hotair--2020-10-21--Transcripts in Ghislaine Maxwell case to be released... maybe

The last time we heard any significant developments in the case of accused Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell , she was begging to be transferred into the general population .
I don ’ t know if that was some sort of thinly veiled death wish or just a legal ploy to arrange for more comfortable conditions behind bars .
The request was taking place at the same time that her lawyers were fighting to keep earlier depositions she had given under wraps , however .
Those efforts dragged on in court for more than two months , but it now appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barring some further action by her lawyers that might sway the judge ’ s mind , they ’ ve been ordered to release the depositions for public viewing tomorrow morning .
( Associated Press ) Transcripts of interviews lawyers conducted with the ex-girlfriend of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein must be released by Thursday morning , a judge said Tuesday .
U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska ’ s order allows the public release of transcripts of two days of depositions in 2016 of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and related documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an anonymous accuser .
The judge briefly permitted the immediate release of the transcripts but reversed herself after an attorney for Maxwell made a late plea to delay the release .
It ’ s unclear precisely how many more appeals Maxwell ’ s lawyers can generate – if any – to keep dragging this out .
As of now , they seem to be fighting over nitpicking details involving names and other information that has been redacted from the transcripts prior to release .
One of the sticking points in Maxwell ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that most of them aren ’ t directly related to the criminal trial she now faces .
These transcripts are from depositions she gave in the lawsuit brought against her by Virginia Roberts Giuffre .
We already know that the primary allegation in her case was that Maxwell and Epstein had trafficked her to have sex with Britain ’ s Prince Andrew when she was still a minor .
But that lawsuit was settled earlier this year so the transcripts may not be considered protected material at this point .
I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see the transcripts showing up in the news either , but that ’ s probably not the biggest item of interest here .
First of all , there ’ s another transcript involving a second , anonymous accuser who also alleges that the famous pair of perverts had shopped her around .
Those details may or may not be directly relevant to the criminal case .
What everyone is really waiting to find out is how many men were “ benefitting ” from Epstein ’ s sex trafficking trade and who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for such purposes .
As you may recall , both Roberts Giuffre and a communications technician who worked on Epstein ’ s island have stated that they saw Bill Clinton there visiting the boss .
Roberts went further , saying that she saw Clinton “ with two young girls ” and that orgies were “ a regular thing that happened ” on the island .
For his part , Bill Clinton has publicly denied ever setting foot on the island .
As Ed Morrissey previously pointed out , if Maxwell ’ s defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this long to keep those transcripts under wraps , it ’ s a fair bet that there ’ s something pretty bad in them .
Precisely who it might be bad for aside from Maxwell herself , remains to be seen .
But if any more of the rich and powerful have their names popping up in the testimony of the accusers , the Bureau of Prisons may want to keep Maxwell on suicide watch for a while longer .
We wouldn ’ t want to have another “ accident ” taking @ @ @ @ @

The last time we heard any significant developments in the case of accused Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, she was begging to be transferred into the general population. I don’t know if that was some sort of thinly veiled death wish or just a legal ploy to arrange for more comfortable conditions behind bars. The request was taking place at the same time that her lawyers were fighting to keep earlier depositions she had given under wraps, however. Those efforts dragged on in court for more than two months, but it now appears that the fight may be over. Barring some further action by her lawyers that might sway the judge’s mind, they’ve been ordered to release the depositions for public viewing tomorrow morning. (Associated Press)
Transcripts of interviews lawyers conducted with the ex-girlfriend of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein must be released by Thursday morning, a judge said Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska’s order allows the public release of transcripts of two days of depositions in 2016 of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and related documents, along with the deposition transcript of an anonymous accuser. The judge briefly permitted the immediate release of the transcripts but reversed herself after an attorney for Maxwell made a late plea to delay the release.
It’s unclear precisely how many more appeals Maxwell’s lawyers can generate – if any – to keep dragging this out. As of now, they seem to be fighting over nitpicking details involving names and other information that has been redacted from the transcripts prior to release.
One of the sticking points in Maxwell’s attempts to keep the transcripts hidden is that most of them aren’t directly related to the criminal trial she now faces. These transcripts are from depositions she gave in the lawsuit brought against her by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. We already know that the primary allegation in her case was that Maxwell and Epstein had trafficked her to have sex with Britain’s Prince Andrew when she was still a minor. But that lawsuit was settled earlier this year so the transcripts may not be considered protected material at this point.
I’m sure the Prince doesn’t want to see the transcripts showing up in the news either, but that’s probably not the biggest item of interest here. First of all, there’s another transcript involving a second, anonymous accuser who also alleges that the famous pair of perverts had shopped her around. Those details may or may not be directly relevant to the criminal case.
What everyone is really waiting to find out is how many men were “benefitting” from Epstein’s sex trafficking trade and who was showing up on his creepy private island for such purposes. As you may recall, both Roberts Giuffre and a communications technician who worked on Epstein’s island have stated that they saw Bill Clinton there visiting the boss. Roberts went further, saying that she saw Clinton “with two young girls” and that orgies were “a regular thing that happened” on the island. For his part, Bill Clinton has publicly denied ever setting foot on the island.
News: President Clinton has issued a statement on Jeffrey Epstein pic.twitter.com/LlTZC8j6pv — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) July 8, 2019
As Ed Morrissey previously pointed out, if Maxwell’s defense team has been fighting this hard and for this long to keep those transcripts under wraps, it’s a fair bet that there’s something pretty bad in them. Precisely who it might be bad for aside from Maxwell herself, remains to be seen. But if any more of the rich and powerful have their names popping up in the testimony of the accusers, the Bureau of Prisons may want to keep Maxwell on suicide watch for a while longer. We wouldn’t want to have another “accident” taking place, after all.


hotair--2020-10-22--Case closed. Hunter Biden's business partner confirms the emails are real... and more

It ’ s been nine days since the New York Post broke the bombshell story about Hunter Biden ’ s “ business ” dealings in China and Joe Biden ’ s apparent participation in the lucrative engagements his son pursued there .
In that time , almost all of the mainstream media has asserted that this was “ fake news ” that didn ’ t merit coverage and the largest social platforms have engaged in a blackout of any discussion of the topic .
Last night , however , the final nail was driven into the coffin of that effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business partners , Tony Bobulinski , after learning that he would be called before two Senate committees to discuss the matter , released a lengthy statement confirming the validity of the “ smoking gun ” email .
But he included more details than a simple confirmation of receipt .
He spoke of Joe Biden ’ s “ eager ” participation in the scheme and the fact that he profited from Hunter ’ s Chinese activities to the tune of millions of dollars .
( NY Post ) The statement Wednesday night asserting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and eager participant in a family scheme to make millions of dollars by partnering with a shady Chinese Communist firm is a singular event in a presidential race already overflowing with drama and intrigue .
The dynamite assertion , believable because it aligns with earlier information we know to be true , came in a statement by Tony Bobulinski , who describes himself as a former partner of Hunter Biden , Joe Biden and Joe ’ s brother Jim in the China scheme .
Bobulinski unloads his bill of accusations in blunt but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he was one of the recipients of the May 13 , 2017 , e-mail published by The Post eight days ago .
That e-mail , from another partner in the group , laid out cash and equity positions and mysteriously included a 10 percent set-aside for “ the big guy.
” As the Post ’ s Michael Goodwin points out , this admission puts the lie to Biden ’ s repeated claims that he knew nothing of his son ’ s many , lucrative international schemes , and never discussed them with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Joe Biden was an active player in these games and he had his hand out .
The 10 % setaside for “ the big guy ” was the money in at least one deal that was going straight to Joe Biden .
Bobulinski appears to be the person that Hunter Biden and his friends brought in to lend an aura of competence to their firm .
His background in the military , nuclear energy and international finance lent plenty of credibility and was likely the reason he was made CEO , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it didn ’ t work out as well for the CEO as it might have .
He describes how the Bidens ( plural ) had “ gone behind my back and gotten paid millions of dollars by the Chinese , even though they told me they hadn ’ t and wouldn ’ t do that to their partners.
” He also describes how Hunter Biden “ wanted to use the company as his personal piggy bank by just taking money out of it as soon as it came from the Chinese.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simple questions at CNN , NBC News , The New York Times and all the rest of the media powerhouses who have been scolding us about “ Russian disinformation ” for the past week .
Tony Bobulinski was the CEO of Hunter Biden ’ s firm .
He was copied on several of the emails we ’ ve seen .
How hard was it for them to find him and ask him about the legitimacy of the documents ?
Did anyone even try prior to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security summoning him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what did Bobulinski tell them ?
If they didn ’ t , why not ?
This has either been a case of willful ignorance on the part of some of the nation ’ s most high-profile reporters or a blatant coverup .
The result is the same either way .
The vaunted guardians of our Freedom of the Press have been engaged in their own disinformation campaign to protect Joe Biden ’ s candidacy and try to remove a sitting president from office .
This isn ’ t just bad journalism .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be illegal .

