US President Donald Trump will leave Washington, D.C. on the morning of January 20 shortly before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, with a grand ceremony being planned for his departure, according to media reports.
............Flying in Air Force One for the last time, the President will go to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he will reportedly live his post-presidential life.
Companies and institutions are shunning President Trump and some associates after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Trump family business, built on luxury hospitality, is contemplating a reinvention.
In the span of four days, President Trump’s family business has lost its online store, the buzz from Mr. Trump’s promotional tweets about its luxury resorts and bragging rights as host to one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments.
The mob attackon Congress last week by Mr. Trump’s supporters has spurred a reckoning for the Trump Organization by businesses and institutions, at a scale far greater than his previous polarizing actions.
And the Trump brand, premised on gold-plated luxury and a super-affluent clientele, may not fully recover from the fallout of his supporters violently storming and vandalizing the U.S. Capitol, hospitality analysts say and some people close to the business acknowledge. Other companies linked with the Trumps, including Deutsche Bank, the president’s largest lender, and Signature Bank, are also seeking distance from him and his business.
The backlash is part of a broader shunning of Mr. Trump and his allies unfolding in the wake of the deadly assault on the Capitol. Schools stripped the president of honorary degrees, some prominent Republicans threatened to leave the party and the New York State Bar Associationannounced it had begun investigating Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, which could lead to his removal from the group.
As House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment on Monday, more than a dozen big businesses vowed to withhold certain political donations. Coca-Cola said it would pause donations from its political action committee, saying in a statement that “these events will long be remembered and will factor into our future contribution decisions.” Marriott, the giant hotel chain, said it would pause donations from its political action committee “to those who voted against certification of the election,” a reference to the congressional Republicans who joined Mr. Trump’s false claims of election fraud. Morgan Stanley and AT&T said they, too, would suspend contributions to those lawmakers.
The Trump Organization had already been facing considerable financial challenges. Many of its golf and resort properties had been losing money, and the pandemic had forced it to close some restaurants and bars and drastically reduce hotel occupancy, including at its hotel a few blocks from the White House. And with more than $300 million in debt coming due in the next few years that the president has personally guaranteed, there had been some urgency for the company to line up new deals.
While such an array of challenges would spell doom for just about any hospitality brand, executives of the Trump Organization said they planned on cashing in on Mr. Trump’s global fame with overseas branding deals.
“There has never been a political figure with more support or energy behind them than my father,” Eric Trump, the president’s son, who helps run the family business, said in a statement on Monday.
The family is also already considering starting a media outfit that would cater to Mr. Trump’s tens of millions of supporters, an effort that gained some urgency last week when Twitter and Facebook barred the president from their platforms.
“There will be no shortage of incredible opportunities in real estate and beyond,” Eric Trump said.
Before becoming president, Mr. Trump had cycled through many lines of business, including casinos, an airline and reality television. Some ventures were wildly successful, while others were colossal failures. But they revealed his ability to camouflage his wares and capitalize on opportunities, even when his name appeared irreparably tarnished.
This time, the challenges are steeper. The fallout began on Thursday, when the e-commerce provider Shopify said it had terminated online stores affiliated with the president.
The biggest blow came on Sunday, when the P.G.A. of America announced it would stripMr. Trump’s New Jersey golf club of a major tournament.
Mr. Trump was said to be “gutted” by the P.G.A. decision, according to a person close to the White House, as he had worked personally for years to push the tournament executives to hold events at his courses.
In a statement that hinted at a potential legal challenge, the Trump Organization called the decision “a breach of a binding contract,” adding that “they have no right to terminate the agreement.”
The P.G.A. Championship, scheduled for May 2022, was the ultimate golf-world trophy for the Trump brand, which over the last two decades has assembled an international collection of golf courses and resorts that now collectively represent about a third of the company’s revenue, according to the most recent financial disclosure report.
The tournament itself is not a major source of profit, but hosting an internationally recognized event is enormously valuable for marketing. It also would have bestowed greater legitimacy on Mr. Trump and his brand, which includes 16 golf clubs around the world.
“It has become clear that conducting the P.G.A. Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the P.G.A. of America brand,” Jim Richerson, the P.G.A. of America president, said in a video statement.
The loss associated with the cancellation is difficult to calculate, but it will be very large and last for years, said Jay Karen, chief executive of the National Golf Course Owners Association.
“You have millions of avid golfers who have a proverbial bucket list,” tied to major tournaments like the P.G.A. Championship, he said. “If you had a major coming to you and it was pulled from you, that would certainly sting.”
In an email to members on Monday, the golf club said, “We have had a wonderful partnership with the P.G.A. of America and share your disappointment on their decision.”
The damage is expected to continue as various companies and industries reassess their relationship with Mr. Trump and his family business.
Mr. Trump’s hotels, like the Trump National Doral near Miami, had already lost many of the major corporate conferences after he made disparaging remarks about Muslims and Mexicans, among others, during his first presidential campaign, and his comments after a deadly rally by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 suggestingthat “there is blame on both sides.”
But the fallout from the attacks last week will be steeper and longer lasting, analysts and people familiar with the company said. Some members of the president’s golf clubs are reassessing whether to keep their memberships because of possible protests and vandalism, one of the people said.
David J. Sangree, a hotel industry consultant from Ohio, said that Mr. Trump’s role in the attack on the Capitol would further undermine the company’s efforts to appeal to affluent customers who were not Trump supporters.
“This is a big negative,” Mr. Sangree said. “There’s no question they’re going to lose more events because many groups are saying, ‘We don’t want to be associated with this brand.’”
Even plans to launch a Trump media platform will face obstacles. If Mr. Trump seeks to forge a new conservative news network, or join an existing one like OAN or Newsmax, corporate advertisers are hardly guaranteed to support him.
“There’s only so much that My Pillow guy can subsidize,” said Jon Klein, the former president of CNN U.S., referring to Mike Lindell, the chief executive of My Pillow who is an outspoken supporter of the president. “It’s suddenly a lot more daunting a proposition than it was a week ago for OAN and Newsmax.”
Georgia Man Charged In U.S. Capitol Attack Dies By Suicide
ATLANTA (NEXSTAR) — A man arrested following last week’s storming of the Capitol has died, according to a report from 11 Alive.
Christopher Stanton Georgia, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was charged with attempting to “enter certain property, that is, the United States Capitol Grounds, against the will of the United States Capitol Police.”
According to 11 Alive, the Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled his death a suicide.
According to police reports, Georgia and others were arrested hours after Wednesday’s events after violating the District-wide curfew. Officers reportedly asked them to leave the property, and they were taken into custody when they refused.
A police report shows Georgia’s death as “under investigation,” according to 11 Alive.
Prosecutors have brought dozens of cases after the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol, and they promise more charges are to come as investigators work to identify more members of the pro-Trump mob.
Investigators are combing through thousands of tips, photos, videos and social media accounts to collect evidence against the attackers who overran the Capitol to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden as the next president.
Authorities predict hundreds of criminal cases will ultimately be filed. They are considering sedition charges against some of the rioters.
MAGA mob rioters smeared their own feces throughout the Capitol and 'tracked brown footprints' in several hallways during violent siege
Senator Chuck Schumer's staffers found out on Thursday that some rioters had defecated in the Capitol, a source says
They are believed to have defecated in one of the bathrooms after breaching the Capitol before 'tracking' their excrement in multiple hallways in the building
Brown footprints were found in parts of the Capitol hallways
The feces left behind was just some of extensive damage caused by the mob when they stormed the Capitol in a violent siege that has left five dead
Harrowing images show shattered windows, graffiti-covered statues and teargas stains lining the walls of the historic building
Some of the MAGA mob rioters who stormed the US Capitol smeared their own feces throughout the building and left brown 'footprints' in their wake.
Senator Chuck Schumer's staffers found out on Thursday that some rioters had defecated in the Capitol, a source told the New York Daily News.
They are believed to have defecated in one of the bathrooms after breaching the Capitol before 'tracking' their excrement in multiple hallways in the building.
Brown footprints were found in parts of the Capitol hallways.
'It looked like they tracked it around,' the source said.
The feces left behind was just some of extensive damage caused by the mob when they stormed the Capitol in a violent siege that has left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer who is believed to have been hit over the head with a fire extinguisher during the riot.
Harrowing images show shattered windows, graffiti-covered statues and teargas stains lining the walls of the historic building.
Bags filled with zipties, bullet holes, dirty footprints and toppled furniture were seen scattered across the US legislature.
The Capitol sustained significant damage as hordes of rioters kicked down doors and climbed scaffolding to gain entry.
Nancy Pelosi's office was also vandalized, with draws pulled out and papers strewn across the floor. Multiple protesters uploaded photos to social media of them mockingly posing for selfies at her desk.
The rampage that has shocked the world and left the country on edge forced the resignations of three top Capitol security officials over the failure to stop the breach.
It led lawmakers to demand a review of operations and an FBI briefing over what they called a 'terrorist attack.' It is also prompting a broader reckoning over Trump's tenure in office and what comes next for a torn nation.
Protesters were urged by Trump during a rally near the White House to head to Capitol Hill where lawmakers were scheduled to confirm Biden's presidential victory.
The mob swiftly broke through police barriers, smashed windows and paraded through the halls, sending lawmakers into hiding.
One protester, US Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, was shot to death by Capitol Police, and there were dozens of arrests.
Three other Trump supporters died after 'medical emergencies' related to the breach.
Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick later died from injuries he suffered during the ordeal. The Capitol Police said in a statement that Sicknick was fatally injured 'while physically engaging with protesters'.
It is believed a protester hit him over the head with a fire extinguisher.
Sicknick, like those in the mob, was a Trump supporter, according to his social media pages.
The rioter, who broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) office, stole a letter from her desk and flaunted it in the hours following the chaos. He was identified by Matthew Rosenberg of the New York Times as Richard “Bigo” Barnett, a 60-year-old Gravette, Arkansas resident. He went viral Wednesday afternoon after Rosenberg shared statements, along with a video clip, of Barnett admitting to stealing the letter.
"I didn't steal it," Barnett told Rosenberg on camera. "I put a quarter on her desk, even though she ain't f**king worth it, and I left her a note on her desk that says 'Nancy, Bigo was here you bitch.'"
Capitol Police officer on life support after pro-Trump riot, union official says
(CNN) A Capitol Police officer is on life support Thursday night after a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol a day before, according to Capitol Police union chair Gus Papathanasiou.
CNN reported Thursday evening, citing three sources, that the officer had died. One of CNN's sources said that Capitol Police officers were gathered and told that the officer had passed away.
Papathanasiou told WUSA -- a local Washington, DC, television news station -- that the officer died. Later Thursday, the Capitol Police released a statement stating no officers had died as a result of Wednesday's riot.
Papathanasiou retracted his statement to WUSA and told CNN the officer was still on life support.
"He had a stroke. I think he's on life support. We've got some misinformation on that. He's on life support from what I'm hearing," Papathanasiou told CNN.
One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police as the crowd breached the building and three others suffered medical emergencies that proved fatal.Shortly after 1 p.m. ET Wednesday hundreds of pro-Trump protesters pushed through barriers set up along the perimeter of the Capitol, where they tussled with officers in full riot gear, some calling the officers "traitors" for doing their jobs.
About 90 minutes later, police said demonstrators got into the building and the doors to the House and Senate were being locked. Shortly after, the House floor was evacuated by police. Vice President Mike Pence was also evacuated from the chamber, where he was to perform his role in the counting of electoral votes.
An armed standoff took place at the House front door at about 3 p.m. ET, and police officers had their guns drawn at someone who was trying to breach it.
As a result of the episode, US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund is resigning. He said in a statement earlier Thursday that Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers were "actively attacked" with metal pipes and other weapons.
"They were determined to enter into the Capitol Building by causing great damage," Sund said.
"The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D.C.," he added. "Maintaining public safety in an open environment -- specifically for First Amendment activities -- has long been a challenge."
Still, lawmakers say they are perplexed at the lack of preparedness among law enforcement given that it had been known for weeks that Trump was promoting a rally he said was aimed at preventing the certification of Biden's win.
Rep. Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat who was locked in the House chamber during an armed standoff between Capitol Police and a rioter, praised the officers who were in the building that put their lives on the line, but made clear that they were outnumbered and law enforcement was under prepared.
"The Capitol Police I was around did an amazing job under difficult circumstances," Quigley told CNN. "My concern wasn't with how valiant the Capitol Police were. It was that an hour before the debate started, I looked at the throngs of people surrounding different sections of the Capitol and said, we don't have enough security."
Quigley added: "I'm no expert in security, but you can tell we were out-manned in an hour before the debate," referring to Congress' proceedings to certify Biden's win.
Supreme Court rejects Texas' and Trump's bid to overturn election
(CNN) The Supreme Court on Friday rejecteda bid from Texas' attorney general -- supported by President Donald Trump -- to block the ballots of millions of voters in battleground states that went in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.
The court's order, issued with no public dissents, to dismiss the challenge is the strongest indication yet that Trump has no chance of overturning election results in court, and that even the justices whom he placed there have no interest in allowing his desperate legal bids to continue.
The Electoral College will convene Monday to affirm Biden's win.
The lawsuit, brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a staunch Trump ally, sought to sue Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin -- which all went for Biden -- and invalidate their election results. And this week, with his options narrowing, Trump, accompanied by the support of several Republican attorneys general and GOP lawmakers, cranked up pressure to have the Supreme Court weigh in.
"From a legal perspective, the fat lady has sung," said Steve Vladeck, a CNN Supreme Court analyst and University of Texas Law professor.
Trump and his legal team -- hamstrung by a series of coronavirus diagnoses among lawyers who had traveled across the country advocating on behalf of Trump's case -- have for weeks pushed increasingly desperate appeals and baseless conspiracy theories about his second term being stolen.
