talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-16--Trump’s Nat’l Security Adviser Says Biden Sure Does Look Like The Pres-Elect

Donald Trump ’ s national security adviser gestured toward reality Monday , acknowledging that Joe Biden would likely be the President in 2021 .
Still , days after every major news network projected Biden would be the winner of the 2020 contest , and despite repeated losses in court for President Donald Trump ’ s legal effort to throw out thousands of votes , National Security Adviser Robert O ’ Brien only partially acknowledged Biden ’ s victory .
“ Look , if the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner — and obviously things look that way now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professional transition from the National Security Council , ” O ’ Brien said in an interview at the Soufan Center Global Security Forum .
NBC News flagged the remarks Monday when they were broadcast online .
Later , O ’ Brien referenced the 2000 election , the last time that the incumbent administration delayed the official “ ascertainment ” of the election ’ s victor because the election ’ s results were contested .
“ I ’ m old enough to remember Bush v. Gore , and the transition there didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got done , ” O ’ Brien said .
“ And if we ’ re in a situation where we ’ re not going into a Trump second term , which I think people where I ’ m sitting in the White House would like to see , if it ’ s another outcome , it will be a professional transition , there ’ s no question about it.
” The administrator of the General Services Administration in 2000 , Dave Barram , told TPM that the 2020 results were nothing like those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s lead stands at thousands of votes across multiple states , rather than just a few hundred in one state .
And observers of both parties have pointed to the 9/11 Commission ’ s finding that the delayed election results in 2000 got George W. Bush ’ s national security team off to a painfully slow start .
NBC News noted that , at times , O ’ Brien hinted at reality — for example , by calling Trump ’ s diplomatic work in the Middle East “ a great legacy for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Donald Trump’s national security adviser gestured toward reality Monday, acknowledging that Joe Biden would likely be the President in 2021.
Still, days after every major news network projected Biden would be the winner of the 2020 contest, and despite repeated losses in court for President Donald Trump’s legal effort to throw out thousands of votes, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien only partially acknowledged Biden’s victory.
“Look, if the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner — and obviously things look that way now — we’ll have a very professional transition from the National Security Council,” O’Brien said in an interview at the Soufan Center Global Security Forum.
NBC News flagged the remarks Monday when they were broadcast online.

Later, O’Brien referenced the 2000 election, the last time that the incumbent administration delayed the official “ascertainment” of the election’s victor because the election’s results were contested.
“I’m old enough to remember Bush v. Gore, and the transition there didn’t start until mid-December, and yet it got done,” O’Brien said. “And if we’re in a situation where we’re not going into a Trump second term, which I think people where I’m sitting in the White House would like to see, if it’s another outcome, it will be a professional transition, there’s no question about it.”
The administrator of the General Services Administration in 2000, Dave Barram, told TPM that the 2020 results were nothing like those in 2000, given that Biden’s lead stands at thousands of votes across multiple states, rather than just a few hundred in one state.
And observers of both parties have pointed to the 9/11 Commission’s finding that the delayed election results in 2000 got George W. Bush’s national security team off to a painfully slow start.
NBC News noted that, at times, O’Brien hinted at reality — for example, by calling Trump’s diplomatic work in the Middle East “a great legacy for the President to have as he leaves office.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-16--Debate Perdue Declined Is Still On But With GA Senator ‘Represented By Empty Podium’

Despite Sen. David Perdue ’ s ( R-GA ) rejection of an offer to debate his Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff ahead of the Georgia runoff election that could help determine the balance of the Senate , the host of the scheduled debate , the Atlanta Press Club , will move forward with it .
The debate scheduled on Dec. 6 will be held with Perdue “ represented by an empty podium , ” according to a statement the Atlanta Press Club shared with Georgia Public Broadcasting on Monday .
“ The Atlanta Press Club ’ s Loudermilk-Young Debate Series is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to not participate in his debate , ” the press club said in a statement shared with GPB .
“ Jon Ossoff has confirmed his participation , so according to our rules , we will proceed with the debate and Sen. Perdue will be represented by an empty podium.
” The Atlanta Press Club added “ that is not our preference , ” according to GPB .
TPM reached out to the Atlanta Press Club and Perdue ’ s campaign office for comment .
CNN reported on Monday that MaryLynn Ryan , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the incumbent Republican Georgia senator declined its invitation for the debate that it planned to host between Perdue and Ossoff .
The Atlanta Press Club also plans to host a separate debate for the Senate runoff between Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and her Democratic challenger , Rev .
Raphael Warnock .
Earlier this month , Perdue abruptly ditched his final scheduled debate against Ossoff days before Election Day , and decided to join President Trump at his Georgia rally on the night it was originally scheduled instead .
Perdue ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened a day after Ossoff roasted Perdue in a blistering takedown during their debate last month that went viral .
Ossoff called Perdue a “ crook ” and took the Georgia senator to task over the legal trouble he has had in his business dealings and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
In a statement shared with TPM on Sunday , Perdue ’ s campaign said that the Georgia senator and Ossoff already had two debates in this election , before going onto criticize Ossoff .
“ We ’ ve already had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each , Ossoff lied repeatedly , and of course the media failed to hold him accountable , ” Perdue ’ s campaign said .
“ He refused to talk about the issues and could not defend his radical socialist agenda .
If Ossoff wants to keep lying to Georgians on TV , he will have to use his out-of-state money to pay for it .
We ’ re going to take our message about what ’ s at stake if Democrats have total control of Congress directly to the people .
”

Despite Sen. David Perdue’s (R-GA) rejection of an offer to debate his Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff ahead of the Georgia runoff election that could help determine the balance of the Senate, the host of the scheduled debate, the Atlanta Press Club, will move forward with it.
The debate scheduled on Dec. 6 will be held with Perdue “represented by an empty podium,” according to a statement the Atlanta Press Club shared with Georgia Public Broadcasting on Monday.
“The Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young Debate Series is disappointed that Sen. David Perdue has decided to not participate in his debate,” the press club said in a statement shared with GPB. “Jon Ossoff has confirmed his participation, so according to our rules, we will proceed with the debate and Sen. Perdue will be represented by an empty podium.”
The Atlanta Press Club added “that is not our preference,” according to GPB.
TPM reached out to the Atlanta Press Club and Perdue’s campaign office for comment.
CNN reported on Monday that MaryLynn Ryan, the chair of the Atlanta Press Club, said the incumbent Republican Georgia senator declined its invitation for the debate that it planned to host between Perdue and Ossoff. The Atlanta Press Club also plans to host a separate debate for the Senate runoff between Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and her Democratic challenger, Rev. Raphael Warnock.
Earlier this month, Perdue abruptly ditched his final scheduled debate against Ossoff days before Election Day, and decided to join President Trump at his Georgia rally on the night it was originally scheduled instead.
Perdue’s decision to call off their debate happened a day after Ossoff roasted Perdue in a blistering takedown during their debate last month that went viral. Ossoff called Perdue a “crook” and took the Georgia senator to task over the legal trouble he has had in his business dealings and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement shared with TPM on Sunday, Perdue’s campaign said that the Georgia senator and Ossoff already had two debates in this election, before going onto criticize Ossoff.
“We’ve already had two debates in this election. In each, Ossoff lied repeatedly, and of course the media failed to hold him accountable,” Perdue’s campaign said. “He refused to talk about the issues and could not defend his radical socialist agenda. If Ossoff wants to keep lying to Georgians on TV, he will have to use his out-of-state money to pay for it. We’re going to take our message about what’s at stake if Democrats have total control of Congress directly to the people.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-16--‘It’s Horrifying’: Pro-Trump Caravan Protests Outside Of Clintons’ NY Home

Within hours of President Trump finally admitting on Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden won — a factual admission that the mercurial sitting president predictably walked back as he continues his refusal to concede — a pro-Trump caravan descended on the homes of Bill and Hillary Clinton and New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) in New Castle , New York .
According to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News on Sunday evening , dozens of Trump supporters blasted music , honked horns , shouted through megaphones and carried pro-Trump flags as they walked past the Clintons ’ and Cuomo ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuomo sucks , ” “ Expose the corruption , ” and “ Dead people don ’ t vote !
” Chelsea Clinton tweeted on Sunday evening that Trump supporters were outside of her parents ’ residence chanting “ lock her up ” — a phrase that the President has egged on since the 2016 cycle when he ran against his Democratic rival and has recently appropriated during campaign rallies when attacking Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer ( D ) .
Town of New Castle chief of police James Carroll told TPM in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were made and that there were approximately 100 vehicles and about upwards of 300 people who were in front of the Clintons ’ and Cuomo ’ s residences on Sunday evening .
Carroll said that the crowd was in front of Cuomo ’ s residence at 4 p.m .
ET on Sunday and departed approximately at 5:30 p.m .
ET .
When asked about where the vehicles were coming from , Carroll told TPM that they ’ re suspected of coming from Staten Island .
The Rockland/Westchester Journal News reported that town police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ street of Cuomo ’ s residence as the pro-Trump caravan passed by while waving flags with Trump ’ s name on them .
Jana , a resident of Westchester County who told TPM on Monday that she is withholding her last name due to safety concerns , recalled her fears upon witnessing the pro-Trump caravan passing by the Clintons ’ residence while waving flags with Trump ’ s name on them .
Jana said she was in the car with her 7-year-old daughter while passing through Chappaqua on her way to picking up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told a police officer at the scene that “ it wasn ’ t safe at all ” to drive through .
Additionally , she said her young daughter was “ scared , ” which prompted her to roll up the window and keep driving .
Upon returning home , Jana recalled telling her husband that the scene was “ terrible ” and that she saw Chelsea Clinton ’ s tweet on the incidence that confirmed her fears .
“ I can not even believe that people are doing this , you know ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the president .
Yeah , she ’ s a private citizen , ” Jana said , referring to Hillary Clinton .
“ I mean , it ’ s , it ’ s horrifying , actually.
” “ It ’ s like , you know , these people coming from wherever they ’ re coming , whether it ’ s local or , you know , it ’ s it ’ s just scary , ” she added .
Jana stressed that the scene was “ much more horrifying ” compared to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this year , and that she fears that more of these types of gatherings will happen in the future .
“ I do think that it ’ s going to happen in the next however long , you know , until things settle down , if they ever do between between sides , ” Jana said , before adding that it ’ s “ absolute insanity ” and that “ it doesn ’ t help the fact that ( President Trump is ) up there encouraging this type of behavior.
” Dawn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ founder of the Chappaqua Friends of Hillary in 2015 when the former secretary of state announced her candidacy for president , echoed Jana ’ s concerns to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News .
Greenberg said that the scene was “ incredibly distressing ” and that she is “ sad for the Clintons.
” “ I feel like they can ’ t win .
I feel like they ’ re being targeted .
Of course the secret service will keep them safe , ” Greenberg said .
“ I just think it ’ s beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where are we going with this ?
It just keeps getting ratcheted up more and more emotion .
It makes me sad and scared at the same time .
”