It’s been nine days since the New York Post broke the bombshell story about Hunter Biden’s “business” dealings in China and Joe Biden’s apparent participation in the lucrative engagements his son pursued there. In that time, almost all of the mainstream media has asserted that this was “fake news” that didn’t merit coverage and the largest social platforms have engaged in a blackout of any discussion of the topic. Last night, however, the final nail was driven into the coffin of that effort. One of Hunter Biden’s business partners, Tony Bobulinski, after learning that he would be called before two Senate committees to discuss the matter, released a lengthy statement confirming the validity of the “smoking gun” email. But he included more details than a simple confirmation of receipt. He spoke of Joe Biden’s “eager” participation in the scheme and the fact that he profited from Hunter’s Chinese activities to the tune of millions of dollars. (NY Post)
The statement Wednesday night asserting that the former vice president was a willing and eager participant in a family scheme to make millions of dollars by partnering with a shady Chinese Communist firm is a singular event in a presidential race already overflowing with drama and intrigue. The dynamite assertion, believable because it aligns with earlier information we know to be true, came in a statement by Tony Bobulinski, who describes himself as a former partner of Hunter Biden, Joe Biden and Joe’s brother Jim in the China scheme. Bobulinski unloads his bill of accusations in blunt but precise language and detail. He confirms that he was one of the recipients of the May 13, 2017, e-mail published by The Post eight days ago. That e-mail, from another partner in the group, laid out cash and equity positions and mysteriously included a 10 percent set-aside for “the big guy.”
As the Post’s Michael Goodwin points out, this admission puts the lie to Biden’s repeated claims that he knew nothing of his son’s many, lucrative international schemes, and never discussed them with him. As Bobulinski describes the situation, Joe Biden was an active player in these games and he had his hand out. The 10% setaside for “the big guy” was the money in at least one deal that was going straight to Joe Biden.
Bobulinski appears to be the person that Hunter Biden and his friends brought in to lend an aura of competence to their firm. His background in the military, nuclear energy and international finance lent plenty of credibility and was likely the reason he was made CEO, while Hunter was qualified for… basically nothing. But it didn’t work out as well for the CEO as it might have. He describes how the Bidens (plural) had “gone behind my back and gotten paid millions of dollars by the Chinese, even though they told me they hadn’t and wouldn’t do that to their partners.” He also describes how Hunter Biden “wanted to use the company as his personal piggy bank by just taking money out of it as soon as it came from the Chinese.”
We should all be directing a few simple questions at CNN, NBC News, The New York Times and all the rest of the media powerhouses who have been scolding us about “Russian disinformation” for the past week. Tony Bobulinski was the CEO of Hunter Biden’s firm. He was copied on several of the emails we’ve seen. How hard was it for them to find him and ask him about the legitimacy of the documents? Did anyone even try prior to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security summoning him to testify? If they did, what did Bobulinski tell them? If they didn’t, why not?
This has either been a case of willful ignorance on the part of some of the nation’s most high-profile reporters or a blatant coverup. The result is the same either way. The vaunted guardians of our Freedom of the Press have been engaged in their own disinformation campaign to protect Joe Biden’s candidacy and try to remove a sitting president from office. This isn’t just bad journalism. It’s a conspiracy and should probably be illegal.


hotair--2020-10-21--Obama: If I had a secret Chinese bank account like Trump, Fox News would have called me "Beijing Bar

Obama: If I had a secret Chinese bank account like Trump, Fox News would have called me "Beijing Barry"

They would have called him a lot more than that .
He ’ s referring to the story the NYT ran last night , the latest in its series scrutinizing Trump ’ s mysteriously obtained alleged tax returns .
And it turns out that China is one of only three foreign nations — the others are Britain and Ireland — where Mr. Trump maintains a bank account , according to an analysis of the president ’ s tax records , which were obtained by The New York Times .
The foreign accounts do not show up on Mr. Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must list personal assets , because they are held under corporate names .
The identities of the financial institutions are not clear .
The Chinese account is controlled by Trump International Hotels Management L.L.C.
, which the tax records show paid $ 188,561 in taxes in China while pursuing licensing deals there from 2013 to 2015 .
What odds can I get in Vegas that Biden attacks Trump tomorrow night at the debate by pointing out that he paid 250 times more in taxes to China over that span than he did to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some years ?
Lefties are thrilled to see Obama back on the trail today but there ’ s a reason why Biden ’ s kept him under wraps .
In midterm elections he ’ s been a better turnout machine for the right than he has for the left .
Team Joe is taking a risk rolling him out there now , at the eleventh hour , knowing that Republicans will see these clips and bristle at him mocking Trump .
All things being equal , I think Biden would have preferred to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things aren ’ t equal .
Biden ’ s having trouble with black voters , especially younger black voters and black men .
While older Black voters look as if they ’ ll vote for Biden by margins similar to Clinton ’ s in 2016 , Trump ’ s support among young Black voters ( 18 to 44 ) has jumped from around 10 percent in 2016 to 21 percent in UCLA Nationscape ’ s polling .
Black voters remain an overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning constituency , but a notable reduction in their support could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Notably , young Black voters don ’ t seem to feel as negatively about Trump as older Black Americans do .
For instance , an early-July African American Research Collaborative poll of battleground states found that 35 percent of 18-to-29-year-old Black adults agreed that although they didn ’ t always like Trump ’ s policies , they liked his strong demeanor and defiance of the establishment .
Conversely , just 10 percent of those 60 and older said the same… One last point on where Trump has made gains among Black and Hispanic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Black and Hispanic men , which might speak to how his campaign has actively courted them .
For instance , the Republican National Convention featured a number of Black men as speakers this year .
And Politico talked with more than 20 Democratic strategists , lawmakers , pollsters and activists who explained that many Black and Latino men are open to supporting Trump as they think the Democratic Party has taken them for granted .
Trump ’ s relative strength with black men was important in the 2016 election .
Black women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent clip , The Atlantic noted this week , but black men split 81/14 nationally for her .
Given how tight Michigan and Pennsylvania were four years ago and the large African-American populations in both states , that mattered to Trump .
The same Atlantic piece claims that a recent survey conducted by the Biden campaign found 17 percent of black men intend to vote Trump this time .
If we get another nailbiter in PA , that may be all Trump needs .
Obama ’ s job , clearly , is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fold — especially in Pennsylvania .
His “ drive-in ” rally today was held in Philadelphia .
That ’ s one upside to Team Biden for having him on the trail , that he might persuade some wavering black voters to stick with Sleepy Joe which could be decisive in a tight race .
But I ’ d guess they also see an upside in having Obama out there as “ Trump bait , ” knowing how he gets under the president ’ s skin and how tempted Trump will be to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a more popular figure than Trump is across the population , and the spectacle of POTUS brawling with the first black president might aid the effort to get black voters , particularly younger ones , to stay blue this year .
I ’ ll leave you with two more short clips .
The first one will infuriate Trump .
The second one is the one that ’ s likely to be replayed most often on CNN and MSNBC tomorrow .

They would have called him a lot more than that.
Obama on Trump: “He’s got a secret Chinese bank account. How’s that possible? Listen, can you imagine if had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for reelection? You think Fox News might’ve been a little concerned? They would’ve called me Beijing Barry.” pic.twitter.com/yDzGr4cS5x — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 21, 2020
He’s referring to the story the NYT ran last night, the latest in its series scrutinizing Trump’s mysteriously obtained alleged tax returns.
And it turns out that China is one of only three foreign nations — the others are Britain and Ireland — where Mr. Trump maintains a bank account, according to an analysis of the president’s tax records, which were obtained by The New York Times. The foreign accounts do not show up on Mr. Trump’s public financial disclosures, where he must list personal assets, because they are held under corporate names. The identities of the financial institutions are not clear. The Chinese account is controlled by Trump International Hotels Management L.L.C., which the tax records show paid $188,561 in taxes in China while pursuing licensing deals there from 2013 to 2015.
What odds can I get in Vegas that Biden attacks Trump tomorrow night at the debate by pointing out that he paid 250 times more in taxes to China over that span than he did to the U.S. government, at least in some years?
Lefties are thrilled to see Obama back on the trail today but there’s a reason why Biden’s kept him under wraps. In midterm elections he’s been a better turnout machine for the right than he has for the left. Team Joe is taking a risk rolling him out there now, at the eleventh hour, knowing that Republicans will see these clips and bristle at him mocking Trump. All things being equal, I think Biden would have preferred to keep him on ice.
But all things aren’t equal. Biden’s having trouble with black voters, especially younger black voters and black men.
While older Black voters look as if they’ll vote for Biden by margins similar to Clinton’s in 2016, Trump’s support among young Black voters (18 to 44) has jumped from around 10 percent in 2016 to 21 percent in UCLA Nationscape’s polling. Black voters remain an overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning constituency, but a notable reduction in their support could still be a problem for Biden. Notably, young Black voters don’t seem to feel as negatively about Trump as older Black Americans do. For instance, an early-July African American Research Collaborative poll of battleground states found that 35 percent of 18-to-29-year-old Black adults agreed that although they didn’t always like Trump’s policies, they liked his strong demeanor and defiance of the establishment. Conversely, just 10 percent of those 60 and older said the same… One last point on where Trump has made gains among Black and Hispanic voters: He has done particularly well with Black and Hispanic men, which might speak to how his campaign has actively courted them. For instance, the Republican National Convention featured a number of Black men as speakers this year. And Politico talked with more than 20 Democratic strategists, lawmakers, pollsters and activists who explained that many Black and Latino men are open to supporting Trump as they think the Democratic Party has taken them for granted.
Trump’s relative strength with black men was important in the 2016 election. Black women supported Hillary Clinton at an amazing 98 percent clip, The Atlantic noted this week, but black men split 81/14 nationally for her. Given how tight Michigan and Pennsylvania were four years ago and the large African-American populations in both states, that mattered to Trump. The same Atlantic piece claims that a recent survey conducted by the Biden campaign found 17 percent of black men intend to vote Trump this time. If we get another nailbiter in PA, that may be all Trump needs.
Obama’s job, clearly, is to try to bring those voters back into the fold — especially in Pennsylvania. His “drive-in” rally today was held in Philadelphia.
That’s one upside to Team Biden for having him on the trail, that he might persuade some wavering black voters to stick with Sleepy Joe which could be decisive in a tight race. But I’d guess they also see an upside in having Obama out there as “Trump bait,” knowing how he gets under the president’s skin and how tempted Trump will be to swing back at him. Obama’s a more popular figure than Trump is across the population, and the spectacle of POTUS brawling with the first black president might aid the effort to get black voters, particularly younger ones, to stay blue this year.
I’ll leave you with two more short clips. The first one will infuriate Trump. The second one is the one that’s likely to be replayed most often on CNN and MSNBC tomorrow.
Obama: He did inherit the longest streak of job growth in American history but just like everything else he inherited, he messed it up pic.twitter.com/MOd2yfB7KZ — Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2020


