Pence faces fierce resistance from GOP’s pro-Trump base

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Former Vice President Mike Pence is facing strong resistance from members of his party’s pro-Trump base over his role in certifying the Electoral College results in the 2020 election.

Pence has stepped up his public appearances recently and is set to appear at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa next month alongside other high-profile Republicans. But his political future is complicated by his refusal in January to bow to pressure from then-President Trump to help deliver him a victory in the race against Joe Biden.

While garnering praise from Democrats and Republicans, that decision has led to howls from members of the party’s right flank — a swath of voters Pence will need should he launch a presidential campaign in three years. Continue reading.

Bill Barr’s ‘clean-up exercise’ to save his reputation actually reveals he was far more corrupt than anyone realized: columnist

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Former Attorney General William Barr is attempting to resuscitate his image after two years of using the Justice Department as a partisan defense agency for former President Donald Trump. In a new interview with reporter Jonathan Karl, Barr claimed he always knew Trump’s election conspiracy theories were “bullsh*t” and that then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) begged him to help push back on them.

But on Monday, writing for The Washington Post‘s “The Plum Line,” columnist Greg Sargent argued that far from exonerating him, Barr’s new revelations show the depths of his corruption.

“Having gone to extraordinary lengths to help Donald Trump corrupt the presidency, William P. Barr is working overtime to launder his post-Trump reputation,” wrote Sargent. “But the former attorney general’s latest clean-up exercise may end up showing that the stain of his corruption is even darker than we thought — in a way that soils other Republicans as well.” Continue reading.

Donald Trump’s January 6

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The view from inside the Oval Office.

Seems like quite a few crazies,” said the president.

A little more than three weeks before rioters and revelers stormed the Capitol on January 6, several thousand Trump fans and fanatics gathered in Washington, D.C. There were the Proud Boys in elaborate dress, ZZ Top beards, and tie-dyed kilts — Enrique Tarrio, a Proud Boy organizer, got in line and took a public tour of the White House — who seemed to have appointed themselves Trump’s protectors and vanguard, as the Hells Angels had once done for the Rolling Stones. There were Trump impersonators and a wide variety of other made-for-the-cameras MAGA costumes. There were veterans — or people in military gear trying to suggest patriotism and firepower. There were older men and women, too — more Las Vegas than Altamont. Virtually all without masks.

“It’s like Let’s Make a Deal,” said Trump the next day to a caller, referencing the long-running game show from the 1960s — many of his references have never left this psychic era — on which audience members dressed up in foolish costumes to get the attention of the host.

The speakers at the December 12 event were themselves a retinue of Trump attention seekers: Michael Flynn, the former general who had briefly served as Trump’s national security adviser before being rolled out of office for lying to the FBI, had, after pleading guilty, reversed himself and abjectly reaffirmed his Trump loyalty, finally getting his pardon just days before the rally. Sebastian Gorka, a figure of uncertain provenance and function in the Trump White House during its first months, was one of the early oddballs to be pushed out when John Kelly became chief of staff and had pursued a Trump-based media career ever since. Also speaking: MyPillow entrepreneur Mike Lindell, a former drug addict and a current fevered conspiracist. Continue reading.

DC investigators seek Weisselberg testimony as they compile case against Trump kids for ‘self-dealing’: report

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According to a report from the Daily Beast’s Jose Pagliery, the case being made against Donald Trump’s children — Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric — for cashing in on Donald Trump’s inauguration after his 2016 presidential win is being delayed while investigators seek testimony from Trump Org executive Allen Weisselberg.

The report states that Sunday, the District of Columbia’s attorney general was notified he will have to wait “…to find out if three more people in the Trump family circle can be forced to testify, as investigators continue to look into whether Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration committee misspent more than $1 million and enriched his own company.”

In an interview with the Beast, lead witness Stephanie Winston Wolkoff — who helped oversee the inauguration events — said the investigation is looking at “self-dealing” by the Trump family. Continue reading.

