hotair--2020-11-17--Biden tells advisors: I don't want my presidency consumed by DOJ investigations of Trump

What will his presidency be consumed with if not this ?
Republicans are going to control the Senate and Pelosi ’ s majority in the House will be narrow enough that she won ’ t be able to do much of anything .
Sleepy Joe can try his hand at executive orders , but some of the most ambitious ones are destined to be tossed out in court .
Once the COVID vaccination process is rolling , there ’ ll be nothing for American government to do except bring back the Trump show — this time as a courtroom drama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t disagree with anything Ed wrote in this post last night about the similar dilemma Team Biden is facing on whether to let the IRS hand over Trump ’ s tax returns to House Democrats .
The more the Biden administration comes after Trump , the thinner Biden ’ s rhetoric about unity and national healing will seem to people who weren ’ t receptive to it in the first place .
Prosecuting the ex-president for crimes will also set off a logic of partisan reprisal just as surely as court-packing would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , or his son , be prosecuted once Republicans reclaim the White House .
The point of electing Sleepy Joe was to try to get off this track in which government machinery is forever being used to punish one ’ s partisan opponents .
The one part of Ed ’ s post I disagree with is this : “ If Democrats use their House majority in 2021 to go after Trump ’ s tax returns , Republicans could very well do the same in 2023 if they win control of the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , though , they could go after the tax returns of Hunter Biden , and James Biden , both of whom seem to have prospered from connections to Joe , while claiming legislative privilege on ethics enforcement.
” A new Republican House majority is going to do that no matter what Biden ’ s DOJ does or doesn ’ t do with respect to prosecuting Trump .
The GOP will be in the same bind as Biden is , its policy agenda ( to the extent that it has a policy agenda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well issue some subpoenas , if only to avoid primary challenges back home .
Biden has raised concerns that investigations would further divide a country he is trying to unite and risk making every day of his presidency about Trump , said the sources , who spoke on background to offer details of private conversations .
They said he has specifically told advisers that he is wary of federal tax investigations of Trump or of challenging any orders Trump may issue granting immunity to members of his staff before he leaves office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it clear that he “ just wants to move on.
” … “ His overarching view is that we need to move the country forward , ” an adviser said .
“ But the most important thing on this is that he will not interfere with his Justice Department and not politicize his Justice Department.
” … Biden ’ s team is also reluctant to send any signal to Trump administration officials that the Justice Department wouldn ’ t look into their actions , given that there are still nine weeks until the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussions said .
Ironically , although Biden will soon be the most powerful person in the world , he ’ s largely powerless over what happens here if he sticks with his intended approach .
He wants to restore the norm of DOJ independence after Trump made a grotesque spectacle of leaning on Bill Barr to produce the results of the Durham investigation and on Chris Wray to charge Hunter Biden with something before Election Day .
Barr cutting sweetheart deals for Trump cronies like Mike Flynn and Roger Stone and then authorizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the vote-counting is still going on are part of it too .
Sleepy Joe wants to undo the Roy-Cohn-ification of the Justice Department .
But if he ’ s true to his word about not meddling with the DOJ then the momentous decision about whether to charge Trump with something , deepening the partisan bias in the country at a moment when Biden ’ s trying to ease it , will be completely out of his hands .
And no , that arm ’ s-length approach won ’ t give him any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought by his handpicked Attorney General , as NBC speculates .
Voters will hold him personally responsible , for good or ill .
I may be a Never Trumper but I think Biden ’ s instincts are sound that prosecuting Trump would do more harm than good and would swallow up attention that should be devoted to more important things , like getting people vaccinated .
( If you ’ re wondering what he could conceivably be prosecuted for , this lo-o-ong NYT piece today raises multiple possibilities , some stronger than others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way I do about the increasingly cutthroat tactics used to confirm SCOTUS justices : Even when I like the outcome , like Amy Coney Barrett being confirmed , basic civic harmony requires that someone finally end the endless cycle of reprisals .
But I also understand why lefties think Trump is a special case .
It ’ s not just that he surrounded himself with people like Manafort , Stone , and Bannon who ended up in legal trouble .
It ’ s that he clearly relished the impunity he enjoyed as president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ defense ” during the Mueller investigation was that a sitting president simply can ’ t be prosecuted for committing crimes ( at least not without his consent ) because the power of prosecution under the Constitution resides in him .
That is , he ’ s above the law .
Last year Trump ’ s lawyer argued in state court in New York that the president could literally shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and he ’ d be untouchable until he left office .
I can ’ t find the link right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story written shortly after the GOP convention about how much Trump enjoyed using the White House as a backdrop , because even though that flagrantly violated the spirit of the Hatch Act there was nothing anyone could do to stop him .
Lesser federal employees aren ’ t so lucky .
The biggest remaining mystery of his lame-duck presidency is whether he ’ ll start handing corrupt pardons to all of his cronies , and maybe to himself .
He was above the law , obviously savored it , and now the Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a free pass on it .
Some of the things he does that aren ’ t illegal , like leaning on Barr and Wray or spending the past two weeks hallucinating about a massive voter-fraud conspiracy in order to delegitimize the incoming president , are as bad as crimes .
He ’ s a civic arsonist ; to watch him run around setting fires and nonetheless conclude that he shouldn ’ t be prosecuted for any actual crime he may have committed because too many people would have the sadz to see him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of civic arson , in keeping with the series of moral compromises a nihilist like Trump is forever forcing on the people around him .
The best I can do to justify it is to say it ’ s a sort of controlled burn .
Prosecuting him would set a bigger fire than not prosecuting him would , so the “ responsible ” thing to do is set the smaller fire instead .
The country burns either way , though .
Besides , Biden may yet see Trump charged with something even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations that are pending in New York may result in charges .
Biden will still pay a political price for that as Democrats writ large would be blamed but he wouldn ’ t be as culpable as he would if his own Justice Department filed charges .
I think that ’ s the “ compromise ” his AG will settle on : The DOJ won ’ t pursue Trump , but if New York prosecutors come after him , oh well .
Especially since a Trump weakened by legal battles is a Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @

What will his presidency be consumed with if not this?
Republicans are going to control the Senate and Pelosi’s majority in the House will be narrow enough that she won’t be able to do much of anything. Sleepy Joe can try his hand at executive orders, but some of the most ambitious ones are destined to be tossed out in court.
Once the COVID vaccination process is rolling, there’ll be nothing for American government to do except bring back the Trump show — this time as a courtroom drama.
With one exception, I don’t disagree with anything Ed wrote in this post last night about the similar dilemma Team Biden is facing on whether to let the IRS hand over Trump’s tax returns to House Democrats. The more the Biden administration comes after Trump, the thinner Biden’s rhetoric about unity and national healing will seem to people who weren’t receptive to it in the first place. Prosecuting the ex-president for crimes will also set off a logic of partisan reprisal just as surely as court-packing would have. Outraged righties will demand that Biden, or his son, be prosecuted once Republicans reclaim the White House. The point of electing Sleepy Joe was to try to get off this track in which government machinery is forever being used to punish one’s partisan opponents.
The one part of Ed’s post I disagree with is this: “If Democrats use their House majority in 2021 to go after Trump’s tax returns, Republicans could very well do the same in 2023 if they win control of the House back. Rather than go after Joe Biden, though, they could go after the tax returns of Hunter Biden, and James Biden, both of whom seem to have prospered from connections to Joe, while claiming legislative privilege on ethics enforcement.” A new Republican House majority is going to do that no matter what Biden’s DOJ does or doesn’t do with respect to prosecuting Trump. The GOP will be in the same bind as Biden is, its policy agenda (to the extent that it has a policy agenda) paralyzed by divided government. Might as well issue some subpoenas, if only to avoid primary challenges back home.
Biden has raised concerns that investigations would further divide a country he is trying to unite and risk making every day of his presidency about Trump, said the sources, who spoke on background to offer details of private conversations. They said he has specifically told advisers that he is wary of federal tax investigations of Trump or of challenging any orders Trump may issue granting immunity to members of his staff before he leaves office. One adviser said Biden has made it clear that he “just wants to move on.”… “His overarching view is that we need to move the country forward,” an adviser said. “But the most important thing on this is that he will not interfere with his Justice Department and not politicize his Justice Department.”… Biden’s team is also reluctant to send any signal to Trump administration officials that the Justice Department wouldn’t look into their actions, given that there are still nine weeks until the inauguration, another person briefed about the discussions said.
Ironically, although Biden will soon be the most powerful person in the world, he’s largely powerless over what happens here if he sticks with his intended approach. He wants to restore the norm of DOJ independence after Trump made a grotesque spectacle of leaning on Bill Barr to produce the results of the Durham investigation and on Chris Wray to charge Hunter Biden with something before Election Day. Barr cutting sweetheart deals for Trump cronies like Mike Flynn and Roger Stone and then authorizing U.S. Attorneys to investigate voter fraud while the vote-counting is still going on are part of it too. Sleepy Joe wants to undo the Roy-Cohn-ification of the Justice Department. But if he’s true to his word about not meddling with the DOJ then the momentous decision about whether to charge Trump with something, deepening the partisan bias in the country at a moment when Biden’s trying to ease it, will be completely out of his hands.
And no, that arm’s-length approach won’t give him any political “cover” if charges are brought by his handpicked Attorney General, as NBC speculates. Voters will hold him personally responsible, for good or ill.
I may be a Never Trumper but I think Biden’s instincts are sound that prosecuting Trump would do more harm than good and would swallow up attention that should be devoted to more important things, like getting people vaccinated. (If you’re wondering what he could conceivably be prosecuted for, this lo-o-ong NYT piece today raises multiple possibilities, some stronger than others.) I feel about it the way I do about the increasingly cutthroat tactics used to confirm SCOTUS justices: Even when I like the outcome, like Amy Coney Barrett being confirmed, basic civic harmony requires that someone finally end the endless cycle of reprisals.
But I also understand why lefties think Trump is a special case. It’s not just that he surrounded himself with people like Manafort, Stone, and Bannon who ended up in legal trouble. It’s that he clearly relished the impunity he enjoyed as president. A core argument made in his “defense” during the Mueller investigation was that a sitting president simply can’t be prosecuted for committing crimes (at least not without his consent) because the power of prosecution under the Constitution resides in him. That is, he’s above the law. Last year Trump’s lawyer argued in state court in New York that the president could literally shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and he’d be untouchable until he left office. I can’t find the link right now but I remember reading in a story written shortly after the GOP convention about how much Trump enjoyed using the White House as a backdrop, because even though that flagrantly violated the spirit of the Hatch Act there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Lesser federal employees aren’t so lucky. The biggest remaining mystery of his lame-duck presidency is whether he’ll start handing corrupt pardons to all of his cronies, and maybe to himself.
He was above the law, obviously savored it, and now the Biden DOJ’s going to give him a free pass on it. Some of the things he does that aren’t illegal, like leaning on Barr and Wray or spending the past two weeks hallucinating about a massive voter-fraud conspiracy in order to delegitimize the incoming president, are as bad as crimes. He’s a civic arsonist; to watch him run around setting fires and nonetheless conclude that he shouldn’t be prosecuted for any actual crime he may have committed because too many people would have the sadz to see him held accountable feels itself like an act of civic arson, in keeping with the series of moral compromises a nihilist like Trump is forever forcing on the people around him. The best I can do to justify it is to say it’s a sort of controlled burn. Prosecuting him would set a bigger fire than not prosecuting him would, so the “responsible” thing to do is set the smaller fire instead. The country burns either way, though.
Besides, Biden may yet see Trump charged with something even if the DOJ stands down. The state-level investigations that are pending in New York may result in charges. Biden will still pay a political price for that as Democrats writ large would be blamed but he wouldn’t be as culpable as he would if his own Justice Department filed charges. I think that’s the “compromise” his AG will settle on: The DOJ won’t pursue Trump, but if New York prosecutors come after him, oh well. Especially since a Trump weakened by legal battles is a Trump less likely to win in 2024.


