Judge Slams Giuliani for Spewing Election Lies Outside Courthouse
Even Giuliani’s own lawyer stated on Tuesday that his client “likes to talk a lot, unfortunately.”
A federal judge skewered Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday, a day after he went on a tirade outside court, repeating the same lies about the 2020 election that got him sued by a pair of Georgia poll workers in the first place.
Giuliani was grilled by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who said his post-court comments the evening prior “could support another defamation claim.”
Howell found Giuliani liable in August for lying about the poll workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, by accusing them of manipulating ballots during the 2020 election. Outside the Washington, D.C., courthouse on Monday, Giuliani insisted he still stands by those baseless claims that just might bankrupt him entirely.
“They were engaging in changing votes,” Giuliani said of Moss and Freeman. “When I testify, the whole story will be definitively clear that what I said was true, and that, whatever happened to them—which is unfortunate about other people overreacting—everything I said about them is true.”
He added that he doesn’t regret pushing out the women’s names and claims that they were committing election fraud, saying, “I told the truth. They were engaged in changing votes.”
In court Tuesday, the second day of a jury trial to determine how many millions Giuliani will owe Freeman and Moss in damages, Howell warned Giuliani that he risks bringing further liability upon himself if he repeats those same lies when he testifies.
Before Moss gave heart-wrenching testimony about her personal struggles since Giuliani targeted her, like fearing she’d be attacked and left “dying in the street” as she walked to work, Howell pressed Giuliani’s attorney, Joe Sibley, for answers regarding Giuliani’s behavior.
“Was Mr. Giuliani just playing for the cameras?” Howell asked Sibley at the start of the second day of the trial.
Sibley conceded that Giuliani’s comments were unfortunate, adding that he “can’t control everything he does,” especially outside the courtroom. Later Tuesday, Sibley said in court, “My client, as you saw last night, likes to talk a lot, unfortunately.”
In his opening statements Monday, Sibley insisted that Giuliani was aware he’d done wrong and that the poll workers were “harmed,” but he insisted their harassment, which included death threats and protesters showing up at their front doors, wasn’t the exclusive fault of Giuliani.
“They didn’t deserve what happened to them,” he said Monday. “But what happened to them happened because of a controversy involving a lot of people.”
Sibley’s opening statement was partially contradicted by Giuliani hours later, however, something the defense attorney appeared displeased over.
“I’m not sure how it’s reconcilable,” Sibley acknowledged, referencing Giuliani’s tirade.
Sibley suggested the 79-year-old’s advanced age may play a factor in him acting unhinged. In addition to his post-court outburst, reports revealed that Giuliani remained seated at one point Monday when the courtroom deputy asked everyone to rise for the judge ahead of a break.
“This has taken a bit of a toll on him. He’s almost 80 years old,” Sibley said, adding, “There are health concerns for Mr. Giuliani.”
Howell shot back that she hadn’t seen evidence that Giuliani was struggling to pay attention in court, dismissing that his age was making him act irrationally. She did suggest that she fears Giuliani may act out when asked to follow the court’s instructions, particularly when he testifies later this week.
Has there been a bigger fall in popular opinion of a public figure than that of Ghouliani? He was a beloved figure. A 9/11 poster child for America. Now he’s a decrepit, melty haired, admitted liar, treasonous pile of human waste. He lashed his saddle to the donny horse and rode it over the cliff of insanity and grift. Basically turning himself into a walking punchline.
I recently rewatched The Sopranos and there was a line that jumped out at me that Carmela said: "When they say, John Gotti, you say Rudolph Giuliani!" Didn't really age well.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
So many pressing issues confronting congress. So what did Republicans decide was so important that they spent much of their day before their holiday break on? Got Milk?! And let's not forget how much Santa needs milk!
Got Time for Milk? An Overwhelmed House, Somehow, Does.
With aid to Ukraine and Israel in limbo, a border deal elusive and a mountain of spending legislation left undone, the House turned its attention to whole milk in schools.
With one day to go until Congress plans to call it quits for the year and members head home for the holidays, the House got down to pressing business on Wednesday, using its precious remaining time to pass legislation to bring whole milk back to America’s school cafeterias.
An emergency aid package to fund the wars in Ukraine and Israel hung in limbo, stymied by a Republican filibuster in the Senate. Bipartisan talks on how to tackle a surge of migration at the U.S. border with Mexico showed no sign of yielding a breakthrough. And lawmakers were facing a daunting time crunch to act on a dozen federal spending measures when they return after New Year’s Day, at which point they will have just eight working days to avoid a partial government shutdown.