Within hours of President Trump finally admitting on Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden won — a factual admission that the mercurial sitting president predictably walked back as he continues his refusal to concede — a pro-Trump caravan descended on the homes of Bill and Hillary Clinton and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in New Castle, New York.
According to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News on Sunday evening, dozens of Trump supporters blasted music, honked horns, shouted through megaphones and carried pro-Trump flags as they walked past the Clintons’ and Cuomo’s residences. Signs read: “Cuomo sucks,” “Expose the corruption,” and “Dead people don’t vote!”
Chelsea Clinton tweeted on Sunday evening that Trump supporters were outside of her parents’ residence chanting “lock her up” — a phrase that the President has egged on since the 2016 cycle when he ran against his Democratic rival and has recently appropriated during campaign rallies when attacking Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).
There are Trump supporters outside my parents’ house shouting through megaphones “Lock Her Up,” and I just keep thinking, I hope they’re wearing masks and some day get over 2016. — Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) November 15, 2020
Town of New Castle chief of police James Carroll told TPM in a phone interview on Monday that no arrests were made and that there were approximately 100 vehicles and about upwards of 300 people who were in front of the Clintons’ and Cuomo’s residences on Sunday evening.
Carroll said that the crowd was in front of Cuomo’s residence at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday and departed approximately at 5:30 p.m. ET.
When asked about where the vehicles were coming from, Carroll told TPM that they’re suspected of coming from Staten Island.
The Rockland/Westchester Journal News reported that town police and state troopers had parked on the street of Cuomo’s residence as the pro-Trump caravan passed by while waving flags with Trump’s name on them.
Jana, a resident of Westchester County who told TPM on Monday that she is withholding her last name due to safety concerns, recalled her fears upon witnessing the pro-Trump caravan passing by the Clintons’ residence while waving flags with Trump’s name on them.
Jana said she was in the car with her 7-year-old daughter while passing through Chappaqua on her way to picking up take-out food. Jana said that she told a police officer at the scene that “it wasn’t safe at all” to drive through. Additionally, she said her young daughter was “scared,” which prompted her to roll up the window and keep driving.
Upon returning home, Jana recalled telling her husband that the scene was “terrible” and that she saw Chelsea Clinton’s tweet on the incidence that confirmed her fears.
“I cannot even believe that people are doing this, you know? So this woman — she’s not the president. Yeah, she’s a private citizen,” Jana said, referring to Hillary Clinton. “I mean, it’s, it’s horrifying, actually.”
Jana added that “it was a pretty upsetting scene.”
“It’s like, you know, these people coming from wherever they’re coming, whether it’s local or, you know, it’s it’s just scary,” she added.
Jana stressed that the scene was “much more horrifying” compared to the “peaceful” Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year, and that she fears that more of these types of gatherings will happen in the future.
“I do think that it’s going to happen in the next however long, you know, until things settle down, if they ever do between between sides,” Jana said, before adding that it’s “absolute insanity” and that “it doesn’t help the fact that (President Trump is) up there encouraging this type of behavior.”
Dawn Greenberg, a resident of Chappaqua and founder of the Chappaqua Friends of Hillary in 2015 when the former secretary of state announced her candidacy for president, echoed Jana’s concerns to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.
Greenberg said that the scene was “incredibly distressing” and that she is “sad for the Clintons.”
“I feel like they can’t win. I feel like they’re being targeted. Of course the secret service will keep them safe,” Greenberg said. “I just think it’s beyond the pale. It’s like, where are we going with this? It just keeps getting ratcheted up more and more emotion. It makes me sad and scared at the same time.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-16--GSA Leader Consulted With Predecessor Who Faced 2000 Recount

As President Donald Trump continues to refuse to acknowledge defeat , pundits and politicos have trained their fire on a Trump administration official whose say-so would open the doors of government to President-elect Joe Biden ’ s transition team — the head of the General Services Administration , Emily Murphy .
Murphy , in turn , has maintained a strict silence about why she ’ s withheld the official “ ascertainment ” that would grant additional resources and access to the Biden team .
But she has reached out to the one man on Earth whose experience has remotely echoed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2000 Bush v. Gore recount , Dave Barram .
Barram , who held off on officially ascertaining Bush to be the winner of the 2000 contest until the Supreme Court weighed in in December , told TPM over the weekend that he ’ d spoken by phone and email to Murphy about her situation .
“ I think she really wants to do the right thing , I just think that the pressures on her are heavy , ” Barram told TPM .
“ I ’ ve not said anything about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point blank , ‘ Would you ascertain ?
’ And I ’ m not going to answer that because it ’ s not fair to her.
” A GSA spokesperson disputed any speculation that Murphy was receiving pressure from the White House .
“ This is the administrator ’ s decision , she is focused on doing her job , ” the spokesperson said .
Barram ’ s point of view is clear : Biden is the obvious victor of the 2020 election .
This presidential contest may have resembled the one two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when it really wasn ’ t clear who ’ d won , ” he said , but the ballot count since has been undeniable .
“ The only thing unclear is why Donald Trump keeps holding off ” on conceding , he said , adding separately : “ I just think it ’ s disgusting and embarrassing behavior by the President .
He should concede.
” The former GSA administrator said he was also “ disgusted ” with Republican senators who haven ’ t given Murphy any cover : If just 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , Murphy “ might feel like , ‘ Okay , if I get fired , at least I ’ ve got other Republicans who don ’ t feel like I ’ m an idiot.
’ ” There ’ s no sign yet of such fortitude : Sen. Ron Johnson ( R-WI ) , who has cosponsored multiple updates to presidential transition law , said last week that there was “ nothing ” to congratulate Joe Biden about .
And Trump , obviously , isn ’ t budging : He ’ s keeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ series of no-shot lawsuits while pushing out fundraising messages to supporters advertising his fishy “ election defense fund.
” The GSA , for its part , has tried unsuccessfully to avoid the spotlight , releasing brief statements and otherwise mostly declining to speak to reporters on the record .
The Washington Post first reported last week that Murphy had reached out to Barram .
A GSA spokesperson recently pointed to “ prior precedent established by the Clinton Administration in 2000 ” in holding off on an ascertainment .
And it ’ s true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testified that “ the law does not authorize me to pick the next President or predict who the next president will be.
” But back then , Barram told TPM , a few hundred votes in a single state determined the president-elect .
Now , it ’ s thousands of votes across several states .
“ From a logical , common-sense point of view , Trump is not going to overturn those states and get enough electoral votes to win , ” he said .
“ So , to me , the administrator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on the evidence that ’ s sitting in front of our faces right now , as a country.
” Barram declined to get into details about his conversations with the current administrator , but he speculated that Murphy feels pressure from a President who ’ s quick to lash out at those deemed disloyal , and cited the recent firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper .
“ She obviously knew that happened , ” Barram said of Murphy .
“ I mean , she ’ s young and has a career ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advice I would give to the Republican Party is , stop making it be about her and make it be about you guys.
” “ It sure is a bad example to set for the rest of us , ” he said , “ watching the Republicans behave this way .
”