hotair--2020-11-17--At last: Giuliani "enters the ring" in Team Trump's Pennsylvania case

How long has it been since Rudy Giuliani practiced law in federal court ?
If his pro hac vice motion filed earlier this morning passes muster , the former mayor and scourge of the Five Families will end a 28-year retirement .
Giuliani petitioned the court to replace Donald Trump ’ s attorneys in the lawsuit over election processes in Pennsylvania .
He might be the third Team Trump attorney change in the past 24 hours , and the day ’ s not over yet : The day began with three other attorneys representing the campaign .
They petitioned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced a new lead attorney for the case .
This comes four days after attorneys from the law firm Porter Wright withdrew from the case as well : Three more lawyers representing President Donald Trump ’ s campaign have asked to withdraw from his lawsuit challenging the U.S. election results in Pennsylvania , shaking up his legal team on the eve of a major court hearing .
The lawyers – Linda Kerns , John Scott and Douglas Bryan Hughes – made the request in a court filing on Monday , adding that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a brief order on Monday night , the judge hearing the case allowed Scott and Hughes to withdraw but not Kerns .
Harrisburg-based lawyer Marc Scaringi has joined the case and will be Trump ’ s lead counsel .
Scaringi and the three attorneys who sought to withdraw did not immediately respond to requests for comment .
At that time , Team Trump ’ s legal advisor issued a statement claiming that this was a normal process , even if the timing was somewhat extraordinary .
Jenna Ellis also mentioned that Giuliani would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite warning that Giuliani would personally enter the case as a counsel of record : Is it really “ routine ” to shuffle counsel around the night before a major hearing in a case that ’ s as time-limited as an election challenge ?
The judge apparently didn ’ t think so , denying a motion to delay the hearing .
So why add Giuliani to the list of counsel if they have Scaringi ?
It turns out that Scaringi moonlights as a conservative political analyst , one whose heart might not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Team Trump selected the one conservative attorney in Pennsylvania that had a radio show and still didn ’ t think these lawsuits had any chance .
“ Some of them have merit , ” Scaringi commented about the lawsuits in this clip , but he mainly referred to those complaints filed by the Pennsylvania GOP , not by Trump .
None of them would “ reverse this election , ” Scaringi opined ten days ago , which might make for an uncomfortable presentation when Scaringi starts pleading this case .
That may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parachuting into the case .
He can argue it while Scaringi serves as lead counsel , presumably , but that will only make things slightly less awkward .
But what will Giuliani ’ s strategy be ?
Move quickly to the Supreme Court , Giuliani told Fox Business Network ’ s Maria Bartiromo this morning , win or lose : “ Frankly , this is a case we would like to see get to the Supreme Court , ” Giuliani said of one lawsuit in Pennsylvania .
“ So , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these cases to lose and to appeal and to get it to the Supreme Court.
” “ You ’ re not going to win every one of these , ” he continued .
“ I don ’ t want to say it ’ s because of a Democrat judge or whatever .
Some of them are just as fair as anybody .
But in some cases you win , in some cases you lose.
” Giuliani added : “ The most important thing is this will be our first established vehicle on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a highly effective prosecutor in the 1980s and 1990s , but he ’ s got an uphill task in this case .
So far , the handling of counsel suggests that they ’ re struggling to put together an evidentiary case that will sustain the allegations Giuliani ’ s making here .
If Giuliani has evidence rather than just speculation , then perhaps he ’ s about to make a spectacular litigation comeback .
But until Giuliani actually presents evidence of wrongdoing in court , the clown-car show around counsel over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Scaringi was wrong ten days ago .

How long has it been since Rudy Giuliani practiced law in federal court? If his pro hac vice motion filed earlier this morning passes muster, the former mayor and scourge of the Five Families will end a 28-year retirement. Giuliani petitioned the court to replace Donald Trump’s attorneys in the lawsuit over election processes in Pennsylvania.
He might be the third Team Trump attorney change in the past 24 hours, and the day’s not over yet:
🚨NEW: Rudy Giuliani has filed to appear as counsel for Trump in his Pennsylvania federal case. pic.twitter.com/9HernE6wvG — Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) November 17, 2020
The day began with three other attorneys representing the campaign. They petitioned the court last night to withdraw, and announced a new lead attorney for the case. This comes four days after attorneys from the law firm Porter Wright withdrew from the case as well:
Three more lawyers representing President Donald Trump’s campaign have asked to withdraw from his lawsuit challenging the U.S. election results in Pennsylvania, shaking up his legal team on the eve of a major court hearing. The lawyers – Linda Kerns, John Scott and Douglas Bryan Hughes – made the request in a court filing on Monday, adding that the campaign consented to their withdrawal. In a brief order on Monday night, the judge hearing the case allowed Scott and Hughes to withdraw but not Kerns. Harrisburg-based lawyer Marc Scaringi has joined the case and will be Trump’s lead counsel. Scaringi and the three attorneys who sought to withdraw did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At that time, Team Trump’s legal advisor issued a statement claiming that this was a normal process, even if the timing was somewhat extraordinary. Jenna Ellis also mentioned that Giuliani would lead the legal strategy, but not quite warning that Giuliani would personally enter the case as a counsel of record:
The President announced Saturday that he has asked Mayor @RudyGiuliani to lead his national legal team, along with local counsel in each state. Any substitutions or additions of local counsel are consistent with routine managing of complex litigation. https://t.co/lC3RRb3aGV — Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) November 17, 2020
Is it really “routine” to shuffle counsel around the night before a major hearing in a case that’s as time-limited as an election challenge? The judge apparently didn’t think so, denying a motion to delay the hearing.
So why add Giuliani to the list of counsel if they have Scaringi? It turns out that Scaringi moonlights as a conservative political analyst, one whose heart might not be in this fight:
A conservative radio host and attorney who has already correctly said that the Trump campaign’s legal challenges of the 2020 election results will not change the outcome got less than 24 hours to prepare for oral arguments on the outgoing president’s behalf in Pennsylvania. The comedy of errors began on Monday night, when more Trump campaign lawyers withdrew from the non-fraud case. This left Marc Scaringi in the legal lurch, but somehow the Trump campaign’s senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis managed to call this chaos “routine.”
Marc Scaringi is Trump's new lawyer in Pennsylvania https://t.co/xeKoMNdpzl On his radio show on Nov 7, Scaringi said that "there really are no bombshells that are about to drop that will derail a Biden presidency including these lawsuits" and "the litigation will not work" pic.twitter.com/5Zb8XMJlUO — John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) November 17, 2020
The blooper reel surrounding Scaringi’s admission to the case was complicated all the more by his recent comments, in general, about President Donald Trump’s election lawsuits. Though he said that some cases had merit, Scaringi said publicly on his radio show as recently as Nov. 7 that “there really are no bombshells that are about to drop that will derail a Biden presidency, including these lawsuits.”
It seems odd that Team Trump selected the one conservative attorney in Pennsylvania that had a radio show and still didn’t think these lawsuits had any chance. “Some of them have merit,” Scaringi commented about the lawsuits in this clip, but he mainly referred to those complaints filed by the Pennsylvania GOP, not by Trump. None of them would “reverse this election,” Scaringi opined ten days ago, which might make for an uncomfortable presentation when Scaringi starts pleading this case.
That may well be why Giuliani is now personally parachuting into the case. He can argue it while Scaringi serves as lead counsel, presumably, but that will only make things slightly less awkward. But what will Giuliani’s strategy be? Move quickly to the Supreme Court, Giuliani told Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo this morning, win or lose:
“Frankly, this is a case we would like to see get to the Supreme Court,” Giuliani said of one lawsuit in Pennsylvania. “So, you know, we’re prepared in some of these cases to lose and to appeal and to get it to the Supreme Court.” “You’re not going to win every one of these,” he continued. “I don’t want to say it’s because of a Democrat judge or whatever. Some of them are just as fair as anybody. But in some cases you win, in some cases you lose.” Giuliani added: “The most important thing is this will be our first established vehicle on the way to the Supreme Court.”
Giuliani was a highly effective prosecutor in the 1980s and 1990s, but he’s got an uphill task in this case. So far, the handling of counsel suggests that they’re struggling to put together an evidentiary case that will sustain the allegations Giuliani’s making here. If Giuliani has evidence rather than just speculation, then perhaps he’s about to make a spectacular litigation comeback. But until Giuliani actually presents evidence of wrongdoing in court, the clown-car show around counsel over the last 24 hours should prompt considerable skepticism that Scaringi was wrong ten days ago.


