hotair--2020-09-28--Dems going all-in on South Carolina to try to oust Lindsey Graham

The latest poll of South Carolina shows Trump leading Biden by 10 .
The last one before that had him leading by six .
Trump may not blow Biden out of the water there this year but he ’ s certainly going to win there .
And normally , when a longtime Senate incumbent is well positioned to ride a president ’ s coattails in a state dominated by his party , he ’ s a lock for reelection .
What to make of the news , then , that Senate Majority PAC , the Democrats ’ top outside group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spend millions to bump Graham off this year ?
There are various tight Senate contests in red battlegrounds where that money might be put to better use ( Montana , Iowa ) .
And Graham ’ s opponent , Jaime Harrison , is raising blockbuster amounts of cash himself .
Normally a no-name challenger is at a serious disadvantage financially running against someone who ’ s been in the Senate for decades .
Not this year .
Three possible explanations .
One : Democrats are letting their white-hot hatred of Graham due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make foolish , emotional decisions on spending .
Two : Dems know something we don ’ t about the true state of the race .
Public polls suggest it ’ s a toss-up right now , but given that Trump will win comfortably , one has to believe that he ’ ll end up dragging Graham over the finish line with him ( especially with Graham in a starring role at Amy Coney Barrett ’ s confirmation hearing ) .
Three , which I think is the most probable scenario : Dems are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this point that they can afford to go in on longshots like this and not have to worry about spending in Montana or Iowa .
Money ’ s coming through the door faster than they can spend it , especially with the left in a panic over the Ginsburg vacancy .
Whatever the reason , Graham ’ s prognosis is getting dicier .
The main super PAC supporting the election of Democrats to the Senate is preparing to invest millions in South Carolina — a fresh signal that Democrats see the race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) as winnable .
Senate Majority PAC will launch a new , $ 6.5 million ad campaign in South Carolina on Monday , marking the first time that the super PAC has gone on the air this cycle in the traditional GOP stronghold .
The effort to bolster Democrat Jaime Harrison ’ s prospects includes $ 5 million in television ads and a $ 1.5 million digital campaign… “ There ’ s a reason Lindsey Graham is hitting the panic button and begging for donations on cable news : He ’ s vulnerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the super PAC ’ s president , J.B. Poersch .
“ Jaime Harrison has put this seat in play by running a strong campaign and earning the trust of South Carolinians who are ready for change.
” Graham has indeed resorted to begging openly for money during his Fox News appearances lately .
This tweet captures the challenge he ’ s facing succinctly : In 10 days , Harrison has spent more just on ads than Graham spent in his entire 2014 campaign , which he claimed the other day was the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a Senate race in South Carolina .
We ’ ll have hard numbers in a few weeks but the kind of money flowing in to Democrats post-Ginsburg seems to be uncharted territory for American politics .
Graham told “ Fox & Friends ” that he ’ s being “ killed financially ” because “ they hate my guts , ” an apparent reference to Democrats .
That ’ s true , they do hate his guts .
But the dirty little secret of his troubles in South Carolina right now is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least a meaningful percentage of them — who are holding out on him and keeping the race close .
The same poll this weekend that found Trump leading Biden by 10 there ( 52/42 ) found Graham leading Harrison by just a point , 45/44 .
On the one hand , that shows why you ’ d still bet on Graham to win : A majority of that seven-percent difference between Trump ’ s support and Graham ’ s support is likely to end up sighing and voting straight-ticket Republican .
On the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public poll in a row showing the race either tied or within a point .
And if you believe Harrison ’ s internal polling , he has an outright lead there : It ’ s hard to believe a longtime incumbent like Graham could be stuck in the mid-40s but two of the last three public polls had him at 44-45 percent as well .
The fact is that there ’ s always been an anti-Graham strain among the right in South Carolina , one that ’ s never quite been strong enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which poses a potential threat in a year like this one when the national climate is breaking against Republicans .
Patrick Ruffini pointed out today that we have a fairly recent apples-to-apples way to measure Graham ’ s popularity in the state .
In 2014 both he and Tim Scott were on the ballot ; Graham was running for a full six-year term while Scott was running in a Senate special election .
Graham was far better known statewide than Scott was .
Result : Graham won easily with 673,000 votes … while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes .
Nearly 85,000 South Carolina voters who backed Scott simply couldn ’ t bring themselves to check the box for Graham on the same ballot .
Many of those voters are still out there , preparing to vote this fall .
So maybe the prospect of Trump ’ s voters holding their noses and sticking with Graham isn ’ t as certain as I ’ ve thought .
Maybe Lindsey Graham 1.0 — McCain sidekick , amnesty proponent , ardent hawk ( he ’ s still an ardent hawk today ) — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Trump crony , can ’ t win them back even after helping put three conservative nominees on the Supreme Court in the last four years .
If you have a money machine like the Dems do right now , it might be worth tossing a few million at this race to keep the Lindsey 1.0 haters fresh in their hatred of him .
Here ’ s the ad they ’ re about to run against him in SC .
The theme is health care , as it is across the country @ @ @ @ @

The latest poll of South Carolina shows Trump leading Biden by 10. The last one before that had him leading by six. Trump may not blow Biden out of the water there this year but he’s certainly going to win there. And normally, when a longtime Senate incumbent is well positioned to ride a president’s coattails in a state dominated by his party, he’s a lock for reelection.
What to make of the news, then, that Senate Majority PAC, the Democrats’ top outside group in Senate races, is preparing to spend millions to bump Graham off this year? There are various tight Senate contests in red battlegrounds where that money might be put to better use (Montana, Iowa). And Graham’s opponent, Jaime Harrison, is raising blockbuster amounts of cash himself. Normally a no-name challenger is at a serious disadvantage financially running against someone who’s been in the Senate for decades. Not this year.
Three possible explanations. One: Democrats are letting their white-hot hatred of Graham due to his endless Trump ass-kissing lead them to make foolish, emotional decisions on spending. Two: Dems know something we don’t about the true state of the race. Public polls suggest it’s a toss-up right now, but given that Trump will win comfortably, one has to believe that he’ll end up dragging Graham over the finish line with him (especially with Graham in a starring role at Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing). Three, which I think is the most probable scenario: Dems are raking in such phenomenal amounts of cash at this point that they can afford to go in on longshots like this and not have to worry about spending in Montana or Iowa. Money’s coming through the door faster than they can spend it, especially with the left in a panic over the Ginsburg vacancy.
Whatever the reason, Graham’s prognosis is getting dicier.
The main super PAC supporting the election of Democrats to the Senate is preparing to invest millions in South Carolina — a fresh signal that Democrats see the race against Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) as winnable. Senate Majority PAC will launch a new, $6.5 million ad campaign in South Carolina on Monday, marking the first time that the super PAC has gone on the air this cycle in the traditional GOP stronghold. The effort to bolster Democrat Jaime Harrison’s prospects includes $5 million in television ads and a $1.5 million digital campaign… “There’s a reason Lindsey Graham is hitting the panic button and begging for donations on cable news: He’s vulnerable and he knows it,” said the super PAC’s president, J.B. Poersch. “Jaime Harrison has put this seat in play by running a strong campaign and earning the trust of South Carolinians who are ready for change.”
Graham has indeed resorted to begging openly for money during his Fox News appearances lately. This tweet captures the challenge he’s facing succinctly:
Crazy stat: Jaime Harrison, Lindsey Graham's challenger, has added $16 million to his TV buy since Ginsburg's passing. That's more than Graham spent on his entire 2014 reelect. ”I’m being killed financially,” Graham pleaded for $$$ on Fox News last week.https://t.co/adOSSk9dqt — Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) September 26, 2020
In 10 days, Harrison has spent more just on ads than Graham spent in his entire 2014 campaign, which he claimed the other day was the most money that’s ever been dropped in a Senate race in South Carolina. We’ll have hard numbers in a few weeks but the kind of money flowing in to Democrats post-Ginsburg seems to be uncharted territory for American politics.
Graham told “Fox & Friends” that he’s being “killed financially” because “they hate my guts,” an apparent reference to Democrats. That’s true, they do hate his guts. But the dirty little secret of his troubles in South Carolina right now is that it’s Republicans — or at least a meaningful percentage of them — who are holding out on him and keeping the race close. The same poll this weekend that found Trump leading Biden by 10 there (52/42) found Graham leading Harrison by just a point, 45/44. On the one hand, that shows why you’d still bet on Graham to win: A majority of that seven-percent difference between Trump’s support and Graham’s support is likely to end up sighing and voting straight-ticket Republican. On the other hand, this is the third public poll in a row showing the race either tied or within a point. And if you believe Harrison’s internal polling, he has an outright lead there:
Today is a day that so many people believed would never come: a new poll has us BEATING @LindseyGrahamSC by two points. My life is proof the American Dream is alive and well. This campaign is yet another example of that. In 37 days, we are going to make history. 💪🏻💪🏽💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/sQIzNLDvvL — Jaime Harrison, DNC Chair (@harrisonjaime) September 27, 2020
It’s hard to believe a longtime incumbent like Graham could be stuck in the mid-40s but two of the last three public polls had him at 44-45 percent as well. The fact is that there’s always been an anti-Graham strain among the right in South Carolina, one that’s never quite been strong enough to put him in serious jeopardy but which poses a potential threat in a year like this one when the national climate is breaking against Republicans. Patrick Ruffini pointed out today that we have a fairly recent apples-to-apples way to measure Graham’s popularity in the state. In 2014 both he and Tim Scott were on the ballot; Graham was running for a full six-year term while Scott was running in a Senate special election. Graham was far better known statewide than Scott was. Result: Graham won easily with 673,000 votes … while Scott won even more easily with 757,000 votes. Nearly 85,000 South Carolina voters who backed Scott simply couldn’t bring themselves to check the box for Graham on the same ballot. Many of those voters are still out there, preparing to vote this fall.
So maybe the prospect of Trump’s voters holding their noses and sticking with Graham isn’t as certain as I’ve thought. Maybe Lindsey Graham 1.0 — McCain sidekick, amnesty proponent, ardent hawk (he’s still an ardent hawk today) — alienated enough righties that Lindsey Graham 2.0, the Trump crony, can’t win them back even after helping put three conservative nominees on the Supreme Court in the last four years. If you have a money machine like the Dems do right now, it might be worth tossing a few million at this race to keep the Lindsey 1.0 haters fresh in their hatred of him.
Here’s the ad they’re about to run against him in SC. The theme is health care, as it is across the country for Dems this fall.


