talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-03--How Dozens of Trump’s Political Appointees Will Stay in Government After Biden Takes Over

This story first appeared at ProPublica .
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
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Christopher Prandoni was just 29 when he joined President Donald Trump ’ s administration as associate director for natural resources at the Council on Environmental Quality .
Last year , he hopped over to the Interior Department and became a close adviser to Secretary David Bernhardt , sometimes attending multiple meetings a day with the agency head .
In April , Bernhardt named Prandoni , only three years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 114,000-a-year position that ’ s part of the career civil service .
His appointment as a judge in the Interior Department ’ s Office of Hearings and Appeals , which arbitrates land-use disputes , drew sharp criticism from environmental groups concerned that Prandoni would infuse ideology into decisions and undermine the panel ’ s integrity .
“ The job that Prandoni was given was a gift ; it was payment for time served , ” said Brett Hartl , government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity .
“ He never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this job if he hadn ’ t worked directly with David Bernhardt for months at a time implementing the Trump agenda.
” Prandoni , whose new job was reported over the summer by E & E News , didn ’ t reply to a request for comment .
He is among 32 political appointees whom the administration has sought to hire into civil service positions in the first three quarters of this year , a phenomenon known as “ burrowing ” that occurs at the end of every administration .
Congress requires the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of such requests , since career jobs hold over from one administration to the next and generally have more protections against partisan attempts at removal .
Burrowing has a history that traces back to civil service reforms of the late 1880s , when Congress passed a law to try to ensure that jobs were awarded on merit rather than patronage .
The number of hires sought under Trump is so far roughly similar to the tally of other recent administrations .
The lists OPM provided to Congress include some recent hires who met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , merit-based hiring but have clearly partisan or ideological credentials .
Along with Prandoni , a longtime staffer for the Grover Norquist-led small government group , Americans for Tax Reform , the Trump administration list includes a former chief of staff to conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas , and a lawyer for energy and mining companies who got his start at a property rights think tank .
Although the incoming Biden administration has not yet addressed the issue , the party coming into the White House typically expresses concern when members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies , where they can slow implementation of the new president ’ s priorities .
After Trump won the 2016 election , Senate Republicans demanded weekly reports from OPM to track new transfer requests by the Obama administration .
Trump ’ s transition adviser , Chris Christie , had earlier threatened to change civil service laws to try to dislodge any Obama loyalists who may have found their way into the federal bureaucracy .
In 2010 , following public attention to a spate of burrowers from the Bush administration , OPM began requiring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on an ongoing basis .
Compliance hasn ’ t been perfect .
Between 2010 and March 2016 , the Government Accountability Office reported that OPM approved 78 out of 99 requests to convert political appointees into civil service jobs , but it didn ’ t retain enough information about the approvals for GAO to review them .
According to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Oversight Committee , in 2019 OPM approved 28 conversion requests , returned three without action and denied three .
Of the total who may get new jobs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attached , since many of the hires were still under review by OPM at the time the lists were compiled ; the process is supposed to take 15 business days but is often extended .
A court ruled over the summer that if OPM eventually determines the transfer was improper , the employee can be fired .
Five such moves were denied in 2020 because the agency said it “ could not conclude the appointment was free of political influence and complied with merit system principles.
” The Interior Department accounts for several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gregory Sheehan was appointed deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service in June 2017 .
( Then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke tried to make him director , but Sheehan lacked the position ’ s required scientific degree . )
In that position , he opened hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land to hunting and fishing and shepherded through rules that substantially weakened protections for endangered species .
Sheehan served 14 months before resigning , a spokesman said , to spend more time with his family in Utah .
But in August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sheehan was hired for a $ 166,910-a-year job as director of the Bureau of Land Management ’ s office in his home state .
Environmental groups slammed Sheehan as being too close to industry and local governments , which have long pushed for more access for mining and drilling , although as one of his first actions Sheehan canceled a set of oil and gas lease sales that had been scheduled near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks .
Sheehan referred questions to an agency spokesperson , Richard Packer , who wrote in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all candidates for career civil service positions based on their merits and qualifications to execute Interior ’ s mission ; to which , Mr. Sheehan was selected.
” Another new BLM state director is Barry Bushue , a longtime leader of the American Farm Bureau Federation , the nation ’ s largest agriculture industry lobbying group .
Bushue was appointed to run the U.S. Department of Agriculture ’ s Farm Service Agency office for Oregon in 2018 .
Earlier this year , he was transferred to a career position running BLM ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debates around the federal government ’ s authority over cattle grazing .
Susan Jane Brown , public lands and wildlife director for the Western Environmental Law Center , said Bushue ’ s background in agriculture does not necessarily mean he knows how to manage the diverse set of interests at play on public lands .
“ I don ’ t know why you ’ d put a farmer in charge of natural resources , because they ’ re different , ” she said .
She has an alternative explanation for the career appointments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ penchant for high turnover and lingering vacancies .
“ Maybe they are attempting to burrow in some employees , but boy is that a little too late , ” Brown said .
“ It seems to me that they ’ re simply scraping the bottom of the barrel and finding anybody with a pulse to put into some of these positions for the remainder of the lame duck.
” An Interior Department spokesperson said that the hires of Prandoni , Sheehan , and Bushue were appropriate and conducted according to standard procedures .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite whatever false narrative is being spun by special interest groups who are seeking to disparage the character and qualifications of these dedicated public servants , ” spokesperson Benjamin Goldey said in an email .
A final high-profile political appointee converted to career status in the environmental sphere is Brandon Middleton , who got his start challenging regulations under the Endangered Species Act as an attorney for the property rights-oriented Pacific Legal Foundation .
He then worked for Sen. Jeff Sessions , R-Ala. , who brought him to the Department of Justice ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he continued to correspond with his former foundation colleagues about issues before the DOJ .
Later that year , he joined the Department of the Interior as deputy solicitor for water resources , until he was appointed to a career position as chief counsel at the Department of Energy ’ s Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center , which manages the contracting for cleaning up toxic waste dumps .
Neither Middleton nor the Department of Energy responded to requests for comment .
Conversion requests are typically most common at the DOJ and Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has made plenty of those as well .
Among them : Prerak Shah , a memberof the right-leaning Federalist Society who served as a counselor to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton , defending cases on conservative causes celebre like voter ID laws and school prayer .
He then became Cruz ’ s chief of staff before joining Trump ’ s DOJ , and earlier this year he was appointed as an assistant U.S. attorney in the northern district of Texas .
Jordan von Bokern clerked for Judge Amy Coney Barrett , recently named @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being appointed counsel in the DOJ ’ s Office of Legal Policy , which directs initiatives such as coordinating judicial nominations with the White House .
In April , he was converted into a career trial attorney .
Michael Holley was a regional director for the Florida Republican Party , helped run the 2016 GOP convention and then worked on the inauguration before being hired for White House special projects .
In 2019 , he was appointed White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security , and earlier this year he became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Intelligence and Analysis , a career position .
Shah , Holley , von Bokern , and the Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment .
One of the highest-profile positions went to Tracy Short , who built his career in government litigating immigration cases , mostly in Texas .
In 2017 , he became principal legal advisor to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as it embraced a hard line on deportations .
And in July , he was appointed chief immigration judge at the DOJ ’ s Executive Office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running a court system that decides asylum cases .
Denise Slavin , a former president of the National Association of Immigration Judges who retired last year after 24 years on the bench , said that under Short , the agency has accelerated filing deadlines in a way that gives judges less discretion to consider the facts of each case .
“ He just doesn ’ t have the courtroom experience to be a chief judge , ” Slavin said .
Short referred questions to EOIR spokeswoman Kathryn Mattingly , who disputed that characterization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Attorneys are sometimes appointed to federal judgeships and former Solicitors General and Attorneys General have been appointed to the Supreme Court , there is nothing improper about appointing the former ICE Principal Legal Advisor to the CIJ position , particularly when that individual has had an extensive and exemplary career in public service , including nearly 20 years of immigration and management experience , ” Mattingly wrote in an email .
Short ’ s position , as well as other recent Trump appointees to the immigration apparatus at the DOJ , will survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dislodge career employees by transferring them elsewhere , but it will take a conscious effort by an administration that ’ s already got 4,000 political appointments to make even before it gets to the career service jobs .
The Trump administration could speed up the replacement of civil servants before inauguration because of an executive order the president issued in October .
It creates a new “ Schedule F ” category for career employees who have policy-making or policy-advocating roles , and it weakens their employment protections to the point where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ron Sanders , a longtime federal government human resources executive who now chairs an OPM advisory body called the Federal Salary Council , said the Trump administration still has plenty of time to act on that order in its final weeks .
“ I have been contacted by dozens of regular civil servants slated to be converted into Schedule F , ” Sanders said , “ which means they could be removed with little or no procedural protection or due process .
And they could be replaced by somebody else.
” Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would block implementation of Schedule F , but Sanders noted that Biden may want to keep it in place long enough to reverse any career appointments made in the waning days of Trump ’ s term .
Last week , House Democrats sent a letter to 61 federal agencies asking for more detailed information on political appointees who have been hired into career jobs , as well as positions newly designated as Schedule F. Senate Democrats have made similar requests to OPM , but they say that the response has been incomplete .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for comment .
Overall , some progressive advocates don ’ t think the conversion of political appointees into career positions will be as deep or as influential as it was in the second term of the Bush administration , when 139 officials found their way into civil service jobs , the GAO reported .
However , even a few people can make a difference .
“ Bureaucrats can slow down the administration ’ s policy efforts .
It ’ s minor , but the more of them there are , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And even if the number of conversions doesn ’ t seem unusually high , the types of positions are more political than in the past .
But since the documents are not released publicly and so many names are redacted , it ’ s difficult to tell who ’ s ending up where until the transfer is approved .
For that reason , Troy Cribb , director of policy for the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service , thinks the OPM ’ s burrowing lists should be more transparent .
“ Having eyes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Cribb said .
“ And not having these be public really undermines that .
”

This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
Christopher Prandoni was just 29 when he joined President Donald Trump’s administration as associate director for natural resources at the Council on Environmental Quality. Last year, he hopped over to the Interior Department and became a close adviser to Secretary David Bernhardt, sometimes attending multiple meetings a day with the agency head.
In April, Bernhardt named Prandoni, only three years out of law school, to a $114,000-a-year position that’s part of the career civil service. His appointment as a judge in the Interior Department’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, which arbitrates land-use disputes, drew sharp criticism from environmental groups concerned that Prandoni would infuse ideology into decisions and undermine the panel’s integrity.
“The job that Prandoni was given was a gift; it was payment for time served,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “He never in a thousand years would have gotten this job if he hadn’t worked directly with David Bernhardt for months at a time implementing the Trump agenda.”
Prandoni, whose new job was reported over the summer by E&E News, didn’t reply to a request for comment. He is among 32 political appointees whom the administration has sought to hire into civil service positions in the first three quarters of this year, a phenomenon known as “burrowing” that occurs at the end of every administration. Congress requires the Office of Personnel Management to provide summaries of such requests, since career jobs hold over from one administration to the next and generally have more protections against partisan attempts at removal.
Burrowing has a history that traces back to civil service reforms of the late 1880s, when Congress passed a law to try to ensure that jobs were awarded on merit rather than patronage. The number of hires sought under Trump is so far roughly similar to the tally of other recent administrations.
The lists OPM provided to Congress include some recent hires who met the agency’s standards for competitive, merit-based hiring but have clearly partisan or ideological credentials. Along with Prandoni, a longtime staffer for the Grover Norquist-led small government group, Americans for Tax Reform, the Trump administration list includes a former chief of staff to conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and a lawyer for energy and mining companies who got his start at a property rights think tank.
Although the incoming Biden administration has not yet addressed the issue, the party coming into the White House typically expresses concern when members of the previous administration embed themselves within agencies, where they can slow implementation of the new president’s priorities. After Trump won the 2016 election, Senate Republicans demanded weekly reports from OPM to track new transfer requests by the Obama administration. Trump’s transition adviser, Chris Christie, had earlier threatened to change civil service laws to try to dislodge any Obama loyalists who may have found their way into the federal bureaucracy.
In 2010, following public attention to a spate of burrowers from the Bush administration, OPM began requiring such appointments to be submitted for approval on an ongoing basis. Compliance hasn’t been perfect. Between 2010 and March 2016, the Government Accountability Office reported that OPM approved 78 out of 99 requests to convert political appointees into civil service jobs, but it didn’t retain enough information about the approvals for GAO to review them.
According to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Oversight Committee, in 2019 OPM approved 28 conversion requests, returned three without action and denied three. Of the total who may get new jobs in 2020, only a few have names attached, since many of the hires were still under review by OPM at the time the lists were compiled; the process is supposed to take 15 business days but is often extended. A court ruled over the summer that if OPM eventually determines the transfer was improper, the employee can be fired.
Five such moves were denied in 2020 because the agency said it “could not conclude the appointment was free of political influence and complied with merit system principles.”
The Interior Department accounts for several of the approved transfers in 2020.
Gregory Sheehan was appointed deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service in June 2017. (Then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke tried to make him director, but Sheehan lacked the position’s required scientific degree.) In that position, he opened hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land to hunting and fishing and shepherded through rules that substantially weakened protections for endangered species.
Sheehan served 14 months before resigning, a spokesman said, to spend more time with his family in Utah. But in August, after the previous director retired, Sheehan was hired for a $166,910-a-year job as director of the Bureau of Land Management’s office in his home state. Environmental groups slammed Sheehan as being too close to industry and local governments, which have long pushed for more access for mining and drilling, although as one of his first actions Sheehan canceled a set of oil and gas lease sales that had been scheduled near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Sheehan referred questions to an agency spokesperson, Richard Packer, who wrote in an email that the Interior Department “evaluates all candidates for career civil service positions based on their merits and qualifications to execute Interior’s mission; to which, Mr. Sheehan was selected.”
Another new BLM state director is Barry Bushue, a longtime leader of the American Farm Bureau Federation, the nation’s largest agriculture industry lobbying group. Bushue was appointed to run the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency office for Oregon in 2018. Earlier this year, he was transferred to a career position running BLM’s Oregon/Washington division — the site of fierce debates around the federal government’s authority over cattle grazing.
Susan Jane Brown, public lands and wildlife director for the Western Environmental Law Center, said Bushue’s background in agriculture does not necessarily mean he knows how to manage the diverse set of interests at play on public lands. “I don’t know why you’d put a farmer in charge of natural resources, because they’re different,” she said. She has an alternative explanation for the career appointments, given the Trump administration’s penchant for high turnover and lingering vacancies.
“Maybe they are attempting to burrow in some employees, but boy is that a little too late,” Brown said. “It seems to me that they’re simply scraping the bottom of the barrel and finding anybody with a pulse to put into some of these positions for the remainder of the lame duck.”
An Interior Department spokesperson said that the hires of Prandoni, Sheehan, and Bushue were appropriate and conducted according to standard procedures.
“This takes place in every administration despite whatever false narrative is being spun by special interest groups who are seeking to disparage the character and qualifications of these dedicated public servants,” spokesperson Benjamin Goldey said in an email.
A final high-profile political appointee converted to career status in the environmental sphere is Brandon Middleton, who got his start challenging regulations under the Endangered Species Act as an attorney for the property rights-oriented Pacific Legal Foundation. He then worked for Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who brought him to the Department of Justice’s environmental division in 2017, where he continued to correspond with his former foundation colleagues about issues before the DOJ.
Later that year, he joined the Department of the Interior as deputy solicitor for water resources, until he was appointed to a career position as chief counsel at the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center, which manages the contracting for cleaning up toxic waste dumps.
Neither Middleton nor the Department of Energy responded to requests for comment.
Conversion requests are typically most common at the DOJ and Department of Homeland Security, and the Trump administration has made plenty of those as well.
Among them: Prerak Shah, a memberof the right-leaning Federalist Society who served as a counselor to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, defending cases on conservative causes celebre like voter ID laws and school prayer. He then became Cruz’s chief of staff before joining Trump’s DOJ, and earlier this year he was appointed as an assistant U.S. attorney in the northern district of Texas.
Jordan von Bokern clerked for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, recently named to the U.S. Supreme Court, before being appointed counsel in the DOJ’s Office of Legal Policy, which directs initiatives such as coordinating judicial nominations with the White House. In April, he was converted into a career trial attorney. Michael Holley was a regional director for the Florida Republican Party, helped run the 2016 GOP convention and then worked on the inauguration before being hired for White House special projects. In 2019, he was appointed White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, and earlier this year he became a staff action officer in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, a career position.
Shah, Holley, von Bokern, and the Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.
One of the highest-profile positions went to Tracy Short, who built his career in government litigating immigration cases, mostly in Texas. In 2017, he became principal legal advisor to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as it embraced a hard line on deportations. And in July, he was appointed chief immigration judge at the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review — a prosecutor now running a court system that decides asylum cases.
Denise Slavin, a former president of the National Association of Immigration Judges who retired last year after 24 years on the bench, said that under Short, the agency has accelerated filing deadlines in a way that gives judges less discretion to consider the facts of each case.
“He just doesn’t have the courtroom experience to be a chief judge,” Slavin said.
Short referred questions to EOIR spokeswoman Kathryn Mattingly, who disputed that characterization.
“Just as former United States Attorneys are sometimes appointed to federal judgeships and former Solicitors General and Attorneys General have been appointed to the Supreme Court, there is nothing improper about appointing the former ICE Principal Legal Advisor to the CIJ position, particularly when that individual has had an extensive and exemplary career in public service, including nearly 20 years of immigration and management experience,” Mattingly wrote in an email.
Short’s position, as well as other recent Trump appointees to the immigration apparatus at the DOJ, will survive the transition. It’s possible to dislodge career employees by transferring them elsewhere, but it will take a conscious effort by an administration that’s already got 4,000 political appointments to make even before it gets to the career service jobs.
The Trump administration could speed up the replacement of civil servants before inauguration because of an executive order the president issued in October. It creates a new “Schedule F” category for career employees who have policy-making or policy-advocating roles, and it weakens their employment protections to the point where they could be booted for their political views.
Ron Sanders, a longtime federal government human resources executive who now chairs an OPM advisory body called the Federal Salary Council, said the Trump administration still has plenty of time to act on that order in its final weeks.
“I have been contacted by dozens of regular civil servants slated to be converted into Schedule F,” Sanders said, “which means they could be removed with little or no procedural protection or due process. And they could be replaced by somebody else.”
Federal employee unions have supported a bill that would block implementation of Schedule F, but Sanders noted that Biden may want to keep it in place long enough to reverse any career appointments made in the waning days of Trump’s term.
Last week, House Democrats sent a letter to 61 federal agencies asking for more detailed information on political appointees who have been hired into career jobs, as well as positions newly designated as Schedule F. Senate Democrats have made similar requests to OPM, but they say that the response has been incomplete. OPM did not respond to a request for comment.
Overall, some progressive advocates don’t think the conversion of political appointees into career positions will be as deep or as influential as it was in the second term of the Bush administration, when 139 officials found their way into civil service jobs, the GAO reported. However, even a few people can make a difference.
“Bureaucrats can slow down the administration’s policy efforts. It’s minor, but the more of them there are, it’s sort of cumulative,” Hartl said.
And even if the number of conversions doesn’t seem unusually high, the types of positions are more political than in the past. But since the documents are not released publicly and so many names are redacted, it’s difficult to tell who’s ending up where until the transfer is approved. For that reason, Troy Cribb, director of policy for the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, thinks the OPM’s burrowing lists should be more transparent.
“Having eyes on this is part of the accountability,” Cribb said. “And not having these be public really undermines that.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-03--Trump Feels Barr Hasn’t Looked Hard Enough For Massive Fraud That AG Said Doesn’t Exist

President Donald Trump on Thursday made clear that looking very hard is the only way to see the kind of outsized election fraud that his campaign has apparently found ( it hasn ’ t ) .
Decrying the “ most fraudulent election anyone ’ s ever seen , ” President Trump told reporters that the reason Attorney General Bill Barr hasn ’ t found evidence of the widespread election fraud the President has been raging about is because officials at the Justice Department “ haven ’ t looked very hard.
” “ He hasn ’ t done anything , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devoted legal henchman .
“ They haven ’ t looked very hard , which is a disappointment , to be honest with you .
It ’ s massive fraud , ” he added .
The comments come as Barr told the Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday that the Department of Justice had “ not seen fraud on a scale ” that would change the outcome of the presidential election .
When asked if the President still had confidence in his typically faithful ally , Trump told reporters to consult with him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of weeks from now.
” The comments follow the White House dodging a similar question on Wednesday when press secretary Kayleigh McEnany avoided weighing in on whether Trump still has confidence in the top DOJ official .
“ The President , if he has any personnel announcement , you will be the first to know it , ” McEnany told reporters at the time .
A Justice Department spokesperson on Wednesday swatted away suggestions that the department had “ concluded its investigation , ” as reports surfaced that Trump was livid at Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firing him .
“ The Department will continue to receive and vigorously pursue all specific and credible allegations of fraud as expeditiously as possible , ” the spokesperson said .
President Trump has made a number of moves in his dwindling days at the White House to oust government officials who have rebutted his claims of voter fraud — including Chris Krebs , a federal cybersecurity official who asserted that the Nov. 3 election where President Trump was defeated by President-elect Joe Biden was secure and free from widespread fraud .
The President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials in Georgia — a historically red state that he lost to Biden last month .
Trump trashed Republican Gov .
Brian Kemp , saying he was “ ashamed ” he had formerly endorsed the GOP leader and doubled down on attacks that included Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ( R ) , among others , even after state elections officials called on the President to condemn the death threats that have been leveled at them amid his baseless claims .

President Donald Trump on Thursday made clear that looking very hard is the only way to see the kind of outsized election fraud that his campaign has apparently found (it hasn’t).
Decrying the “most fraudulent election anyone’s ever seen,” President Trump told reporters that the reason Attorney General Bill Barr hasn’t found evidence of the widespread election fraud the President has been raging about is because officials at the Justice Department “haven’t looked very hard.”
“He hasn’t done anything,” Trump said of Barr, his traditionally devoted legal henchman. “They haven’t looked very hard, which is a disappointment, to be honest with you. It’s massive fraud,” he added.
Pres. Trump told reporters on Thursday that the reason AG Bill Barr hasn't found evidence of widespread fraud that would overturn the election was because he hasn't "looked very hard." He said in a "number of weeks" he could determine whether he still has confidence in Barr. pic.twitter.com/9AMSkytBst — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) December 3, 2020
The comments come as Barr told the Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday that the Department of Justice had “not seen fraud on a scale” that would change the outcome of the presidential election.
When asked if the President still had confidence in his typically faithful ally, Trump told reporters to consult with him again on the matter “a number of weeks from now.”
The comments follow the White House dodging a similar question on Wednesday when press secretary Kayleigh McEnany avoided weighing in on whether Trump still has confidence in the top DOJ official.
“The President, if he has any personnel announcement, you will be the first to know it,” McEnany told reporters at the time.
A Justice Department spokesperson on Wednesday swatted away suggestions that the department had “concluded its investigation,” as reports surfaced that Trump was livid at Barr’s reported comments and was considering firing him.
“The Department will continue to receive and vigorously pursue all specific and credible allegations of fraud as expeditiously as possible,” the spokesperson said.
President Trump has made a number of moves in his dwindling days at the White House to oust government officials who have rebutted his claims of voter fraud — including Chris Krebs, a federal cybersecurity official who asserted that the Nov. 3 election where President Trump was defeated by President-elect Joe Biden was secure and free from widespread fraud.
The President has extended his election wrath toward Republican officials in Georgia — a historically red state that he lost to Biden last month. Trump trashed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, saying he was “ashamed” he had formerly endorsed the GOP leader and doubled down on attacks that included Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), among others, even after state elections officials called on the President to condemn the death threats that have been leveled at them amid his baseless claims.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-03--Ex-US Attorney Asks GA Officials To Probe Graham’s Alleged Ballot-Toss Scheme

Former U.S. Attorney Michael Moore on Thursday sent the Georgia State Election Board and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger a request for an investigation into Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) , who allegedly asked Raffensperger about throwing away legal ballots in the state .
“ Based upon the public comments made by Secretary Raffensperger and given that the telephone call in question has been corroborated by both Secretary Raffensperger ’ s staff and Senator Graham , I request that the matter be fully investigated to determine if a violation of Georgia law occurred , ” Moore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , to the officials .
“ I am particularly concerned that the chairman of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee would make any attempt to interfere with the Georgia Secretary of State as he endeavored to lawfully perform his constitutional duties in overseeing the 2020 election and the counting , and re-counting , of the votes cast in the state of Georgia , ” he continued .
The attorney warned that “ time is of the essence ” for a potential investigation , given the upcoming Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
“ I am confident that a thorough investigation of the matters contained herein will bolster public confidence in Georgia ’ s election outcome and will deter any future efforts to disenfranchise the voters of the sacred and fundamental right to choose their leaders , ” he wrote .
Graham has denied trying to pressure Raffensperger into discarding ballots , and brushed off the potential for an ethics investigation into the matter .
“ I get accused of everything , ” he told CNN several days after the Georgia official came forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m just going to keep being me.
” When contacted by TPM for Graham ’ s response , the lawmaker ’ s communications director Kevin Bishop replied , “ The Obama appointed US Attorney ?
” and pointed to Moore ’ s Twitter feed , which shows anti-Trump tweets .
Raffensperger ’ s office did not immediately respond to TPM ’ s request for comment .

Former U.S. Attorney Michael Moore on Thursday sent the Georgia State Election Board and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger a request for an investigation into Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who allegedly asked Raffensperger about throwing away legal ballots in the state.
“Based upon the public comments made by Secretary Raffensperger and given that the telephone call in question has been corroborated by both Secretary Raffensperger’s staff and Senator Graham, I request that the matter be fully investigated to determine if a violation of Georgia law occurred,” Moore wrote in his letter, which was first obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, to the officials.
“I am particularly concerned that the chairman of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee would make any attempt to interfere with the Georgia Secretary of State as he endeavored to lawfully perform his constitutional duties in overseeing the 2020 election and the counting, and re-counting, of the votes cast in the state of Georgia,” he continued.
The attorney warned that “time is of the essence” for a potential investigation, given the upcoming Georgia Senate runoffs on January 5 early next year.
“I am confident that a thorough investigation of the matters contained herein will bolster public confidence in Georgia’s election outcome and will deter any future efforts to disenfranchise the voters of the sacred and fundamental right to choose their leaders,” he wrote.
Graham has denied trying to pressure Raffensperger into discarding ballots, and brushed off the potential for an ethics investigation into the matter.
“I get accused of everything,” he told CNN several days after the Georgia official came forward with the allegation. “I’m just going to keep being me.”
When contacted by TPM for Graham’s response, the lawmaker’s communications director Kevin Bishop replied, “The Obama appointed US Attorney?” and pointed to Moore’s Twitter feed, which shows anti-Trump tweets.
Raffensperger’s office did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-03--‘It’s Looney Tunes’: GA Official Puzzled By Pro-Trump Lawyers Urging Runoff Boycott