hotair--2020-11-17--NY Gov: I'll sue the White House if they don't send the vaccines I refused to take

Tis ’ the season , citizens , but I don ’ t mean Thanksgiving , Christmas or Hannukah .
We ’ ve apparently entered the silly season of post-election politics .
Or perhaps the “ stupid season ” might be a more apt choice .
Since no one is apparently allowed to be too happy over the news that Pfizer ’ s vaccine has proven highly effective in the test trials and may be widely available in the spring , we ’ ll still need a reason to fight about it .
Entering the ring once again is New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the weekend , Cuomo got into a spat with President Trump over the distribution of the vaccine once it has final approval , saying that he wouldn ’ t accept any shipments to New York until his own panel of “ medical experts ” had approved it because the Bad Orange Man can ’ t be trusted .
Trump responded by saying that he was fine with that and he wouldn ’ t authorize any shipments to New York until the Governor approved the vaccine .
Not content to let sleeping , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fired back , threatening to sue the White House if his vaccines aren ’ t sent promptly .
And no… you really can ’ t make this stuff up .
( CBS New York ) Gov .
Andrew Cuomo heated up his battle with the White House over the tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for the state , saying Sunday he ’ s poised to sue if the rollout is withheld .
“ COVID doesn ’ t discriminate .
Neither should we , ” Cuomo said at Riverside Church in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day getting some amens after vowing the federal government will not push New Yorkers to the back of the line for shots of vaccine , CBS2 ’ s Dave Carlin reported .
Just to refresh everyone ’ s memory , this spat dates back to September 24 , when some of the first vaccines were in the early stage of clinical trials and showing some promise .
At that time , Cuomo was the one who fired the first shot , saying that he was in talks with the governors of seven other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approve the delivery of any federally approved vaccine until their panels of experts agreed that it was safe .
Donald Trump responded by essentially saying he would go along with Cuomo ’ s plan and wouldn ’ t authorize delivery until the Governor signed off on it .
But now , Cuomo is threatening to sue if Donald Trump tries to “ push New York to the back of the line.
” The first of the many things wrong with this boast is that Cuomo doesn ’ t appear to have thought it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is ready to go , it ’ s only going to come out in batches .
Somebody will have to be the first to receive it while others will need to wait for production to catch up to demand .
If the vaccines start rolling out but New York ( and possibly other states ) are saying to hold the phone while their own panels of medical professionals do further testing , the rest of the country is under no obligation to wait .
The first vaccine deliveries to states not imposing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run out , the rest of the states , including New York , will have to wait until more is available .
How is that not immediately obvious ?
The other nagging issue with Cuomo ’ s frantic pronouncements is the timing .
The Pfizer vaccine has to submit three months of safety data to the FDA after the final test subjects are vaccinated .
That can ’ t take place until some time in February at the soonest .
General approval for the public and the start of widespread distribution isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting to see the problem here ?
Barring some nearly miraculous turnaround in the courts .
Joe Biden is going to be sworn into office in January .
By the time any of this happens , Donald Trump will be cruising into retirement or his next big expedition .
And I can assure you that with a Democrat in the White House , Andrew Cuomo will have absolutely no qualms about accepting the federal government ’ s word that the vaccine is safe and effective .
He ’ ll change his tune entirely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to New York State , so all of this will have been for nothing .
This is political theater and nothing more .
It ’ s a show designed to grab a few headlines and remind Cuomo ’ s liberal base that he ’ s going to “ resist ” the Bad Orange Man until the very end .
It ’ s of no use to his constituents and does nothing to get us any closer to taming the pandemic .

Tis’ the season, citizens, but I don’t mean Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hannukah. We’ve apparently entered the silly season of post-election politics. Or perhaps the “stupid season” might be a more apt choice. Since no one is apparently allowed to be too happy over the news that Pfizer’s vaccine has proven highly effective in the test trials and may be widely available in the spring, we’ll still need a reason to fight about it. Entering the ring once again is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. As we discussed over the weekend, Cuomo got into a spat with President Trump over the distribution of the vaccine once it has final approval, saying that he wouldn’t accept any shipments to New York until his own panel of “medical experts” had approved it because the Bad Orange Man can’t be trusted.
Trump responded by saying that he was fine with that and he wouldn’t authorize any shipments to New York until the Governor approved the vaccine. Not content to let sleeping, flea-ridden dogs lie, Cuomo has now fired back, threatening to sue the White House if his vaccines aren’t sent promptly. And no… you really can’t make this stuff up. (CBS New York)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo heated up his battle with the White House over the tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for the state, saying Sunday he’s poised to sue if the rollout is withheld. “COVID doesn’t discriminate. Neither should we,” Cuomo said at Riverside Church in Morningside Heights. The governor spent the day getting some amens after vowing the federal government will not push New Yorkers to the back of the line for shots of vaccine, CBS2’s Dave Carlin reported.
Just to refresh everyone’s memory, this spat dates back to September 24, when some of the first vaccines were in the early stage of clinical trials and showing some promise. At that time, Cuomo was the one who fired the first shot, saying that he was in talks with the governors of seven other states and that they wouldn’t approve the delivery of any federally approved vaccine until their panels of experts agreed that it was safe. Donald Trump responded by essentially saying he would go along with Cuomo’s plan and wouldn’t authorize delivery until the Governor signed off on it.
But now, Cuomo is threatening to sue if Donald Trump tries to “push New York to the back of the line.” The first of the many things wrong with this boast is that Cuomo doesn’t appear to have thought it through very well. When the vaccine is ready to go, it’s only going to come out in batches. Somebody will have to be the first to receive it while others will need to wait for production to catch up to demand.
If the vaccines start rolling out but New York (and possibly other states) are saying to hold the phone while their own panels of medical professionals do further testing, the rest of the country is under no obligation to wait. The first vaccine deliveries to states not imposing a hold will go out. When they run out, the rest of the states, including New York, will have to wait until more is available. How is that not immediately obvious?
The other nagging issue with Cuomo’s frantic pronouncements is the timing. The Pfizer vaccine has to submit three months of safety data to the FDA after the final test subjects are vaccinated. That can’t take place until some time in February at the soonest. General approval for the public and the start of widespread distribution isn’t expected until June. Are you starting to see the problem here?
Barring some nearly miraculous turnaround in the courts. Joe Biden is going to be sworn into office in January. By the time any of this happens, Donald Trump will be cruising into retirement or his next big expedition. And I can assure you that with a Democrat in the White House, Andrew Cuomo will have absolutely no qualms about accepting the federal government’s word that the vaccine is safe and effective. He’ll change his tune entirely and happily approve delivery of the vaccine to New York State, so all of this will have been for nothing.
This is political theater and nothing more. It’s a show designed to grab a few headlines and remind Cuomo’s liberal base that he’s going to “resist” the Bad Orange Man until the very end. It’s of no use to his constituents and does nothing to get us any closer to taming the pandemic.


hotair--2020-11-17--Omar dropping husband's firm from gravy train

We ’ ve spent plenty of time digging into the details of the relationship between the campaign of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and her husband Tim Mynett ’ s consulting firm , the E Street Group .
This politically incestuous relationship has profited Mynett ( and presumably his wife ) handsomely , with the lion ’ s share of all of Omar ’ s fundraising efforts being shoveled into the firm .
When asked about the obviously dubious optics of that partnership in the past , Omar has been quoted as saying it would be “ a stupid thing to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Mynett ’ s firm .
But , to borrow a quote from Forrest Gump , it appears that stupid is as stupid does , because Omar announced this week that she is severing ties to the E Street Group .
( Free Beacon ) Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D. , Minn. ) is cutting ties with her husband ’ s political consulting firm , which raked in nearly $ 3 million from her campaign committee during the 2020 election cycle .
Omar ’ s campaign sent an email to supporters Sunday saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ E Street Group , which is owned by her husband , Tim Mynett , and Will Hailer .
“ So we ’ ve decided to terminate our contract with Tim and Will ’ s firm , ” the email states .
“ While many of our close supporters know these two well and have recommended we keep them on — I want to make sure that anybody who is supporting our campaign with their time or financial support feels there is no perceived issue with that support.
” Omar doesn ’ t mention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who think she should continue the relationship and it would be inappropriate to suggest that they might be more of her relatives or people who receive some sort of cash stream from the vast amount of cash Mynett bills his wife ’ s campaign for every quarter .
That ’ s probably just my inherent cynical nature rearing its head .
So why make this move now after insisting for the past two years that there was nothing to see here and it would be “ stupid ” to cut her husband ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slice of the pie ?
At the low end of the scale of possibilities is the idea that perhaps the pressure simply got to Omar after months of bad headlines making the arrangement smell an awful lot like campaign finance law violations .
At the opposite end of that spectrum is the possibility that investigations have been underway and somebody was getting close to finding information that might bring about some charges .
We ’ ll probably learn that eventually , but this still seems to be a case where the action is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left the barn .
Mynett ’ s firm has already vacuumed three million dollars out of his wife ’ s campaign coffers in a single election cycle , with an unknown amount of that money going to his own salary and/or bonuses .
Being a member of Congress pays quite well compared to the median American family income , but it doesn ’ t pay anywhere near that kind of cash .
Good work if you can get it , eh ?
Is it possible that Mynett may have felt the heat from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received and decided that he could only keep going back to the well so many times before things went south ?
That part we may never know .
But I ’ ll risk beating a dead horse here and remind everyone that all of the campaign money Omar raised was collected to finance a race that she had virtually no chance of conceivably losing provide she just kept breathing until election day .
She could have run a couple of basic television ads to remind her constituents that she was still around and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district .
Minnesota ’ s 5th Congressional District is located in the heart of Minneapolis and it runs from Richfield up through the northern end of Brooklyn Park .
It ’ s literally less than fifteen miles from top to bottom .
Instead , Omar raised millions of dollars to flush into her campaign efforts , with the majority going to her husband ’ s firm .
Even if it ’ s not illegal , when something looks like a dead fish and smells like a dead fish , there ’ s probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @

We’ve spent plenty of time digging into the details of the relationship between the campaign of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and her husband Tim Mynett’s consulting firm, the E Street Group. This politically incestuous relationship has profited Mynett (and presumably his wife) handsomely, with the lion’s share of all of Omar’s fundraising efforts being shoveled into the firm. When asked about the obviously dubious optics of that partnership in the past, Omar has been quoted as saying it would be “a stupid thing to do” if she were to cut ties with Mynett’s firm. But, to borrow a quote from Forrest Gump, it appears that stupid is as stupid does, because Omar announced this week that she is severing ties to the E Street Group. (Free Beacon)
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) is cutting ties with her husband’s political consulting firm, which raked in nearly $3 million from her campaign committee during the 2020 election cycle. Omar’s campaign sent an email to supporters Sunday saying she will now distance herself from the E Street Group, which is owned by her husband, Tim Mynett, and Will Hailer. “So we’ve decided to terminate our contract with Tim and Will’s firm,” the email states. “While many of our close supporters know these two well and have recommended we keep them on — I want to make sure that anybody who is supporting our campaign with their time or financial support feels there is no perceived issue with that support.”
Omar doesn’t mention who these “many” people are who think she should continue the relationship and it would be inappropriate to suggest that they might be more of her relatives or people who receive some sort of cash stream from the vast amount of cash Mynett bills his wife’s campaign for every quarter. That’s probably just my inherent cynical nature rearing its head.
So why make this move now after insisting for the past two years that there was nothing to see here and it would be “stupid” to cut her husband’s firm out of their very large slice of the pie? At the low end of the scale of possibilities is the idea that perhaps the pressure simply got to Omar after months of bad headlines making the arrangement smell an awful lot like campaign finance law violations. At the opposite end of that spectrum is the possibility that investigations have been underway and somebody was getting close to finding information that might bring about some charges.
We’ll probably learn that eventually, but this still seems to be a case where the action is taking place long after the horses have left the barn. Mynett’s firm has already vacuumed three million dollars out of his wife’s campaign coffers in a single election cycle, with an unknown amount of that money going to his own salary and/or bonuses. Being a member of Congress pays quite well compared to the median American family income, but it doesn’t pay anywhere near that kind of cash. Good work if you can get it, eh?
Is it possible that Mynett may have felt the heat from all of the exposure this relationship has received and decided that he could only keep going back to the well so many times before things went south? That part we may never know. But I’ll risk beating a dead horse here and remind everyone that all of the campaign money Omar raised was collected to finance a race that she had virtually no chance of conceivably losing provide she just kept breathing until election day. She could have run a couple of basic television ads to remind her constituents that she was still around and done a few walking tours of her district. Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District is located in the heart of Minneapolis and it runs from Richfield up through the northern end of Brooklyn Park. It’s literally less than fifteen miles from top to bottom.
Instead, Omar raised millions of dollars to flush into her campaign efforts, with the majority going to her husband’s firm. Even if it’s not illegal, when something looks like a dead fish and smells like a dead fish, there’s probably a dead fish in the vicinity.


hotair--2020-11-17--Immigrant Republican woman, survivor of socialism, heading to Congress

One of the new freshmen class of GOP women heading to Congress as part of the female Republican surge led by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik , is Victoria Spartz .
She ’ s been declared the winner of the race to represent Indiana ’ s 5th Congressional District .
Ms. Spartz brings with her a life story that ’ s somewhat unusual in the House of Representatives , but simultaneously typical of so many people who have survived serious challenges to achieve success in the United States .
Spartz was born and raised in Ukraine under socialist rule .
After meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she came to America and raised a family in the heartland .
This week she went on Fox News to discuss the current trends she ’ s observing around the country and express her alarm at what she ’ s seeing .
The progressive left ’ s headlong plunge toward full socialism is frightening to her .
In the interview , she recalls how horrid it was to live under socialist rule and now she ’ s afraid that her past is being revisited in her new home .
( Daily Wire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new GOP congresswoman-elect from Indiana who grew up in Ukraine , gave a blistering attack on socialism while offering a powerful defense of America , stating , “ I grew up in socialism .
I saw what happens when it runs out of money .
And it ’ s not pretty.
” Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt prompted Spartz by asking , “ What do you think led to so many Republican women winning these House seats ?
” “ If you think about it , my district is really a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We have urban , suburban voters , rural voters .
We have a lot of women .
And I ’ m a mother of two daughters .
I ’ m a suburban woman and I think if you look at that I ’ m really hopeful to see that the majority of people in our country don ’ t believe in socialist utopic ideas the Democrat party is now promoting .
“ Here ’ s the brief video clip of the interview .
Spartz is an inspiring figure .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worldview on her campaign website from the four simple words plastered across the top of the home page : Less Government .
More Freedom .
She went on to talk about the many wars that have been fought and all of the young men and women who gave their lives to keep us free from socialism , communism and true authoritarian regimes .
( As opposed to the accusations of “ authoritarianism ” being hurled against Republicans in the mainstream media today . )
Spartz urges all Americans to be “ good students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can ’ t let the same thing happen in America that happened in Ukraine , Venezuela and other collapsed societies , saying “ we have to be smarter than that.
” Victoria Spartz sounds like she will be an able representative for the Hoosiers who sent her to Washington and a good messenger for the conservative movement .
Her story is a compelling one , and a much-needed reminder against complacency in the face of those who would seek to replace individual freedoms and opportunity with heavy-handed government repression and the false @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you find Spartz ’ s personal story compelling , I would suggest you consider picking up a book I received this summer .
It ’ s from Jana Kandlova ( a.k.a Jane Benson ) and the title is Stalked by Socialism : An Escapeee From Communism Shows How We ’ re Sliding Into Socialism .
She escaped from the communist regime in Czechoslovakia thirty years ago and started a fresh , new life in America , so her story is similar to that of Spartz .
And she too fears the erosion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her .

One of the new freshmen class of GOP women heading to Congress as part of the female Republican surge led by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, is Victoria Spartz. She’s been declared the winner of the race to represent Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. Ms. Spartz brings with her a life story that’s somewhat unusual in the House of Representatives, but simultaneously typical of so many people who have survived serious challenges to achieve success in the United States. Spartz was born and raised in Ukraine under socialist rule. After meeting her husband on a train in Europe, she came to America and raised a family in the heartland.
This week she went on Fox News to discuss the current trends she’s observing around the country and express her alarm at what she’s seeing. The progressive left’s headlong plunge toward full socialism is frightening to her. In the interview, she recalls how horrid it was to live under socialist rule and now she’s afraid that her past is being revisited in her new home. (Daily Wire)
On Monday, Victoria Spartz, the new GOP congresswoman-elect from Indiana who grew up in Ukraine, gave a blistering attack on socialism while offering a powerful defense of America, stating, “I grew up in socialism. I saw what happens when it runs out of money. And it’s not pretty.” Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt prompted Spartz by asking, “What do you think led to so many Republican women winning these House seats?” “If you think about it, my district is really a snapshot of America,” Spartz replied. “We have urban, suburban voters, rural voters. We have a lot of women. And I’m a mother of two daughters. I’m a suburban woman and I think if you look at that I’m really hopeful to see that the majority of people in our country don’t believe in socialist utopic ideas the Democrat party is now promoting. “
Here’s the brief video clip of the interview. Spartz is an inspiring figure.
You can gather the crux of Spartz’s worldview on her campaign website from the four simple words plastered across the top of the home page: Less Government. More Freedom.
She went on to talk about the many wars that have been fought and all of the young men and women who gave their lives to keep us free from socialism, communism and true authoritarian regimes. (As opposed to the accusations of “authoritarianism” being hurled against Republicans in the mainstream media today.) Spartz urges all Americans to be “good students of history.” She reminds us that we can’t let the same thing happen in America that happened in Ukraine, Venezuela and other collapsed societies, saying “we have to be smarter than that.”
Victoria Spartz sounds like she will be an able representative for the Hoosiers who sent her to Washington and a good messenger for the conservative movement. Her story is a compelling one, and a much-needed reminder against complacency in the face of those who would seek to replace individual freedoms and opportunity with heavy-handed government repression and the false promise of a socialist paradise.
If you find Spartz’s personal story compelling, I would suggest you consider picking up a book I received this summer. It’s from Jana Kandlova (a.k.a Jane Benson) and the title is Stalked by Socialism: An Escapeee From Communism Shows How We’re Sliding Into Socialism. She escaped from the communist regime in Czechoslovakia thirty years ago and started a fresh, new life in America, so her story is similar to that of Spartz. And she too fears the erosion of freedom she sees going on all around her.