hotair--2020-09-28--Fact Check: No, Joe Biden didn't "get started" at a HBCU

Why does Joe Biden keep embellishing his academic record ?
It ’ s such an easy thing for reporters to check .
In this case , Biden was pandering to a South Carolina audience , desperately courting black voters , and lied about attending one of America ’ s historically black colleges .
Joe Biden was in a battle in a large Democrat field for the party ’ s presidential nominee .
In order to ingratiate himself during a town hall held on October 26 , 2019 , he said , “ I got started out of an HBCU , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held at Wilson High School in Florence , a school with its own historic past .
It was founded in 1866 by the Freedmen ’ s Bureau for black children seeking an education .
Late last week Carlos Holmes , director of news service for Delaware State , said no , Joe Biden was never a student at the school .
Holmes corrected the record by saying that Biden was a “ commencement keynote speaker in 2003 and [ 2016 ] , and during the former , he was awarded an honorary doctoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not at all like being a student on campus so that is a really big mistake to make .
Plus , 2003 and 2016 were way past the time that Biden would have been a student .
The man is 77 years old .
The university is about 50 miles south of the University of Delaware , where Biden graduated in 1965 .
Perhaps he will try to brush it off as a brain fart – oh yeah , I went to that other school .
My question is why did this fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have questioned Biden ’ s claim in past months , did no one bother to just check with the university ?
Could it be because the university ’ s president has a long history with Biden as a staffer and speechwriter ?
Just this month he was brought on the Biden – Harris campaign as a member of Biden ’ s transition team .
Hmmm .
This month , Biden and his VP pick Kamala Harris appointed Delaware State University President Dr. Tony Allen to serve on the Advisory Council of the Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speechwriter in Biden ’ s Senate office , would help ‘ to ensure the continuity of the government should the former Vice President win the November presidential election.
’ In a statement shared to Delaware State University ’ s website , Dr. Allen said he began working for Biden 23 years ago .
‘ We met in 1997 when he took a chance on a young , single father completing his graduate studies and asked me to come work in his Senate office , as a speechwriter and a liaison to the City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t know then was that he would become one of the primary catalysts to my life in public service.
’ Dr. Allen added that working with on the Advisory Council was a privilege .
‘ I could not be more honored and humbled by his invitation to offer counsel and perspective in an unprecedented moment in our nation ’ s history.
’ We could be generous and think that Joe just got confused or we could think that Biden thought it would be ok to use his friendship with Dr. Allen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He likely thought Allen would not speak up and he was right , Allen did not .
It was someone else who corrected the record .
I lean on the side that this was a deliberate lie made to pander to black voters .
Biden was desperate to get their support and was lagging in the polls in South Carolina .
Biden knew he had to get black voters to win the South Carolina primary .
The reason it is easy to think Biden deliberately lied is that this is Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about his academic record in the past .
Lefty publication Mother Jones ran a story about Biden ’ s past lies and included this from a NYT article : In his statement today , Mr. Biden , who attended the Syracuse College of Law and graduated 76th in a class of 85 , acknowledged : “ I did not graduate in the top half of my class at law school and my recollection of this was inacurate.
” As for receiving three degrees , Mr. Biden said : “ I graduated from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in history and political science .
My reference to degrees at the Claremont event was intended to refer to these majors – I said ‘ three ’ and should have said ‘ two.
’ ” Mr. Biden received a single B.A .
in history and political science .
” With regard to my being the outstanding student in the political science department , ” the statement went on .
“ My name was put up for that award by David Ingersoll , who is still at the University of Delaware.
” In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his claim that he went to school on full academic scholarship : ” My recollection is – and I ’ d have to confirm this – but I don ’ t recall paying any money to go to law school.
” Newsweek said Mr. Biden had gone to Syracuse ” on half scholarship based on financial need.
” In his statement today , Mr. Biden did not directly dispute this , but said he received a scholarship from the Syracuse University College of Law “ based in part on academics ” as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scholarship Fund of the state of Delaware .
He said the law school “ arranged for my first year ’ s room and board by placing me as an assitant resident adviser in the undergraduate school.
” As for the moot court competition , Mr. Biden said he had won such a competition , with a partner , in Kingston , Ontario , on Dec. 12 , 1967 .
Biden lies about which university he attended , his class ranking , his number of degrees , and obtaining a financial scholarship .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ s right this campaign cycle .
Biden ’ s campaign has been very successful at keeping the press away from Joe and he rarely answers questions , even during a “ press conference ” .
He is a longtime swamp creature that assumes he can just coast to victory without breaking a sweat and the press is happy to accommodate him .
An ironic part of this story is that Biden was trying to say he is a supporter of HBCUs .
Why then didn ’ t the Obama – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are funded ?
Trump fixed it .
Besides delivering on record funding for HBCUs , he made it so that they no longer have to apply year after year for the same funding .
He streamlined the process for them .

Why does Joe Biden keep embellishing his academic record? It’s such an easy thing for reporters to check. In this case, Biden was pandering to a South Carolina audience, desperately courting black voters, and lied about attending one of America’s historically black colleges.
Joe Biden was in a battle in a large Democrat field for the party’s presidential nominee. In order to ingratiate himself during a town hall held on October 26, 2019, he said, “I got started out of an HBCU, Delaware State.” The town hall was held at Wilson High School in Florence, a school with its own historic past. It was founded in 1866 by the Freedmen’s Bureau for black children seeking an education.
“I got started out of an HBCU, Delaware State — now, I don’t want to hear anything negative about Delaware State,” Mr. Biden told the audience, drawing laughter, as shown on video. “They’re my folks.”
Biden claims he “got started out of an HBCU, Delaware State” when he did not attend the universitypic.twitter.com/LnBOS1wQlT — Tommy Pigott (@TCPigott) October 26, 2019
Late last week Carlos Holmes, director of news service for Delaware State, said no, Joe Biden was never a student at the school. Holmes corrected the record by saying that Biden was a “commencement keynote speaker in 2003 and [2016], and during the former, he was awarded an honorary doctoral degree.” Being a commencement speaker is not at all like being a student on campus so that is a really big mistake to make. Plus, 2003 and 2016 were way past the time that Biden would have been a student. The man is 77 years old. The university is about 50 miles south of the University of Delaware, where Biden graduated in 1965. Perhaps he will try to brush it off as a brain fart – oh yeah, I went to that other school.
My question is why did this fact check take so long? While some have questioned Biden’s claim in past months, did no one bother to just check with the university? Could it be because the university’s president has a long history with Biden as a staffer and speechwriter? Just this month he was brought on the Biden – Harris campaign as a member of Biden’s transition team. Hmmm.
This month, Biden and his VP pick Kamala Harris appointed Delaware State University President Dr. Tony Allen to serve on the Advisory Council of the Biden Transition Team. Allen, a former speechwriter in Biden’s Senate office, would help ‘to ensure the continuity of the government should the former Vice President win the November presidential election.’ In a statement shared to Delaware State University’s website, Dr. Allen said he began working for Biden 23 years ago. ‘We met in 1997 when he took a chance on a young, single father completing his graduate studies and asked me to come work in his Senate office, as a speechwriter and a liaison to the City of Wilmington. ‘What I didn’t know then was that he would become one of the primary catalysts to my life in public service.’ Dr. Allen added that working with on the Advisory Council was a privilege. ‘I could not be more honored and humbled by his invitation to offer counsel and perspective in an unprecedented moment in our nation’s history.’
We could be generous and think that Joe just got confused or we could think that Biden thought it would be ok to use his friendship with Dr. Allen to his advantage on the campaign trail. He likely thought Allen would not speak up and he was right, Allen did not. It was someone else who corrected the record. I lean on the side that this was a deliberate lie made to pander to black voters. Biden was desperate to get their support and was lagging in the polls in South Carolina. Biden knew he had to get black voters to win the South Carolina primary. The reason it is easy to think Biden deliberately lied is that this is Biden’s history. He has been caught lying about his academic record in the past. Lefty publication Mother Jones ran a story about Biden’s past lies and included this from a NYT article:
In his statement today, Mr. Biden, who attended the Syracuse College of Law and graduated 76th in a class of 85, acknowledged: “I did not graduate in the top half of my class at law school and my recollection of this was inacurate.” As for receiving three degrees, Mr. Biden said: “I graduated from the University of Delaware with a double major in history and political science. My reference to degrees at the Claremont event was intended to refer to these majors – I said ‘three’ and should have said ‘two.’” Mr. Biden received a single B.A. in history and political science. ”With regard to my being the outstanding student in the political science department,” the statement went on. “My name was put up for that award by David Ingersoll, who is still at the University of Delaware.” In the Sunday interview, Mr. Biden said of his claim that he went to school on full academic scholarship: ”My recollection is – and I’d have to confirm this – but I don’t recall paying any money to go to law school.” Newsweek said Mr. Biden had gone to Syracuse ”on half scholarship based on financial need.” In his statement today, Mr. Biden did not directly dispute this, but said he received a scholarship from the Syracuse University College of Law “based in part on academics” as well as a grant from the Higher Education Scholarship Fund of the state of Delaware. He said the law school “arranged for my first year’s room and board by placing me as an assitant resident adviser in the undergraduate school.” As for the moot court competition, Mr. Biden said he had won such a competition, with a partner, in Kingston, Ontario, on Dec. 12, 1967.
Biden lies about which university he attended, his class ranking, his number of degrees, and obtaining a financial scholarship. He must assume no one will question him. He’s right this campaign cycle. Biden’s campaign has been very successful at keeping the press away from Joe and he rarely answers questions, even during a “press conference”. He is a longtime swamp creature that assumes he can just coast to victory without breaking a sweat and the press is happy to accommodate him.
An ironic part of this story is that Biden was trying to say he is a supporter of HBCUs. Why then didn’t the Obama – Biden administration fix the process in which they are funded? Trump fixed it. Besides delivering on record funding for HBCUs, he made it so that they no longer have to apply year after year for the same funding. He streamlined the process for them.
What’s next, Joe? Plagiarizing speeches again?


