talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--AZ’s GOP Gov Appears To Get A Call From Trump As Biden’s Win Becomes Official In The State

President Trump , who still refuses to concede to President-elect Joe Biden despite how his legal battles contesting the legitimacy of the election process have fallen flat , appeared to call up Arizona Gov .
Doug Ducey ( R ) as the governor certified the battleground state ’ s election results on Monday .
Arizona ’ s certification of its election results on Monday handed the state ’ s 11 electoral votes to Biden and cemented the swearing-in of Senator-elect Mark Kelly , a Democrat who defeated Sen. Martha McSally ( R-AZ ) , this week .
Ducey , Arizona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel ( all of whom are Republican ) witnessed secretary of state Katie Hobbs , a Democrat , certify the state ’ s election results as required by state law .
After Hobbs said that the elections process was the most secure in recent history , “ despite unfounded claims to the contrary , ” Ducey echoed her praise of the state ’ s election system and said that he would sign official documentation on Monday so that Kelly “ can be sworn in as swiftly as possible.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Arizona , noticed a peculiar incident that happened while Ducey certified the state ’ s election results .
Last July , Ducey told reporters that he changed his ringtone to “ Hail to the Chief ” to alert him when the White House is calling .
Resnik noted that specific ringtone was heard while Ducey was in the middle of certifying the state ’ s results .
The Arizona governor appeared to silence the call : On Monday , Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis were in Arizona as they met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s legislature to discuss baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud .
The Trumpworld ’ s flailing attempts at challenging the election results clearly didn ’ t prevent the battleground state from certifying its election results .
The sitting president himself took aim at Ducey shortly after the Arizona governor certified the state ’ s election results : On the night of the presidential election earlier this month , Fox News became the first network to project that Biden had won Arizona .
Days later , the Washington Post reported that Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump campaign ’ s election night party to a halt .
A senior administration official told the Post that Trump angrily demanded that campaign officials “ get that result changed.
” TPM reached out to the Ducey ’ s office and the White House for comment .

President Trump, who still refuses to concede to President-elect Joe Biden despite how his legal battles contesting the legitimacy of the election process have fallen flat, appeared to call up Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) as the governor certified the battleground state’s election results on Monday.
Arizona’s certification of its election results on Monday handed the state’s 11 electoral votes to Biden and cemented the swearing-in of Senator-elect Mark Kelly, a Democrat who defeated Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), this week.
Ducey, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel (all of whom are Republican) witnessed secretary of state Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, certify the state’s election results as required by state law.
After Hobbs said that the elections process was the most secure in recent history, “despite unfounded claims to the contrary,” Ducey echoed her praise of the state’s election system and said that he would sign official documentation on Monday so that Kelly “can be sworn in as swiftly as possible.”
Brahm Resnik, a reporter for KPNX-TV in Arizona, noticed a peculiar incident that happened while Ducey certified the state’s election results.
Last July, Ducey told reporters that he changed his ringtone to “Hail to the Chief” to alert him when the White House is calling.
Resnik noted that specific ringtone was heard while Ducey was in the middle of certifying the state’s results. The Arizona governor appeared to silence the call:
HE'LL GET BACK TO YOU Back in July, Gov. Ducey said he changed his White House ringtone to "Hail to The Chief" so he wouldn't miss a call from Trump/Pence. Guess who called while Ducey was certifying Arizona's election? (7 secs in) pic.twitter.com/bzBGpfSIDf — Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) November 30, 2020
On Monday, Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis were in Arizona as they met with some GOP members of the state’s legislature to discuss baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud. The Trumpworld’s flailing attempts at challenging the election results clearly didn’t prevent the battleground state from certifying its election results.
The sitting president himself took aim at Ducey shortly after the Arizona governor certified the state’s election results:
Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now. @OANN What is going on with @dougducey? Republicans will long remember! https://t.co/XILGaHcyw7 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020
On the night of the presidential election earlier this month, Fox News became the first network to project that Biden had won Arizona. Days later, the Washington Post reported that Fox News’ projection of Biden taking Arizona brought Trump campaign’s election night party to a halt.
A senior administration official told the Post that Trump angrily demanded that campaign officials “get that result changed.”
TPM reached out to the Ducey’s office and the White House for comment.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--DOJ Makes Clear That Trump’s Pardon Of Flynn Is Breathtakingly Sweeping

In notifying Michael Flynn ’ s judge that the former national security adviser had been pardoned last week by President Trump , the Justice Department went out of its way to make clear that it covered any of his potentially criminal conduct that had been probed in recent years .
The filing also addressed the hints from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan that Flynn may have committed perjury in how he flip-flopped before the court about whether he was guilty of the crimes he had admitted to .
And it sniped at Sullivan ’ s ongoing review of the Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May that the case be dropped .
“ The pardon not only encompasses the Section 1001 charge that is the subject of the government ’ s pending motion to dismiss , ” the DOJ filing said , “ but also any possible future perjury or contempt charge in connection with General Flynn ’ s sworn statements and any other possible future charge that this Court or the court-appointed amicus has suggested might somehow keep this criminal case alive over the government ’ s objection.
” Trump announced his pardon of Flynn last Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resistance to granting intensive Justice Department ’ s dismissal request .
Because of the pardon , that dismissal request was now “ moot , ” the Justice Department said Monday .
The Monday filing with the judge also included the formal pardon papers from Trump .
Those papers said that the President was not only pardoning Flynn for the false statements he made to the FBI about his late 2016 contacts with Russian officials .
The pardon also covers the unregistered lobbying for Turkey that Flynn admitted to as part of his plea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as “ all possible offenses arising out of facts and circumstances ” probed by grand juries in D.C. and Eastern Virginia .
While Flynn technically only pleaded guilty to the false statements , the fact that Mueller had secured his admissions on the Turkey lobbying conduct set up the potential that Flynn could find himself in severe legal jeopardy if his cooperation deal with Mueller went awry .
When Flynn was initially set to be sentenced in December 2018 , Mueller did not seek any prison time as he pointed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given investigators .
But his deal with prosecutors did eventually unravel , after Flynn sought a delay in his sentencing ( Sullivan had hinted at the hearing he was still considering prison time ) and months later , replaced his legal team with a lawyer known for her hostility towards the Mueller probe .
That lawyer , Sidney Powell , was most recently assisting in Trump ’ s flailing crusade to overturn the results of the election .
Read the DOJ filings and the pardon papers below :

In notifying Michael Flynn’s judge that the former national security adviser had been pardoned last week by President Trump, the Justice Department went out of its way to make clear that it covered any of his potentially criminal conduct that had been probed in recent years.
The filing also addressed the hints from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan that Flynn may have committed perjury in how he flip-flopped before the court about whether he was guilty of the crimes he had admitted to. And it sniped at Sullivan’s ongoing review of the Justice Department’s reasons for asking last May that the case be dropped.
“The pardon not only encompasses the Section 1001 charge that is the subject of the government’s pending motion to dismiss ,” the DOJ filing said, “but also any possible future perjury or contempt charge in connection with General Flynn’s sworn statements and any other possible future charge that this Court or the court-appointed amicus has suggested might somehow keep this criminal case alive over the government’s objection.”
Trump announced his pardon of Flynn last Wednesday, circumventing a Sullivan’s ongoing resistance to granting intensive Justice Department’s dismissal request. Because of the pardon, that dismissal request was now “moot,” the Justice Department said Monday.
The Monday filing with the judge also included the formal pardon papers from Trump.
Those papers said that the President was not only pardoning Flynn for the false statements he made to the FBI about his late 2016 contacts with Russian officials. The pardon also covers the unregistered lobbying for Turkey that Flynn admitted to as part of his plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller, as well as “all possible offenses arising out of facts and circumstances” probed by grand juries in D.C. and Eastern Virginia.
While Flynn technically only pleaded guilty to the false statements, the fact that Mueller had secured his admissions on the Turkey lobbying conduct set up the potential that Flynn could find himself in severe legal jeopardy if his cooperation deal with Mueller went awry. When Flynn was initially set to be sentenced in December 2018, Mueller did not seek any prison time as he pointed to the “substantial” cooperation he had given investigators.
But his deal with prosecutors did eventually unravel, after Flynn sought a delay in his sentencing (Sullivan had hinted at the hearing he was still considering prison time) and months later, replaced his legal team with a lawyer known for her hostility towards the Mueller probe.
That lawyer, Sidney Powell, was most recently assisting in Trump’s flailing crusade to overturn the results of the election.
Read the DOJ filings and the pardon papers below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--Trump’s NATO Ambassador Promises ‘Smooth’ Transition For Biden

President Trump ’ s NATO ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison , who also formerly served as a U.S. senator from Texas , on Monday assured that there would be a “ smooth ” and “ seamless ” transition to President-elect Joe Biden ’ s administration .
Hutchison ’ s vow for a “ smooth transition ” came during a virtual news conference in Brussels on Monday , according to the Dallas Morning News , amid the sitting president ’ s ongoing refusal to concede even as his legal battles challenging the legitimacy of the election process have proven fruitless .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referred to Biden as President-elect and also vouched for him as she pointed to her time serving with him in the Senate for many years .
“ President-elect Biden is certainly pro-NATO , ” Hutchison said , according to the Dallas Morning News .
“ I know he is very much a multilateral organization supporter .
We like to have allies .
He likes to have allies .
That is ongoing from this administration to the next administration.
” The NATO ambassador ’ s remarks came a week after General Services Administration chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she is ready to green light his formal transition process .
Hutchison ’ s outright acknowledgment of Biden as President-elect and vow to aid his formal transition process stands out against many of her Republican counterparts — which include Sens .
John Cornyn ( R-TX ) and Ted Cruz ( R-TX ) — who ’ ve yet to acknowledge Biden ’ s victory .