hotair--2020-10-21--Mel Brooks releases first political video to endorse Biden

Do Hollywood celebrity endorsements matter in presidential elections ?
No , not really , but sometimes they can be interesting , like this one coming from legendary funnyman Mel Brooks .
Wednesday Brooks released what is being labeled his first political video .
He is 94 years old so that ’ s a pretty good run considering how eager celebrities are to jump into political discourse .
The release of this video is interesting because Brooks has maintained an apolitical reputation .
He may be interested in politics but he hasn ’ t been open about his hot takes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama awarded him the 2015 National Medal of Arts during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House .
There isn ’ t any reason to think he isn ’ t a Democrat voter like his Hollywood peers , he ’ s just known as one who keeps it to himself .
Frankly , it looks like the coronavirus pandemic has broken him .
His frustration is perfectly understandable – he is a father and a grandparent who is unable to visit with his family without the barrier of a sliding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he is taking it out on Trump .
The video was released on his son Max ’ s Twitter account .
Sadly , Brooks succumbs to boilerplate Democrat talking points .
He says “ Trump ’ s not doing a damn thing ” about the coronavirus .
We can argue about Trump ’ s overly confident delivery of facts about the spread of the virus or the amount of those who have been infected or even about his overly optimistic predictions about which the speed of a vaccine will arrive .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has moved mountains to get people the equipment and supplies that are needed .
He moved much quicker than Democrats wanted to close down air traffic from China – they called him xenophobic and racist , including Joe Biden – and put in place a White House coronavirus task force with Vice President Pence in charge of overseeing it .
Then he went to work on getting ventilators produced as quickly as possible , as well as protective equipment for first responders and health care workers .
He has been pushing for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therapeutic drugs .
What more could he have done from the White House ?
Trump encouraged governors to take the lead in procuring what their states needed , which was the right way to go .
Each state has been hit differently by the plague and a one-size-fits-all approach was an efficient way to go .
Government closest to the people is best , as conservatives believe .
While Democrats are busy making Trump ’ s response to the coronavirus as the dominant issue in the presidential campaign , Joe Biden hasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hasn ’ t already been done by the Trump administration .
The Obama-Biden administration had to deal with both Ebola and H1N1 and allegedly Joe Biden was put in charge of the federal response to both .
Even his pandemic czar , Ron Klain , admits the failure of the Obama administration in battling both .
Joe Biden has no new ideas about anything , not even the coronavirus pandemic .
Trump has encouraged factories to switch to producing medical equipment and supplies .
He has signed executive orders requiring drugs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China , and he has signed an order to lower drug pricing .
Democrats would like to pretend that one man can magically contain or end a pandemic .
In contrast , Joe Biden has been hiding in his basement since he became the Democrat Party ’ s presidential candidate while Trump has gone back out on the campaign trail .
Trump is campaigning with a schedule that would put candidates who are many years younger to shame after recovering from the coronavirus himself .
Biden provides no inspiration though he criticizes Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s optimism is meant to stabilize the financial market and encourage states to open up and put people back to work .
Team Biden is critical of the economy yet Joe Biden is open to another national lockdown .
Our economic collapse is because of the coronavirus and China , not President Trump .
He held off as long as he could , knowing the devastating effects a national lockdown would produce .
Biden ’ s solution is another national lockdown and a national mask mandate .
Mel Brooks is not a fan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a performer to jump on the bandwagon and slam Trump .
Until now .
Now he wants to visit with his family .
He ’ s old .
He knows he probably doesn ’ t have a lot of time left and he ’ s cooped up at his house .
His video is pretty darn tame , compared to other celebrities .
He isn ’ t accusing Trump of killing people .
He says “ Trump is not doing a damn thing.
” And then he says he has to go fill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s video with , say , the cast of HBO ’ s Succession who released videos for swing-state voters .
Heads up , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Florida , and South Carolina voters .
Lots of f-bombs involved in these videos .
Warning : NSFW ( language ) Brian Cox is an Emmy Award-winning Scottish actor .
He plays the patriarch in Succession .
He isn ’ t an American .
Does that count as foreign influence in our election ?
Just kidding .
Sorta .

Do Hollywood celebrity endorsements matter in presidential elections? No, not really, but sometimes they can be interesting, like this one coming from legendary funnyman Mel Brooks. Wednesday Brooks released what is being labeled his first political video. He is 94 years old so that’s a pretty good run considering how eager celebrities are to jump into political discourse.
The release of this video is interesting because Brooks has maintained an apolitical reputation. He may be interested in politics but he hasn’t been open about his hot takes on political issues or candidate endorsements. President Obama awarded him the 2015 National Medal of Arts during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. There isn’t any reason to think he isn’t a Democrat voter like his Hollywood peers, he’s just known as one who keeps it to himself. Frankly, it looks like the coronavirus pandemic has broken him. His frustration is perfectly understandable – he is a father and a grandparent who is unable to visit with his family without the barrier of a sliding glass door because of his age – and he is taking it out on Trump. The video was released on his son Max’s Twitter account.
Sadly, Brooks succumbs to boilerplate Democrat talking points. He says “Trump’s not doing a damn thing” about the coronavirus. We can argue about Trump’s overly confident delivery of facts about the spread of the virus or the amount of those who have been infected or even about his overly optimistic predictions about which the speed of a vaccine will arrive. But, there is no denying that Trump has moved mountains to get people the equipment and supplies that are needed. He moved much quicker than Democrats wanted to close down air traffic from China – they called him xenophobic and racist, including Joe Biden – and put in place a White House coronavirus task force with Vice President Pence in charge of overseeing it. Then he went to work on getting ventilators produced as quickly as possible, as well as protective equipment for first responders and health care workers. He has been pushing for a vaccine for months, as well as therapeutic drugs. What more could he have done from the White House?
Trump encouraged governors to take the lead in procuring what their states needed, which was the right way to go. Each state has been hit differently by the plague and a one-size-fits-all approach was an efficient way to go. Government closest to the people is best, as conservatives believe. While Democrats are busy making Trump’s response to the coronavirus as the dominant issue in the presidential campaign, Joe Biden hasn’t offered one new idea or approach that hasn’t already been done by the Trump administration. The Obama-Biden administration had to deal with both Ebola and H1N1 and allegedly Joe Biden was put in charge of the federal response to both. Even his pandemic czar, Ron Klain, admits the failure of the Obama administration in battling both. Joe Biden has no new ideas about anything, not even the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump has encouraged factories to switch to producing medical equipment and supplies. He has signed executive orders requiring drugs to be purchased from American manufacturers instead of China, and he has signed an order to lower drug pricing. Democrats would like to pretend that one man can magically contain or end a pandemic. In contrast, Joe Biden has been hiding in his basement since he became the Democrat Party’s presidential candidate while Trump has gone back out on the campaign trail. Trump is campaigning with a schedule that would put candidates who are many years younger to shame after recovering from the coronavirus himself. Biden provides no inspiration though he criticizes Trump’s leadership style. Trump’s optimism is meant to stabilize the financial market and encourage states to open up and put people back to work. Team Biden is critical of the economy yet Joe Biden is open to another national lockdown. Our economic collapse is because of the coronavirus and China, not President Trump. He held off as long as he could, knowing the devastating effects a national lockdown would produce. Biden’s solution is another national lockdown and a national mask mandate.
Mel Brooks is not a fan of political correctness and has not been a performer to jump on the bandwagon and slam Trump. Until now. Now he wants to visit with his family. He’s old. He knows he probably doesn’t have a lot of time left and he’s cooped up at his house. His video is pretty darn tame, compared to other celebrities. He isn’t accusing Trump of killing people. He says “Trump is not doing a damn thing.” And then he says he has to go fill out his ballot.
Contrast Mel’s video with, say, the cast of HBO’s Succession who released videos for swing-state voters. Heads up, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, and South Carolina voters. Lots of f-bombs involved in these videos. Warning: NSFW (language)
Brian Cox is an Emmy Award-winning Scottish actor. He plays the patriarch in Succession. He isn’t an American. Does that count as foreign influence in our election? Just kidding. Sorta.


hotair--2020-10-22--Final debate: The Townhall Media livetweet thread

Tonight ’ s the big one .
The last battle .
The one that decides the presidency .
Well … probably not .
Everyone gets hyped for debates but the truth is that they rarely matter .
The first debate between Trump and Biden was an exception , as the polls began moving towards Sleepy Joe in the aftermath and still haven ’ t fully returned to the pre-debate status quo .
That ’ s how annoyed swing voters were by the president ’ s constant interruptions .
He ’ ll try to make a better impression tonight , although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he reportedly thought he ’ d crushed it in the hours following his first clash with Biden .
On the flight home from the debate , he described it as superb to family and staff , who said little to dissuade him .
But by the next day , Jared Kushner , Mr. Trump ’ s senior adviser and son-in-law , was imploring friendly media personalities and other allies to level with his father-in-law about the angry and aggressive debate style he had displayed , according to people familiar with the calls .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost the president support… Some advisers have urged him to rethink his debate-preparation strategy , but , as of Wednesday afternoon , Mr. Trump hadn ’ t attended any prep sessions for Thursday ’ s debate , formally or informally , people familiar with the matter said .
Nothing would be funnier or truer to the spirit of Trumpism than for him to double down on the interruption strategy this evening .
He won ’ t be able to fully replicate the experience — each candidate ’ s mic will be muted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a question — but we might be able to faintly hear him heckling Biden through Biden ’ s mic when the Democrat starts speaking .
In fact , lefty Paul Begala thinks the debate commission should unmute the mics and let Trump go off .
By muting Trump ’ s interruptions , the commission will show the American people a sanitized , false picture of this President .
As we saw in the first debate last month , he is rude , raging and red-faced .
An honest debate should reveal that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Muting him only protects him from the consequences of his out of control behavior… Trump ’ s outbursts [ tonight ] will be heard by Biden and Welker , however .
Thus , Trump will have the power to potentially throw Biden — or Welker — off their game , without viewers realizing why .
This , it seems to me , is the best of all worlds for Trump : He can work to discombobulate Biden or Welker without viewers blaming him .
Let Trump rant .
If he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should go down being himself .
The event starts at 9 p.m .
ET and will be carried on broadcast networks and cable news .
I ’ ve embedded the CSPAN feed below in case you ’ re watching on a computer .
The president ’ s task tonight is straightforward in theory : Talk up America ’ s economic growth during most of his presidency and his “ no new wars ” track record on foreign policy and try to pin Biden down on court-packing , which voters dislike .
In practice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go all-in on Hunter Biden ’ s laptop , a scandal that will seem hard to follow and redolent of a last-second dirty trick for viewers who don ’ t consume lots of conservative media .
Expect Biden to focus on the surge in COVID cases that ’ s happening nationally , Trump ’ s secret Chinese bank account , and his general “ Hopenchange 2.0 ” message .
Below the CSPAN embed you ’ ll find live reaction , automatically updated , from editors across Townhall Media ’ s five sites ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , PJM , and Twitchy ) .
Comments are open .