"The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!," Trump tweeted around midnight. Mike Gwin, a spokesman for Biden's campaign, said the decision was "no surprise."Paxton, calling the court's order "unfortunate," vowed to fight on.
"I will continue to tirelessly defend the integrity and security of our elections and hold accountable those who shirk established election law for their own convenience," he said in a statement.
Republican election lawyer Ben Ginsberg said Trump's crusade to undermine the election's results through rhetoric and court challenges "put a huge stress test on our democracy."
"The Republicans who did follow Donald Trump really have an obligation now to make the country strong again, to heal the chinks that Donald Trump tried to put in the foundation of the country and the democracy," Ginsberg told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room."
Texas denied for lack of standing
The court's order Friday night was unsigned, and court did not provide a vote count, but there were no dissents to the order made public.
In its short order, the court said that Texas had not demonstrated that it had the legal right to bring the suit because it had not demonstrated a "judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections."
The order states: "The State of Texas's motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot."
Federal judge dismisses Trump campaign Pennsylvania lawsuit
(CNN) A federal judge dealt a death blow to the Trump campaign's effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's win of the presidency on Saturday, by dismissing a closely watched lawsuit that sought to invalidate millions of Pennsylvania votes.
"It is not in the power of this Court to violate the Constitution," Judge Matthew Brann of the US District Court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania wrote on Saturday in a withering decision, hours after the final round of filings in the case came in. The judge wholeheartedly rejected the Trump campaign's attempt to throw out the Pennsylvania vote, noting that Biden has won the state and results will be certified by state officials on Monday. Biden has a margin of more than 81,000 votes in the state.
"In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state. Our people, laws, and institutions demand more," the judge wrote. "At bottom, Plaintiffs have failed to meet their burden to state a claim upon which relief may be granted."
Though the case was always extremely unlikely to succeed, President Donald Trump's backers and legal team -- and particularly his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani -- had pinned their hopes on the federal judge in Pennsylvania giving some credibility to their suspicions of fraud and entertaining Trump's attempt to overturn the popular vote for Biden.
But Brann, a longtime and well-known Republican in Pennsylvania, refused.
Shortly after the decision came down, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania congratulated Biden as the President-elect, breaking from party leaders and a vast majority of congressional Republicans who continue to back Trump's efforts to challenge the results.
This was essentially the last major case seeking to throw out or block enough votes that could swing a key state in Trump's favor, and Brann's decision on Saturday is at least the 30th loss or withdrawal of a case from the Trump campaign and its allies since Election Day. There have only been two wins in court for Republicans, about very small numbers of votes.
"Plaintiffs ask this Court to disenfranchise almost seven million voters. This Court has been unable to find any case in which a plaintiff has sought such a drastic remedy in the contest of an election, in terms of the sheer volume of votes asked to be invalidated," Brann wrote Saturday.
In the case, Trump's legal team led by Giuliani had attempted to claim that the Equal Protection rights of two Pennsylvania voters were violated because the state had allowed counties to decide whether absentee ballots sent in with technical problems could be fixed by the voters. The two voters in the lawsuit said that in their counties, they were not allowed to "cure" their ballots, and thus had their ballots rejected, while other counties, like heavily Democratic Philadelphia County, allowed voters to "cure" absentee ballots. That discrepancy, they claimed, meant that Pennsylvania's election results in their entirety should be blocked by court order, which theoretically, could deprive Biden of the state's 20 Electoral College votes.
Brann called the legal reasoning behind the Trump campaign's Equal Protection claim "Frankenstein's Monster."
"The answer to invalidated ballots is not to invalidate millions more," Brann wrote.
Brann also admonished the Trump campaign for presenting no factual proof of voter fraud or other allegations -- evidence that Giuliani and Trump's supporters have repeatedly said is in the works but has never materialized. Elections officials in multiple states as well as judges have said there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
Giuliani, who had swept into the case at the last minute ahead of a hearing on Tuesday before Brann, has been widely criticized for ignoring legal reasoning, leading a team that's made sloppy mistakes in its filings, and for pushing nonsensical and unfounded claims of conspiracy against Trump in Democratic-leaning cities.
"One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption, such that this Court would have no option but to regrettably grant the proposed injunctive relief despite the impact it would have on such a large group of citizens. That has not happened," Brann added. "Instead, this Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence."
The counties in the state are scheduled to certify their election results on Monday.
The judge said any further consideration of this issue "would unduly delay resolution of the issues" regarding certification, and he closed the case. His order on Saturday notes that the Trump campaign cannot try to resurface their claims in a rejiggered version of the lawsuit.
The Trump campaign on Saturday night said they would appeal Brann's ruling, and quickly, with the intention of taking the case to the US Supreme Court.
Toomey emerged as a rare Republican voice so far acknowledging Trump's legal avenues have come to an end.
"With today's decision by Judge Matthew Brann, a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased jurist, to dismiss the Trump campaign's lawsuit, President Trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the result of the presidential race in Pennsylvania," the GOP senator said in a statement.
"These developments, together with the outcomes in the rest of the nation, confirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and will become the 46th President of the United States."
Mike Gwin, a spokesperson for Biden, praised the decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
"The judge's ruling couldn't be clearer: our people, laws, and institutions demand more — and our country will not tolerate Trump's attempt to reverse the results of an election that he decisively lost," Gwin said in a statement.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro also praised the decision in a statement Saturday night. "These claims were meritless from the start and for an audience of one. The will of the people will prevail. These baseless lawsuits need to end," he said.
Dominion Voting Systems ‘Lawyers Up,’ Abruptly Backs Out of PA State House Fact-Finding Hearing
Dominion Voting Systems Thursday night abruptly backed out of attending a fact-finding hearing that was set for Friday morning with the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee.
At a press conference Friday morning, State Govt Committee Chair Seth Grove said the 1.3. million Pennsylvanians who used Dominion’s voting machines have been “hung out to dry and slapped in their faces.”
Pennsylvania lawmakers had scheduled the hearing with the voting machine manufacturer “to help identify and correct any irregularities in the election process,” according to the House Republican Caucus.
“It is vitally important voters have faith in the machines they use to cast their ballots. On the heels of Gov. Tom Wolf unilaterally decertifying every voting machine in the Commonwealth, we need to know whether these new machines met expectations, whether they are reliable and whether they are not subject to interference,” said Rep. Grove (R-York).
Dominion had initially agreed to attend the hearing, before it “abruptly canceled,” Grove said.
“I was impressed at what appeared to be the willingness that Dominion Voting Systems to address accusations and it would have put 1.3 million Pennsylvanians who used their machines at ease—including myself, thinking that Dominion was willing to publicly back up their product which PA taxpayers invested millions to purchase” he noted during the presser. “Unfortunately, last evening, Dominion Voting Systems lawyered up, and backed out of their commitment to the people of Pennsylvania to provide their input in a public format.”
Grove blasted the company for “retreating into the darkness,” rather than appearing at the hearing with “honesty and integrity.”
The committee chair said he wanted to know why a company with nothing to hide would back out.
“Why would a vender of public goods fear discussing their product sold to the public for the public good? If Dominion’s products were successful and operated as they were supposed to, why wouldn’t Dominion take the opportunity to publicly review its success?” Grove demanded. “How hard is it to say, ‘our ballot machines worked exactly as promised and they’re 100 percent accurate’?”
“After weeks of accusations, why has Dominion Voting Systems not released any analysis of the success of its voting machines to the public in order to stop their accusers in their tracks? If they have nothing to hide, why are they hiding from us?” he asked.
“Today I am saddened to report to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania and the 1.3 million voters who trusted Dominion Voting Systems with their ballots, that Dominion Voting Systems has hung you out to dry and slapped you in your faces.” the committee chair declared.
Grove stated that Dominion’s behavior lent credibility to their accusers’ accusations.
Rep. Dawn Keefer noted that fourteen counties used the Dominion Voting Systems software, so they owe it to Pennsylvania voters to show up and answer some questions.
“We trust the workers in our polling places and in our counties,” Keefer said. “But what we don’t know is the role of 3rd party companies. And when they rescind their participation in our hearing, we’re left wondering why.”
Keefer added: “Transparency is key for our election security. Dominion Voting Software is asking us to give them only blind trust. We’re very disappointed in Dominion’s last minute cancelation in today’s hearing.
Transparency is key for our election security. Dominion Voting Software is asking us to give them only blind trust. We’re very disappointed in Dominion’s last minute cancelation in today’s hearing.”
@Blue Blooded Specimen Maybe their voting machine designs were inspired by off-the-books visits to Area 54, so they can also get souls from the netherworld to vote? American politics jin exciting!
Law firm withdraws from representing Pennsylvania's secretary of state in Trump campaign lawsuit
Following a harassment allegation, the law firm Kirkland & Ellis has withdrawn from representing Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar in the Trump campaign case.
Following a harassment allegation, the law firm Kirkland & Ellis has withdrawn from representing Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar in the Trump campaign case.
According to the substitution of counsel memorandum dated Friday, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel partner Barry Berke will appear on behalf of Boockvar as Kirkland & Ellis lead attorney Daniel Donovan along with associates Susan Davies and Michael Glick submitted their motion for withdrawal.
This is not the first time Berke has faced off against Trump’s legal team, The National Law Journalreported. Berke, who chairs Kramer Levin’s litigation department, took a leave of absence from the firm in February to serve as special counsel to the Judiciary Committee under the House of Representatives, which was tasked at the time with building the impeachment case against President Donald Trump.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP's substitution of counsel memorandum dated Nov. 20 | United States District Court civil court case
This comes after a lawyer spearheading Trump’s legal efforts to dispute the election results in Pennsylvania reported that she received a minute-long harassing voicemail from an unnamed junior attorney based at Kirkland's Washington, D.C. office.
Trump campaign lawyer Linda Kerns of Philadelphia complained about the abusive telephone message to a federal court Sunday, stating that the action “by any measure falls afoul of standards of professional conduct.”
Another Kirkland associate working on the Pennsylvania suit told Kerns that the staffer who made the call was not involved in the state's case. According to Politico, the contacting attorney admitted that the communication was “discourteous” and apologized for wasting her time.
In a response filed Monday morning, Donovan confirmed that he viewed the call as “discourteous and not appropriate,” but disagreed with the characterization that Kerns used.
“That associate was acting unilaterally, in his personal capacity, without the knowledge or authorization of undersigned counsel or the Firm,” Donovan wrote. “The associate provided a personal email and had a baby babbling in the background during the voicemail….The Firm expects that every lawyer will conduct themselves with the highest standards of professional conduct, including being respectful of and courteous to other members of the bar.”
Donovan argued that the associate was not aware of the firm’s role in the case, pressing that further action by the judge was not required.
"A Kirkland & Ellis associate engaged in behavior that could lead to disbarment for not only the associate, but several partners," conservative commentator Mike Cernovich tweeted. "K&E tried to play the, 'It wasn't our fault game,' but that's now how the law works."
In her filing submitted just before midnight on Sunday, Kerns claimed that the call in question was just one of many abusive incidents that Team Trump has faced in recent weeks.
“Since this case was filed, undersigned counsel has been subjected to continuous harassment in the form of abusive e-mails, phone calls, physical and economic threats, and even accusations of treason — all for representing the President of the United States’ campaign in this litigation,” Kerns attested.
Kerns told US District Court Judge Matthew Brann that the correspondence was a troubling breach of professional norms, adding: “If there needs to be a rule saying that Kirkland & Ellis associates should not call opposing counsel and leave an abusive voicemail then all hope is lost.”
Trump's tweets have become increasingly impotent but his lies are getting bigger by the day
President Donald Trump's lies-via-tweet have become more audacious since Election Day and his loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump continues to push baseless claims that Democrats rigged the election, among other disinformation, as he refuses to concede.
But weeks have gone by and no evidence of widespread fraud or irregularities has been discovered, and the Trump campaign's legal challenges have resulted in multiple losses in court or failed to alter the outcome of the election in any states.
Trump's tweets are becoming increasingly impotent. He's yelling louder than ever, but fighting a losing battle.
President Donald Trump's tweets have never seemed more feeble and desperate than right now, even as his lies grow bigger by the day.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has wielded his Twitter account like a political sword. Trump's tweets have moved markets, put pressure on GOP lawmakers to bend to his will, and exacerbated a slew of domestic and global crises. But since his loss to President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 election, Trump's tweets have become more and more impotent.
"Trump is becoming increasingly irrelevant," former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, a Democrat, tweeted on Monday.
"Yes, he still poses a threat and we must remain vigilant. But, for the most part, we can ignore his tweets and petty outbursts," Reich added.
"Trump and his tweets are already drifting into irrelevance," Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, tweeted on Sunday.
Biden also appears to be unfazed by Trump's barrage of tweets, describing the president's refusal to concede as more "embarrassing" for the US than debilitating to his ability to move forward with the transition process.
Though recent polling suggests many Republican voters have been swayed by Trump's baseless claims of mass voter fraud, no amount of all caps tweets falsely claiming the election was stolen will succeed in overturning the outcome.
America's democracy is far from infallible, but the US electoral process has proven to be a relatively immovable force when up against the relentless tide of Trump's disinformation.
There is absolutely no evidence to back-up Trump's unsubstantiated allegations that Democrats "rigged" the election against him.
The Department of Homeland Security last week released a statement calling the 2020 election the "most secure" in the nation's history.
Election officials across the country representing both major parties have fervently rejected the notion voter fraud or irregularities impacted the outcome of the election.
Leaders across the globe, including major democracies and key US allies, have overwhelmingly accepted the results of the election and congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. This includes world leaders considered to be closely allied with Trump such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Trump campaign's many legal challenges to the election results have resulted in multiple losses in court and so far failed to alter the outcome of the election in any states.
But Trump continues to carry on as if tweeting nonstop and escalating the scale of misinformation he spreads will change the result.