President Trump’s NATO ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison, who also formerly served as a U.S. senator from Texas, on Monday assured that there would be a “smooth” and “seamless” transition to President-elect Joe Biden’s administration.
Hutchison’s vow for a “smooth transition” came during a virtual news conference in Brussels on Monday, according to the Dallas Morning News, amid the sitting president’s ongoing refusal to concede even as his legal battles challenging the legitimacy of the election process have proven fruitless.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Hutchison repeatedly referred to Biden as President-elect and also vouched for him as she pointed to her time serving with him in the Senate for many years.
“President-elect Biden is certainly pro-NATO,” Hutchison said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “I know he is very much a multilateral organization supporter. We like to have allies. He likes to have allies. That is ongoing from this administration to the next administration.”
The NATO ambassador’s remarks came a week after General Services Administration chief Emily Murphy finally informed the President-elect that she is ready to green light his formal transition process.
Hutchison’s outright acknowledgment of Biden as President-elect and vow to aid his formal transition process stands out against many of her Republican counterparts — which include Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) — who’ve yet to acknowledge Biden’s victory.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--DOJ’s Squirreliness on Trump’s Census Plans Frustrates SCOTUS Conservatives

The conservative Supreme Court wants to find a way to punt on a case challenging President Trump ’ s anti-immigrant census apportionment policy .
But the Justice Department , in its vague answers to the justices ’ questions at Monday ’ s oral arguments , didn ’ t make that task any easier for the court ’ s GOP-appointed majority .
There does not appear to be a combination of five justices who agree with the merits of the Trump administration ’ s arguments defending the legality and constitutionality of the policy , which seeks to exclude undocumented immigrants from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House seats each state gets .
Even Justice Amy Coney Barrett — an archconservative and Trump ’ s latest addition to the court — sounded skeptical of the substance of those underlying claims .
But rather than spend much time on the merits of the dispute , the conservatives of the court seemed most intent of fleshing out the timing and feasibility issues surrounding the policy , which three lower courts have already found to be illegal .
Those questions appeared driven by an eagerness among the conservative justices to find a procedural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dispute for now .
Such a delay could even allow the court to avoid deciding it altogether , if the Biden administration takes over before the policy can be implemented — a scenario that the recent delays in the census ’ final stages makes very plausible .
But finding that off-ramp was frustrated by the the administration ’ s continued squirreliness about just how much manipulation it can logistically do to the census in order to boost whiter , more reliably Republican states .
“ You ’ re 30 days out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall , in reference to the rough timeline the administration is facing to implement the policy .
“ Why the uncertainty on this ?
” She joined several conservative justices in grilling Wall on just how many undocumented immigrants Trump will be able to remove from the apportionment totals .
If President was able to exclude several million from the count , it could costs multiple states House seats .
But so far , the administration has only publicly guaranteed that it will be feasible to exclude a much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Should we assume that we ’ re not going to be talking about all illegal aliens in the country , but some subset — some uncertain subset — like the ones in ICE detention , ” Chief Justice John Roberts asked Wall on Monday .
After Wall told Roberts that “ we don ’ t know what ’ s feasible , ” several other GOP-appointed justices followed up with different versions of the same question .
“ Can you not provide us with any more information than what you provided in your answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was that , basically , they ’ re working on it , ” Justice Samual Alito said .
The justices are confronting two competing realities within the choice to punt on the case .
It ’ s possible that it won ’ t be feasible for the Census Bureau to implement the policy in a way that would have any real effect on how political power or funding is doled out across the country .
But if the court waits to find out whether a small subset of the undocumented immigrant count is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it might be even messier to “ unscramble the egg ” then , as the chief justice put it , than the current situation the court finds itself in now .
“ I find the posture of this case quite frustrating , ” Alito said .
“ It could be that we are dealing with a possibility that is quite important .
It could be that this is much ado about very little .
It depends on what the Census Bureau and the Commerce Department are able to do.
” The liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions geared at laying out the downsides for waiting until after the apportionment numbers — including the undocumented immigrants — are delivered to the President .
The lawyers arguing for the parties challenging the policy — with New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood representing the state and local governments that are suing the administration , and the ACLU ’ s Dale Ho representing the immigrants rights organization involved in the case — also faced questions from the justices on just how likely it was that the administration could implement the policy to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it envisioned .
Both lawyers admitted that they were not experts in the technical process the Census Bureau is currently going through to match existing government records reflecting legal status to the individuals enumerated by the census .
Some of the justices suggested that the “ speculation ” around whether the policy will be fully implemented meant that the challengers had not yet crossed the procedural threshold — known as standing — that allows for a court to intervene .
“ It ’ s speculation that they won ’ t be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of the four lower courts that have weighed in on the policy , only one — a D.C.-based panel of judges — stopped short of calling it illegal .
One of the three courts that struck it down also said the policy was unconstitutional .
The Constitution mandates a decennial census that enumerates the “ whole number of persons in each state ” for purposes of congressional apportionment .
The statutes passed by Congress governing the census apportionment process reaffirm that understanding .
It also appears that some of the justices on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy , that only targeted a subset of immigrants — like those who stand to be deported in in the near future — would be a different legal question .
Ho acknowledged that lower court rulings against the July policy don ’ t stop Trump from issuing a new memo with narrower targets , but that too could be subject to litigation .
“ There ’ s nothing that stops the court from ruling on the facial validity of this policy , ” Ho said .

The conservative Supreme Court wants to find a way to punt on a case challenging President Trump’s anti-immigrant census apportionment policy.
But the Justice Department, in its vague answers to the justices’ questions at Monday’s oral arguments, didn’t make that task any easier for the court’s GOP-appointed majority.
There does not appear to be a combination of five justices who agree with the merits of the Trump administration’s arguments defending the legality and constitutionality of the policy, which seeks to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count that determines the number of House seats each state gets.
Even Justice Amy Coney Barrett — an archconservative and Trump’s latest addition to the court — sounded skeptical of the substance of those underlying claims.
But rather than spend much time on the merits of the dispute, the conservatives of the court seemed most intent of fleshing out the timing and feasibility issues surrounding the policy, which three lower courts have already found to be illegal.
Those questions appeared driven by an eagerness among the conservative justices to find a procedural off-ramp that would let them delay deciding the dispute for now. Such a delay could even allow the court to avoid deciding it altogether, if the Biden administration takes over before the policy can be implemented — a scenario that the recent delays in the census’ final stages makes very plausible.
But finding that off-ramp was frustrated by the the administration’s continued squirreliness about just how much manipulation it can logistically do to the census in order to boost whiter, more reliably Republican states.
“You’re 30 days out,” Justice Elena Kagan told acting U.S. Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, in reference to the rough timeline the administration is facing to implement the policy. “Why the uncertainty on this?”
She joined several conservative justices in grilling Wall on just how many undocumented immigrants Trump will be able to remove from the apportionment totals. If President was able to exclude several million from the count, it could costs multiple states House seats. But so far, the administration has only publicly guaranteed that it will be feasible to exclude a much smaller subset of that number.
“Should we assume that we’re not going to be talking about all illegal aliens in the country, but some subset — some uncertain subset — like the ones in ICE detention,” Chief Justice John Roberts asked Wall on Monday.
After Wall told Roberts that “we don’t know what’s feasible,” several other GOP-appointed justices followed up with different versions of the same question.
“Can you not provide us with any more information than what you provided in your answer to the Chief Justice [which] was that, basically, they’re working on it,” Justice Samual Alito said.
The justices are confronting two competing realities within the choice to punt on the case. It’s possible that it won’t be feasible for the Census Bureau to implement the policy in a way that would have any real effect on how political power or funding is doled out across the country. But if the court waits to find out whether a small subset of the undocumented immigrant count is all that the Census Bureau can deliver, it might be even messier to “unscramble the egg” then, as the chief justice put it, than the current situation the court finds itself in now.
“I find the posture of this case quite frustrating,” Alito said. “It could be that we
are dealing with a possibility that is quite important. It could be that this is much ado about very little. It depends on what the Census Bureau and the Commerce Department are able to do.”
The liberal justices, along with Roberts, asked questions geared at laying out the downsides for waiting until after the apportionment numbers — including the undocumented immigrants — are delivered to the President.
The lawyers arguing for the parties challenging the policy — with New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood representing the state and local governments that are suing the administration, and the ACLU’s Dale Ho representing the immigrants rights organization involved in the case — also faced questions from the justices on just how likely it was that the administration could implement the policy to the extent Trump’s July announcement of it envisioned.
Both lawyers admitted that they were not experts in the technical process the Census Bureau is currently going through to match existing government records reflecting legal status to the individuals enumerated by the census.
Some of the justices suggested that the “speculation” around whether the policy will be fully implemented meant that the challengers had not yet crossed the procedural threshold — known as standing — that allows for a court to intervene.
“It’s speculation that they won’t be able to do it,” Underwood said.
Of the four lower courts that have weighed in on the policy, only one — a D.C.-based panel of judges — stopped short of calling it illegal. One of the three courts that struck it down also said the policy was unconstitutional.
The Constitution mandates a decennial census that enumerates the “whole number of persons in each state” for purposes of congressional apportionment. The statutes passed by Congress governing the census apportionment process reaffirm that understanding.
It also appears that some of the justices on the court think a new version of the policy, that only targeted a subset of immigrants — like those who stand to be deported in in the near future — would be a different legal question. Ho acknowledged that lower court rulings against the July policy don’t stop Trump from issuing a new memo with narrower targets, but that too could be subject to litigation.
“There’s nothing that stops the court from ruling on the facial validity of this policy,” Ho said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--Fox Host Argues Trump Doesn’t Need Court Evidence To Steal Swing States From Biden

As President Donald Trump ’ s ceaseless attempts to overturn the election through the courts continue to crash and burn , his increasingly desperate allies at Fox News are now arguing that hey , who needs to provide that pesky legal evidence anyway ?
“ Steve , Ainsley , I think what ’ s happening here is we are quickly moving towards a political case being made , meaning the Trump team is talking to state legislators in Pennsylvania , Michigan , and we know today in Arizona as well , attempting to make their case , ” “ Fox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow hosts Steve Doocy and Ainsley Earhardt .
“ There may not be enough evidence for a court system , but there should be enough evidence for state legislators to change their electors , ” he added .
“ Will they find more success there ?
We ’ ll soon find out.
” GOP leaders in all three of those states have rejected Trumpland ’ s proposed plot to hijack the election results by getting Republican lawmakers to send pro-Trump electors instead of Biden ’ s .
Nevertheless , the President has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania to the White House without publicly disclosing the subject of meetings .
Michigan ’ s Republican leaders emerged from their meeting with Trump a little over a week ago with a statement reiterating that they plan to “ follow the normal process regarding Michigan ’ s electors , ” effectively rejecting the President ’ s baseless claims about mass voter fraud in their state .
Trump also met with Pennsylvania Republicans last Wednesday , though the state ’ s GOP leaders were not present .
One of those lawmakers found out he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting , according to the Associated Press .

As President Donald Trump’s ceaseless attempts to overturn the election through the courts continue to crash and burn, his increasingly desperate allies at Fox News are now arguing that hey, who needs to provide that pesky legal evidence anyway?
“Steve, Ainsley, I think what’s happening here is we are quickly moving towards a political case being made, meaning the Trump team is talking to state legislators in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and we know today in Arizona as well, attempting to make their case,” “Fox and Friends” co-host Will Cain told fellow hosts Steve Doocy and Ainsley Earhardt.
“There may not be enough evidence for a court system, but there should be enough evidence for state legislators to change their electors,” he added. “Will they find more success there? We’ll soon find out.”
GOP leaders in all three of those states have rejected Trumpland’s proposed plot to hijack the election results by getting Republican lawmakers to send pro-Trump electors instead of Biden’s.
Nevertheless, the President has been inviting GOP state lawmakers from Michigan and Pennsylvania to the White House without publicly disclosing the subject of meetings.
Michigan’s Republican leaders emerged from their meeting with Trump a little over a week ago with a statement reiterating that they plan to “follow the normal process regarding Michigan’s electors,” effectively rejecting the President’s baseless claims about mass voter fraud in their state.
Trump also met with Pennsylvania Republicans last Wednesday, though the state’s GOP leaders were not present. One of those lawmakers found out he had COVID-19 in the middle of the meeting, according to the Associated Press.
Watch Cain below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--The Zaniest Pro-Trump Conspiracists Are Making Life Hard For the GOP In Georgia

Would you bother voting in an election you thought was hopelessly corrupt ?
What if it came two months after a presidential election that the opposition had stolen by secretly “ switching ” votes ?
What if even the elected Republican leadership of your state had been bought off with foreign communist money ?
That ’ s the question some Trump-supporting voters in Georgia — besieged on all sides by false conspiracy theories about why Donald Trump lost his bid for reelection in the state — are contemplating right now , as two Jan. 5 run-off elections are set to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate .
For Republican officials , who hesitated to push back against Trump ’ s off-the-walls assertions that the November election was stolen for him , the conspiracy mongering is coming home to roost , with potentially critical impacts on the U.S. Senate .
Even the President ’ s son is feeling the heat .
But for hardcore Trump supporters , commentators and influencers still blindly devoted to the President , nothing else matters .
To fuel the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia for Trump , the President and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP officials and Republican voters ’ faith in the electoral process .
“ I choose not to vote in another fraudulent election with rigged voting machines & fake mail ballots , ” Lin Wood , an attorney suing elections officials over wild fraud accusations in Georgia , tweeted Sunday night .
By Monday morning , he asserted the January runoff elections “ will have to [ be ] replaced with [ a ] new down ballot election.
” It ’ s difficult to tell how widespread the Trump dead-ender phenomenon is .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will shy away from polls for the same reason , ” Jeffrey Lewis Lazarus , a political science professor at Georgia State University , told TPM .
But while Lazarus said it ’ s nearly impossible to poll the effect of voters ’ doubts about election integrity , he noted some warning signs for the GOP , pointing to an episode over the weekend involving GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel .
At an event in Marietta on Saturday , one Republican voter made a comment to McDaniel referring to evil forces “ switching the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ We go there in crazy numbers and they should have won !
” Another person chimed in after him : Why bother expending “ money and work , when it ’ s already decided ?
” she asked .
“ How do you know !
” the woman shot back .
“ There were several people in the audience who were convinced the November election was rigged , ” Lazarus said — people who , it appeared , “ wanted to vote for Trump on January 5 and wanted to overturn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s evidence that at least some Republican voters are buying into the Trump camp ’ s conspiracy peddling and doubting the validity of the election , he added .
That schism within the party , Lazarus said , could prove additionally problematic for Republicans .
A civil war with Republicans like Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on one side and Trump and Sens .
Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and David Perdue ( R-GA ) on the other “ has the potential to cause some problems with GOP messaging.
” Wood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spear : Last week , he and former Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell filed yet another absurd attempt to overturn Georgia ’ s election results for Trump .
The latest legal complaint restates fever swamp fodder about the voting systems company Dominion , which Powell has asserted was created by communists to corrupt elections , a scheme that has now made its way to the United States .
Biden won Georgia fair and square , as elections officials confirmed with a hand recount , but Powell has disregarded the results , suggesting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , were bribed by the voting machine company .
But the Powell and Wood are hardly alone : Ali Alexander , the far-right organizer of various “ Stop the Steal ” protests around the country , including a recent demonstration in Georgia , told the Daily Beast recently that Trump supporters would boycott the runoff unless Perdue and Loeffler called for a special legislative session to investigate the results of the presidential election .
“ Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue can either do what we said , because we are their voters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their volunteers , or we literally won ’ t vote , ” he said , before characterizing the typical GOP counterargument : “ ‘ Oh , but Ali , then Democrats will take the Senate ?
’ I would rather an enemy in my face than a traitor behind.
” Raffensperger hasn ’ t tried to hide his frustration , saying Monday that some “ dishonest actors ” were “ exploiting the emotions of many Trump supporters ” and the President himself with misinformation .
Just how damaging the misinformation will be to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen .
As former Rep. Lynn Westmoreland ( R-GA ) told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently , voters “ may throw up their hands and say , ‘ Why vote ?
’ ”