Gabriel Sterling , a Republican who serves as Georgia ’ s election implementation manager , took aim at pro-Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Lin Wood on Thursday morning , a day after they encouraged Georgians to boycott the battleground state ’ s runoff elections in January that will determine control of the Senate .
On Tuesday , Sterling torched President Trump and Georgia ’ s two Republican senators — Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler — for failing to condemn death threats of violence against election officials and workers .
Purdue and Loeffler attempted to pressure Sterling ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raffensperger , into resigning amid Trump ’ s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud .
“ Mr .
President , you have not condemned these actions or this language , ” Sterling said on Tuesday .
“ Senators , you have not condemned this language or these actions .
This has to stop .
We need you to step up .
And if you ’ re going to take a position of leadership , show some.
” During an interview on CNN Thursday morning , Sterling was asked about Powell and Wood ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day before when they spread more falsehoods of widespread election fraud as they called on Georgians against voting in “ another rigged election.
” Sterling was baffled by the pro-Trump lawyers ’ comments .
“ Who the heck knows .
I mean , it ’ s Looney Tunes , ” Sterling said , before calling Trump out for his 46-minute screed filled with unfounded voter fraud claims .
“ The President ’ s literally coming to Georgia to campaign for the same two senators that his two former lawyers who are filing lawsuits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same claims that the President made in his very long 46-minute video yesterday that have already been debunked.
” Sterling added that he ’ s “ speechless ” and “ that ’ s the best I got right now.
” Asked if he knows Wood , Sterling said that he ’ s “ never had to deal with him directly , ” although “ if you live in Atlanta , of course you know ” of Wood .
A clip then aired of Wood taking aim at Sterling during the Wednesday rally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Wood said at the Wednesday rally .
“ You ’ re not gon na sell our votes to China !
” Puzzled by Wood ’ s remarks , Sterling characterized the pro-Trump lawyer ’ s remarks as something that “ all comes out of fever dreams.
” “ There ’ s just no basis in any reality whatsoever .
But there are people who are emotionally tied to the President , and the President is taking advantage of that , ” Sterling said .
Sterling argued that people like Powell and Wood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding the ins and outs of a relatively complex system of how elections work .
”

Gabriel Sterling, a Republican who serves as Georgia’s election implementation manager, took aim at pro-Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Lin Wood on Thursday morning, a day after they encouraged Georgians to boycott the battleground state’s runoff elections in January that will determine control of the Senate.
On Tuesday, Sterling torched President Trump and Georgia’s two Republican senators — Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler — for failing to condemn death threats of violence against election officials and workers.
Purdue and Loeffler attempted to pressure Sterling’s boss, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, into resigning amid Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
“Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language,” Sterling said on Tuesday. “Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions. This has to stop. We need you to step up. And if you’re going to take a position of leadership, show some.”
During an interview on CNN Thursday morning, Sterling was asked about Powell and Wood’s remarks during a Georgia rally the day before when they spread more falsehoods of widespread election fraud as they called on Georgians against voting in “another rigged election.”
Sterling was baffled by the pro-Trump lawyers’ comments.
“Who the heck knows. I mean, it’s Looney Tunes,” Sterling said, before calling Trump out for his 46-minute screed filled with unfounded voter fraud claims. “The President’s literally coming to Georgia to campaign for the same two senators that his two former lawyers who are filing lawsuits to contest the election, with the same claims that the President made in his very long 46-minute video yesterday that have already been debunked.”
Sterling added that he’s “speechless” and “that’s the best I got right now.”
Asked if he knows Wood, Sterling said that he’s “never had to deal with him directly,” although “if you live in Atlanta, of course you know” of Wood.
A clip then aired of Wood taking aim at Sterling during the Wednesday rally.
“You listen up, Gabriel!” Wood said at the Wednesday rally. “You’re not gonna sell our votes to China!”
Puzzled by Wood’s remarks, Sterling characterized the pro-Trump lawyer’s remarks as something that “all comes out of fever dreams.”
“There’s just no basis in any reality whatsoever. But there are people who are emotionally tied to the President, and the President is taking advantage of that,” Sterling said.
Sterling argued that people like Powell and Wood are “taking advantage of people not understanding the ins and outs of a relatively complex system of how elections work.”
Watch Sterling’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-03--After Targeting Liberal Groups, GA SOS Now Investigating Republican Lawyer For Voter Fraud

Just one day ago , Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced that his office is investigating Democratic-aligned groups for allegedly trying to register out-of-state voters for the Georgia runoff elections .
“ I have issued clear warnings several times to groups and individuals working to undermine the integrity of elections in Georgia through false and fraudulent registrations , ” he proclaimed in a statement , citing groups including America Votes and The New Georgia Project .
But now , investigators for his office are looking into a Republican attorney in Florida for changing his registration to his brother ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — in a filmed speech — urging members of the Bay County Republican Party to do the same .
The attorney , Bill Price , spoke to the group at an event early last month which was filmed on Facebook Live .
The video and event page have since been taken down , though some media outlets recorded it first .
“ I will invite each and every one of you to be my roommate in Georgia , ” he says in the video , adding that he ’ s inviting “ 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m moving to Georgia — I ’ m changing my voter registration right now , ” he continued .
“ I ’ m moving to my brother ’ s house in Hiram , Georgia and I ’ m registering to vote and we ’ re gon na win that election , ” Price said in the video .
“ If you don ’ t want to do it , fine , but you might as well move to Venezuela now and get used to that lifestyle because that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to hold the Senate and we absolutely have to start fighting back — if that means changing your address for the next two months , so be it.
” He warned that if Democrats win the Senate , they will pack the courts , admit Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. as states and take people ’ s “ property , all your rights and any guns you ever hope to keep.
” “ Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is investigating a Florida lawyer who was caught on tape planning to – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Georgia before the January 5 Senate runoff elections and to register and cast a ballot , ” Raffensperger ’ s office said in a statement .
“ Only true Georgia residents can register to vote and cast a ballot in elections in Georgia.
” Deidre Holden , supervisor for elections and voter registration in Paulding County ( where Hiram is located ) told TPM that she believes Price ’ s changed registration qualifies as “ attempted fraud.
” She said that she was contacted by Frances Watson , investigations supervisor for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the probe into Price ’ s actions .
Holden also pointed TPM towards the state ’ s steep penalties for conspiracy to commit election fraud , criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and false registration .
All three can be felony-level crimes accompanied by jail time and hefty fines .
“ He attempted to register to vote fraudulently , but his registration is still in pending status , ” Raffensperger ’ s office said of Price .
In a statement to TPM earlier in the day , Raffensperger spokesperson Walter Jones pointed out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permanent residency is a felony.
” It ’ s not clear if the registration ’ s “ pending ” status changes that penalty .
Price told Fox News that the whole thing was a joke , and that he changed his registration to test whether Democrats might try to do the same .
“ I wanted to see how easy it was to do it , ” he said .
“ I ’ m not actually moving to Georgia .
I was joking.
” The Bay County Republican party maintained a similar tone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Any media outlet that takes seriously his comment that two million people should stay at his brother ’ s house has an agenda that goes beyond journalism , ” said party chairwoman Debbie Wood .
“ The media ’ s agenda here is obvious , ” she added .
“ They are desperate to distract from the hearings being held by Trump ’ s legal team highlighting an actual scandal , significant irregularities in this election that all came at the expense of President Donald J. Trump.
” There has been no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the election .
Some of the groups Raffensperger initially named when announcing his voter registration fraud investigation Wednesday denounced the secretary of state ’ s comments about them .
Nse Ufot , CEO of the New Georgia Project started by Stacey Abrams , called that investigation “ bogus.
” She said that his evidence of her group ’ s supposedly fraudulent behavior involved a volunteer writing a registration reminder postcard that ended up at the wrong address .
Raffensperger has not said whether his office believes the groups ’ behavior was illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took to Twitter and Brad took to the same old voter suppression playbook to try to stem the tide of the state ’ s rising , and expanding electorate , ” Ufot wrote on Twitter .
“ A press conference declaring fealty to Trump won ’ t stop the GOP bullying , and neither will disgracing the office of the SOS with a baseless , nonsense investigation into voting rights orgs.
” A spokesperson for another group Raffensperger named , America Votes , told the Associated Press that the registered voters they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintained by the Secretary of State ’ s office .
This post has been updated with a statement from the Georgia Secretary of State .