"I WON THE ELECTION. VOTER FRAUD ALL OVER THE COUNTRY!" Trump falsely declared to his nearly 89 million followers on Wednesday morning. Most of Trump's post-election tweets have been along the same lines — uniformly detached from reality.
Even as Trump's tweets increasingly fade into irrelevance, they do not come without consequences.
Americans are continuing to contract and die from COVID-19 at an alarming rate. Trump's time spent on Twitter spreading disinformation is time lost coordinating with Biden on how to mitigate the spread and distribute a vaccine.
And a recent study conducted by political science researchers from Stanford and five other universities found that exposure to Trump's tweets that undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election "erodes trust and confidence in elections and increases belief that elections are rigged" among the president's supporters.
This is rather strange, why would Joe Biden need to publicly "beg" for monies to fund his transition efforts? Wouldn't this whole power transfer affair be funded by taxpayers already as catered for in the constitution or something?
Barr authorizes U.S. attorneys to "pursue substantial allegations" of voter fraud
Attorney General William Barr has authorized U.S. attorneys across the country to "pursue substantial allegations" of voting irregularities before the 2020 election is certified, according to a memo released Monday. Barr offered no evidence of fraud stemming from last week's election in the document.
"While most allegations of purported election misconduct are of such a scale that they would not impact the outcome of an election and, thus, investigation can appropriately be deferred, that is not always the case," Barr wrote. "Such inquiries and reviews may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State."
The two-page memo provides no evidence of voter fraud, claims of which have been rampant since news outlets, including CBS News, projected that President-elect Joe Biden had won the presidential race. While Barr said he has looked into some cases, he concedes that "nothing here should be taken as any indication that the Department has concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election."
Prior to the election, Barr helped sow doubt over mail-in ballots, an alternative to in-person voting that was highly utilized this year as a way to vote safely amid the coronavirus pandemic. In September, Barr told CNN that mail-in voting is akin to "playing with fire," and could easily be subject to fraud and coercion.
The authorization from Barr provides an exception to a long-standing Department of Justice policy meant to prevent the appearance of impacting the outcome of the election. The department manual on the Prosecution of Election Offenses advises, "not to conduct overt investigations, including interviews with individual voters, until after the outcome of the election allegedly affected by the fraud is certified."
Earlier Monday, Barr was spotted on Capitol Hill having a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The department declined to comment on that meeting, and a senior Justice Department official denied that any lawmakers, nor anyone from the White House, including the president, asked Barr to send out this authorization.
Dotard can take "comfort" in the fact he has been ranked amongst the worst American presidents in history by several reputable think tanks - that's his legacy.
I don't mind, after all I have never tried a black cock in my life. Oops, anyways my fingers just slipped and you were accidentally banned. Adios motherfucker.
Biden Takes Lead in Pennsylvania, on Verge of Presidency
Democrat Joe Biden took the lead in key battleground state Pennsylvania on Friday, where a victory for the former vice president would push him past the threshold of electoral votes needed to win the White House, official data showed.
More ballots are yet to be counted, but shortly before 1400 GMT, Biden had moved ahead of incumbent President Donald Trump by more than 5,500 votes, according to official provisional results from the state government.
Biden currently has at least 253 electoral votes. The magic number is 270. If he wins Pennsylvania -- a state won by Trump in 2016 -- and its 20 electoral votes, he would pass that threshold.
U.S. networks have said so far the race is still too close to call.
Biden is also currently in the lead in key states Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. Fox News and the Associated Press have already called Arizona in Biden's favor, but other U.S. media have said the race is still too close to call.
Trump has amassed 214 electoral votes so far, with his path to victory narrowing. The Republican incumbent has made unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud.
US Secret Service Tightens Biden Security As He Edges Toward Win: Report
The Secret Service sent an extra squad of agents to Biden's campaign headquarters in Delaware as expectations rose that he would be able to declare victory over Trump as early as Friday, the Post reported.
Washington: The US Secret Service has increased its protective bubble around Joe Biden as chances increased that he will be the next US president, the Washington Post reported Friday.
The Secret Service sent an extra squad of agents to Biden's campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware as expectations rose that the Democratic candidate would be able to declare victory over President Donald Trump as early as Friday, the Post reported.
The Secret Service, an agency under the Department of Homeland Security, is in charge or protecting the White House and senior government officials, visiting high officials, and others.
It had already deployed some agents to protect Biden around early July after he triumphed in the Democratic Party's presidential primaries.
As a former vice president, Biden could have requested Secret Service protection before then, but reportedly did not.
If Biden becomes president-elect, Secret Service protection is expected to ramp up to a higher level.
Trump may run in 2024 if he loses this year, says former adviser
According to a senior member of Trump’s 2016 transition team, the president would be in a ‘good position to run again’ – and there is nothing in the rules to say he can’t.
As Joe Biden’s lead gets stronger in the race for the White House, Donald Trump’s former campaign adviser has hinted that the president may return to fight for the oval office again in 2024.
Speaking to the BBC’s Radio 4 programme Today, the former communications director for the Trump transition team Bryan Lanza said he is in a good position to “run again four years from now”.
Mr Lanza added that if Mr Trump runs again “he will be younger than Joe Biden than his current bid for the presidency, so age isn’t the issue".
'Biden will have the opportunity to guide this country out of Covid, and we’ll see what his successes and failures are. And there’s nobody in the Republican party that can challenge President Trump in the primaries,” Mr Lanza said.
He added that if Mr Trump was to “lose a very tight election” he can “make a strong case to run again".
"And the Republicans would step aside to let it happen,” he added.
If what Mr Lanza says is true, it confirms the point that even if the first presidency of Donald Trump is cut short, his political career is set to continue.
Although the US constitution doesn’t allow any president to serve more than two terms, it doesn’t say anything about those two terms having to be consecutive.
Mr Lanza was also questioned on Mr Trump’s attempts to undermine the electoral process by raising doubts over the ongoing counting of votes. Mr Lanza responded: “I don’t think it’s different from what the Democrats did when they told Americans that Russians were involved in Donald Trump’s election four years ago.”
If Trump still desires to run for president 4 years down the road he should take better care of himself and stop wrecking his body with all 'em burgers, fried chicken and fries. Else by then he might already be six feet under.
Trump sues in 3 states, laying ground for contesting outcome
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, laying the groundwork for contesting battleground states as he slipped behind Democrat Joe Biden in the hunt for the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.
The new filings, joining existing Republican legal challenges in Pennsylvania and Nevada, demand better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, and raise absentee ballot concerns, the campaign said. However, at one Michigan location in question The Associated Press observed poll watchers from both sides monitoring on Wednesday.
The AP called Michigan for Democrat Joe Biden on Wednesday. Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia are undecided.
The Trump campaign also is seeking to intervene in a Pennsylvania case at the Supreme Court that deals with whether ballots received up to three days after the election can be counted, deputy campaign manager Justin Clark said.
The actions reveal an emerging legal strategy that the president had signaled for weeks, namely that he would attack the integrity of the voting process in states where the result could mean his defeat.
His campaign also announced that it would ask for a recount in Wisconsin, a state the AP called for Biden on Wednesday afternoon. Campaign manager Bill Stepien cited “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties,” without providing specifics.
Biden said Wednesday the count should continue in all states, adding, “No one’s going to take our democracy away from us — not now, not ever.”
Campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said legal challenges were not the behavior of a winning campaign.
“What makes these charades especially pathetic is that while Trump is demanding recounts in places he has already lost, he’s simultaneously engaged in fruitless attempts to halt the counting of votes in other states in which he’s on the road to defeat,” Bates said in a statement.
Election officials continued to count votes across the country, the normal process on the day following voting. Unlike in previous years, states were contending with an avalanche of mail ballots driven by fears of voting in person during a pandemic. At least 103 million people voted early, either by mail or in-person, representing 74% of the total votes cast in the 2016 presidential election.
Every election, results reported on election night are unofficial and the counting of ballots extends past Election Day. Mail ballots normally take more time to verify and count. This year, because of the large numbers of mail ballots and a close race, results were expected to take longer.
The Trump campaign said it is calling for a temporary halt in the counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania until it is given “meaningful” access in numerous locations and allowed to review ballots that already have been opened and processed.
The AP’s Michigan call for Biden came after the suit was filed. The president is ahead in Pennsylvania but his margin is shrinking as more mailed ballots are counted.
There have been no reports of fraud or any type of ballot concerns out of Pennsylvania. The state had 3.1 million mail-in ballots that take time to count and an order allows them to be received and counted up until Friday if they are postmarked by Nov. 3.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a CNN interview the lawsuit was “more a political document than a legal document.”
“There is transparency in this process. The counting has been going on. There are observers observing this counting, and the counting will continue,” he said.
The Michigan lawsuit claims Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, was allowing absentee ballots to be counted without teams of bipartisan observers as well as challengers. She’s accused of undermining the “constitutional right of all Michigan voters ... to participate in fair and lawful elections.” Michigan Democrats said the suit was a longshot.
Poll watchers from both sides were plentiful Wednesday at one major polling place in question — the TCF Center in Detroit, The Associated Press observed. They checked in at a table near the entrance to the convention center’s Hall E and strolled among the tables where ballot processing was taking place. In some cases, they arrived en masse and huddled together for a group discussion before fanning out to the floor. Uniformed Detroit police officers were on hand to make sure everyone was behaving.
Mark Brewer, a former state Democratic chairman who said he was observing the Detroit vote counting as a volunteer lawyer, said he had been at the TCF arena all day and had talked with others who had been there the past couple of days. He said Republicans had not been denied access.
“This is the best absentee ballot counting operation that Detroit has ever had. They are counting ballots very efficiently, despite the obstructing tactics of the Republicans.”
GOP lawyers had already launched legal challenges involving absentee votes in Pennsylvania and Nevada, contesting local decisions that could take on national significance in the close election.
In one appeal to a Pennsylvania appellate court, the Trump campaign complained that one of its representatives was prevented from seeing the writing on mail-in ballots that were being opened and processed in Philadelphia. A judge in Philadelphia dismissed it, saying that poll observers are directed to observe, not audit.
The Georgia lawsuit filed in Chatham County essentially asks a judge to ensure the state laws are being followed on absentee ballots. Campaign officials said they were considering peppering a dozen other counties around the state with similar claims around absentee ballots.
Trump, addressing supporters at the White House early Wednesday, talked about taking the undecided race to the Supreme Court. Though it was unclear what he meant, his comments evoked a reprise of the court’s intervention in the 2000 presidential election that ended with a decision effectively handing the presidency to George W. Bush.
But there are important differences from 2000 and they already were on display. In 2000, Republican-controlled Florida was the critical state and Bush clung to a small lead. Democrat Al Gore asked for a recount and the Supreme Court stopped it.
To some election law experts, calling for the Supreme Court to intervene now seemed premature, if not rash.
A case would have to come to the court from a state in which the outcome would determine the election’s winner, Richard Hasen, a University of California, Irvine, law professor, wrote on the Election Law blog. The difference between the candidates’ vote totals would have to be smaller than the ballots at stake in the lawsuit
“As of this moment (though things can change) it does not appear that either condition will be met,” Hasen wrote.
Ohio State University election law professor Edward Foley wrote on Twitter Wednesday: “The valid votes will be counted. (The Supreme Court) would be involved only if there were votes of questionable validity that would make a difference, which might not be the case. The rule of law will determine the official winner of the popular vote in each state. Let the rule of law work.”
Biden campaign attorney Bob Bauer said if Trump goes to the high court, “he will be in for one of the most embarrassing defeats a president has ever suffered by the highest court in the land.”
The justices could decide to step into the dispute over the three-day extension for absentee ballots if they prove crucial to the outcome in Pennsylvania.
Even a small number of contested votes could matter if a state determines the winner of the election and the gap between Trump and Biden is small.
"I've been telling you we're in the fight of our lives. We may not be in uniform carrying muskets, but we are on a battlefield where the fight between good and evil, and truth and lies unfolds...The choice in 72 hours is yours." — Judge Jeanine Pirro
(CNN) The case for President Donald Trump is simple: He made the economy work for so many Americans, kept us out of new and costly wars and even brokered peacedeals in the Middle East.
He believes our taxes should be lower, not higher -- and signed into law sweeping tax relief for businesses and the vast majority of federal income tax filers. He thinks government shouldn't overregulate, rolling back numerous Obama-era overreaches, while working with his Republican allies in Congress.
And despite his relative dovishness, he has invested in our military and in the men and women who wear the uniform. As a result, our enemies know we are more than capable of finishing them. Just ask the former leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or former Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Beyond that, Trump stands up against the worst impulses of the American left and the radicals who seek to banish from the public square those who dare to think differently. Heck, even the Girl Scouts deleted a tweet congratulating Amy Coney Barrett on her elevation to the Supreme Court because of pressure from the liberal Twitter mob. Is that the kind of American we want, where unhinged progressives can shut down even a simple tweet of congrats to an accomplished female judge?Whatever problems I have with him -- and there are more than a few -- Trump's willingness to stand up to this kind of mob impresses the hell out of me. Standing by Justice Brett Kavanaugh during a tough confirmation fight, for instance, was a particularly proud moment.Trump is not a perfect person. His personal history, and the way he speaks to and about people can be atrocious. But Trump did become the first sitting president to attend the March for Life Rally this year, where he voiced his unwavering support for "unborn children," who he said "never had a stronger defender in the White House." Whether his views on abortion are pure or transactional, I care not. He stands up for the unborn who can't stand up for themselves -- and has appointed judges, like Barrett, who will hopefully do the same.Elections are choices. Pro-life or pro-choice. Higher taxes or lower taxes. Support free speech or coddle censorship. No politician ever satisfies me fully, but Trump comes far closer than Joe Biden ever could.There's room for Trump to improve, but in no way does Biden represent a step in a policy direction that I can support as a conservative. He fails the test on virtually every issue I care about, and I expect the United States would move radically left on his watch, especially on abortion.
