DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Republicans-still at it-again

Conservatives shell long-standing White House Easter egg contest

Several conservative outlets did not "yolk" around this weekend when covering the White House's annual Easter celebrations, accusing it of banning religious themes from the annual children's egg decorating contest — even though that guidance predated the Biden administration, according to the first lady's office.

A flyer circulated by the adjutants general of the National Guard inviting children of National Guard members to submit Easter eggs to the White House contest is the source of the controversy, with outlets like Fox News and The Daily Caller writing stories saying the administration is banning religious themes in this year's contest.

Indeed, this year's flyer does say that the decorated Easter egg submissions "must not include any questionable content, religious symbols, overtly religious themes, or partisan political statements."

But the White House and the American Egg Board have pushed back on the suggestion that the restrictions are new, saying that the rules banning religious symbols have been in place for years.

Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board, a group that supports the White House Egg Roll, said in a statement, "The American Egg Board has been a supporter of the White House Easter Egg Roll for over 45 years and the guideline language referenced in recent news reports has consistently applied to the board since its founding, across administrations."

Similarly, the White House emphasized that the guidelines banning religious themes from the eggs have been in place for decades and aren't the result of a new Biden administration policy.

"The American Egg Board flyer’s standard non-discrimination language requesting artwork has been used for the last 45 years, across all Dem & Republican Admins—for all WH Easter Egg Rolls —incl previous Administration’s," the first lady's communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a post on X.

And White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said it was "unsurprising" that some "are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest rhetoric."

"President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit," Bates added, noting that Biden is "a Christian who celebrates Easter with family."

The Biden administration has also been targeted this Easter holiday for a declaration recognizing Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility.

President Joe Biden did indeed issue a proclamation acknowledging Transgender Day of Visibility — along with proclamations declaring 11 other holidays, including Cesar Chavez Day and Arab American Heritage Month.

March 31 has been Transgender Day of Visibility every year since 2010, per GLAAD. This year, Easter falls on March 31.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/conservatives-shell-long-standing-white-182313546.html

Trump's minions say what?

As long as we don't have a child drawing a cross on an egg on transgender day...

It's been that way for 45 years. Of course the nasty tried to blame Biden for it.

Trump claims “America will cease to exist” if he isn’t elected. Let’s see how GOPers spin this.

The only thing I noticed that ceases to exist these days is the Republican Party.

Yet it almost ceased to exist in his attempt to overthrow the election.

A man who attended the Charlottesville Unite the Right rallies will lose his city council seat after his past was revealed

Enid, Oklahoma CNN —

When a public official in a small Oklahoma city faced a censure vote that condemned his recent ties to White nationalism, he was saved – at least temporarily – by a Black man.

Several residents in Enid blasted city council commissioner Judd Blevins at a public meeting last fall for participating in the 2017 “Unite the Right” rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, that saw one counter protester killed and dozens injured. They also highlighted offensive comments he was accused of making online under a pseudonym.

Others defended Blevins, saying he had a right to free speech and rejected the censure effort as a political ploy fueled by Enid’s small progressive enclave.

But Derwin Norwood, the only Black commissioner on the city council, made an impassioned plea at the end of the meeting, scolding the community for fighting rather than forgiving. Norwood, who sits next to Blevins at the council meetings, then asked him to stand up, told him he loved him and gave him a hug.

Half the room erupted into cheers and applause. The other half sat in silence – or clapped politely.

“I realized that in forgiving him, I freed myself from becoming what he was or still may be,” Norwood told CNN in an interview last week. “I had to free myself.”

Moments later, the city council agreed to postpone the censure vote, a devastating blow to a local group of activists who’d been sounding the alarm about Blevins’ past.

But the group, the Enid Social Justice Committee, moved forward with its plan to collect enough signatures for a recall petition, eventually forcing a special election this week.

Voters on Tuesday decided to oust Blevins – who has denied being a White nationalist, but has also made confusing statements about his past – in favor of Cheryl Patterson, a different conservative, in a race that’s thrown the city into a deep ideological divide over questions of forgiveness, accountability and US history.

Blevins says he attended rally, denies White nationalism

Enid, located in northern Oklahoma, has a population of about 50,000 and votes overwhelmingly for Republicans. The city is known for its towering grain elevators and is home to Vance Air Force Base.

More than a month before Blevins was elected in February 2023, the local newspaper highlighted a 2019 report by Right Wing Watch, a left-leaning organization that monitors far-right extremism. The report identified Blevins as the Oklahoma recruiter for Identity Evropa, a group that has since disbanded and was described as a White supremacist organization by the Anti-Defamation League.

The article largely went unnoticed, and while two local Democrats tried to confront Blevins about the issue at a candidate event shortly before the election, Blevins still won the race for Ward 1 by 36 votes. A total of 808 votes were cast.