Would you bother voting in an election you thought was hopelessly corrupt? What if it came two months after a presidential election that the opposition had stolen by secretly “switching” votes? What if even the elected Republican leadership of your state had been bought off with foreign communist money?
That’s the question some Trump-supporting voters in Georgia — besieged on all sides by false conspiracy theories about why Donald Trump lost his bid for reelection in the state — are contemplating right now, as two Jan. 5 run-off elections are set to determine the partisan balance in the U.S. Senate.
For Republican officials, who hesitated to push back against Trump’s off-the-walls assertions that the November election was stolen for him, the conspiracy mongering is coming home to roost, with potentially critical impacts on the U.S. Senate. Even the President’s son is feeling the heat.
I’m seeing a lot of talk from people that are supposed to be on our side telling GOP voters not to go out & vote for @KLoeffler and @PerdueSenate. That is NONSENSE. IGNORE those people. We need ALL of our people coming out to vote for Kelly & David.#MAGA #GASEN — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 23, 2020
But for hardcore Trump supporters, commentators and influencers still blindly devoted to the President, nothing else matters. To fuel the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia for Trump, the President and his fringe allies have taken to cannibalizing GOP officials and Republican voters’ faith in the electoral process.
Why won’t Governor @BrianKempGA, the hapless Governor of Georgia, use his emergency powers, which can be easily done, to overrule his obstinate Secretary of State, and do a match of signatures on envelopes. It will be a “goldmine” of fraud, and we will easily WIN the state…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020
“I choose not to vote in another fraudulent election with rigged voting machines & fake mail ballots,” Lin Wood, an attorney suing elections officials over wild fraud accusations in Georgia, tweeted Sunday night. By Monday morning, he asserted the January runoff elections “will have to [be] replaced with [a] new down ballot election.”
It’s difficult to tell how widespread the Trump dead-ender phenomenon is. “Anyone who thinks the election is rigged will shy away from polls for the same reason,” Jeffrey Lewis Lazarus, a political science professor at Georgia State University, told TPM.
But while Lazarus said it’s nearly impossible to poll the effect of voters’ doubts about election integrity, he noted some warning signs for the GOP, pointing to an episode over the weekend involving GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel.
At an event in Marietta on Saturday, one Republican voter made a comment to McDaniel referring to evil forces “switching the votes” away from Trump and Pence: “We go there in crazy numbers and they should have won!”
Another person chimed in after him: Why bother expending “money and work, when it’s already decided?” she asked.
“It’s not decided!” McDaniel pleaded.
“How do you know!” the woman shot back.
“There were several people in the audience who were convinced the November election was rigged,” Lazarus said — people who, it appeared, “wanted to vote for Trump on January 5 and wanted to overturn the results of the election.” That’s evidence that at least some Republican voters are buying into the Trump camp’s conspiracy peddling and doubting the validity of the election, he added.
That schism within the party, Lazarus said, could prove additionally problematic for Republicans. A civil war with Republicans like Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on one side and Trump and Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) on the other “has the potential to cause some problems with GOP messaging.”
Wood represents the tip of the conspiracy theory spear: Last week, he and former Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell filed yet another absurd attempt to overturn Georgia’s election results for Trump.
The latest legal complaint restates fever swamp fodder about the voting systems company Dominion, which Powell has asserted was created by communists to corrupt elections, a scheme that has now made its way to the United States.
Biden won Georgia fair and square, as elections officials confirmed with a hand recount, but Powell has disregarded the results, suggesting that Kemp and Raffensperger, both Trump supporters, were bribed by the voting machine company.
But the Powell and Wood are hardly alone: Ali Alexander, the far-right organizer of various “Stop the Steal” protests around the country, including a recent demonstration in Georgia, told the Daily Beast recently that Trump supporters would boycott the runoff unless Perdue and Loeffler called for a special legislative session to investigate the results of the presidential election.
“Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue can either do what we said, because we are their voters, we are their donors, we are their volunteers, or we literally won’t vote,” he said, before characterizing the typical GOP counterargument: “‘Oh, but Ali, then Democrats will take the Senate?’ I would rather an enemy in my face than a traitor behind.”
Raffensperger hasn’t tried to hide his frustration, saying Monday that some “dishonest actors” were “exploiting the emotions of many Trump supporters” and the President himself with misinformation.
NEW: Georgia elections chief Brad Raffensperger: "There are those who are exploiting the emotions of many Trump supporters with fantastic claims, half-truths, misinformation—and frankly, they are misleading the president as well, apparently." https://t.co/EbS7Y9pBmV pic.twitter.com/xK5FHIFQCo — ABC News (@ABC) November 30, 2020
Just how damaging the misinformation will be to the Republican cause is yet to be seen.
As former Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently, voters “may throw up their hands and say, ‘Why vote?’”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--McEnany Ignores Male Deputies While Railing Against Coverage Of Biden’s All-Female Comms Team

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was met with derision on Sunday night after she attacked the Washington Post for @ @ @ @ @ ’ s newly announced communications team made up entirely of women .
“ President @ @ @ @ @ @ FEMALE Senior White House Press Team , ” McEnany tweeted with a screenshot of the @ @ @ @ @ The White House official went on to gripe that “ the completely DISCREDITED @ washingtonpost @ @ @ @ @ propagandist Fake News proclivities.
” However , she apparently forgot that her own deputies , @ @ @ @ @ , are male .
In fact , much of TPM ’ s outreach to the @ @ @ @ @ by Deere .
Besides Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake tearing down the Trump aide ’ @ @ @ @ @ prompted people to remind McEnany who was on her own communications team :

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was met with derision on Sunday night after she attacked the Washington Post for reporting on President-elect Joe Biden’s newly announced communications team made up entirely of women.
“President @realDonaldTrump already has an ALL FEMALE Senior White House Press Team,” McEnany tweeted with a screenshot of the Post’s headline.
The White House official went on to gripe that “the completely DISCREDITED
@washingtonpost once again reveals their blinding propagandist Fake News proclivities.”
However, she apparently forgot that her own deputies, Judd Deere and Brian Morgenstern, are male. In fact, much of TPM’s outreach to the White House has been fielded by Deere.
Strangely enough, Deere himself retweeted McEnany’s complaint:
Besides Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake tearing down the Trump aide’s attack, the tweet prompted people to remind McEnany who was on her own communications team:
Wonder how Judd Deere, who answers most calls to that office, and Morgenstern feel upon learning this https://t.co/9hhSWPNbnj — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 30, 2020
When you don’t count any of the men this is correct! https://t.co/I8ONeuo3O6 — Operation MAGA (@OperationMAGA) November 30, 2020
This is inaccurate. https://t.co/Ceg0n7XHdh — GA has runoffs and we NEED the Senate! VOTE!! (@angela_rye) November 30, 2020
Your own deputy press secretary, who you just hilariously erased, is a *man* named @JuddPDeere https://t.co/cfh09iUeGZ — Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) November 30, 2020


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--Democrat Mark Kelly Will Be Sworn Into The Senate On Wednesday

Sen.-elect Mark Kelly ( D-AZ ) , who defeated Sen. Martha McSally ( R-AZ ) in a special election earlier @ @ @ @ @ be sworn into the Senate on Wednesday , according to the Washington Post and Politico @ @ @ @ @ certify its election results on Monday , making Kelly ’ s win as well as @ @ @ @ @ victory in the battleground state official .
According to the Post and Politico , Kelly @ @ @ @ @ scheduled for noon on Wednesday .
The swearing in of Kelly , who is married @ @ @ @ @ ( D-AZ ) , will trim the Senate ’ s GOP majority down to 52-48 @ @ @ @ @ McSally after the sitting senator was appointed by Gov .
Doug Ducey ( R ) @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Jon Kyl ’ s ( R-AZ ) seat after he announced his resignation .
@ @ @ @ @ fill the late Sen. John McCain ’ s ( R-AZ ) seat .
TPM reached @ @ @ @ @ team for comment .

Sen.-elect Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who defeated Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) in a special election earlier this month, will reportedly be sworn into the Senate on Wednesday, according to the Washington Post and Politico.
Arizona is expected to certify its election results on Monday, making Kelly’s win as well as President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state official.
According to the Post and Politico, Kelly’s swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for noon on Wednesday.
The swearing in of Kelly, who is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), will trim the Senate’s GOP majority down to 52-48.
Kelly unseated former congresswoman McSally after the sitting senator was appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) last December to temporarily fill Sen. Jon Kyl’s (R-AZ) seat after he announced his resignation. Kyl was tapped to temporarily fill the late Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) seat.
TPM reached out to Kelly’s team for comment.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--Listen Live: SCOTUS Hears Arguments On Legality Of Trump’s Hijacking Of The Census

The Supreme Court hears arguments Monday on the legality of President Trump ’ s census policy that seeks to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count used to determine how many House seats each states get .
Implementing the policy has been a major but under-the-radar priority of the Trump administration in its waning days .
The administration has put enormous pressure on the Census Bureau to speed up the final stages of the decennial census — which was plagued with significant pandemic-related delays at its start — so that President Trump is still in office when congressional apportionment , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
At stake is at least a few and possibly several House seats that can be shifted away from immigrant-rich states like California , and towards whiter , more Republican areas of the country .
It is still not clear whether it will even be feasible for the Bureau to deliver the data on undocumented immigrants that the President seeks , or if it will even be able to produce the total population counts before the inauguration .
But those practical questions aside , for Trump ’ s plan to go forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court to overturn lower court decisions blocking him from implementing the policy .
Of the four lower courts that have considered lawsuits challenging the policy , three of them have struck it down as illegal , and one of those three also said it was unconstitutional .
The fourth court , a panel based in D.C. , gave the administration a narrow win by ruling 2-1 last week that the lawsuit was not yet ripe for their consideration .
The case formally before the justices Monday is one that arose out of New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unanimously declared in September that the policy was a violation of census statutes passed by Congress .
It will be up to the justices to decide whether they also want to address those other cases as well in this proceeding .
They ’ ll also be weighing whether they ’ ll use a procedural issue — like the one cited in the D.C. case — as an off-ramp to put off deciding the legality of the Trump policy .
You can listen to the oral arguments below :