Just one day ago, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced that his office is investigating Democratic-aligned groups for allegedly trying to register out-of-state voters for the Georgia runoff elections.
“I have issued clear warnings several times to groups and individuals working to undermine the integrity of elections in Georgia through false and fraudulent registrations,” he proclaimed in a statement, citing groups including America Votes and The New Georgia Project.
But now, investigators for his office are looking into a Republican attorney in Florida for changing his registration to his brother’s home in Hiram, Georgia, and — in a filmed speech — urging members of the Bay County Republican Party to do the same.
The attorney, Bill Price, spoke to the group at an event early last month which was filmed on Facebook Live. The video and event page have since been taken down, though some media outlets recorded it first.
“I will invite each and every one of you to be my roommate in Georgia,” he says in the video, adding that he’s inviting “2 million of you to be roommate.”
“I’m moving to Georgia — I’m changing my voter registration right now,” he continued.
“I’m moving to my brother’s house in Hiram, Georgia and I’m registering to vote and we’re gonna win that election,” Price said in the video. “If you don’t want to do it, fine, but you might as well move to Venezuela now and get used to that lifestyle because that’s what’s coming. We absolutely have to hold the Senate and we absolutely have to start fighting back — if that means changing your address for the next two months, so be it.”
He warned that if Democrats win the Senate, they will pack the courts, admit Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. as states and take people’s “property, all your rights and any guns you ever hope to keep.”
“Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is investigating a Florida lawyer who was caught on tape planning to – and encouraging 2 million others to – move to Georgia before the January 5 Senate runoff elections and to register and cast a ballot,” Raffensperger’s office said in a statement. “Only true Georgia residents can register to vote and cast a ballot in elections in Georgia.”
Deidre Holden, supervisor for elections and voter registration in Paulding County (where Hiram is located) told TPM that she believes Price’s changed registration qualifies as “attempted fraud.”
She said that she was contacted by Frances Watson, investigations supervisor for the Secretary of State, on Monday about the probe into Price’s actions.
Holden also pointed TPM towards the state’s steep penalties for conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and false registration. All three can be felony-level crimes accompanied by jail time and hefty fines.
“He attempted to register to vote fraudulently, but his registration is still in pending status,” Raffensperger’s office said of Price. In a statement to TPM earlier in the day, Raffensperger spokesperson Walter Jones pointed out that “Registering without the intention of permanent residency is a felony.” It’s not clear if the registration’s “pending” status changes that penalty.
Price told Fox News that the whole thing was a joke, and that he changed his registration to test whether Democrats might try to do the same.
“I wanted to see how easy it was to do it,” he said. “I’m not actually moving to Georgia. I was joking.”
The Bay County Republican party maintained a similar tone in a statement obtained by TPM.
“Any media outlet that takes seriously his comment that two million people should stay at his brother’s house has an agenda that goes beyond journalism,” said party chairwoman Debbie Wood.
“The media’s agenda here is obvious,” she added. “They are desperate to distract from the hearings being held by Trump’s legal team highlighting an actual scandal, significant irregularities in this election that all came at the expense of President Donald J. Trump.”
There has been no evidence of “significant irregularities” revealed from the election.
Some of the groups Raffensperger initially named when announcing his voter registration fraud investigation Wednesday denounced the secretary of state’s comments about them.
Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project started by Stacey Abrams, called that investigation “bogus.”
She said that his evidence of her group’s supposedly fraudulent behavior involved a volunteer writing a registration reminder postcard that ended up at the wrong address. Raffensperger has not said whether his office believes the groups’ behavior was illegal or just accidental.
“The recipient took to Twitter and Brad took to the same old voter suppression playbook to try to stem the tide of the state’s rising, and expanding electorate,” Ufot wrote on Twitter. “A press conference declaring fealty to Trump won’t stop the GOP bullying, and neither will disgracing the office of the SOS with a baseless, nonsense investigation into voting rights orgs.”
A spokesperson for another group Raffensperger named, America Votes, told the Associated Press that the registered voters they were mailing applications to came from a list maintained by the Secretary of State’s office.
This post has been updated with a statement from the Georgia Secretary of State.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--Report: Trump Associates Tied To Alleged Bribery-For-Pardon Scheme

A top fundraiser for President Donald Trump and a lawyer for Trump ’ s son-in-law , Jared Kushner , are reportedly connected to the alleged scheme to offer a bribe in exchange for a presidential pardon .
The New York Times reports that a tech billionaire named Sanford Diller asked the fundraiser , Elliot Broidy , and Kushner ’ s lawyer , Abbe Lowell , to help a psychologist named Hugh Baras receive clemency after being imprisoned for tax evasion in 2017 .
Lowell then became Baras ’ attorney , as confirmed by Lowell ’ s own lawyer in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who passed away in February 2018 , is reportedly the individual alleged to be the one who would offer a “ substantial political contribution ” mentioned in the recently unsealed court order in the Justice Department ’ s investigation into the alleged plot .
The Times notes that no records show that Diller donated directly to the 2016 Trump campaign .
There has been no indication that Trump or anyone in the White House was directly involved in the scheme , and “ [ n ] o government official was or is currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the Justice Department told multiple outlets after the order was unsealed on Tuesday .
Baras , who was released from prison in August last year , ultimately did not receive clemency .

A top fundraiser for President Donald Trump and a lawyer for Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are reportedly connected to the alleged scheme to offer a bribe in exchange for a presidential pardon.
The New York Times reports that a tech billionaire named Sanford Diller asked the fundraiser, Elliot Broidy, and Kushner’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, to help a psychologist named Hugh Baras receive clemency after being imprisoned for tax evasion in 2017. Lowell then became Baras’ attorney, as confirmed by Lowell’s own lawyer in an interview with the Times.
Diller, who passed away in February 2018, is reportedly the individual alleged to be the one who would offer a “substantial political contribution” mentioned in the recently unsealed court order in the Justice Department’s investigation into the alleged plot. The Times notes that no records show that Diller donated directly to the 2016 Trump campaign.
There has been no indication that Trump or anyone in the White House was directly involved in the scheme, and “[n]o government official was or is currently a subject or target of the investigation,” the Justice Department told multiple outlets after the order was unsealed on Tuesday.
Baras, who was released from prison in August last year, ultimately did not receive clemency.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--Report: Trump Is Considering Preemptive Pardons For Up To 20 Allies

President Donald Trump is considering preemptive pardons for as many as 20 aides and associates before leaving office , Politico reported late Thursday .
Three sources who regularly speak with the President told Politico that Trump fears the pre-emptive clemency for the hefty list of family members and allies could yield unintended consequences , including , according to one source , making those close to the President look like criminals .
The news comes as reports earlier this week revealed that President Trump was considering pardons for his three eldest children and his daughter ’ s husband , Jared Kushner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even though none of them have been charged with a crime .
Trump is also warily considering extending a pardon to his lawyer Rudy Giuliani , a move which has been discussed more seriously , one source told Politico .
The pardons would be intended to protect Trump ’ s allies from getting caught up in any more federal investigations which Trump has decried as witch hunts in the past .
The pardons would fall short , however , of shielding anyone granted a pardon from state charges , congressional investigations or lawsuits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-NY ) , called the potential pardons “ a gross abuse of the presidential pardon authority.
” Meanwhile some Republican lawmakers have suggested that the move to pardon could backfire — even giving the impression of an admission of guilt .
Chuck Grassley ( R-IA ) told Politico that he knew why Trump had pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI .
“ But I don ’ t know what the others have done wrong that they ’ d need to be pardoned , @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump is considering preemptive pardons for as many as 20 aides and associates before leaving office, Politico reported late Thursday.
Three sources who regularly speak with the President told Politico that Trump fears the pre-emptive clemency for the hefty list of family members and allies could yield unintended consequences, including, according to one source, making those close to the President look like criminals.
The news comes as reports earlier this week revealed that President Trump was considering pardons for his three eldest children and his daughter’s husband, Jared Kushner, who is a White House senior adviser even though none of them have been charged with a crime.
Trump is also warily considering extending a pardon to his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, a move which has been discussed more seriously, one source told Politico.
The pardons would be intended to protect Trump’s allies from getting caught up in any more federal investigations which Trump has decried as witch hunts in the past. The pardons would fall short, however, of shielding anyone granted a pardon from state charges, congressional investigations or lawsuits.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), called the potential pardons “a gross abuse of the presidential pardon authority.”
Meanwhile some Republican lawmakers have suggested that the move to pardon could backfire — even giving the impression of an admission of guilt.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told Politico that he knew why Trump had pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
“But I don’t know what the others have done wrong that they’d need to be pardoned,” he said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--ICYMI: Your TPM Weekend News Roundup

ICYMI: Your TPM Weekend News Roundup

• Attorney General Bill Barr told the truth this week .
And for that he may lose his job .
• On Tuesday , the attorney general told the AP that the Justice Department had not uncovered the sort of mass voter fraud that would overturn the results of the presidential election .
• Soon after Barr ’ s interview was published , Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said the nation ’ s top law enforcement officer simply hadn ’ t looked hard enough .
• White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany dodged on Wednesday afternoon when asked whether President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney general ’ s comments .
• On Wednesday night , news broke that Trump was considering firing Barr over the comments .
Aides have reportedly urged Trump not to fire his attorney general .
• On Thursday morning , CNN reported that Barr had a particularly rough meeting with Trump at the White House after his AP interview .
• And later on Thursday , Trump himself said that Barr hadn ’ t looked very hard for the sort of widespread fraud Trump ’ s campaign has baselessly claimed .
Asked whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump told reporters to check back with him in a few weeks .
• Control of the Senate , and thus Joe Biden ’ s ability to govern , is on the line in the two Georgia Senate runoff elections , set for Jan. 5 .
• But President Trump ’ s bogus election fraud conspiracies may be backfiring on the two Republican senators fighting for reelection .
• But Georgia GOP Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler defended Trump ’ s antics in a pair of similar statements .
• Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their own creation on Thursday night : convincing Georgians to vote in the runoffs after crying fraud about the Nov. 3 elections .
• TPM ’ s Kate Riga took a look at Georgia ’ s runoff system ’ s roots in the Jim Crow south .
• Trump is scheduled to rally on behalf of Perdue and Loeffler on Saturday .
But local officials , including Georgia ’ s lieutenant governor , don ’ t seem especially eager for the President ’ s visit .
• The runoff races are expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that money funneled into ads .
Here ’ s a rundown of the political attack ads besieging Georgians ahead of the election .
• The conservative Supreme Court did not seem convinced to go along with President Trump ’ s push to exclude undocumented immigrants from the decennial census count , TPM ’ s Tierney Sneed reported on Monday .
• During the Supreme Court hearing , U.S .
Solicitor General Jeff Wall made clear the Census Bureau would not be able to meet a year-end deadline to deliver apportionment numbers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues in the census data collection , first reported by TPM last month , has grown , according to whistleblower documents obtained by the House .
Is this feature useful ?
Let us know .