But on Wednesday in the Republican-controlled House, which has reached new heights of dysfunction and paralysis this year, none of that was on the agenda. Instead, sandwiched between a vote to formally authorize a months-old impeachment inquiry against President Biden and a resolution condemning university presidents for their testimony about addressing antisemitism, the House churned out arguments for and against the merits of full-fat dairy for children.
“I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, bicameral and utterly fantastic bill,” said Representative Lloyd K. Smucker, Republican of Pennsylvania. “And let’s not skim over the facts here: Whole milk is truly the cream of the crop in delivering these key vitamins and nutrients to growing children.”
The measure, which would undo a ban on high-fat milk in schools that has been in place for over a decade, passed 330 to 99.
Recent research largely supports the thrust of the bill. But the wholesome-sounding measure also had a sharp political subtext, like most legislation these days.
In 2010, as Michelle Obama, then the first lady, agitated for policy changes to combat childhood obesity, nutrition rules for schools participating in the federally assisted meal program were updated to include a ban on whole milk amid health guidance that children should avoid it. Republicans denounced the changes then and, joined by the milk lobby and dairy-producing states, waited for an opportunity to reverse them.
So on Wednesday on the House floor, their ardor for the nutritional virtue of whole milk could scarcely be contained. Leading the charge was Representative Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican who is the chairwoman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, who kicked off the debate by arguing that denying children full-fat milk was tantamount to ruining Christmas.
“The nutrients in whole milk, like protein, calcium and vitamin D, provide the fuel Santa needs to travel the whole globe in one night,” Ms. Foxx said. “Whole milk is the unsung hero of his Christmas journey.”
“If whole milk is a good option to fuel Santa’s extraordinary Christmas Eve journey, then why isn’t it an option for American schoolchildren in their lunchrooms?” Ms. Foxx demanded, posing the question to lawmakers arguing to keep the ban.
Unamused by the puns and resolute in his opposition, Representative Robert C. Scott of Virginia, the top Democrat on the education panel, argued that whole milk was less healthy than the lower-fat alternatives.
“Whole milk contains far more saturated fat, cholesterol and calories than fat free and low fat milk,” he said.
Other lawmakers determined to keep red-capped single-serve bottles of milk out of schools argued that what Congress really should be doing was promoting nondairy alternatives.
“Soy gives the equivalent of the nutritional values as whole milk,” said Representative Troy Carter, Democrat of Louisiana.
Ms. Foxx replied that there was no issue with dairy alternatives in schools — just don’t call it milk.
“We’re not excluding soy drink,” Ms. Foxx declared. “It is not milk. It is a plant-based food. It isn’t milk, so you can’t call it soy milk. You can call it soy drink.”
The debate inspired some lawmakers to reminisce about milk drinking in their own families. Representative Mary Miller, Republican of Illinois, said full-fat milk had done her children’s bodies good.
“I raised my seven children on whole-fat milk, and they’re all within normal weight,” she said.
The debate provided a few moments of levity, including a number of groans and eye rolls in response to lawmakers really milking their floor time.
But its timing ahead of a four-week break, given the long list of unfinished business Congress is about to leave behind, was too much for some lawmakers.
Representative Seth Moulton, Democrat of Massachusetts, posted an image on social media of a milk carton featuring a picture of Speaker Mike Johnson stamped “Missing in Action.”
“Instead of providing aid to our allies or funding the government, today Congress voted on whether or not to [checks notes] Deregulate milk?” Mr. Moulton wrote, alongside cow and cowboy emojis. “Like, sure, but can @SpeakerJohnson please let us vote on important stuff too?”
Just heard part of a story on MSNBC about a highly classified folder of intel on Russia going missing under Trump… Glad he’s not in bed with Putin. Of course Trump or one of his minions took it to give Moscow. How anybody thinks they are not traitors is beyond me.
I don’t know what’s true or not on that front, but I’ve always said that Trump’s relationship with Putin was the most damning thing about him so I won’t be remotely surprised if it’s true.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
Anybody else notice that there was practically no celebration of the formal impeachment inquiry by the board’s usual GOPer suspects? They know it’s pure BS from jump.
You won’t be seeing the usual suspects here arguing his innocence until trump gives them their marching orders on this missing top secret folder they stole from US.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
Just heard part of a story on MSNBC about a highly classified folder of intel on Russia going missing under Trump… Glad he’s not in bed with Putin. Of course Trump or one of his minions took it to give Moscow. How anybody thinks they are not traitors is beyond me.
Just a guess on my part, but I bet Putin has that file. Either that or Trump has it in his sock drawer!
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Just heard part of a story on MSNBC about a highly classified folder of intel on Russia going missing under Trump… Glad he’s not in bed with Putin. Of course Trump or one of his minions took it to give Moscow. How anybody thinks they are not traitors is beyond me.
Just a guess on my part, but I bet Putin has that file. Either that or Trump has it in his sock drawer!
Trump is living in Putin’s sock drawer.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
Hope this is where to post this----I guess Cheney is just another RINO- ""In our nation's 246-year history, there has never been an individual who was a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He is a coward. A real man wouldn't lie to his supporters. He lost his election and he lost big. I know it, he knows it, and deep down, I think most Republicans know it," Cheney said."
I just wish more real Republicans could grow a pair and sent this guy to the ash heap of history.
Can't wait to see him hocking- buy my prisoner outfit picture for only $99, buy five and I'll eat diner with you at Mickey D's when I get out of prison.
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
Since it seems you can find something any rando does and act like it represents an entire political party like Eve does, here's one for you......
A white couple who burned a cross in their yard facing Black neighbors’ home are investigated by FBI
The FBI is investigating a white South Carolina couple for racial discrimination after they set a cross on fire in their yard last month facing toward their Black neighbors’ home.
Federal civil rights investigators searched the white couple’s home in Conway on Wednesday, according to FBI spokesperson Kevin Wheeler. The retired Black couple also recorded video of the cross being burned on Thanksgiving weekend and described days of repeated threats from their neighbors. The next week, Worden Evander Butler, 28, and Alexis Paige Hartnett, 27, were arrested on state charges of harassment and later released on bond.
Cross burnings in the U.S. are “symbols of hate” that are “inextricably intertwined with the history of the Ku Klux Klan,” according to a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision written by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The justices ruled that the First Amendment allows bans on cross burnings only when they are intended to intimidate because the action “is a particularly virulent form of intimidation.”
The cross wasn’t on fire by the time local police officers arrived, but was still “facing and in full view of the victims’ home,” according to a Horry County Police Department report. Shawn and Monica Williams, the Black neighbors, told WMBF-TV that the burning cross was about 8 feet (2.4 meters) from their fence. They said they’re reconsidering their decision to move to the neighborhood two years ago in light of this experience.
“So now, what are we to do? Still live next to a cross-burning racist who’s threatened to cause us bodily harm?” Monica Williams told the Myrtle Beach-area broadcaster.
The Associated Press did not immediately receive responses to messages seeking comment Wednesday from a publicly available email address for Butler and a Facebook account for Hartnett. AP also called several phone numbers listed for Butler and Hartnett and received no response.
One of the white defendants was heard on police body camera footage repeatedly using a racial slur toward the Black couple, according to the police report. Butler also shared the Black couple’s address on Facebook, and posted that he was “summoning the devil’s army” and “about to make them pay,” the report said. According to an arrest warrant, Hartnett also threatened to hurt the couple.
South Carolina is one of two states in the country that does not impose additional penalties for hate crimes committed because of a victim’s race or other aspects of their identity. Monica Williams told the AP on Wednesday she hopes the episode highlights the need for hate crimes laws. In the meantime, she and her husband will “patiently wait for justice to be served.”
“The laws are needed to protect everyone against any form of hate,” she said.
The Ku Klux Klan began using “cross-lightings” in the early 20th century as part of the hate group’s rituals and as an intimidating act of terror, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The image is so synonymous with racist ideologies that tattoos of burning crosses behind klansmen are found among European white supremacists, the ADL notes.
Since it seems these days the threshold of what one person does equals the entirety of what a party stands for, this must be what Republicans stand for. Am I right?
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
And you know, since their children are fair game too.......
US senator’s son faces new charges in crash that killed North Dakota sheriff’s deputy
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer’s 42-year-old son is facing additional charges in connection with the pursuit and crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy this month.
Ian Cramer, who is in jail, is now also accused of theft, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment for allegedly taking a family vehicle and driving through a closed garage door of a Bismarck hospital’s ambulance bay. The new charges were filed Tuesday.