The Supreme Court hears arguments Monday on the legality of President Trump’s census policy that seeks to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count used to determine how many House seats each states get.
Implementing the policy has been a major but under-the-radar priority of the Trump administration in its waning days. The administration has put enormous pressure on the Census Bureau to speed up the final stages of the decennial census — which was plagued with significant pandemic-related delays at its start — so that President Trump is still in office when congressional apportionment, as the process is called, is carried out.
At stake is at least a few and possibly several House seats that can be shifted away from immigrant-rich states like California, and towards whiter, more Republican areas of the country.
It is still not clear whether it will even be feasible for the Bureau to deliver the data on undocumented immigrants that the President seeks, or if it will even be able to produce the total population counts before the inauguration.
But those practical questions aside, for Trump’s plan to go forward, he will also need the Supreme Court to overturn lower court decisions blocking him from implementing the policy. Of the four lower courts that have considered lawsuits challenging the policy, three of them have struck it down as illegal, and one of those three also said it was unconstitutional. The fourth court, a panel based in D.C., gave the administration a narrow win by ruling 2-1 last week that the lawsuit was not yet ripe for their consideration.
The case formally before the justices Monday is one that arose out of New York, where a three judge panel unanimously declared in September that the policy was a violation of census statutes passed by Congress. It will be up to the justices to decide whether they also want to address those other cases as well in this proceeding. They’ll also be weighing whether they’ll use a procedural issue — like the one cited in the D.C. case — as an off-ramp to put off deciding the legality of the Trump policy.
You can listen to the oral arguments below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-30--Trump Whines About ’60 Minutes’ Interview With Ex-DHS Official Who Debunked False Voter Fraud Claims

President Donald Trump threw a fit on Sunday night after “ 60 Minutes ” aired an interview with Chris Krebs , the Department of Homeland Security ’ s top cybersecurity official whom he fired for deflating Trump and his allies ’ unproven conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud .
“ .
@ 60Minutes never asked us for a comment about their ridiculous , one sided story on election security , which is an international joke , ” Trump tweeted before parroting the same baseless accusations claiming that the election “ was probably our least secure EVER !
” During the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his conclusion that the 2020 election was “ the most secure in American history , ” telling “ 60 Minutes ” that he “ stands by that ” assessment .
The former DHS official had also stood firm shortly after Trump fired him via Twitter , writing “ honored to serve .
We did it right ” in a tweet of his own .
Trump has been unable to prove any of his claims alleging mass voter fraud had tainted the election , which saw the President lose decisively to President-elect Joe @ @

President Donald Trump threw a fit on Sunday night after “60 Minutes” aired an interview with Chris Krebs, the Department of Homeland Security’s top cybersecurity official whom he fired for deflating Trump and his allies’ unproven conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud.
“.@60Minutes never asked us for a comment about their ridiculous, one sided story on election security, which is an international joke,” Trump tweeted before parroting the same baseless accusations claiming that the election “was probably our least secure EVER!”
During the interview, Krebs dug in his heels on his conclusion that the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history,” telling “60 Minutes” that he “stands by that” assessment.
The former DHS official had also stood firm shortly after Trump fired him via Twitter, writing “honored to serve. We did it right” in a tweet of his own.
Trump has been unable to prove any of his claims alleging mass voter fraud had tainted the election, which saw the President lose decisively to President-elect Joe Biden.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--Hannity: ‘I Don’t Vet The Information On This Program That I Give Out’

Fox News host Sean Hannity , one of President Donald Trump ’ s top conservative media allies , made a startling admission on Monday night as he was ranting about “ the media mob ” being “ nothing more than a glorified overpaid wing of the Democratic Party.
” “ I am not told what to say .
I don ’ t vet the information on this program that I give out , ” Hannity said with a graphic blasting “ MEDIA MALPRACTICE ” plastered right next to him .
“ We have always been independent , follow our own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not going to change for me ever , ” he declared .
Hannity tried to clean up his remark several minutes later in the middle of an interview with White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany .
“ By the way , when I said I don ’ t vet this program–I vet the program , we vet the facts , ” the Fox News host insisted before claiming his show “ got Obama right ” and “ vetted Biden when nobody else would.
” He once again abruptly inserted a clumsy explanation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another interview near the end of the show .
“ I go back and I said we ’ re independent on this show , I don ’ t have any management vetting this show .
We do our job , ” Hannity said , then launched into another speech about how he “ vetted ” former President Barack Obama and President-elect Joe Biden .
“ So this is independent .
We do our things different here , ” he told viewers .

Fox News host Sean Hannity, one of President Donald Trump’s top conservative media allies, made a startling admission on Monday night as he was ranting about “the media mob” being “nothing more than a glorified overpaid wing of the Democratic Party.”
“I am not told what to say. I don’t vet the information on this program that I give out,” Hannity said with a graphic blasting “MEDIA MALPRACTICE” plastered right next to him.
“We have always been independent, follow our own path on this show. That’s not going to change for me ever,” he declared.
Hannity tried to clean up his remark several minutes later in the middle of an interview with White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
“By the way, when I said I don’t vet this program–I vet the program, we vet the facts,” the Fox News host insisted before claiming his show “got Obama right” and “vetted Biden when nobody else would.”
He once again abruptly inserted a clumsy explanation for the comment in the middle of another interview near the end of the show.
“I go back and I said we’re independent on this show, I don’t have any management vetting this show. We do our job,” Hannity said, then launched into another speech about how he “vetted” former President Barack Obama and President-elect Joe Biden.
“So this is independent. We do our things different here,” he told viewers.
Watch Hannity below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--Atlas Resigns As COVID-Related Hospitalizations Reach New Record High

Dr. Scott Atlas , an adviser to the President on the coronavirus , resigned from his post at the White House on Monday .
The news comes as medical facilities cross the nation are hit by record high hospitalizations for COVID-19 — reaching more than 96,000 on Monday according to the Washington Post ’ s data tracker .
As a special government employee who began formally advising President Donald Trump on the COVID-19 pandemic in August , Atlas had been expected to serve a limited term that was coming to a close this week .
Fox News was the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I worked hard with a singular focus — to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic , ” Atlas wrote in a letter that he posted Monday night on Twitter , adding : “ I always relied on the latest science and evidence , without any political consideration or influence.
” But the COVID-19 adviser , who caught President Trump ’ s attention over the summer during his Fox News appearances , repeatedly touted President Trump ’ s politically polarizing and scientifically unsound pandemic response .
Atlas has frequently offered advice that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drastically different from guidance provided by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and respected scientists .
Atlas , for example , encouraged an approach that broadly resembled “ herd immunity ” which would allow for free spread of coronavirus throughout the population without providing much of a plan to protect vulnerable populations at higher risk of dying from the virus .
In October , he suggested that a matter of wide scientific consensus — mask-wearing — is not necessarily effective and has pushed a widely controversial claim also made by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus while arguing to open schools .
Yet in his resignation letter on Monday he declared that his “ advice was always focused on minimizing all the harms from both the pandemic and the structural policies themselves , especially to the working class and the poor.
” “ I sincerely wish the new team all the best as they guide the nation through these trying , polarized times , ” Atlas wrote .
The resignation comes weeks after Stanford University and the Hoover Institute where Atlas is a senior fellow , issued a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its libertarian-leaning think tank from the radiologist after he criticized measures put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus in Michigan last month .
At that time , Atlas urged Michigan residents to “ rise up ” against the restrictions appearing to echo similar remarks from President Trump in April whose attacks on the Democratic governor have been cited by critics for promoting an alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer that was thwarted by federal law enforcement .
A group of Stanford faculty issued a statement obtained by CNN following Atlas ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and suggesting that his departure “ underscores the triumph of science and truth over falsehoods and misinformation.
” “ His actions have undermined and threatened public health even as countless lives have been lost to Covid-19 , ” they said .