hotair--2020-09-28--NY Attorney General: We should just ignore some arrest warrants

NY Attorney General Letitia James had decided to make an example of the police-shooting death of Allan Feliz in 2019 and use that as an excuse to push for a rather radical change in NYPD policy .
Feliz was pulled over by an NYPD sergeant named Jonathan Rivera last October and provided someone else ’ s ID ( his brother ’ s ) when asked for his driver ’ s license .
The brother had some outstanding warrants for minor infractions .
An altercation ensued , leading to Feliz being shot and killed by the officer .
Using that incident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now recommending that officers no longer conduct arrests of individuals during traffic stops if they have outstanding warrants for a variety of classes of minor offenses .
These would include bench warrants for failing to appear in court or more minor , public nuisance offenses .
( NY Post ) The AG found no reason to charge Rivera but did say car stops such as the one with Feliz shouldn ’ t be performed by officers because “ the vast majority of traffic stops — including this one — do not involve criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in such situations can result in violent interactions.
” “ The report also highlighted studies demonstrating disparities in the use of force during traffic stops against Black and Latino men .
The untimely death of Mr. Feliz further underscores the need for this change , ” the report continues .
If the NYPD does decide to continue conducting traffic enforcement stops , the AG said officers should not arrest motorists who have low-level warrants , such as a failure to appear on a summons or bench warrants for violations like littering .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of public safety , but the AG has picked a less-than-ideal poster boy to make her case .
The death of Allan Feliz wasn ’ t some case of white , racist cops assassinating Black and Latino suspects .
First of all Seargent Rivera is Hispanic himself .
And Feliz wasn ’ t some innocent victim of circumstances .
The reason he gave over his brother ’ s ID instead of his own was that he was on parole from convictions on a variety of federal offenses at the time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and methamphetamines in the vehicle , the discovery of which would surely have sent him back to prison .
Feliz also didn ’ t comply with the officer ’ s instructions .
Instead , he continually attempted to drive the vehicle away .
He was only shot after nearly running over Rivera ’ s partner .
It was a preventable death , to be sure , but Feliz was the one who could have easily prevented it .
Still , as a result of this , the Attorney General wants the police to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warrants during traffic stops if the offenses aren ’ t serious crimes .
But if that ’ s going to become NYPD policy , then what is the point of issuing such warrants to begin with ?
In most cases of these lower-level crimes , a traffic stop is probably the only time the cops are going to be able to make an arrest .
They have far too many shootings , murders and riot offenses to chase down these days to be hunting down scofflaws on warrants involving public nuisance offenses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussion about the abandonment of New York City ’ s broken windows policies and the subsequent rise in crime .
When criminals realize that their offenses won ’ t be taken seriously and there will be few or no consequences for their actions , such crimes become all the more common .
And when you stop prosecuting the “ smaller ” crimes , the ripple effect leads to more people engaging in more serious crimes .
We learned all of this during the great crime crackdown of the nineties when crime rates were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen the backlash since liberal municipal leaders have backed off on those policies in favor of more lenient treatment .
Letitia James is simply looking to push the state further down this same road .
And the eventual destination is already in sight and it ’ s not pretty .

NY Attorney General Letitia James had decided to make an example of the police-shooting death of Allan Feliz in 2019 and use that as an excuse to push for a rather radical change in NYPD policy. Feliz was pulled over by an NYPD sergeant named Jonathan Rivera last October and provided someone else’s ID (his brother’s) when asked for his driver’s license. The brother had some outstanding warrants for minor infractions. An altercation ensued, leading to Feliz being shot and killed by the officer.
Using that incident as an example, the AG is now recommending that officers no longer conduct arrests of individuals during traffic stops if they have outstanding warrants for a variety of classes of minor offenses. These would include bench warrants for failing to appear in court or more minor, public nuisance offenses. (NY Post)
The AG found no reason to charge Rivera but did say car stops such as the one with Feliz shouldn’t be performed by officers because “the vast majority of traffic stops — including this one — do not involve criminal conduct, yet the involvement of police in such situations can result in violent interactions.” “The report also highlighted studies demonstrating disparities in the use of force during traffic stops against Black and Latino men. The untimely death of Mr. Feliz further underscores the need for this change,” the report continues. If the NYPD does decide to continue conducting traffic enforcement stops, the AG said officers should not arrest motorists who have low-level warrants, such as a failure to appear on a summons or bench warrants for violations like littering.
This unwise policy change is not only questionable in terms of public safety, but the AG has picked a less-than-ideal poster boy to make her case. The death of Allan Feliz wasn’t some case of white, racist cops assassinating Black and Latino suspects. First of all Seargent Rivera is Hispanic himself. And Feliz wasn’t some innocent victim of circumstances. The reason he gave over his brother’s ID instead of his own was that he was on parole from convictions on a variety of federal offenses at the time. He also had quantities of both cocaine and methamphetamines in the vehicle, the discovery of which would surely have sent him back to prison.
Feliz also didn’t comply with the officer’s instructions. Instead, he continually attempted to drive the vehicle away. He was only shot after nearly running over Rivera’s partner. It was a preventable death, to be sure, but Feliz was the one who could have easily prevented it.
Still, as a result of this, the Attorney General wants the police to stop making arrests of people with outstanding warrants during traffic stops if the offenses aren’t serious crimes. But if that’s going to become NYPD policy, then what is the point of issuing such warrants to begin with? In most cases of these lower-level crimes, a traffic stop is probably the only time the cops are going to be able to make an arrest. They have far too many shootings, murders and riot offenses to chase down these days to be hunting down scofflaws on warrants involving public nuisance offenses.
That brings us back to our longstanding discussion about the abandonment of New York City’s broken windows policies and the subsequent rise in crime. When criminals realize that their offenses won’t be taken seriously and there will be few or no consequences for their actions, such crimes become all the more common. And when you stop prosecuting the “smaller” crimes, the ripple effect leads to more people engaging in more serious crimes.
We learned all of this during the great crime crackdown of the nineties when crime rates were slashed dramatically. And we’ve seen the backlash since liberal municipal leaders have backed off on those policies in favor of more lenient treatment. Letitia James is simply looking to push the state further down this same road. And the eventual destination is already in sight and it’s not pretty.


hotair--2020-09-28--Can't see Russia from here: NYT exposé on Trump taxes a dud?