As President Donald Trump continues to refuse to acknowledge defeat, pundits and politicos have trained their fire on a Trump administration official whose say-so would open the doors of government to President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team — the head of the General Services Administration, Emily Murphy.
Murphy, in turn, has maintained a strict silence about why she’s withheld the official “ascertainment” that would grant additional resources and access to the Biden team. But she has reached out to the one man on Earth whose experience has remotely echoed her own: The GSA administrator during the 2000 Bush v. Gore recount, Dave Barram.
Barram, who held off on officially ascertaining Bush to be the winner of the 2000 contest until the Supreme Court weighed in in December, told TPM over the weekend that he’d spoken by phone and email to Murphy about her situation.
“I think she really wants to do the right thing, I just think that the pressures on her are heavy,” Barram told TPM. “I’ve not said anything about what she should do. I was asked point blank, ‘Would you ascertain?’ And I’m not going to answer that because it’s not fair to her.”
A GSA spokesperson disputed any speculation that Murphy was receiving pressure from the White House.
“This is the administrator’s decision, she is focused on doing her job,” the spokesperson said.
Barram’s point of view is clear: Biden is the obvious victor of the 2020 election. This presidential contest may have resembled the one two decades ago “for maybe two days, when it really wasn’t clear who’d won,” he said, but the ballot count since has been undeniable.
“The only thing unclear is why Donald Trump keeps holding off” on conceding, he said, adding separately: “I just think it’s disgusting and embarrassing behavior by the President. He should concede.”
The former GSA administrator said he was also “disgusted” with Republican senators who haven’t given Murphy any cover: If just 10 of them would recognize reality, he said, Murphy “might feel like, ‘Okay, if I get fired, at least I’ve got other Republicans who don’t feel like I’m an idiot.’”
There’s no sign yet of such fortitude: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), who has cosponsored multiple updates to presidential transition law, said last week that there was “nothing” to congratulate Joe Biden about.
And Trump, obviously, isn’t budging: He’s keeping the gravy train rolling and pursuing a series of no-shot lawsuits while pushing out fundraising messages to supporters advertising his fishy “election defense fund.”
The GSA, for its part, has tried unsuccessfully to avoid the spotlight, releasing brief statements and otherwise mostly declining to speak to reporters on the record. The Washington Post first reported last week that Murphy had reached out to Barram.
A GSA spokesperson recently pointed to “prior precedent established by the Clinton Administration in 2000” in holding off on an ascertainment. And it’s true that in early December 2000, Barram testified that “the law does not authorize me to pick the next President or predict who the next president will be.”
But back then, Barram told TPM, a few hundred votes in a single state determined the president-elect. Now, it’s thousands of votes across several states.
“From a logical, common-sense point of view, Trump is not going to overturn those states and get enough electoral votes to win,” he said. “So, to me, the administrator would be justified in making the decision based on the evidence that’s sitting in front of our faces right now, as a country.”
Barram declined to get into details about his conversations with the current administrator, but he speculated that Murphy feels pressure from a President who’s quick to lash out at those deemed disloyal, and cited the recent firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
“She obviously knew that happened,” Barram said of Murphy. “I mean, she’s young and has a career ahead of her. The one piece of advice I would give to the Republican Party is, stop making it be about her and make it be about you guys.”
“It sure is a bad example to set for the rest of us,” he said, “watching the Republicans behave this way.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-16--Fauci Denounces Scott Atlas’ Attacks On MI Guv: ‘I Totally Disagree With It’

Dr. Anthony Fauci , who serves on the White House ’ s COVID-19 response team , on Monday morning repudiated his colleague Scott Atlas ’ tweet encouraging people to “ rise up ” against Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer .
“ I totally disagree with it , ” Fauci said during an interview with “ Today Show ” host Savannah Guthrie .
“ I made no secret of that.
” “ I don ’ t want to say anything about Dr. Atlas as a person , but I totally disagree with the stand he takes , ” he added .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlas , whose skepticism toward masks and school closings has made him President Donald Trump ’ s favorite COVID-19 adviser , came under fire on Sunday over an incendiary tweet calling for some kind of revolt against Whitmer for placing new restrictions on schools and businesses amid the pandemic .
“ The only way this stops is if people rise up , ” Atlas tweeted .
“ You get what you accept.
” Several hours later , the doctor claimed he wasn ’ t trying to whip up violence against Whitmer , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheme that the FBI exposed last month .
“ I NEVER was talking at all about violence , ” Atlas tweeted .
“ People vote , people peacefully protest .
NEVER would I endorse or incite violence .
NEVER !
!
” Atlas and Fauci have been at odds with each other over the former ’ s Trump-friendly portrayal of the pandemic .
Last month , Fauci acknowledged that Atlas has more of Trump ’ s attention nowadays than he does .
“ I definitely don ’ t have his ear as much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci told MSNBC .

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who serves on the White House’s COVID-19 response team, on Monday morning repudiated his colleague Scott Atlas’ tweet encouraging people to “rise up” against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“I totally disagree with it,” Fauci said during an interview with “Today Show” host Savannah Guthrie. “I made no secret of that.”
“I don’t want to say anything about Dr. Atlas as a person, but I totally disagree with the stand he takes,” he added. “I just do, period.”
Atlas, whose skepticism toward masks and school closings has made him President Donald Trump’s favorite COVID-19 adviser, came under fire on Sunday over an incendiary tweet calling for some kind of revolt against Whitmer for placing new restrictions on schools and businesses amid the pandemic.
“The only way this stops is if people rise up,” Atlas tweeted. “You get what you accept.”
Several hours later, the doctor claimed he wasn’t trying to whip up violence against Whitmer, who was the target of an alleged kidnapping scheme that the FBI exposed last month.
“I NEVER was talking at all about violence,” Atlas tweeted. “People vote, people peacefully protest. NEVER would I endorse or incite violence. NEVER!!”
Atlas and Fauci have been at odds with each other over the former’s Trump-friendly portrayal of the pandemic.
Last month, Fauci acknowledged that Atlas has more of Trump’s attention nowadays than he does.
“I definitely don’t have his ear as much as Scott Atlas right now,” Fauci told MSNBC.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-16--GOP Infighting Continues As Georgia Secretary Of State Does Some Late-Night Debunking

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger took to Facebook Sunday night to debunk some of President Donald Trump ’ s tweets , revealing the current schism in the party .
The Republican Raffensperger — by no means a never-Trumper — has already come to verbal blows with Sens .
Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and David Perdue ( R-GA ) after the two called for his resignation .
The senators cited vague accusations of “ lack of transparency ” and “ mismanagement ” as grounds for his removal .
He dismissed the critiques and has defended the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again showed a willingness to push back against Trump ’ s constant flow of tweets claiming that his election loss was due to fraud .
In one , Trump spewed his usual nonsense about mail-in voting being rife with corruption .
In response , Raffensperger touted his own attempts to make it harder for people to vote by mail , a piece of the decades-long voter suppression campaign in Georgia that has consistently disenfranchised minority voters .
“ As Secretary of State the first thing I did was push legislation that —OUTLAWED—absentee ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Next , for the first time in the history of Georgia , Absentee ballots submitted through our electronic portal required photo ID .
My team—we made that happen.
” He also took a jab at “ failed candidate Doug Collins , ” calling him a “ liar.
” After Rep. Collins ( R-GA ) finished outside the top two for the runoff in one of the state ’ s Senate races , he was tapped by the Trump campaign to spearhead their recount efforts in Georgia .
Raffensperger announced that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden finished about 14,000 votes ahead of Trump .
In another tweet , Trump claimed that Dominion Voting Systems , a company that provides technology for ballot counting , deleted millions of votes nationwide .
In reality , there was an issue in one Michigan county where a clerk didn ’ t update the software , though the problem was fixed and all votes were counted .
Still , the conspiracy theory has taken off in the fever swamps of OANN and is now being amplified by Trump ’ s megaphone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s claims , and added that the company is not Venezuelan , as Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been claiming .
In a couple other late-night posts , Raffensperger also touted the state ’ s signature matching requirements , and pushed back against Trump ’ s claims that his ballot counting monitors were being kept out of the room .
The Trump-Raffensperger conflict is likely a harbinger of things to come .
With the two January Georgia Senate runoffs bearing the weight of chamber control , the state will become ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Party has become happy to accept and amplify , despite their baselessness .
Trump ’ s narrative , while fact-free , has caught fire with his base .
Just last weekend , thousands of Trump supporters flooded into D.C. for a “ million MAGA march.
” They paraded ( mostly maskless ) through the streets , trucks blinking “ STOP THE STEAL ” on their LED displays .

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger took to Facebook Sunday night to debunk some of President Donald Trump’s tweets, revealing the current schism in the party.
The Republican Raffensperger — by no means a never-Trumper — has already come to verbal blows with Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) after the two called for his resignation. The senators cited vague accusations of “lack of transparency” and “mismanagement” as grounds for his removal. He dismissed the critiques and has defended the state’s election.
On Sunday night, he again showed a willingness to push back against Trump’s constant flow of tweets claiming that his election loss was due to fraud.
In one, Trump spewed his usual nonsense about mail-in voting being rife with corruption.
In response, Raffensperger touted his own attempts to make it harder for people to vote by mail, a piece of the decades-long voter suppression campaign in Georgia that has consistently disenfranchised minority voters.
“As Secretary of State the first thing I did was push legislation that —OUTLAWED—absentee ballot harvesting in Georgia,” Raffensperger wrote. “Next, for the first time in the history of Georgia, Absentee ballots submitted through our electronic portal required photo ID. My team—we made that happen.”
He also took a jab at “failed candidate Doug Collins,” calling him a “liar.” After Rep. Collins (R-GA) finished outside the top two for the runoff in one of the state’s Senate races, he was tapped by the Trump campaign to spearhead their recount efforts in Georgia. Raffensperger announced that the state would conduct a hand-recount after President-elect Joe Biden finished about 14,000 votes ahead of Trump.
In another tweet, Trump claimed that Dominion Voting Systems, a company that provides technology for ballot counting, deleted millions of votes nationwide. In reality, there was an issue in one Michigan county where a clerk didn’t update the software, though the problem was fixed and all votes were counted. Still, the conspiracy theory has taken off in the fever swamps of OANN and is now being amplified by Trump’s megaphone.
Raffensperger linked to a fact check of Trump’s claims, and added that the company is not Venezuelan, as Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been claiming.
In a couple other late-night posts, Raffensperger also touted the state’s signature matching requirements, and pushed back against Trump’s claims that his ballot counting monitors were being kept out of the room.
The Trump-Raffensperger conflict is likely a harbinger of things to come. With the two January Georgia Senate runoffs bearing the weight of chamber control, the state will become ground zero for fraud accusations most of the Republican Party has become happy to accept and amplify, despite their baselessness.
Trump’s narrative, while fact-free, has caught fire with his base. Just last weekend, thousands of Trump supporters flooded into D.C. for a “million MAGA march.” They paraded (mostly maskless) through the streets, trucks blinking “STOP THE STEAL” on their LED displays.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--Trump’s New Anti-Election Lawyer Admitted POTUS’ Bogus Lawsuits ‘Will Not Work’

