitting president ’ s falsehoods .
“ The President , if he has any personnel announcement , you will be the first to know it , ” McEnany said .
When asked about whether Trump has spoken to Barr since the attorney general ’ s remarks to the AP were published Tuesday , McEnany claimed she is “ not aware if they ’ ve spoken , ” despite how Barr “ discussed an array of issues ” with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Later in the briefing , McEnany maintained that she is unaware of Trump and Barr having spoken to each other following the attorney general ’ s remarks to the AP .
McEnany then pointed to a statement issued by a Justice Department official on Tuesday evening that insinuated false reporting by the media on Barr ’ s remarks to the AP , which the President gleefully retweeted on Tuesday night .
Pressed again on the discrepancy between members of the Trump campaign baselessly insisting that there is evidence of widespread voter fraud while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s bogus claims , McEnany brushed off the question by punting to the sitting president ’ s re-election campaign .
“ The attorney general was speaking to what had come before his desk .
Again , pointing to the campaign for specific questions on this , ” McEnany said .
“ But I would just say generally they are pursuing civil litigation , which in fact the attorney general explicitly said some of this is meant more for civil litigation , which is what the campaign is currently pursuing.
” Hours after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarks , Axios reported that Trump is actively considering firing Barr and replacing him with somebody more willing to do his bidding .
Barr also told the AP that he ’ d appointed John Durham , a veteran prosecutor , as special counsel last October to continue probing the origins of the FBI ’ s 2016 investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia .
Axios reported that Barr ’ s designation of Durham as special counsel is viewed as a stall tactic in the eyes of Trump ’ s allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — or at least considering the ouster — of administration officials who issue public remarks that are at odds with his baseless assertions .
Last month , Trump fired Chris Krebs , who led the Department of Homeland Security ’ s cybersecurity arm , after he publicly debunked the sitting president ’ s conspiracy theories challenging the legitimacy of the election process .
FBI Director Chris Wray has been rumored to be one of the first heads on the President ’ s post-election chopping block .
Wray refused to endorse Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that far-right white nationalist-motivated violence is a national security threat to the country .

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday predictably deployed the Trumpian tactic of deflection when pressed on whether President Trump maintains confidence in Attorney General Bill Barr after he told the Associated Press that the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
After nonsensically touting to reporters during a White House briefing on Wednesday that Trump has “active cases in Nevada and Wisconsin,” despite his lawsuits contesting the legitimacy of the election fizzling out, McEnany was asked whether Trump still has confidence in Barr following his remarks to the AP that failed to back the sitting president’s falsehoods.
Unsurprisingly, McEnany dodged.
“The President, if he has any personnel announcement, you will be the first to know it,” McEnany said.
When asked about whether Trump has spoken to Barr since the attorney general’s remarks to the AP were published Tuesday, McEnany claimed she is “not aware if they’ve spoken,” despite how Barr “discussed an array of issues” with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows during a “preplanned meeting” Tuesday.
Later in the briefing, McEnany maintained that she is unaware of Trump and Barr having spoken to each other following the attorney general’s remarks to the AP.
McEnany then pointed to a statement issued by a Justice Department official on Tuesday evening that insinuated false reporting by the media on Barr’s remarks to the AP, which the President gleefully retweeted on Tuesday night.
The Fake News refuses to report this! https://t.co/OvsdLJQL4u — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2020
Pressed again on the discrepancy between members of the Trump campaign baselessly insisting that there is evidence of widespread voter fraud while Barr couldn’t back the Trumpworld’s bogus claims, McEnany brushed off the question by punting to the sitting president’s re-election campaign.
“The attorney general was speaking to what had come before his desk. Again, pointing to the campaign for specific questions on this,” McEnany said. “But I would just say generally they are pursuing civil litigation, which in fact the attorney general explicitly said some of this is meant more for civil litigation, which is what the campaign is currently pursuing.”
Hours after the AP reported on Barr’s remarks, Axios reported that Trump is actively considering firing Barr and replacing him with somebody more willing to do his bidding.
Barr also told the AP that he’d appointed John Durham, a veteran prosecutor, as special counsel last October to continue probing the origins of the FBI’s 2016 investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Axios reported that Barr’s designation of Durham as special counsel is viewed as a stall tactic in the eyes of Trump’s allies.
Trump has a history of ousting — or at least considering the ouster — of administration officials who issue public remarks that are at odds with his baseless assertions.
Last month, Trump fired Chris Krebs, who led the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity arm, after he publicly debunked the sitting president’s conspiracy theories challenging the legitimacy of the election process.
FBI Director Chris Wray has been rumored to be one of the first heads on the President’s post-election chopping block. Wray refused to endorse Trump’s bogus claims about voter fraud and acknowledged that far-right white nationalist-motivated violence is a national security threat to the country.
Watch McEnany’s remarks below: