hotair--2020-06-28--Trump: I was never briefed on Russia placing bounties on our troops with Afghan jihadis; <span class

Trump: I was never briefed on Russia placing bounties on our troops with Afghan jihadis; Update: Not in PDB?

There are three possible scandals here , one in which the media is at fault , one in which the intelligence community is at fault , and one in which Trump is at fault .
They ’ re not mutually exclusive either ; there may be more than one .
The reporting over the next few days will give us a better idea .
For the moment , there are two key questions .
Did U.S. intelligence in fact conclude that Russia ’ s been paying jihadis in Afghanistan to kill American soldiers ?
And did Trump know about it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoke signaling that the answer to the first question is yes .
The Times got to the story first on Friday , citing “ officials briefed on the matter , ” but since then it ’ s been independently confirmed by the Washington Post ( citing “ officials ” ) , the Wall Street Journal ( “ people familiar with the report ” ) , ABC ( “ a military official ” ) , and CNN — whose source is a “ European intelligence official , ” notably .
They all tell the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. intelligence arrived at this conclusion sometime this spring .
The Times and WaPo specify that some sort of “ interagency meeting ” on the subject was held in late March .
Did Trump know about it ?
The only one of the five outlets linked above claiming that he was briefed is the Times .
The new head of national intelligence , John Ratcliffe , denied that in a statement last night ( “ neither the President nor the Vice President were ever briefed on any intelligence ” ) .
Kayleigh McEnany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House : Notably , neither Ratcliffe nor McEnany denied that the intelligence on Russia paying bounties for U.S. troops is accurate .
Ratcliffe ’ s predecessor as DNI , Ric Grenell , did deny it — sort of .
He said he never heard of such a thing when he was in office , which isn ’ t exactly the same as insisting that the intel doesn ’ t exist : Trump himself chimed in this morning and called it “ fake news , ” although again , the “ fake ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been briefed on the intelligence , not necessarily whether the intelligence exists : Some Trump critics on social media have keyed in on the word “ briefed.
” Are semantic games being played here , in which maybe Trump was told what Russia was doing but never had a full briefing devoted to it ?
Or was the information maybe included in written form in the President ’ s Daily Brief ( PDB ) and he didn ’ t see it because , uh , he doesn ’ t read his briefing books @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from him by his own deputies ?
You see what I mean now about three possible scandals .
If the Times is wrong about Trump being briefed ( or about whether the intelligence exists ) , it ’ s a media scandal .
If White House aides knew about Russia paying bounties but didn ’ t brief the president immediately , knowing how that information might ( or rather , should ) alter U.S. policy towards Russia , it ’ s an intelligence community scandal .
If Trump is lying about not being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to invite Russia to its next summit even after he learned that they were targeting American troops , it ’ s a Trump scandal .
Which is it ?
I ’ m not sure how to square that with the reports of an interagency meeting about it months ago .
If in fact the information was closely held , that would make it more likely that Trump ’ s telling the truth about not having been briefed — although it wouldn ’ t explain why he wasn ’ t .
He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the senior-most “ senior official.
” Withholding info like that from him would not only leave him flying blind in setting foreign policy , it would risk enormous political damage to him if/when it leaked .
Biden ’ s killing him over it already : “ The truly shocking revelation that if the Times report is true , and I emphasize that again , is that President Trump , the commander in chief of American troops serving in a dangerous theater of war , has known about this for months , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing , ” Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee , said during a virtual town hall… Biden called it a “ betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation — to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm ’ s way.
” He said Americans who serve in the military put their life on the line .
“ But they should never , never , never ever face a threat like this with their commander in chief turning a blind eye to a foreign power putting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Everyone who was supposed to brief Trump and didn ’ t should be fired immediately — assuming , that is , that he really wasn ’ t briefed .
ABC ’ s source emphasized that he “ didn ’ t know whether Trump was briefed but said other senior U.S. officials learned of the Russian operation ‘ months ago . '
” In all that time , no one mentioned it to the president ?
We ’ ll see if there are any firings this week .
In the meantime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar questions : Normally it ’ d be unthinkable for the intelligence community to hold back information from the commander-in-chief , especially info as explosive as a Russian bounty on American troops , but that possibility has been raised before .
In the first weeks of Trump ’ s presidency , with suspicions about Trump and Russia raging , the WSJ dropped a bombshell alleging that “ sensitive intelligence ” was being withheld from Trump for fear that it might be “ leaked or compromised.
” In particular , “ In some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have decided not to show Mr. Trump the sources and methods that the intelligence agencies use to collect information , the current and former officials said.
” A few months later , those concerns proved to be well-founded .
Did U.S. intelligence hide the “ Russian bounty ” info from him because they thought he might end up letting slip some key detail about how we came to discover it in his chats with Putin ?
Stay tuned .
Here ’ s John Bolton being asked about the story this morning , exercising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reaction on Twitter was predictable .
He didn ’ t erupt in outrage at the Russians or vow revenge or even seem indignant that his deputies hadn ’ t briefed him as soon as they knew about the bounties .
His instinct was simply to disclaim responsibility .
We ’ re probably only a day or two away from him saying that Putin told him it isn ’ t true and that ’ s good enough for him .
Update : If Catherine Herridge ’ s sources are right , this is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Why wasn ’ t the president briefed sooner ?
Who ’ s getting fired ?

There are three possible scandals here, one in which the media is at fault, one in which the intelligence community is at fault, and one in which Trump is at fault. They’re not mutually exclusive either; there may be more than one. The reporting over the next few days will give us a better idea.
For the moment, there are two key questions. Did U.S. intelligence in fact conclude that Russia’s been paying jihadis in Afghanistan to kill American soldiers? And did Trump know about it?
There’s plenty of media smoke signaling that the answer to the first question is yes. The Times got to the story first on Friday, citing “officials briefed on the matter,” but since then it’s been independently confirmed by the Washington Post (citing “officials”), the Wall Street Journal (“people familiar with the report”), ABC (“a military official”), and CNN — whose source is a “European intelligence official,” notably. They all tell the same basic story, which is that U.S. intelligence arrived at this conclusion sometime this spring. The Times and WaPo specify that some sort of “interagency meeting” on the subject was held in late March.
Did Trump know about it? The only one of the five outlets linked above claiming that he was briefed is the Times. The new head of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, denied that in a statement last night (“neither the President nor the Vice President were ever briefed on any intelligence”). Kayleigh McEnany also denied it on behalf of the White House:
.@PressSec: “neither the President nor the Vice President were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence.” pic.twitter.com/fcQSDWfc5U — Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) June 27, 2020
Notably, neither Ratcliffe nor McEnany denied that the intelligence on Russia paying bounties for U.S. troops is accurate. Ratcliffe’s predecessor as DNI, Ric Grenell, did deny it — sort of. He said he never heard of such a thing when he was in office, which isn’t exactly the same as insisting that the intel doesn’t exist:
I never heard this. And it’s disgusting how you continue to politicize intelligence. You clearly don’t understand how raw intel gets verified. Leaks of partial information to reporters from anonymous sources is dangerous because people like you manipulate it for political gain. https://t.co/403X9AVGAC — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) June 27, 2020
Trump himself chimed in this morning and called it “fake news,” although again, the “fake” appears to relate to whether he had been briefed on the intelligence, not necessarily whether the intelligence exists:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1277202162070753280
Some Trump critics on social media have keyed in on the word “briefed.” Are semantic games being played here, in which maybe Trump was told what Russia was doing but never had a full briefing devoted to it? Or was the information maybe included in written form in the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) and he didn’t see it because, uh, he doesn’t read his briefing books?
Another said it was included in the President’s Daily Brief, a written document which draws from spy work to make analytic predictions about longstanding adversaries, unfolding plots and emerging crises around the world. — Adam Goldman (@adamgoldmanNYT) June 28, 2020
Or was the intelligence actually withheld from him by his own deputies?
You see what I mean now about three possible scandals. If the Times is wrong about Trump being briefed (or about whether the intelligence exists), it’s a media scandal. If White House aides knew about Russia paying bounties but didn’t brief the president immediately, knowing how that information might (or rather, should) alter U.S. policy towards Russia, it’s an intelligence community scandal. If Trump is lying about not being briefed and decided to pressure the G7 to invite Russia to its next summit even after he learned that they were targeting American troops, it’s a Trump scandal. Which is it?
A passage from the Journal worth noting:
The intelligence assessment regarding Russia’s actions in Afghanistan was delivered to the White House earlier this spring, and until recently had been known only to a handful of officials, a person familiar with it said.
I’m not sure how to square that with the reports of an interagency meeting about it months ago. If in fact the information was closely held, that would make it more likely that Trump’s telling the truth about not having been briefed — although it wouldn’t explain why he wasn’t. He’s the head of the executive branch, the senior-most “senior official.” Withholding info like that from him would not only leave him flying blind in setting foreign policy, it would risk enormous political damage to him if/when it leaked. Biden’s killing him over it already:
“The truly shocking revelation that if the Times report is true, and I emphasize that again, is that President Trump, the commander in chief of American troops serving in a dangerous theater of war, has known about this for months, according to the Times, and done worse than nothing,” Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said during a virtual town hall… Biden called it a “betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation — to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm’s way.” He said Americans who serve in the military put their life on the line. “But they should never, never, never ever face a threat like this with their commander in chief turning a blind eye to a foreign power putting a bounty on their heads,” he said.
Everyone who was supposed to brief Trump and didn’t should be fired immediately — assuming, that is, that he really wasn’t briefed. ABC’s source emphasized that he “didn’t know whether Trump was briefed but said other senior U.S. officials learned of the Russian operation ‘months ago.'” In all that time, no one mentioned it to the president?
We’ll see if there are any firings this week.
In the meantime, Trump allies and enemies are asking similar questions:
If reporting about Russian bounties on US forces is true, the White House must explain:
1. Why weren’t the president or vice president briefed? Was the info in the PDB?
2. Who did know and when?
3. What has been done in response to protect our forces & hold Putin accountable? — Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) June 28, 2020
There are only 3 possibilities here: It was in the PDB or briefed to him but he didn’t bother to read or listen; the NSC/CIA deliberately kept it from him; or he knew and didn’t care because he wants to have a “good relationship” with a murderous autocrat. Pick your poison. — Lisa Page (@NatSecLisa) June 27, 2020
Normally it’d be unthinkable for the intelligence community to hold back information from the commander-in-chief, especially info as explosive as a Russian bounty on American troops, but that possibility has been raised before. In the first weeks of Trump’s presidency, with suspicions about Trump and Russia raging, the WSJ dropped a bombshell alleging that “sensitive intelligence” was being withheld from Trump for fear that it might be “leaked or compromised.” In particular, “In some of these cases of withheld information, officials have decided not to show Mr. Trump the sources and methods that the intelligence agencies use to collect information, the current and former officials said.” A few months later, those concerns proved to be well-founded. Did U.S. intelligence hide the “Russian bounty” info from him because they thought he might end up letting slip some key detail about how we came to discover it in his chats with Putin?
Stay tuned. Here’s John Bolton being asked about the story this morning, exercising caution but stressing that Trump’s reaction on Twitter was predictable. He didn’t erupt in outrage at the Russians or vow revenge or even seem indignant that his deputies hadn’t briefed him as soon as they knew about the bounties. His instinct was simply to disclaim responsibility. We’re probably only a day or two away from him saying that Putin told him it isn’t true and that’s good enough for him.
John Bolton reacts to Pres. Trump's denial he was briefed on Russia offering bounties to kill coalition forces: "This is part of the problem with President Trump's decision-making in the national security space. It is just unconnected to the reality he's dealing with" #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/ZNvPtWOi4h — CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 28, 2020
Update: If Catherine Herridge’s sources are right, this is a media scandal and an intelligence community scandal.
DEVELOPING: A senior intel official tells @CBSNews the GRU/Taliban bounty allegations were not contained in the President's Daily Brief (PDB) which is the highly classified, daily summary of national security issues delivered to the President, key cabinet secretaries + advisers.. — Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) June 28, 2020
talks with the Taliban, intel about a GRU operation involving the Taliban, targeting US forces would have risen to the level of inclusion in the PDB. @CBSNews — Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) June 28, 2020
Why wasn’t the president briefed sooner? Who’s getting fired?