Marc Scaringi , an attorney who took over President Donald Trump ’ s feeble voter fraud lawsuit in Pennsylvania on Monday after the lawyers heading the case abandoned ship , seems to have had a whiplash-inducing of heart as to how effective Trump ’ s corrupt attempts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden ’ s electoral victory via the courts will be .
Scaringi , who also hosts a radio program , told listeners on November 7 that Trump ’ s court fights are unlikely to work out for the President .
“ In my opinion , there really are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will derail a Biden presidency , including these lawsuits , ” Scaringi said .
The lawyer asserted that while “ some ” of the cases “ have merit , ” ultimately they won ’ t deliver Trump the win he ’ s been digging for .
“ At the end of the day , in my view , the litigation will not work , ” Scaringi said .
“ It will not reverse this election.
” Scaringi ’ s comments were first flagged by MediaMatters news director John Whitehouse .
The Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s blog stating that Biden had “ successfully claimed the role of the 46th president of the United States.
” The post appears to have been deleted .

Marc Scaringi, an attorney who took over President Donald Trump’s feeble voter fraud lawsuit in Pennsylvania on Monday after the lawyers heading the case abandoned ship, seems to have had a whiplash-inducing change of heart as to how effective Trump’s corrupt attempts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory via the courts will be.
Scaringi, who also hosts a radio program, told listeners on November 7 that Trump’s court fights are unlikely to work out for the President.
“In my opinion, there really are no bombshells that are about to drop that will derail a Biden presidency, including these lawsuits,” Scaringi said.
The lawyer asserted that while “some” of the cases “have merit,” ultimately they won’t deliver Trump the win he’s been digging for.
“At the end of the day, in my view, the litigation will not work,” Scaringi said. “It will not reverse this election.”
Scaringi’s comments were first flagged by MediaMatters news director John Whitehouse.
The Washington Post also reported on a post on Scaringi’s blog stating that Biden had “successfully claimed the role of the 46th president of the United States.” The post appears to have been deleted.
Listen to Scaringi below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--Rubio Joins Group Of GOP Senators Who Are Finally Calling Biden ‘President-Elect’

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio ( FL ) on Monday evening joined a small cohort of GOP senators who are finally beginning to refer to President-elect Joe Biden as the leader of the incoming administration amid President Donald Trump ’ s electoral loss .
NPR reported that Rubio made the call when asked by a group of pool reporters about talk of the possibility that Sen. Angus King ( I-ME ) , may be up for consideration as the next Director of National Intelligence in the Biden administration .
“ Well , that ’ ll be the President-elect ’ s decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rubio joins a small but growing group of Republican senators who have broken with a majority in their party by recognizing Biden as the President-elect , including Sens .
Mitt Romney ( UT ) , Lisa Murkowski ( AK ) , Susan Collins ( ME ) and Ben Sasse ( NE ) who have each congratulated Biden on his win .
Sen. Pat Toomey ( R-PA ) was among the first to call for the shift of power to get underway by saying last week that a “ transition process ought to begin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to slow that process .
Rubio ’ s comments on Monday were a further pivot from those made by many of his GOP colleagues who have stopped short of acknowledging Biden ’ s win by invoking President Trump ’ s baseless claims of election fraud that has taken the form of battles that are quickly falling flat in court .
“ Ultimately that ’ s what the results , the preliminary results , seem to indicate .
You certainly have to anticipate if that ’ s the highest likelihood at this point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarks , which offered a less than optimistic view of Trump ’ s likelihood of prevailing in fizzling court cases , seemed to be echoed by GOP colleague , Sen. Mike Rounds ( R-SD ) .
“ Right now , it looks like it will be President Biden , ” Rounds said when asked about Trump ’ s legal woes .
“ We understand that .
”

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (FL) on Monday evening joined a small cohort of GOP senators who are finally beginning to refer to President-elect Joe Biden as the leader of the incoming administration amid President Donald Trump’s electoral loss.
NPR reported that Rubio made the call when asked by a group of pool reporters about talk of the possibility that Sen. Angus King (I-ME), may be up for consideration as the next Director of National Intelligence in the Biden administration.
“Well, that’ll be the President-elect’s decision obviously,” Rubio said Monday.
Rubio joins a small but growing group of Republican senators who have broken with a majority in their party by recognizing Biden as the President-elect, including Sens. Mitt Romney (UT), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Susan Collins (ME) and Ben Sasse (NE) who have each congratulated Biden on his win.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) was among the first to call for the shift of power to get underway by saying last week that a “transition process ought to begin” even as President Trump continued efforts to slow that process.
Rubio’s comments on Monday were a further pivot from those made by many of his GOP colleagues who have stopped short of acknowledging Biden’s win by invoking President Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud that has taken the form of battles that are quickly falling flat in court.
“Ultimately that’s what the results, the preliminary results, seem to indicate. You certainly have to anticipate if that’s the highest likelihood at this point,” Rubio said.
Rubio’s remarks, which offered a less than optimistic view of Trump’s likelihood of prevailing in fizzling court cases, seemed to be echoed by GOP colleague, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD).
“Right now, it looks like it will be President Biden,” Rounds said when asked about Trump’s legal woes. “We understand that.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--Report: Biden Reluctant To Pursue Trump Investigations When In Office

Despite the multitude of scandals that erupted throughout President Donald Trump ’ s time in the Oval Office , President-elect @ @ @ @ @ of investigating his predecessor once he ’ s sworn in .
According to NBC News @ @ @ @ @ that pursuing investigations into Trump ’ s tax returns or the way the President has @ @ @ @ @ his criminal associates would alienate Trump voters and stir up division .
Advisers for Biden @ @ @ @ @ President-elect “ just wants to move on ” and will be “ more oriented toward @ @ @ @ @ forward than prosecuting them.
” Biden reportedly wants to restore legitimacy to a Justice Department @ @ @ @ @ as his own personal law firm under Attorney General Bill Barr .
For the President-elect @ @ @ @ @ thing on this is that he will not interfere with his Justice Department and not @ @ @ @ @ ” another adviser told NBC News .

Despite the multitude of scandals that erupted throughout President Donald Trump’s time in the Oval Office, President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly leery of investigating his predecessor once he’s sworn in.
According to NBC News, Biden is privately worried that pursuing investigations into Trump’s tax returns or the way the President has used his power to shield his criminal associates would alienate Trump voters and stir up division.
Advisers for Biden told NBC News that the President-elect “just wants to move on” and will be “more oriented toward fixing the problems and moving forward than prosecuting them.”
Biden reportedly wants to restore legitimacy to a Justice Department that Trump has gleefully weaponized as his own personal law firm under Attorney General Bill Barr. For the President-elect, “the most important thing on this is that he will not interfere with his Justice Department and not politicize his Justice Department,” another adviser told NBC News.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--Atlas Urges People To Spend Thanksgiving With Elderly Despite COVID Because They May Die Soon

Dr. Scott Atlas , President Donald Trump ’ s favorite COVID-19 adviser who opposes lockdowns and often espouses Trump-friendly beliefs on the pandemic , made an eyebrow-raising suggestion on Monday night regarding family gatherings on Thanksgiving .
During an interview on Fox News , Atlas bashed the notion of staying away from elderly relatives during the holiday to protect them from the virus .
“ This kind of isolation is one of the unspoken tragedies of the elderly who are now being told don ’ t see your family at Thanksgiving , ” the doctor told Fox News host Martha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is their final Thanksgiving , believe it or not .
What are we doing here ?
” He argued that “ we want to protect the elderly , but we can not lock down.
” Atlas ’ comments clash with fellow White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci ’ s warning against large family gatherings involving relatives at higher risk of infection , which includes the elderly .
“ I think people should be very careful and prudent about social gatherings , particularly when members of the family might be at a risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condition , ” Fauci told CBS News last month .
“ Namely , you may have to bite the bullet and sacrifice that social gathering unless you ’ re pretty certain that the people that you ’ re dealing with are not infected.
” Additionally , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s ( CDC ) guidelines advise people to have a “ small dinner with only people who live in your household ” on Thanksgiving .