And for all of the President's missteps, including his rhetorical failures in dealing with coronavirus, this vote is about the next four years. We will likely have a vaccine soon (and in large part thanks to Trump's leadership on Operation Warp Speed), and we will defeat this virus no matter who wins.
So, who can lead us through that day and beyond, restoring the American economy and stopping the radicals from tearing up the American political institutions they find inconvenient?
More than a third of registered voters have already voted
(CNN) More than a third of registered voters -- over 75 million Americans -- have already voted with six days left until Election Day, an unprecedented shift driven by the coronavirus pandemic and interest in the presidential race.
As of Wednesday evening, about 36% of registered voters have already cast ballots ahead of November 3, according to a survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, DC, by CNN, Edison Research and Catalist.
The top three states with the highest percentage of registered voters who have already cast ballots are Montana, Washington state, Colorado and Oregon -- all have extensive mail-in balloting this year.
Montana leads all states with about 56% of registered voters already having cast ballots. The state is allowing counties to conduct their elections entirely by mail if they choose.
Washington follows, where about 53% of registered voters have already cast ballots already returned, and Colorado and Oregon are just behind at 52% each.
In an additional 14 states, at least 40% of registered voters have also cast ballots. Among CNN's most competitively ranked states -- besides Colorado -- North Carolina (roughly 50%), Georgia, Texas and Florida (all at 48%) are seeing the highest turnout as a share of registered voters so far.
New Hampshire (18%) and Pennsylvania (22%) are the key states that have seen the smallest share of voters cast ballots already. Both states are allowing any voter to vote by mail for the first time this year, but neither has a tradition of extensive pre-election voting.
More than a third of all registered voters have already cast their ballots
The top three states with the highest percentage of registered voters who have already cast ballots all have extensive mail-balloting this year – Montana, Washington state, Colorado and Oregon. At least 40% of registered voters have also cast ballots in an additional 14 states.
Some states may have different rules for determining which voters are eligible to cast ballots for the general election, and many states also allow for same-day registration on Election Day. It's not clear how much of the record-breaking early vote comes from people who would have voted on Election Day and how much represents additional turnout this year.
The 75.8 million ballots cast so far in the 2020 election also represents about 56% of the more than 136.5 million total ballots cast for president in 2016.
Nearly half or more of registered voters in 15 states have already cast ballots
Eight of the top 15 states for voter turnout so far are among CNN's most competitively-ranked states, including North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin. Competitive states are shaded red.
Twenty-five states and Washington, DC, have also crossed their halfway marks for total 2016 ballots cast, including 10 of the 16 key states -- Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa and Maine.
Pre-Election Day voting is skyrocketing nationwide amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and states are reporting record-breaking turnout as voters are energized to vote by mail or early in person before November.
On Sunday, the nation surpassed the 58.3 million total pre-election votes cast in 2016. Forty-two states and DC have now exceeded their pre-election voting levels from 2016.
Some data included is provided by Catalist, a company that provides data, analytics and other services to Democrats, academics and nonprofit issue-advocacy organizations.
It’s neck-and-neck, with President Trump just barely ahead in Rasmussen Reports’ first daily White House Watch survey.
The latest national telephone and online survey finds Trump edging Democrat Joe Biden 48% to 47% among Likely U.S. Voters. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, while two percent (2%) remain undecided.
Last Wednesday, Biden held a 49% to 46% lead, but the race has been tightening since early in the month. This is the first time Trump has been ahead since mid-September.
Rasmussen Reports has been releasing White House Watch weekly on Wednesdays since the beginning of July. But starting today, White House Watch will be posted daily at 9:30 am Eastern.
Trump earns 84% support among Republicans. Biden has 77% of the Democrat vote and leads by seven among voters not affiliated with either major party.
The survey of 1,500 Likely Voters was conducted October 21-22 and 25, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Update: Democrat Joe Biden has edged back ahead in Rasmussen Reports’ daily White House Watch survey.
The latest national telephone and online survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows Biden earning 49% support to President Trump’s 47%. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate, while two percent (2%) are still undecided.
SHOCKING!!!!!! Biden Daughter’s Diary Details ‘Not Appropriate’ Showers With Joe As Child!!!!!
National File has obtained what a whistleblower has identified as a copy of the complete diary of Ashley Blazer Biden, the 39-year-old daughter of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, dating from during the 2020 presidential campaign. National File also knows the reported precise location of the physical diary, and has been told by a whistleblower that there exists an audio recording of Ashley Biden admitting this is her diary.
In the diary, which our source says belongs to the former vice president’s daughter, the author writes of her struggle with drug abuse. Ashley Biden’s struggle with drugs was widely publicized in 2009.
According to our source, the diary also details Ashley Biden’s unhealthy relationship with sex, and the “probably not appropriate” showers she shared as a young girl with her father, Joe Biden.
After declaring she was “here for sexual trauma” in the previous entry, on page 23 of the diary, dated January 30, 2019, the author explores the topic of sexual abuse and how it may have led to her overactive sex drive. “I’ve had one of my hardest days – my sex drive is out of f**king control. Like literally, I am in heat,” wrote the author.
“I know it’s not the healthiest way to deal with things but @ least it’s better than drugs,” she wrote, adding that she thought she needed “sex to feel good.”
The author then explored why she felt this need to have sex, saying she believes she was molested as a child.
“Was I molested. I think so – I can’t remember specifics but I do remember trauma,” wrote the author, before listing a series of potential incidents, one of which may have included Ashley Biden’s cousin Caroline Biden, as the author says she remembers “being somewhat sexualized” alongside a person named “Caroline.”
The author then wrote that she remembers “showers with my dad” that were “probably not appropriate.”
On page 83, in an entry dated July 22, 2019, the author wrote that she received a phone call from her father, Joe Biden according to our source, who cried on the phone while expressing his worry for her in the days leading up to July 30-31 Democratic Primary Debate.
“My dad cried on the phone saying he has the debate in a week and ‘Now has to worry about [the author],'” she wrote. “And he cried. Maybe he knows what he is doing and it’s worked but my feelings of guilt often are overwhelming.”
In at least two entries, the author explicitly identifies herself as Ashley Blazer Biden.
National File obtained this document from a whistleblower who was concerned the media organization that employs him would not publish this potential critical story in the final 10 days before the 2020 presidential election. National File’s whistleblower also has a recording of Ashley Biden admitting the diary is hers, and employed a handwriting expert who verified the pages were all written by Ashley. National File has in its posession a recording of this whistleblower detailing the work his media outlet did in preparation of releasing these documents. In the recording, the whistleblower explains that the media organization he works for chose not to release the documents after receiving pressure from a competing media organization.
This diary surfaces after Hunter Biden, the son of the Democrat presidential candidate, Joe Biden, has been exposed as having “underage obsessions” and corrupt business dealings as evidenced by emails and images provided by the New York Post and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
National File, as the media organization that published reports about the Pelosi family’s Ukraine dealings and the potentially illegal affairs of Democrat Senate candidate Cal Cunningham, believes the public has a right to read these entries that were obtained for National File by Patrick Howley, the reporter who broke the Veterans Affairs scandal, and the Ralph Northam racist yearbook photo.
Last year Ashley Biden was profiled by The List, which claimed that her “transformation is turning heads.” She was credited as working as a “social worker, activist, and entrepreneur.”
Looks like Biden's junkie son's fucked up lifestyle and antics being made public will almost surely secure the implosion of his presidential aspirations.
Explosive emails appear to show that VP Biden met with Burisma exec Vadym Pozharskyi while on a trip to the US, reports the New York Post.
A spokesperson for Joe Biden denied any such meeting in a statement on Wednesday.
The emails come from a trove of files found on a damaged MacBook Pro which had been dropped off at a repair shop in Biden's home state of Delaware.
Among the files is reportedly a 12-minute video of Hunter engaging in a sex act with an unidentified woman, according to The Post.
He's is apparently seen smoking crack in the video.
The 50-year-old has been open about his struggles with addiction.
The laptop was also said to have other files, including sexually explicit pictures.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is now investigating the trove of documents, The Post reported.
According to the outlet, the senate is working with the repairman to verify the documents.
Hunter joined the Burisma board in 2014 on a salary reportedly up to $50,000-a-month, despite having no prior experience.
Emails published The Post reveal Pozharskyi thanked Hunter for introducing him to his dad in a message sent on April 17, 2015.
It reads: "Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together.
"It’s realty [sic] an honor and pleasure."
And in another email from May 2014, Pozharskyi asks Hunter for "advice on how you could use your influence" on behalf of Burisma.
Biden had claimed he had "never spoken" to Hunter about his overseas business dealings - something which the emails appear to refute.
FBI agents seized the computer and hard drive last December after the shop owner alerted the feds - and he also gave a copy of the files to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello.
The New York Post reports ex-Trump advisor Steve Bannon alerted the newspaper of the existence of the hard drive, and Trump ally Giuliani provided a copy of the files on Sunday.
Trump claims Hunter's job was instrumental in Biden pressuring the Ukrainian government into firing prosecutors Viktor Shokin who he claims was investigating Burisma.
The allegations are disputed - with officials claiming Shokin was actually fired for failing to investigation corruption.
Ukrainian prosecutors also said earlier this year there was no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Hunter Biden.
In a statement on Wednesday, Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates hit back at allegations detailed in The Post.
"Investigations by the press, during impeachment, and even by two Republican-led Senate committees whose work was decried as 'not legitimate' and political by a GOP colleague have all reached the same conclusion: that Joe Biden carried out official U.S. policy toward Ukraine and engaged in no wrongdoing," Bates said.
"Trump administration officials have attested to these facts under oath.
Bates added: "Moreover, we have reviewed Joe Biden's official schedules from the time and no meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place.
SMOKING GUN?
But a controversial report by Senate Republicans released last year argued Hunter's role was "problematic" and interfered with "efficient execution of policy with respect to Ukraine".
Shokin was fired less than eight months after Biden appears to have met with Pozharskyi.
The VP had pressured the Ukrainian government by threatening to withhold a $1billion US loan guarantee unless the prosecutor general was removed.
Trump was subject to impeachment over his attempt to pressure Ukraine into digging up damaging information on Biden and Hunter.
Biden bragged in 2018: "I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,
"Well, son of a bitch. He got fired."
He has however always insisted that the US wanted Shokin removed over corruption concerns, which were shared by the European Union.
Shokin meanwhile has claimed he had made “specific plans” to investigate Burisma that “included interrogations and other crime-investigation procedures into all members of the executive board, including Hunter Biden".
Further emails show Pozharskyi attempting to get Hunter to use his political leverage to help the company and stop "what we consider to be politically motivated actions".
Biden has denied any wrongdoing or conflict of interest over his son's involvement in Burisma.
Trump went after Hunter during the chaotic first presidential debate, with Biden claiming the allegations had been "totally, thoroughly discredited".
The President said: "Hunter got thrown out of the military. He was thrown out dishonorably discharged for cocaine use. And he didn’t have a job until you became vice president.
"Once you became vice president he made a fortune in Ukraine, in China, in Moscow and various other places. He made a fortune and he didn’t have a job."
Biden has always vigorously defended his son, including during a town hall discussion where he called a man a "damn liar" - before berating him as "fat" and challenging him to "do push ups".
The Delaware US Attorney’s Office said it could not "confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation" over the seizure of the laptop.
Hunter's lawyer George R. Mesires attacked Giuliani for "pushing widely discredited conspiracy theories about the Biden family, openly relying on actors tied to Russian intelligence".
The Sun Online has contacted Joe Biden's campaign for comment on the allegations.
Biden Beats Trump in Ratings Battle of the Network Town Halls
Nielsen figures showed Joseph R. Biden Jr. drawing 15.1 million viewers, against 13.5 million for President Trump, a ratings obsessive.
Television ratings matter to President Trump. So these numbers may sting.
In a victory that few in the TV and political arenas predicted, Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s town hall-style forum on ABC on Thursday night drew a larger audience than President Trump’s competing event on NBC, according to Nielsen.
Mr. Biden’s town-hall meeting, which aired on a single network, was seen by an average of 15.1 million viewers, compared with 13.5 million for Mr. Trump even though the president monopolized three networks — NBC, MSNBC and CNBC — simultaneously.
The town halls were vastly different television spectacles, befitting their respective protagonists. For an hour on NBC, Mr. Trump was darting and defiant as the “Today” host Savannah Guthrie pressed him to denounce QAnon and white supremacy (Mr. Trump hesitated on both) and clear up questions about his medical condition.
On ABC, Mr. Biden and the moderator George Stephanopoulos engaged in a sober 90-minute policy discussion more akin to a PBS telecast. (Politico wrote that flipping back and forth between the two was like “going from Bob Ross to ‘WrestleMania’.”)
NBC had drawn scorn for scheduling its event with Mr. Trump at the same time as Mr. Biden’s previously announced ABC forum. Executives at NBC News said it was a matter of fairness, saying they wanted the same conditions offered to Mr. Biden at his NBC town hall on Oct. 5. Critics, including the MSNBC star Rachel Maddow, suggested that NBC had erred in allowing Mr. Trump to appear at the same time as Mr. Biden.
It appears that Mr. Biden did not need to worry. And the fact that the Democrat outdrew his voluble Republican rival is likely to inspire dozens of hot takes about whether, after four seasons, Americans are simply growing bored with The Trump Show.
Viewership for Mr. Biden’s event, which began at 8 p.m., rose as the night continued, surging to an average audience of 16.7 million in the final 30 minutes after Mr. Trump and NBC’s forum had gone off the air, according to Nielsen. (Mr. Biden’s viewership bested Mr. Trump even without the assist from his extra half-hour).