When Blevins took office in May, the small Enid Social Justice Committee developed a more vocal campaign to bring attention to his recent history, holding protests and speaking up at city council meetings. Kristi Balden, chair of the group, said she was horrified when she learned of Blevins’ connections to White nationalist activity.

“It was very, very disturbing and frightening,” she said. “I thought, ‘How is this still happening in this year?’”

Blevins acknowledges he attended the Charlottesville rallies, and he was spotted in multiple videos and photographs. At a candidate forum last week, Blevins said he “felt it was important to protest the removal of statues of American soldiers.”

“It’s important to me,” he said. “It’s our history. It’s our heritage. It’s who we are.”

In 2019, the left-leaning group Unicorn Riot leaked thousands of messages from people involved in the Charlottesville rallies on the chat platform Discord. Among the threads was a user who went by the pseudonym “Conway – OK.” Right Wing Watch later identified the writer as Blevins.

Blevins has publicly implied he was behind the online messages and disavowed them at a city council meeting, but last month at a candidate forum, he also denied using the pseudonym.

Blevins has also denied that he’s ever identified as a White nationalist or White supremacist.

In one message less than a month before the 2017 rallies, Conway wrote positively about Adolf Hitler, saying, “Hitler never would have allowed this sh*t.” Conway also wrote a derogatory statement about a Jewish woman. The contexts of the posts are unclear.

And in one message less than two weeks before the Charlottesville rally, Conway wrote: “I JUST CANT FEEL SAFE IF IM NOT PACKING AN AR WITH A 100 ROUND DRUM AND SPORTING MY SWASTIKA ARMBAND.”

‘I am a different man today’

Blevins, who declined to speak to CNN for this story, vaguely responded to some unearthed moments from his past at a city council meeting on November 7. He cited the importance of First Amendment rights but did not directly address his alleged involvement with Identity Evropa.

“It is important for the American people to advocate for what they believe in,” he said, adding, “If we find ourselves having to make apologies when we exercise these rights, then we don’t have them.”

“I am a different man today than I was yesterday,” he continued. “There is no hate in my heart. All there is is the desire to follow the Lord. But I’m not going to apologize for things I never was.”

Members of Enid Social Justice Committee jeered at his remarks, resulting in a shouting match between one of its members, the mayor, and Blevins. The social justice committee member was ultimately kicked out of the meeting.

Balden said she didn’t believe Blevins’ comments at that meeting were genuine.

“If he really felt that way, he would denounce those organizations by name. If he really felt that way, he would apologize for his involvement in all those activities,” she said.

Blevins’ comments were also not enough to satisfy the city’s conservative mayor and others on the council. Two weeks later, they put the censure resolution on the agenda, saying Blevins’ “failure to explain and apologize” for his participation in Charlottesville “has continued to fester and has caused disruption and discontent among the residents of Enid.”

After another round of fiery public comment at a city meeting on November 21, Blevins again held his ground on speaking freely about one’s values and convictions, but took a slightly more contrite posture, saying he opposed all forms of racial hatred and discrimination.

“All of us have said foolish things in our lives. We’ve said things that we regret, and we have especially said things through the phone that when taken out of context can make you look like a terrible person. I’ve had some of the worst moments of my life put on blast to the world,” he added. “And if I’ve offended anyone in here, then I ask to be forgiven.”

Moments later, Norwood offered that public forgiveness in what became a pivotal moment in the overall debate over Blevins’ past.

Balden described Norwood as a “good” and “forgiving” man but said his embrace of Blevins gave more momentum to the city council member and his supporters.

“I understood why Derwin (Norwood) did that on a personal level,” she said. “It was very frustrating for us, because it felt like it sort of changed the way of what was going on.”

For his part, Norwood, a self-identified moderate Republican, has no regrets. “I felt convicted,” he said. “Up until that moment, I struggled with it, but I forgave him.”

Blevins was also asked extensively about his past by moderators at a candidate forum last week, where he, at times, remained defiant about his personal views.

“I am opposed to all forms of racial hate and racial discrimination,” he said. “But I’m not going to play this game where I take things that the media says are problems from America’s past that are no longer problems today and pretend like they’re serious issues. They’re not.”

Asked specifically about his ties to Identity Evropa, Blevins argued his role as a city council commissioner is not relevant to an organization that has disbanded.

“Now, if speaking out against what was being done to this country, what is continuing… to being done to this country is a crime, then I would gladly plead guilty to that,” he continued, saying he has tried to “push back on this anti-White hatred that is so common in media and entertainment.”
‘A wound with a Band-Aid being ripped off’

In the week leading up to Tuesday’s vote, Blevins’ critics went door-to-door in his district, pointing voters to his history and asking them to vote for Patterson, a longtime conservative.

Norwood, speaking to CNN months after his public embrace of Blevins and just ahead of Tuesday’s vote, was also in the audience at the candidate forum last week and felt Blevins didn’t do himself any favors.

He said the election was in the hands of the voters, and he’s tried not to weigh in with his opinions too much.