At least from the perspective of Congress , it certainly looks that way .
House committees have sued for access to Donald Trump ’ s tax returns , ostensibly to determine whether he had financial connections to Russia that could explain how and why the Putin regime conducted its interference operations , but likely more interested in campaign-ad dirt .
A new report from the New York Times based on “ long-concealed records ” shows lots of inside information about Trump ’ s business and personal income that might pay off in election-cycle attacks , but on Russiagate , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times has obtained tax-return data extending over more than two decades for Mr. Trump and the hundreds of companies that make up his business organization , including detailed information from his first two years in office .
It does not include his personal returns for 2018 or 2019 .
This article offers an overview of The Times ’ s findings ; additional articles will be published in the coming weeks .
The returns are some of the most sought-after , and speculated-about , records in recent memory .
In Mr. Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and across his endlessly hyped decades in the public eye — journalists , prosecutors , opposition politicians and conspiracists have , with limited success , sought to excavate the enigmas of his finances .
By their very nature , the filings will leave many questions unanswered , many questioners unfulfilled .
They comprise information that Mr. Trump has disclosed to the I.R.S.
, not the findings of an independent financial examination .
They report that Mr. Trump owns hundreds of millions of dollars in valuable assets , but they do not reveal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reveal any previously unreported connections to Russia .
The returns from 2018 and 2019 aren ’ t germane to the House subpoenas anyway .
The demand was made on a predicate that Trump had refused to release the returns because he was hiding a financial relationship with Russian sources , which fueled collusion between Trump and the Russians in the 2016 election .
If the New York Times now says they ’ ve seen all the data from 2017 back and there aren ’ t any previously disclosed Russian connections , then the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course , that doesn ’ t necessarily impact Cyrus Vance ’ s subpoena , which is being fought in a separate lawsuit .
The Manhattan DA wanted to look at Trump ’ s returns to see if he committed tax fraud in paying off Stormy Daniels , only Vance took aim at Michael Cohen so as to get to Trump ’ s records indirectly .
Courts have stalled Vance ’ s progress on the subpoena , and maybe it ’ s just as well , since that effort also turns out to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The data contains no new revelations about the $ 130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford , the actress who performs as Stormy Daniels — a focus of the Manhattan district attorney ’ s subpoena for Mr. Trump ’ s tax returns and other financial information .
Mr. Trump has acknowledged reimbursing his former lawyer , Michael D. Cohen , who made the payoff , but the materials obtained by The Times did not include any itemized payments to Mr. Cohen .
The amount , however , could have been improperly included in legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which are not required to be itemized on tax returns .
So much for the criminal conspiracies .
So why didn ’ t Trump just release the returns and get it over with ?
Trump claimed that an IRS audit kept him from being able to release the returns , and he ’ s telling the truth about the audit , anyway : The records that The Times reviewed square with the way Mr. Trump has repeatedly cited , without explanation , an ongoing audit as grounds for refusing to release his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as recently as July on Fox News , when he told Sean Hannity , “ They treat me horribly , the I.R.S.
, horribly.
” And while the records do not lay out all the details of the audit , they match his lawyers ’ statement during the 2016 campaign that audits of his returns for 2009 and subsequent years remained open , and involved “ transactions or activities that were also reported on returns for 2008 and earlier.
” That ’ s not to say that there ’ s nothing at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s critics and opponents .
The audit centers on a refund of $ 72.9 million he received in 2010 , which the IRS first approved and then began to investigate .
Business losses have allowed Trump to pay nearly nothing in taxes for years , which the NYT uses as its lead while burying the Russia-nothingburger aspect of the report underneath it : Here we come to the difference between income and wealth .
This is a typical tax-avoidance strategy for the wealthy — to show business losses against income while expanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s perfectly legal , as long as it ’ s done legally , of course .
The audit is in part looking at that question , but nearly a decade later , the IRS has not brought any charges against Trump , nor does the NYT specify any concrete violations .
Perhaps this might be enough for class-warrior attacks on Trump over the next few weeks , but Democrats had been making that argument since 2015 anyway .
When they accused Mitt Romney of being a “ vulture capitalist ” at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defend himself as a nice guy .
Trump has taken the opposite strategy , to better effect : he paints himself as a ruthless yet legal businessman who takes advantage of every corner-cutting measure Congress has created .
And since he ’ s up against someone whose family members have gotten wealthy by trading off his name while in public office for nearly 50 years , that ’ s not going to be the dunk Democrats might believe it to be .

At least from the perspective of Congress, it certainly looks that way. House committees have sued for access to Donald Trump’s tax returns, ostensibly to determine whether he had financial connections to Russia that could explain how and why the Putin regime conducted its interference operations, but likely more interested in campaign-ad dirt. A new report from the New York Times based on “long-concealed records” shows lots of inside information about Trump’s business and personal income that might pay off in election-cycle attacks, but on Russiagate, it turns up nothing at all:
The New York Times has obtained tax-return data extending over more than two decades for Mr. Trump and the hundreds of companies that make up his business organization, including detailed information from his first two years in office. It does not include his personal returns for 2018 or 2019. This article offers an overview of The Times’s findings; additional articles will be published in the coming weeks. The returns are some of the most sought-after, and speculated-about, records in recent memory. In Mr. Trump’s nearly four years in office — and across his endlessly hyped decades in the public eye — journalists, prosecutors, opposition politicians and conspiracists have, with limited success, sought to excavate the enigmas of his finances. By their very nature, the filings will leave many questions unanswered, many questioners unfulfilled. They comprise information that Mr. Trump has disclosed to the I.R.S., not the findings of an independent financial examination. They report that Mr. Trump owns hundreds of millions of dollars in valuable assets, but they do not reveal his true wealth. Nor do they reveal any previously unreported connections to Russia.
The returns from 2018 and 2019 aren’t germane to the House subpoenas anyway. The demand was made on a predicate that Trump had refused to release the returns because he was hiding a financial relationship with Russian sources, which fueled collusion between Trump and the Russians in the 2016 election. If the New York Times now says they’ve seen all the data from 2017 back and there aren’t any previously disclosed Russian connections, then the House case is completely moot.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily impact Cyrus Vance’s subpoena, which is being fought in a separate lawsuit. The Manhattan DA wanted to look at Trump’s returns to see if he committed tax fraud in paying off Stormy Daniels, only Vance took aim at Michael Cohen so as to get to Trump’s records indirectly. Courts have stalled Vance’s progress on the subpoena, and maybe it’s just as well, since that effort also turns out to be a bust, according to the NYT:
The data contains no new revelations about the $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford, the actress who performs as Stormy Daniels — a focus of the Manhattan district attorney’s subpoena for Mr. Trump’s tax returns and other financial information. Mr. Trump has acknowledged reimbursing his former lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, who made the payoff, but the materials obtained by The Times did not include any itemized payments to Mr. Cohen. The amount, however, could have been improperly included in legal fees written off as a business expense, which are not required to be itemized on tax returns.
So much for the criminal conspiracies. So why didn’t Trump just release the returns and get it over with? Trump claimed that an IRS audit kept him from being able to release the returns, and he’s telling the truth about the audit, anyway:
The records that The Times reviewed square with the way Mr. Trump has repeatedly cited, without explanation, an ongoing audit as grounds for refusing to release his tax returns. He alluded to it as recently as July on Fox News, when he told Sean Hannity, “They treat me horribly, the I.R.S., horribly.” And while the records do not lay out all the details of the audit, they match his lawyers’ statement during the 2016 campaign that audits of his returns for 2009 and subsequent years remained open, and involved “transactions or activities that were also reported on returns for 2008 and earlier.”
That’s not to say that there’s nothing at all in the NYT report useful to Trump’s critics and opponents. The audit centers on a refund of $72.9 million he received in 2010, which the IRS first approved and then began to investigate. Business losses have allowed Trump to pay nearly nothing in taxes for years, which the NYT uses as its lead while burying the Russia-nothingburger aspect of the report underneath it:
Donald J. Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency. In his first year in the White House, he paid another $750. He had paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years — largely because he reported losing much more money than he made.
Here we come to the difference between income and wealth. This is a typical tax-avoidance strategy for the wealthy — to show business losses against income while expanding wealth and assets in other ways. It’s perfectly legal, as long as it’s done legally, of course. The audit is in part looking at that question, but nearly a decade later, the IRS has not brought any charges against Trump, nor does the NYT specify any concrete violations.
Perhaps this might be enough for class-warrior attacks on Trump over the next few weeks, but Democrats had been making that argument since 2015 anyway. When they accused Mitt Romney of being a “vulture capitalist” at Bain, Romney responded by attempting to defend himself as a nice guy. Trump has taken the opposite strategy, to better effect: he paints himself as a ruthless yet legal businessman who takes advantage of every corner-cutting measure Congress has created. And since he’s up against someone whose family members have gotten wealthy by trading off his name while in public office for nearly 50 years, that’s not going to be the dunk Democrats might believe it to be.


hotair--2020-09-28--If your protest blocks and attacks a car, you're going to get run down

This is a story that ’ s sadly been growing all too common of late .
Protesters show up for a large rally in one of our major cities and they begin blocking traffic illegally .
Some car gets trapped in the mayhem and people begin attacking the vehicle .
The person fears for their life and hits the gas , running down someone in the process .
And then people are taken to the hospital ( if they ’ re lucky ) and the finger-pointing begins .
The same story played out in a southern California suburb of Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a twist to it .
In several previous cases we ’ ve looked at here , the protesters were from the Black Lives Matter movement and the car being attacked was either a Trump or Blue Lives Matter supporter or just some random motorist getting caught up in the madness .
But this time it was the opposite situation .
The motorist was an organizer of the BLM protest and the attackers were from a group hoisting American flags and Trump 2020 banners .
( Associated Press ) An organizer of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail Sunday on suspicion of attempted murder after authorities say she drove through a crowd and struck two counterprotesters .
Tatiana Turner , 40 , was arrested Saturday in Yorba Linda after speeding from a parking lot when her car was surrounded by shouting counterprotesters .
Demonstrators on both sides who had clashed on a sidewalk earlier had been ordered by police to leave the area at the time and an angry mob had surrounded Turner ’ s car and wouldn ’ t let her drive away , said Anthony Bryson , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organizers Coalition .
“ People had broken her windshield , ” Bryson told The Associated Press .
“ She was trying to leave .
She was in fear for her life.
” The driver , Tatiana Turner , was arrested and held on one million dollars bail while facing investigation for possible attempted murder and vehicular assault charges .
But if we ’ re all willing to take off our partisan hats for a moment here and look at this rationally , we shouldn ’ t be cheering for these developments .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declared an unlawful gathering and ordered all of the protesters from both sides to disperse and leave the area after the confrontation between the two groups grew violent .
Ms. Turner was attempting to follow those instructions , getting in her vehicle to leave .
But the counterprotesters blocked the path of her car and began physically attacking it .
They had already smashed her windshield and were going after the driver ’ s side door when she hit the gas .
The rear window of her car was smashed out at that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her arrest .
If we ’ re going to applaud when some BLM supporter or organizer plows into a Blue Lives Matter protest and is arrested , we need to abide by the rule of what ’ s good for the goose being good for the gander .
If you stand in front of a running automobile while your friends are physically attacking it , you ’ re probably going to get run over .
By that point , the fight-or-flight instincts of the driver have taken over .
This isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whataboutism card or implying that the Blue Lives Matter rallies are anywhere near as violent and unlawful as the majority of BLM and Antifa gathers that regularly devolve into riots and looting .
That ’ s far from the case .
But as more and more instances of “ protests and counterprotests ” coming into direct conflict pop up , we ’ re unfortunately very likely to see more of these vehicular assault incidents taking place .
And the rules of engagement need to apply to both sides equally .
Don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to leave the area of their own accord .
Somebody is going to get run down and it ’ s not going to end well for anyone .