Dr. Scott Atlas, President Donald Trump’s favorite COVID-19 adviser who opposes lockdowns and often espouses Trump-friendly beliefs on the pandemic, made an eyebrow-raising suggestion on Monday night regarding family gatherings on Thanksgiving.
During an interview on Fox News, Atlas bashed the notion of staying away from elderly relatives during the holiday to protect them from the virus.
“This kind of isolation is one of the unspoken tragedies of the elderly who are now being told don’t see your family at Thanksgiving,” the doctor told Fox News host Martha MacCallum. “For many people this is their final Thanksgiving, believe it or not. What are we doing here?”
He argued that “we want to protect the elderly, but we cannot lock down.”
Atlas’ comments clash with fellow White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci’s warning against large family gatherings involving relatives at higher risk of infection, which includes the elderly.
“I think people should be very careful and prudent about social gatherings, particularly when members of the family might be at a risk because of their age or their underlying condition,” Fauci told CBS News last month. “Namely, you may have to bite the bullet and sacrifice that social gathering unless you’re pretty certain that the people that you’re dealing with are not infected.”
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines advise people to have a “small dinner with only people who live in your household” on Thanksgiving.
Watch Atlas below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--Biden Campaign Manager Expected To Serve As Deputy Chief Of Staff

President-elect Joe Biden ’ s campaign manager is expected to join the incoming administration as a deputy chief of staff , NBC News and CNN reported on Monday .
Jen O ’ Malley Dillon ’ s anticipated hire for the job — her first in the White House — comes after last week Biden announced Ron Klain would be joining his administration as chief of staff .
O ’ Malley Dillon joined the Biden campaign back in March and became the first woman to lead a winning Democratic presidential race , moving the President-elect ’ s campaign from the primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped Biden claim a handful of battleground states that had been won by his predecessor in 2016 and ultimately relegated Donald Trump to a single term .
O ’ Malley Dillon has held a number of top roles in Democratic operations , including executive director of the Democratic National Committee and the founding partner at Democratic consulting firm known as Precision Strategies .
Before joining Biden ’ s team , O ’ Malley Dillon had served as campaign manager for former Rep. Beto O ’ Rourke ’ s 2020 presidential bid , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Barack Obama ’ s campaigns — serving as battleground states director for Obama ’ s 2008 presidential campaign and the deputy campaign manager for his 2012 re-election campaign .

President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign manager is expected to join the incoming administration as a deputy chief of staff, NBC News and CNN reported on Monday.
Jen O’Malley Dillon’s anticipated hire for the job — her first in the White House — comes after last week Biden announced Ron Klain would be joining his administration as chief of staff.
O’Malley Dillon joined the Biden campaign back in March and became the first woman to lead a winning Democratic presidential race, moving the President-elect’s campaign from the primary field into a general election battle that helped Biden claim a handful of battleground states that had been won by his predecessor in 2016 and ultimately relegated Donald Trump to a single term.
O’Malley Dillon has held a number of top roles in Democratic operations, including executive director of the Democratic National Committee and the founding partner at Democratic consulting firm known as Precision Strategies.
Before joining Biden’s team, O’Malley Dillon had served as campaign manager for former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s 2020 presidential bid, in addition to stints on both of former President Barack Obama’s campaigns — serving as battleground states director for Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and the deputy campaign manager for his 2012 re-election campaign.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-18--Trump Fires DHS Official Who Debunked False Claims About The Election

President Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday evening that he was firing Chris Krebs , who led the Department of Homeland Security ’ s cybersecurity arm and who had taken a prominent role in debunking the conspiracy theories about the 2020 election that were being spread by Trump and his allies .
Krebs in recent days had expected that he would be terminated , according to a Reuters report last week that described the White House ’ s unsuccessful effort to get his agency to take down or edit the “ Rumor Control ” webpage it had launched to address the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his agency released a statement calling the 2020 election the “ most secure in American history ” while knocking down claims that there had been “ deleted or lost votes , changed votes.
” Krebs has led the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency since 2018 and has earned bipartisan praise from election officials for how his agency has helped them protect their election infrastructure .
Krebs most recent tweet before his ouster , sent earlier Tuesday , was more pushback at the claims that election infrastructure had been manipulated .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubled down on the false allegations .
Trump explicitly said Krebs was being fired due to his “ highly inaccurate ” statements that did not acknowledge “ that there were massive improprieties and fraud – including dead people voting , Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations , ‘ glitches ’ in the voting machines which changed.
” In a tweet minutes later , Trump shamelessly took credit for the federal government ’ s success in fending off foreign attacks on U.S. election systems — a defense Krebs himself helped lead .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Krebs would be fired , election officials rushed to his defense .
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos ( D ) said in a Thursday statement to TPM that Krebs had “ provided a steady hand ’ in the “ critically important work CISA ” does for election officials .
“ It is a dark day for government integrity if Director Krebs has been fired due to his adherence to the truth , ” Condos said .
“ We have enough work on our hands fighting disinformation campaigns by foreign governments attacking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not have to fight those same battles within our own government.
” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla ( D ) said in a statement that Krebs had “ been an accessible , reliable partner for elections officials across the country , and across party lines , as we have fortified our cyber defenses since 2016.
” “ The ongoing purge of respected , competent leaders who refuse to perpetuate Trump ’ s delusional conspiracy theories about the election is a disturbing sign for American government , ” Padilla said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It leaves our nation weaker .
Sadly this is not new for Trump—the truth has never mattered when it ’ s inconvenient for him.
” The news also drew praise of Krebs from Republicans in the Senate .
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr ( R-NC ) called Krebs a “ dedicated public servant who has done a remarkable job during a challenging time.
” Sen. Ben Sasse ( R-NE ) was more blunt : “ Chris Krebs did a really good job — as state election officials all across the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not be fired .
”

President Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday evening that he was firing Chris Krebs, who led the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity arm and who had taken a prominent role in debunking the conspiracy theories about the 2020 election that were being spread by Trump and his allies.
Krebs in recent days had expected that he would be terminated, according to a Reuters report last week that described the White House’s unsuccessful effort to get his agency to take down or edit the “Rumor Control” webpage it had launched to address the false claims. Even after that report, his agency released a statement calling the 2020 election the “most secure in American history” while knocking down claims that there had been “deleted or lost votes, changed votes.”
Krebs has led the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency since 2018 and has earned bipartisan praise from election officials for how his agency has helped them protect their election infrastructure.
Krebs most recent tweet before his ouster, sent earlier Tuesday, was more pushback at the claims that election infrastructure had been manipulated.
Trump’s tweets announcing Krebs’ termination doubled down on the false allegations. Trump explicitly said Krebs was being fired due to his “highly inaccurate” statements that did not acknowledge “that there were massive improprieties and fraud – including dead people voting, Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations, ‘glitches’ in the voting machines which changed.”
In a tweet minutes later, Trump shamelessly took credit for the federal government’s success in fending off foreign attacks on U.S. election systems — a defense Krebs himself helped lead.
Last week, when reports surfaced the expectation that Krebs would be fired, election officials rushed to his defense.
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos (D) said in a Thursday statement to TPM that Krebs had “provided a steady hand’ in the “critically important work CISA” does for election officials.
“It is a dark day for government integrity if Director Krebs has been fired due to his adherence to the truth,” Condos said. “We have enough work on our hands fighting disinformation campaigns by foreign governments attacking the integrity of our elections: we should not have to fight those same battles within our own government.”
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) said in a statement that Krebs had “been an accessible, reliable partner for elections officials across the country, and across party lines, as we have fortified our cyber defenses since 2016.”
“The ongoing purge of respected, competent leaders who refuse to perpetuate Trump’s delusional conspiracy theories about the election is a disturbing sign for American government,” Padilla said. “It’s an assault on reality. It leaves our nation weaker. Sadly this is not new for Trump—the truth has never mattered when it’s inconvenient for him.”
The news also drew praise of Krebs from Republicans in the Senate. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) called Krebs a “dedicated public servant who has done a remarkable job during a challenging time.”
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) was more blunt: “Chris Krebs did a really good job — as state election officials all across the nation will tell you — and he obviously should not be fired.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-18--Trump Will Hunker Down In WH For Thanksgiving Amid Refusal To Accept Reality

President Trump will stay hunkered down in the White House for Thanksgiving , instead of his annual pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago , as he continues fuming over losing the presidential election to President-elect Joe Biden , according to first lady chief of staff Stephanie Grisham .
CNN and the New York Times first reported the development .
Since Election Day two weeks ago , Tuesday marks the 10th time Trump didn ’ t list any public events on his daily schedule .
The sitting president has largely gone AWOL in taking no questions from reporters , having no cameras in Oval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course in Virginia on weekends .
Trump still hasn ’ t conceded his election loss and continues waging baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud on Twitter .
The sitting President has launched baseless legal efforts to delegitimize the results of the election which have fallen almost entirely flat .
Citing one White House official , CNN reported on Tuesday afternoon that word has gone around about Trump seriously weighing canceling his annual trip to Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving .
Later Tuesday , CNN reported that two officials said Trump informed them that he pulled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanksgiving .
The Times also reported on Trump ’ s Mar-a-Lago trip cancelation .
“ It feels like bunker mentality , ” the official told CNN .
According to CNN , some of Trump ’ s advisers pushed the sitting president for more official events after the election that would show him going about the job he is in denial about losing .
However , the White House did not have any post-election announcements or official engagements scheduled because Trump and his team were focused on re-election .
CNN reported that Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed doors , which include firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper and preparing the Afghanistan and Iraq drawdown orders .
The sitting president reportedly also inquired about options for striking Iran during a meeting last week , but his administration is rushing to restrict efforts on deregulation and immigration ahead of Trump ’ s term ending .
People familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump has little interest in piling more onto his schedule and that few aides have floated the idea to him due to “ his dark mood and preoccupation with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has spent his recent mornings at the Whtie House watching television , arriving to the Oval Office later in the afternoon and remaining into the evening .
Trump reportedly goes in and out between the office and his adjoining dining room , which has a large television in addition to newspapers and magazines scattered across the table .