hotair--2020-06-28--The welcome of the prophets: Sunday reflection

Jesus said to his apostles : “ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me , and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me ; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me .
Whoever finds his life will lose it , and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it .
“ Whoever receives you receives me , and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me .
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reward , and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man ’ s reward .
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple— amen , I say to you , he will surely not lose his reward.
” How often do we offer hospitality to friends and family in our homes ?
Because we moved many states away from our families , we routinely offer our home when relatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently .
( Pandemics and hospitality don ’ t mix well together . )
The same is true for friends , and sometimes even business colleagues .
We ’ re hardly alone in this ; hospitality is one of the enduring cultural values across almost all human civilizations and communities .
Of course , hospitality isn ’ t easy to achieve .
It takes more thought , more preparation than simply inviting someone to come to dinner and stay .
This is a lesson I learned from my wife early in our marriage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , I just assumed that was all there was to it .
( No , I ’ m not kidding , as she will attest . )
We need to prepare the space , consider the needs of our visitors , and arrange our own lives in order to enjoy each other ’ s company and get the most from the visit .
These are not always the easiest tasks , especially for someone as locked into routine as I can be .
Come to think of it , some of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this as well .
Anyway , hospitality is intentional .
It ’ s not accidental , and it ’ s not incidental either .
There is a difference between casual invitations and true hospitality .
The former is a limited offer for momentary shelter , while hospitality is an invitation to enter our lives in a meaningful communion .
We see this lesson in today ’ s first reading from 2 Kings .
Elisha comes to Shunem on a regular basis to prophesy , and often came to dine at the house of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was certainly kind enough , but the woman comes to realize that Elisha ’ s work for the Lord entails hardships and that a prophet could use some comfort along the way .
She and her husband prepare a room for Elisha to use when coming to Shunem in the future , inviting the prophet into deeper communion with her family .
What happens when the woman invites Elisha into this deeper relationship ?
She receives the blessing of a son .
This is the fruit of the closer communion with the prophets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and comfort with the prophet Elisha in an act of true hospitality .
Furthermore , she made that an intentional choice , preparing a space specifically for the prophet in her home and therefore in her life .
Jesus makes the point about intentionality and communion with the prophets in today ’ s Gospel as well .
In this case , Jesus instructs His apostles about the nature of those who will receive them in their first evangelical mission .
Those who accept them as prophets , or at least as righteous , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if it just means casual assistance rather than true hospitality .
But it is those who recognize the prophets and the righteous and offer a deeper communion that will get the most benefit from those actions .
This is the challenge that we face as Christians today as we invite the Holy Spirit to dwell within us .
Hospitality requires us to break out of our routines and truly encounter others who enter our homes .
That is even more true of our encounter with the Lord through the Paraclete .
Just how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just asking the Holy Spirit to sleep on the couch while we go about the routine of our worldly lives , and barely noticing Him in our hearts ?
Or are we preparing that space for a more meaningful dwelling within us ?
We have an opportunity for true encounter with the Lord at any and all times , but we have to want that and prepare properly for it .
Otherwise , we will have offered no real hospitality at all , but just a cold bed and some cold water that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the blessings of growing in love .
Think of the Lord as a beloved visitor , and prepare that space for Him .
If we are lucky , He will take up permanent residence in our hearts , and we will realize that we have been the visitors all along — and now live in His hospitality as true members of His family .
The front-page image is a detail from “ Elisha and the Shunamite Woman ” by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout in 1649 .
Currently on display in the National Museum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commons .
“ Sunday Reflection ” is a regular feature , looking at the specific readings used in today ’ s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world .
The reflection represents only my own point of view , intended to help prepare myself for the Lord ’ s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion .
Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here .

This morning’s Gospel reading is Matthew 10:37–42:
Jesus said to his apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple— amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
How often do we offer hospitality to friends and family in our homes? Because we moved many states away from our families, we routinely offer our home when relatives visit, or at least did until recently. (Pandemics and hospitality don’t mix well together.) The same is true for friends, and sometimes even business colleagues. We’re hardly alone in this; hospitality is one of the enduring cultural values across almost all human civilizations and communities.
Of course, hospitality isn’t easy to achieve. It takes more thought, more preparation than simply inviting someone to come to dinner and stay. This is a lesson I learned from my wife early in our marriage, by the way; previous to that, I just assumed that was all there was to it. (No, I’m not kidding, as she will attest.) We need to prepare the space, consider the needs of our visitors, and arrange our own lives in order to enjoy each other’s company and get the most from the visit. These are not always the easiest tasks, especially for someone as locked into routine as I can be.
Come to think of it, some of our visitors might be able to attest to this as well.
Anyway, hospitality is intentional. It’s not accidental, and it’s not incidental either. There is a difference between casual invitations and true hospitality. The former is a limited offer for momentary shelter, while hospitality is an invitation to enter our lives in a meaningful communion.
We see this lesson in today’s first reading from 2 Kings. Elisha comes to Shunem on a regular basis to prophesy, and often came to dine at the house of “a woman of influence.” That was certainly kind enough, but the woman comes to realize that Elisha’s work for the Lord entails hardships and that a prophet could use some comfort along the way. She and her husband prepare a room for Elisha to use when coming to Shunem in the future, inviting the prophet into deeper communion with her family.
What happens when the woman invites Elisha into this deeper relationship? She receives the blessing of a son.
This is the fruit of the closer communion with the prophets. The Shunemite woman shared her home and comfort with the prophet Elisha in an act of true hospitality. Furthermore, she made that an intentional choice, preparing a space specifically for the prophet in her home and therefore in her life.
Jesus makes the point about intentionality and communion with the prophets in today’s Gospel as well. In this case, Jesus instructs His apostles about the nature of those who will receive them in their first evangelical mission. Those who accept them as prophets, or at least as righteous, can expect to be blessed, even if it just means casual assistance rather than true hospitality. But it is those who recognize the prophets and the righteous and offer a deeper communion that will get the most benefit from those actions.
This is the challenge that we face as Christians today as we invite the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. Hospitality requires us to break out of our routines and truly encounter others who enter our homes. That is even more true of our encounter with the Lord through the Paraclete.
Just how intentional is our hospitality? Are we just asking the Holy Spirit to sleep on the couch while we go about the routine of our worldly lives, and barely noticing Him in our hearts? Or are we preparing that space for a more meaningful dwelling within us? We have an opportunity for true encounter with the Lord at any and all times, but we have to want that and prepare properly for it. Otherwise, we will have offered no real hospitality at all, but just a cold bed and some cold water that gives us nothing but missed opportunities for the blessings of growing in love.
Think of the Lord as a beloved visitor, and prepare that space for Him. If we are lucky, He will take up permanent residence in our hearts, and we will realize that we have been the visitors all along — and now live in His hospitality as true members of His family.
The front-page image is a detail from “Elisha and the Shunamite Woman” by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout in 1649. Currently on display in the National Museum in Warsaw, Poland. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here.