He was previously charged in Mercer County with homicide, reckless endangerment, preventing arrest and drug possession, among other counts, in connection with the Dec. 6 pursuit and crash. A state district court judge set a $500,000 cash bond on those charges, and Cramer is set for a Feb. 7 preliminary hearing on them.
Cramer’s attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment on the new charges. He has not entered any pleas yet.
Charging documents say Ian Cramer’s mother was taking him to the police department to deal with a traffic citation when his “actions and comments became concerning enough” that she took him to an emergency room. After she left the vehicle, he got into the driver’s seat and reversed the Chevrolet Tahoe through the ambulance bay’s garage door at high speed, according to court documents.
Authorities say he later fled from deputies who spotted him in Hazen, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Bismarck.
Cramer hit speeds of 100 mph (160 kph) and kept going even after a spiked device flattened two tires, according to court documents. More spikes were set up, and he swerved and crashed head-on into Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin ’s squad car, launching him about 100 feet (30 meters) and killing him, authorities said.
Sen. Cramer said in a statement earlier this month that his son has “serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.”
Since it seems you can find something any rando does and act like it represents an entire political party like Eve does, here's one for you......
A white couple who burned a cross in their yard facing Black neighbors’ home are investigated by FBI
The FBI is investigating a white South Carolina couple for racial discrimination after they set a cross on fire in their yard last month facing toward their Black neighbors’ home.
Federal civil rights investigators searched the white couple’s home in Conway on Wednesday, according to FBI spokesperson Kevin Wheeler. The retired Black couple also recorded video of the cross being burned on Thanksgiving weekend and described days of repeated threats from their neighbors. The next week, Worden Evander Butler, 28, and Alexis Paige Hartnett, 27, were arrested on state charges of harassment and later released on bond.
Cross burnings in the U.S. are “symbols of hate” that are “inextricably intertwined with the history of the Ku Klux Klan,” according to a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision written by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The justices ruled that the First Amendment allows bans on cross burnings only when they are intended to intimidate because the action “is a particularly virulent form of intimidation.”
The cross wasn’t on fire by the time local police officers arrived, but was still “facing and in full view of the victims’ home,” according to a Horry County Police Department report. Shawn and Monica Williams, the Black neighbors, told WMBF-TV that the burning cross was about 8 feet (2.4 meters) from their fence. They said they’re reconsidering their decision to move to the neighborhood two years ago in light of this experience.
“So now, what are we to do? Still live next to a cross-burning racist who’s threatened to cause us bodily harm?” Monica Williams told the Myrtle Beach-area broadcaster.
The Associated Press did not immediately receive responses to messages seeking comment Wednesday from a publicly available email address for Butler and a Facebook account for Hartnett. AP also called several phone numbers listed for Butler and Hartnett and received no response.
One of the white defendants was heard on police body camera footage repeatedly using a racial slur toward the Black couple, according to the police report. Butler also shared the Black couple’s address on Facebook, and posted that he was “summoning the devil’s army” and “about to make them pay,” the report said. According to an arrest warrant, Hartnett also threatened to hurt the couple.
South Carolina is one of two states in the country that does not impose additional penalties for hate crimes committed because of a victim’s race or other aspects of their identity. Monica Williams told the AP on Wednesday she hopes the episode highlights the need for hate crimes laws. In the meantime, she and her husband will “patiently wait for justice to be served.”
“The laws are needed to protect everyone against any form of hate,” she said.
The Ku Klux Klan began using “cross-lightings” in the early 20th century as part of the hate group’s rituals and as an intimidating act of terror, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The image is so synonymous with racist ideologies that tattoos of burning crosses behind klansmen are found among European white supremacists, the ADL notes.
Since it seems these days the threshold of what one person does equals the entirety of what a party stands for, this must be what Republicans stand for. Am I right?
Show me where these yahoos are Republicans. I’m betting that they don’t even vote
Secret Service probes Dukes of Hazzard star who called for Biden's public execution
SHINGTON (TND) — The security unit for President Joe Biden is worried a good ol' boy may mean some harm.
The Secret Service is reportedly investigating Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider over a social media post regarding President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, on Thursday.
“We look at all threats against our protectees," a law enforcement insider informed Deadline. "And, due to intent, this falls under the definition of a threat."
The Secret Service told The National Desk it is "aware" of the 63-year-old's since-deleted X post and investigates all threats to the president. The probe, which is in its preliminary stage, surrounds Schneider's calls for the president's execution.