The numbers were a bracing outcome for the president, whose aides had been promising a decisive ratings win over his Democratic rival. “We’re going to have a much bigger audience than Joe for next Thursday,” Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Mr. Trump’s campaign, told Fox News last week.
Biden should count his lucky stars that Trump most unfortunately came down with the coronavirus, he dodged a bullet and therefore needn't suffer more humiliation at further debates.
Good riddance to this POTUS turned pariah!
US President Donald Trump will leave Washington, D.C. on the morning of January 20 shortly before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, with a grand ceremony being planned for his departure, according to media reports.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/donald-trump-to-fly-to-florida-shortly-before-joe-biden-s-inauguration-121011600158_1.html
An Urgent Reckoning for the Trump Brand
Companies and institutions are shunning President Trump and some associates after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Trump family business, built on luxury hospitality, is contemplating a reinvention.
In the span of four days, President Trump’s family business has lost its online store, the buzz from Mr. Trump’s promotional tweets about its luxury resorts and bragging rights as host to one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments.
The mob attack on Congress last week by Mr. Trump’s supporters has spurred a reckoning for the Trump Organization by businesses and institutions, at a scale far greater than his previous polarizing actions.
And the Trump brand, premised on gold-plated luxury and a super-affluent clientele, may not fully recover from the fallout of his supporters violently storming and vandalizing the U.S. Capitol, hospitality analysts say and some people close to the business acknowledge. Other companies linked with the Trumps, including Deutsche Bank, the president’s largest lender, and Signature Bank, are also seeking distance from him and his business.
The backlash is part of a broader shunning of Mr. Trump and his allies unfolding in the wake of the deadly assault on the Capitol. Schools stripped the president of honorary degrees, some prominent Republicans threatened to leave the party and the New York State Bar Association announced it had begun investigating Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, which could lead to his removal from the group.
As House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment on Monday, more than a dozen big businesses vowed to withhold certain political donations. Coca-Cola said it would pause donations from its political action committee, saying in a statement that “these events will long be remembered and will factor into our future contribution decisions.” Marriott, the giant hotel chain, said it would pause donations from its political action committee “to those who voted against certification of the election,” a reference to the congressional Republicans who joined Mr. Trump’s false claims of election fraud. Morgan Stanley and AT&T said they, too, would suspend contributions to those lawmakers.
The Trump Organization had already been facing considerable financial challenges. Many of its golf and resort properties had been losing money, and the pandemic had forced it to close some restaurants and bars and drastically reduce hotel occupancy, including at its hotel a few blocks from the White House. And with more than $300 million in debt coming due in the next few years that the president has personally guaranteed, there had been some urgency for the company to line up new deals.
While such an array of challenges would spell doom for just about any hospitality brand, executives of the Trump Organization said they planned on cashing in on Mr. Trump’s global fame with overseas branding deals.
“There has never been a political figure with more support or energy behind them than my father,” Eric Trump, the president’s son, who helps run the family business, said in a statement on Monday.
The family is also already considering starting a media outfit that would cater to Mr. Trump’s tens of millions of supporters, an effort that gained some urgency last week when Twitter and Facebook barred the president from their platforms.
“There will be no shortage of incredible opportunities in real estate and beyond,” Eric Trump said.
Before becoming president, Mr. Trump had cycled through many lines of business, including casinos, an airline and reality television. Some ventures were wildly successful, while others were colossal failures. But they revealed his ability to camouflage his wares and capitalize on opportunities, even when his name appeared irreparably tarnished.
This time, the challenges are steeper. The fallout began on Thursday, when the e-commerce provider Shopify said it had terminated online stores affiliated with the president.
The biggest blow came on Sunday, when the P.G.A. of America announced it would strip Mr. Trump’s New Jersey golf club of a major tournament.
Mr. Trump was said to be “gutted” by the P.G.A. decision, according to a person close to the White House, as he had worked personally for years to push the tournament executives to hold events at his courses.
In a statement that hinted at a potential legal challenge, the Trump Organization called the decision “a breach of a binding contract,” adding that “they have no right to terminate the agreement.”
The P.G.A. Championship, scheduled for May 2022, was the ultimate golf-world trophy for the Trump brand, which over the last two decades has assembled an international collection of golf courses and resorts that now collectively represent about a third of the company’s revenue, according to the most recent financial disclosure report.
The tournament itself is not a major source of profit, but hosting an internationally recognized event is enormously valuable for marketing. It also would have bestowed greater legitimacy on Mr. Trump and his brand, which includes 16 golf clubs around the world.
“It has become clear that conducting the P.G.A. Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the P.G.A. of America brand,” Jim Richerson, the P.G.A. of America president, said in a video statement.
The loss associated with the cancellation is difficult to calculate, but it will be very large and last for years, said Jay Karen, chief executive of the National Golf Course Owners Association.
“You have millions of avid golfers who have a proverbial bucket list,” tied to major tournaments like the P.G.A. Championship, he said. “If you had a major coming to you and it was pulled from you, that would certainly sting.”
In an email to members on Monday, the golf club said, “We have had a wonderful partnership with the P.G.A. of America and share your disappointment on their decision.”
The damage is expected to continue as various companies and industries reassess their relationship with Mr. Trump and his family business.
Mr. Trump’s hotels, like the Trump National Doral near Miami, had already lost many of the major corporate conferences after he made disparaging remarks about Muslims and Mexicans, among others, during his first presidential campaign, and his comments after a deadly rally by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 suggesting that “there is blame on both sides.”
But the fallout from the attacks last week will be steeper and longer lasting, analysts and people familiar with the company said. Some members of the president’s golf clubs are reassessing whether to keep their memberships because of possible protests and vandalism, one of the people said.
David J. Sangree, a hotel industry consultant from Ohio, said that Mr. Trump’s role in the attack on the Capitol would further undermine the company’s efforts to appeal to affluent customers who were not Trump supporters.
“This is a big negative,” Mr. Sangree said. “There’s no question they’re going to lose more events because many groups are saying, ‘We don’t want to be associated with this brand.’”
Even plans to launch a Trump media platform will face obstacles. If Mr. Trump seeks to forge a new conservative news network, or join an existing one like OAN or Newsmax, corporate advertisers are hardly guaranteed to support him.
“There’s only so much that My Pillow guy can subsidize,” said Jon Klein, the former president of CNN U.S., referring to Mike Lindell, the chief executive of My Pillow who is an outspoken supporter of the president. “It’s suddenly a lot more daunting a proposition than it was a week ago for OAN and Newsmax.”
A lot more at https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/business/trump-brand-capitol-mob.html
Georgia Man Charged In U.S. Capitol Attack Dies By Suicide
ATLANTA (NEXSTAR) — A man arrested following last week’s storming of the Capitol has died, according to a report from 11 Alive.
Christopher Stanton Georgia, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was charged with attempting to “enter certain property, that is, the United States Capitol Grounds, against the will of the United States Capitol Police.”
According to 11 Alive, the Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled his death a suicide.
According to police reports, Georgia and others were arrested hours after Wednesday’s events after violating the District-wide curfew. Officers reportedly asked them to leave the property, and they were taken into custody when they refused.
A police report shows Georgia’s death as “under investigation,” according to 11 Alive.
Prosecutors have brought dozens of cases after the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol, and they promise more charges are to come as investigators work to identify more members of the pro-Trump mob.
Investigators are combing through thousands of tips, photos, videos and social media accounts to collect evidence against the attackers who overran the Capitol to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden as the next president.
Authorities predict hundreds of criminal cases will ultimately be filed. They are considering sedition charges against some of the rioters.
https://cbs4indy.com/news/georgia-man-arrested-in-capitol-riot-dies-by-suicide/
MAGA mob rioters smeared their own feces throughout the Capitol and 'tracked brown footprints' in several hallways during violent siege
Senator Chuck Schumer's staffers found out on Thursday that some rioters had defecated in the Capitol, a source says
They are believed to have defecated in one of the bathrooms after breaching the Capitol before 'tracking' their excrement in multiple hallways in the building
Brown footprints were found in parts of the Capitol hallways
The feces left behind was just some of extensive damage caused by the mob when they stormed the Capitol in a violent siege that has left five dead
Harrowing images show shattered windows, graffiti-covered statues and teargas stains lining the walls of the historic building
Some of the MAGA mob rioters who stormed the US Capitol smeared their own feces throughout the building and left brown 'footprints' in their wake.
Senator Chuck Schumer's staffers found out on Thursday that some rioters had defecated in the Capitol, a source told the New York Daily News.
They are believed to have defecated in one of the bathrooms after breaching the Capitol before 'tracking' their excrement in multiple hallways in the building.
Brown footprints were found in parts of the Capitol hallways.
'It looked like they tracked it around,' the source said.
The feces left behind was just some of extensive damage caused by the mob when they stormed the Capitol in a violent siege that has left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer who is believed to have been hit over the head with a fire extinguisher during the riot.
Harrowing images show shattered windows, graffiti-covered statues and teargas stains lining the walls of the historic building.
Bags filled with zipties, bullet holes, dirty footprints and toppled furniture were seen scattered across the US legislature.
The Capitol sustained significant damage as hordes of rioters kicked down doors and climbed scaffolding to gain entry.
Nancy Pelosi's office was also vandalized, with draws pulled out and papers strewn across the floor. Multiple protesters uploaded photos to social media of them mockingly posing for selfies at her desk.
The rampage that has shocked the world and left the country on edge forced the resignations of three top Capitol security officials over the failure to stop the breach.
It led lawmakers to demand a review of operations and an FBI briefing over what they called a 'terrorist attack.' It is also prompting a broader reckoning over Trump's tenure in office and what comes next for a torn nation.
Protesters were urged by Trump during a rally near the White House to head to Capitol Hill where lawmakers were scheduled to confirm Biden's presidential victory.
The mob swiftly broke through police barriers, smashed windows and paraded through the halls, sending lawmakers into hiding.
One protester, US Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, was shot to death by Capitol Police, and there were dozens of arrests.
Three other Trump supporters died after 'medical emergencies' related to the breach.
Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick later died from injuries he suffered during the ordeal. The Capitol Police said in a statement that Sicknick was fatally injured 'while physically engaging with protesters'.
It is believed a protester hit him over the head with a fire extinguisher.
Sicknick, like those in the mob, was a Trump supporter, according to his social media pages.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9126409/MAGA-mob-rioters-smeared-POO-Capitol.html
Die is cast........Congress has finalized Biden's Win; congrats btw to the Dems for taking control of the senate as well.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/2020-election-congress-electoral-college-vote-count/index.html
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-georgia-winner/democrats-take-control-of-u-s-senate-as-they-win-second-race-in-georgia-idUSKBN29B2TV
OMG, Trump supporters have stormed Capitol building, really is 无法无天!!!!!!
Electoral College makes it official: Biden won, Trump lost
https://apnews.com/article/electoral-college-confirm-joe-biden-win-2d4fd7368d8fd6cb47ff0b2cc206271a
Supreme Court rejects Texas' and Trump's bid to overturn election
(CNN) The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a bid from Texas' attorney general -- supported by President Donald Trump -- to block the ballots of millions of voters in battleground states that went in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.
The court's order, issued with no public dissents, to dismiss the challenge is the strongest indication yet that Trump has no chance of overturning election results in court, and that even the justices whom he placed there have no interest in allowing his desperate legal bids to continue.
The Electoral College will convene Monday to affirm Biden's win.
The lawsuit, brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a staunch Trump ally, sought to sue Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin -- which all went for Biden -- and invalidate their election results. And this week, with his options narrowing, Trump, accompanied by the support of several Republican attorneys general and GOP lawmakers, cranked up pressure to have the Supreme Court weigh in.
"From a legal perspective, the fat lady has sung," said Steve Vladeck, a CNN Supreme Court analyst and University of Texas Law professor.
Trump and his legal team -- hamstrung by a series of coronavirus diagnoses among lawyers who had traveled across the country advocating on behalf of Trump's case -- have for weeks pushed increasingly desperate appeals and baseless conspiracy theories about his second term being stolen.
"The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!," Trump tweeted around midnight. Mike Gwin, a spokesman for Biden's campaign, said the decision was "no surprise." Paxton, calling the court's order "unfortunate," vowed to fight on.
"I will continue to tirelessly defend the integrity and security of our elections and hold accountable those who shirk established election law for their own convenience," he said in a statement.
Republican election lawyer Ben Ginsberg said Trump's crusade to undermine the election's results through rhetoric and court challenges "put a huge stress test on our democracy."
"The Republicans who did follow Donald Trump really have an obligation now to make the country strong again, to heal the chinks that Donald Trump tried to put in the foundation of the country and the democracy," Ginsberg told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room."
Texas denied for lack of standing
The court's order Friday night was unsigned, and court did not provide a vote count, but there were no dissents to the order made public.
In its short order, the court said that Texas had not demonstrated that it had the legal right to bring the suit because it had not demonstrated a "judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections."
The order states: "The State of Texas's motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot."
More at https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/11/politics/supreme-court-texas-trump-biden/index.html
Great news - the coronavirus just made Trump's swine lawyer Rudy Giuliani its bitch!
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/06/world/covid-19-coronavirus
Federal judge dismisses Trump campaign Pennsylvania lawsuit
(CNN) A federal judge dealt a death blow to the Trump campaign's effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's win of the presidency on Saturday, by dismissing a closely watched lawsuit that sought to invalidate millions of Pennsylvania votes.
"It is not in the power of this Court to violate the Constitution," Judge Matthew Brann of the US District Court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania wrote on Saturday in a withering decision, hours after the final round of filings in the case came in. The judge wholeheartedly rejected the Trump campaign's attempt to throw out the Pennsylvania vote, noting that Biden has won the state and results will be certified by state officials on Monday. Biden has a margin of more than 81,000 votes in the state.