hotair--2020-11-18--Disaster averted: Wayne County board reverses course, certifies election results

For one brief moment in time , Wayne County Republicans nearly disenfranchised almost 900,000 voters in Michigan in an attempt to use brute partisan force to change the results of the election .
After a contentious hearing in which Detroit voters accused the two GOP commissioners of attempting to undermine the black vote in Michigan , the pair swapped positions and certified the election results : After what was an unprecedented 2-2 deadlock along partisan lines , with the two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers voting against certifying the county ’ s November election results , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results late Tuesday night .
The board also passed a resolution calling on Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to conduct an independent comprehensive audit of all of the jurisdictions in the county that recorded unexplained discrepancies between the number of absentee ballots recorded as cast and the number of absentee ballots counted .
The state party initially threw their support behind the deadlock that would have forced the state legislature to decide electors in the state : Just minutes after the Republican members had voted against certifying the results , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Laura Cox , who chairs the state party .
“ I am proud that , due to the efforts of the Michigan Republican Party , the Republican National Committee and the Trump Campaign , enough evidence of irregularities and potential voter fraud was uncovered resulting in the Wayne County Board of Canvassers refusing to certify their election results , ” Cox said .
Trump himself seemed particularly enthused about the move , cheering it on in a series of tweets such as this : Unfortunately , it turns out that other Republicans didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tossing out the results of an election .
The Wayne County board ’ s later reversal probably had more to do with the GOP leader of the legislature refusing to play along : Democrat Joe Biden is the president-elect , and while Michigan ’ s Republican-led Legislature is investigating the election , it will not award the state ’ s 16 electors to GOP President Donald Trump , Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey told Bridge on Tuesday .
… Conservative groups have also started phone and letter-writing campaigns in an attempt to persuade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
“ That ’ s not going to happen , ” Shirkey , R-Clarklake , said in a wide-ranging interview with Bridge Michigan .
He noted state law awards electors to the winner of the state ’ s popular vote .
And Biden won the state by more than 146,000 votes , according to unofficial results .
“ We are going to follow the law and follow the process , ” he said .
“ I do believe there ’ s reason to go slow and deliberate as we evaluate the allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this isn ’ t Arizona or Georgia .
Trump won Michigan in 2016 by a little over 10,000 votes , but he lost in 2020 by fourteen times that amount .
Imagine the screaming from Republicans if Hillary Clinton had tried an end run around Trump-heavy counting on the basis of election irregularities in this way .
Shirkey wants the legislature to get to the bottom of any discrepancies too , but he ’ s not interested in committing political suicide by effectively making elections worthless just to get on Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on respecting election results , after all .
It ’ s clear that the level of discrepancies don ’ t add up to anything close that would overturn the election , and Shirkey ’ s not sure why Trump keeps insisting that he won : Asked about Trump ’ s repeated claims that he won Michigan , the highest-ranking Republican in the state Legislature said he does not know what the president is thinking .
“ I ’ d be hard-pressed to figure out why he ’ s done a lot of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said a lot of the things that he said , so I ’ m not going to speculate in this case , ” Shirkey said .
After Shirkey made it clear that the legislature wouldn ’ t be voiding the election results , the Republican commissioners on the Wayne County board sounded a retreat .
The unanimous vote to certify the county results will allow the state to certify results , which itself then provides opportunities for challenges on various grounds .
The legislature still plans to investigate irregularities in both the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s about to torch the same democratic processes that guarantee their authority to conduct those investigations .
At some point , Republicans and conservatives especially had better think through the implications of cheering the idea of invalidating elections and disenfranchising massive blocs of voters .
Progressives are the entities that cheer on the replacement of institutions , including elections and constitutional governance in favor of the populist revolt model , a la CHAZ .
That way bulldozes rights and imposes the tyranny of the mob .
Conservatism is supposed to conserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional principles , in order to best preserve natural rights .
If a 146,000-vote popular vote win in a state no longer holds any value and all that matters is power and grasping it at any cost , then what precisely are we conserving ?
For a last thought , allow me to share one of the key scenes from the film A Man for All Seasons .
We conserve institutions of pluralistic and representative democracy — including elections — for a reason , because without them … the devil always turns back @ @ @

For one brief moment in time, Wayne County Republicans nearly disenfranchised almost 900,000 voters in Michigan in an attempt to use brute partisan force to change the results of the election. After a contentious hearing in which Detroit voters accused the two GOP commissioners of attempting to undermine the black vote in Michigan, the pair swapped positions and certified the election results:
After what was an unprecedented 2-2 deadlock along partisan lines, with the two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers voting against certifying the county’s November election results, the board unanimously voted to certify the results late Tuesday night. The board also passed a resolution calling on Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to conduct an independent comprehensive audit of all of the jurisdictions in the county that recorded unexplained discrepancies between the number of absentee ballots recorded as cast and the number of absentee ballots counted.
The state party initially threw their support behind the deadlock that would have forced the state legislature to decide electors in the state:
Just minutes after the Republican members had voted against certifying the results, the Michigan Republican Party released a statement from Laura Cox, who chairs the state party. “I am proud that, due to the efforts of the Michigan Republican Party, the Republican National Committee and the Trump Campaign, enough evidence of irregularities and potential voter fraud was uncovered resulting in the Wayne County Board of Canvassers refusing to certify their election results,” Cox said.
Trump himself seemed particularly enthused about the move, cheering it on in a series of tweets such as this:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1328883405837258753
Unfortunately, it turns out that other Republicans didn’t share the same enthusiasm for tossing out the results of an election. The Wayne County board’s later reversal probably had more to do with the GOP leader of the legislature refusing to play along:
Democrat Joe Biden is the president-elect, and while Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature is investigating the election, it will not award the state’s 16 electors to GOP President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey told Bridge on Tuesday. … Conservative groups have also started phone and letter-writing campaigns in an attempt to persuade legislative Republicans to decide the election for Trump. “That’s not going to happen,” Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said in a wide-ranging interview with Bridge Michigan. He noted state law awards electors to the winner of the state’s popular vote. And Biden won the state by more than 146,000 votes, according to unofficial results. “We are going to follow the law and follow the process,” he said. “I do believe there’s reason to go slow and deliberate as we evaluate the allegations that have been raised.”
Remember that this isn’t Arizona or Georgia. Trump won Michigan in 2016 by a little over 10,000 votes, but he lost in 2020 by fourteen times that amount. Imagine the screaming from Republicans if Hillary Clinton had tried an end run around Trump-heavy counting on the basis of election irregularities in this way.
Shirkey wants the legislature to get to the bottom of any discrepancies too, but he’s not interested in committing political suicide by effectively making elections worthless just to get on Trump’s good side momentarily. His standing depends on respecting election results, after all. It’s clear that the level of discrepancies don’t add up to anything close that would overturn the election, and Shirkey’s not sure why Trump keeps insisting that he won:
Asked about Trump’s repeated claims that he won Michigan, the highest-ranking Republican in the state Legislature said he does not know what the president is thinking. “I’d be hard-pressed to figure out why he’s done a lot of the things that he’s done, and said a lot of the things that he said, so I’m not going to speculate in this case,” Shirkey said.
After Shirkey made it clear that the legislature wouldn’t be voiding the election results, the Republican commissioners on the Wayne County board sounded a retreat. The unanimous vote to certify the county results will allow the state to certify results, which itself then provides opportunities for challenges on various grounds. The legislature still plans to investigate irregularities in both the primaries and the general election, but it’s not about to torch the same democratic processes that guarantee their authority to conduct those investigations.
At some point, Republicans and conservatives especially had better think through the implications of cheering the idea of invalidating elections and disenfranchising massive blocs of voters. Progressives are the entities that cheer on the replacement of institutions, including elections and constitutional governance in favor of the populist revolt model, a la CHAZ. That way bulldozes rights and imposes the tyranny of the mob. Conservatism is supposed to conserve those institutions while realigning them on proper constitutional principles, in order to best preserve natural rights. If a 146,000-vote popular vote win in a state no longer holds any value and all that matters is power and grasping it at any cost, then what precisely are we conserving?
For a last thought, allow me to share one of the key scenes from the film A Man for All Seasons. We conserve institutions of pluralistic and representative democracy — including elections — for a reason, because without them … the devil always turns back on us.