"Mr. President, I believe you are guilty of treason and should be publicly hung. Your son too. Your response is..?" the actor wrote, according to Deadline.
Schneider denied threatening anyone.
Seriously, folks? ... I neither said nor implied any such thing. Despite headlines claiming otherwise, in my post, I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a U.S. president as many other celebrities have done in the past," the 80s star told Deadline. "I suggest you re-read my actual post and pay attention to the words before believing this nonsense."
Schneider argued he was simply advocating for accountability.
“It’s my position, which I am entitled to have, that some of our nations leaders in Washington have lost their way, and corruption runs rampant, both on our nation’s borders and abroad," he claimed, according to Deadline. "Transparency and accountability must happen in order for our constitutional republic to survive."
Schneider posted in response to President Biden's warning of the consequences of electing Donald Trump president in 2024.
Trump poses many threats to our country: The right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, and America's standing in the world," the president wrote. "But the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything."
On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court voted to exclude Trump from the state's ballot for the 2024 election, citing the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause. The section states those who have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the [U.S.], or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof" cannot hold office.
A grand jury indicted Trump in August for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He faces charges of defrauding the U.S., obstructing an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.
"Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power," the indictment says. "So for more than two months following election day on Nov. 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won. These claims were false, and the Defendant knew they were false."
Amen, the DONALD- every time he opens his mouth, he's digging himself deeper and deeper----I love the stuff coming out of Michigan- PROVES again he tried to steal the election---overthrow our Constitution- "Agnifilo replied, "For a prosecutor, there's nothing better than a defendant's own words on tape doing and saying the exact thing you accused them of doing. So for Jack Smith, this is extremely powerful evidence of Donald Trump's corrupt intention, and his pressure campaign on the local level, which is part and parcel of what he's charged with in this sweeping Jack Smith indictment — the January 6 indictment — there's a whole section on there on the pressure campaign to the states, including Michigan." Trump pressuring folks in Michigan NOT to certify the election--on tape. SWEET. He's prison bound.
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
LA Times 'How the hell does that even happen?' McCarthy exits Congress amid confusion over who can run to replace him Laura J. Nelson Fri, December 22, 2023 at 6:22 PM EST·7 min read 49
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), the former speaker of the House, will exit Congress in a matter of days, leaving behind a lack of clarity about who will represent his Central Valley district. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Months after a humiliating vote by his own party to oust him as speaker of the House, longtime GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy is days away from exiting Congress on Dec. 31, leaving confusion over who is eligible to run for his seat in a conservative Central Valley district.
A dozen people have jumped into the race, but McCarthy's chosen Republican successor was barred from the ballot and on Friday sued the California secretary of state in an attempt to reverse the decision. Giddy Democrats are sending out fundraising emails saying McCarthy's protege will "be mired in legal challenges for weeks." Bakersfield locals are grumbling about the chaos. Political professionals are aghast at the mess.
It's hardly the succession plan expected for McCarthy, who built his power over two decades as a masterful tactician of electoral politics who helped Republicans win control of the House in the pivotal 2010 election and again in 2022.
McCarthy climbed the ranks by recruiting candidates, studying political maps and raising money. When conservative commentator Fred Barnes predicted in 2010 that McCarthy would become speaker some day, he wrote, "He'll be fixated on how to win more elections, more often."
But after McCarthy announced his retirement in early December, his allies in Bakersfield popped a series of surprises.
First, McCarthy's former staff member, Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong, said he would not run for Congress and instead would seek reelection to his Bakersfield seat in the state Assembly. Fong's announcement cleared the way for another McCarthy ally, GOP state Sen. Shannon Grove, to enter the race — but then she too said she wouldn't run. Fong then changed his mind and filed to run, only to be barred from the ballot by California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, who said state law prohibits candidates from running for two offices in one election.
"It would be important to Kevin that succession for that seat remain in the political family," said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who knows Fong but is not working for his campaign.
The chaos was eye-opening for constituents in the 20th Congressional District, who have become accustomed to having powerful, longtime members of Congress protecting the interests of the heavily agricultural San Joaquin Valley. The March 5 primary will be the district's first election without an incumbent candidate since 2006, and only the second since 1978.
"This is a conservative district, so voters are going to look for somebody who is focused on representing the area the way Kevin has," said Jim Brulte, the former chair of the California Republican Party. "The people in this district have had consistent leadership, and they're going to look for more of the same."