Documents Show Ivanka Trump Didn’t Testify Accurately in Inauguration Scandal Case

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She said she played no role in planning inaugural events. These records suggest otherwise.

The Trump family has trouble with depositions. In 2007 testimony, Donald Trump was repeatedly shown to be a liar. In February, Donald Trump Jr. was deposed in the Trump inauguration scandal lawsuit, and on several key points, under oath, he provided false testimony. A review of documents filed in that case and other material obtained by Mother Jones shows that Ivanka Trump also testified inaccurately during her deposition in this lawsuit. 

The inauguration probe was launched last year by Karl Racine, the attorney general of Washington, DC. He has alleged that Trump’s inauguration committee misused charitable funds to enrich the Trump family. As Racine put it, the lawsuit maintains “that the Inaugural Committee, a nonprofit corporation, coordinated with the Trump family to grossly overpay for event space in the Trump International Hotel… The Committee also improperly used non-profit funds to throw a private party [at the Trump Hotel] for the Trump family costing several hundred thousand dollars.” In short, the attorney general accused the Trump gang of major grifting, and he is seeking to recover the money paid to the Trump Hotel so those funds can be used for real charitable purposes. 

During a December 1 deposition—in which she swore to tell the truth—Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of Donald Trump who was an executive at the Trump Organization before becoming a White House adviser to her father, was asked if she had any “involvement in the process of planning the inauguration.” She replied, “I really didn’t have an involvement.” Ivanka testified that if her “opinion was solicited” regarding an inauguration event, she “would give feedback to my father or to anyone who asked my perspective or opinion.” And that was as far as her participation went. Continue reading.

House approves compromise Public Safety and Judiciary Budget

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Yesterday, the Minnesota House passed the compromise Public Safety and Judiciary budget bill and amended it to include sign and release warrants. In addition to funding the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Human Rights, and the judicial branch, the bill includes several criminal justice and police accountability reforms which House DFLers have been advocating for all session. However, Senate Republicans rejected many other meaningful changes Minnesotans have been calling for to ensure communities can receive justice.

“Our budget agreement advances several important solutions to help Minnesotans experience public safety in their communities, but it’s incredibly disappointing Senate Republicans refused to accept some of the most meaningful reforms we put forward, including those with bipartisan support,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), chair of the House Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform Committee. “One conviction and one prison sentence of one police officer doesn’t heal the trauma with which our communities continue to live. It’s not acceptable for a system that has failed too many Minnesotans to allow peace officers – with the solemn duty to protect and serve – to largely continue operating with impunity and a reckless disregard for human rights. As a result of the shortcomings within the budget compromise, we commit to continue this important work until we ensure all of those who betray the public’s trust can be held accountable, and Black, Indigenous, and Minnesotans of color can be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. We welcome the Governor’s executive actions, which are necessary due to the Republican Senate’s failure to respond to Minnesotans’ calls for greater accountability for law enforcement.”

Continue reading “House approves compromise Public Safety and Judiciary Budget”

Former Trump Organization executive agrees Trump probably deserves to go to jail after ‘what I’ve observed over 20 years’

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Speaking to CNN host Jim Acosta on Sunday, former Trump Organization executive Barbara Res agreed that former President Donald Trump probably deserves to go to jail, from her observation.

The two discussed the deepening seriousness of the Manhattan District Attorney’s case against the Trump Organization. 

“I hear them talk about going after the Trump Organization, but the Trump Organization is not General Motors,” Res explained. “It was just a kind of loose thing that we called ourselves. I think it was incorporated, but later, after I started there. I’m sure that everything, every operation that he has, is held in a holding company or an LLC. So I’m not exactly sure what entities or where they’re going with this. Now, as far as Trump was concerned, if they were to get evidence against Trump, it would be to the extent that really nothing major has ever happened, to my knowledge. And this is confirmed by other people that worked for him much later, that he didn’t know about, nothing major. So, he is in with both legs.” Continue reading.