President Trump will stay hunkered down in the White House for Thanksgiving, instead of his annual pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago, as he continues fuming over losing the presidential election to President-elect Joe Biden, according to first lady chief of staff Stephanie Grisham.
Holiday Scheduling Update: The @POTUS & @flotus will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday at the @WhiteHouse this year. ??? — Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45) November 17, 2020
CNN and the New York Times first reported the development.
Since Election Day two weeks ago, Tuesday marks the 10th time Trump didn’t list any public events on his daily schedule. The sitting president has largely gone AWOL in taking no questions from reporters, having no cameras in Oval Office and retreating to his namesake golf course in Virginia on weekends.
Trump still hasn’t conceded his election loss and continues waging baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud on Twitter. The sitting President has launched baseless legal efforts to delegitimize the results of the election which have fallen almost entirely flat.
Citing one White House official, CNN reported on Tuesday afternoon that word has gone around about Trump seriously weighing canceling his annual trip to Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving.
Later Tuesday, CNN reported that two officials said Trump informed them that he pulled the plug on traveling to Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving. The Times also reported on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago trip cancelation.
“It feels like bunker mentality,” the official told CNN.
According to CNN, some of Trump’s advisers pushed the sitting president for more official events after the election that would show him going about the job he is in denial about losing. However, the White House did not have any post-election announcements or official engagements scheduled because Trump and his team were focused on re-election.
CNN reported that Trump has made policy and personnel decisions from behind closed doors, which include firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper and preparing the Afghanistan and Iraq drawdown orders. The sitting president reportedly also inquired about options for striking Iran during a meeting last week, but his administration is rushing to restrict efforts on deregulation and immigration ahead of Trump’s term ending.
People familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump has little interest in piling more onto his schedule and that few aides have floated the idea to him due to “his dark mood and preoccupation with his loss.”
According to CNN, Trump has spent his recent mornings at the Whtie House watching television, arriving to the Oval Office later in the afternoon and remaining into the evening. Trump reportedly goes in and out between the office and his adjoining dining room, which has a large television in addition to newspapers and magazines scattered across the table.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--DHS Attempts Yet Another Feat Of Quantum Bureaucracy To Shore Up Chad Wolf’s Legal Status

After yet another federal judge ruled that the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security doesn ’ t actually hold that position legally , the department tried one more Hail Mary to make its legal problems disappear .
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf , Judge Nicholas Garaufis wrote Saturday , did not have the authority to place new restrictions on the DACA program because of issues with his own legal status as the leader of DHS .
As Garaufis determined — echoing other federal judges and the Government Accountability Office before him — Wolf has never actually legally held the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a clumsy error by the administration .
In essence , Wolf ’ s predecessor ’ s predecessor , Kirstjen Nielsen , screwed up the paperwork designating a succession order before she resigned from her role in 2019 .
As a result , the acting DHS secretary that took Nielsen ’ s place , Kevin McAleenan , wasn ’ t legally appointed , nor was Wolf after him .
That means countless rules that Wolf has implemented now face renewed legal scrutiny , including the DACA memo that the court addressed on Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surreal legal fix that the department says solves all of Wolf ’ s problems — a maneuver to “ re-confirm ” Wolf ’ s status as acting DHS secretary .
The Department tried something similar earlier this year ; at the time , TPM called it “ Schrödinger ’ s DHS Secretary.
” Here ’ s how it works , according to DHS : On Sept. 10 , when President Trump formally nominated acting DHS Secretary Wolf to become Senate-confirmed DHS Secretary Wolf , FEMA Secretary Pete Gaynor hypothetically took over as acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on Saturday , Gaynor “ exercised any authority of the position of Acting Secretary that he had to designate an order of succession.
” As part of his duties as Quantum DHS Secretary , Gaynor reissued a revised succession order putting Wolf ahead of himself for the acting secretary job .
“ Once Mr. Gaynor ’ s order was executed , it superseded any authority Mr. Gaynor may have had under the Federal Vacancy Reform Act and confirmed Acting Secretary Wolf ’ s authority to continue to serve as the Acting Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ out of an abundance of caution , ” after he was re-made the acting DHS secretary , Wolf ratified his own past actions , as well as some of McAleenan ’ s .
It ’ s not at all clear that the latest DHS clean-up effort will work .
For starters , when the Department tried what was essentially the same maneuver in September , on the day that Trump formally nominated Wolf to become the Senate-confirmed secretary , they didn ’ t do it correctly .
As government lawyers acknowledged on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screwed up their timing , accidentally issuing the “ Gaynor Order ” around an hour before Wolf ’ s nomination was formally submitted to the Senate .
As Wolf noted in a footnote of the document he signed this weekend , Gaynor released the re-done order on Saturday “ out of caution , due to uncertainties related to the timing of the signing of that order on the date of my nomination to the U.S. Senate.
” What ’ s more , as Judge Garaufis pointed out Saturday , DHS hasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serving as the acting DHS secretary .
And while there is still no indication that Gaynor has ever been empowered by DHS to exercise the powers of the acting secretary , he wrote , “ there is every indication to the contrary.
” “ Even if Administrator Gaynor should be Acting Secretary , DHS can not recognize his authority only for the sham purpose of abdicating his authority to DHS ’ s preferred choice , and only in the alternative , ” the judge added .
This sort of bureaucratic time travel is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a footnote .
“ The court wishes the Government well , ” he said , “ in trying to find its way out of this self-made thicket .
”

After yet another federal judge ruled that the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t actually hold that position legally, the department tried one more Hail Mary to make its legal problems disappear.
But as the Stanford University administrative law expert Anne Joseph O’Connell told TPM, DHS’ past attempts to wrap up this mess fell far short of what the law required.
“You need the football in hand before you throw the Hail Mary pass,” she observed.
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, Judge Nicholas Garaufis wrote Saturday, did not have the authority to place new restrictions on the DACA program because of issues with his own legal status as the leader of DHS.
As Garaufis determined — echoing other federal judges and the Government Accountability Office before him — Wolf has never actually legally held the “acting DHS secretary” role because of a clumsy error by the administration.
In essence, Wolf’s predecessor’s predecessor, Kirstjen Nielsen, screwed up the paperwork designating a succession order before she resigned from her role in 2019. As a result, the acting DHS secretary that took Nielsen’s place, Kevin McAleenan, wasn’t legally appointed, nor was Wolf after him.
That means countless rules that Wolf has implemented now face renewed legal scrutiny, including the DACA memo that the court addressed on Saturday.
On Tuesday, DHS announced a surreal legal fix that the department says solves all of Wolf’s problems — a maneuver to “re-confirm” Wolf’s status as acting DHS secretary. The Department tried something similar earlier this year; at the time, TPM called it “Schrödinger’s DHS Secretary.”
Here’s how it works, according to DHS: On Sept. 10, when President Trump formally nominated acting DHS Secretary Wolf to become Senate-confirmed DHS Secretary Wolf, FEMA Secretary Pete Gaynor hypothetically took over as acting DHS secretary.
Two months after that, on Saturday, Gaynor “exercised any authority of the position of Acting Secretary that he had to designate an order of succession.”
As part of his duties as Quantum DHS Secretary, Gaynor reissued a revised succession order putting Wolf ahead of himself for the acting secretary job.
“Once Mr. Gaynor’s order was executed, it superseded any authority Mr. Gaynor may have had under the Federal Vacancy Reform Act and confirmed Acting Secretary Wolf’s authority to continue to serve as the Acting Secretary,” DHS said.
And, “out of an abundance of caution,” after he was re-made the acting DHS secretary, Wolf ratified his own past actions, as well as some of McAleenan’s.
It’s not at all clear that the latest DHS clean-up effort will work.
For starters, when the Department tried what was essentially the same maneuver in September, on the day that Trump formally nominated Wolf to become the Senate-confirmed secretary, they didn’t do it correctly. As government lawyers acknowledged on Friday, the feds appeared to have screwed up their timing, accidentally issuing the “Gaynor Order” around an hour before Wolf’s nomination was formally submitted to the Senate.
As Wolf noted in a footnote of the document he signed this weekend, Gaynor released the re-done order on Saturday “out of caution, due to uncertainties related to the timing of the signing of that order on the date of my nomination to the U.S. Senate.”
What’s more, as Judge Garaufis pointed out Saturday, DHS hasn’t submitted any notice to Congress about Gaynor serving as the acting DHS secretary. And while there is still no indication that Gaynor has ever been empowered by DHS to exercise the powers of the acting secretary, he wrote, “there is every indication to the contrary.”
“Even if Administrator Gaynor should be Acting Secretary, DHS cannot recognize his authority only for the sham purpose of abdicating his authority to DHS’s preferred choice, and only in the alternative,” the judge added.
This sort of bureaucratic time travel is unusual and complicated, as Garaufis acknowledged in a footnote.
“The court wishes the Government well,” he said, “in trying to find its way out of this self-made thicket.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--Trump’s Paranoid, Fact-Free, Anti-Democracy Id Gets Its Day in Court