Read more: McCarthy’s constituents ‘don’t blame him,’ but worry about losing their voice in Congress
McCarthy's exit from the race has thrown open the floodgates to nearly a dozen candidates. The district, the most conservative in California, is almost certain to elect a Republican.
Aside from Fong, the only other candidate who has previously held elected office is Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux. Other Republicans include David Giglio, a far-right, self-described "America First" candidate who has been critical of McCarthy; Matt Stoll, a former fighter pilot who operates a landscaping business and has run for Congress twice before; and Kyle Kirkland, the owner of Fresno's only card room.
The most prominent Democrat in the race is Bakersfield teacher Marisa Wood, who raised more than $1 million in her unsuccessful run against McCarthy in 2022.
The biggest question is whether Fong, who was endorsed by McCarthy the day after he entered the race, will even appear on the ballot.
Fong, born and raised in Bakersfield, began his career working for McCarthy’s predecessor, then-Rep. Bill Thomas, before spending nearly a decade as McCarthy’s district director. Fong was elected to the state Assembly in 2016.
It’s a path that mirrors that of McCarthy, who began his political career in Thomas’ office, then served four years in the state Assembly before running for Congress.
After McCarthy announced that he would retire, election officials extended the filing period for the 20th Congressional District seat by five days. Fong entered the congressional race during the extension period and was sworn in as a candidate by the Kern County elections division, prompting complaints from other candidates who said Fong had already qualified to run for reelection to the state Assembly.
Days later, Weber's office said that Fong's congressional paperwork was "improperly submitted," and he would "not appear on the list of certified candidates for Congressional District 20."
Said one political consultant who asked for anonymity in order to speak frankly: "How the hell does that even happen?"
Read more: California elections officials say Assemblymember Vince Fong can't run for Congress in Bakersfield
In a 13-page petition filed Friday in Sacramento County Superior Court, Fong said that Weber's decision was based on an outdated law, which reads: "No person may file nomination papers for a party nomination and an independent nomination for the same office, or for more than one office at the same election."
Fong argued that the law has not been applicable since 2010, when California voters revamped the state’s primary system, scrapping party nominations in favor of a system in which the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Fong also said that Weber's decision to bar him from the congressional ballot is an "attempted unilateral expansion of her powers," which should be limited to receiving and filing the list of candidates collected by California's county election officials. Adding an extra qualification for candidates — that only those who have not filed for another office may run — is a violation of the Constitution, his lawyers argue.
Newspaper columnist Robert Price put the blame for the kerfuffle squarely at McCarthy's feet, writing for the Bakersfield Californian that the congressman's retirement announcement will not only leave the district temporarily without representation in Washington but has created "chaos in the succession process — chaos likely to give an advantage to a Democrat or a far-right Republican not based in Bakersfield."
"It would have been nice if McCarthy had first huddled with other Republican elected officials," Price wrote, so that Fong and Grove would have "enough time to figure out what was best for themselves and their districts. That seems not to have happened, or happened sufficiently well."
McCarthy, left, then the California Assembly minority leader, and Jim Brulte, then the state Senate minority leader, in 2004. (Steve Yeater / Associated Press ) Brulte said he and McCarthy spoke in mid-December about what McCarthy planned to do after leaving Washington. McCarthy helped deliver the House majority to the Republican Party in 2010 and again in 2022 by raising millions of dollars and helping to pick diverse candidates who were good fits for their districts. That, Brulte said, will continue to be McCarthy's priority.
"He knows a Republican is going to carry his district," Brulte said. "He's more interested in recruiting good candidates. He's much more focused on helping Republicans keep the congressional majority than he is focused on his own district."
After McCarthy leaves office, Gov. Gavin Newsom will have 14 days to set the date of a primary for a special election to temporarily fill the 20th District seat until January 2025.
Scheduling special elections concurrently with regularly scheduled elections can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in administration costs. California's primary election is March 5, and ballots will be mailed to voters in the first week of February.
Still unclear is whether the elections officials in the four counties that comprise the 20th Congressional District — Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare — would have enough time to certify candidates for a special election, update the ballots to reflect the new race and print them in time to meet that deadline.
Now GOPers aer making death threats against the COLORADO SC Justices.
Just following the playbook used by the Dems with threats used against SCOTUS justices.
What goes around comes around, Bub.