hotair--2020-06-28--SCOTUS rejects request from Texas Democrats to expand mail-in ballot voting, GOP wins...for now

On Friday the Supreme Court of the United States ( SCOTUS ) delivered a victory to Texas Republicans .
They agreed to stay out of a dispute that would allow a change in mail-in voting .
For now , SCOTUS kept in place a lower court order blocking a request from state Democratic leaders to expand the mail-in ballot option .
The Supreme Court it staying out of it until the case is litigated .
The interesting part of this decision is that all of the justices agreed with the decision to stay out of the battle for now .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ presented to Justice Samuel Alito , who then referred the case to the Supreme Court .
The Court denied vacating the stay .
The only reaction reported was that Justice Sotomayor wrote a simple opinion that she hopes the Court of Appeals hears the case before the November election .
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “ I do not disagree with the decision to refrain from addressing them for the first time here , in the context of an emergency application to vacate a stay of an injunction .
But I hope that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merits of the legal issues in this case well in advance of the November election.
” This all began when Texas Democrats decided to use the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to implement full statewide mail-in voting .
The reason stated was that voters shouldn ’ t have to risk their health to go and vote .
Texas offers the mail-in voting option if a voter meets specific requirements – age 65 or older , disabled or ill , or if the voter will be out of the county on election day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunity from the coronavirus qualifies voters under the disability provision for using mail-in ballots .
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery , a Clinton appointee , ruled that all Texas voters can now be considered as “ disabled ” due to concerns over the safety of voting in person during the coronavirus pandemic .
Thus , every Texan can vote by mail .
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans blocked Judge Biery ’ s order .
The Fifth Circuit decision even claimed his ruling “ will be remembered more for audacity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that mail-in voting must be made available to all voters during this election cycle , including the November 3 presidential election .
The coronavirus pandemic is a nifty excuse to use for their fever dream .
Election officials are planning provisions for personal safety for voters while they are at polling places to vote .
Early voting begins July 14 for primary runoffs in some Texas races .
President Trump is vehemently opposed to using mass mail-in voting .
He was pleased with the ruling against Texas Democrats for the time being , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democrats fail to understand is that all the big protests and gatherings ( like the memorials and funeral for George Floyd ) have not done them any favors .
When they argue that something like voting in-person is too dangerous because of the coronavirus outbreak , their argument doesn ’ t hold up .
If people can turn out for big events and gatherings , they can stand in line to vote , using social distancing and facial masks , of course .
Texas Republicans will take the win .
The court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several states where this battle is taking place .
The Democrats have one mandate – never let a crisis go to waste .

On Friday the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) delivered a victory to Texas Republicans. They agreed to stay out of a dispute that would allow a change in mail-in voting. For now, SCOTUS kept in place a lower court order blocking a request from state Democratic leaders to expand the mail-in ballot option. The Supreme Court it staying out of it until the case is litigated.
The interesting part of this decision is that all of the justices agreed with the decision to stay out of the battle for now. An application to vacate the stay was presented to Justice Samuel Alito, who then referred the case to the Supreme Court. The Court denied vacating the stay. The only reaction reported was that Justice Sotomayor wrote a simple opinion that she hopes the Court of Appeals hears the case before the November election.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “I do not disagree with the decision to refrain from addressing them for the first time here, in the context of an emergency application to vacate a stay of an injunction. But I hope that the Court of Appeals will consider the merits of the legal issues in this case well in advance of the November election.”
This all began when Texas Democrats decided to use the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to implement full statewide mail-in voting. The reason stated was that voters shouldn’t have to risk their health to go and vote. Texas offers the mail-in voting option if a voter meets specific requirements – age 65 or older, disabled or ill, or if the voter will be out of the county on election day. Texas Democrats claimed that a lack of immunity from the coronavirus qualifies voters under the disability provision for using mail-in ballots.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, a Clinton appointee, ruled that all Texas voters can now be considered as “disabled” due to concerns over the safety of voting in person during the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, every Texan can vote by mail. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans blocked Judge Biery’s order. The Fifth Circuit decision even claimed his ruling “will be remembered more for audacity than legal reasoning.”
Texas Democrats insist that mail-in voting must be made available to all voters during this election cycle, including the November 3 presidential election. The coronavirus pandemic is a nifty excuse to use for their fever dream. Election officials are planning provisions for personal safety for voters while they are at polling places to vote. Early voting begins July 14 for primary runoffs in some Texas races.
President Trump is vehemently opposed to using mass mail-in voting. He was pleased with the ruling against Texas Democrats for the time being, while the case is litigated.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1276629230617604096
What the Democrats fail to understand is that all the big protests and gatherings (like the memorials and funeral for George Floyd) have not done them any favors. When they argue that something like voting in-person is too dangerous because of the coronavirus outbreak, their argument doesn’t hold up. If people can turn out for big events and gatherings, they can stand in line to vote, using social distancing and facial masks, of course.
Texas Republicans will take the win. The court battle continues. Texas is one of several states where this battle is taking place. The Democrats have one mandate – never let a crisis go to waste.


hotair--2020-06-28--Mystery solved? Satellites show Iran blast at secret missile facility

So much for the industrial gas tank theory .
The Iranian government insisted that the explosion that rattled nearby Tehran on Friday took place in a civilian area of Parchin and not at their secret nuclear-weapons research or missile research facilities .
They even supplied photos of a burnt tank , photos which turned out to be not entirely convincing .
Yesterday , a few more photographs emerged , and those tell a much different story : An explosion that rattled Iran ’ s capital came from an area in its eastern mountains that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photographs showed Saturday .
What exploded in the incident early Friday that sent a massive fireball into the sky near Tehran remains unclear , as does the cause of the blast .
The unusual response of the Iranian government in the aftermath of the explosion , however , underscores the sensitive nature of an area near where international inspectors believe the Islamic Republic conducted high-explosive tests two decades ago for nuclear weapon triggers .
If that ’ s the case , why not just acknowledge it ?
Accidents happen , after all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to some lengths to claim the explosion took place in a civilian area .
Regime-controlled state television news sent a “ reporter ” to the scene to deliver the narrative , but it didn ’ t take an eagle eye for Iranian viewers to conclude something was afoot : One of its journalists stood in front of what appeared to be large , blackened gas cylinders , though the camera remained tightly focused and did not show anything else around the site .
Defense Ministry spokesman Davood Abdi blamed the blast on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said no one was killed in the explosion .
Abdi described the site as a “ public area , ” raising the question of why military officials and not civilian firefighters would be in charge .
The state TV report did not answer that .
Western analysts viewing the European Commission satellite photos believe that the explosion took place in a missile-building or missile-assembly area underground .
The Iranians have moved a substantial part of their missile program underground over the years to hide it from these same kinds of satellites , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea where those locations are and what the Iranians are doing with them .
Still , the missiles aren ’ t a secret themselves ; the Iranians openly brag about their capabilities , even to the point of photoshopping to make them look even more impressive .
Why not just tell the truth , if this was an industrial accident ?
Perhaps because it wasn ’ t an industrial accident .
Iran ’ s militias in Syria have come under attack by air over the last 24 hours , with Israel being suspected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long warned Iran to stay outside of missile range of its borders in Syria , and Iran has long ignored those warnings .
It ’ s not just Israel , however , that ’ s targeting Iranian militias .
Starting on Friday , the Iraqi government began rounding up Shi ’ ite militia leaders with ties to Iran for targeting US forces in the country : Iraqi security forces raided a stronghold of a powerful Iran-backed militia in southern Baghdad late on Thursday and detained more than a dozen members of the group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The raid was the most brazen action by Iraqi forces against a major Iran-backed militia in years and targeted the Kataib Hezbollah group , which U.S. officials accuse of firing rockets at bases hosting U.S. troops and other facilities in Iraq .
It signalled that new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi , whose government is negotiating Iraq ’ s security , political and economic ties with Washington , intends to fulfill pledges to rein in militia groups that have attacked U.S. installations .
… The military said the raid , carried out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S.-trained Counter Terrorism Service , was directed at militiamen suspected of firing rockets at foreign embassies in Baghdad ’ s fortified Green Zone and its international airport .
This brings us back to Parchin and Iran ’ s missile production and development .
Right now , Iran has the missile technology to target Israel , but not a nuclear warhead to put on one of them — we think , anyway .
Israel might have decided to slow down their missile production with an act of sabotage at Parchin , perhaps in part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Iran has spent the last few years creeping up on Israel via the civil war in Syria , and Israel might have just delivered a kidney punch in return .
That might be why Iran isn ’ t too keen on admitting that they have holes in their security , let alone have suffered a setback on military production .
Theocratic tyrannies don ’ t last long when their subjects realize their incompetence , and this one ’ s already on thin ice after shooting down a Ukrainian passenger flight a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