“If Ms. Cheryl Patterson wins it, I believe there’d be a healing process,” he said earlier. “But if Blevins stays on the council and Ward 1 votes him in, it’s going to be like a wound with a Band-Aid being ripped off.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/02/us/e...lection-charlottesville-rally/index.html

Things certainly are getting better. I mean when given the choice of another conservative to vote for this guy only got 40% of the vote. 6 out of 10 refused to endorse a white supremacist.

Supreme Court rejects appeal by former New Mexico county commissioner banned for Jan. 6 insurrection

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from a former New Mexico county commissioner who was kicked out of office over his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Former Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin, a cowboy pastor who rode to national political fame by embracing then-President Donald Trump with a series of horseback caravans, is the only elected official thus far to be banned from office in connection with the Capitol attack, which disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over Trump.

At a 2022 trial in state district court, Griffin received the first disqualification from office in over a century under a provision of the 14th Amendment written to prevent former Confederates from serving in government after the Civil War.

Though the Supreme Court ruled this month that states don’t have the ability to bar Trump or other candidates for federal offices from the ballot, the justices said different rules apply to state and local candidates.

“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office,” the justices wrote in an unsigned opinion.

The outcome of Griffin’s case could bolster efforts to hold other state and local elected officials accountable for their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack.

Griffin, a Republican, was convicted separately in federal court of entering a restricted area on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 and received a 14-day prison sentence. The sentence was offset by time served after his arrest in Washington, where he had returned to protest Biden’s 2021 inauguration. That conviction is under appeal.

Griffin contends that he entered the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 without recognizing that it had been designated as a restricted area and that he attempted to lead a crowd in prayer using a bullhorn, without engaging in violence.

The recent ruling in the Trump case shut down a push in dozens of states to end Trump’s Republican candidacy for president over claims he helped instigate the insurrection to try to prevent Biden, a Democrat, from replacing him in the White House in 2020.

The accusations of insurrection against Griffin were filed on behalf of three New Mexico residents by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning group that also brought the lawsuit in Colorado to disqualify Trump.

CREW has outlined the case for investigating several current state legislators who went to Washington on Jan. 6.

In Griffin’s 2022 trial in state district court, New Mexico Judge Francis Mathew recognized the Jan. 6 attack as an insurrection and ruled that Griffin aided that insurrection, without engaging in violence, contributing to a delay in Congress’ election certification proceedings.

Griffin’s appeal of the disqualification asserted that only Congress, and not a state court, has the power to enforce the anti-insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment by legislation, and it urged the Supreme Court to rule on whether the events on Jan. 6 constituted an “insurrection” as defined in the Constitution.

It also invoked Griffin’s rights to free speech protections.

“If the decision ... is to stand, at least in New Mexico, it is now the crime of insurrection to gather people to pray together for the United States of America on the unmarked restricted grounds of the Capitol building,” Florida-based defense attorney Peter Ticktin argued on behalf of Griffin in court filings.

At trial, Mathew, the judge, called Griffin’s free-speech arguments self-serving and not credible, noting that the then-commissioner spread lies about the 2020 election being stolen from Trump in a series of speeches at rallies during a cross-country journey starting in New Mexico, calling on crowds to go with him to Washington on Jan. 6 and join the “war” over the presidential election results.

Mathew said recordings by a videographer accompanying Griffin outside the U.S. Capitol showed that the county commissioner “incited the mob, even after seeing members of the mob a short distance away attack police officers and violently try to break into the Capitol building.”

The New Mexico Supreme Court later refused to hear the case after Griffin missed procedural deadlines.

Griffin on Monday said the Supreme Court took “the coward’s way out” in dismissing his appeal without comment, calling it “the greatest attack on our democracy to date.”

“When civil courtrooms can remove elected officials, it sets a very dangerous precedent,” Griffin said. “Personally, I’m very disappointed and equally concerned about the future of our political system.”

On the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack this year, Griffin cast himself as the victim of political persecution as he spoke to a gathering in the rural community of Gillette, Wyoming, at the invitation of a county Republican Party.

Their go to line to excuse criminal acts.

“God is really allowing me to experience some amazing days,” Griffin said. “Jan. 6 was a day like no other. It was a day where a type of patriotism was expressed that I’d never seen before, and I was honored to be there.”

Committing such crimes are only patriotic to the criminals that committed them.

In 2019, Griffin forged a group of rodeo acquaintances into the promotional group called Cowboys for Trump, which staged horseback parades to support Trump’s conservative message about gun rights, immigration controls and abortion restrictions.

While still a county commissioner, Griffin joined with Republican colleagues in refusing to certify results of the June 2022 primary election based on distrust of the voting systems used to tally the vote, even though the county’s election official said there were no problems. The board ultimately certified the election on a 2-1 vote with Griffin still voting no based on a “gut feeling.”