You must have forgotten about all the election workers in several states, judges, a court clerk and the list goes on and on. It been "coming around" all over the place and quite often.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
North Dakota lawmaker unleashes homophobic, racial slurs during DUI arrest: ‘Going to regret picking on me’
A North Dakota politician told police they’d “regret picking on him” and threatened to call the state’s attorney general during his racist and homophobic rant as he was arrested for drunk driving after a Christmas party last Friday.
Rep. Nico Rios, a Williston Republican lawmaker, was arrested and charged with DUI and refusing to provide a chemical test, according to the Bismarck Tribune.
He was pulled over when officers noticed the pol failing to stay in his lane which prompted Rios to become “verbally abusive, homophobic, racially abusive and discriminatory,” according to an arrest record obtained by the outlet.
Rios was captured on bodycam footage trying to pass off his business card when asked by the officers for his license and registration during the stop.
The lawmaker was put through a field sobriety test and refused to take a breathalyzer test, telling officers he only lived two blocks away from where he was pulled over.
“You guys are going to regret picking on me because you don’t know who f–k I am,” Rios told the officers.
Rios was handcuffed and read his rights before he asked the officers, “What can I do to drive my truck and drop it off at my place?”
When he was told that he was going to jail, Rios called one officer a “f–king f—-t.”
He was placed in the back of an officer’s squad car and demanded his phone so he could call North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley to let him know the officers were “being an ass to me.”
Rios, sitting in the backseat of the police cruiser, turned his tirade against Officer Alexander Welch, an English-born American citizen, as the lawmaker pointed out the officer’s accent and bizarrely claimed that he doesn’t think “people from England should be arresting Americans.”
“Your country is being overtaken by f–king migrants and refugees, right?” Rios asked, citing the refugee crisis in England.
“You’re arresting me for driving home. But people come into your country and rape your women. And I’m the f–king bad guy? I’m going to fight for the people of England more than you ever would, you little bitch.”
Welch refuses to answer Rios’ vile remarks as the representative continues to belittle him from the back of the car, the bodycam footage shows.
“You’re ruining my life so you can f–king make a paycheck,” Rios reportedly told the officer before throwing another homophobic slur at him.
Rios was elected to his first term in 2022 following the creation of District 23, which covers parts of Williston, Trenton, and Buford in North Dakota.
The “deeply embarrassed” lawmaker apologized on Dec. 18 for lashing out.
“This past weekend, I had a few too many drinks at a Christmas party, made the mistake of driving home, and received a DUI,” Rios said in a statement on X.
“I’m deeply embarrassed as this is not how I want to represent the people. My terrible decisions that night will not hinder my ability to represent and fight for the people of District 23. I’m deeply sorry and regretful for my actions.”
Rios said he will seek “appropriate help to make sure it never happens again.
North Dakota’s Democrat-NPL Party insinuated Rios should resign for his abhorrent actions on Thursday.
“It used to be that when public servants disgraced themselves, they resigned rather than bring shame upon those they represent,” party Chair Adam Goldwyn said in a statement.
“It seems the Republican Party no longer has a sense of shame. The Democrats are committed to governing with honor and dignity for all of us.”
Rios’ party condemned his “deeply troubled” actions.
“We are deeply troubled by Rep. Rios’ dangerous decision to drive while intoxicated and his remarks to law enforcement officers,” State Republican Party Executive Director Andrew Nyhus told the outlet, adding, “his behavior does not represent the values of the NDGOP.”
The two charges are misdemeanors under state law. Rios is scheduled for a Feb. 5 pretrial conference in municipal court.
Rios also was cited for having an open container of alcohol in his truck.
Arizona officials charged over election results certification delay plead not guilty
A pair of Arizona election officials pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of interfering in the certification of the 2022 midterm results in their county.
The Cochise County supervisors, Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby, questioned whether machines used for tabulating ballots in the midterms were properly certified for elections, despite state and federal officials’ approval. The board certified the results three days after the deadline.
Judd and Crosby pleaded not guilty on charges of interference with an election officer and conspiracy during the brief arraignment hearing Thursday, The Associated Press reported. The officials were informed of additional court dates, including a trial slated for May 16.
Kurt Altman, Judd’s attorney, disputed the charges, according to the AP.
“We feel like there is no basis for these charges,” Altman said. “She was charged for doing her job.”
Crosby’s lawyer, Tim Grimm, declined to comment after the hearing.