hotair--2020-11-18--Trump fires DHS election security chief

Trump fires DHS election security chief

While there had been some speculation making the rounds this week , I ’ ll confess that I was surprised yesterday to learn that President Trump had gone ahead and fired Christopher Krebs , the head of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( CISA ) .
Since the President fired him via tweet ( though it ’ s a tweet that no longer seems to exist ) , we don ’ t have much to go on as to why Krebs needed to be terminated now beyond a single statement that he made regarding the validity of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes , changed votes , or was in any way compromised.
” That clearly didn ’ t sit well with the President .
( AP ) President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired the director of the federal agency that vouched for the reliability of the 2020 election .
Trump fired Christopher Krebs in a tweet , saying his recent statement defending the security of the election was “ highly inaccurate.
” The firing of Krebs , a Trump appointee and director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes as Trump is refusing to recognize the victory of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and removing high-level officials seen as insufficiently loyal .
Krebs had run CISA since shortly after its initial creation in 2016 and Trump appointed him to the position himself .
I don ’ t recall ever hearing any issues regarding his performance or competence until this week .
In fact , just to be totally honest , I had to go Google him when this news first showed up .
For what it ’ s worth , Krebs appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ’ s already changed his Twitter profile in line with recent developments .
It now reads , “ Used to be the 1st Director @ CISAgov .
Now I ’ m going to reintroduce myself to my family , fire up the BGE , watch @ UVa sports , and ride bikes.
” I ’ ve got to say that this isn ’ t a very good look for the President .
Krebs ’ agency was in charge of maintaining the cybersecurity of the election process .
That was his job .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were plenty of isolated incidents of voter fraud taking place , including ballot harvesting and individuals requesting ballots for their dead relatives .
But that ’ s not the sort of thing Krebs was talking about .
He clearly seemed to be referring to recurring stories about the Dominion voting machines supposedly fudging massive numbers of ballots in Joe Biden ’ s favor .
But if Trump ’ s own key person on that matter couldn ’ t turn up the evidence , where are we supposed to find it ?
Assuming that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states ( and I ’ m sorry to say that ’ s not looking likely at all , sports fans ) , Krebs would have probably been out of office shortly after Joe Biden was sworn in anyway .
I ’ ve tried to be as supportive of this president as possible ever since he won the nomination four years ago , but firing Krebs in this fashion just makes him look petty and overreactive .
Donald Trump has made enormous progress for our country in four years on a host of issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t need to list them all yet again here .
But if the fates have determined that he ’ s going to be a one-term president , I would prefer to see him make his exit in a dignified manner and let history be his judge .
Booting Krebs ( and Esper for that matter ) over nothing more than perceived disloyalty in a few public remarks just feeds more ammunition to his detractors who are already seeking to erase all of Trump ’ s accomplishments from the public record .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights to handle personnel matters in this fashion , but it ’ s still disappointing .

While there had been some speculation making the rounds this week, I’ll confess that I was surprised yesterday to learn that President Trump had gone ahead and fired Christopher Krebs, the head of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Since the President fired him via tweet (though it’s a tweet that no longer seems to exist), we don’t have much to go on as to why Krebs needed to be terminated now beyond a single statement that he made regarding the validity of the recent elections. Krebs had said there “is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.” That clearly didn’t sit well with the President. (AP)
President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired the director of the federal agency that vouched for the reliability of the 2020 election. Trump fired Christopher Krebs in a tweet, saying his recent statement defending the security of the election was “highly inaccurate.” The firing of Krebs, a Trump appointee and director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, comes as Trump is refusing to recognize the victory of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and removing high-level officials seen as insufficiently loyal.
Krebs had run CISA since shortly after its initial creation in 2016 and Trump appointed him to the position himself. I don’t recall ever hearing any issues regarding his performance or competence until this week. In fact, just to be totally honest, I had to go Google him when this news first showed up. For what it’s worth, Krebs appeared to take the news pretty well.
Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure Tomrorow. #Protect2020 — Chris Krebs (@C_C_Krebs) November 18, 2020
He’s already changed his Twitter profile in line with recent developments. It now reads, “Used to be the 1st Director @CISAgov. Now I’m going to reintroduce myself to my family, fire up the BGE, watch @UVa sports, and ride bikes.”
I’ve got to say that this isn’t a very good look for the President. Krebs’ agency was in charge of maintaining the cybersecurity of the election process. That was his job. We all know by now that there were plenty of isolated incidents of voter fraud taking place, including ballot harvesting and individuals requesting ballots for their dead relatives. But that’s not the sort of thing Krebs was talking about. He clearly seemed to be referring to recurring stories about the Dominion voting machines supposedly fudging massive numbers of ballots in Joe Biden’s favor. But if Trump’s own key person on that matter couldn’t turn up the evidence, where are we supposed to find it?
Assuming that there are no major reversals in multiple states (and I’m sorry to say that’s not looking likely at all, sports fans), Krebs would have probably been out of office shortly after Joe Biden was sworn in anyway. I’ve tried to be as supportive of this president as possible ever since he won the nomination four years ago, but firing Krebs in this fashion just makes him look petty and overreactive.
Donald Trump has made enormous progress for our country in four years on a host of issues that are important to me. I don’t need to list them all yet again here. But if the fates have determined that he’s going to be a one-term president, I would prefer to see him make his exit in a dignified manner and let history be his judge. Booting Krebs (and Esper for that matter) over nothing more than perceived disloyalty in a few public remarks just feeds more ammunition to his detractors who are already seeking to erase all of Trump’s accomplishments from the public record. I know the President is within his rights to handle personnel matters in this fashion, but it’s still disappointing.


hotair--2020-11-18--VIP Gold chat: Election news, vaccines, gun control polling, and more with Cam Edwards and Ed Morris

VIP Gold chat: Election news, vaccines, gun control polling, and more with Cam Edwards and Ed Morrissey!

Don ’ t miss the tremendous live , interactive VIP Gold chat with Bearing Arms ’ Cam Edwards and HotAir ’ s Ed Morrissey at 1:30 pm ET today .
The duo will take VIP Gold members ’ questions and comments and g1ve an in-depth analysis of the top topics of the day .
If you are not a VIP Gold member , no worries !
Join below so you can watch participate today and in future chats !
Use LOYALTY for 25 % off !
While Cam brings his A-game on 2nd Amendment and liberty issues and makes sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ed keeps pace with developments abroad , at home , and at the local level as well .
We have plenty to discuss and lots of time to take your questions .
The hot topics include : • What happened in the 2020 election ?
• Will a renewed Supreme Court take more # 2A cases ?
• Court-packing : is it dead now ?
• Gallup poll shows sharp decline in support for more gun control With all the fast-moving developments , our VIP Gold members can get the latest as @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Don’t miss the tremendous live, interactive VIP Gold chat with Bearing Arms’ Cam Edwards and HotAir’s Ed Morrissey at 1:30 pm ET today. The duo will take VIP Gold members’ questions and comments and g1ve an in-depth analysis of the top topics of the day.
If you are not a VIP Gold member, no worries! Join below so you can watch participate today and in future chats! Use LOYALTY for 25% off!


hotair--2020-11-18--Turley: Biden's choice for global-media honcho an "ominous sign" for free speech

Just how ominous is Joe Biden ’ s choice of former State Department official Richard Stengel as “ team lead ” for the US Agency for Global Media ?
John wrote last year about Stengel ’ s stunning op-ed in the Washington Post , in which Stengel exhorted Americans to seriously consider objections by Arab diplomats to the First Amendment .
As a government official traveling around the world championing the virtues of free speech , I came to see how our First Amendment standard is an outlier .
Even the most sophisticated Arab diplomats that I dealt with did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone to burn a Koran .
Why , they asked me , would you ever want to protect that ?
It ’ s a fair question .
Yes , the First Amendment protects the “ thought that we hate , ” but it should not protect hateful speech that can cause violence by one group against another .
In an age when everyone has a megaphone , that seems like a design flaw .
Ahem .
Did this objection from countries represented by these “ sophisticated Arab diplomats ” that won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Which of these nations represented by these “ sophisticated ” diplomats allow for dissent , let alone free and fair multi-party elections ?
On last report , the total number of Arab nations employing such a political system was one — Iraq , courtesy of an American invasion and occupation , whatever the other merits and/or demerits of that action there may be .
Stengel ’ s hostility to the free speech he supposedly champions goes well beyond criticizing the burning Korans , Jonathan Turley wrote yesterday .
Stengel is part of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gained more power over the party ’ s agenda , and which threatens real harm to dissent in this country , let alone the “ championing ” of free-speech rights elsewhere : We ’ ve just spent four years getting lectured that the Dark Night of Fascism is ever descending because Orange Man Bad .
Here we have Joe Biden appointing someone who explicitly argues that the First Amendment must be limited to only approved viewpoints and topics .
Where ’ s the outrage over that fascistic tendency in the opening moves of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the media will produce crickets over Stengel ’ s appointment .
Fortunately .
there isn ’ t much Stengel can do as chair of the USAGM to curtail civil liberties in the US .
He will run state-operated media outlets that target foreign audiences with news and views , which is largely ignored within the US except for their manifest failures .
It has a budget request for FY2021 of $ 637.3 million , a negligible amount that roughly sums up its domestic influence .
The late Sen. Tom Coburn called it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal government ” in 2010 , when it was known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors , declared , “ It ’ s full of people who know nothing about media or foreign policy.
” It ’ s not a policy outpost or terribly influential in legislative or legal advocacy .
It ’ s a backwater , and it ’ s arguably a better place to park Stengel than back in diplomatic circles at State .
Still , the immediate embrace of such an advocate for state-controlled speech should send up red flags @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next four years .
It seems clear that weaponized political correctness will become the norm , and just that will have a chilling effect on free speech and the health of the body politic .
Turley ’ s correct in sending up this early warning .