Tonight’s the big one. The last battle. The one that decides the presidency.
Well … probably not. Everyone gets hyped for debates but the truth is that they rarely matter. The first debate between Trump and Biden was an exception, as the polls began moving towards Sleepy Joe in the aftermath and still haven’t fully returned to the pre-debate status quo. That’s how annoyed swing voters were by the president’s constant interruptions.
He’ll try to make a better impression tonight, although it’s a worrisome sign that he reportedly thought he’d crushed it in the hours following his first clash with Biden.
On the flight home from the debate, he described it as superb to family and staff, who said little to dissuade him. But by the next day, Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, was imploring friendly media personalities and other allies to level with his father-in-law about the angry and aggressive debate style he had displayed, according to people familiar with the calls. Polls would soon show the performance had cost the president support… Some advisers have urged him to rethink his debate-preparation strategy, but, as of Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Trump hadn’t attended any prep sessions for Thursday’s debate, formally or informally, people familiar with the matter said.
Nothing would be funnier or truer to the spirit of Trumpism than for him to double down on the interruption strategy this evening. He won’t be able to fully replicate the experience — each candidate’s mic will be muted for two minutes after his opponent begins answering a question — but we might be able to faintly hear him heckling Biden through Biden’s mic when the Democrat starts speaking.
In fact, lefty Paul Begala thinks the debate commission should unmute the mics and let Trump go off.
By muting Trump’s interruptions, the commission will show the American people a sanitized, false picture of this President. As we saw in the first debate last month, he is rude, raging and red-faced. An honest debate should reveal that. His 128 interruptions revealed the true Trump. Muting him only protects him from the consequences of his out of control behavior… Trump’s outbursts [tonight] will be heard by Biden and Welker, however. Thus, Trump will have the power to potentially throw Biden — or Welker — off their game, without viewers realizing why. This, it seems to me, is the best of all worlds for Trump: He can work to discombobulate Biden or Welker without viewers blaming him.
Let Trump rant. If he’s going down on November 3, he should go down being himself.
The event starts at 9 p.m. ET and will be carried on broadcast networks and cable news. I’ve embedded the CSPAN feed below in case you’re watching on a computer. The president’s task tonight is straightforward in theory: Talk up America’s economic growth during most of his presidency and his “no new wars” track record on foreign policy and try to pin Biden down on court-packing, which voters dislike. In practice, he’s probably going to go all-in on Hunter Biden’s laptop, a scandal that will seem hard to follow and redolent of a last-second dirty trick for viewers who don’t consume lots of conservative media. Expect Biden to focus on the surge in COVID cases that’s happening nationally, Trump’s secret Chinese bank account, and his general “Hopenchange 2.0” message. Below the CSPAN embed you’ll find live reaction, automatically updated, from editors across Townhall Media’s five sites (Hot Air, Townhall, Red State, PJM, and Twitchy). Comments are open.


hotair--2020-10-22--Report: Forty percent of Americans have a favorable view on socialism

The fifth Annual Report on U.S. Attitudes Toward Socialism , Communism , and Collectivism has been released by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation ( VOC ) .
The news is not good if these findings are to be looked upon as the direction in which our country is going .
Capitalists beware , Socialism is gaining in popularity , especially among the younger generations .
On information gathering , it is described as the following : “ The report , polled by internationally recognized research and data firm YouGov , synthesizes data from 2,100 representative U.S. respondents ages 16 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ error is plus or minus 2.32 % .
” Socialism is a more favorable term now and the younger generation thinks that President Trump is “ the greatest threat to world peace.
” Never mind that Trump is the only president in recent memory to not start a war .
The Orange Man is bad .
This year ’ s study showed increased favorability of the term ‘ socialism ’ ( 49 % ) among Gen Z compared to 2019 ( 40 % ) .
Opinions of capitalism declined slightly from 2019 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 55 % ) , with Gen Z ( ages 16-23 ) slightly up ( 49 % to 52 % ) and Millennials ( ages 24-39 ) down ( 50 % to 43 % ) .
35 % of Millennials and 31 % of Gen Z support the gradual elimination of the capitalist system in favor of a more socialist system .
It also showed growing concern for Donald Trump as president , especially among younger generations of Americans , with 34 % of Gen Z and 35 % of Millennials seeing him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , up 8 % and 7 % from 2019 , respectively .
This sentiment held true regarding his handling of the pandemic as well , with 39 % of Gen Z and 32 % of Millennials believing Trump is more responsible for COVID-19 becoming a pandemic than Xi Jinping of China .
Opinions of America ’ s inequality grew markedly from 2019 with 68 % of Americans thinking that America ’ s highest earners don ’ t pay their fair share .
Among these Americans , 57 % of Gen Z and 60 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our economic system away from capitalism — a 14 % and 8 % increase from 2019 , respectively .
Marion Smith , Executive Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation , says that it “ shocks the conscience ” to learn that the president is viewed as more of a threat than all the brutal dictators in the world and that four out of ten respondents believe that America is a racist country .
She lays the blame on the American school system , as well as the media and popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conclusion .
Anyone who has raised a child in the last 20-30 years knows what she is talking about .
American teachers have moved history lessons sharply to the far left ’ s view of the world , including the history of our own country .
One in four Americans wants to eliminate capitalism and embrace socialism .
Turn on any primetime television program and the liberal writers are busy promoting everything from social injustice and racial inequality to the LGBTQ agenda .
Gen Z and Millennials have been brainwashed from their earliest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ success is looked upon as corrupt .
Remember when Obama said , “ I do think at a certain point you ’ ve made enough money ” ?
It was an off TelePrompter remark .
Adlibs reveal what politicians like Obama truly believe .
Obama is a good example of one who wishes to lead everyone else into socialist reforms ( Obamacare , anyone ? )
while reaping the rewards of capitalism himself .
He is being made fabulously wealthy with his deal with Netflix .
When has he “ made enough money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the VOC ’ s report : 40 % of Americans have a favorable view of socialism , up from 36 % in 2019 .
Socialist sentiment is increasing among younger generations with Gen Z ’ s favorability at 49 % , up from 40 % in 2019 .
Over a quarter of Americans ( 26 % ) support the gradual elimination of the capitalist system in favor of a more socialist system with a surge in support among younger generations ( 31 % of Gen Z and 35 % of Millennials ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 % of Millennials think communism is a fairer system than capitalism and deserves consideration in America .
30 % of Gen Z has a favorable view of Marxism , up 6 % from 2019 , compared to 27 % of Millennials , down 9 % from 2019 .
Over one-third of Americans ( 39 % ) are likely to support a member of the Democratic Socialist party for office with greater support among younger generations ( 51 % of Gen Z and 44 % of Millennials ) .
16 % of Gen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a member of the Communist party for office .
There is also a decline in how proud Americans are of our country .
A June Gallup Poll found that only 20 % of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are “ extremely proud to be an American.
” That finding is the lowest percentage of any demographic .
The Gallup finding is the sixth consecutive year it has fallen to a new low in Gallup ’ s trend .
Both the Gallup poll and the VOC ’ s report began their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration , so any liberal finger-pointing solely at Trump is insincere at best , cynical at worst .
As I noted above , the decline in American education has been ongoing for at least two decades , perhaps longer .
Many teachers are more interested in teaching their own political idealogy ( or the idealogy of their union ) than actual historical facts and events .
Students have been Howard Zinn ’ d into believing America is not a force for good in the world but a bad actor and that is very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so bravely for our freedoms is being replaced by a new wave of Americans who think as those they fought against .