The California State Bar is arguing that recent criminal charges against John Eastman in Fulton County, Georgia should not prevent…


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--Trump Loyalists Lewandowski, Bossie Installed At Pentagon Advisory Board

Two top Trump loyalists were installed at a Pentagon advisory board shortly after several board members were fired on Friday .
Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski , as well as David Bossie — Lewandowski ’ s deputy on Trump ’ s 2016 campaign and chairman of the group Citizens United — have been named to the Pentagon ’ s Defense Business Board , the Defense Department announced in a press release Friday .
The New York Times reported last month that Trump had picked Bossie to lead his campaign ’ s effort to contest the 2020 election results .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ each of these new members to the Defense Business Board and I look forward to their contributions to help guide the Department ’ s business efforts in the coming years , ” Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller said in a statement .
The newly announced board members , he said , “ have a proven record of achievement within their respective fields and have demonstrated leadership that will serve our Department , and our nation well.
” Earlier Friday , Politico reported that several members of the board , including the chair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via a brief email from the White House ’ s liaison to the Pentagon .
The Pentagon press release said Miller had “ thanked 9 outgoing members for their service ” The advisory board is made up of more than two dozen volunteers who provide business advice to the Pentagon .
“ A number of board members have been terminated with a form letter , ” Michael Bayer , the ousted chair of the board , told Politico .
“ In my experience , I was very surprised that the White House would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an advisory board that for 19 years has had a record of nonpartisan support with the department.
” “ This kind of a move really will weigh heavily on people on the future and their willingness to serve on these outside advisory boards if they ’ re going to be subjected to political loyalty tests .
It ’ s unprecedented .
I ’ m just saddened , ” Bayer added .

Two top Trump loyalists were installed at a Pentagon advisory board shortly after several board members were fired on Friday.
Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, as well as David Bossie — Lewandowski’s deputy on Trump’s 2016 campaign and chairman of the group Citizens United — have been named to the Pentagon’s Defense Business Board, the Defense Department announced in a press release Friday.
The New York Times reported last month that Trump had picked Bossie to lead his campaign’s effort to contest the 2020 election results.
“I’m proud to welcome each of these new members to the Defense Business Board and I look forward to their contributions to help guide the Department’s business efforts in the coming years,” Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller said in a statement.
The newly announced board members, he said, “have a proven record of achievement within their respective fields and have demonstrated leadership that will serve our Department, and our nation well.”
Earlier Friday, Politico reported that several members of the board, including the chair and vice chair, had been dismissed via a brief email from the White House’s liaison to the Pentagon. The Pentagon press release said Miller had “thanked 9 outgoing members for their service”
The advisory board is made up of more than two dozen volunteers who provide business advice to the Pentagon.
“A number of board members have been terminated with a form letter,” Michael Bayer, the ousted chair of the board, told Politico. “In my experience, I was very surprised that the White House would, at the eleventh hour, adjust an advisory board that for 19 years has had a record of nonpartisan support with the department.”
“This kind of a move really will weigh heavily on people on the future and their willingness to serve on these outside advisory boards if they’re going to be subjected to political loyalty tests. It’s unprecedented. I’m just saddened,” Bayer added.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--NJ Guv. Tells Gaetz To Stay Away From State After Rep. Attends Mask-Free Fundraiser

New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy ( D ) chewed out Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) on Friday after the congressman attended a fundraiser in the state that flouted New Jersey ’ s social distancing and mask requirements .
Murphy tweeted that the New York Young Republican Club ( NYYRC ) had allegedly “ snuck into ” Jersey City ( located just across the Hudson River from Manhattan ) to hold the fundraiser , where attendees did not wear masks or maintain a six-foot distance from one another as required by Murphy ’ s executive order .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willingly endanger people in another state , ” he wrote .
“ Jersey City law enforcement is investigating this matter.
” The governor ’ s tweet included a photo of the event in which Gaetz can be seen huddled in the crowd .
“ It is also beyond the pale that Rep Matt Putz – I mean @ RepMattGaetz – would participate in this .
What a fool , ” Murphy tweeted .
“ Matt – You are not welcome in New Jersey , and frankly I don ’ t ever want you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s official Twitter account cheered on Murphy ’ s salvo .
“ HE SAID WHAT HE SAID ” the account tweeted .
Gaetz ’ office did not immediately respond to request for comment .

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) chewed out Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Friday after the congressman attended a fundraiser in the state that flouted New Jersey’s social distancing and mask requirements.
Murphy tweeted that the New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC) had allegedly “snuck into” Jersey City (located just across the Hudson River from Manhattan) to hold the fundraiser, where attendees did not wear masks or maintain a six-foot distance from one another as required by Murphy’s executive order.
“It is beyond the pale that anyone would willingly endanger people in another state,” he wrote. “Jersey City law enforcement is investigating this matter.”
The governor’s tweet included a photo of the event in which Gaetz can be seen huddled in the crowd.
“It is also beyond the pale that Rep Matt Putz – I mean
@RepMattGaetz – would participate in this. What a fool,” Murphy tweeted. “Matt – You are not welcome in New Jersey, and frankly I don’t ever want you back in this state.”
New Jersey’s official Twitter account cheered on Murphy’s salvo.
“HE SAID WHAT HE SAID” the account tweeted.
Gaetz’ office did not immediately respond to request for comment.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--Menendez Says Superspreader Parties Go Against State Dept’s ‘Own Guidance’ For COVID Safety

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez ( D ) is calling out Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for hypocrisy — urging America ’ s top diplomat to cancel a series of holiday parties that defy the State Department ’ s own guidelines against holding “ non-mission critical ” gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic .
“ I am concerned that these parties pose a significant health risk , not only to attendees , but to the employees and workers who must staff these events , as well as to State Department employees who may feel pressured to attend , ” Menendez said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday .
The news comes after an earlier report that Pompeo and his wife had already invited roughly 900 guests to an indoor holiday party at the State Department later this month .
In his letter , Menendez rebuked Pompeo for the apparent superspreader event , suggesting that it puts at risk not only the gathering ’ s guests but also those responsible for staffing an event involving food and drinks that would likely require “ contractors , such as catering and wait staff , who do not receive the full benefits of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurance.
” But the Dec. 15 holiday party is not the only gathering the secretary of state is scheduled to host .
Menendez further condemned a series of other in-person festivities in a tweet on Friday , saying that the secretary of state should “ put the health & well-being of employees and workers first.
” The events defy the guidance of health experts within the Trump administration who have urged Americans to avoid travel and have also warned against large gatherings amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which hit its deadliest three-day stretch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 2,500 COVID-19 deaths for its third day in a row and new infections soared to 213,000 as cases increasingly overwhelm hospitals in the wake of the Thanksgiving holiday .
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield earlier this week projected deaths reaching “ close to 450,000 ” by February if a greater percentage of the population don ’ t begin to take seriously the guidelines put in place by the health agency to combat a virus that has spread like wildfire in the colder months as Americans gather indoors for events much smaller than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offered direct reference to guidance on the CDC website when he noted that in-person gatherings that involve attendees from outside of the local area are “ higher risk , even if the suggested six-feet social distancing guideline is properly followed .
He added , however , that large gatherings where “ such distance is not feasible ” is even more dangerous and deemed “ highest risk ” by the CDC .
Without providing details about enforcement , a State Department spokesman offered the Washington Post a fairly routine statement about keeping with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have largely fallen short of enforcing in the past , saying , “ we plan to fully enforce social distancing measures at this reception , and face coverings are mandatory for admittance.
” According to a statement on Friday from the American Foreign Service Association — a union representing diplomats which also criticized Pompeo ’ s planned parties — department officials have encouraged embassies and consulates around the world to only gather for virtual parties to close the year amid the pandemic .
The nonpartisan group urged the department to “ reverse course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own guidelines .
”