"In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state. Our people, laws, and institutions demand more," the judge wrote. "At bottom, Plaintiffs have failed to meet their burden to state a claim upon which relief may be granted."
Though the case was always extremely unlikely to succeed, President Donald Trump's backers and legal team -- and particularly his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani -- had pinned their hopes on the federal judge in Pennsylvania giving some credibility to their suspicions of fraud and entertaining Trump's attempt to overturn the popular vote for Biden.
But Brann, a longtime and well-known Republican in Pennsylvania, refused.
Shortly after the decision came down, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania congratulated Biden as the President-elect, breaking from party leaders and a vast majority of congressional Republicans who continue to back Trump's efforts to challenge the results.
This was essentially the last major case seeking to throw out or block enough votes that could swing a key state in Trump's favor, and Brann's decision on Saturday is at least the 30th loss or withdrawal of a case from the Trump campaign and its allies since Election Day. There have only been two wins in court for Republicans, about very small numbers of votes.
"Plaintiffs ask this Court to disenfranchise almost seven million voters. This Court has been unable to find any case in which a plaintiff has sought such a drastic remedy in the contest of an election, in terms of the sheer volume of votes asked to be invalidated," Brann wrote Saturday.
In the case, Trump's legal team led by Giuliani had attempted to claim that the Equal Protection rights of two Pennsylvania voters were violated because the state had allowed counties to decide whether absentee ballots sent in with technical problems could be fixed by the voters. The two voters in the lawsuit said that in their counties, they were not allowed to "cure" their ballots, and thus had their ballots rejected, while other counties, like heavily Democratic Philadelphia County, allowed voters to "cure" absentee ballots. That discrepancy, they claimed, meant that Pennsylvania's election results in their entirety should be blocked by court order, which theoretically, could deprive Biden of the state's 20 Electoral College votes.
Brann called the legal reasoning behind the Trump campaign's Equal Protection claim "Frankenstein's Monster."
"The answer to invalidated ballots is not to invalidate millions more," Brann wrote.
Brann also admonished the Trump campaign for presenting no factual proof of voter fraud or other allegations -- evidence that Giuliani and Trump's supporters have repeatedly said is in the works but has never materialized. Elections officials in multiple states as well as judges have said there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
Giuliani, who had swept into the case at the last minute ahead of a hearing on Tuesday before Brann, has been widely criticized for ignoring legal reasoning, leading a team that's made sloppy mistakes in its filings, and for pushing nonsensical and unfounded claims of conspiracy against Trump in Democratic-leaning cities.
"One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption, such that this Court would have no option but to regrettably grant the proposed injunctive relief despite the impact it would have on such a large group of citizens. That has not happened," Brann added. "Instead, this Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence."
The counties in the state are scheduled to certify their election results on Monday.
The judge said any further consideration of this issue "would unduly delay resolution of the issues" regarding certification, and he closed the case. His order on Saturday notes that the Trump campaign cannot try to resurface their claims in a rejiggered version of the lawsuit.
The Trump campaign on Saturday night said they would appeal Brann's ruling, and quickly, with the intention of taking the case to the US Supreme Court.
Toomey emerged as a rare Republican voice so far acknowledging Trump's legal avenues have come to an end.
"With today's decision by Judge Matthew Brann, a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased jurist, to dismiss the Trump campaign's lawsuit, President Trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the result of the presidential race in Pennsylvania," the GOP senator said in a statement.
"These developments, together with the outcomes in the rest of the nation, confirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and will become the 46th President of the United States."
Mike Gwin, a spokesperson for Biden, praised the decision to dismiss the lawsuit.
"The judge's ruling couldn't be clearer: our people, laws, and institutions demand more — and our country will not tolerate Trump's attempt to reverse the results of an election that he decisively lost," Gwin said in a statement.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro also praised the decision in a statement Saturday night. "These claims were meritless from the start and for an audience of one. The will of the people will prevail. These baseless lawsuits need to end," he said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/21/politics/federal-judge-dismisses-trump-pennsylvania-lawsuit/index.html
Dominion Voting Systems ‘Lawyers Up,’ Abruptly Backs Out of PA State House Fact-Finding Hearing
Dominion Voting Systems Thursday night abruptly backed out of attending a fact-finding hearing that was set for Friday morning with the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee.
At a press conference Friday morning, State Govt Committee Chair Seth Grove said the 1.3. million Pennsylvanians who used Dominion’s voting machines have been “hung out to dry and slapped in their faces.”
Pennsylvania lawmakers had scheduled the hearing with the voting machine manufacturer “to help identify and correct any irregularities in the election process,” according to the House Republican Caucus.
“It is vitally important voters have faith in the machines they use to cast their ballots. On the heels of Gov. Tom Wolf unilaterally decertifying every voting machine in the Commonwealth, we need to know whether these new machines met expectations, whether they are reliable and whether they are not subject to interference,” said Rep. Grove (R-York).
Dominion had initially agreed to attend the hearing, before it “abruptly canceled,” Grove said.
“I was impressed at what appeared to be the willingness that Dominion Voting Systems to address accusations and it would have put 1.3 million Pennsylvanians who used their machines at ease—including myself, thinking that Dominion was willing to publicly back up their product which PA taxpayers invested millions to purchase” he noted during the presser. “Unfortunately, last evening, Dominion Voting Systems lawyered up, and backed out of their commitment to the people of Pennsylvania to provide their input in a public format.”
Grove blasted the company for “retreating into the darkness,” rather than appearing at the hearing with “honesty and integrity.”
The committee chair said he wanted to know why a company with nothing to hide would back out.
“Why would a vender of public goods fear discussing their product sold to the public for the public good? If Dominion’s products were successful and operated as they were supposed to, why wouldn’t Dominion take the opportunity to publicly review its success?” Grove demanded. “How hard is it to say, ‘our ballot machines worked exactly as promised and they’re 100 percent accurate’?”
“After weeks of accusations, why has Dominion Voting Systems not released any analysis of the success of its voting machines to the public in order to stop their accusers in their tracks? If they have nothing to hide, why are they hiding from us?” he asked.
“Today I am saddened to report to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania and the 1.3 million voters who trusted Dominion Voting Systems with their ballots, that Dominion Voting Systems has hung you out to dry and slapped you in your faces.” the committee chair declared.
Grove stated that Dominion’s behavior lent credibility to their accusers’ accusations.
Rep. Dawn Keefer noted that fourteen counties used the Dominion Voting Systems software, so they owe it to Pennsylvania voters to show up and answer some questions.
“We trust the workers in our polling places and in our counties,” Keefer said. “But what we don’t know is the role of 3rd party companies. And when they rescind their participation in our hearing, we’re left wondering why.”
Keefer added: “Transparency is key for our election security. Dominion Voting Software is asking us to give them only blind trust. We’re very disappointed in Dominion’s last minute cancelation in today’s hearing.
Transparency is key for our election security. Dominion Voting Software is asking us to give them only blind trust. We’re very disappointed in Dominion’s last minute cancelation in today’s hearing.”
https://amgreatness.com/2020/11/20/dominion-voting-systems-lawyers-up-abruptly-backs-out-of-pa-state-house-fact-finding-hearing/
Law firm withdraws from representing Pennsylvania's secretary of state in Trump campaign lawsuit
Following a harassment allegation, the law firm Kirkland & Ellis has withdrawn from representing Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar in the Trump campaign case.
Following a harassment allegation, the law firm Kirkland & Ellis has withdrawn from representing Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar in the Trump campaign case.
According to the substitution of counsel memorandum dated Friday, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel partner Barry Berke will appear on behalf of Boockvar as Kirkland & Ellis lead attorney Daniel Donovan along with associates Susan Davies and Michael Glick submitted their motion for withdrawal.
This is not the first time Berke has faced off against Trump’s legal team, The National Law Journal reported. Berke, who chairs Kramer Levin’s litigation department, took a leave of absence from the firm in February to serve as special counsel to the Judiciary Committee under the House of Representatives, which was tasked at the time with building the impeachment case against President Donald Trump.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP's substitution of counsel memorandum dated Nov. 20 | United States District Court civil court case
This comes after a lawyer spearheading Trump’s legal efforts to dispute the election results in Pennsylvania reported that she received a minute-long harassing voicemail from an unnamed junior attorney based at Kirkland's Washington, D.C. office.
Trump campaign lawyer Linda Kerns of Philadelphia complained about the abusive telephone message to a federal court Sunday, stating that the action “by any measure falls afoul of standards of professional conduct.”
Another Kirkland associate working on the Pennsylvania suit told Kerns that the staffer who made the call was not involved in the state's case. According to Politico, the contacting attorney admitted that the communication was “discourteous” and apologized for wasting her time.
In a response filed Monday morning, Donovan confirmed that he viewed the call as “discourteous and not appropriate,” but disagreed with the characterization that Kerns used.
“That associate was acting unilaterally, in his personal capacity, without the knowledge or authorization of undersigned counsel or the Firm,” Donovan wrote. “The associate provided a personal email and had a baby babbling in the background during the voicemail….The Firm expects that every lawyer will conduct themselves with the highest standards of professional conduct, including being respectful of and courteous to other members of the bar.”
Donovan argued that the associate was not aware of the firm’s role in the case, pressing that further action by the judge was not required.
"A Kirkland & Ellis associate engaged in behavior that could lead to disbarment for not only the associate, but several partners," conservative commentator Mike Cernovich tweeted. "K&E tried to play the, 'It wasn't our fault game,' but that's now how the law works."
In her filing submitted just before midnight on Sunday, Kerns claimed that the call in question was just one of many abusive incidents that Team Trump has faced in recent weeks.
“Since this case was filed, undersigned counsel has been subjected to continuous harassment in the form of abusive e-mails, phone calls, physical and economic threats, and even accusations of treason — all for representing the President of the United States’ campaign in this litigation,” Kerns attested.
Kerns told US District Court Judge Matthew Brann that the correspondence was a troubling breach of professional norms, adding: “If there needs to be a rule saying that Kirkland & Ellis associates should not call opposing counsel and leave an abusive voicemail then all hope is lost.”
https://thepostmillennial.com/law-firm-withdraws-from-representing-pennsylvanias-secretary-of-state-in-trump-campaign-lawsuit
Trump's tweets have become increasingly impotent but his lies are getting bigger by the day
President Donald Trump's lies-via-tweet have become more audacious since Election Day and his loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump continues to push baseless claims that Democrats rigged the election, among other disinformation, as he refuses to concede.
But weeks have gone by and no evidence of widespread fraud or irregularities has been discovered, and the Trump campaign's legal challenges have resulted in multiple losses in court or failed to alter the outcome of the election in any states.
Trump's tweets are becoming increasingly impotent. He's yelling louder than ever, but fighting a losing battle.
President Donald Trump's tweets have never seemed more feeble and desperate than right now, even as his lies grow bigger by the day.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has wielded his Twitter account like a political sword. Trump's tweets have moved markets, put pressure on GOP lawmakers to bend to his will, and exacerbated a slew of domestic and global crises. But since his loss to President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 election, Trump's tweets have become more and more impotent.
"Trump is becoming increasingly irrelevant," former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, a Democrat, tweeted on Monday.
"Yes, he still poses a threat and we must remain vigilant. But, for the most part, we can ignore his tweets and petty outbursts," Reich added.
"Trump and his tweets are already drifting into irrelevance," Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, tweeted on Sunday.
Biden also appears to be unfazed by Trump's barrage of tweets, describing the president's refusal to concede as more "embarrassing" for the US than debilitating to his ability to move forward with the transition process.
Though recent polling suggests many Republican voters have been swayed by Trump's baseless claims of mass voter fraud, no amount of all caps tweets falsely claiming the election was stolen will succeed in overturning the outcome.
America's democracy is far from infallible, but the US electoral process has proven to be a relatively immovable force when up against the relentless tide of Trump's disinformation.
Trump may have eroded numerous democratic norms while president and research shows he's pushed the US in an autocratic direction, but he has not succeeded in killing American democracy itself.
There is absolutely no evidence to back-up Trump's unsubstantiated allegations that Democrats "rigged" the election against him.
The Department of Homeland Security last week released a statement calling the 2020 election the "most secure" in the nation's history.
Election officials across the country representing both major parties have fervently rejected the notion voter fraud or irregularities impacted the outcome of the election.
An international delegation invited by the Trump administration to observe the election applauded the way it was handled despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leaders across the globe, including major democracies and key US allies, have overwhelmingly accepted the results of the election and congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. This includes world leaders considered to be closely allied with Trump such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Trump campaign's many legal challenges to the election results have resulted in multiple losses in court and so far failed to alter the outcome of the election in any states.
But Trump continues to carry on as if tweeting nonstop and escalating the scale of misinformation he spreads will change the result.
"I WON THE ELECTION. VOTER FRAUD ALL OVER THE COUNTRY!" Trump falsely declared to his nearly 89 million followers on Wednesday morning. Most of Trump's post-election tweets have been along the same lines — uniformly detached from reality.
Virtually every recent tweet from Trump has been flagged by Twitter for containing misleading information, including tweets that have attacked Republican officials who contradicted the president's groundless voter fraud claims.
Even as Trump's tweets increasingly fade into irrelevance, they do not come without consequences.
Americans are continuing to contract and die from COVID-19 at an alarming rate. Trump's time spent on Twitter spreading disinformation is time lost coordinating with Biden on how to mitigate the spread and distribute a vaccine.