In what may have been his first appearance in federal court in several years , former New York mayor and President Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani went on a bizarre and sensational diatribe about “ big cities ” doing “ corrupt ” things as part of an election “ stolen ” from the President .
The rhetoric — employed at a court hearing for a Trump campaign lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania ’ s election result — was familiar for anyone who follows Trump ’ s Twitter account .
But it was a stark contrast to how Trump campaign lawyers have typically distanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often ridiculous claims about voter fraud once they are in the courtroom .
Giuliani jumped in to represent the Trump campaign in the longshot lawsuit just hours before Tuesday ’ s hearing was scheduled to begin .
There had already been several shake-ups of the campaign ’ s legal team on the case before Giuliani joined it , and the complaint had also undergone significant changes over the weekend to what it was alleging about ballot-counting in the state .
Rather than focus on the particulars , however , Giuliani started his initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Matt Brann , of the Middle District of Pennsylvania , that the case was about “ widespread nationwide voter fraud.
” “ This is an outrage , your honor , to do this to people , ” Giuliani said , while lobbing baseless claims about Philadelphia not being an “ honest ” place and about a Democratic “ machine ” that had colluded against the President ’ s supporters .
He brought up equally questionable conspiracy theories about how the election had been carried out elsewhere in the country .
He connected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a “ time honored ” practice of “ holding back votes , ” as he cited claims about Chicago Mayor Richard Daley ’ s supposed interference in a 1960 election .
He warned that if Pennsylvania ’ s election results were not thrown out , it would lead to an “ epidemic ” of Democratic vote stealing .
“ You give them an inch , they ’ ll take a mile .
They ’ ve already taken a mile , ” Giuliani said .
“ They stole an election , at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back and forth between the two main claims the campaign is making in the case .
It is alleging that the U.S. constitution had been violated because Democratic-leaning counties were giving voters more of an opportunity to fix deficiencies on their mail ballots than certain GOP-leaning jurisdictions .
Giuliani claimed that this allegation was a “ classic violation of equal protection.
” “ That is exactly Bush v. Gore , ” Giuliani said .
The lawsuit as initially filed also included extensive claims about the supposed lack of poll watcher access for observing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Much of that section was removed in an amended complaint submitted Sunday , as was the specific request tied to it : that , if the court would not block the certification of the election , it order those roughly 700,000 ballots excluded from the count instead .
At the hearing , Giuliani suggested that some of those changes to the complaint happened by mistake and that another amended complaint was being filed to restore allegations that had been removed .
He also said that it was actually 1.5 million ballots that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the poll watching issues , but he did not explain how he came up with the numbers .
Giuliani ranted at length about the “ cages ” poll watchers were allegedly kept in .
He said the campaign would submit as evidence photos of poll watchers stationed 20 to 30 feet away from processing and holding binoculars because their visual access was so limited .
Giuliani put forward the exhibits even though the hearing was on the Pennsylvania motion to dismiss request , a procedural phase that usually comes before the evidence is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court denied the dismissal motion , the campaign had “ hundreds ” of affidavits to put forward , though Giuliani was concerned about “ overburdening ” the court .
While the proceedings were on a break to fix technical issues in the teleconference line carrying the hearing , a 5-2 decision came down from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that said Philadelphia did not violate state law in how it set up its poll watching access .
The lawyers representing the Pennsylvania election officials being sued in the case railed against Giuliani ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself .
Mark Aronchick , who is representing some of the defendant county officials , called Giuliani ’ s claims “ disgraceful ” and “ ridiculous.
” He said that campaign was turning the Constitution ’ s equal protection clause “ upside down ” by going after counties for making voting easier during the pandemic .
“ Can you imagine anyone understanding a court order cancelling [ about 1 million votes ] … based on nothing ?
” Aronchick said .
“ It is disgraceful that you would be asked to do that.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ side questions about their arguments , it became clear that Giuliani did not understand basic legal terms .
For instance , Judge Brann asked Giuliani which level of scrutiny he should apply for the dispute .
In election law cases , if a “ strict scrutiny ” standard is applied , states must overcome a higher bar in defending their voting policies , while under a “ rational basis ” standard , states have more leeway in defending their actions .
When Brann asked Giuliani which standard should be applied , Giuliani at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brann tried to clarify if Giuliani meant strict scrutiny .
“ Maybe , I don ’ t understand what you mean by strict scrutiny , ” Giuliani later added .
The judge also had questions for the other side , but they seemed to indicate that he was likely to rule in the defendants ’ favor .
He nonetheless asked for another round of filings in the coming days .

In what may have been his first appearance in federal court in several years, former New York mayor and President Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani went on a bizarre and sensational diatribe about “big cities” doing “corrupt” things as part of an election “stolen” from the President.
The rhetoric — employed at a court hearing for a Trump campaign lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s election result — was familiar for anyone who follows Trump’s Twitter account. But it was a stark contrast to how Trump campaign lawyers have typically distanced themselves from Trump’s fact-free and often ridiculous claims about voter fraud once they are in the courtroom.
Giuliani jumped in to represent the Trump campaign in the longshot lawsuit just hours before Tuesday’s hearing was scheduled to begin. There had already been several shake-ups of the campaign’s legal team on the case before Giuliani joined it, and the complaint had also undergone significant changes over the weekend to what it was alleging about ballot-counting in the state.
Rather than focus on the particulars, however, Giuliani started his initial 30 minute presentation by telling U.S. District Judge Matt Brann, of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, that the case was about “widespread nationwide voter fraud.”
“This is an outrage, your honor, to do this to people,” Giuliani said, while lobbing baseless claims about Philadelphia not being an “honest” place and about a Democratic “machine” that had colluded against the President’s supporters.
He brought up equally questionable conspiracy theories about how the election had been carried out elsewhere in the country. He connected the Trump campaign’s current allegations to a “time honored” practice of “holding back votes,” as he cited claims about Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s supposed interference in a 1960 election.
He warned that if Pennsylvania’s election results were not thrown out, it would lead to an “epidemic” of Democratic vote stealing.
“You give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. They’ve already taken a mile,” Giuliani said. “They stole an election, at least in this commonwealth.”
His rant drifted back and forth between the two main claims the campaign is making in the case. It is alleging that the U.S. constitution had been violated because Democratic-leaning counties were giving voters more of an opportunity to fix deficiencies on their mail ballots than certain GOP-leaning jurisdictions.
Giuliani claimed that this allegation was a “classic violation of equal protection.”
“That is exactly Bush v. Gore,” Giuliani said.
The lawsuit as initially filed also included extensive claims about the supposed lack of poll watcher access for observing the processing of nearly 700,000 mail ballots. Much of that section was removed in an amended complaint submitted Sunday, as was the specific request tied to it: that, if the court would not block the certification of the election, it order those roughly 700,000 ballots excluded from the count instead.
At the hearing, Giuliani suggested that some of those changes to the complaint happened by mistake and that another amended complaint was being filed to restore allegations that had been removed.
He also said that it was actually 1.5 million ballots that should be considered illegally cast because of the poll watching issues, but he did not explain how he came up with the numbers.
Giuliani ranted at length about the “cages” poll watchers were allegedly kept in. He said the campaign would submit as evidence photos of poll watchers stationed 20 to 30 feet away from processing and holding binoculars because their visual access was so limited.
Giuliani put forward the exhibits even though the hearing was on the Pennsylvania motion to dismiss request, a procedural phase that usually comes before the evidence is considered. Giuliani said that if the court denied the dismissal motion, the campaign had “hundreds” of affidavits to put forward, though Giuliani was concerned about “overburdening” the court.
While the proceedings were on a break to fix technical issues in the teleconference line carrying the hearing, a 5-2 decision came down from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that said Philadelphia did not violate state law in how it set up its poll watching access.
The lawyers representing the Pennsylvania election officials being sued in the case railed against Giuliani’s presentation, while picking apart the complaint itself.
Mark Aronchick, who is representing some of the defendant county officials, called Giuliani’s claims “disgraceful” and “ridiculous.” He said that campaign was turning the Constitution’s equal protection clause “upside down” by going after counties for making voting easier during the pandemic.
“Can you imagine anyone understanding a court order cancelling [about 1 million votes] … based on nothing?” Aronchick said. “It is disgraceful that you would be asked to do that.”
Once the judge began asking each side questions about their arguments, it became clear that Giuliani did not understand basic legal terms.
For instance, Judge Brann asked Giuliani which level of scrutiny he should apply for the dispute. In election law cases, if a “strict scrutiny” standard is applied, states must overcome a higher bar in defending their voting policies, while under a “rational basis” standard, states have more leeway in defending their actions.
When Brann asked Giuliani which standard should be applied, Giuliani at first said “the normal one.”
Brann tried to clarify if Giuliani meant strict scrutiny.
“No, the normal scrutiny,” Giuliani.
“Maybe, I don’t understand what you mean by strict scrutiny,” Giuliani later added.
The judge also had questions for the other side, but they seemed to indicate that he was likely to rule in the defendants’ favor. He nonetheless asked for another round of filings in the coming days.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--McConnell Inches Closer To Giving Up Trump’s Delusional Charade On Election Outcome

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) on Tuesday afternoon took a step away from the Trump administration ’ @ @ @ @ @ process between President-elect Joe Biden and President Donald Trump , who continues to falsely insist @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ re going to have an orderly transfer from this administration to the @ @ @ @ @ told reporters , per CNN .
“ What we all say about it is , @ @ @ @ @ GOP leader had previously voiced his support for Trump ’ s refusal to acknowledge Biden @ @ @ @ @ the President ’ s tantrums disguised as flimsy lawsuits against the election results in key @ @ @ @ @ President has has every right to look into allegations and to request recounts under the @ @ @ @ @ on the Senate floor last week .