Dr. Scott Atlas, an adviser to the President on the coronavirus, resigned from his post at the White House on Monday.
The news comes as medical facilities cross the nation are hit by record high hospitalizations for COVID-19 — reaching more than 96,000 on Monday according to the Washington Post’s data tracker.
As a special government employee who began formally advising President Donald Trump on the COVID-19 pandemic in August, Atlas had been expected to serve a limited term that was coming to a close this week. Fox News was the first to report Atlas’ resignation.
“I worked hard with a singular focus — to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic,” Atlas wrote in a letter that he posted Monday night on Twitter, adding: “I always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence.”
Honored to have served @realDonaldTrump and the American people during these difficult times. pic.twitter.com/xT1hRoYBMh — Scott W. Atlas (@ScottWAtlas) December 1, 2020
But the COVID-19 adviser, who caught President Trump’s attention over the summer during his Fox News appearances, repeatedly touted President Trump’s politically polarizing and scientifically unsound pandemic response.
Atlas has frequently offered advice that advanced a hands-off approach and that was drastically different from guidance provided by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and respected scientists. Atlas, for example, encouraged an approach that broadly resembled “herd immunity” which would allow for free spread of coronavirus throughout the population without providing much of a plan to protect vulnerable populations at higher risk of dying from the virus.
In October, he suggested that a matter of wide scientific consensus — mask-wearing — is not necessarily effective and has pushed a widely controversial claim also made by Trump that children cannot spread the coronavirus while arguing to open schools.
Yet in his resignation letter on Monday he declared that his “advice was always focused on minimizing all the harms from both the pandemic and the structural policies themselves, especially to the working class and the poor.”
“I sincerely wish the new team all the best as they guide the nation through these trying, polarized times,” Atlas wrote.
The resignation comes weeks after Stanford University and the Hoover Institute where Atlas is a senior fellow, issued a statement that sought to distance the institution and its libertarian-leaning think tank from the radiologist after he criticized measures put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus in Michigan last month. At that time, Atlas urged Michigan residents to “rise up” against the restrictions appearing to echo similar remarks from President Trump in April whose attacks on the Democratic governor have been cited by critics for promoting an alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer that was thwarted by federal law enforcement.
A group of Stanford faculty issued a statement obtained by CNN following Atlas’ resignation lauding it as “long overdue” and suggesting that his departure “underscores the triumph of science and truth over falsehoods and misinformation.”
“His actions have undermined and threatened public health even as countless lives have been lost to Covid-19,” they said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--AZ GOP Guv Defends Himself And His State’s Voting System Amid Trump’s Fury Over Biden Certification

Arizona Gov .
Doug Ducey found himself on the defensive on Monday night in the face of President Donald Trump ’ s attacks against him for certifying President-elect Joe Biden ’ s win in the state .
Without mentioning Trump directly , Ducey laid out in a Twitter thread why the President ’ s baseless conspiracy theories about voter fraud in the state were bogus .
“ I ’ ve been pretty outspoken about Arizona ’ s election system , and bragged about it quite a bit , including in the Oval Office .
And for good reason , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his state has “ some of the strongest election laws in the country , laws that prioritize accountability and clearly lay out procedures for conducting , canvassing , and even contesting the results of an election.
” “ The problems that exist in other states simply don ’ t apply here .
I ’ ve also said all along , I ’ m going to follow the law , ” Ducey stated , going on to explain the process of canvassing elections in Arizona .
“ That ’ s the law .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ uphold it , and I take my responsibility seriously , ” he tweeted .
Trump , who falsely insists that the election was “ stolen ” from him via voter fraud in swing states that went to Biden , including Arizona , began directing his rage at Ducey earlier on Monday after the governor certified the state ’ s election results , including both Biden ’ s victory and that of Sen. Mark Kelly ( D-AZ ) .
“ Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office , especially when so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being revealed at the hearing going on right now , ” Trump complained with his standard lies about fraud via Twitter .
“ @ OANN What is going on with @ dougducey , ” he continued , apparently looking to the pro-Trump media outlet to explain the governor ’ s actions .
“ Republicans will long remember !
” Trump also tweeted “ TRUE !
” in response to a tweet from an OANN personality claiming Ducey “ has betrayed the people of Arizona.
” In the middle of the certification process earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his phone in response to what appeared to be a call from Trump .

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) found himself on the defensive on Monday night in the face of President Donald Trump’s attacks against him for certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the state.
Without mentioning Trump directly, Ducey laid out in a Twitter thread why the President’s baseless conspiracy theories about voter fraud in the state were bogus.
“I’ve been pretty outspoken about Arizona’s election system, and bragged about it quite a bit, including in the Oval Office. And for good reason,” the Republican governor tweeted.
He asserted that his state has “some of the strongest election laws in the country, laws that prioritize accountability and clearly lay out procedures for conducting, canvassing, and even contesting the results of an election.”
“The problems that exist in other states simply don’t apply here. I’ve also said all along, I’m going to follow the law,” Ducey stated, going on to explain the process of canvassing elections in Arizona.
“That’s the law. I’ve sworn an oath to uphold it, and I take my responsibility seriously,” he tweeted.
Trump, who falsely insists that the election was “stolen” from him via voter fraud in swing states that went to Biden, including Arizona, began directing his rage at Ducey earlier on Monday after the governor certified the state’s election results, including both Biden’s victory and that of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
“Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now,” Trump complained with his standard lies about fraud via Twitter.
“@OANN What is going on with @dougducey,” he continued, apparently looking to the pro-Trump media outlet to explain the governor’s actions. “Republicans will long remember!”
Trump also tweeted “TRUE!” in response to a tweet from an OANN personality claiming Ducey “has betrayed the people of Arizona.”
In the middle of the certification process earlier on Monday, the GOP governor silenced his phone in response to what appeared to be a call from Trump.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--‘Gone Too Far’: GA Election Official Torches Trump, GOP Sens For Silence On Death Threats

Much like Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensberger , his aide Gabriel Sterling is fed up with President Trump and the battleground state ’ s two Republican senators — Sens .
David Perdue ( R-GA ) and Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) , whose runoff elections in January will determine the balance of the Senate — for failing to condemn death threats of violence against election officials and workers .
Sterling came out swinging as he kicked off his fiery press conference Tuesday afternoon by saying he would do his “ best to keep it together , because it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out Trump campaign lawyer Joe DiGenova — who has come under fire for saying that Chris Krebs , the cybersecurity official who was fired by President Trump after assuring the public that the 2020 election was secure , should be “ taken out at dawn and shot ” — Sterling issued a scathing rebuke of Trump for his failure to condemn the death threats aimed at election officials and workers .
“ Mr .
President , you have not condemned these actions or this language , ” Sterling said .
Sterling didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Georgia election official excoriated Purdue and Loeffler — both of whom attempted to pressure Raffensperger into resigning amid Trump ’ s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud — as well for remaining tight-lipped .
“ Senators , you have not condemned this language or these actions , ” Sterling said , referring to Purdue and Loeffler .
“ This has to stop .
We need you to step up .
And if you ’ re going to take a position of leadership , show some.
” Sterling also said that both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s wife getting “ sexualized threats through her cell phone ” — have received death threats .
“ It has to stop , ” Sterling said .
“ This is elections .
This is the backbone of democracy .
And all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this.
” Sterling said that “ the straw broke the camel ’ s back ” when an election contractor in Gwinnett County “ who was just trying to do his job ” faced death threats after conspiracy theorists posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The posts baselessly claimed that the worker manipulated data .
Sterling declined to name the worker , but referred to them as a “ twenty-something tech ” employed by Dominion Voting Systems — a voting machine vendor at the center of bogus right-wing conspiracy theories alleging widespread election fraud .
The Georgia election official told reporters that the unnamed worker has seen “ death threats and a noose put out , saying he should be hung for treason ” and that the worker ’ s family has also faced harassment .
Later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implored Trump to finally acknowledge that “ it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia ” and called on the sitting president to “ stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence.
” “ Someone is going to get hurt , someone is going to get shot , someone is going to get killed , ” Sterling said .
“ And it ’ s not right .
”

Much like Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, his aide Gabriel Sterling is fed up with President Trump and the battleground state’s two Republican senators — Sens. David Perdue (R-GA) and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), whose runoff elections in January will determine the balance of the Senate — for failing to condemn death threats of violence against election officials and workers.
Sterling came out swinging as he kicked off his fiery press conference Tuesday afternoon by saying he would do his “best to keep it together, because it has all gone too far.”
After calling out Trump campaign lawyer Joe DiGenova — who has come under fire for saying that Chris Krebs, the cybersecurity official who was fired by President Trump after assuring the public that the 2020 election was secure, should be “taken out at dawn and shot” — Sterling issued a scathing rebuke of Trump for his failure to condemn the death threats aimed at election officials and workers.
“Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language,” Sterling said.
Sterling didn’t stop at the President, however. The Georgia election official excoriated Purdue and Loeffler — both of whom attempted to pressure Raffensperger into resigning amid Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud — as well for remaining tight-lipped.
“Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions,” Sterling said, referring to Purdue and Loeffler. “This has to stop. We need you to step up. And if you’re going to take a position of leadership, show some.”
Sterling also said that both he and Raffensperger — which include Raffensperger’s wife getting “sexualized threats through her cell phone” — have received death threats.
“It has to stop,” Sterling said. “This is elections. This is the backbone of democracy. And all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this.”
Sterling said that “the straw broke the camel’s back” when an election contractor in Gwinnett County “who was just trying to do his job” faced death threats after conspiracy theorists posted videos of the worker on social media. The posts baselessly claimed that the worker manipulated data.
Sterling declined to name the worker, but referred to them as a “twenty-something tech” employed by Dominion Voting Systems — a voting machine vendor at the center of bogus right-wing conspiracy theories alleging widespread election fraud.
The Georgia election official told reporters that the unnamed worker has seen “death threats and a noose put out, saying he should be hung for treason” and that the worker’s family has also faced harassment.
Later in the press conference, Sterling directly implored Trump to finally acknowledge that “it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia” and called on the sitting president to “stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence.”
“Someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed,” Sterling said. “And it’s not right.”
Watch Sterling’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--What Is Bill Barr Up To With New Special Counsel To Investigate The Investigators?