POCI Caucus Statement on Public Safety and Judiciary Budget Bill

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — On Tuesday, June 29, the Minnesota House passed a Public Safety and Judiciary state budget. DFL POCI members negotiated until the very end with the Senate Republicans to add more police accountability measures to the bill. The negotiations led to the following outcome that makes progress to prevent more Minnesotans from dying at the hands of police.

The bill includes:

  • No Knock Warrant Regulations: Prevents an officer from seeking a “no-knock” warrant without an application. Prevents these warrants in drug possession-only offenses.
  • Sign & Release Warrants: In certain situations, police officers who pull over someone with a summons for court must inform them of the court date, have them sign a statement of acknowledgement, and release them without arrest.
  • Police Officer Misconduct Database: Expands information in the database to include private information about police officer misconduct.
  • Removes funding for body camera grant program without accountability policies attached.

The POCI Caucus is pleased that Governor Walz has committed to taking action on further police accountability measures. The Governor has promised the following: 

  • $15 million from American Rescue Plan funds to support community violence prevention grants.
  • Increased transparency and accountability at the POST Board.
  • Body camera footage available within five days for families whose members have been killed by law enforcement. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates deadly use of force by police officers, meaning families will not be stymied in receiving that critical information.

Many of these measures would not have been included if not for the dedicated work of POCI members Chair Carlos Mariani, Chair Jamie Becker-Finn, and Rep. Cedrick Frazier who stood up for our communities against a Republican Senate who would have preferred the status quo.

We realize there is much more work to do. The POCI Caucus is committed to more police accountability measures next year. The fight for true justice for Minnesotans, especially our BIPOC communities, is long, but we are making progress.

The House People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) Caucus includes Reps. Esther Agbaje (59B), Jamie Becker-Finn (42B), Cedrick Frazier (45A), Aisha Gomez (62B), Hodan Hassan (Vice- Chair 62A), Kaohly Her (64A), Athena Hollins (66B), Fue Lee (59A), Carlos Mariani (65B), Rena Moran (65A), Mohamud Noor (60B), Ruth Richardson (52B), John Thompson (67A), Samantha Vang (Chair, 40B), Jay Xiong (67B), and Tou Xiong (53B).

Supreme Court won’t hear school’s appeal in transgender bathroom access fight

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The Supreme Court on Monday declined an appeal from a Virginia school board in a long-running battle over bathroom access, effectively handing a victory to transgender student Gavin Grimm.

The move came in an unsigned order, with two of the court’s more conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, indicating they would have taken up the appeal.

The development leaves in place a federal appeals court ruling in favor of Grimm, a transgender student who first sued his school district in Gloucester County, Va., in 2015 for access to the boys’ bathroom. Continue reading.

Republican Congressman can’t understand why Trump supporters went to ‘worship a loser’ at Ohio rally

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Former President Donald Trump’s Ohio rally is being mocked by many for being a celebration of a “loser.” Now Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) is joining in on the mockery.

Speaking to CNN Sunday, Kinzinger called the rally, eight months after the election, “a rally for a loser.”

“There are a lot of people that I’ve talked to that are mad at me for just telling the truth, which used to be a pretty basic low bar,” he told CNN host Pamela Brown. “That really truly believes that Donald Trump was elected president again. What you saw yesterday was a recycling of all his old talking points. It was a rally of a loser president. He’s the first president to lose re-election in decades. And I don’t know why these folks would go there and just short of worship a loser. They did. The interesting thing is he didn’t talk much about the candidate running against Anthony Gonzalez, who is a fantastic person, Anthony is. The guy running against him, at one point, Trump made it sound like he negotiated world peace in North Korea. The guy worked advance, which is really an entry-level position, not to put it down, but not negotiating with world leaders. And then he went into old recycled talking points. The problem is people believe this. They really do. And there are enough people that, frighteningly, believe he’ll be president again in August.” Continue reading.