Griffin withstood a recall petition drive in 2021. After his disqualification from office, Griffin was tried and acquitted by a jury in his home county in March 2023 of allegations that he declined to register and disclose donors to Cowboys for Trump.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-...-mexico-cc69572ec4a4404c69947d7d91b3960a

Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to clarify district boundaries for potential recall election

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to offer clarity on what legislative district boundary lines should be in play for a potential recall election sought by supporters of former President Donald Trump targeting the Republican Assembly speaker.

The effort to recall Speaker Robin Vos appears to have not gathered enough valid signatures to force an election. But the Wisconsin Elections Commission had asked the Supreme Court to clarify what maps should be used for any recall or special election that takes place before November, when new maps take effect.

The court, in a unanimous order, noted that in December it had ruled that the legislative maps then in place were unconstitutional and barred their future use. In February, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed into law maps he proposed that the Republican-controlled Legislature passed.

Those are the maps take effect in November. The court’s order leaves open the question of what maps are in effect for any election before November.

“We decline to further clarify or amend the opinion and order,” the court said, referring to its December ruling.

It is the Wisconsin Elections Commission, not the Supreme Court, that has the responsibility to administer elections, the court said.

The next move will be up to the commission, which faces an April 11 deadline to determine whether the recall petition had sufficient signatures to trigger an election. Its decision can be appealed in court.

Commission spokesperson Riley Vetterkind had no comment on the court’s order.

The commission, based on its initial cursory review, determined there were not enough valid signatures collected from residents of the district Vos was elected to represent. But Vos’ district lines are changing under legislative maps that take effect in November.

Vos is being targeted for recall because he refused to impeach the state’s top elections official or proceed with attempting to decertify President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in Wisconsin. His actions angered Trump, who accused Vos of covering up election corruption, while Trump’s followers mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge in 2022 and are now trying to force a recall election.



Vos, who challenged the validity of thousands of signatures and declared the effort failed no matter what district lines are used, has derided those targeting him as “whack jobs and morons.”

Recall organizers, recognizing that their initial effort was likely short of the needed signatures, launched a second recall effort last week.

Vos is the most powerful Republican in the GOP-led Legislature. He was first elected in 2004 and is the longest-serving Assembly speaker in state history, holding the post since 2013.

https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-assembly-speaker-vos-recall-fccb718adcf992f1f5e101357b94411c

So since he didn't try to help overthrow the election results......

New York man charged with sending threats to state attorney general and judge in Trump civil suit

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York man has been charged with sending death threats to the state attorney general and the Manhattan judge who presided over former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud case.

Tyler Vogel, 26, of Lancaster, sent text messages late last month threatening New York Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Arthur Engoron with “death and physical harm” if they did not comply with his demands to “cease action” in the Trump case, according to a complaint filed last week in a court in Lancaster, a suburb east of Buffalo.

State police said in the complaint that Vogel used a paid online background website to obtain private information about James and Engoron and that this “confirmed intentions to follow through with the threats were his demands not met.”

Vogel has been charged with two felony counts of making a terroristic threat and two misdemeanor counts of aggravated harassment.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn’s office said in a news release that a temporary protection order was also issued. If convicted, Vogel faces a maximum of seven years in prison, the office said.

It’s unclear if Vogel has legal representation. Joseph Spino, a spokesperson for Flynn’s office, said Wednesday night that he didn’t have more details, other than that Vogel had been held pending the results of a forensic exam and was due back in court April 9.

The case also wasn’t listed on the state’s online court database and spokespersons for the state police and Lancaster Town Court, where Vogel was arraigned last week, didn’t respond to emails.

Meanwhile Trump, who is running again for president this year, posted a $175 million bond Monday in the civil fraud case brought by James’ office. That halted the collection of the more than $454 million he owes and prevented the state from seizing his assets to satisfy the debt while he appeals.

Trump is fighting to overturn Engoron’s Feb. 16 finding that he lied about his wealth as he fostered the real estate empire that launched him to stardom and the presidency. The trial focused on how Trump’s assets were valued on financial statements that went to bankers and insurers to get loans and deals.

Spokespersons for James’ office didn’t respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york...engoron-cb11fd3471c5f1e7c7694a8e21ca5046

Not for nothing Pit, but I think I heard on the radio while I was driving today that there is a problem or potential problem with Trumps bond for $175 Million. I didn't get to hear the entire thing but something to do with who he used as the Bond agent not being qualified.

Hell I'm not ever sure what station or network I was listening to, but there appears to be a problem.

Didn't read the article but this is what I found


Reuters
Trump's $175 million bond questioned by New York AG, hearing scheduled
Jack Queen
Thu, April 4, 2024 at 4:49 PM EDT·2 min read
48


NEW YORK (Reuters) -A New York judge will hold a hearing on April 22 over the $175 million bond Donald Trump posted as he appeals a $454 million fraud judgment against him, the state attorney general's office said on Thursday, after asking for more details about the bond.

The Republican presidential candidate narrowly averted possible asset seizures when an appeals court on March 25 agreed to pause the judgment if he posted a $175 million bond within 10 days, which he did on April 1.