This is a story that’s sadly been growing all too common of late. Protesters show up for a large rally in one of our major cities and they begin blocking traffic illegally. Some car gets trapped in the mayhem and people begin attacking the vehicle. The person fears for their life and hits the gas, running down someone in the process. And then people are taken to the hospital (if they’re lucky) and the finger-pointing begins.
The same story played out in a southern California suburb of Los Angeles this weekend, but there’s a twist to it. In several previous cases we’ve looked at here, the protesters were from the Black Lives Matter movement and the car being attacked was either a Trump or Blue Lives Matter supporter or just some random motorist getting caught up in the madness. But this time it was the opposite situation. The motorist was an organizer of the BLM protest and the attackers were from a group hoisting American flags and Trump 2020 banners. (Associated Press)
An organizer of a Southern California demonstration against racism was in jail Sunday on suspicion of attempted murder after authorities say she drove through a crowd and struck two counterprotesters. Tatiana Turner, 40, was arrested Saturday in Yorba Linda after speeding from a parking lot when her car was surrounded by shouting counterprotesters. Demonstrators on both sides who had clashed on a sidewalk earlier had been ordered by police to leave the area at the time and an angry mob had surrounded Turner’s car and wouldn’t let her drive away, said Anthony Bryson, who helped plan the event for the Urban Organizers Coalition. “People had broken her windshield,” Bryson told The Associated Press. “She was trying to leave. She was in fear for her life.”
The driver, Tatiana Turner, was arrested and held on one million dollars bail while facing investigation for possible attempted murder and vehicular assault charges. But if we’re all willing to take off our partisan hats for a moment here and look at this rationally, we shouldn’t be cheering for these developments.
From all accounts, the police had already declared an unlawful gathering and ordered all of the protesters from both sides to disperse and leave the area after the confrontation between the two groups grew violent. Ms. Turner was attempting to follow those instructions, getting in her vehicle to leave. But the counterprotesters blocked the path of her car and began physically attacking it. They had already smashed her windshield and were going after the driver’s side door when she hit the gas. The rear window of her car was smashed out at that point as shown in the AP photo of her arrest.
If we’re going to applaud when some BLM supporter or organizer plows into a Blue Lives Matter protest and is arrested, we need to abide by the rule of what’s good for the goose being good for the gander. If you stand in front of a running automobile while your friends are physically attacking it, you’re probably going to get run over. By that point, the fight-or-flight instincts of the driver have taken over.
This isn’t a case of my playing the whataboutism card or implying that the Blue Lives Matter rallies are anywhere near as violent and unlawful as the majority of BLM and Antifa gathers that regularly devolve into riots and looting. That’s far from the case. But as more and more instances of “protests and counterprotests” coming into direct conflict pop up, we’re unfortunately very likely to see more of these vehicular assault incidents taking place. And the rules of engagement need to apply to both sides equally. Don’t attack motorists and cut off their path to leave the area of their own accord. Somebody is going to get run down and it’s not going to end well for anyone.


hotair--2020-09-28--Project Veritas: Massive ballot-harvesting election fraud in Minneapolis -- tied to Ilhan Omar; <spa

Project Veritas: Massive ballot-harvesting election fraud in Minneapolis -- tied to Ilhan Omar; Trump: Does DoJ have this under review?

“ It ’ s an open secret , ” says Omar Jamal , both a member of the Ramsey County Sheriff ’ s Office and the head of Somali Watchdog Group .
“ It ’ s already too big to stop , ” Jamal adds in his interview with Project Veritas about the “ massive , criminal voter fraud ” in Minneapolis .
PV shows a campaign worker for a local city councilman on video with a car full of absentee ballots bragging about his voter-fraud exploits , but James O ’ Keefe connects it all the way to Ilhan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , and federal authorities , O ’ Keefe asks at the end .
I can guess what the state and local authorities are doing here — averting their eyes : Project Veritas investigators revealed a ballot harvesting scheme here involving clan and political allies and associates of Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D.-Minn. ) in the first of a series of reports .
“ Numbers don ’ t lie .
Numbers don ’ t lie .
You can see my car is full .
All these here are absentees ’ ballots .
Can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all these , my car is full .
All these are for Jamal Osman… We got 300 today for Jamal Osman only , ” said Liban Mohamed in a series of Snapchat videos posted July 1 and July 2 on his own Snapchat profile .
Mohamed said he was collecting the ballots to help his brother win the city ’ s Aug. 11 special election for a vacant Ward 6 city council race—which was held the same day as the primary for Omar ’ s MN-05 congressional seat .
Ward 6 is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community and the Omar ’ s political base .
… Our investigation found that among three locations inside Ward 6 , a ballot harvesting triangle , where the scheme operates : the Riverside Plaza apartments , the senior citizen community at Horn Towers and the Minneapolis Elections and Voter Services office at 980 E. Hennepin Ave. , which also functions as a voting location and ballot drop-off site .
Mohamed continued : “ Money is everything .
Money is the king in this world .
If you got no money , you should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what I am saying.
” Why bother to go through all of this when the vote would likely stick with the DFL anyway ?
It ’ s about more than just red/blue politics ; PV ’ s sources say that clan politics within the Somali community are also in play .
The corrupt mechanism is working to keep other Somali families and clans from winning political offices , and the DFL is turning a blind eye to it as long as they keep their grip on overall power .
Plus , the harvesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people who don ’ t actually live in these districts , allowing the DFL to pad their lead in the cities .
One insider explains how the harvesters get the ballots and manipulates them for their own preferred outcomes : “ People that are showing their ID : ‘ I moved 30 days ago , my ID ’ s not come back.
’ ‘ OK , just give us the last four of your social and tell us the address , ’ and then somebody else will say ‘ Yeah.
’ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote and saying : ‘ Yeah , I can vouch for this madness , ’ ” she said .
The former campaign worker said Isse and the Omar-connected political machine have turned voter fraud into an organized process for application , registering and tracking the harvested ballots from collection to delivering to polls .
“ They have perfected this system , ” she said .
“ This is what they do .
They will tell you we are applying for your ballot .
They take a picture of your social security and your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a database .
When the ballot comes , they track it , sometimes , they make fake emails .
They track the ballot .
Then , they come and pick up the ballot—unopened , ” she said .
“ So , there is vested interest , but we are victims of the system , ” she said .
“ They [ the Omar political machine ] don ’ t give a shit about any Somali.
” Forget AG Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman ; they won ’ t do anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schemes .
William Barr might be a different subject , however .
He has spoken out forcefully about the risks of voting fraud with mail-in ballot systems , and has taken criticism for his outspokenness .
This kind of case , if it can be proven , would go a long way to answering those critics — and embarrassing Minnesota officials who stand by and allow elections to be corrupted in their own backyard .
I ’ d be surprised if the Department of Justice isn ’ t already working on these issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t blame Omar Jamal for not taking direct action .
The Ramsey County Sheriff has no jurisdiction in Minneapolis , and I ’ d bet that his complaints to officials across the river and in the state capital probably aren ’ t getting much attention .
The only entity with both jurisdiction and the potential will to do something about this is the DoJ .
If they ’ re on the case , now is as good a time as any to make it clear .
Update : I hadn ’ t checked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , but it seems that Trump is asking the same questions as O ’ Keefe :