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has made John Durham , the U.S. attorney who has been leading the dubious investigation into the Russia probe , a special counsel — creating a potentially messy situation for the incoming Biden administration .
“ [ T ] his appointment is almost certain to test the political will , judgment , and authority of a new Attorney General whose first priority should be to restore the damaged independence of the Justice Department , ” Randall Samborn , who served as a spokesperson for the special counsel investigation into the Valerie Plame leak , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered the appointment on Oct. 19 , two weeks before the election , but kept it secret until Tuesday , “ given the proximity of the presidential election , ” according to a letter he sent the House and Senate judiciary committees Tuesday .
The Associated Press was first to report the appointment , breaking the news after publishing an interview with Barr in which he undercut Trump ’ s claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election .
Why Barr made the appointment and what it will actually achieve flummoxed former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been critical of Barr ’ s larger politicization of the department .
“ The best possible explanation is that Barr is doing this stuff to mollify Trump , ” said Peter Zeidenberg , a defense attorney who previously worked at the Justice Department for 17 years .
“ If that ’ s not the case , it ’ s just that Barr has really gone off the deep end ” Durham was first tasked to review the genesis of the Russia probe in the spring of 2019 , as President Trump continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and after Barr himself expressed skepticism of how the investigation was handled .
By October , word had leaked that the review had morphed into a criminal investigation .
But so far , it has only produced one public prosecution : a guilty plea from a mid-level FBI lawyer who admitted to altering an email related to the Department ’ s effort to secure a surveillance warrant on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page .
Barr has already acknowledged that President Obama and President-elect Joe Biden — both targets of Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – are unlikely to be prosecuted .
It ’ s not clear who else remains in the Durham probe ’ s crosshairs , but a DOJ source told the AP it ’ s focusing on FBI actions the predated Mueller ’ s appointment .
“ This is just a stunt to use the [ special counsel regulations ] to continue the investigation , ” Nick Akerman , a former prosecutor who worked on the Watergate investigation , told TPM .
“ He ’ s trying to make it difficult for the new Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if there is nothing to do it.
” In the days and weeks leading up the election , Trump made known his anger that Durham had not brought any more indictments or published a report .
Around this time , Nora Dannehy — a prosecutor who had worked closely with Durham in the past and who was assisting in the Russia probe review – resigned from the investigation , in a move that was reportedly motivated by her discomfort with the pressure Barr was placing on Durham .
“ It ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr who was driving this investigation .
Up until this point , Durham ’ s reputation was generally good , ” Harry Sandick , a former federal prosecutor told TPM .
But Dannehy ’ s exit “ raised an eyebrow , ” he added .
What makes the move anoint him special counsel more perplexing , Sandick said , is that assigned him role undercuts the whole point of a special counsel in the first place “ The whole point is that it ’ s a person who ’ s not supposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Attorney General , ” Sandick said .
“ But someone who serves as a U.S. attorney is in the hierarchy under the thumb of the Attorney General .
It ’ s also fueled the arguments of those who say the special counsel regulations have failed on what they meant to achieve : investigations that are truly independent .
“ I am concerned that the more experience we undertake with Special Counsels pursuant to the Justice Department regulations , the more we recognize that they impose political constraints on the process and the resulting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Samborn said .

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has made John Durham, the U.S. attorney who has been leading the dubious investigation into the Russia probe, a special counsel — creating a potentially messy situation for the incoming Biden administration.
“[T]his appointment is almost certain to test the political will, judgment, and authority of a new Attorney General whose first priority should be to restore the damaged independence of the Justice Department,” Randall Samborn, who served as a spokesperson for the special counsel investigation into the Valerie Plame leak, said in an email to TPM.
Barr ordered the appointment on Oct. 19, two weeks before the election, but kept it secret until Tuesday, “given the proximity of the presidential election,”according to a letter he sent the House and Senate judiciary committees Tuesday.
The Associated Press was first to report the appointment, breaking the news after publishing an interview with Barr in which he undercut Trump’s claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Why Barr made the appointment and what it will actually achieve flummoxed former Justice Department prosecutors, many of whom have been critical of Barr’s larger politicization of the department.
“The best possible explanation is that Barr is doing this stuff to mollify Trump,” said Peter Zeidenberg, a defense attorney who previously worked at the Justice Department for 17 years. “If that’s not the case, it’s just that Barr has really gone off the deep end”
Durham was first tasked to review the genesis of the Russia probe in the spring of 2019, as President Trump continued to stew about special counsel Robert Mueller and after Barr himself expressed skepticism of how the investigation was handled.
By October, word had leaked that the review had morphed into a criminal investigation. But so far, it has only produced one public prosecution: a guilty plea from a mid-level FBI lawyer who admitted to altering an email related to the Department’s effort to secure a surveillance warrant on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Barr has already acknowledged that President Obama and President-elect Joe Biden — both targets of Trump’s most unhinged claims about the Russia investigation – are unlikely to be prosecuted. It’s not clear who else remains in the Durham probe’s crosshairs, but a DOJ source told the AP it’s focusing on FBI actions the predated Mueller’s appointment.
“This is just a stunt to use the [special counsel regulations] to continue the investigation,” Nick Akerman, a former prosecutor who worked on the Watergate investigation, told TPM. “He’s trying to make it difficult for the new Attorney General to put the kibosh to it if there is nothing to do it.”
In the days and weeks leading up the election, Trump made known his anger that Durham had not brought any more indictments or published a report. Around this time, Nora Dannehy — a prosecutor who had worked closely with Durham in the past and who was assisting in the Russia probe review – resigned from the investigation, in a move that was reportedly motivated by her discomfort with the pressure Barr was placing on Durham.
“It’s not really clear whether it was Durham or Barr who was driving this investigation. Up until this point, Durham’s reputation was generally good,” Harry Sandick, a former federal prosecutor told TPM. But Dannehy’s exit “raised an eyebrow,” he added.
What makes the move anoint him special counsel more perplexing, Sandick said, is that assigned him role undercuts the whole point of a special counsel in the first place
“The whole point is that it’s a person who’s not supposed to be entirely under the thumb of the Attorney General,” Sandick said. “But someone who serves as a U.S. attorney is in the hierarchy under the thumb of the Attorney General.
It’s also fueled the arguments of those who say the special counsel regulations have failed on what they meant to achieve: investigations that are truly independent.
“I am concerned that the more experience we undertake with Special Counsels pursuant to the Justice Department regulations, the more we recognize that they impose political constraints on the process and the resulting investigations are not truly independent,” Samborn said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--Court Order Reveals DOJ Investigation Into Suspected Bribery-For-Pardon Scheme

A redacted court order unsealed Tuesday revealed the existence of an investigation into a “ bribery-for-pardon ” scheme , in which an unnamed defendant allegedly mounted a White House lobbying effort to receive a pardon in exchange for “ a substantial political contribution.
” CNN first reported on the highly-redacted court order , issued in late August and made public Tuesday by Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia .
The identities of the defendant and their purported lawyer-lobbyists are not clear from the order .
No one appears to have been charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The order itself authorizes prosecutors to review certain communications between various people whose names were redacted , and for which the court determined that attorney-client privilege did not apply .
Prosecutors alleged a “ secret lobbying scheme ” in which individuals acted as “ lobbyists to senior White House officials ” without proper disclosure , the judge wrote .
Communications from “ over fifty digital devices ” indicated alleged criminal activity , she said , quoting prosecutors .
The order goes on to describe an alleged bribery scheme in which an individual would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in exchange for a presidential pardon or “ reprieve of sentence ” for an unnamed defendant .
The judge ’ s order reasoned that , because certain communications were “ directed , copied or forwarded ” to an unnamed individual who is not an attorney , attorney-client privilege did not apply .
Howell ’ s order Tuesday unsealing her order from late August noted that the Justice Department initially requested that she keep the whole thing under wraps .
“ On November 25 , 2020 , the government submitted a status report requesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Opinion under seal , ’ because it ‘ identifies both individuals and conduct that have not been charged by the grand jury , ' ” she noted , quoting prosecutors .
In response , the court directed the government to explain why “ each line ” must remain under seal , even if the document was redacted .
Ultimately , Howell wrote , the government responded with the redacted version of her order that was unsealed .