And a recent study conducted by political science researchers from Stanford and five other universities found that exposure to Trump's tweets that undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election "erodes trust and confidence in elections and increases belief that elections are rigged" among the president's supporters.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-tweets-increasingly-impotent-his-lies-grow-bigger-by-day-2020-11
Wah Trump's lawyers jin lao kui, kenna chastised by judges over voter fraud claims!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/11/trump-lawyers-suffer-embarrassing-rebukes-judges-over-voter-fraud-claims/
Complete List of Suspected Fraud Issues in 2020 Election Sorted by State with Recommended Actions on How to Address
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/11/complete-list-suspected-fraud-issues-2020-election-sorted-state-recommended-actions-address/
Barr authorizes U.S. attorneys to "pursue substantial allegations" of voter fraud
Attorney General William Barr has authorized U.S. attorneys across the country to "pursue substantial allegations" of voting irregularities before the 2020 election is certified, according to a memo released Monday. Barr offered no evidence of fraud stemming from last week's election in the document.
"While most allegations of purported election misconduct are of such a scale that they would not impact the outcome of an election and, thus, investigation can appropriately be deferred, that is not always the case," Barr wrote. "Such inquiries and reviews may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State."
The two-page memo provides no evidence of voter fraud, claims of which have been rampant since news outlets, including CBS News, projected that President-elect Joe Biden had won the presidential race. While Barr said he has looked into some cases, he concedes that "nothing here should be taken as any indication that the Department has concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election."
Prior to the election, Barr helped sow doubt over mail-in ballots, an alternative to in-person voting that was highly utilized this year as a way to vote safely amid the coronavirus pandemic. In September, Barr told CNN that mail-in voting is akin to "playing with fire," and could easily be subject to fraud and coercion.
The authorization from Barr provides an exception to a long-standing Department of Justice policy meant to prevent the appearance of impacting the outcome of the election. The department manual on the Prosecution of Election Offenses advises, "not to conduct overt investigations, including interviews with individual voters, until after the outcome of the election allegedly affected by the fraud is certified."
Earlier Monday, Barr was spotted on Capitol Hill having a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The department declined to comment on that meeting, and a senior Justice Department official denied that any lawmakers, nor anyone from the White House, including the president, asked Barr to send out this authorization.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-barr-authorizes-attorneys-pursue-voter-fraud-election/
Greg Gutfield's recent monologue was fucking brilliant!
Hang in there Mr Trump, the truth shall prevail!
Coup d’etat,Trump Sets Trap To Expose It All, Patriots Know The Playbook
You one of them Trumptards @50¢ Coin ? Choose your words carefully should you decide to respond, coz da queen wields the ban hammer here.
Trump has lost. Congratulations to Biden on becoming the 46th POTUS.
Trump will fight election fraud to the death!
Biden Takes Lead in Pennsylvania, on Verge of Presidency
Democrat Joe Biden took the lead in key battleground state Pennsylvania on Friday, where a victory for the former vice president would push him past the threshold of electoral votes needed to win the White House, official data showed.
More ballots are yet to be counted, but shortly before 1400 GMT, Biden had moved ahead of incumbent President Donald Trump by more than 5,500 votes, according to official provisional results from the state government.
Biden currently has at least 253 electoral votes. The magic number is 270. If he wins Pennsylvania -- a state won by Trump in 2016 -- and its 20 electoral votes, he would pass that threshold.
U.S. networks have said so far the race is still too close to call.
Biden is also currently in the lead in key states Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. Fox News and the Associated Press have already called Arizona in Biden's favor, but other U.S. media have said the race is still too close to call.
Trump has amassed 214 electoral votes so far, with his path to victory narrowing. The Republican incumbent has made unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/276500-biden-takes-lead-in-pennsylvania-on-verge-of-presidency
Trump may run in 2024 if he loses this year, says former adviser
According to a senior member of Trump’s 2016 transition team, the president would be in a ‘good position to run again’ – and there is nothing in the rules to say he can’t.
As Joe Biden’s lead gets stronger in the race for the White House, Donald Trump’s former campaign adviser has hinted that the president may return to fight for the oval office again in 2024.
Speaking to the BBC’s Radio 4 programme Today, the former communications director for the Trump transition team Bryan Lanza said he is in a good position to “run again four years from now”.
Mr Lanza added that if Mr Trump runs again “he will be younger than Joe Biden than his current bid for the presidency, so age isn’t the issue".
'Biden will have the opportunity to guide this country out of Covid, and we’ll see what his successes and failures are. And there’s nobody in the Republican party that can challenge President Trump in the primaries,” Mr Lanza said.
He added that if Mr Trump was to “lose a very tight election” he can “make a strong case to run again".
"And the Republicans would step aside to let it happen,” he added.
If what Mr Lanza says is true, it confirms the point that even if the first presidency of Donald Trump is cut short, his political career is set to continue.
Although the US constitution doesn’t allow any president to serve more than two terms, it doesn’t say anything about those two terms having to be consecutive.
Mr Lanza was also questioned on Mr Trump’s attempts to undermine the electoral process by raising doubts over the ongoing counting of votes. Mr Lanza responded: “I don’t think it’s different from what the Democrats did when they told Americans that Russians were involved in Donald Trump’s election four years ago.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/trump-2024-election-bryan-lanza-b1613613.html
Looks like Georgia could go either way....
Trump sues in 3 states, laying ground for contesting outcome
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, laying the groundwork for contesting battleground states as he slipped behind Democrat Joe Biden in the hunt for the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.
The new filings, joining existing Republican legal challenges in Pennsylvania and Nevada, demand better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, and raise absentee ballot concerns, the campaign said. However, at one Michigan location in question The Associated Press observed poll watchers from both sides monitoring on Wednesday.
The AP called Michigan for Democrat Joe Biden on Wednesday. Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia are undecided.
The Trump campaign also is seeking to intervene in a Pennsylvania case at the Supreme Court that deals with whether ballots received up to three days after the election can be counted, deputy campaign manager Justin Clark said.
The actions reveal an emerging legal strategy that the president had signaled for weeks, namely that he would attack the integrity of the voting process in states where the result could mean his defeat.
His campaign also announced that it would ask for a recount in Wisconsin, a state the AP called for Biden on Wednesday afternoon. Campaign manager Bill Stepien cited “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties,” without providing specifics.
Biden said Wednesday the count should continue in all states, adding, “No one’s going to take our democracy away from us — not now, not ever.”
Campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said legal challenges were not the behavior of a winning campaign.
“What makes these charades especially pathetic is that while Trump is demanding recounts in places he has already lost, he’s simultaneously engaged in fruitless attempts to halt the counting of votes in other states in which he’s on the road to defeat,” Bates said in a statement.
Election officials continued to count votes across the country, the normal process on the day following voting. Unlike in previous years, states were contending with an avalanche of mail ballots driven by fears of voting in person during a pandemic. At least 103 million people voted early, either by mail or in-person, representing 74% of the total votes cast in the 2016 presidential election.
Every election, results reported on election night are unofficial and the counting of ballots extends past Election Day. Mail ballots normally take more time to verify and count. This year, because of the large numbers of mail ballots and a close race, results were expected to take longer.
The Trump campaign said it is calling for a temporary halt in the counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania until it is given “meaningful” access in numerous locations and allowed to review ballots that already have been opened and processed.
The AP’s Michigan call for Biden came after the suit was filed. The president is ahead in Pennsylvania but his margin is shrinking as more mailed ballots are counted.
There have been no reports of fraud or any type of ballot concerns out of Pennsylvania. The state had 3.1 million mail-in ballots that take time to count and an order allows them to be received and counted up until Friday if they are postmarked by Nov. 3.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a CNN interview the lawsuit was “more a political document than a legal document.”
“There is transparency in this process. The counting has been going on. There are observers observing this counting, and the counting will continue,” he said.
The Michigan lawsuit claims Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, was allowing absentee ballots to be counted without teams of bipartisan observers as well as challengers. She’s accused of undermining the “constitutional right of all Michigan voters ... to participate in fair and lawful elections.” Michigan Democrats said the suit was a longshot.
Poll watchers from both sides were plentiful Wednesday at one major polling place in question — the TCF Center in Detroit, The Associated Press observed. They checked in at a table near the entrance to the convention center’s Hall E and strolled among the tables where ballot processing was taking place. In some cases, they arrived en masse and huddled together for a group discussion before fanning out to the floor. Uniformed Detroit police officers were on hand to make sure everyone was behaving.
Mark Brewer, a former state Democratic chairman who said he was observing the Detroit vote counting as a volunteer lawyer, said he had been at the TCF arena all day and had talked with others who had been there the past couple of days. He said Republicans had not been denied access.
“This is the best absentee ballot counting operation that Detroit has ever had. They are counting ballots very efficiently, despite the obstructing tactics of the Republicans.”
GOP lawyers had already launched legal challenges involving absentee votes in Pennsylvania and Nevada, contesting local decisions that could take on national significance in the close election.
In one appeal to a Pennsylvania appellate court, the Trump campaign complained that one of its representatives was prevented from seeing the writing on mail-in ballots that were being opened and processed in Philadelphia. A judge in Philadelphia dismissed it, saying that poll observers are directed to observe, not audit.
The Georgia lawsuit filed in Chatham County essentially asks a judge to ensure the state laws are being followed on absentee ballots. Campaign officials said they were considering peppering a dozen other counties around the state with similar claims around absentee ballots.
Trump, addressing supporters at the White House early Wednesday, talked about taking the undecided race to the Supreme Court. Though it was unclear what he meant, his comments evoked a reprise of the court’s intervention in the 2000 presidential election that ended with a decision effectively handing the presidency to George W. Bush.
But there are important differences from 2000 and they already were on display. In 2000, Republican-controlled Florida was the critical state and Bush clung to a small lead. Democrat Al Gore asked for a recount and the Supreme Court stopped it.
To some election law experts, calling for the Supreme Court to intervene now seemed premature, if not rash.
A case would have to come to the court from a state in which the outcome would determine the election’s winner, Richard Hasen, a University of California, Irvine, law professor, wrote on the Election Law blog. The difference between the candidates’ vote totals would have to be smaller than the ballots at stake in the lawsuit
“As of this moment (though things can change) it does not appear that either condition will be met,” Hasen wrote.
Ohio State University election law professor Edward Foley wrote on Twitter Wednesday: “The valid votes will be counted. (The Supreme Court) would be involved only if there were votes of questionable validity that would make a difference, which might not be the case. The rule of law will determine the official winner of the popular vote in each state. Let the rule of law work.”
Biden campaign attorney Bob Bauer said if Trump goes to the high court, “he will be in for one of the most embarrassing defeats a president has ever suffered by the highest court in the land.”
The justices could decide to step into the dispute over the three-day extension for absentee ballots if they prove crucial to the outcome in Pennsylvania.
Even a small number of contested votes could matter if a state determines the winner of the election and the gap between Trump and Biden is small.
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-seeks-voting-stop-25762f69b27dfbccc4fd8077fb5fdc91
Nah don't bet on it. Biden is just 6 electoral votes away from winning the presidency, while Trump needs 56 more.
TRUMP HAS WON REELECTION AS EXPECTED!!!!!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!!! GO SUCK DICK SLEEPY JOE!!!!!!!!
Trump is rapidly closing the gap, senate control on the other hand is still pretty much a toss-up.
Kayleigh McEnany for president coz she is chiobu!
And here we go. MAGA!
Trump is leading in Michigan, zhun boh????
"I've been telling you we're in the fight of our lives. We may not be in uniform carrying muskets, but we are on a battlefield where the fight between good and evil, and truth and lies unfolds...The choice in 72 hours is yours." — Judge Jeanine Pirro
Donald Trump deserves a second term
(CNN) The case for President Donald Trump is simple: He made the economy work for so many Americans, kept us out of new and costly wars and even brokered peace deals in the Middle East.
He believes our taxes should be lower, not higher -- and signed into law sweeping tax relief for businesses and the vast majority of federal income tax filers. He thinks government shouldn't overregulate, rolling back numerous Obama-era overreaches, while working with his Republican allies in Congress.
And despite his relative dovishness, he has invested in our military and in the men and women who wear the uniform. As a result, our enemies know we are more than capable of finishing them. Just ask the former leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or former Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Beyond that, Trump stands up against the worst impulses of the American left and the radicals who seek to banish from the public square those who dare to think differently. Heck, even the Girl Scouts deleted a tweet congratulating Amy Coney Barrett on her elevation to the Supreme Court because of pressure from the liberal Twitter mob. Is that the kind of American we want, where unhinged progressives can shut down even a simple tweet of congrats to an accomplished female judge? Whatever problems I have with him -- and there are more than a few -- Trump's willingness to stand up to this kind of mob impresses the hell out of me. Standing by Justice Brett Kavanaugh during a tough confirmation fight, for instance, was a particularly proud moment. Trump is not a perfect person. His personal history, and the way he speaks to and about people can be atrocious. But Trump did become the first sitting president to attend the March for Life Rally this year, where he voiced his unwavering support for "unborn children," who he said "never had a stronger defender in the White House." Whether his views on abortion are pure or transactional, I care not. He stands up for the unborn who can't stand up for themselves -- and has appointed judges, like Barrett, who will hopefully do the same. Elections are choices. Pro-life or pro-choice. Higher taxes or lower taxes. Support free speech or coddle censorship. No politician ever satisfies me fully, but Trump comes far closer than Joe Biden ever could. There's room for Trump to improve, but in no way does Biden represent a step in a policy direction that I can support as a conservative. He fails the test on virtually every issue I care about, and I expect the United States would move radically left on his watch, especially on abortion.
And for all of the President's missteps, including his rhetorical failures in dealing with coronavirus, this vote is about the next four years. We will likely have a vaccine soon (and in large part thanks to Trump's leadership on Operation Warp Speed), and we will defeat this virus no matter who wins.
So, who can lead us through that day and beyond, restoring the American economy and stopping the radicals from tearing up the American political institutions they find inconvenient?
Donald J. Trump.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/30/opinions/donald-trump-deserves-second-term-jennings/index.html
More than a third of registered voters have already voted
(CNN) More than a third of registered voters -- over 75 million Americans -- have already voted with six days left until Election Day, an unprecedented shift driven by the coronavirus pandemic and interest in the presidential race.