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez (D) is calling out Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for hypocrisy — urging America’s top diplomat to cancel a series of holiday parties that defy the State Department’s own guidelines against holding “non-mission critical” gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I am concerned that these parties pose a significant health risk, not only to attendees, but to the employees and workers who must staff these events, as well as to State Department employees who may feel pressured to attend,” Menendez said in a letter addressed to Pompeo on Thursday.
The news comes after an earlier report that Pompeo and his wife had already invited roughly 900 guests to an indoor holiday party at the State Department later this month.
In his letter, Menendez rebuked Pompeo for the apparent superspreader event, suggesting that it puts at risk not only the gathering’s guests but also those responsible for staffing an event involving food and drinks that would likely require “contractors, such as catering and wait staff, who do not receive the full benefits of federal employment and may not have health insurance.”
But the Dec. 15 holiday party is not the only gathering the secretary of state is scheduled to host. Menendez further condemned a series of other in-person festivities in a tweet on Friday, saying that the secretary of state should “put the health & well-being of employees and workers first.”
The events defy the guidance of health experts within the Trump administration who have urged Americans to avoid travel and have also warned against large gatherings amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which hit its deadliest three-day stretch on Thursday as the nation reported more than 2,500 COVID-19 deaths for its third day in a row and new infections soared to 213,000 as cases increasingly overwhelm hospitals in the wake of the Thanksgiving holiday.
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield earlier this week projected deaths reaching “close to 450,000” by February if a greater percentage of the population don’t begin to take seriously the guidelines put in place by the health agency to combat a virus that has spread like wildfire in the colder months as Americans gather indoors for events much smaller than the ones planned by Pompeo.
Menendez offered direct reference to guidance on the CDC website when he noted that in-person gatherings that involve attendees from outside of the local area are “higher risk, even if the suggested six-feet social distancing guideline is properly followed. He added, however, that large gatherings where “such distance is not feasible” is even more dangerous and deemed “highest risk” by the CDC.
Without providing details about enforcement, a State Department spokesman offered the Washington Post a fairly routine statement about keeping with the CDC guidelines that have Trump administration officials have largely fallen short of enforcing in the past, saying, “we plan to fully enforce social distancing measures at this reception, and face coverings are mandatory for admittance.”
According to a statement on Friday from the American Foreign Service Association — a union representing diplomats which also criticized Pompeo’s planned parties — department officials have encouraged embassies and consulates around the world to only gather for virtual parties to close the year amid the pandemic. The nonpartisan group urged the department to “reverse course and model responsible behavior in accordance with its own guidelines.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--House Votes To Decriminalize Marijuana But Measure Has No Chance In Senate

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — The Democratic-controlled House on Friday approved a bill to decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level .
The bill would reverse what supporters called a failed policy of criminalization of pot use and take steps to address racial disparities in enforcement of federal drug laws .
Opponents , mostly Republicans , called the bill a hollow political gesture and mocked Democrats for bringing it up at a time when thousands of Americans are dying from the coronavirus pandemic .
Supporters say it would help reverse adverse effects of the decades-long “ war on drugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , from the list of federally controlled substances while allowing states to set their own rules on pot .
The bill also would use money from an excise tax on marijuana to address the needs of groups and communities harmed by the drug war and provide for the expungement of federal marijuana convictions and arrests .
“ For far too long , we have treated marijuana as a criminal justice problem instead of as a matter of personal choice and public health , ” said Rep. Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. , chairman of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sponsor of the bill .
“ Whatever one ’ s views are on the use of marijuana for recreational or medicinal use , the policy of arrests , prosecution and incarceration at the federal level has proven unwise and unjust.
” The vote comes at a time when most Americans live in states where marijuana is legal in some form , and lawmakers from both parties agreed that national cannabis policy has lagged woefully behind changes at the state level .
That divide has created a host of problems — loans and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to get for many marijuana companies because pot remains illegal at the federal level .
The bill also would open up more opportunities for marijuana businesses , including access to Small Business Administration loans to help ensure that minorities can take part in an industry dominated by white famers and growers .
The bill , which passed 228-164 , now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate , where it is unlikely to advance .
A related bill that would give pot businesses access to traditional banking services has languished in the Senate after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled House on Friday approved a bill to decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level. The bill would reverse what supporters called a failed policy of criminalization of pot use and take steps to address racial disparities in enforcement of federal drug laws.
Opponents, mostly Republicans, called the bill a hollow political gesture and mocked Democrats for bringing it up at a time when thousands of Americans are dying from the coronavirus pandemic.
Supporters say it would help reverse adverse effects of the decades-long “war on drugs” by removing marijuana, or cannabis, from the list of federally controlled substances while allowing states to set their own rules on pot. The bill also would use money from an excise tax on marijuana to address the needs of groups and communities harmed by the drug war and provide for the expungement of federal marijuana convictions and arrests.
“For far too long, we have treated marijuana as a criminal justice problem instead of as a matter of personal choice and public health,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a key sponsor of the bill. “Whatever one’s views are on the use of marijuana for recreational or medicinal use, the policy of arrests, prosecution and incarceration at the federal level has proven unwise and unjust.”
The vote comes at a time when most Americans live in states where marijuana is legal in some form, and lawmakers from both parties agreed that national cannabis policy has lagged woefully behind changes at the state level. That divide has created a host of problems — loans and other banking services, for example, are hard to get for many marijuana companies because pot remains illegal at the federal level.
The bill also would open up more opportunities for marijuana businesses, including access to Small Business Administration loans to help ensure that minorities can take part in an industry dominated by white famers and growers.
The bill, which passed 228-164, now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it is unlikely to advance. A related bill that would give pot businesses access to traditional banking services has languished in the Senate after being approved by the House last year.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--Son Decries Anti-Maskers In Obit For Father Who Died From COVID-19

In an obituary that puts a human face on the widespread devastation inflicted by the pandemic , a man from Scott City , Kansas , rebuked those who refuse to wear masks in an obituary he wrote for his father , Marvin Farr , after he died from COVID-19 earlier this week .
Courtney Farr described in the obit how his 81-year-old father , who worked as the rural town ’ s local vet and farmer , was “ born into an America recovering from the Great Depression and about to face World War 2 , times of loss and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imagine.
” “ Americans would be asked to ration essential supplies and send their children around the world to fight and die in wars of unfathomable destruction , ” he wrote .
“ He died in a world where many of his fellow Americans refuse to wear a piece of cloth on their face to protect one another.
” Farr blasted the town locals in particular for ignoring the severity of COVID-19 and refusing to wear facial coverings .
“ The science that guided [ my father ’ s ] professional life has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the same people who depended on his knowledge to care for their animals and to raise their food , ” he wrote in the obituary .
Farr repeated the rebuke in a Facebook post published on Wednesday , saying he ’ s “ spent most of this year hearing people from my hometown talk about how this disease isn ’ t real , isn ’ t that bad , only kills old people , masks don ’ t work , etc.
” “ And because of the prevalence of those attitudes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much harder on him , his family and his caregivers than it should have been , ” he asserted .
In another Facebook post published the next day , Farr addressed criticism accusing him of making his father ’ s obit political .
“ Well , his death was political .
He died in isolation with an infectious disease that is causing a national crisis , ” he stated .
“ To pretend otherwise or to obfuscate is also a political decision.
” President Donald Trump , with the aid of some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently eschews masks and has derided those who wear them as “ politically correct ” despite health officials ’ science-based assessment that facial coverings prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
Farr ’ s father passed away amid record-breaking surges of the virus throughout the country .
Wednesday saw the highest number of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations per day since the pandemic began , and almost 213,000 new infections were recorded on Thursday .

In an obituary that puts a human face on the widespread devastation inflicted by the pandemic, a man from Scott City, Kansas, rebuked those who refuse to wear masks in an obituary he wrote for his father, Marvin Farr, after he died from COVID-19 earlier this week.
Courtney Farr described in the obit how his 81-year-old father, who worked as the rural town’s local vet and farmer, was “born into an America recovering from the Great Depression and about to face World War 2, times of loss and sacrifice difficult for most of us to imagine.”
“Americans would be asked to ration essential supplies and send their children around the world to fight and die in wars of unfathomable destruction,” he wrote. “He died in a world where many of his fellow Americans refuse to wear a piece of cloth on their face to protect one another.”
Farr blasted the town locals in particular for ignoring the severity of COVID-19 and refusing to wear facial coverings.
“The science that guided [my father’s] professional life has been disparaged and abandoned by so many of the same people who depended on his knowledge to care for their animals and to raise their food,” he wrote in the obituary.
Farr repeated the rebuke in a Facebook post published on Wednesday, saying he’s “spent most of this year hearing people from my hometown talk about how this disease isn’t real, isn’t that bad, only kills old people, masks don’t work, etc.”
“And because of the prevalence of those attitudes, my father’s death was so much harder on him, his family and his caregivers than it should have been,” he asserted.
In another Facebook post published the next day, Farr addressed criticism accusing him of making his father’s obit political.
“Well, his death was political. He died in isolation with an infectious disease that is causing a national crisis,” he stated. “To pretend otherwise or to obfuscate is also a political decision.”
President Donald Trump, with the aid of some of his GOP and Fox News allies, frequently eschews masks and has derided those who wear them as “politically correct” despite health officials’ science-based assessment that facial coverings prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Farr’s father passed away amid record-breaking surges of the virus throughout the country. Wednesday saw the highest number of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations per day since the pandemic began, and almost 213,000 new infections were recorded on Thursday.
H/t the Kansas City Star.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--GA Republicans Forced To Counter ‘Don’t Bother Voting’ Sentiment At Fox Town Hall