Just how ominous is Joe Biden’s choice of former State Department official Richard Stengel as “team lead” for the US Agency for Global Media? John wrote last year about Stengel’s stunning op-ed in the Washington Post, in which Stengel exhorted Americans to seriously consider objections by Arab diplomats to the First Amendment.
No, really:
As a government official traveling around the world championing the virtues of free speech, I came to see how our First Amendment standard is an outlier. Even the most sophisticated Arab diplomats that I dealt with did not understand why the First Amendment allows someone to burn a Koran. Why, they asked me, would you ever want to protect that? It’s a fair question. Yes, the First Amendment protects the “thought that we hate,” but it should not protect hateful speech that can cause violence by one group against another. In an age when everyone has a megaphone, that seems like a design flaw.
Ahem. Did this objection from countries represented by these “sophisticated Arab diplomats” that won’t allow Christian churches in their territory? Which of these nations represented by these “sophisticated” diplomats allow for dissent, let alone free and fair multi-party elections? On last report, the total number of Arab nations employing such a political system was one — Iraq, courtesy of an American invasion and occupation, whatever the other merits and/or demerits of that action there may be.
Stengel’s hostility to the free speech he supposedly champions goes well beyond criticizing the burning Korans, Jonathan Turley wrote yesterday. Stengel is part of a Democratic vanguard against free speech that has gained more power over the party’s agenda, and which threatens real harm to dissent in this country, let alone the “championing” of free-speech rights elsewhere:
We’ve just spent four years getting lectured that the Dark Night of Fascism is ever descending because Orange Man Bad. Here we have Joe Biden appointing someone who explicitly argues that the First Amendment must be limited to only approved viewpoints and topics. Where’s the outrage over that fascistic tendency in the opening moves of the incoming Biden administration? I predict that the media will produce crickets over Stengel’s appointment.
Fortunately. there isn’t much Stengel can do as chair of the USAGM to curtail civil liberties in the US. He will run state-operated media outlets that target foreign audiences with news and views, which is largely ignored within the US except for their manifest failures. It has a budget request for FY2021 of $637.3 million, a negligible amount that roughly sums up its domestic influence. The late Sen. Tom Coburn called it “the most worthless organization in the federal government” in 2010, when it was known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, declared, “It’s full of people who know nothing about media or foreign policy.” It’s not a policy outpost or terribly influential in legislative or legal advocacy. It’s a backwater, and it’s arguably a better place to park Stengel than back in diplomatic circles at State.
Still, the immediate embrace of such an advocate for state-controlled speech should send up red flags about what we can expect for the next four years. It seems clear that weaponized political correctness will become the norm, and just that will have a chilling effect on free speech and the health of the body politic. Turley’s correct in sending up this early warning.


hotair--2020-11-18--Broadway star to Gov. Inslee: "I'll respectfully disobey" orders of no singing in church

A Broadway star is not having Washington Governor Inslee ’ s latest round of orders delivered to the residents of that state .
Seattle native Chad Kimball , a Tony Award-nominated actor , says that he will “ respectfully disobey ” the governor ’ s latest restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic .
His resistance is strongest against the guidelines limiting religious services and participation in religious services in the State of Washington .
Two days ago I wrote about Governor Inslee ’ s new restrictions , which include but are not limited to banning Thanksgiving celebrations outside of members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dining , all retail stores , including grocery stores , are limited to 25 % occupancy , and no lingering in seated areas is allowed .
He went on to limit religious services to 25 % occupancy or no more than 200 people .
Masks are mandatory and there is a ban on choirs , bands , or ensemble performances during services .
The limits in religious services also include a ban on congregational singing .
However , vocal or instrumental soloists are permitted to perform .
Vocal soloists may have a single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he is a COVID-19 survivor .
He was infected in March and recovered .
He speaks about leaning on his faith to see him through the illness .
His objection centers around his belief that Governor Inslee has overstepped his authority .
Last March he encouraged people to social distance and now thinks public officials have gotten carried away .
He uses the word tyranny now .
The governor justifies his actions because coronavirus cases are spiking in the state .
Responded the actor in yesterday ’ s tweet , “ Respectfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or anyone , to stop me from SINGING , let alone sing in worship to my God .
Folks , absolute POWER corrupts ABSOLUTELY .
This is not about safety .
It ’ s about POWER .
I will respectfully disobey these unlawful orders.
” Kimball , who in interviews has said he relied on his Christian faith to deal with fear during his illness , included the hashtags “ # inslee # Tyranny # truth ” with his post .
In Instagram posts chronicling his illness last March , the actor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an act of love , respect , self-sacrifice and compassion , ” but he has been increasingly outspoken in his opposition to government guidelines with regard to COVID-19 , tweeting in recent weeks that he was “ leery of the dictates , mandates & edicts.
” “ I understand – err on side of safety , but safety is feeling arbitrary , obtuse & fraught with inchoate science , ” he wrote last month .
“ The ‘ cure ’ doing more harm than good .
IMHO .
Trying to b patient .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ m sad for people.
” Later in October he tweeted , “ As a Christian , I serve the ‘ common good ’ by rolling up my own sleeves , and relying not on the government to do the service for me… ” In response to Inslee ’ s indoor dining shutdown in the wake of Washington ’ s spiking COVID rates , Kimball recently wrote , “ I respectfully implore you to open your eyes to this swiftly gathering ‘ benevolent ’ TYRANNY .
HURTING MORE THAN HELPING.
” Fellow Broadway actors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , others not so gently .
The 43-year-old actor ’ s Come From Away costar Sharon Wheatley was among the many in the Broadway community who called out Kimball , some more politely than others .
“ I respectfully totally and completely disagree with you , ” Wheatley tweeted .
“ I respectfully feel you are very much on the wrong side of this .
I FaceTimed with you when you had Covid , Chad .
You were very sick .
I remember .
It scared me .
I love you like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” This actress is particularly nasty to Trump , Trump supporters in her Twitter feed , and her fellow Broadway actor .
She ’ s the “ Original Princess Anna ” in the Broadway production of “ Frozen ” .
Charming example for the young audiences , right ?
Chad can just be alone the rest of his life , you know .
Kimball responded because this is how Twitter works .
He pointed out that he didn ’ t say that everyone should stop wearing masks .
He is addressing political overreach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course .
Governor Inslee went overboard by trying to put a complete halt to singing in church .
It is reasonable for church members to sing during worship services with masks on , which we would assume they are wearing anyway inside the church .
The number of people inside the church is limited which allows for social distancing .
People can exercise their freedom to worship together while also keeping each other safe from the spread of the virus .

A Broadway star is not having Washington Governor Inslee’s latest round of orders delivered to the residents of that state. Seattle native Chad Kimball, a Tony Award-nominated actor, says that he will “respectfully disobey” the governor’s latest restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. His resistance is strongest against the guidelines limiting religious services and participation in religious services in the State of Washington.
Two days ago I wrote about Governor Inslee’s new restrictions, which include but are not limited to banning Thanksgiving celebrations outside of members of an individual household, no indoor dining, all retail stores, including grocery stores, are limited to 25% occupancy, and no lingering in seated areas is allowed. He went on to limit religious services to 25% occupancy or no more than 200 people. Masks are mandatory and there is a ban on choirs, bands, or ensemble performances during services. The limits in religious services also include a ban on congregational singing. However, vocal or instrumental soloists are permitted to perform. Vocal soloists may have a single accompanist.
Kimball is a Broadway performer and he is a COVID-19 survivor. He was infected in March and recovered. He speaks about leaning on his faith to see him through the illness. His objection centers around his belief that Governor Inslee has overstepped his authority. Last March he encouraged people to social distance and now thinks public officials have gotten carried away. He uses the word tyranny now. The governor justifies his actions because coronavirus cases are spiking in the state.
Responded the actor in yesterday’s tweet, “Respectfully, I will never allow a Governor, or anyone, to stop me from SINGING, let alone sing in worship to my God. Folks, absolute POWER corrupts ABSOLUTELY. This is not about safety. It’s about POWER. I will respectfully disobey these unlawful orders.” Kimball, who in interviews has said he relied on his Christian faith to deal with fear during his illness, included the hashtags “#inslee #Tyranny #truth” with his post. In Instagram posts chronicling his illness last March, the actor endorsed social distancing, calling it “an act of love, respect, self-sacrifice and compassion,” but he has been increasingly outspoken in his opposition to government guidelines with regard to COVID-19, tweeting in recent weeks that he was “leery of the dictates, mandates & edicts.” “I understand – err on side of safety, but safety is feeling arbitrary, obtuse & fraught with inchoate science,” he wrote last month. “The ‘cure’ doing more harm than good. IMHO. Trying to b patient. Trying to b kind. I’m sad for people.” Later in October he tweeted, “As a Christian, I serve the ‘common good’ by rolling up my own sleeves, and relying not on the government to do the service for me…” In response to Inslee’s indoor dining shutdown in the wake of Washington’s spiking COVID rates, Kimball recently wrote, “I respectfully implore you to open your eyes to this swiftly gathering ‘benevolent’ TYRANNY. HURTING MORE THAN HELPING.”
Fellow Broadway actors reacted – some gently reprimanding his tweets, others not so gently.
The 43-year-old actor’s Come From Away costar Sharon Wheatley was among the many in the Broadway community who called out Kimball, some more politely than others. “I respectfully totally and completely disagree with you,” Wheatley tweeted. “I respectfully feel you are very much on the wrong side of this. I FaceTimed with you when you had Covid, Chad. You were very sick. I remember. It scared me. I love you like a brother, but I disagree with you.”
Tried to think of something clever to say but just got more and more angry. 246,000+ dead
Entire industries shut down, including the one you’re in.
A medical community full of people putting their lives on the line to take care of others, including you. This is fucking moronic https://t.co/uxNVJxNjLf — COLIN DONNELL (@colindonnell) November 16, 2020
This actress is particularly nasty to Trump, Trump supporters in her Twitter feed, and her fellow Broadway actor. She’s the “Original Princess Anna” in the Broadway production of “Frozen”. Charming example for the young audiences, right? Chad can just be alone the rest of his life, you know.
No one said you can’t sing. You can sing. Alone. In your own home. Possibly for the rest of your life, after this tweet. https://t.co/CHMznO5dZc — Patti Murin (@PattiMurin) November 16, 2020
Kimball responded because this is how Twitter works. He pointed out that he didn’t say that everyone should stop wearing masks. He is addressing political overreach.
To be clear: nobody is going maskless. The overreach – in my opinion! – is not being able to sing even WITH a mask. No singing WITH a mask ON. Everyone will continue wearing masks. With respect and with hope and with care. — Chad Kimball (@chadkimball1) November 16, 2020
He’s right, of course. Governor Inslee went overboard by trying to put a complete halt to singing in church. It is reasonable for church members to sing during worship services with masks on, which we would assume they are wearing anyway inside the church. The number of people inside the church is limited which allows for social distancing. People can exercise their freedom to worship together while also keeping each other safe from the spread of the virus.
.