As of Wednesday evening, about 36% of registered voters have already cast ballots ahead of November 3, according to a survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, DC, by CNN, Edison Research and Catalist.
The top three states with the highest percentage of registered voters who have already cast ballots are Montana, Washington state, Colorado and Oregon -- all have extensive mail-in balloting this year.
Montana leads all states with about 56% of registered voters already having cast ballots. The state is allowing counties to conduct their elections entirely by mail if they choose.
Washington follows, where about 53% of registered voters have already cast ballots already returned, and Colorado and Oregon are just behind at 52% each.
In an additional 14 states, at least 40% of registered voters have also cast ballots. Among CNN's most competitively ranked states -- besides Colorado -- North Carolina (roughly 50%), Georgia, Texas and Florida (all at 48%) are seeing the highest turnout as a share of registered voters so far.
New Hampshire (18%) and Pennsylvania (22%) are the key states that have seen the smallest share of voters cast ballots already. Both states are allowing any voter to vote by mail for the first time this year, but neither has a tradition of extensive pre-election voting.
More than a third of all registered voters have already cast their ballots
The top three states with the highest percentage of registered voters who have already cast ballots all have extensive mail-balloting this year – Montana, Washington state, Colorado and Oregon. At least 40% of registered voters have also cast ballots in an additional 14 states.
Some states may have different rules for determining which voters are eligible to cast ballots for the general election, and many states also allow for same-day registration on Election Day. It's not clear how much of the record-breaking early vote comes from people who would have voted on Election Day and how much represents additional turnout this year.
The 75.8 million ballots cast so far in the 2020 election also represents about 56% of the more than 136.5 million total ballots cast for president in 2016.
Nearly half or more of registered voters in 15 states have already cast ballots
Eight of the top 15 states for voter turnout so far are among CNN's most competitively-ranked states, including North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin. Competitive states are shaded red.
Twenty-five states and Washington, DC, have also crossed their halfway marks for total 2016 ballots cast, including 10 of the 16 key states -- Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa and Maine.
Pre-Election Day voting is skyrocketing nationwide amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and states are reporting record-breaking turnout as voters are energized to vote by mail or early in person before November.
On Sunday, the nation surpassed the 58.3 million total pre-election votes cast in 2016. Forty-two states and DC have now exceeded their pre-election voting levels from 2016.
Some data included is provided by Catalist, a company that provides data, analytics and other services to Democrats, academics and nonprofit issue-advocacy organizations.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/28/politics/early-voting-registered-voters-election-2020/index.html
It’s neck-and-neck, with President Trump just barely ahead in Rasmussen Reports’ first daily White House Watch survey.
The latest national telephone and online survey finds Trump edging Democrat Joe Biden 48% to 47% among Likely U.S. Voters. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, while two percent (2%) remain undecided.
Last Wednesday, Biden held a 49% to 46% lead, but the race has been tightening since early in the month. This is the first time Trump has been ahead since mid-September.
Rasmussen Reports has been releasing White House Watch weekly on Wednesdays since the beginning of July. But starting today, White House Watch will be posted daily at 9:30 am Eastern.
Trump earns 84% support among Republicans. Biden has 77% of the Democrat vote and leads by seven among voters not affiliated with either major party.
The survey of 1,500 Likely Voters was conducted October 21-22 and 25, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2020/white_house_watch_oct27
SHOCKING!!!!!! Biden Daughter’s Diary Details ‘Not Appropriate’ Showers With Joe As Child!!!!!
National File has obtained what a whistleblower has identified as a copy of the complete diary of Ashley Blazer Biden, the 39-year-old daughter of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, dating from during the 2020 presidential campaign. National File also knows the reported precise location of the physical diary, and has been told by a whistleblower that there exists an audio recording of Ashley Biden admitting this is her diary.
In the diary, which our source says belongs to the former vice president’s daughter, the author writes of her struggle with drug abuse. Ashley Biden’s struggle with drugs was widely publicized in 2009.
According to our source, the diary also details Ashley Biden’s unhealthy relationship with sex, and the “probably not appropriate” showers she shared as a young girl with her father, Joe Biden.
After declaring she was “here for sexual trauma” in the previous entry, on page 23 of the diary, dated January 30, 2019, the author explores the topic of sexual abuse and how it may have led to her overactive sex drive. “I’ve had one of my hardest days – my sex drive is out of f**king control. Like literally, I am in heat,” wrote the author.
“I know it’s not the healthiest way to deal with things but @ least it’s better than drugs,” she wrote, adding that she thought she needed “sex to feel good.”
The author then explored why she felt this need to have sex, saying she believes she was molested as a child.
“Was I molested. I think so – I can’t remember specifics but I do remember trauma,” wrote the author, before listing a series of potential incidents, one of which may have included Ashley Biden’s cousin Caroline Biden, as the author says she remembers “being somewhat sexualized” alongside a person named “Caroline.”
The author then wrote that she remembers “showers with my dad” that were “probably not appropriate.”
On page 83, in an entry dated July 22, 2019, the author wrote that she received a phone call from her father, Joe Biden according to our source, who cried on the phone while expressing his worry for her in the days leading up to July 30-31 Democratic Primary Debate.
“My dad cried on the phone saying he has the debate in a week and ‘Now has to worry about [the author],'” she wrote. “And he cried. Maybe he knows what he is doing and it’s worked but my feelings of guilt often are overwhelming.”
In at least two entries, the author explicitly identifies herself as Ashley Blazer Biden.
National File obtained this document from a whistleblower who was concerned the media organization that employs him would not publish this potential critical story in the final 10 days before the 2020 presidential election. National File’s whistleblower also has a recording of Ashley Biden admitting the diary is hers, and employed a handwriting expert who verified the pages were all written by Ashley. National File has in its posession a recording of this whistleblower detailing the work his media outlet did in preparation of releasing these documents. In the recording, the whistleblower explains that the media organization he works for chose not to release the documents after receiving pressure from a competing media organization.
This diary surfaces after Hunter Biden, the son of the Democrat presidential candidate, Joe Biden, has been exposed as having “underage obsessions” and corrupt business dealings as evidenced by emails and images provided by the New York Post and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
National File, as the media organization that published reports about the Pelosi family’s Ukraine dealings and the potentially illegal affairs of Democrat Senate candidate Cal Cunningham, believes the public has a right to read these entries that were obtained for National File by Patrick Howley, the reporter who broke the Veterans Affairs scandal, and the Ralph Northam racist yearbook photo.
Last year Ashley Biden was profiled by The List, which claimed that her “transformation is turning heads.” She was credited as working as a “social worker, activist, and entrepreneur.”
https://nationalfile.com/exclusive-source-biden-daughters-diary-details-not-appropriate-showers-with-joe-as-child/
Trump trailing slightly behind in national poll:
https://twitter.com/PpollingNumbers/status/1318540775228137472
Looks like Biden's junkie son's fucked up lifestyle and antics being made public will almost surely secure the implosion of his presidential aspirations.
Explosive emails appear to show that VP Biden met with Burisma exec Vadym Pozharskyi while on a trip to the US, reports the New York Post.
A spokesperson for Joe Biden denied any such meeting in a statement on Wednesday.
The emails come from a trove of files found on a damaged MacBook Pro which had been dropped off at a repair shop in Biden's home state of Delaware.
Among the files is reportedly a 12-minute video of Hunter engaging in a sex act with an unidentified woman, according to The Post.
He's is apparently seen smoking crack in the video.
The 50-year-old has been open about his struggles with addiction.
The laptop was also said to have other files, including sexually explicit pictures.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is now investigating the trove of documents, The Post reported.
According to the outlet, the senate is working with the repairman to verify the documents.
Hunter joined the Burisma board in 2014 on a salary reportedly up to $50,000-a-month, despite having no prior experience.
Emails published The Post reveal Pozharskyi thanked Hunter for introducing him to his dad in a message sent on April 17, 2015.
It reads: "Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together.
"It’s realty [sic] an honor and pleasure."
And in another email from May 2014, Pozharskyi asks Hunter for "advice on how you could use your influence" on behalf of Burisma.
Biden had claimed he had "never spoken" to Hunter about his overseas business dealings - something which the emails appear to refute.
FBI agents seized the computer and hard drive last December after the shop owner alerted the feds - and he also gave a copy of the files to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello.
The New York Post reports ex-Trump advisor Steve Bannon alerted the newspaper of the existence of the hard drive, and Trump ally Giuliani provided a copy of the files on Sunday.
Trump claims Hunter's job was instrumental in Biden pressuring the Ukrainian government into firing prosecutors Viktor Shokin who he claims was investigating Burisma.
The allegations are disputed - with officials claiming Shokin was actually fired for failing to investigation corruption.
Ukrainian prosecutors also said earlier this year there was no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Hunter Biden.
In a statement on Wednesday, Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates hit back at allegations detailed in The Post.
"Investigations by the press, during impeachment, and even by two Republican-led Senate committees whose work was decried as 'not legitimate' and political by a GOP colleague have all reached the same conclusion: that Joe Biden carried out official U.S. policy toward Ukraine and engaged in no wrongdoing," Bates said.
"Trump administration officials have attested to these facts under oath.
Bates added: "Moreover, we have reviewed Joe Biden's official schedules from the time and no meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place.
SMOKING GUN?
But a controversial report by Senate Republicans released last year argued Hunter's role was "problematic" and interfered with "efficient execution of policy with respect to Ukraine".
Shokin was fired less than eight months after Biden appears to have met with Pozharskyi.
The VP had pressured the Ukrainian government by threatening to withhold a $1billion US loan guarantee unless the prosecutor general was removed.
Trump was subject to impeachment over his attempt to pressure Ukraine into digging up damaging information on Biden and Hunter.
Biden bragged in 2018: "I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,
"Well, son of a bitch. He got fired."
He has however always insisted that the US wanted Shokin removed over corruption concerns, which were shared by the European Union.
Shokin meanwhile has claimed he had made “specific plans” to investigate Burisma that “included interrogations and other crime-investigation procedures into all members of the executive board, including Hunter Biden".
Further emails show Pozharskyi attempting to get Hunter to use his political leverage to help the company and stop "what we consider to be politically motivated actions".
Biden has denied any wrongdoing or conflict of interest over his son's involvement in Burisma.
Trump went after Hunter during the chaotic first presidential debate, with Biden claiming the allegations had been "totally, thoroughly discredited".
The President said: "Hunter got thrown out of the military. He was thrown out dishonorably discharged for cocaine use. And he didn’t have a job until you became vice president.
"Once you became vice president he made a fortune in Ukraine, in China, in Moscow and various other places. He made a fortune and he didn’t have a job."
Biden has always vigorously defended his son, including during a town hall discussion where he called a man a "damn liar" - before berating him as "fat" and challenging him to "do push ups".
The Delaware US Attorney’s Office said it could not "confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation" over the seizure of the laptop.
Hunter's lawyer George R. Mesires attacked Giuliani for "pushing widely discredited conspiracy theories about the Biden family, openly relying on actors tied to Russian intelligence".
The Sun Online has contacted Joe Biden's campaign for comment on the allegations.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/1629764/joe-biden-hunter-emails-ukraine-smoking-gun-video/
Biden Beats Trump in Ratings Battle of the Network Town Halls
Nielsen figures showed Joseph R. Biden Jr. drawing 15.1 million viewers, against 13.5 million for President Trump, a ratings obsessive.
Television ratings matter to President Trump. So these numbers may sting.
In a victory that few in the TV and political arenas predicted, Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s town hall-style forum on ABC on Thursday night drew a larger audience than President Trump’s competing event on NBC, according to Nielsen.
Mr. Biden’s town-hall meeting, which aired on a single network, was seen by an average of 15.1 million viewers, compared with 13.5 million for Mr. Trump even though the president monopolized three networks — NBC, MSNBC and CNBC — simultaneously.
The town halls were vastly different television spectacles, befitting their respective protagonists. For an hour on NBC, Mr. Trump was darting and defiant as the “Today” host Savannah Guthrie pressed him to denounce QAnon and white supremacy (Mr. Trump hesitated on both) and clear up questions about his medical condition.
On ABC, Mr. Biden and the moderator George Stephanopoulos engaged in a sober 90-minute policy discussion more akin to a PBS telecast. (Politico wrote that flipping back and forth between the two was like “going from Bob Ross to ‘WrestleMania’.”)
NBC had drawn scorn for scheduling its event with Mr. Trump at the same time as Mr. Biden’s previously announced ABC forum. Executives at NBC News said it was a matter of fairness, saying they wanted the same conditions offered to Mr. Biden at his NBC town hall on Oct. 5. Critics, including the MSNBC star Rachel Maddow, suggested that NBC had erred in allowing Mr. Trump to appear at the same time as Mr. Biden.
It appears that Mr. Biden did not need to worry. And the fact that the Democrat outdrew his voluble Republican rival is likely to inspire dozens of hot takes about whether, after four seasons, Americans are simply growing bored with The Trump Show.
Viewership for Mr. Biden’s event, which began at 8 p.m., rose as the night continued, surging to an average audience of 16.7 million in the final 30 minutes after Mr. Trump and NBC’s forum had gone off the air, according to Nielsen. (Mr. Biden’s viewership bested Mr. Trump even without the assist from his extra half-hour).
The numbers were a bracing outcome for the president, whose aides had been promising a decisive ratings win over his Democratic rival. “We’re going to have a much bigger audience than Joe for next Thursday,” Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Mr. Trump’s campaign, told Fox News last week.
More at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/business/media/biden-trump-town-hall-ratings.html
Here's an analysis of the debate by a smart Ah Tiong:
Yeppers Trump had Biden and his son for breakfast this morning.
Can't wait for tomorrow's first debate between the two heh.
OH FUCK OFF SLEEPY JOE!!!!!!