What some have dismissed as confined to a fringe element is becoming a recurring theme in the Georgia runoff campaigns : that President Donald Trump ’ s supporters , convinced that the general election was rigged , may just opt out of voting in January .
At a Fox News town hall Thursday night , during which host Laura Ingraham encouraged her viewers and audience to vote for Sens .
Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) and David Perdue ( R-GA ) , Perdue , Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp ( R ) and Rep. Doug Collins ( R-GA ) all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participate .
All three did so while , assisted by Ingraham , happily fanning the flames of conspiracy theories about the November election that Trump has sparked .
“ President Trump ’ s very frustrated and I ’ m very frustrated and we ’ re going to do everything we possibly can to make sure whenever anomalies are uncovered in November don ’ t happen in January , ” Perdue said .
“ But this is illogical for any Republican to think ‘ I ’ m just gon na sit down and hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over to the Democrats . '
” Perdue and Loeffler have been walking that tightrope since it became clear Trump wouldn ’ t let the fabricated idea of widespread election fraud out of his teeth .
They are at once trying to placate Trump and his supporters by echoing the specious claims , while also balancing the contradictory idea that the system isn ’ t so rigged that Republican votes won ’ t matter .
Perdue is trying to drive Trump-supporter turnout by making the case that reelecting the Republicans means protecting what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years — “ if , in fact , the result is not in his favor , ” he hastily caveated .
Kemp next took the stage , trying to claw back some MAGA bona fides after spending days on the receiving end of Trump ’ s fury .
He too cast doubt on the election , positioning Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as the true villain , and bringing up his desire for a signature audit .
Some Georgia Republicans have coalesced behind a call for signature verification measures in recent days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to discount President-Elect Joe Biden ’ s win in the state .
When Ingraham prompted Kemp for “ legislative fixes ” that could be done to un-rig the January election , he said that legal action is the quickest route to take .
Trump ’ s team has so far been spectacularly unsuccessful in its various lawsuits .
“ The thing right now is trying to figure out the fastest way to ensure that the vote is going to be secure because it ’ s like Lin Wood saying today , urging people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all that ’ s going to do is give the Democrats everything they want , ” Kemp said , referring to the pro-Trump lawyer .
“ It ’ s going to give the radicals everything they want.
” Wood , a lawyer who has championed various right-wing causes , has argued that Georgia Republicans should not bother voting in the runoff elections unless the system is reformed .
Kemp also tried to make the case that it ’ s really Democrats who are driving the wedge through the party , though Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him and Raffensperger on blast for weeks .
Collins joined in , after amplifying baseless accusations of voter fraud from the general election .
“ We can not allow our momentary disappointment of what we are seeing in the election — that we will fix and can fix — to keep us from going to the polls , ” Collins said .
“ David and Kelly need us at this point .
And as I said earlier when I started this , Donald Trump needs us.
” These contortions Georgia Republicans are pulling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and appears motivated by the concern that without Trump ’ s support , they ’ ll lose his base and the turnout they need to win .
Trump , who is due in the state on Saturday , has done little to allay those fears .
By marrying overturning the presidential election result in Georgia to runoff turnout , he ’ s ensuring that the Republicans won ’ t leave his corner .
That Trump has the power to greatly influence the runoff election was never in doubt .
But so far , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep his own grievances front and center , no matter the risk of depressing his base and torpedoing the Republican cause .

What some have dismissed as confined to a fringe element is becoming a recurring theme in the Georgia runoff campaigns: that President Donald Trump’s supporters, convinced that the general election was rigged, may just opt out of voting in January.
At a Fox News town hall Thursday night, during which host Laura Ingraham encouraged her viewers and audience to vote for Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA), Perdue, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) all had to spend time convincing viewers to participate.
All three did so while, assisted by Ingraham, happily fanning the flames of conspiracy theories about the November election that Trump has sparked.
“President Trump’s very frustrated and I’m very frustrated and we’re going to do everything we possibly can to make sure whenever anomalies are uncovered in November don’t happen in January,” Perdue said. “But this is illogical for any Republican to think ‘I’m just gonna sit down and hand, as you say, the keys over to the Democrats.'”
Perdue and Loeffler have been walking that tightrope since it became clear Trump wouldn’t let the fabricated idea of widespread election fraud out of his teeth. They are at once trying to placate Trump and his supporters by echoing the specious claims, while also balancing the contradictory idea that the system isn’t so rigged that Republican votes won’t matter.
Perdue is trying to drive Trump-supporter turnout by making the case that reelecting the Republicans means protecting what the Trump administration has done the past four years — “if, in fact, the result is not in his favor,” he hastily caveated.
Kemp next took the stage, trying to claw back some MAGA bona fides after spending days on the receiving end of Trump’s fury.
He too cast doubt on the election, positioning Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as the true villain, and bringing up his desire for a signature audit. Some Georgia Republicans have coalesced behind a call for signature verification measures in recent days, as they seek out some way to discount President-Elect Joe Biden’s win in the state.
When Ingraham prompted Kemp for “legislative fixes” that could be done to un-rig the January election, he said that legal action is the quickest route to take. Trump’s team has so far been spectacularly unsuccessful in its various lawsuits.
“The thing right now is trying to figure out the fastest way to ensure that the vote is going to be secure because it’s like Lin Wood saying today, urging people not to go vote in this election and all that’s going to do is give the Democrats everything they want,” Kemp said, referring to the pro-Trump lawyer. “It’s going to give the radicals everything they want.”
Wood, a lawyer who has championed various right-wing causes, has argued that Georgia Republicans should not bother voting in the runoff elections unless the system is reformed.
Kemp also tried to make the case that it’s really Democrats who are driving the wedge through the party, though Trump is the one who has been putting him and Raffensperger on blast for weeks.
Collins joined in, after amplifying baseless accusations of voter fraud from the general election.
“We cannot allow our momentary disappointment of what we are seeing in the election — that we will fix and can fix — to keep us from going to the polls,” Collins said. “David and Kelly need us at this point. And as I said earlier when I started this, Donald Trump needs us.”
These contortions Georgia Republicans are pulling is all in fealty to Trump, and appears motivated by the concern that without Trump’s support, they’ll lose his base and the turnout they need to win.
Trump, who is due in the state on Saturday, has done little to allay those fears.
The best way to insure a @KLoeffler and @sendavidperdue VICTORY is to allow signature checks in the Presidential race, which will insure a Georgia Presidential win (very few votes are needed, many will be found). Spirits will soar and everyone will rush out and VOTE! @BrianKempGA — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2020
By marrying overturning the presidential election result in Georgia to runoff turnout, he’s ensuring that the Republicans won’t leave his corner.
That Trump has the power to greatly influence the runoff election was never in doubt. But so far, he’s largely used that megaphone to keep his own grievances front and center, no matter the risk of depressing his base and torpedoing the Republican cause.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-12-04--‘Of No Personal Consequence’ To Biden Whether Or Not Trump Attends Inauguration

President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday that it is of “ no personal consequence ” to him whether or not outgoing President Donald Trump chooses to attend Biden ’ s inauguration next month , but that the move does have bearing on the nation ’ s image around the world .
“ It is totally his decision and it ’ s of no personal consequence to me , ” Biden said during an interview Thursday when CNN ’ s Jake Tapper asked if he thought it was important for Trump to join in the event .
“ But I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The President-elect said if Trump attended it would “ demonstrate at the end of this chaos that he ’ s created that there is peaceful transfer of power with the competing parties standing there , shaking hands and moving on.
” Trump has not yet said whether he will attend Biden ’ s inauguration .
Over the weekend , reports began to surface that Trump , who has floated a 2024 presidential bid , was considering ways to disrupt Biden ’ s inauguration , possibly even scheduling an event during his successor ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worry about the image we ’ re presenting to the rest of the world , ” Biden continued on Thursday .
He suggested that the world is watching as the United States fumbles amid its transfer of power , which has largely been precipitated by Trump ’ s false claims of fraud .
According to Biden , onlookers are thinking that what ’ s unfolding in the wake of the recent election is fitting of the sorts of issues that arise in “ tinhorn dictatorships ” rather than the United States .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the transfer of power I think is important , ” Biden said .

President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday that it is of “no personal consequence” to him whether or not outgoing President Donald Trump chooses to attend Biden’s inauguration next month, but that the move does have bearing on the nation’s image around the world.
“It is totally his decision and it’s of no personal consequence to me,” Biden said during an interview Thursday when CNN’s Jake Tapper asked if he thought it was important for Trump to join in the event. “But I do think it is for the country.”
The President-elect said if Trump attended it would “demonstrate at the end of this chaos that he’s created that there is peaceful transfer of power with the competing parties standing there, shaking hands and moving on.”
Trump has not yet said whether he will attend Biden’s inauguration. Over the weekend, reports began to surface that Trump, who has floated a 2024 presidential bid, was considering ways to disrupt Biden’s inauguration, possibly even scheduling an event during his successor’s inauguration week.
“I really worry about the image we’re presenting to the rest of the world,” Biden continued on Thursday. He suggested that the world is watching as the United States fumbles amid its transfer of power, which has largely been precipitated by Trump’s false claims of fraud. According to Biden, onlookers are thinking that what’s unfolding in the wake of the recent election is fitting of the sorts of issues that arise in “tinhorn dictatorships” rather than the United States.
“In that sense, the protocol of the transfer of power I think is important,” Biden said.