Cochise County’s board of supervisors voted to certify the 2022 midterm results after a judge ruled that Crosby and Judd violated the law by not greenlighting the vote count before the deadline. Judd and the board’s only Democrat, Supervisor Ann English, voted to certify the results, while Crosby did not attend the meeting.
The delay in Cochise County could have altered results in some close races. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), who was then serving as Arizona secretary of state, warned the county’s numbers might not be factored into statewide results due to delays.
The supervisors wanted Hobbs to prove that machines intended for tabulating ballots were approved for vote-counting before they would be willing to approve the results of the election.
Once again we have a Republican who has his hair on fire over something that doesn't even matter to the situation because he's too busy being a Karen to read the bill....
Graham visits NY Chick-fil-A to rail against Sunday openings: ‘We need to have their back’
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is speaking out against a New York bill that would require some Chick-fil-A locations in the state to go against their policy and stay open on Sundays, calling it a violation of the Constitution.
“As I speak, the state of New York is trying to pass a law requiring Chick-fil-A to stay open on Sunday at state rest stops,” Graham said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, showing the lawmaker standing outside of a Chick-fil-A in New York.
“This violates the Constitution, this violates the religious liberty of all of us and the company called Chick-fil-A, who tries to honor the Sabbath,” he continued. “Lend your voice to this cause, stand up for Chick-fil-A, we need to have their backs.”
The bill, introduced earlier this month, would require restaurants in state highway system rest areas to remain open seven days a week, which would interfere with the fast food chain’s long-standing practice of closing on Sundays. The practice was put in place by Chick-fil-A’s late founder Truett Cathy, who incorporated his conservative Christian values into the business.
The Sunday policy is aimed at allowing employees to be with their family and friends and “worship if they choose,” the company states online.
Last week, Graham “declared war” over the bill, threatening to introduce legislation to withhold federal funds from cities that require Chick-fil-A to open on Sundays.
New York Assembly Member Tony Simone (D) introduced the bill earlier this month and said it is intended to provide travelers in New York with various food options at rest stops, The Associated Press reported. The bill would not apply to restaurants that are currently operating, meaning its impact on existing Chick-fil-A locations would be limited, the news wire added.
The bill will apply to any future contracts for food concessions at transportation facilities owned by the state and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the AP said, while excluding temporary concessions like farmer’s markets.
The bill comes amid a redevelopment project at the New York State Thruway Authority’s 27 service areas, with 23 of service area restaurants set to be rebuilt and the others undergoing renovations. Once this project is done, Chick-fil-A will operate in 10 service areas on the thruway, the AP reported.
In a separate post on X on Wednesday, Graham said he had lunch at the first Chick-fil-A in Manhattan, where he spoke with the location’s managers.
“They [managers Oscar and Ray] appreciate all of us standing up for Chick-fil-A’s values and rights in the state of New York,” he wrote.
The fast food chain has been the subject of scrutiny in recent years over its financial ties to groups opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage. This led to boycotts of the business in 2012, before the company pulled back on financial support and eventually ended it in 2019.
Boebert just abandoned the people in her district to run in a district she doesn't even live in because she was afraid of losing. She only won in 2022 by about 500 votes and after her groping session in that theater she knows she can't win in her current district. So much for representing her people.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
And of course Haley is now blaming the democrats because she refused to blame the civil war on slavery. I guess it wasn't her answer that was the problem, it was the question. I thought this was supposed to be the party of personal accountability?
Nikki Haley alleged she was set up by Democratic 'plant' after being asked what caused the Civil War
Politician- do or say anything to win......I wonder how many people have read or heard about Trump's evoking God on his side---- During a speech in Iowa last weekend, Trump told his MAGA cultists that, “But I think if you had a real election and Jesus came down and God came down and said, ‘I’m going to be the scorekeeper here,’ I think we’d win there [in California], I think we’d win in Illinois, and I think we’d win in New York.” WOW- he is COMPLETELY unhinged - he thinks God will/should come down and be a scorekeeper-----Donald, I have NEWS for YOU- he is the ultimate scorekeeper- AND you should be very worried about your status.
UNBELIEVEABLE
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
Nikki also said “I’ll pardon trump” basically admitting she knows he’s guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.
When you dance around an issue such as slavery you’re going to appeal to those that think they are being replaced in our society. She blew it. One simple word would have answered that question and it would have been a huge win for her.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
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