New York Attorney General Letitia James' office said on Thursday that Trump must offer proof that the surety company he used to post the bond, Knight Specialty Insurance Company, has enough assets to pay if his appeal fails.

The move does not necessarily imperil Trump's bond but will likely require California-based Knight to show that it can cover the bond.

The questions about the bond arose shortly after judges on Thursday spurned Trump's efforts to dismiss criminal charges over his efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss in Georgia and his handling of classified records after leaving office.

The April 22 hearing will take place a week after Trump's criminal trial on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star kicks off in New York, one of four indictments he faces as he campaigns to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election.

Trump has pleaded not guilty in all criminal cases. The fourth in Washington also stems from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The judge overseeing the New York civil case, Arthur Engoron, ordered Trump to pay the $454 million in penalties and interest in February, after finding him liable for overstating his net worth and the values of his real estate holdings to dupe lenders and insurers.

Trump denies wrongdoing and is appealing Engoron's decision.

Trump's lawyer Chris Kise said in a statement that the questions about the bond were baseless.

Knight owner Don Hankey and the company's president, Amit Shah, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Knight has $539 million in assets, including $26.8 million in cash, it said in a court filing.



https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/

The bond company is not approved in NY, so they'll have to prove liquidity and solvency.

Maybe other things that Queen Letitia deems necessary.

Or maybe NY will just rewrite some new laws so the bond doesn't work at all.

Only the Magic Eight Ball knows for sure.

Queen Latitia? Must be a feeble attempt at a racial slur.

Answer this: Your the DA. You must make sure that a bond is legit before you accept it. Otherwise, what good is it?

So what do you do? Let it slide or ask for proof they have the goods?

Yes, that's what I was talking about. All she wants to know is if they have the money or assets to back the bond.

I promise you this, if it comes down to it that Trump doesn't win his appeal and Knight Specialty insurance has to pay up and can't, James will come under attack. I don't blame her for looking under the hood.

A racial slur?? Actually, you're the one that just made it racial.


You want me to go through the reasoning process of someone who ran for office on the premise of "Get TRUMP!!" ?

Here's the thought process: "That $@#$ son of a ^%##!! Is there anything left that we can do??"

So in other words trump shouldn’t have to pay a dime for the crimes he’s been charged and convicted of. Got it. The judge is corrupt.

Yeah.

That's what I said.

In other words, an octopus has three hearts.

GOPers certainly aren’t octopi.

You got me.

Yes, now in America if a prosecutor tries a suspect for breaking the law or for the people posting the bond to live up to the legal standards they are called "Queen". The excuses for the criminal running for president for the republican party knows no bounds. It's all the Queen's fault because trump is now facing accountability under the legal standards in the state of New York.

Where did $1.8 billion go? A South Carolina senator says the state treasurer breached public trust

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina senator said the elected state treasurer has breached the public trust after lawmakers didn’t get much clarity Tuesday about how $1.8 billion moved through a state bank account over the past decade — without anyone knowing where it came from or was supposed to go.

For six hours, Republican Treasurer Curtis Loftis answered questions, sometimes yelling at senators, and other times saying he didn’t have the answers. He told the chamber he wasn’t given information he requested to try to untangle the mess that started as the state shifted accounting systems in the mid-2010s.

But he left before Republican Sen. Larry Grooms summed up the day by saying, “Apparently Mr. Loftis has lost control of the state treasury,” and the General Assembly can’t rely on him to solve the problems he created.

“Mr. Loftis has abrogated his responsibility as a state treasurer. He has breached the public trust,” said Grooms, a powerful Republican elected in 1997.

Accountants are still trying to untangle the $1.8 billion mess, but it appears that every time the state’s books were out of whack, money was shifted from somewhere into an account that helped balance it out, state Senate leaders have said. In a different problem, the state was double-counting higher education money to the tune of almost $4 billion.

Comptroller General Brian Gaines, who took over for the elected Republican director after he resigned when the accounting errors started to emerge last year, opened the meeting speaking for about 10 minutes. He promised to continue to help senators in any way to unravel the mess and said the account in question where the $1.8 billion went was created by the treasurer’s office.

Loftis followed, telling the senators repeatedly that it isn’t his responsibility to balance the books and that he can’t get any information out of the comptroller general’s office.

Loftis asked for more time to find answers and then yelled at senators for suggesting he wasn’t telling the truth. He argued against the chair’s claim that there were identical reports with the same numbers and begged the Democrats on the subcommittee to come to his rescue.

“I have no power here,” Loftis said. “All I’ve had is six or seven hours of ‘Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.’”

Grooms said lawmakers are still trying to figure out the scope of the problems. He suggested the state’s accounts were out of balance in the negative when the past fiscal year ended — and billions of dollars of mistakes have been made both for and against the state’s favor.

Loftis angrily denied that, pounding the lectern and saying he was being ganged up on.