So much for the industrial gas tank theory. The Iranian government insisted that the explosion that rattled nearby Tehran on Friday took place in a civilian area of Parchin and not at their secret nuclear-weapons research or missile research facilities. They even supplied photos of a burnt tank, photos which turned out to be not entirely convincing.
Yesterday, a few more photographs emerged, and those tell a much different story:
An explosion that rattled Iran’s capital came from an area in its eastern mountains that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites, satellite photographs showed Saturday. What exploded in the incident early Friday that sent a massive fireball into the sky near Tehran remains unclear, as does the cause of the blast. The unusual response of the Iranian government in the aftermath of the explosion, however, underscores the sensitive nature of an area near where international inspectors believe the Islamic Republic conducted high-explosive tests two decades ago for nuclear weapon triggers.
If that’s the case, why not just acknowledge it? Accidents happen, after all, but the Iranians instead chose denial, going to some lengths to claim the explosion took place in a civilian area. Regime-controlled state television news sent a “reporter” to the scene to deliver the narrative, but it didn’t take an eagle eye for Iranian viewers to conclude something was afoot:
One of its journalists stood in front of what appeared to be large, blackened gas cylinders, though the camera remained tightly focused and did not show anything else around the site. Defense Ministry spokesman Davood Abdi blamed the blast on a leaking gas he did not identify and said no one was killed in the explosion. Abdi described the site as a “public area,” raising the question of why military officials and not civilian firefighters would be in charge. The state TV report did not answer that.
Subtle.
Western analysts viewing the European Commission satellite photos believe that the explosion took place in a missile-building or missile-assembly area underground. The Iranians have moved a substantial part of their missile program underground over the years to hide it from these same kinds of satellites, but intelligence agencies have a pretty good idea where those locations are and what the Iranians are doing with them.
Still, the missiles aren’t a secret themselves; the Iranians openly brag about their capabilities, even to the point of photoshopping to make them look even more impressive. Why not just tell the truth, if this was an industrial accident? Perhaps because it wasn’t an industrial accident. Iran’s militias in Syria have come under attack by air over the last 24 hours, with Israel being suspected of launching the strikes:
#UPDATE Air strikes targeting positions of Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria killed nine fighters on Sunday in the second such raid in 24 hours, a war monitor said — AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 28, 2020
Israel has long warned Iran to stay outside of missile range of its borders in Syria, and Iran has long ignored those warnings. It’s not just Israel, however, that’s targeting Iranian militias. Starting on Friday, the Iraqi government began rounding up Shi’ite militia leaders with ties to Iran for targeting US forces in the country:
Iraqi security forces raided a stronghold of a powerful Iran-backed militia in southern Baghdad late on Thursday and detained more than a dozen members of the group, government officials and paramilitary sources said. The raid was the most brazen action by Iraqi forces against a major Iran-backed militia in years and targeted the Kataib Hezbollah group, which U.S. officials accuse of firing rockets at bases hosting U.S. troops and other facilities in Iraq. It signalled that new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, whose government is negotiating Iraq’s security, political and economic ties with Washington, intends to fulfill pledges to rein in militia groups that have attacked U.S. installations. … The military said the raid, carried out in the middle of the night by the U.S.-trained Counter Terrorism Service, was directed at militiamen suspected of firing rockets at foreign embassies in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and its international airport.
This brings us back to Parchin and Iran’s missile production and development. Right now, Iran has the missile technology to target Israel, but not a nuclear warhead to put on one of them — we think, anyway. Israel might have decided to slow down their missile production with an act of sabotage at Parchin, perhaps in part just to demonstrate they can do it. Iran has spent the last few years creeping up on Israel via the civil war in Syria, and Israel might have just delivered a kidney punch in return.
That might be why Iran isn’t too keen on admitting that they have holes in their security, let alone have suffered a setback on military production. Theocratic tyrannies don’t last long when their subjects realize their incompetence, and this one’s already on thin ice after shooting down a Ukrainian passenger flight a few months ago. Or so we hope.


hotair--2020-06-29--Pence masks up for "Celebrate Freedom Rally", Protesters dangle doughnuts to taunt police

Vice-President Mike Pence spoke at the First Baptist Church in Dallas Sunday .
He wore a face mask .
The 100-person choir behind him did not while singing .
The occasion was an event called “ Celebrate Freedom Rally ” at the church .
Trump loyalist and sometimes surrogate Pastor Robert Jeffress leads the church .
The church was full of enthusiast church-goers waving small American flags .
The church crowd size Sunday was estimated at 2200 , according to reports .
Pence was accompanied by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Senator John Cornyn .
Photographs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozens of attendees waving American flags and cheering on the vice president , who spoke to the congregation for about 30 minutes .
Jeffress , an outspoken advocate of the president , led the ceremony and introduced Pence .
Housing and Urban Development Secretary ( HUD ) Ben Carson also spoke at the event in Dallas .
Black Lives Matter protesters gathered outside the church and some taunted police officers acting as security for the church service , dangling doughnuts on strings .
Is it me or are the protesters just being lame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the scene calls what the protesters are doing to the police as “ tempting ” them with doughnuts , not taunting them .
As you see , police were on foot and horseback , because , Texas .
And there is this quote : That ’ s an odd quote given the fact that the expressed goal of Black Lives Matter is to transform America into whatever their version is and meet their demands or they will burn it all down and begin again doing it their way , according to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s political .
Face masks were “ strongly encouraged ” and signs were posted around the church .
The choir sang throughout the service but while singing , removed their face masks .
Then they put the masks back on between songs .
Senator Cornyn and Secretary Carson also wore masks .
Throughout the service , the members of the choir sang at full volume , behind an orchestra .
Between songs , the choir members put their masks back on when they sat down , according to pool reports from the event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space between them , but it was not clear if it was the recommended six feet .
Face masks at the event were “ strongly encouraged , ” with signs posted around the venue signaling the suggestion .
According to pool reports from the event , at least half of the crowd was wearing a face covering , an act which experts say can reduce the transmission of Covid-19 by as much as 50 % .
Pence was scheduled to hold campaign events in Arizona and Florida this week but those have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hospitalizations .
Instead , Pence will meet with governors and health care teams .
The vice-president finds himself under renewed pressure over the pandemic outbreak .
On Friday , the White House coronavirus task force which he coordinates held its first White House press briefing in about two months .
During that press conference , Pence told reporters he would be doing events in Arizona and Florida .
He was questioned about the public safety concerns over large indoor events .
Pence was a guest on CBS ’ s Face the Nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday .
Pence ’ s staff is now accusing the network of editing his remarks to guest host John Dickinson when the discussion turned to why coronavirus cases are ballooning around the country .
The edit misconstrues Pence ’ s remarks about testing .
“ Let me respond — but you don ’ t want to leave the impression that this is just an increase in testing because what ’ s vital here , according to the experts , is that the percentage of positive cases has gone up , that something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase in cases because there ’ s more testing , ” Dickerson asked , according to a transcript of the 28-minute interview shared by Pence ’ s office with the Washington Examiner .
“ But , to your point , John , it ’ s clear that testing isn ’ t the only reason that we ’ re seeing more cases , but it ’ s a significant reason , ” Pence responded .
“ It ’ s inarguable that at a time that we ’ re able to do 500,000 tests a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nationwide , that now we ’ re able to test a great number of Americans that have no symptoms , where , early on in this pandemic , we literally were limiting testing to people of a certain age group , most notably seniors and also people that had symptoms of the coronavirus.
” In a clip of the interview tweeted by the show ’ s account , Pence was quoted as saying , “ It ’ s inarguable that the historic increase in testing that we ’ ve accomplished in this country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases.
” The tweet , which omitted the context of Pence ’ s full remarks , also implied that the vice president was arguing that increased testing is “ fully ” responsible for the recent rise in cases .
The tweet was later deleted and replaced it with a “ clarification ” noting in its caption that Pence said “ testing isn ’ t the only reason ” behind the spikes .
Of course , once the original tweet goes out , the damage is done , right ?
The media narrative is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how he talks about testing for the coronavirus .
I watched the interview and it was rather contentious at times .
The vice-president is in a tough spot .
He wants to do what he can to lead by example about mitigating the coronavirus outbreak yet he is taking his lead from President Trump on the subject of face masks .
He probably hits a decent compromise by keeping his commitment to Pastor Jeffress in Dallas – and meeting with Governor Abbott afterward – and then go ahead and travel to Arizona and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s good to show he is meeting with the governors of those states and health care teams , too .