The fifth Annual Report on U.S. Attitudes Toward Socialism, Communism, and Collectivism has been released by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC). The news is not good if these findings are to be looked upon as the direction in which our country is going. Capitalists beware, Socialism is gaining in popularity, especially among the younger generations.
On information gathering, it is described as the following: “The report, polled by internationally recognized research and data firm YouGov, synthesizes data from 2,100 representative U.S. respondents ages 16 and older, and the margin of error is plus or minus 2.32%.”
Socialism is a more favorable term now and the younger generation thinks that President Trump is “the greatest threat to world peace.” Never mind that Trump is the only president in recent memory to not start a war. The Orange Man is bad.
This year’s study showed increased favorability of the term ‘socialism’ (49%) among Gen Z compared to 2019 (40%). Opinions of capitalism declined slightly from 2019 to 2020 among all Americans (58% to 55%), with Gen Z (ages 16-23) slightly up (49% to 52%) and Millennials (ages 24-39) down (50% to 43%). 35% of Millennials and 31% of Gen Z support the gradual elimination of the capitalist system in favor of a more socialist system. It also showed growing concern for Donald Trump as president, especially among younger generations of Americans, with 34% of Gen Z and 35% of Millennials seeing him as the greatest threat to world peace, up 8% and 7% from 2019, respectively. This sentiment held true regarding his handling of the pandemic as well, with 39% of Gen Z and 32% of Millennials believing Trump is more responsible for COVID-19 becoming a pandemic than Xi Jinping of China. Opinions of America’s inequality grew markedly from 2019 with 68% of Americans thinking that America’s highest earners don’t pay their fair share. Among these Americans, 57% of Gen Z and 60% of Millennials favor a complete change of our economic system away from capitalism — a 14% and 8% increase from 2019, respectively.
Marion Smith, Executive Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, says that it “shocks the conscience” to learn that the president is viewed as more of a threat than all the brutal dictators in the world and that four out of ten respondents believe that America is a racist country. She lays the blame on the American school system, as well as the media and popular culture and that is a completely legit conclusion. Anyone who has raised a child in the last 20-30 years knows what she is talking about. American teachers have moved history lessons sharply to the far left’s view of the world, including the history of our own country. One in four Americans wants to eliminate capitalism and embrace socialism. Turn on any primetime television program and the liberal writers are busy promoting everything from social injustice and racial inequality to the LGBTQ agenda. Gen Z and Millennials have been brainwashed from their earliest days. Capitalism is trashed and financial success is looked upon as corrupt. Remember when Obama said, “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money”? It was an off TelePrompter remark. Adlibs reveal what politicians like Obama truly believe. Obama is a good example of one who wishes to lead everyone else into socialist reforms (Obamacare, anyone?) while reaping the rewards of capitalism himself. He is being made fabulously wealthy with his deal with Netflix. When has he “made enough money”?
Here are some key takeaways from the VOC’s report:
40% of Americans have a favorable view of socialism, up from 36% in 2019. Socialist sentiment is increasing among younger generations with Gen Z’s favorability at 49%, up from 40% in 2019. Over a quarter of Americans (26%) support the gradual elimination of the capitalist system in favor of a more socialist system with a surge in support among younger generations (31% of Gen Z and 35% of Millennials). 18% of Gen Z and 13% of Millennials think communism is a fairer system than capitalism and deserves consideration in America. 30% of Gen Z has a favorable view of Marxism, up 6% from 2019, compared to 27% of Millennials, down 9% from 2019. Over one-third of Americans (39%) are likely to support a member of the Democratic Socialist party for office with greater support among younger generations (51% of Gen Z and 44% of Millennials). 16% of Gen Z and Millennials are likely to support a member of the Communist party for office.
There is also a decline in how proud Americans are of our country. A June Gallup Poll found that only 20% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are “extremely proud to be an American.” That finding is the lowest percentage of any demographic.
Although a majority of adults in the U.S. still say they are “extremely proud” (42%) or “very proud” (21%) to be American, both readings are the lowest they have been since Gallup’s initial measurement in 2001. At the same time, 15% of Americans say they are “moderately proud,” 12% “only a little proud” and 9% “not at all proud.”
The Gallup finding is the sixth consecutive year it has fallen to a new low in Gallup’s trend. Both the Gallup poll and the VOC’s report began their polling on these topics before the Trump administration, so any liberal finger-pointing solely at Trump is insincere at best, cynical at worst. As I noted above, the decline in American education has been ongoing for at least two decades, perhaps longer. Many teachers are more interested in teaching their own political idealogy (or the idealogy of their union) than actual historical facts and events. Students have been Howard Zinn’d into believing America is not a force for good in the world but a bad actor and that is very unfortunate. The Greatest Generation who fought so bravely for our freedoms is being replaced by a new wave of Americans who think as those they fought against.


hotair--2020-10-22--Ghislaine Maxwell deposition: 'I need you to define a sex toy, I don’t have enough knowledge of sex

Ghislaine Maxwell deposition: 'I need you to define a sex toy, I don’t have enough knowledge of sex toys'

That ’ s just one of many things Ghislaine Maxwell claimed not to know .
A transcript of Maxwell ’ s deposition in a 2015 defamation case filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre was released today .
The gist is that Maxwell claimed not to know much of anything about Jeffrey Epstein ’ s behavior and especially not about his fondness for underage girls .
“ I never saw any inappropriate underage activities with Jeffrey ever , ” Maxwell said , according to the transcript .
When asked if Epstein had a sexual preference for underage minors , Maxwell said : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeffrey ’ s story is .
I ’ m not able to.
” Even when she admitted to being in the house with Epstein , she claimed ignorance of what he was doing : “ I had an office with a door so the door would be shut and I would be working .
I ’ m not responsible for what Jeffrey does and I don ’ t always pay attention to what happens in the house , ” she said .
Time and time again , Maxwell avoided answering direct questions about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual abuse of girls .
In fact , she uttered the phrase “ I don ’ t recall ” 66 times in the lengthy deposition and 42 times said “ I don ’ t recollect .
Another thing she definitely didn ’ t know anything about was sex toys .
Apparently this adult woman who worked for and at some pointed dated this hypersexual abuser of women didn ’ t know what a sex toy was : Maxwell ’ s refusal to answer questions about Epstein ’ s alleged abuse includes her denial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sex toys Epstein allegedly used on himself and victims during his abuse .
“ No .
I need you to define a sex toy , I don ’ t have enough knowledge of sex toys , ” Maxwell responded to a question on the subject .
Something else she couldn ’ t explain was Epstein ’ s relationship with Bill Clinton , who she admitted having flown with on Epstein ’ s plane : She also denied Virginia Giuffre ’ s story about having sex with Prince Andrew : Maxwell dodged questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Virginia Roberts Giuffre , but insisted that it never happened inside her London home .
“ Her entire ludicrous and absurd story of what took place in my house is an obvious lie , ” Maxwell said , according to the 400-plus page transcript .
“ She then characterized things that took place in my bathroom in the bathtub itself , ” Maxwell added .
“ The tub is too small for any type of activity whatsoever.
” Of course there ’ s a famous picture of Andrew with his arm around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Regarding that photo Maxwell said , “ I have no idea what this picture was taken .
I know what she purports it to be but I ’ m not going to say that I do.
” Even when there were photos with her in them , Maxwell claimed not to know what was going on .
Ultimately Maxwell ’ s claim of ignorance didn ’ t fly .
Lawyers for Virginia Roberts Giuffre convinced the court a second deposition was needed because she had dodged so many questions in the first deposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the summer of 2016 and still hasn ’ t been made public .
Perhaps if that one gets released we ’ ll finally learn about some things Maxwell does know as opposed to just those she doesn ’ t .
Finally , journalist Julie Brown who revived the Epstein story at the Miami Herald points out that there are a bunch more depositions that still haven ’ t been released , some of which support claims made by Epstein ’ s accusers : So there ’ s probably a lot more to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting it every step of the way :

That’s just one of many things Ghislaine Maxwell claimed not to know. A transcript of Maxwell’s deposition in a 2015 defamation case filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre was released today. The gist is that Maxwell claimed not to know much of anything about Jeffrey Epstein’s behavior and especially not about his fondness for underage girls.
“I never saw any inappropriate underage activities with Jeffrey ever,” Maxwell said, according to the transcript. When asked if Epstein had a sexual preference for underage minors, Maxwell said: “I cannot tell you what Jeffrey’s story is. I’m not able to.”
Even when she admitted to being in the house with Epstein, she claimed ignorance of what he was doing:
“I had an office with a door so the door would be shut and I would be working. I’m not responsible for what Jeffrey does and I don’t always pay attention to what happens in the house,” she said. Time and time again, Maxwell avoided answering direct questions about her knowledge of Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse of girls. In fact, she uttered the phrase “I don’t recall” 66 times in the lengthy deposition and 42 times said “I don’t recollect.
Another thing she definitely didn’t know anything about was sex toys. Apparently this adult woman who worked for and at some pointed dated this hypersexual abuser of women didn’t know what a sex toy was:
Maxwell’s refusal to answer questions about Epstein’s alleged abuse includes her denial that she was aware of the stash of sex toys Epstein allegedly used on himself and victims during his abuse. “No. I need you to define a sex toy, I don’t have enough knowledge of sex toys,” Maxwell responded to a question on the subject.
Something else she couldn’t explain was Epstein’s relationship with Bill Clinton, who she admitted having flown with on Epstein’s plane:
At one point in the deposition interview, Maxwell acknowledged that she has flown on Epstein’s planes with former President Bill Clinton, but said she couldn’t answer questions about the nature of Clinton and Epstein’s relationship. “I couldn’t characterize Jeffrey’s relationship” with Clinton, Maxwell said, according to the transcript.
She also denied Virginia Giuffre’s story about having sex with Prince Andrew:
Maxwell dodged questions about whether Prince Andrew ever had sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, but insisted that it never happened inside her London home. “Her entire ludicrous and absurd story of what took place in my house is an obvious lie,” Maxwell said, according to the 400-plus page transcript. “She then characterized things that took place in my bathroom in the bathtub itself,” Maxwell added. “The tub is too small for any type of activity whatsoever.”
Of course there’s a famous picture of Andrew with his arm around Giuffre in Maxwell’s apartment. Regarding that photo Maxwell said, “I have no idea what this picture was taken. I know what she purports it to be but I’m not going to say that I do.” Even when there were photos with her in them, Maxwell claimed not to know what was going on.
Ultimately Maxwell’s claim of ignorance didn’t fly. Lawyers for Virginia Roberts Giuffre convinced the court a second deposition was needed because she had dodged so many questions in the first deposition. That second deposition was taken in the summer of 2016 and still hasn’t been made public. Perhaps if that one gets released we’ll finally learn about some things Maxwell does know as opposed to just those she doesn’t.
Finally, journalist Julie Brown who revived the Epstein story at the Miami Herald points out that there are a bunch more depositions that still haven’t been released, some of which support claims made by Epstein’s accusers:
Among those whose statements still sealed is the complete testimony of Rinaldo Rizzo, a butler who worked for Glenn Dubin & his wife, Eva Andersson-Dubin. Read their significance here. https://t.co/pZWZWos7e1 — julie k. brown (@jkbjournalist) October 22, 2020
So there’s probably a lot more to come but Maxwell’s lawyers are still fighting it every step of the way:


hotair--2020-10-22--The "Weekend at Biden's" ad

The "Weekend at Biden's" ad

A palate cleanser to take the pre-debate edge off via Liam Donovan , who rightly notes that the light comic touch is key to this ad ’ s success .
It comes from an outside group called No To Joe PAC but it ’ s the sort of thing you can imagine the Trump campaign doing , not that different from the weird memes of him bodyslamming CNN or whatever that he occasionally tweets out .
An ad like this that had come from Team Trump would have made big waves .
I ’ m surprised in hindsight that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the other hand , this ad ’ s also an inadvertent reminder that the “ Sleepy Joe is demented ” attack line never really went anywhere .
Righties kept it up for months , Biden kept on leading in the polls , and then he did well enough at the first debate seemingly to put the doubts about his fitness to rest .
( That ’ s an underrated reason for why his polling ticked up afterwards .
The conventional wisdom is that voters recoiled from how Trump comported himself , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some fencesitters concluding that Biden seemed mentally up to the job of the presidency after all . )
Tonight Trump gets one more crack at exposing Biden ’ s senescence in a big spot .
If it doesn ’ t happen , the Democrat can probably call a lid until Election Day without suffering for it among voters .
The point of the ad isn ’ t just that Sleepy Joe is out on his feet , of course , it ’ s that his “ death ” means he ’ ll be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true ?
Maybe it is .
Sen. Bernie Sanders is hoping to be a part of Joe Biden ’ s potential administration and has expressed a particular interest in becoming Labor secretary , two people familiar with the conversations tell POLITICO .
“ I can confirm he ’ s trying to figure out how to land that role or something like it , ” said one person close to the Vermont senator .
“ He , personally , does have an interest in it.
” … The official added that joining a Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a legacy — “ being able to help rebuild the economy in a way that works for working Americans after this pandemic.
” One person close to Sanders agreed that Sanders sees an opportunity to achieve long-held policy goals for the working class under Biden , adding : “ He really does believe Biden wants to be a Roosevelt-like president.
” Biden has to put some hard leftists in the cabinet to appease progressives .
Elizabeth Warren has been touted as a potential Treasury secretary , but maybe Biden figures that if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he could get away with going a bit more moderate at Treasury .
Adding Sanders to the cabinet would also give him some cover to appoint a Republican or two to some less important cabinet positions , as he ’ s reportedly considering .
As for what Trump will be doing next year , hmmmm : The list of scapegoats for an electoral defeat will be endless .
Maybe his ultimate revenge will come at the expense of Fox News for being only 99 percent loyal to him instead of the full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would they lose to Trump TV ?

A palate cleanser to take the pre-debate edge off via Liam Donovan, who rightly notes that the light comic touch is key to this ad’s success. It comes from an outside group called No To Joe PAC but it’s the sort of thing you can imagine the Trump campaign doing, not that different from the weird memes of him bodyslamming CNN or whatever that he occasionally tweets out. An ad like this that had come from Team Trump would have made big waves. I’m surprised in hindsight that they didn’t think of it.
On the other hand, this ad’s also an inadvertent reminder that the “Sleepy Joe is demented” attack line never really went anywhere. Righties kept it up for months, Biden kept on leading in the polls, and then he did well enough at the first debate seemingly to put the doubts about his fitness to rest. (That’s an underrated reason for why his polling ticked up afterwards. The conventional wisdom is that voters recoiled from how Trump comported himself, but maybe it was a simpler matter of some fencesitters concluding that Biden seemed mentally up to the job of the presidency after all.) Tonight Trump gets one more crack at exposing Biden’s senescence in a big spot. If it doesn’t happen, the Democrat can probably call a lid until Election Day without suffering for it among voters.
The point of the ad isn’t just that Sleepy Joe is out on his feet, of course, it’s that his “death” means he’ll be a pushover from lefties. Is that true? Maybe it is.
Sen. Bernie Sanders is hoping to be a part of Joe Biden’s potential administration and has expressed a particular interest in becoming Labor secretary, two people familiar with the conversations tell POLITICO. “I can confirm he’s trying to figure out how to land that role or something like it,” said one person close to the Vermont senator. “He, personally, does have an interest in it.”… The official added that joining a Biden administration could help the 79-year-old Sanders craft a legacy — “being able to help rebuild the economy in a way that works for working Americans after this pandemic.” One person close to Sanders agreed that Sanders sees an opportunity to achieve long-held policy goals for the working class under Biden, adding: “He really does believe Biden wants to be a Roosevelt-like president.”
Biden has to put some hard leftists in the cabinet to appease progressives. Elizabeth Warren has been touted as a potential Treasury secretary, but maybe Biden figures that if he installs socialists’ favorite politician at Labor, he could get away with going a bit more moderate at Treasury. Adding Sanders to the cabinet would also give him some cover to appoint a Republican or two to some less important cabinet positions, as he’s reportedly considering.
As for what Trump will be doing next year, hmmmm:
Kushner has floated the idea throughout the year with Republicans and media types, GOP sources said. But the chatter kicked up recently, with Trump appearing headed for a loss. — Tom LoBianco (@tomlobianco) October 22, 2020
"There's no doubt in my mind that Jared's future is in building a media empire of some kind," said one of the Republicans familiar with the nascent talks. "He believes that controlling the media means controlling the policy, controlling the people." — Tom LoBianco (@tomlobianco) October 22, 2020
The list of scapegoats for an electoral defeat will be endless. Maybe his ultimate revenge will come at the expense of Fox News for being only 99 percent loyal to him instead of the full 100. How much of their audience would they lose to Trump TV?
Here’s the ad.


hotair--2020-10-22--Is Trump going to fire Chris Wray?

Is Trump going to fire Chris Wray?

This WaPo story cites sources claiming that the subject ’ s already been broached among Trump and his advisors , with Wray potentially on the chopping block after the election .
I ’ ll go them one better .
Given Trump ’ s growing desperation for a gamechanging October surprise against Biden , I think there ’ s a small but nonzero chance that he ’ ll fire Wray *before* the election .
It ’ s perfectly within his character to look at the polls next Monday , see that he ’ s eight points behind , and to dial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimatum .
Are you going to announce that you ’ re opening an investigation into Joe Biden or not ?
If Wray says no , he ’ s done right then and there .
And then Trump will set about trying to maneuver some crony into the vacancy who *will* announce an investigation into the Bidens for him .
I wouldn ’ t say it ’ s likely to happen .
It would be so brazenly corrupt that any normal person would think less of Trump after it happened , which would defeat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump will grasp that , although I wouldn ’ t bet my life on it .
There ’ ll be a lot of lashing out in unexpected ways over the next 12 days if the race doesn ’ t begin to tighten immediately .
And there ’ ll be a lot more lashing out after November 3 if voters prove the polls correct that day .
If Trump loses , the lame-duck session this year will be an amazing alternate-reality look at how crazy a second term for him would have been day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to worry anymore about what voters thought of him .
Buckle up .
President Trump and his advisers have repeatedly discussed whether to fire FBI Director Christopher A. Wray after Election Day — a scenario that also could imperil the tenure of Attorney General William P. Barr as the president grows increasingly frustrated that federal law enforcement has not delivered his campaign the kind of last-minute boost that the FBI provided in 2016 , according to people familiar with the matter .
The conversations among the president and senior aides stem in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particular but Barr as well have not done what Trump had hoped — indicate that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden , his son Hunter Biden or other Biden associates are under investigation , these people say .
Like others , they spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal discussions… People familiar with the discussions say Trump wants official action similar to the announcement made 11 days before the last presidential election by then-FBI Director James B. Comey , who informed Congress he had reopened an investigation into Clinton ’ s use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was secretary of state after potential new evidence had been discovered .
Trump was so focused on the Durham report that he would turn up the television volume when segments would air about it , people around him said .
Trump has told allies that he once believed Barr would deliver “ scalps ” in the form of Durham ’ s findings , according to an adviser who recently spoke to Trump about it .
“ But they aren ’ t doing s— , ” the president said , according to this person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump told Fox News two days ago about the Hunter Biden emails , “ and this has to be known about before the election.
” I ’ m struggling to find the right words to express how insanely unethical it is for the president to publicly lean on his Attorney General and FBI chief in the final days of a campaign to open an investigation into his opponent , and to admit that he wants it done before the election .
Remember Rod Rosenstein ’ s memo to Trump in May 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used as a pretext to fire James Comey ?
( His true motive was Comey ’ s interest in the Russiagate probe , of course . )
Rosenstein ’ s criticism of Comey in that memo was that he ’ d behaved abysmally in how he handled the Hillary Clinton email investigation , first holding a press conference to explain the evidence against her despite his refusal to charge her and later publishing his letter to Congress in late October announcing that the probe had been reopened .
The DOJ isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s investigating until charges are filed , and if charges aren ’ t filed then it ’ s not supposed to say anything about an investigation it ’ s conducted .
Trump ’ s throwing all of that out the window .
He wants a probe of the Bidens , he wants the world to know it ’ s happening , and he wants it before the election .
His political motives couldn ’ t be more naked .
In fact , I think he cares less whether an investigation of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its existence is announced ; after all , one way or another , what Hunter and Joe Biden were up to with China and Ukraine won ’ t matter to him after Election Day .
Aaron Blake had the same thought I did : This is exactly but exactly how Trump approached his quid pro quo with Ukraine ’ s president in the summer of 2019 .
The thing he wanted above all else from that deal was an announcement that Ukraine was investigating Burisma and Hunter Biden .
The findings of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know that it was under way , to cast formal suspicion on Biden in the eyes of voters in hopes of influencing their choice for president .
He leaned on Zelensky for an announcement a year ago , he ’ s leaning on his own deputies now .
And not just Barr and Wray .
He got Mike Pompeo to release some of Hillary Clinton ’ s emails at the State Department recently , in case anyone still cares about that .
He has his team at HHS scrambling to put together a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seniors for prescription drugs before Election Day even though lawyers in the department fear it might be illegal .
He ’ s desperate , so he ’ s kitchen-sinking it .
And he ’ s going to be even more desperate next week .
He ’ s so desperate , in fact , that he ’ s now overreached to the point that Barr and Wray can ’ t do much to help him even if they want to .
They could announce the launch of a Biden probe , but because Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , public reaction would end up focused more on the president ’ s ( and the DOJ ’ s ) corruption than Biden ’ s .
He ’ d gain less from it than he ’ d lose .
I wonder if Barr ’ s tried explaining that to him , or if Trump ’ s too far gone by now to listen to reason about it .
He gets a precious chance tonight at the debate to convince the public himself that Joe Biden , not Trump , is the sleazier option @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d better be persuasive : Trump ’ s favorability is 42.7/54.2 by comparison .
A Gallup poll taken last month found 66 percent said Biden was likable versus 36 percent who said so of Trump , which is about 10 points less than his polling in the presidential race .
Even many people voting for him find him off-putting , in other words .
A reservoir of trust and credibility would be tremendously useful to him right now in trying to sell voters on the idea that Sleepy Joe has a major scandal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came to light in the last three weeks of a campaign after Trump fell behind badly in polling .
He doesn ’ t have that reservoir .
We ’ re all going to be making lots of predictions over the next 12 days but here ’ s a category that shouldn ’ t go overlooked : How many of his deputies will Trump fire in the immediate aftermath of the election ?
I ’ d say Wray is gone by the end of election week , if not on November 4 .
Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ ll look for ways to fire Fauci , although it ’ s not clear how easily he could oust a career civil servant .
He might need Alex Azar to fire Fauci instead of firing him directly , which would force Azar to decide whether to carry out that order .
( Fauci would have a chance to appeal , which might keep him on the job until Biden takes office . )
There might be revenge taken on FDA chief Stephen Hahn as well , since Hahn recently denied Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules slowing down the approval process .
And here ’ s the thing — all of these firings may happen irrespective of the outcome on Election Day .
No matter who wins or loses , Trump will no longer be accountable to voters the day after and will no longer have to worry about a popular backlash to too much personnel chaos within the administration .
Get your predictions in now .