“Senators, I’m at a bit of a disadvantage. Six people can ask me any question about the last 14 years,” he said.

At one point, Loftis insisted his report was right and the Senate’s report, which lawmakers said had identical numbers, was wrong.

“Senator from Colleton, I submit the treasurer might have trouble with addition,” Grooms told a colleague.

Loftis said that his job is to be the state’s banker and investment chief and that the comptroller general reconciles the books. Loftis said the comptroller general also refused to share key information, an allegation the other agency denies.

“If we weren’t arguing, we could solve this problem. I’ve been given the responsibility without the authority,” Loftis said.

There were some hints of new information at the meeting.

Senators perked up when Loftis briefly suggested there might be a criminal investigation into the money, which Loftis quickly shot down, saying they misunderstood him.

The $1.8 billion may not be sitting around waiting to be spent on things like teacher salaries or prison improvements, and could actually end up taking cash from those things.

Republican Sen. Stephen Goldfinch said there are indications the money may belong to other entities, such as the state Department of Transportation, the federal government or an environmental trust fund. If the money is accounted for, the state may have to pay back the interest it earned investing the $1.8 billion.

And Loftis said the money doesn’t remain in one account since the investments are pulled from multiple other places.

Grooms said the investigation into the problems continue. He wouldn’t say at this time whether he might suggest impeachment or some other legislative remedy.

Under law, Loftis said his agency is the one tasked with untangling the accounts and figuring out where the $1.8 billion was supposed to go.

That power needs to be taken from the Treasurer’s Office as soon as possible and perhaps put into the hands of forensic accounts, Grooms said.

“He began to lose control in 2016 and he has not done a darn thing to try and correct those unresolved errors,” Grooms said.

https://apnews.com/article/south-ca...troller-b1a3de2ff842bf1a9c9edc75c36b9d5e

Another Karen was #triggered......

Chinese signatures on graduation certificates upset northern Virginia police chief

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A northern Virginia town has been excluded from a countywide police training academy after the town’s chief complained about Chinese signatures on trainees’ graduation certificates.

Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard complained that the academy director, Maj. Wilson Lee, used Chinese characters to sign the certificates that graduates receive when they complete training at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy.

In an email sent last month and obtained by The Associated Press, DeBoard told Lee, “I just found out that the academy graduation certificates were signed by you in some other language, not in English. This is unacceptable for my agency. I don’t want our Herndon officers to receive these and I am requesting that they are issued certificates signed in English, the language that they are expected to use as an officer.”



On March 18, the county’s deputy executive for safety and security, Thomas Arnold, wrote to DeBoard informing her that the county was terminating Herndon’s affiliation with the academy.

In a statement, Herndon Town Manager Bill Ashton said the town is reviewing the incident.

He defended DeBoard. “It is unfortunate that Chief DeBoard’s recent interaction with Fairfax County’s Criminal Justice Academy has been viewed as discriminatory. I have personally known Chief DeBoard for over 12 years and this interaction is completely inconsistent with the dedicated public servant that I know,” Ashton said.

The Town of Herndon is a part of Fairfax County, just outside the nation’s capital, but the town maintains its own police force. The much larger Fairfax County Police Department is the primary user of the academy, which also serves the town of Vienna, the county sheriff’s office and the county fire marshal.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis declined to comment on the dispute. But in an email he sent to officers, he defended Lee, saying. “For 16 years of an impeccable career, memorializing a legal name given at birth with a signature that exudes heritage pride has not garnered a single criticism. Nor should it.”

Last year, a former Herndon police officer sued the town in federal court, saying she suffered sexual harassment and discrimination at the hands of a supervisor. The lawsuit accused DeBoard of failing to stop the harassment even though she was aware of it.

The lawsuit was eventually settled before trial, but court papers indicate that other officers complained of racial discrimination during the time DeBoard has been chief.

In the court papers, the town said DeBoard took the female officer’s concerns seriously and that she would have recommended firing the officer accused of harassment, but he resigned before she could do so. Lawyers for the town said the complaints of racial discrimination were made by officers who faced disciplinary action.

Herndon Police referred questions Wednesday to the statement issued by the town manager.

https://apnews.com/article/chinese-...ificate-03069737acd18a56dd281862645b0b0a

May as well put this here, I'm sure republicans will get blamed...


Biden just gave a great speech in Baltimore. Something you can really rally around. Impassioned, emotional, decisive. He sounded like a president -- and mostly non-partisan -- the only exception being a comment on Congress in regards to "paying the bill".

Then of course, once complete, CNN seizes the moment with "pressure on Congress to pick up the tab" comments.


My question (prediction first)...

This will become a political stunt. Why would we need an act of Congress to fix a bridge when we have an infrastructure bill with ONE HALF TRILLION still in the fund?

Anyone who questioned this bill at the time was met with someone screaming "the bridges, the bridges!!", but now we can't use any part of the HALF TRILLION DOLLARS to fix a bridge in the water??