A redacted court order unsealed Tuesday revealed the existence of an investigation into a “bribery-for-pardon” scheme, in which an unnamed defendant allegedly mounted a White House lobbying effort to receive a pardon in exchange for “a substantial political contribution.”
CNN first reported on the highly-redacted court order, issued in late August and made public Tuesday by Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The identities of the defendant and their purported lawyer-lobbyists are not clear from the order. No one appears to have been charged to date in the alleged scheme.
The order itself authorizes prosecutors to review certain communications between various people whose names were redacted, and for which the court determined that attorney-client privilege did not apply.
Prosecutors alleged a “secret lobbying scheme” in which individuals acted as “lobbyists to senior White House officials” without proper disclosure, the judge wrote. Communications from “over fifty digital devices” indicated alleged criminal activity, she said, quoting prosecutors.
The order goes on to describe an alleged bribery scheme in which an individual would offer a “substantial political contribution” in exchange for a presidential pardon or “reprieve of sentence” for an unnamed defendant.
The judge’s order reasoned that, because certain communications were “directed, copied or forwarded” to an unnamed individual who is not an attorney, attorney-client privilege did not apply.
Howell’s order Tuesday unsealing her order from late August noted that the Justice Department initially requested that she keep the whole thing under wraps.
“On November 25, 2020, the government submitted a status report requesting that the Court “maintain the Memorandum Opinion under seal,’ because it ‘identifies both individuals and conduct that have not been charged by the grand jury,'” she noted, quoting prosecutors.
In response, the court directed the government to explain why “each line” must remain under seal, even if the document was redacted. Ultimately, Howell wrote, the government responded with the redacted version of her order that was unsealed.
Read the filing below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-01--GA Sens Are Taking A Big Gamble That A Post-Election Trump Can Keep His Eye On Their Prize

As President Donald Trump prepares to travel to Georgia on Saturday to campaign for Sens .
Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and David Perdue ( R-GA ) , his behavior — during a volatile time for a volatile president — remains one of the biggest variables in races that will determine Senate control .
Scenario One : Trump Fans The Flame Of Conspiracy Since the election , he has been obsessed with flimsy attempts to overturn the election results on the basis of concocted accusations of widespread fraud .
Bunkered down at his golf clubs , he ’ s sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giuliani and tin foil-hatted Lin Wood to do his dirty work .
That fixation , much like his war on mail-in voting , may ultimately hurt his cause .
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , a Republican who has become persona non grata with Trump , said recently that if the President hadn ’ t decided to vilify mail-in voting , he probably would have won Georgia based on the precipitous drop off in Republican absentee ballots between the primary and the general .
Trump has continued to attack both Raffensperger and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creating a sort of intra-party civil war in the state .
Perdue and Loeffler have stuck with Trump , calling for Raffensperger ’ s resignation .
If Trump continues to reinforce the idea that the election was rigged , that voting doesn ’ t matter , he runs the risk of disheartening his followers right out of participating .
That could be a problem for Loeffler and Perdue — and is one that Republican officials seem worried about .
“ It does create a tricky campaign environment for Perdue and Loeffler , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump supporters who can ’ t accept that he lost , and the reality that he did lose , and control of the Senate depends on these races , ” Dan Judy , vice president of North Star Opinion Research , a consultancy for Republican candidates , told TPM .
“ What Trump himself says down the stretch will make a big difference on how that small slice of Republicans who might boycott behaves.
” He added that even a relatively small number of Republicans opting out could be critical based on how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been .
It ’ s not clear , though , how many MAGA types Trump ’ s conspiracy theorizing could ultimately dissuade from voting when they ’ re facing the specter of a Democratic trifecta .
“ It ’ s hard to know how much this ultimately matters , ” said Alan Abramowitz , a political scientist at Emory University .
“ Some hard-core Trump supporters may stay home but probably not many.
” That ’ s the gamble Loeffler and Perdue have shown themselves to be willing to take .
By hewing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made it clear that they need his potential juicing of the Republican base more than they fear turnout suppression through his attacks on the election .
Indeed , Trump has demonstrated an ability to get Republican voters excited .
He increased his total number of votes from 2016 to 2020 , and has outperformed polling both times he was on the ballot .
In a runoff election , enthusiasm and turnout are the whole ballgame .
“ Even amidst all the controversy and anger that ’ s been stirred up by the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will recognize the stakes and turn out to vote for their candidates , ” Judy said .
“ Runoffs in Georgia have always favored the GOP because their voters have always been more likely to turn out two months later.
” Democrats are trying to turn the page on a history of dismal runoff election results for them .
They have lost six of the last seven statewide runoff elections as Republicans routinely show a stronger ability to retain voter participation in a random mid-winter election .
Some argue that the runoff system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ south , was actually maintained to ensure white political dominance to the detriment of Black voters , who now overwhelmingly vote Democrat .
Trump ’ s star power is clearly something Democrats are wary of , as captured in a new billboard campaign from the pro-Joe Biden super PAC Really American .
Scenario Three : Trump Gets Bored Of The Whole Shabang Trump is known neither for his attention span , nor for his passion in campaigning for others ( see : Trump ’ s exasperated “ nobody wants to hear this , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martha McSally off of the stage during a campaign stop for her foundering reelection effort ) .
There is a not-insignificant chance that he zones out of the Georgia races altogether after his Saturday stop .
“ It ’ s not clear to me that Trump really wants them to win , ” Abramowitz said of Perdue and Loeffler .
“ I wonder what he ’ s going to actually say when he gets here … if he actually does.
” Trump could be a powerful force in helping his party retain Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progressive governing that Democrats would unleash with the White House and both chambers of Congress turned blue .
But it remains to be seen whether he ’ ll stay invested enough to do so .

As President Donald Trump prepares to travel to Georgia on Saturday to campaign for Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA), his behavior — during a volatile time for a volatile president — remains one of the biggest variables in races that will determine Senate control.
Scenario One: Trump Fans The Flame Of Conspiracy
Since the election, he has been obsessed with flimsy attempts to overturn the election results on the basis of concocted accusations of widespread fraud. Bunkered down at his golf clubs, he’s sent out the likes of a melty Rudy Giuliani and tin foil-hatted Lin Wood to do his dirty work.
That fixation, much like his war on mail-in voting, may ultimately hurt his cause. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who has become persona non grata with Trump, said recently that if the President hadn’t decided to vilify mail-in voting, he probably would have won Georgia based on the precipitous drop off in Republican absentee ballots between the primary and the general.
Trump has continued to attack both Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp (R), creating a sort of intra-party civil war in the state. Perdue and Loeffler have stuck with Trump, calling for Raffensperger’s resignation.
If Trump continues to reinforce the idea that the election was rigged, that voting doesn’t matter, he runs the risk of disheartening his followers right out of participating. That could be a problem for Loeffler and Perdue — and is one that Republican officials seem worried about.
“It does create a tricky campaign environment for Perdue and Loeffler, who have to walk that tightrope between hardcore Trump supporters who can’t accept that he lost, and the reality that he did lose, and control of the Senate depends on these races,” Dan Judy, vice president of North Star Opinion Research, a consultancy for Republican candidates, told TPM. “What Trump himself says down the stretch will make a big difference on how that small slice of Republicans who might boycott behaves.”
He added that even a relatively small number of Republicans opting out could be critical based on how close recent elections in the state have been.
It’s not clear, though, how many MAGA types Trump’s conspiracy theorizing could ultimately dissuade from voting when they’re facing the specter of a Democratic trifecta.
“It’s hard to know how much this ultimately matters,” said Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University. “Some hard-core Trump supporters may stay home but probably not many.”
That’s the gamble Loeffler and Perdue have shown themselves to be willing to take. By hewing to the President, they’ve made it clear that they need his potential juicing of the Republican base more than they fear turnout suppression through his attacks on the election.
Scenario Two: Trump Supercharges GOP Enthusiasm
Indeed, Trump has demonstrated an ability to get Republican voters excited. He increased his total number of votes from 2016 to 2020, and has outperformed polling both times he was on the ballot.
In a runoff election, enthusiasm and turnout are the whole ballgame.
“Even amidst all the controversy and anger that’s been stirred up by the election result and aftermath, Republicans in Georgia will recognize the stakes and turn out to vote for their candidates,” Judy said. “Runoffs in Georgia have always favored the GOP because their voters have always been more likely to turn out two months later.”
Democrats are trying to turn the page on a history of dismal runoff election results for them. They have lost six of the last seven statewide runoff elections as Republicans routinely show a stronger ability to retain voter participation in a random mid-winter election. Some argue that the runoff system, a relic of the Jim Crow south, was actually maintained to ensure white political dominance to the detriment of Black voters, who now overwhelmingly vote Democrat.
Trump’s star power is clearly something Democrats are wary of, as captured in a new billboard campaign from the pro-Joe Biden super PAC Really American.
Piggy backing off the #WriteInTrumpForGA sentiment, we’re crowdfunding a flurry of these billboards across rural Georgia in counties that went the most for Trump. You can help us get this done with a RT and small contribution. https://t.co/7qdkUiccuP — ReallyAmerican.com ?? (@ReallyAmerican1) November 24, 2020
Scenario Three: Trump Gets Bored Of The Whole Shabang
Trump is known neither for his attention span, nor for his passion in campaigning for others (see: Trump’s exasperated “nobody wants to hear this, Martha” as he ushered Arizona Sen. Martha McSally off of the stage during a campaign stop for her foundering reelection effort).
There is a not-insignificant chance that he zones out of the Georgia races altogether after his Saturday stop. “It’s not clear to me that Trump really wants them to win,” Abramowitz said of Perdue and Loeffler. “I wonder what he’s going to actually say when he gets here … if he actually does.”
Trump could be a powerful force in helping his party retain Senate control and stave off the tranche of progressive governing that Democrats would unleash with the White House and both chambers of Congress turned blue. But it remains to be seen whether he’ll stay invested enough to do so.