Vice-President Mike Pence spoke at the First Baptist Church in Dallas Sunday. He wore a face mask. The 100-person choir behind him did not while singing. The occasion was an event called “Celebrate Freedom Rally” at the church. Trump loyalist and sometimes surrogate Pastor Robert Jeffress leads the church.
The church was full of enthusiast church-goers waving small American flags. The church crowd size Sunday was estimated at 2200, according to reports. Pence was accompanied by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Senator John Cornyn.
Photographs and video taken inside First Baptist Dallas showed dozens of attendees waving American flags and cheering on the vice president, who spoke to the congregation for about 30 minutes. Jeffress, an outspoken advocate of the president, led the ceremony and introduced Pence. Housing and Urban Development Secretary (HUD) Ben Carson also spoke at the event in Dallas.
Black Lives Matter protesters gathered outside the church and some taunted police officers acting as security for the church service, dangling doughnuts on strings. Is it me or are the protesters just being lame now? Check out that this reporter on the scene calls what the protesters are doing to the police as “tempting” them with doughnuts, not taunting them. As you see, police were on foot and horseback, because, Texas.
Peaceful protestors tempt @DallasPD officers, stationed outside the church where Pence is currently speaking, with doughnuts. pic.twitter.com/4HFzoDIdfC — Tyrone Slothrop III (@w_tres_mil) June 28, 2020
And there is this quote:
“Simply voicing your opinion about a community that is under attack is not political,” a protest leader can be heard telling police and demonstrators outside the church through a PA system.
That’s an odd quote given the fact that the expressed goal of Black Lives Matter is to transform America into whatever their version is and meet their demands or they will burn it all down and begin again doing it their way, according to a co-founder, Hawk Newsome. It’s political.
Face masks were “strongly encouraged” and signs were posted around the church. The choir sang throughout the service but while singing, removed their face masks. Then they put the masks back on between songs. Senator Cornyn and Secretary Carson also wore masks.
Throughout the service, the members of the choir sang at full volume, behind an orchestra. Between songs, the choir members put their masks back on when they sat down, according to pool reports from the event. The members of the choir had space between them, but it was not clear if it was the recommended six feet. Face masks at the event were “strongly encouraged,” with signs posted around the venue signaling the suggestion. According to pool reports from the event, at least half of the crowd was wearing a face covering, an act which experts say can reduce the transmission of Covid-19 by as much as 50%.
Pence was scheduled to hold campaign events in Arizona and Florida this week but those have been canceled due to spikes in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Instead, Pence will meet with governors and health care teams. The vice-president finds himself under renewed pressure over the pandemic outbreak. On Friday, the White House coronavirus task force which he coordinates held its first White House press briefing in about two months. During that press conference, Pence told reporters he would be doing events in Arizona and Florida. He was questioned about the public safety concerns over large indoor events.
On Saturday, the Trump campaign said it had postponed Pence’s campaign events in Florida and Arizona next week “out of an abundance of caution,” a campaign spokesperson told CNN. “The Vice President is still traveling to Texas, Arizona, and Florida this week as he said he is meeting with the governors and their healthcare teams,” a spokesperson from the office said in a statement to CNN.
Pence was a guest on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday morning. The interview was taped on Saturday. Pence’s staff is now accusing the network of editing his remarks to guest host John Dickinson when the discussion turned to why coronavirus cases are ballooning around the country. The edit misconstrues Pence’s remarks about testing.
“Let me respond — but you don’t want to leave the impression that this is just an increase in testing because what’s vital here, according to the experts, is that the percentage of positive cases has gone up, that something is happening here more than just an increase in cases because there’s more testing,” Dickerson asked, according to a transcript of the 28-minute interview shared by Pence’s office with the Washington Examiner. “But, to your point, John, it’s clear that testing isn’t the only reason that we’re seeing more cases, but it’s a significant reason,” Pence responded. “It’s inarguable that at a time that we’re able to do 500,000 tests a day, more than 30 million tests nationwide, that now we’re able to test a great number of Americans that have no symptoms, where, early on in this pandemic, we literally were limiting testing to people of a certain age group, most notably seniors and also people that had symptoms of the coronavirus.” In a clip of the interview tweeted by the show’s account, Pence was quoted as saying, “It’s inarguable that the historic increase in testing that we’ve accomplished in this country has played a role in the new cases.” The tweet, which omitted the context of Pence’s full remarks, also implied that the vice president was arguing that increased testing is “fully” responsible for the recent rise in cases. The tweet was later deleted and replaced it with a “clarification” noting in its caption that Pence said “testing isn’t the only reason” behind the spikes.
CLARIFICATION: @VP on #COVID testing: "It's clear testing isn't the only reason that we're seeing more cases, but it's a significant reason." https://t.co/vxQ7PO6dOL pic.twitter.com/ZiSWqyZKLg — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) June 28, 2020
Of course, once the original tweet goes out, the damage is done, right? The media narrative is that Trump is lying to everyone by how he talks about testing for the coronavirus. I watched the interview and it was rather contentious at times.
The vice-president is in a tough spot. He wants to do what he can to lead by example about mitigating the coronavirus outbreak yet he is taking his lead from President Trump on the subject of face masks. He probably hits a decent compromise by keeping his commitment to Pastor Jeffress in Dallas – and meeting with Governor Abbott afterward – and then go ahead and travel to Arizona and Florida but nix the campaign events. It’s good to show he is meeting with the governors of those states and health care teams, too.


hotair--2020-07-01--Texas Medical Association to State GOP: Cancel your convention