Pleeeease tell me what I'm missing here?

Since you provided no link and no details that would be very had to answer. My initial guess is that the infrastructure bill does not provide or qualify for emergency funding.

There's really no link. I've just heard language repeated since the accident. Biden has basically repeated things like paying for it in full with no hitches, and language like: "and I better not get any grief".

As to your second statement, that's a good guess, and probably true.

I imagine somewhere in those 2700+ pages is a statement such as "there will be no spending on disasters, in situations where this money is needed the most urgently because of a catastrophe event, we will need to bypass this funding in order to make a mockery of ourselves and the taxpayers that fund our stupid political games". It won't be worded quite like that -- but it should be.

You're actually not missing anything. In fact, you're 100% correct.

You're hitting on something that is a near every-day frustration for me, and that is Congressional appropriations. The authorization and appropriations process needs to be overhauled massively 1) because it's inefficient and 2) the way it is put into place allows for widespread corruption (see Bob Menendez).

If spending on the Baltimore bridge wasn't an authorized/appropriated expenditure, then Congress would have to specifically pass a measure to account for it. If some contracting officer out there signed a contract to repair the bridge without those funds being contemplated, then it would primarily be a misappropriation of funds violation, and then if it was found there were no funds even available for that purpose, it would fall back into an Anti-Deficiency Act violation, which is even worse. When that happens, your name ends up on a list before both Houses of Congress and the President as being a schmuck basically, in a letter written by the head of your agency/department. If it was found that you did so intentionally, you're looking at big fines and jail time.

It's actually quite asinine how crazy it gets. Go check out the 2021 fiscal year ADA violations:

https://www.gao.gov/products/b-333630

I'm pretty sure there was one dude on there who got suspended from his job and written up before Congress and the President because he voluntarily uploaded a document during a shutdown. Since no funding was appropriated to pay his salary, he committed an ADA violation to the tune of like $12 for his time spent uploading a document. I shudder to think how many resources were spent investigating and writing the report that documented his $12 violation.

You can't make this stuff up, my friend.

Edit ~ I looked it up:

https://www.gao.gov/assets/730/720129.pdf Page 4. USDA. Violation was $11.03. There's another, similar one on there for a violation of $79.70. Sent emails during a shutdown. Page 3.

Your tax dollars at work.

I see it sort of a catch 22. People one one hand insist that every dollar proposed in a plan be earmarked for what it is to be spent on in the name of transparency. That it be shown where it is allocated, where it will be spent as well as what it can and can not be spent on. So in order to accomplish that it must be spelled out in detail. On the other hand when such an emergency as this arises people seem upset that they can't divert the funds in another direction. My guess is if it hadn't been spelled out in detail how, where and when every dollar was to be spent the infrastructure bill would never have been passed in the first place.

I'm not actually disagreeing that it SHOULD have been written in a manner that addresses its use on an emergency basis. But I do understand why things turned out that way. A family budget can be changed and priorities moved around based on the current circumstances. Once a bill gets written and the funds are appropriated to specific projects and methods it simply doesn't work that way.

Actually I think Fate fits this description perfectly. I believe he would have been just as upset if not more so had an infrastructure bill had been passed that didn't specify where every dollar was to be spent as he is now that those funds can't be diverted from how the bill reads they must be spent.

It's berserk.

Now that I'm digging, I see that Biden-Harris Administration Announces $60 Million for Emergency Work... Baltimore. These are ‘Quick Release’ Emergency Relief funds, and it seems there is about 110B available in the fund. Seems like if there was a single iota of common sense, this could be handled with an audible "yea" or "nay" and be wrapped up in under 60 seconds. From this fund ~or~ the infrastructure fund.


It pisses me off that any: corporation, household, church, non-profit, tribe, family, or school of fish would see the bridge fall, absorb the shock and gravity of the situation, and then breath a troubled sigh of relief thinking: "thank God we have that infrastructure fund".

Instead, we fight.

That's rather disingenuous, but just so you know, I'm not going to argue about it.

You say I would be upset about a bill that didn't earmark every dollar when this very bill was passed without earmarking a single dollar. And I haven't said a word, complained, nor do I have a problem with that fact. It's a fund. All any city needs to do is apply for funding.

This is how the application should read for Baltimore:

Our bridge fell.
We need cash.
Fast.

Signed: everyone

Thank you once again for proving me right. If republicans are doing it and get called out, they say it was what someone else what doing.

SO, according to you, her job isn't to insure the bond is real? Got it.

I bet that if the name Trump wasn't the sticking point, you would agree, that's her job and she should do it.


Your argument is weak and childish.

Thanks for the update. All you libs are really good at predicting what I would or wouldn't do or say in some imaginary scenario. Matches the rest of your fantasies that you pass as facts.

I'm just glad you responded now and not some time in late July.

Have a nice day.

What an idiot.

I wonder if God knows that scientists have known the date of this eclipse for close to a century?