This WaPo story cites sources claiming that the subject’s already been broached among Trump and his advisors, with Wray potentially on the chopping block after the election.
I’ll go them one better. Given Trump’s growing desperation for a gamechanging October surprise against Biden, I think there’s a small but nonzero chance that he’ll fire Wray *before* the election. It’s perfectly within his character to look at the polls next Monday, see that he’s eight points behind, and to dial up Wray in a panic with an ultimatum. Are you going to announce that you’re opening an investigation into Joe Biden or not? If Wray says no, he’s done right then and there. And then Trump will set about trying to maneuver some crony into the vacancy who *will* announce an investigation into the Bidens for him.
I wouldn’t say it’s likely to happen. It would be so brazenly corrupt that any normal person would think less of Trump after it happened, which would defeat the purpose of the gambit. Maybe Trump will grasp that, although I wouldn’t bet my life on it. There’ll be a lot of lashing out in unexpected ways over the next 12 days if the race doesn’t begin to tighten immediately. And there’ll be a lot more lashing out after November 3 if voters prove the polls correct that day.
If Trump loses, the lame-duck session this year will be an amazing alternate-reality look at how crazy a second term for him would have been day to day, once he no longer had to worry anymore about what voters thought of him. Buckle up.
President Trump and his advisers have repeatedly discussed whether to fire FBI Director Christopher A. Wray after Election Day — a scenario that also could imperil the tenure of Attorney General William P. Barr as the president grows increasingly frustrated that federal law enforcement has not delivered his campaign the kind of last-minute boost that the FBI provided in 2016, according to people familiar with the matter. The conversations among the president and senior aides stem in part from their disappointment that Wray in particular but Barr as well have not done what Trump had hoped — indicate that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden or other Biden associates are under investigation, these people say. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal discussions… People familiar with the discussions say Trump wants official action similar to the announcement made 11 days before the last presidential election by then-FBI Director James B. Comey, who informed Congress he had reopened an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state after potential new evidence had been discovered. Trump was so focused on the Durham report that he would turn up the television volume when segments would air about it, people around him said. Trump has told allies that he once believed Barr would deliver “scalps” in the form of Durham’s findings, according to an adviser who recently spoke to Trump about it. “But they aren’t doing s—,” the president said, according to this person.
“This is major corruption,” Trump told Fox News two days ago about the Hunter Biden emails, “and this has to be known about before the election.” I’m struggling to find the right words to express how insanely unethical it is for the president to publicly lean on his Attorney General and FBI chief in the final days of a campaign to open an investigation into his opponent, and to admit that he wants it done before the election. Remember Rod Rosenstein’s memo to Trump in May 2017, which Trump later (disingenuously) used as a pretext to fire James Comey? (His true motive was Comey’s interest in the Russiagate probe, of course.) Rosenstein’s criticism of Comey in that memo was that he’d behaved abysmally in how he handled the Hillary Clinton email investigation, first holding a press conference to explain the evidence against her despite his refusal to charge her and later publishing his letter to Congress in late October announcing that the probe had been reopened. The DOJ isn’t supposed to announce who or what it’s investigating until charges are filed, and if charges aren’t filed then it’s not supposed to say anything about an investigation it’s conducted.
Trump’s throwing all of that out the window. He wants a probe of the Bidens, he wants the world to know it’s happening, and he wants it before the election. His political motives couldn’t be more naked. In fact, I think he cares less whether an investigation of the Bidens is actually conducted than simply whether its existence is announced; after all, one way or another, what Hunter and Joe Biden were up to with China and Ukraine won’t matter to him after Election Day. Aaron Blake had the same thought I did: This is exactly but exactly how Trump approached his quid pro quo with Ukraine’s president in the summer of 2019. The thing he wanted above all else from that deal was an announcement that Ukraine was investigating Burisma and Hunter Biden. The findings of the investigation were less important than letting people know that it was under way, to cast formal suspicion on Biden in the eyes of voters in hopes of influencing their choice for president.
FULL CIRCLE: Trump today issued the same set of demands to Attorney General Bill Barr that he issued last year to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: (1) Launch an investigation into Joe Biden and (2) make a public announcement. (There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden.) pic.twitter.com/YaL1omQNio — Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) October 20, 2020
He leaned on Zelensky for an announcement a year ago, he’s leaning on his own deputies now. And not just Barr and Wray. He got Mike Pompeo to release some of Hillary Clinton’s emails at the State Department recently, in case anyone still cares about that. He has his team at HHS scrambling to put together a multibillion-dollar program to get gift cards to seniors for prescription drugs before Election Day even though lawyers in the department fear it might be illegal. He’s desperate, so he’s kitchen-sinking it. And he’s going to be even more desperate next week.
He’s so desperate, in fact, that he’s now overreached to the point that Barr and Wray can’t do much to help him even if they want to. They could announce the launch of a Biden probe, but because Trump has telegraphed his electoral interest so heavy-handedly, public reaction would end up focused more on the president’s (and the DOJ’s) corruption than Biden’s. He’d gain less from it than he’d lose. I wonder if Barr’s tried explaining that to him, or if Trump’s too far gone by now to listen to reason about it.
He gets a precious chance tonight at the debate to convince the public himself that Joe Biden, not Trump, is the sleazier option for Americans this year. He’d better be persuasive:
No indication at all of a decline in Joe Biden's favorability ratings, which is what Trump presumably would be hoping for if the Hunter Biden stuff was working. pic.twitter.com/CSYlKWosPO — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 22, 2020
Trump’s favorability is 42.7/54.2 by comparison. A Gallup poll taken last month found 66 percent said Biden was likable versus 36 percent who said so of Trump, which is about 10 points less than his polling in the presidential race. Even many people voting for him find him off-putting, in other words. A reservoir of trust and credibility would be tremendously useful to him right now in trying to sell voters on the idea that Sleepy Joe has a major scandal to his name and somehow it only came to light in the last three weeks of a campaign after Trump fell behind badly in polling. He doesn’t have that reservoir.
We’re all going to be making lots of predictions over the next 12 days but here’s a category that shouldn’t go overlooked: How many of his deputies will Trump fire in the immediate aftermath of the election? I’d say Wray is gone by the end of election week, if not on November 4. Barr might be done too. I think he’ll look for ways to fire Fauci, although it’s not clear how easily he could oust a career civil servant. He might need Alex Azar to fire Fauci instead of firing him directly, which would force Azar to decide whether to carry out that order. (Fauci would have a chance to appeal, which might keep him on the job until Biden takes office.) There might be revenge taken on FDA chief Stephen Hahn as well, since Hahn recently denied Trump a vaccine-related October surprise by passing new rules slowing down the approval process. And here’s the thing — all of these firings may happen irrespective of the outcome on Election Day. No matter who wins or loses, Trump will no longer be accountable to voters the day after and will no longer have to worry about a popular backlash to too much personnel chaos within the administration. Get your predictions in now.


hotair--2020-10-22--Was President Trump's Twitter account hacked last week?