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday afternoon took a step away from the Trump administration’s stalling of the transition process between President-elect Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, who continues to falsely insist he won the election.
“We’re going to have an orderly transfer from this administration to the next one,” McConnell told reporters, per CNN. “What we all say about it is, frankly, irrelevant.”
The GOP leader had previously voiced his support for Trump’s refusal to acknowledge Biden’s victory and for the President’s tantrums disguised as flimsy lawsuits against the election results in key swing states.
“The President has has every right to look into allegations and to request recounts under the law,” McConnell said on the Senate floor last week.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--Trump’s Fed Nominee Judy Shelton Stalls After Senate Vote

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — The nomination of Judy Shelton , President Donald Trump ’ s controversial pick for the Federal Reserve , is stalled in the Senate after Vice President-elect Kamala Harris returned to the chamber to cast a key vote in a tally Tuesday .
Two key Republicans were absent because of COVID-related concerns .
The 47-50 vote came as the Republican-controlled Senate continues to focus its energies in the post-election lame-duck session on confirming Trump ’ s appointees .
Shelton is an unusually caustic critic of the Fed and was opposed by two GOP senators in Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focused on the transition to the Biden administration but returned to the chamber for her first vote since winning the vice presidency .
Senator-elect Mark Kelly , D-Ariz. , is likely to join the Senate when the chamber returns from its Thanksgiving break .
That could leave Shelton short of support for confirmation even if Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , seeks a revote next month .
Shelton , a conservative economics commentator , is opposed by Senate Democrats , most economists , and many former Fed officials for her past support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that questioned the Fed ’ s political independence .
Under the gold standard , the U.S. dollar ’ s value is tied to gold .
Under that approach , the Fed has had less leeway to adjust interest rates , even in a severe recession .
Shelton was approved by the Senate Finance Committee on a 13-12 party-line vote in July .
Senate Democrats criticized her for appearing to flip-flop on many positions , including near-zero interest rates .
She opposed ultra-low rates during President Barack Obama ’ s presidency but supported them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demanded that the Fed lower its short-term benchmark rate .
“ Shelton has shown herself to be an economic weathervane , pointing whichever direction she believes the partisan winds are blowing , ” said Minority leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. As a member of the Fed ’ s powerful board of governors , Shelton would vote on the Fed ’ s rate decisions and on banking regulation .
The governors also vote on whether to institute emergency measures , such as the Fed ’ s decisions in March to start buying corporate bonds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raft of programs to bolster financial markets .
Still , on her own , it ’ s unlikely that Shelton would have much effect on Fed policy , economists have pointed out .
The central bank operates by consensus and Fed governors rarely dissent from interest rate decisions , though Fed bank presidents do .
For now , the Fed has pegged its benchmark rate to nearly zero and Fed officials have said they expect it to remain there until at least 2023 .
Shelton has been picked to fill a term that @ @ @ @

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nomination of Judy Shelton, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for the Federal Reserve, is stalled in the Senate after Vice President-elect Kamala Harris returned to the chamber to cast a key vote in a tally Tuesday.
Two key Republicans were absent because of COVID-related concerns. The 47-50 vote came as the Republican-controlled Senate continues to focus its energies in the post-election lame-duck session on confirming Trump’s appointees.
Shelton is an unusually caustic critic of the Fed and was opposed by two GOP senators in Tuesday’s vote. Harris has been focused on the transition to the Biden administration but returned to the chamber for her first vote since winning the vice presidency.
Senator-elect Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., is likely to join the Senate when the chamber returns from its Thanksgiving break. That could leave Shelton short of support for confirmation even if Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., seeks a revote next month.
Shelton, a conservative economics commentator, is opposed by Senate Democrats, most economists, and many former Fed officials for her past support of the gold standard and for writings that questioned the Fed’s political independence. Under the gold standard, the U.S. dollar’s value is tied to gold. Under that approach, the Fed has had less leeway to adjust interest rates, even in a severe recession.
Shelton was approved by the Senate Finance Committee on a 13-12 party-line vote in July. Senate Democrats criticized her for appearing to flip-flop on many positions, including near-zero interest rates. She opposed ultra-low rates during President Barack Obama’s presidency but supported them after President Donald Trump took office and demanded that the Fed lower its short-term benchmark rate.
“Shelton has shown herself to be an economic weathervane, pointing whichever direction she believes the partisan winds are blowing,” said Minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
As a member of the Fed’s powerful board of governors, Shelton would vote on the Fed’s rate decisions and on banking regulation. The governors also vote on whether to institute emergency measures, such as the Fed’s decisions in March to start buying corporate bonds for the first time and institute a raft of programs to bolster financial markets.
Still, on her own, it’s unlikely that Shelton would have much effect on Fed policy, economists have pointed out. The central bank operates by consensus and Fed governors rarely dissent from interest rate decisions, though Fed bank presidents do. For now, the Fed has pegged its benchmark rate to nearly zero and Fed officials have said they expect it to remain there until at least 2023. Shelton has been picked to fill a term that expires in 2024.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-11-17--Out-Of-Practice Attorney Giuliani Requested $20K A Day To Lead Trump’s Flailing Election Suits

Trump ’ s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani reportedly demanded hefty compensation for spearheading the sitting President ’ s baseless legal efforts to delegitimize the results of the election .
According to the New York Times on Tuesday , Giuliani requested that the Trump campaign pay him $ 20,000 a day for his legal work , all of which would eventually fall almost entirely flat as Trump maintains bogus claims of widespread voter fraud and refuses to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden .
The Times reported that Giuliani ’ s request sparked tension among Trump ’ s aides and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high asking price .
The amount of compensation for Giuliani ’ s legal efforts is unknown .
The Times noted that Giuliani charging a $ 20,000-a-day rate would have made him one of the most highly compensated attorneys in general .
Top-of-the-line lawyers in Washington and New York can charge as much as $ 15,000 a day if they dedicate all of their time working for a client .
Giuliani told the Times that he “ never asked for $ 20,000 ” and that Trump voluntarily ensured that his personal lawyer would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battles contesting Biden ’ s legitimate election victory .
“ The arrangement is , we ’ ll work it out at the end , ” Giuliani told the Times , before adding that whoever spilled the beans on his supposedly $ 20,000-a-day asking price “ is a liar , a complete liar.
” The Times reported that some Trump allies are concerned that Giuliani is egging on the sitting president ’ s flimsy legal challenges because he sees financial advantage for himself in it .
Giuliani reportedly wanted compensation for his work dating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Trump began publicly fuming that he won despite projections indicating that Biden was in the lead to beat the mercurial president .
Multiple people close to the President told the Times that Giuliani pushed Trump to stoke numerous conspiracy theories about voting machine irregularities .
Giuliani vehemently insisted to Trump that his other advisers kept him out of the loop about the viability of the sitting president ’ s legal efforts to overturn the results of the election .
On the heels of Trump ’ s lawsuit in Arizona fizzling out when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week , the sitting president appointed Giuliani to take the lead on all election-related litigation and communications for it .
On the eve of a key hearing on a lawsuit in federal court in Pennsylvania , Giuliani reportedly pushed a lawyer out who had been leading the case , which left Trump ’ s team haphazardly looking for a replacement .
The local lawyer who is now spearheading the case has acknowledged that Biden won the election and said that lawsuits won ’ t budge the results .
After the judge in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s request to postpone the hearing on Monday night , the next morning Giuliani told the state court that he would personally appear on behalf of the sitting president in the case .

Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani reportedly demanded hefty compensation for spearheading the sitting President’s baseless legal efforts to delegitimize the results of the election.
According to the New York Times on Tuesday, Giuliani requested that the Trump campaign pay him $20,000 a day for his legal work, all of which would eventually fall almost entirely flat as Trump maintains bogus claims of widespread voter fraud and refuses to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden.
The Times reported that Giuliani’s request sparked tension among Trump’s aides and advisers, who ultimately ruled out his high asking price. The amount of compensation for Giuliani’s legal efforts is unknown.
The Times noted that Giuliani charging a $20,000-a-day rate would have made him one of the most highly compensated attorneys in general. Top-of-the-line lawyers in Washington and New York can charge as much as $15,000 a day if they dedicate all of their time working for a client.
Giuliani told the Times that he “never asked for $20,000” and that Trump voluntarily ensured that his personal lawyer would be compensated after the conclusion of his legal battles contesting Biden’s legitimate election victory.
“The arrangement is, we’ll work it out at the end,” Giuliani told the Times, before adding that whoever spilled the beans on his supposedly $20,000-a-day asking price “is a liar, a complete liar.”
The Times reported that some Trump allies are concerned that Giuliani is egging on the sitting president’s flimsy legal challenges because he sees financial advantage for himself in it. Giuliani reportedly wanted compensation for his work dating back to the day after the election as Trump began publicly fuming that he won despite projections indicating that Biden was in the lead to beat the mercurial president.
Multiple people close to the President told the Times that Giuliani pushed Trump to stoke numerous conspiracy theories about voting machine irregularities. Giuliani vehemently insisted to Trump that his other advisers kept him out of the loop about the viability of the sitting president’s legal efforts to overturn the results of the election.
On the heels of Trump’s lawsuit in Arizona fizzling out when the campaign dropped the Maricopa County case last week, the sitting president appointed Giuliani to take the lead on all election-related litigation and communications for it.
On the eve of a key hearing on a lawsuit in federal court in Pennsylvania, Giuliani reportedly pushed a lawyer out who had been leading the case, which left Trump’s team haphazardly looking for a replacement. The local lawyer who is now spearheading the case has acknowledged that Biden won the election and said that lawsuits won’t budge the results.
After the judge in the Pennsylvania case declined the Trump campaign’s request to postpone the hearing on Monday night, the next morning Giuliani told the state court that he would personally appear on behalf of the sitting president in the case.