Shhhh 🤫

How did she get elected?

A: She has 2 more functioning brain cells than the constituency that voted for her.
That's where we are, right now, politics-wise.

S# is dire- and dangerous.

This bleached-blonde brick-brained bimbo is currently one of the most influential members of the House of Representatives' Red caucus.
That should send a shiver down the spine of every sane Human Being who calls him/herself an American citizen, regardless of partisan affiliation.

By people who think just like the poster who called her an idiot.

Then there should be no problem with congress agreeing to fund it. Where's the fight?

And here we go. Right on cue. Let's negotiate rebuilding the bridge......

Biden Calls on Congress to Fund Baltimore Bridge Recovery—But There’s Already Resistance

President Joe Biden on Friday called on Congress to fund the entire cost of rebuilding the Baltimore bridge that collapsed last week when a colossal cargo ship collided with it, killing six construction workers and suspending shipping activity in the port.

“Everyone including Congress should be asking only one question… How can we help?” Biden said during his visit to the site with the remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the background. “I fully intend to have the federal government cover the cost of building this entire bridge,” Biden continued. “All of it. All of it… I call on Congress to authorize this effort as soon as possible.”

As pressure mounts to reopen the port, federal officials reportedly have estimated it could cost more than $2 billion. Some Republicans have rebuffed Biden’s promise to pay the entire bridge cost with federal dollars, demanding that any funding be fully offset with spending cuts.

"It was kind of outrageous immediately for Biden to express in this tragedy the idea that he’s going to use federal funds to pay for the entirety," Rep. Dan Meuser, a Pennsylvania Republican, told Fox Business on Thursday. "This is a crisis situation, but it needs a plan, not a knee-jerk spend reaction."

Federal and state officials have warned that the port’s closure at one the nation’s main shipping channels could have a major impact on the regional economy, with thousands of jobs in flux as the government works to clear the wreckage and restore traffic. The Biden Administration already allocated $60 million in emergency relief funds last week to help rebuild the bridge and provided additional funding for harbor cleanup and low-interest disaster loans to affected businesses.

The federal response to the collapse is quickly becoming a critical test for Biden, who has championed infrastructure improvements as a cornerstone of his presidency and aims to convince voters ahead of the November election that he’s the best equipped to address infrastructure challenges. Some Republicans have blamed Biden’s infrastructure policies for not providing enough money to restore old bridges, though initial investigations suggest the Baltimore bridge was fully up to code.

The conservative House Freedom Caucus on Friday demanded that the Biden Administration lift its pause on approvals for natural gas export projects and waive regulations like the Endangered Species Act in exchange for funding the bridge recovery efforts, while Meuser suggested that Biden pull funds from his electric vehicle deployment program that Congress passed.

During his Friday visit, Biden surveyed the wreckage and was scheduled to meet with family members of the six construction workers who died in the March 26 accident. “Our hearts are still breaking,” Biden said, sharing that one of the victims—Carlos, 24—was waiting for cement to dry when the ship struck. “Most are immigrants but all are Marylanders—hard working, strong, and selfless.”

“I've come here to grieve with you,” Biden added. “I know a little bit about what it's like to lose…to get that phone call in the middle of the night to say a family member’s gone. I've been there.” Biden previously lost his wife and young daughter in a car crash and later lost his son to brain cancer.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said during Biden’s visit that it plans to open a limited access channel in the Patapsco River by the end of April that should open the port to vessels carrying automobiles and farm equipment, with the entire shipping channel expected to reopen by the end of May.

The port plays a pivotal role in vehicle shipping and employs over 15,000 workers, with ripple effects expected to be felt in neighboring states like Pennsylvania. Biden called on companies that rely on the port to commit to keeping employees on their payrolls as the port reopens. Some 850,000 vehicles go through the port annually and more than 30,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. “We’re going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible,” Biden said. “And we’re going to do so with union labor and American steel.”

Federal investigators are still searching for answers about how a 985-foot-long cargo vessel struck a major bridge. The operators of the ship issued a mayday call moments before the crash saying the vessel had lost power. Attorneys for the companies that own and manage the ship have asked a judge in federal court to excuse them from any liability for the disaster or cap damages at $43 million.

https://time.com/6964100/joe-biden-baltimore-visit-bridge-recovery-congress/

Sounds like a lot of sour grapes from a once sane poster, losing his ish over actual justice being served to a traitorous idiot. Jail him now! The traitorous idiot of course.

This is stupid. This bridge and waterway is a vital cog in commerce. It's collapse and blockage will cause untold damage to everyone regardless of your party.

Get the bridge fixed, sort it out later. Seems like republicans want to cut off their noses to spite their own faces. Are they doing this because Baltimore is a more democratic stronghold? Would they act this way if it was Dallas or Tampa or New Orleans?

Or as the article indicates, is this an attempt to damage the Biden Presidency? It's AMERICANS that are hurt by this. ALL Americans. Stop the Bickering and get the job done.