The Republican Party of Texas ( RPT ) has plans to go forward with a full , in-person state convention in July .
The Texas Medical Association has two words for the state Republican Party – cancel it .
The convention is scheduled for July 16 – 18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston .
There is to be no mandate for the attendees to wear facial masks , with 6,000 Texans anticipated to be in attendance .
“ All systems are go , folks .
This is happening , ” Kyle Whatley , the party ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tele-town hall , noting the convention program is already being printed .
As you know , Houston is a coronavirus hot spot right now and that decision is being called into question .
The number of attendees anticipated is half the number of those who would be expected in a normal convention year , without a pandemic raging through the city of the convention site .
State health officials sounded the alarm , especially when it became known that Party officials are not requiring facial masks .
Keep in mind that Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yesterday , Harris County Commissioners voted to extend the county ’ s disaster declaration until August 26 , granting Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo continued emergency powers until then .
Hidalgo is currently under quarantine herself , having been exposed to the coronavirus by a staff member .
David Lakey , the former commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services , said he believes large indoor gatherings of more than 100 people are not advisable at this time .
“ I think , right now , I wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ I think people need to be very cautious about making — especially in the month of July — any plans for a big conference.
” The Texas Medical Association ( TMA ) expressed hope that the convention attendees would wear facial masks and practice social distancing .
At the time that the TMA was raising concerns about such a large indoor gathering , the fact that the association sponsors the Texas Republican convention was printed in an article published by the Texas Tribune .
The TMA represents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students .
It said its $ 5,000 sponsorship wasn ’ t in danger of going away .
“ The agreement will not be revisited , ” Brent Annear said in an email Monday .
The convention lists more than 30 sponsors , including big names like Comcast , Verizon , and Union Pacific .
It should be noted here that TMA also gives the same sponsorship to the Democrat convention , which was held virtually this year .
Dr. Lakey spoke to the importance of the TMA being involved with both major parties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services , said it ’ s “ important for the Texas Medical Association to be involved in both political parties in order to have the voice of health and the many public health issues , such as vaccines and Medicaid and maternal morbidity , to make sure that both parties understand that these issues are important.
” “ If [ TMA ] totally dropped sponsorship , they lose the ability to address the multitude of health issues that we have here , ” Lakey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its decision to call on the Texas GOP to cancel its in-person convention .
Is its financial support in question now , if the Party moves ahead with its convention plans ?
The TMA president is an emergency physician in Houston and she is sending a more aggressive tone about the association ’ s objections to the convention plans .
She said the association ’ s financial sponsorship would apply to a virtual convention .
In an open letter to party leadership Tuesday , Dr. Diana Fite , TMA president , cited the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Harris County as a reason for the Texas Republican Party to cancel its Houston convention .
The county has the highest number of cases and deaths in the state .
“ The daily chart of active cases in Harris County has been nearly a straight line upward for the past two weeks , ” Fite wrote .
“ As an emergency physician in Houston treating patients with COVID-19 , I speak from firsthand experience : It would be best for the health of your conventiongoers and the residents of Houston for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there as planned.
” Dr. Fite points to pressure from members after the story in the Tribune was published and the fact that the convention is being held in Houston .
Is this getting political ?
Yes .
I think that is a fair conclusion as this all plays out .
She said the financial sponsorship is still not in question if the in-person convention happens but another doctor has created an online petition on MoveOn.org .
The petition threatens TMA with a boycott by doctors if its GOP sponsorship remains in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had 1,000 signatures .
Fife mentioned that TMA ’ s own in-person convention , scheduled for May , was canceled .
She expresses concern for more elderly members who faithfully attend these conventions , both in the TMA and in the GOP .
She points to the increased health risks for them .
State Party Chairman James Dickey is taking everything under consideration .
He said the Party has plans for an online convention , if necessary .
Party chair James Dickey said Tuesday that the State Republican Executive Committee will meet Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the event , which he assured includes an “ ultimate contingency plan ” to move the event online .
“ We have prepared for an online convention as the ultimate contingency plan if we are forced by a government order at any level and not able to hold our convention in person , ” Dickey said during a livestreamed announcement Tuesday evening .
“ We ’ ve had that plan in place since the beginning of the pandemic so that we can be fully prepared for any turn of events.
” I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good idea , whether indoors or outdoors , at this point in time .
Just as I am opposed to the big protests and violence happening by radical Marxists and other agitators all in the name of racial equality , I am opposed to a state convention , too .
It puts an unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus in play for thousands of people .
We ’ ll see just how much sway liberal activists in the TMA hold .
This event certainly exposes them as political creatures dressed in white coats .

The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) has plans to go forward with a full, in-person state convention in July. The Texas Medical Association has two words for the state Republican Party – cancel it.
The convention is scheduled for July 16 – 18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. There is to be no mandate for the attendees to wear facial masks, with 6,000 Texans anticipated to be in attendance. “All systems are go, folks. This is happening,” Kyle Whatley, the party’s executive director, said Tuesday during a tele-town hall, noting the convention program is already being printed. As you know, Houston is a coronavirus hot spot right now and that decision is being called into question. The number of attendees anticipated is half the number of those who would be expected in a normal convention year, without a pandemic raging through the city of the convention site.
State health officials sounded the alarm, especially when it became known that Party officials are not requiring facial masks. Keep in mind that Harris County is under a facial mask mandate. Yesterday, Harris County Commissioners voted to extend the county’s disaster declaration until August 26, granting Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo continued emergency powers until then. Hidalgo is currently under quarantine herself, having been exposed to the coronavirus by a staff member.
David Lakey, the former commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said he believes large indoor gatherings of more than 100 people are not advisable at this time. “I think, right now, I wouldn’t hold a group larger than 100 individuals,” he said. “I think people need to be very cautious about making — especially in the month of July — any plans for a big conference.”
The Texas Medical Association (TMA) expressed hope that the convention attendees would wear facial masks and practice social distancing. At the time that the TMA was raising concerns about such a large indoor gathering, the fact that the association sponsors the Texas Republican convention was printed in an article published by the Texas Tribune. The TMA represents more than 53,000 Texas physicians and medical students. It said its $5,000 sponsorship wasn’t in danger of going away. “The agreement will not be revisited,” Brent Annear said in an email Monday.
He added that despite the fact that the GOP organizers won’t require attendees to wear masks, TMA “encourages everyone who goes anywhere to wear masks.” “To our Republican friends — and our Democrat friends (and independents and those of other parties) — we say wear a mask, wash your hands, stay socially distant if you must be in groups, and stay home if you can,” Annear said.
The convention lists more than 30 sponsors, including big names like Comcast, Verizon, and Union Pacific. It should be noted here that TMA also gives the same sponsorship to the Democrat convention, which was held virtually this year. Dr. Lakey spoke to the importance of the TMA being involved with both major parties.
But Dr. David Lakey, the former commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said it’s “important for the Texas Medical Association to be involved in both political parties in order to have the voice of health and the many public health issues, such as vaccines and Medicaid and maternal morbidity, to make sure that both parties understand that these issues are important.” “If [TMA] totally dropped sponsorship, they lose the ability to address the multitude of health issues that we have here,” Lakey said.
On Tuesday, TMA announced its decision to call on the Texas GOP to cancel its in-person convention. Is its financial support in question now, if the Party moves ahead with its convention plans? The TMA president is an emergency physician in Houston and she is sending a more aggressive tone about the association’s objections to the convention plans. She said the association’s financial sponsorship would apply to a virtual convention.
In an open letter to party leadership Tuesday, Dr. Diana Fite, TMA president, cited the growing number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Harris County as a reason for the Texas Republican Party to cancel its Houston convention. The county has the highest number of cases and deaths in the state. “The daily chart of active cases in Harris County has been nearly a straight line upward for the past two weeks,” Fite wrote. “As an emergency physician in Houston treating patients with COVID-19, I speak from firsthand experience: It would be best for the health of your conventiongoers and the residents of Houston for the RPT not to hold its biennial convention there as planned.”
Dr. Fite points to pressure from members after the story in the Tribune was published and the fact that the convention is being held in Houston. Is this getting political? Yes. I think that is a fair conclusion as this all plays out. She said the financial sponsorship is still not in question if the in-person convention happens but another doctor has created an online petition on MoveOn.org. The petition threatens TMA with a boycott by doctors if its GOP sponsorship remains in place. As of Tuesday, the petition had 1,000 signatures.
On Monday evening, Dr. Dona Murphey, a Harris County physician scientist, created a petition on MoveOn.org demanding that TMA withdraw its contribution to the Texas GOP convention or “docs will boycott” TMA. “It is utterly reckless for a medical organization to be complicit in an event that defies CDC recommendations and the broad consensus of physicians and public health officials on multiple counts,” Murphey wrote in the petition’s description section. “The TMA must withdraw its support of the Texas GOP convention.”
Fife mentioned that TMA’s own in-person convention, scheduled for May, was canceled. She expresses concern for more elderly members who faithfully attend these conventions, both in the TMA and in the GOP. She points to the increased health risks for them.
State Party Chairman James Dickey is taking everything under consideration. He said the Party has plans for an online convention, if necessary.
Party chair James Dickey said Tuesday that the State Republican Executive Committee will meet Thursday to consider options for the future of the event, which he assured includes an “ultimate contingency plan” to move the event online. “We have prepared for an online convention as the ultimate contingency plan if we are forced by a government order at any level and not able to hold our convention in person,” Dickey said during a livestreamed announcement Tuesday evening. “We’ve had that plan in place since the beginning of the pandemic so that we can be fully prepared for any turn of events.”
I don’t think large gatherings are a good idea, whether indoors or outdoors, at this point in time. Just as I am opposed to the big protests and violence happening by radical Marxists and other agitators all in the name of racial equality, I am opposed to a state convention, too. It puts an unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus in play for thousands of people. We’ll see just how much sway liberal activists in the TMA hold. This event certainly exposes them as political creatures dressed in white coats.


hotair--2020-07-01--Investigator: Rayshard Brooks would’ve been charged on 10 counts