hotair--2020-11-18--Georgia secretary of state: Almost no difference between Dominion vote tabulations and hand recount

I ’ ve been waiting all day for them to announce the results of the hand recount , only to learn this afternoon that they ’ re not going to .
There are reports that the count is finished… …but NPR claims that “ risk-limiting audits ” are still going on in a few counties in hopes of wrapping up by midnight .
Results are expected by noon tomorrow .
There ’ s no mystery what those results will be .
The latest unofficial count puts Joe Biden 12,781 votes ahead of President Donald Trump , who gained over 1,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initially failed to count .
There ’ s no indication of broader problems beyond three counties that didn ’ t load all votes from memory cards and one county that didn ’ t rescan all ballots after an optical scanner was replaced because of a technical issue , said Gabriel Sterling , Georgia ’ s voting system manager .
Three of the four counties that had issues are Republican-leaning politically .
Tomorrow ’ s going to be an exciting episode in America ’ s favorite new drama , whether the president can come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost or whether he ’ s going to keep making things worse for everyone out of spite and denial .
It ’ s possible that he ’ ll file a new lawsuit citing some pretext or another but the hand recount makes his pet theory of a big Dominion-engineered hack all but DOA .
The way the machines work , as I understand it , is that a voter enters their choices and then the machine spits out a paper ballot .
That ballot is then scanned in on a separate machine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ record of every single vote which the voter can check before scanning it ; those paper ballots are being counted right now in the hand recount .
As you ’ ll see in the clip below , Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger says that the difference they ’ ve found between the machine tabulations and the paper ballots is on the order of single digits in various counties .
And there was no hacking to change any votes , according to the experts .
Raffensperger had a random sample of the machines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing amiss .
I assume the next iteration of the conspiracy theory will focus on Raffensperger himself and his supposed role in orchestrating The Big Fraud .
Pro Publica reported this morning that the Trump campaign started leaning on him back in January to endorse the president ; Raffensperger refused even though Trump was his preferred candidate because he thought , wisely , that the person overseeing the state ’ s vote should be formally neutral .
( Ironically , if he had endorsed Trump , his insistence now that the vote shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much more compelling . )
“ They thought Georgia was a layup shot Republican win , ” Raffensperger told Pro Publica .
“ It is not the job of the secretary of state ’ s office to deliver a win — it is the sole responsibility of the Georgia Republican Party to get out the vote and get its voters to the polls.
” He ’ s probably right : What the campaign probably wanted from his endorsement wasn ’ t the persuasive effect on voters of having Raffensperger ’ s support , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a signal of loyalty that would indicate Raffensperger might intervene illicitly to “ deliver a win ” if that was required .
Going all the way back to his famous dinner with James Comey , Trump ’ s interest in “ loyalty ” from public officials has always seemed focused on how far they might be willing to go to serve his personal interests .
Raffensperger was unwilling , which is why he and his wife are now getting death threats .
He also has a warning for Trump and the Georgia GOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Yesterday he noted that more than 24,000 Republicans voted by mail in the primary this year and then didn ’ t show for the general election .
That was the difference between victory and defeat for Trump in Georgia .
We ’ re left to wonder if the reason they didn ’ t vote absentee in the general is because the president ’ s relentless messaging about the inherent corruption of mail ballots discouraged them from doing so .
Republicans at the state level did their best to counterprogram Trump on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll finally endorse the idea in time for the runoffs .
As for stopping Biden , there ’ s always Pennsylvania .
But that effort seems to be slowing down too , with Team Trump admitting today that there ’ s no evidence of fraud in Bucks County , where they ’ re trying to get thousands of ballots thrown out .
Some desperate Trump fans have taken to accusing Biden of having used the mob to rig the vote for him in Pennsylvania .
Andy McCarthy , who wrote a piece @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , looked at the state of legal play in PA tonight and concluded that “ Realistically speaking , the legal battle over the 2020 election is over.
” We ’ ll find out tomorrow after Georgia announces its results whether the president intends to keep contesting the result through non-legal means and how many congressional Republicans are willing to condone that .
In lieu of an exit question , read this piece about a “ dead ” voter in Georgia trumpeted by Tucker Carlson who turned out to be very much alive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was born in the same month and year did pass away last year but that ’ s not the one who voted .
The one who did vote voted for Biden , it turns out .
Exit quotation : “ The guy lost the election .
He should be worried more about taking care of people , with this Covid-19 going on .
He ’ s got a pandemic .
Come on .
Biden won .
Let ’ s move on .
Let ’ s help him transition .
”

I’ve been waiting all day for them to announce the results of the hand recount, only to learn this afternoon that they’re not going to. There are reports that the count is finished…
🚨BREAKING: All 159 counties in Georgia have completed their hand recount–ahead of the SOS imposed schedule. — Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) November 18, 2020
…but NPR claims that “risk-limiting audits” are still going on in a few counties in hopes of wrapping up by midnight. Results are expected by noon tomorrow.
There’s no mystery what those results will be.
The latest unofficial count puts Joe Biden 12,781 votes ahead of President Donald Trump, who gained over 1,000 votes this week that county election officials initially failed to count. There’s no indication of broader problems beyond three counties that didn’t load all votes from memory cards and one county that didn’t rescan all ballots after an optical scanner was replaced because of a technical issue, said Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting system manager. Three of the four counties that had issues are Republican-leaning politically.
Tomorrow’s going to be an exciting episode in America’s favorite new drama, whether the president can come to grips with the fact that he lost or whether he’s going to keep making things worse for everyone out of spite and denial. It’s possible that he’ll file a new lawsuit citing some pretext or another but the hand recount makes his pet theory of a big Dominion-engineered hack all but DOA. The way the machines work, as I understand it, is that a voter enters their choices and then the machine spits out a paper ballot. That ballot is then scanned in on a separate machine. That means there’s a paper record of every single vote which the voter can check before scanning it; those paper ballots are being counted right now in the hand recount. As you’ll see in the clip below, Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger says that the difference they’ve found between the machine tabulations and the paper ballots is on the order of single digits in various counties.
And there was no hacking to change any votes, according to the experts. Raffensperger had a random sample of the machines audited by cybersecurity pros and they found nothing amiss.
I assume the next iteration of the conspiracy theory will focus on Raffensperger himself and his supposed role in orchestrating The Big Fraud. Pro Publica reported this morning that the Trump campaign started leaning on him back in January to endorse the president; Raffensperger refused even though Trump was his preferred candidate because he thought, wisely, that the person overseeing the state’s vote should be formally neutral. (Ironically, if he had endorsed Trump, his insistence now that the vote shows a Biden victory would have been that much more compelling.) “They thought Georgia was a layup shot Republican win,” Raffensperger told Pro Publica. “It is not the job of the secretary of state’s office to deliver a win — it is the sole responsibility of the Georgia Republican Party to get out the vote and get its voters to the polls.” He’s probably right: What the campaign probably wanted from his endorsement wasn’t the persuasive effect on voters of having Raffensperger’s support, as that would mean little, but a signal of loyalty that would indicate Raffensperger might intervene illicitly to “deliver a win” if that was required. Going all the way back to his famous dinner with James Comey, Trump’s interest in “loyalty” from public officials has always seemed focused on how far they might be willing to go to serve his personal interests. Raffensperger was unwilling, which is why he and his wife are now getting death threats.
He also has a warning for Trump and the Georgia GOP about another disaster that’s looming:
Raffensperger warned Republicans that Democrats are already flooding their base with information on how to request absentee ballots in preparation for a special election in which the mail vote will play a critical role. “The Republican Party needs to get at it and make sure they do the same thing,” Raffensperger said. “You have to fight fire with fire. That’s a lawful process and we need to really get at it and get our ground game going.”
Yesterday he noted that more than 24,000 Republicans voted by mail in the primary this year and then didn’t show for the general election. That was the difference between victory and defeat for Trump in Georgia. We’re left to wonder if the reason they didn’t vote absentee in the general is because the president’s relentless messaging about the inherent corruption of mail ballots discouraged them from doing so. Republicans at the state level did their best to counterprogram Trump on that, but oh well. Maybe he’ll finally endorse the idea in time for the runoffs.
As for stopping Biden, there’s always Pennsylvania. But that effort seems to be slowing down too, with Team Trump admitting today that there’s no evidence of fraud in Bucks County, where they’re trying to get thousands of ballots thrown out. Some desperate Trump fans have taken to accusing Biden of having used the mob to rig the vote for him in Pennsylvania. Andy McCarthy, who wrote a piece for NRO shortly before the election endorsing Trump, looked at the state of legal play in PA tonight and concluded that “Realistically speaking, the legal battle over the 2020 election is over.” We’ll find out tomorrow after Georgia announces its results whether the president intends to keep contesting the result through non-legal means and how many congressional Republicans are willing to condone that.
In lieu of an exit question, read this piece about a “dead” voter in Georgia trumpeted by Tucker Carlson who turned out to be very much alive. A woman by the same name who was born in the same month and year did pass away last year but that’s not the one who voted. The one who did vote voted for Biden, it turns out. Exit quotation: “The guy lost the election. He should be worried more about taking care of people, with this Covid-19 going on. He’s got a pandemic. Come on. Biden won. Let’s move on. Let’s help him transition.”