“It’s an open secret,” says Omar Jamal, both a member of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and the head of Somali Watchdog Group. “It’s already too big to stop,” Jamal adds in his interview with Project Veritas about the “massive, criminal voter fraud” in Minneapolis. PV shows a campaign worker for a local city councilman on video with a car full of absentee ballots bragging about his voter-fraud exploits, but James O’Keefe connects it all the way to Ilhan Omar.
Where are the local, state, and federal authorities, O’Keefe asks at the end. I can guess what the state and local authorities are doing here — averting their eyes:
Project Veritas investigators revealed a ballot harvesting scheme here involving clan and political allies and associates of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D.-Minn.) in the first of a series of reports. “Numbers don’t lie. Numbers don’t lie. You can see my car is full. All these here are absentees’ ballots. Can’t you see? Look at all these, my car is full. All these are for Jamal Osman… We got 300 today for Jamal Osman only,” said Liban Mohamed in a series of Snapchat videos posted July 1 and July 2 on his own Snapchat profile. Mohamed said he was collecting the ballots to help his brother win the city’s Aug. 11 special election for a vacant Ward 6 city council race—which was held the same day as the primary for Omar’s MN-05 congressional seat. Ward 6 is the heart of the city’s Somali community and the Omar’s political base. … Our investigation found that among three locations inside Ward 6, a ballot harvesting triangle, where the scheme operates: the Riverside Plaza apartments, the senior citizen community at Horn Towers and the Minneapolis Elections and Voter Services office at 980 E. Hennepin Ave., which also functions as a voting location and ballot drop-off site. Mohamed continued: “Money is everything. Money is the king in this world. If you got no money, you should not be here period. You know what I am saying.”
Why bother to go through all of this when the vote would likely stick with the DFL anyway? It’s about more than just red/blue politics; PV’s sources say that clan politics within the Somali community are also in play. The corrupt mechanism is working to keep other Somali families and clans from winning political offices, and the DFL is turning a blind eye to it as long as they keep their grip on overall power. Plus, the harvesters’ schemes allow them to get ballots for people who don’t actually live in these districts, allowing the DFL to pad their lead in the cities.
One insider explains how the harvesters get the ballots and manipulates them for their own preferred outcomes:
“People that are showing their ID: ‘I moved 30 days ago, my ID’s not come back.’ ‘OK, just give us the last four of your social and tell us the address,’ and then somebody else will say ‘Yeah.’ They will send people who are helping them vote and saying: ‘Yeah, I can vouch for this madness,’” she said. The former campaign worker said Isse and the Omar-connected political machine have turned voter fraud into an organized process for application, registering and tracking the harvested ballots from collection to delivering to polls. “They have perfected this system,” she said. “This is what they do. They will tell you we are applying for your ballot. They take a picture of your social security and your driver’s license. They have a database. When the ballot comes, they track it, sometimes, they make fake emails. They track the ballot. Then, they come and pick up the ballot—unopened,” she said. “So, there is vested interest, but we are victims of the system,” she said. “They [the Omar political machine] don’t give a shit about any Somali.”
Forget AG Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman; they won’t do anything about this because they benefit from these schemes. William Barr might be a different subject, however. He has spoken out forcefully about the risks of voting fraud with mail-in ballot systems, and has taken criticism for his outspokenness. This kind of case, if it can be proven, would go a long way to answering those critics — and embarrassing Minnesota officials who stand by and allow elections to be corrupted in their own backyard. I’d be surprised if the Department of Justice isn’t already working on these issues.
By the way, don’t blame Omar Jamal for not taking direct action. The Ramsey County Sheriff has no jurisdiction in Minneapolis, and I’d bet that his complaints to officials across the river and in the state capital probably aren’t getting much attention. The only entity with both jurisdiction and the potential will to do something about this is the DoJ. If they’re on the case, now is as good a time as any to make it clear.
Update: I hadn’t checked Donald Trump’s tweets before writing this, but it seems that Trump is asking the same questions as O’Keefe:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1310435345704652800


hotair--2020-09-29--Interview: Micah Hanks on UFO disclosure in 2020

This week we ’ re speaking once again with Micah Hanks , an author , radio host and researcher of all things Fortean .
I asked Micah to join us again because he recently dredged up some news items from decades ago that appear eerily similar to some of the reports we ’ ve been covering over the past couple of years involving US military encounters with unidentified flying objects , UFOs , UAPs or whatever you ’ re choosing to call them these days .
The incidents in question took place back in the 1970s , but when put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government revelations , they suggest that these specific phenomena are not recent arrivals in our skies but may have been with us for a very long time indeed .
After that , we talk about how UAP are being covered ( or in some cases , not covered ) in the American press these days and whether or not one of the biggest stories in the history of humanity is simply being pushed off the page by the pandemic , the election and everything else that ’ s absorbing our collective attention .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are some of the relevant links for the topics we cover and additional background information .
Enjoy !
The episode of the Micah Hanks Program where he explores the Coyne encounter , and the disappearance of Freddy Valentich .
On with the interview !

This week we’re speaking once again with Micah Hanks, an author, radio host and researcher of all things Fortean. I asked Micah to join us again because he recently dredged up some news items from decades ago that appear eerily similar to some of the reports we’ve been covering over the past couple of years involving US military encounters with unidentified flying objects, UFOs, UAPs or whatever you’re choosing to call them these days. The incidents in question took place back in the 1970s, but when put in the context of current news and government revelations, they suggest that these specific phenomena are not recent arrivals in our skies but may have been with us for a very long time indeed.
After that, we talk about how UAP are being covered (or in some cases, not covered) in the American press these days and whether or not one of the biggest stories in the history of humanity is simply being pushed off the page by the pandemic, the election and everything else that’s absorbing our collective attention. Before getting to the interview, here are some of the relevant links for the topics we cover and additional background information. Enjoy!
The episode of the Micah Hanks Program where he explores the Coyne encounter, and the disappearance of Freddy Valentich.
More on Frederick Valentich.
Background of the Coyne encounter.
Books by Micah Hanks.
All of Micah’s content offerings.
On with the interview!


hotair--2020-09-28--CBS: Sources close to WH worried about a "grift mill" during lame-duck session if Trump loses

Compared to the apocalyptic post-election scenarios being contemplated right now , including by anxious members of the U.S. military , this one from CBS seems downright charming .
What if , instead of resisting a peaceful transfer of power following defeat , Trump simply starts selling off favors to the highest bidder in preparation for his return to private life ?
A “ going out of business ” sale , as it were .
He ’ s a purely transactional human being , and as his pal Rod Blagojevich could tell him , executive power is a valuable thing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ debt , say , and you too might receive some lucrative federal contract or be absolved of whatever federal crime you may have committed .
And if such naked corruption were to create post-presidential criminal liability for Trump himself , he could always grant himself a pardon on Inauguration Day .
Imagine the fun Justice Barrett will have trying to tease out from the Constitution whether that pardon is legal or not .
The real money is with foreign oligarchs , though , which means the most interesting and unusual developments between November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of foreign policy .
Trump long ago admitted to having a conflict of interest with Turkey because of his business dealings there but that didn ’ t stop him from having very friendly relations with Erdogan .
( Ask the Kurds how friendly . )
If he ’ d tolerate a foreign-policy conflict of interest on his way into office , why wouldn ’ t he tolerate a much bigger one on his way out ?
If you ’ re wondering if this is all hysterical speculation , read this story today about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 to make Ivanka Trump his running mate .
He doesn ’ t care how dubious something appears if it benefits him and his .
If he ’ s not above nepotism on the presidential ticket , he ’ s not above selling off official power to dig himself out of debt once he no longer has anything to lose by doing so .
It ’ d be fascinating to watch him wheel-deal as a lame duck and to watch MAGA fans try to resolve the cognitive dissonance between “ draining the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or whatever .
The inspiration for the CBS segment is of course the publication yesterday by the Times of information from 15 years ’ worth of Trump tax returns .
The good news for Trump from that report , as Ed noted earlier , is that there ’ s no Russia angle , which really might have done some damage in the final weeks of the campaign .
The bad news is that he ’ s indebted to the gills , which means he wouldn ’ t be allowed within a thousand miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t handed him one at the ballot box .
( And which makes CBS ’ s post-election “ grift mill ” scenario at least facially plausible . )
The story also leaves voters to decide whether Trump ’ s years of losses are due to him being a freakishly bad businessman on the one hand or on the other hand to him being so aggressive in his tax-avoidance strategies that he paid much less in some years than many of his poorest blue-collar fans did .
Granted , the rich are constantly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liability , but ( a ) most of them still end up paying a lot and ( b ) most of them didn ’ t get elected president complaining about how unfair the system is to “ the forgotten man.
” Tim Miller collected some choice Trump quotes from 2016 boasting that he didn ’ t mind paying more in taxes as someone who ’ s rich and that he fully expected to be soaked by his own populist tax plan .
“ They never cared about ensuring that the forgotten man got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” writes Miller of Trump and his team .
“ They never considered running up their own tab to give a hand up to the working stiff .
Trump and Bannon just wanted to be the ones on the inside running the scam .
Making sure they got theirs.
” To top it all off , his biggest domestic achievement as president was a Paul-Ryan-style tax cut that disproportionately benefited the upper class , not the lower .
Maybe eventually we ’ ll find out eventually how much Trump personally benefited from that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some questionable transactions .
Whether there ’ s potential legal liability here or not is above my pay grade , but this suggests that he was making gifts to his kids and then treating the payments as a tax write-off : Mr. Trump reduced his taxable income by treating a family member as a consultant , and then deducting the fee as a cost of doing business .
The “ consultants ” are not identified in the tax records .
But evidence of this arrangement was gleaned by comparing the confidential tax records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when she joined the White House staff in 2017 .
Ms. Trump reported receiving payments from a consulting company she co-owned , totaling $ 747,622 , that exactly matched consulting fees claimed as tax deductions by the Trump Organization for hotel projects in Vancouver and Hawaii .
Ms. Trump had been an executive officer of the Trump companies that received profits from and paid the consulting fees for both projects — meaning she appears to have been treated as a consultant on the same hotel deals that she helped manage as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business .
Even if there ’ s no “ grift mill ” during the lame-duck , I wonder if he might pardon himself just as a sort of general get-out-of-jail-free card for matters exactly like this .
I don ’ t think the tax-return story will mean much at the polls , although it ’ s certainly not helpful among working-class voters who may be irritated with him for other reasons .
No one ’ s going to vote for him because he gamed the tax system to leave himself with a $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people will vote for him in spite of that , reasoning that if they were rich they ’ d happily game the system too while blubbering about “ the forgotten man , ” but there may be some who weren ’ t motivated to turn out for him to begin with and will end up feeling less motivated today .
Team Biden ’ s already coming at him over it : The tax-return news ends up in the bulging “ probably doesn ’ t hurt , definitely doesn ’ t help ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , really needs some helpful developments .
Maybe tomorrow ’ s debate will bring him one .
I ’ ll leave you with this , which is amazing even within the well-established genre of old Trump tweets coming back to haunt him .
“ Only .
”