At some point early this morning , former Atlanta Police Officer Garret Rolfe was released from jail after posting a half-million-dollar bond .
Rolfe is still facing numerous charges in the death of Rayshard Brooks and the release came despite pleas from Brooks ’ widow to keep him locked up .
The terms of his release are quite restrictive and he won ’ t be able to leave town .
But at the same time , more details are emerging from the investigation into what precisely happened on June 12th when Brooks was shot .
One Atlanta Police Department homicide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case has investigated the evidence extensively and this week he filed a court brief on behalf of the defense .
In it , Detective Al Hogan claimed in the filing that , had Brooks survived the encounter , he would have charged him with ten different criminal charges .
( Daily Wire ) In a defense filing for former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe , who has been charged with felony murder in the Rayshard Brooks case , the Atlanta Police Department homicide detective assigned to the case , Al Hogan , sided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have brought 10 charges against Brooks had he survived the incident .
“ Atlanta PD detective assigned to the [ Rayshard Brooks ] investigation says he would have charged Brooks — not Rolfe — with 10 counts , including multiple felonies , ” posted Philip Holloway , a legal analyst for CNN who specializes in “ criminal law , police law , and civil and administrative litigation ” ( post below ) .
Captioning a screenshot of Hogan ’ s letter , Holloway noted : “ Usually law enforcement are witnesses for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filing.
” Mr. Hogan was assigned the Brooks case and arrived on scene shortly after the incident , he explains in the letter .
The charges being set out by Hogan all seem fairly straightforward and match up with what we saw in the video of the shooting .
The list starts off with two different counts of DUI , which was probably a violation of Brooks ’ probation to begin with and might have landed him back in jail .
Moving on from there we see one count of Felony Obstruction .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brooks could have faced .
These include two counts each of Battery Against a Police Officer and Aggravated Assault Against a Police Officer .
( Presumably for both the physical assault as he fought to break free of restraint and firing the Taser at the officers . )
Those are followed by Theft by Taking , Removal of Weapon from a Public Official and Robbery .
All of those are clearly related to grabbing the Taser from the APD .
This is going to complicate the District Attorney ’ s case against Rolfe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weak tea to being with .
The prosecution is seeking to portray Brooks as some sort of happy-go-lucky drunk who just happened to fall asleep in the Wendy ’ s drive-through and was then gunned down by racist cops .
But both the video evidence and the results of this investigation tell a very different tale .
I touched on this aspect of the case in an earlier article I wrote about what happens when the police become fed up with being used as scapegoats to appease an angry mob .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severely escalated the violence at a point where the cops were ready to calmly and safely take him in on a DUI charge .
Physically assaulting the police and then stealing a Taser and firing it at them brought the confrontation to a crisis point , particularly when Georgia law defines a Taser as a potentially lethal weapon .
The only moment where the prosecution should be able to hang its hat on some sort of charge against Rolfe comes with the decision to shoot him in the back while he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would need to be able to convince a jury that allowing Brooks to escape at that point would pose a reasonable risk of danger to either the public or other officers .
Given that the Taser was presumably discharged at that point and Brooks didn ’ t have any other weapons on him , that might be a stretch .
But felony murder ?
I ’ m still gobsmacked that the DA could have been so panicked over the potential reaction in the streets to the shooting that he would overreact to such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t know if they ’ ll be able to get a conviction against Rolfe for anything at this point , nor am I completely convinced that they should be able to .
As for Rolfe ’ s current conditions , he ’ s supposed to wear an ankle monitor at all times , observe a curfew from 6 pm to 6 am , and surrender his passport so he can ’ t flee the country .
He will also be forbidden from carrying any type of firearms and he won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brooks ’ family nor any police officers .
In other words , he ’ s locked down and sidelined while the case plays out .

At some point early this morning, former Atlanta Police Officer Garret Rolfe was released from jail after posting a half-million-dollar bond. Rolfe is still facing numerous charges in the death of Rayshard Brooks and the release came despite pleas from Brooks’ widow to keep him locked up. The terms of his release are quite restrictive and he won’t be able to leave town.
But at the same time, more details are emerging from the investigation into what precisely happened on June 12th when Brooks was shot. One Atlanta Police Department homicide detective who has been assigned to the case has investigated the evidence extensively and this week he filed a court brief on behalf of the defense. In it, Detective Al Hogan claimed in the filing that, had Brooks survived the encounter, he would have charged him with ten different criminal charges. (Daily Wire)
In a defense filing for former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe, who has been charged with felony murder in the Rayshard Brooks case, the Atlanta Police Department homicide detective assigned to the case, Al Hogan, sided with Rolfe, noting that he would have brought 10 charges against Brooks had he survived the incident. “Atlanta PD detective assigned to the [Rayshard Brooks] investigation says he would have charged Brooks — not Rolfe — with 10 counts, including multiple felonies,” posted Philip Holloway, a legal analyst for CNN who specializes in “criminal law, police law, and civil and administrative litigation” (post below). Captioning a screenshot of Hogan’s letter, Holloway noted: “Usually law enforcement are witnesses for the state but this is from a defense filing.” Mr. Hogan was assigned the Brooks case and arrived on scene shortly after the incident, he explains in the letter.
The charges being set out by Hogan all seem fairly straightforward and match up with what we saw in the video of the shooting. The list starts off with two different counts of DUI, which was probably a violation of Brooks’ probation to begin with and might have landed him back in jail. Moving on from there we see one count of Felony Obstruction.
Then we get to the serious charges Brooks could have faced. These include two counts each of Battery Against a Police Officer and Aggravated Assault Against a Police Officer. (Presumably for both the physical assault as he fought to break free of restraint and firing the Taser at the officers.) Those are followed by Theft by Taking, Removal of Weapon from a Public Official and Robbery. All of those are clearly related to grabbing the Taser from the APD.
This is going to complicate the District Attorney’s case against Rolfe even further, and it was pretty weak tea to being with. The prosecution is seeking to portray Brooks as some sort of happy-go-lucky drunk who just happened to fall asleep in the Wendy’s drive-through and was then gunned down by racist cops. But both the video evidence and the results of this investigation tell a very different tale.
I touched on this aspect of the case in an earlier article I wrote about what happens when the police become fed up with being used as scapegoats to appease an angry mob. It’s clear that Brooks instigated and then severely escalated the violence at a point where the cops were ready to calmly and safely take him in on a DUI charge. Physically assaulting the police and then stealing a Taser and firing it at them brought the confrontation to a crisis point, particularly when Georgia law defines a Taser as a potentially lethal weapon.
The only moment where the prosecution should be able to hang its hat on some sort of charge against Rolfe comes with the decision to shoot him in the back while he’s fleeing. Rolfe and the other officers would need to be able to convince a jury that allowing Brooks to escape at that point would pose a reasonable risk of danger to either the public or other officers. Given that the Taser was presumably discharged at that point and Brooks didn’t have any other weapons on him, that might be a stretch.
But felony murder? I’m still gobsmacked that the DA could have been so panicked over the potential reaction in the streets to the shooting that he would overreact to such a vast degree. Frankly, I don’t know if they’ll be able to get a conviction against Rolfe for anything at this point, nor am I completely convinced that they should be able to.
As for Rolfe’s current conditions, he’s supposed to wear an ankle monitor at all times, observe a curfew from 6 pm to 6 am, and surrender his passport so he can’t flee the country. He will also be forbidden from carrying any type of firearms and he won’t be allowed to contact any of Brooks’ family nor any police officers. In other words, he’s locked down and sidelined while the case plays out.


hotair--2020-07-01--<span class='red'>Breaking: Seattle PD ordered to take back CHAZ/CHOP; East Precinct reclaimed; Upda

Breaking: Seattle PD ordered to take back CHAZ/CHOP; East Precinct reclaimed; Update: "Several vehicles" circling area, PD investigating

Maybe Jenny Durkan ’ s NIMBY response to the protest in front of her house finally embarrassed her into action .
Starting early this morning , Seattle police began executing an order from the mayor in the “ autonomous zone , ” ordering protesters to disperse .
As of 5 am PT , police had fortified their positions outside the East Precinct , nearly a month after Durkan had ordered police to abandon it : By 6:20 PT , police had apparently secured the precinct with its SWAT officers .
They began focusing on rest of the CHAZ/CHOP in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , police reported at least thirteen arrests for resisting the orders to disperse .
So far , though , the large-scale response — and a drain from CHAZ/CHOP as it spiraled from anarchy to Marxist authoritarianism — seems to have made this less kinetic than it otherwise might have been .
It might be smellier , though : After giving several warnings to disperse , police have arrested at least 13 protestors who refused to leave , Seattle Police said .
“ Anyone who remains in the area , or returns to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Seattle Police said .
Police report that some had tipped over portable toilets in the area , but overall the scene has been calm as officers cleared the area .
Officers gave the order to disperse the area at 5 a.m. and gave protestors eight minutes to comply , informing them they could safely exit the reason to the south .
“ A lot of chaos , you hear many many voices , ” said Debora Killman , who was sleeping in a tent in the zone .
“ But then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s either going to be the police or National Guard so that ’ s when I started saying OK , it ’ s time to get up.
” That seems like a surprising assumption , and a telling one as well .
Protesters had successfully turned back police twice in the last five days before today without the National Guard showing up .
And if they truly supported defunding the Seattle police , why not wait for the National Guard instead ?
Isn ’ t the point that local law enforcement can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push comes to shove , they ’ d rather get shoved back than shot .
KING5 has a live feed covering the operation , with anchors lamenting that the “ message has been lost ” from its first few days .
Er , suuuure , but it ’ s been at least three weeks and four murders since — that we know about .
Police chief Carmen Best said that robberies and assaults had also occurred , and hopefully we will find out more about those incidents too .
If Seattle ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ messages ” over the rule of law , though , don ’ t bet on the media reporting those facts .
Update : Our Townhall colleague Julio Rosas , who reported from CHAZ , notes that Durkan ’ s position seems to have changed : Update : In a throwback to the Minneapolis riots , police say they are investigating reports of “ several vehicles ” circling the area after the dispersal operation : They should start looking for caches of rocks and tires , too .
We saw some of that in @ @ @ @