According to a Dutch hacker who hacked the president ’ s account once before , the answer is yes .
Gevers was one of several hackers who previously hacked into Trump ’ s account in 2016 .
This time around he provided screenshots of the back end of Trump ’ s Twitter account and claimed he ’ d even been contacted and thanked by the Secret Service the following day for alerting them .
But today Twitter has contradicted his claim , saying it has seen “ no evidence ” to corroborate it : In a statement , Twitter spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve seen no evidence to corroborate this claim , including from the article published in the Netherlands today .
We proactively implemented account security measures for a designated group of high-profile , election-related Twitter accounts in the United States , including federal branches of government.
” Twitter said last month that it would tighten the security on the accounts of political candidates and government accounts , including encouraging but not mandating the use of two-factor authentication .
Trump ’ s account is said to be locked down with extra protections after he became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly what those protections entail .
His account was untouched by hackers who broke into Twitter ’ s network in July in order to abuse an “ admin tool ” to hijack high-profile accounts and spread a cryptocurrency scam .
Is Gevers lying or is Twitter just trying to cover up their inability to secure the most obvious target for hacking on their platform ?
There ’ s one final twist to this story .
Gevers claims that because there was some doubt about his hack in 2016 , this time he wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been there .
Last Friday , the same day Gevers said he hacked Trump ’ s account , Trump tweeted out this Babylon Bee story : That created news and lots of responses online pointing out that Trump appeared to be taking the satire site as real news .
But according to Gevers , that wasn ’ t Trump , it was him : Gevers comes up with a plan to make sure that this time the White House responds .
He refuses to say what he did exactly , but in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he alludes to the fact that he was the one to post the Babylon Bee tweet in Trump ’ s name .
Shortly after , he posted a tweet in his own name , tagging Trump and Team Trump , saying the Babylon Bee-tweet could now be removed , as it had served its purpose .
“ I am not saying I did it .
But what if I was the one to post the tweet ?
Then Trump will need to either admit to never having read the Babylon Bee article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he will need to acknowledge that someone else posted the tweet.
” Breaking into a Twitter account to prove it is poorly secured is one thing , posting a tweet is another .
“ I took things further this time because our previous report obviously didn ’ t have any effect ” , says Gevers .
“ I hope that everything will now be resolved soon , and that mister Trump sends us a message .
‘ Thank you for your work/report.
’ That should suffice and will round up things for both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next several days trying to reach out to Trump or anyone connected to him to warn him about the poor security of his account .
Only after those efforts had all failed did he give the Dutch site permission to write a story about what he ’ d done .
And Gevers claims that he did eventually get a response from the government .
So did this happen or is Twitter just trying to cover it ’ s rear end for failing to a better job protecting their # 1 account ?
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right about one thing .
If he ’ s lying about posting that Babylon Bee story then Trump must have done it .

According to a Dutch hacker who hacked the president’s account once before, the answer is yes.
A Dutch security researcher says he accessed President Trump’s @realDonaldTrump Twitter account last week by guessing his password: “maga2020!”. Victor Gevers, a security researcher at the GDI Foundation and chair of the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure, which finds and reports security vulnerabilities, told TechCrunch he guessed the president’s account password and was successful on the fifth attempt.
Gevers was one of several hackers who previously hacked into Trump’s account in 2016. This time around he provided screenshots of the back end of Trump’s Twitter account and claimed he’d even been contacted and thanked by the Secret Service the following day for alerting them. But today Twitter has contradicted his claim, saying it has seen “no evidence” to corroborate it:
In a statement, Twitter spokesperson Ian Plunkett said: “We’ve seen no evidence to corroborate this claim, including from the article published in the Netherlands today. We proactively implemented account security measures for a designated group of high-profile, election-related Twitter accounts in the United States, including federal branches of government.” Twitter said last month that it would tighten the security on the accounts of political candidates and government accounts, including encouraging but not mandating the use of two-factor authentication. Trump’s account is said to be locked down with extra protections after he became president, though Twitter has not said publicly what those protections entail. His account was untouched by hackers who broke into Twitter’s network in July in order to abuse an “admin tool” to hijack high-profile accounts and spread a cryptocurrency scam.
Is Gevers lying or is Twitter just trying to cover up their inability to secure the most obvious target for hacking on their platform? There’s one final twist to this story. Gevers claims that because there was some doubt about his hack in 2016, this time he wanted to make sure there was evidence he had been there. Last Friday, the same day Gevers said he hacked Trump’s account, Trump tweeted out this Babylon Bee story:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1317044556328730625
That created news and lots of responses online pointing out that Trump appeared to be taking the satire site as real news. But according to Gevers, that wasn’t Trump, it was him:
Gevers comes up with a plan to make sure that this time the White House responds. He refuses to say what he did exactly, but in a tweet that has now been removed, he alludes to the fact that he was the one to post the Babylon Bee tweet in Trump’s name. Shortly after, he posted a tweet in his own name, tagging Trump and Team Trump, saying the Babylon Bee-tweet could now be removed, as it had served its purpose. “I am not saying I did it. But what if I was the one to post the tweet? Then Trump will need to either admit to never having read the Babylon Bee article and posting this bullshit tweet, OR he will need to acknowledge that someone else posted the tweet.” Breaking into a Twitter account to prove it is poorly secured is one thing, posting a tweet is another. “I took things further this time because our previous report obviously didn’t have any effect”, says Gevers. “I hope that everything will now be resolved soon, and that mister Trump sends us a message. ‘Thank you for your work/report.’ That should suffice and will round up things for both cases.”
Gevers claims he spent the next several days trying to reach out to Trump or anyone connected to him to warn him about the poor security of his account. Only after those efforts had all failed did he give the Dutch site permission to write a story about what he’d done. And Gevers claims that he did eventually get a response from the government.
So did this happen or is Twitter just trying to cover it’s rear end for failing to a better job protecting their #1 account? I don’t know but Gevers is right about one thing. If he’s lying about posting that Babylon Bee story then Trump must have done it.


hotair--2020-10-22--Today's hot topics on #TEMS: Debate hindered, Hunter e-mails fingered, NPR's Only Certain Things Con

Today's hot topics on #TEMS: Debate hindered, Hunter e-mails fingered, NPR's Only Certain Things Considered, <i>Obamagate the Movie</i> delivered, and more!

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show ( 4 pm ET ) , we have another great lineup for the news of the day !
The show will be streamed on Hot Air ’ s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook .
Join us as we welcome : • Duane “ Generalissimo ” Patterson brings us up to date on the week ’ s top stories and gives us a preview of tomorrow ’ s Hugh Hewitt show .
What can we expect from tonight ’ s big debate ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and potential outcomes , plus we ’ ll do better than NPR and actually discuss the latest on Hunter Biden ’ s e-mails .
Lots and lots of developments there , but we ’ ll try not to “ waste your time , ” as NPR proclaimed today .
• Get ready for the next film from Phelim McAleer — ObamaGate the Movie , which launched Tuesday evening .
Phelim has adapted his verbatim play from the stage in Los Angeles , with stars Dean Cain and Kristy Swanson .
• None “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was filmed “ Hamilton style ” in Los Angeles on the Comedy Central stage at the Hudson Theater .
It will be released following Showtime ’ s big budget , pro-Comey mini-series called “ The Comey Rule ” and FBI Lovebird Peter Strzok publishes his self-aggrandising memoir .
Judicial Watch – the Washington based non-profit that specialises in uncovering secret govt documents by enforcing Freedom of Information laws is joining the film as a co-producer .
“ The film ’ s script is unusual in that it is completely verbatim and consists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , congressional and court transcripts , tweets , and statements of top government and FBI officials .
And it also features the embarrassing and conspiratorial text messages of “ FBI Lovebirds ” Peter Strzok and Lisa Page .
Obamagate also features appearances by James Comey and the Obama CIA Chief James Brennan and their cringeworthy tweets read aloud.
” The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page .
Be sure to join us , and don ’ t forget to keep up with the debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How can Republicans and conservatives keep winning after 2016 ?
Find out in GOING RED , published in April from Crown Forum !

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (4 pm ET), we have another great lineup for the news of the day! The show will be streamed on Hot Air’s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook.
Join us as we welcome:
Duane “Generalissimo” Patterson brings us up to date on the week’s top stories and gives us a preview of tomorrow’s Hugh Hewitt show. What can we expect from tonight’s big debate? Duane and I will discuss the strategies and potential outcomes, plus we’ll do better than NPR and actually discuss the latest on Hunter Biden’s e-mails. Lots and lots of developments there, but we’ll try not to “waste your time,” as NPR proclaimed today.
Get ready for the next film from Phelim McAleer — ObamaGate the Movie, which launched Tuesday evening. Phelim has adapted his verbatim play from the stage in Los Angeles, with stars Dean Cain and Kristy Swanson.
“The ObamaGate movie is a verbatim play that was filmed “Hamilton style” in Los Angeles on the Comedy Central stage at the Hudson Theater. It will be released following Showtime’s big budget, pro-Comey mini-series called “The Comey Rule” and FBI Lovebird Peter Strzok publishes his self-aggrandising memoir. Judicial Watch – the Washington based non-profit that specialises in uncovering secret govt documents by enforcing Freedom of Information laws is joining the film as a co-producer. “The film’s script is unusual in that it is completely verbatim and consists of the text messages, declassified files, congressional and court transcripts, tweets, and statements of top government and FBI officials. And it also features the embarrassing and conspiratorial text messages of “FBI Lovebirds” Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Obamagate also features appearances by James Comey and the Obama CIA Chief James Brennan and their cringeworthy tweets read aloud.”
Here’s the trailer:
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page. Be sure to join us, and don’t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page, too!
How can Republicans and conservatives keep winning after 2016? Find out in GOING RED, published in April from Crown Forum!