Compared to the apocalyptic post-election scenarios being contemplated right now, including by anxious members of the U.S. military, this one from CBS seems downright charming. What if, instead of resisting a peaceful transfer of power following defeat, Trump simply starts selling off favors to the highest bidder in preparation for his return to private life? A “going out of business” sale, as it were. He’s a purely transactional human being, and as his pal Rod Blagojevich could tell him, executive power is a valuable thing.
Pay off $25 million of his debt, say, and you too might receive some lucrative federal contract or be absolved of whatever federal crime you may have committed. And if such naked corruption were to create post-presidential criminal liability for Trump himself, he could always grant himself a pardon on Inauguration Day. Imagine the fun Justice Barrett will have trying to tease out from the Constitution whether that pardon is legal or not.
The real money is with foreign oligarchs, though, which means the most interesting and unusual developments between November and January might come in the realm of foreign policy. Trump long ago admitted to having a conflict of interest with Turkey because of his business dealings there but that didn’t stop him from having very friendly relations with Erdogan. (Ask the Kurds how friendly.) If he’d tolerate a foreign-policy conflict of interest on his way into office, why wouldn’t he tolerate a much bigger one on his way out?
If you’re wondering if this is all hysterical speculation, read this story today about him enthusiastically and repeatedly lobbying his team in 2016 to make Ivanka Trump his running mate. He doesn’t care how dubious something appears if it benefits him and his. If he’s not above nepotism on the presidential ticket, he’s not above selling off official power to dig himself out of debt once he no longer has anything to lose by doing so.
.@PaulaReidCBS reports — sources close to the White House are concerned that if President Trump is not reelected, there could be a "grift mill" between the election and inauguration, with Trump using his clemency and pardon powers in exchange for favors https://t.co/S8hf8tiJJg pic.twitter.com/M3mCYy97m1 — CBS News (@CBSNews) September 28, 2020
It’d be fascinating to watch him wheel-deal as a lame duck and to watch MAGA fans try to resolve the cognitive dissonance between “draining the swamp” and Trump selling off pardons or whatever.
The inspiration for the CBS segment is of course the publication yesterday by the Times of information from 15 years’ worth of Trump tax returns. The good news for Trump from that report, as Ed noted earlier, is that there’s no Russia angle, which really might have done some damage in the final weeks of the campaign. The bad news is that he’s indebted to the gills, which means he wouldn’t be allowed within a thousand miles of a security clearance if Americans hadn’t handed him one at the ballot box. (And which makes CBS’s post-election “grift mill” scenario at least facially plausible.) The story also leaves voters to decide whether Trump’s years of losses are due to him being a freakishly bad businessman on the one hand or on the other hand to him being so aggressive in his tax-avoidance strategies that he paid much less in some years than many of his poorest blue-collar fans did. Granted, the rich are constantly exploiting legal loopholes to reduce their tax liability, but (a) most of them still end up paying a lot and (b) most of them didn’t get elected president complaining about how unfair the system is to “the forgotten man.”
The totally predictable irony is that the candidate who boasted that he was so rich that he "couldn't be bought" was, in fact, so deeply in debt and in such a precarious financial position that pretty much anyone could buy him. pic.twitter.com/a1AMbYPh7N — Michael Linden (@MichaelSLinden) September 28, 2020
Tim Miller collected some choice Trump quotes from 2016 boasting that he didn’t mind paying more in taxes as someone who’s rich and that he fully expected to be soaked by his own populist tax plan. “They never cared about ensuring that the forgotten man got a bigger slice of the pie,” writes Miller of Trump and his team. “They never considered running up their own tab to give a hand up to the working stiff. Trump and Bannon just wanted to be the ones on the inside running the scam. Making sure they got theirs.” To top it all off, his biggest domestic achievement as president was a Paul-Ryan-style tax cut that disproportionately benefited the upper class, not the lower. Maybe eventually we’ll find out eventually how much Trump personally benefited from that law.
The Times piece also flagged some questionable transactions. Whether there’s potential legal liability here or not is above my pay grade, but this suggests that he was making gifts to his kids and then treating the payments as a tax write-off:
Mr. Trump reduced his taxable income by treating a family member as a consultant, and then deducting the fee as a cost of doing business. The “consultants” are not identified in the tax records. But evidence of this arrangement was gleaned by comparing the confidential tax records to the financial disclosures Ivanka Trump filed when she joined the White House staff in 2017. Ms. Trump reported receiving payments from a consulting company she co-owned, totaling $747,622, that exactly matched consulting fees claimed as tax deductions by the Trump Organization for hotel projects in Vancouver and Hawaii. Ms. Trump had been an executive officer of the Trump companies that received profits from and paid the consulting fees for both projects — meaning she appears to have been treated as a consultant on the same hotel deals that she helped manage as part of her job at her father’s business.
Even if there’s no “grift mill” during the lame-duck, I wonder if he might pardon himself just as a sort of general get-out-of-jail-free card for matters exactly like this.
I don’t think the tax-return story will mean much at the polls, although it’s certainly not helpful among working-class voters who may be irritated with him for other reasons. No one’s going to vote for him because he gamed the tax system to leave himself with a $750 annual bill. Tens of millions of people will vote for him in spite of that, reasoning that if they were rich they’d happily game the system too while blubbering about “the forgotten man,” but there may be some who weren’t motivated to turn out for him to begin with and will end up feeling less motivated today. Team Biden’s already coming at him over it:
Well that was quick — the Biden team just released their first ad on the reporting released today on Trump’s taxes in the @nytimes pic.twitter.com/Cw51FUof8g — Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) September 28, 2020
The tax-return news ends up in the bulging “probably doesn’t hurt, definitely doesn’t help” folder at a moment when he really, really needs some helpful developments. Maybe tomorrow’s debate will bring him one.
I’ll leave you with this, which is amazing even within the well-established genre of old Trump tweets coming back to haunt him. “Only.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/190866856624668672


hotair--2020-09-29--First debate: The Townhall Media livetweet thread

9 p.m .
ET all across the dial : An election that ’ s been a referendum on Trump suddenly @ @ @ @ @ candidates , with Sleepy Joe Biden forced to prove on the biggest possible stage that @ @ @ @ @ … sleepy .
A big win for Trump could shake up the race .
A @ @ @ @ @ effectively end it .
No pressure .
I ’ m giving you an embed of @ @ @ @ @ the debate below in case you want to watch it right in this tab .
@ @ @ @ @ a live feed of tweets from a variety of editors across all of Townhall Media @ @ @ @ @ , Red State , Twitchy , PJM , and of course Hot Air .
You @ @ @ @ @ do anything on your end ; new tweets should appear automatically as they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ as the debate plays out .
Think of it as a group liveblog , just @ @ @ @ @ are open for your use below .

9 p.m. ET all across the dial: An election that’s been a referendum on Trump suddenly becomes a choice between two candidates, with Sleepy Joe Biden forced to prove on the biggest possible stage that he’s not so … sleepy. A big win for Trump could shake up the race. A big win for Biden could effectively end it. No pressure.
I’m giving you an embed of the Fox News feed of the debate below in case you want to watch it right in this tab. That’s followed by a live feed of tweets from a variety of editors across all of Townhall Media’s platforms: Townhall, Red State, Twitchy, PJM, and of course Hot Air. You don’t need to do anything on your end; new tweets should appear automatically as they’re published, creating real-time commentary as the debate plays out. Think of it as a group liveblog, just funneled through Twitter. Comments are open for your use below.


hotair--2020-09-29--Biden's Texas political director alleged involvement in ballot harvesting exposed