Maybe Jenny Durkan’s NIMBY response to the protest in front of her house finally embarrassed her into action. Starting early this morning, Seattle police began executing an order from the mayor in the “autonomous zone,” ordering protesters to disperse. As of 5 am PT, police had fortified their positions outside the East Precinct, nearly a month after Durkan had ordered police to abandon it:
By 6:20 PT, police had apparently secured the precinct with its SWAT officers. They began focusing on rest of the CHAZ/CHOP in a big show of force:
By that time, police reported at least thirteen arrests for resisting the orders to disperse. So far, though, the large-scale response — and a drain from CHAZ/CHOP as it spiraled from anarchy to Marxist authoritarianism — seems to have made this less kinetic than it otherwise might have been. It might be smellier, though:
After giving several warnings to disperse, police have arrested at least 13 protestors who refused to leave, Seattle Police said. “Anyone who remains in the area, or returns to the area, is subject to arrest,” Seattle Police said. Police report that some had tipped over portable toilets in the area, but overall the scene has been calm as officers cleared the area. Officers gave the order to disperse the area at 5 a.m. and gave protestors eight minutes to comply, informing them they could safely exit the reason to the south. “A lot of chaos, you hear many many voices,” said Debora Killman, who was sleeping in a tent in the zone. “But then I heard on the megaphone it’s either going to be the police or National Guard so that’s when I started saying OK, it’s time to get up.”
That seems like a surprising assumption, and a telling one as well. Protesters had successfully turned back police twice in the last five days before today without the National Guard showing up. And if they truly supported defunding the Seattle police, why not wait for the National Guard instead? Isn’t the point that local law enforcement can’t be trusted? Looks like when push comes to shove, they’d rather get shoved back than shot.
KING5 has a live feed covering the operation, with anchors lamenting that the “message has been lost” from its first few days. Er, suuuure, but it’s been at least three weeks and four murders since — that we know about. Police chief Carmen Best said that robberies and assaults had also occurred, and hopefully we will find out more about those incidents too. If Seattle’s media is more interested in lamenting “messages” over the rule of law, though, don’t bet on the media reporting those facts.
Update: Our Townhall colleague Julio Rosas, who reported from CHAZ, notes that Durkan’s position seems to have changed:
Update: In a throwback to the Minneapolis riots, police say they are investigating reports of “several vehicles” circling the area after the dispersal operation:
At 6:35 a.m., SPD said it was investigating “several vehicles” that were circling the area after officers moved into the CHOP. Police said the vehicle didn’t appear to have visible license plates, and the people inside were seen with “firearms/armor.”
They should start looking for caches of rocks and tires, too. We saw some of that in the Twin Cities.


hotair--2020-07-01--Seattle Mayor was unhappy CHOP people approached her house

While I was away , the situation at the Seattle CHOP ( formerly CHAZ ) zone didn ’ t improve noticeably .
As John pointed out yesterday , it briefly looked like there would be some progress in attempting to retake control of Seattle ’ s Capitol Hill neighborhood , but before construction crews could dismantle the barriers , the Mayor once again caved in and gave them more time .
I ’ m not sure if the two incidents are directly related , but there was another notable turn of events on Sunday that didn ’ t draw quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Durkan announced that the city would finally be retaking control of the area and the abandoned East Precinct police station , the protesters and rioters became rather upset with her .
This led to a march bringing the disruptive elements right to Durkan ’ s own home .
And that was apparently a bridge too far because the Mayor felt she was being put in personal danger .
( Washington Examiner , emphasis added ) A group of protesters marched to the home of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Sunday afternoon , upset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Capitol Hill Organized Protest , ” known as CHOP .
Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant joined a group of dozens of demonstrators gathered at Durkan ’ s home , holding signs , chanting , and demanding she leave the area alone or meet protesters ’ demands… Durkan ’ s office issued a statement on the protests , saying Sawant joined the protests “ without regard for the safety of the Mayor and her family.
” “ Mayor Durkan and her family are in the state program to keep their address confidential because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her work as Seattle ’ s U.S. Attorney under President Obama , ” a statement from the mayor ’ s office issued Sunday read .
The incredibly tone-deaf statement went on to say that while Seattle ’ s residents should be able to peacefully demonstrate , they “ should not put families and children at risk.
” Oh , really , Mayor Durkan ?
It took an angry mob showing up at your house for you to suddenly become worried about “ families and children ” being put at risk ?
To steal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all time , welcome to the party , pal .
I ’ ve lost track of the number of shootings inside the CHOP area that have gone unanswered by law enforcement .
There have also been incidents of rape and attempted rape .
Businesses were being looted or subjected to armed robbery from day one .
The violence has already reached the point where multiple business owners are suing the city for abandoning them to the mob .
Where was Mayor Durkan ’ s concern over the safety and welfare of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this was going on ?
Apparently it only became an issue once the mob reached her own front door .
The statement from her office also included a claim that the Mayor and her family are in some sort of protection program that ’ s supposed to keep her home address confidential .
How nice for her .
Sadly , the rest of the people with homes and businesses in the Capitol Hill district aren ’ t afforded any such luxury so the mob is free to “ visit ” them at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea how elitist and out of touch she sounds ?
Residents of her city are literally being shot , killed , sexually assaulted and robbed while the police are told to stand down .
But somehow , a protest outside of her house is what qualified as stepping over the line .
And instead of cracking down on the lawlessness , her “ solution ” is to agree to defund the police and give in to the mob ’ s demands .
If the people of Seattle decide to reward her with another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zero sympathies for them .
Let the rioters burn down the city .
It ’ s what you deserve .

While I was away, the situation at the Seattle CHOP (formerly CHAZ) zone didn’t improve noticeably. As John pointed out yesterday, it briefly looked like there would be some progress in attempting to retake control of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, but before construction crews could dismantle the barriers, the Mayor once again caved in and gave them more time. I’m not sure if the two incidents are directly related, but there was another notable turn of events on Sunday that didn’t draw quite as much attention. After Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that the city would finally be retaking control of the area and the abandoned East Precinct police station, the protesters and rioters became rather upset with her. This led to a march bringing the disruptive elements right to Durkan’s own home. And that was apparently a bridge too far because the Mayor felt she was being put in personal danger. (Washington Examiner, emphasis added)
A group of protesters marched to the home of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Sunday afternoon, upset that she pledged to dismantle the police-free “Capitol Hill Organized Protest,” known as CHOP. Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant joined a group of dozens of demonstrators gathered at Durkan’s home, holding signs, chanting, and demanding she leave the area alone or meet protesters’ demands… Durkan’s office issued a statement on the protests, saying Sawant joined the protests “without regard for the safety of the Mayor and her family.” “Mayor Durkan and her family are in the state program to keep their address confidential because of the death threats mostly related to her work as Seattle’s U.S. Attorney under President Obama,” a statement from the mayor’s office issued Sunday read.
The incredibly tone-deaf statement went on to say that while Seattle’s residents should be able to peacefully demonstrate, they “should not put families and children at risk.”
Oh, really, Mayor Durkan? It took an angry mob showing up at your house for you to suddenly become worried about “families and children” being put at risk? To steal a line from the greatest Christmas movie of all time, welcome to the party, pal.
I’ve lost track of the number of shootings inside the CHOP area that have gone unanswered by law enforcement. There have also been incidents of rape and attempted rape. Businesses were being looted or subjected to armed robbery from day one. The violence has already reached the point where multiple business owners are suing the city for abandoning them to the mob.
Where was Mayor Durkan’s concern over the safety and welfare of the “families and children” while all of this was going on? Apparently it only became an issue once the mob reached her own front door. The statement from her office also included a claim that the Mayor and her family are in some sort of protection program that’s supposed to keep her home address confidential. How nice for her. Sadly, the rest of the people with homes and businesses in the Capitol Hill district aren’t afforded any such luxury so the mob is free to “visit” them at will.
Does this woman have any idea how elitist and out of touch she sounds? Residents of her city are literally being shot, killed, sexually assaulted and robbed while the police are told to stand down. But somehow, a protest outside of her house is what qualified as stepping over the line. And instead of cracking down on the lawlessness, her “solution” is to agree to defund the police and give in to the mob’s demands. If the people of Seattle decide to reward her with another term after this, I will have zero sympathies for them. Let the rioters burn down the city. It’s what you deserve.