The political swamp cultivated by Texas Democrats is alive and well .
Earlier this month , on September 8 , the Biden campaign announced the appointment of Biden ’ s Texas political director , Dallas Jones .
Just 20 days later , a potentially major story is developing involving Jones and ballot harvesting .
Jones is a well-connected political activist with Texas Democrats .
He is formally accused of helping to run an illegal ballot harvesting operation .
This information comes from two separate affidavits filed Monday at the Texas Supreme Court .
Both affidavits are from private investigators , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one a retired Captain with the Houston Police Department .
They allege under oath that Dallas Jones and others are currently hoarding mail-in and absentee ballots and ordering operatives to fill the ballots out for people illegally for the 2020 presidential election .
These people include the homeless and senior citizens in nursing facilities , as well as dead people .
Dallas S. Jones is an entrepreneur , political commentator , and community activist .
He currently serves as President and CEO of ELITE Change , Inc. and Managing Principal of Jones Group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ELITE Change , Mr. Jones worked on every level of government including Special Assistant to U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee , and for Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman as a policy analyst and later becoming District Director .
He also served as District Director for Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis .
After leaving the public sector , Mr. Jones joined the NAACP where he served as a Regional Youth Field Director for the Southwestern Region , and later served as National Youth Outreach Director for the NAACP National Voter Fund .
Where he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of African Americans throughout the United States during the 2008 Presidential Election .
In the corporate sector , he was named Deputy Director of Public Affairs for AT & T where he was responsible for the public affairs efforts for the company throughout the western region .
The two affidavits have been filed as part of a class-action lawsuit against Harris County and the state of Texas by a Harris County conservative activist and others .
The affidavits can be seen HERE and HERE .
From the affidavits , the people listed above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as himself and others , are incriminated by videotaped interviews of witnesses .
“ Based on interviews , review of documents , and other information , I have identified the individuals in charge of the ballot harvesting scheme .
These individuals includes political consultant Dallas Jones who was recently hired by the Joe Biden for President campaign to oversee their Harris County initiative .
District 13 Texas State Senator Borris Miles , who is the handler of Mr. Jones , political consultant Gerald Womack , and Precinct 1 Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are using as a front for this operation is AB Canvassing , although there are others that have been identified that we are investigating.
” “ I have in my possession video-taped interviews of witnesses attesting to the aforementioned people having groups of people completing thousands of absentee and mail-in ballots , including completing ballots for deceased individuals ; illegally going into nursing homes , with the complicity of the nursing home staff , and filling out and forging the signatures of nursing home residents ; signing up homeless individuals to vote using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completing the ballot and forging the homeless individual ’ s signature .
“ This entire operation is being run by the elite politicians of the Democrat Party m Houston/Hams County .
FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NOT .
There is a video of a Democrat operative “ assisting ” an elderly person in a nursing home by specifically telling her for whom to vote and where to sign the ballot .
There is an accusation by a Democrat activist who is now fed up with the political corruption within his party that former Harris County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day after she refused to do the bidding of party leaders and agree to mail out a massive amount of mail-in ballots .
At the time , it was reported that she resigned due to health reasons .
This resignation led to a new Harris County Clerk , Chris Hollins , who is attempting to fundamentally change voting in the county – including mailing absentee ballots to every registered voter in Harris County .
Texas , as I ’ ve noted in several previous posts , has specific qualifications to be met for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 65 and older ) , voters with disabilities or illness , out of the county during the voting period , and those who are incarcerated but legally qualified to vote .
One affidavit addresses employees in the Clerk ’ s office who are helping the Democrats ’ operation .
“ Witnesses have shown me and described to me how the ballot harvesters take absentee ballots from the elderly in nursing homes , from the homeless , and from unsuspecting residences ’ mailboxes .
The ballot harvesters then complete the ballots for their preferred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ voter ” .
Two witnesses stated to me that there are two individuals employed at the Harris County Clerk ’ s Office who are aware of the illegal ballots and help facilitate and mask the processing of the ballots into the legal stream of ballots.
” A citizen journalist has been investigating voter fraud for several years .
She now links Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee in wrongdoing .
Citizen journalist Colleen Vera has discovered evidence of what appears to be a massive voter fraud ring operating in the state of Texas involving mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presented below includes a video of a Democrat campaign surrogate harvesting mail ballots from a nursing home , audio of a Democrat campaign worker admitting to harvesting ballots from a nursing home , and mail-in ballots from Harris County that all have the same handwriting and envelope process .
Vera alleges that the campaign of Democrat Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee recently paid two convicted forgers , and that other Democrat campaigns have also paid convicted forgers for canvassing efforts .
One state politician named in the allegations responded with a denial of such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has had to answer for his own behavior in the past .
State Sen. Borris Miles , a Houston Democrat who is accused of the vote-harvesting scheme , called the allegations false and ludicrous , noting he has never met either of the two men who claim to have inside knowledge of the alleged plot .
Miles said he has always encouraged mail-in voting , especially for voters who are senior citizens , but has never and would never engage in ballot harvesting or any efforts to collect absentee ballots .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ I don ’ t do that , I don ’ t have a team that does that , and I ’ ve never had somebody else ’ s mail ballot in my hands , ” Miles said .
None of this story will be finished by Election Day .
All we can hope for at this point is that the State Attorney General and election officials will do the work necessary to hold these corrupt politicians and party operatives accountable .

The political swamp cultivated by Texas Democrats is alive and well. Earlier this month, on September 8, the Biden campaign announced the appointment of Biden’s Texas political director, Dallas Jones. Just 20 days later, a potentially major story is developing involving Jones and ballot harvesting.
Jones is a well-connected political activist with Texas Democrats. He is formally accused of helping to run an illegal ballot harvesting operation. This information comes from two separate affidavits filed Monday at the Texas Supreme Court. Both affidavits are from private investigators, one former F.B.I. agent, and one a retired Captain with the Houston Police Department. They allege under oath that Dallas Jones and others are currently hoarding mail-in and absentee ballots and ordering operatives to fill the ballots out for people illegally for the 2020 presidential election. These people include the homeless and senior citizens in nursing facilities, as well as dead people.
Dallas S. Jones is an entrepreneur, political commentator, and community activist. He currently serves as President and CEO of ELITE Change, Inc. and Managing Principal of Jones Group International, LLC. Prior to forming ELITE Change, Mr. Jones worked on every level of government including Special Assistant to U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and for Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman as a policy analyst and later becoming District Director. He also served as District Director for Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis. After leaving the public sector, Mr. Jones joined the NAACP where he served as a Regional Youth Field Director for the Southwestern Region, and later served as National Youth Outreach Director for the NAACP National Voter Fund. Where he focused on increasing registration and turn out of African Americans throughout the United States during the 2008 Presidential Election. In the corporate sector, he was named Deputy Director of Public Affairs for AT&T where he was responsible for the public affairs efforts for the company throughout the western region.
The two affidavits have been filed as part of a class-action lawsuit against Harris County and the state of Texas by a Harris County conservative activist and others. The affidavits can be seen HERE and HERE. From the affidavits, the people listed above in Jones’ bio, as well as himself and others, are incriminated by videotaped interviews of witnesses.
“Based on interviews, review of documents, and other information, I have identified the individuals in charge of the ballot harvesting scheme. These individuals includes political consultant Dallas Jones who was recently hired by the Joe Biden for President campaign to oversee their Harris County initiative. District 13 Texas State Senator Borris Miles, who is the handler of Mr. Jones, political consultant Gerald Womack, and Precinct 1 Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. One of the companies these individuals are using as a front for this operation is AB Canvassing, although there are others that have been identified that we are investigating.” “I have in my possession video-taped interviews of witnesses attesting to the aforementioned people having groups of people completing thousands of absentee and mail-in ballots, including completing ballots for deceased individuals; illegally going into nursing homes, with the complicity of the nursing home staff, and filling out and forging the signatures of nursing home residents; signing up homeless individuals to vote using the ballot harvester’s address then completing the ballot and forging the homeless individual’s signature. “This entire operation is being run by the elite politicians of the Democrat Party m Houston/Hams County. FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NOT.
There is a video of a Democrat operative “assisting” an elderly person in a nursing home by specifically telling her for whom to vote and where to sign the ballot. There is an accusation by a Democrat activist who is now fed up with the political corruption within his party that former Harris County Clerk, Diane Troutman, resigned the day after she refused to do the bidding of party leaders and agree to mail out a massive amount of mail-in ballots. At the time, it was reported that she resigned due to health reasons. This resignation led to a new Harris County Clerk, Chris Hollins, who is attempting to fundamentally change voting in the county – including mailing absentee ballots to every registered voter in Harris County. Texas, as I’ve noted in several previous posts, has specific qualifications to be met for mail-in voting. These include age (65 and older), voters with disabilities or illness, out of the county during the voting period, and those who are incarcerated but legally qualified to vote. One affidavit addresses employees in the Clerk’s office who are helping the Democrats’ operation.
“Witnesses have shown me and described to me how the ballot harvesters take absentee ballots from the elderly in nursing homes, from the homeless, and from unsuspecting residences’ mailboxes. The ballot harvesters then complete the ballots for their preferred candidate and forge the signature of the “voter”. Two witnesses stated to me that there are two individuals employed at the Harris County Clerk’s Office who are aware of the illegal ballots and help facilitate and mask the processing of the ballots into the legal stream of ballots.”
A citizen journalist has been investigating voter fraud for several years. She now links Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee in wrongdoing.
Citizen journalist Colleen Vera has discovered evidence of what appears to be a massive voter fraud ring operating in the state of Texas involving mail-in voting and Democrat political campaigns. Evidence presented below includes a video of a Democrat campaign surrogate harvesting mail ballots from a nursing home, audio of a Democrat campaign worker admitting to harvesting ballots from a nursing home, and mail-in ballots from Harris County that all have the same handwriting and envelope process. Vera alleges that the campaign of Democrat Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee recently paid two convicted forgers, and that other Democrat campaigns have also paid convicted forgers for canvassing efforts.
One state politician named in the allegations responded with a denial of such actions. He, I will note, has had to answer for his own behavior in the past.
State Sen. Borris Miles, a Houston Democrat who is accused of the vote-harvesting scheme, called the allegations false and ludicrous, noting he has never met either of the two men who claim to have inside knowledge of the alleged plot. Miles said he has always encouraged mail-in voting, especially for voters who are senior citizens, but has never and would never engage in ballot harvesting or any efforts to collect absentee ballots. The allegation is “Republican opposition work,” he said. “I don’t do that, I don’t have a team that does that, and I’ve never had somebody else’s mail ballot in my hands,” Miles said.
None of this story will be finished by Election Day. All we can hope for at this point is that the State Attorney General and election officials will do the work necessary to hold these corrupt politicians and party operatives accountable.