Secret Service Is Reportedly Prepared to Testify Trump Didn’t Try to Commandeer Limo on Jan. 6, Despite Hutchinson Account

 Mediaite  "Secret Service agents are reportedly prepared to testify that then-President Donald Trump didn’t reach for the steering wheel in his limousine following his rally on Jan. 6 that preceded the attack at the U.S. Capitol.

“ 'A source close to the Secret Service tells me both Bobby Engel, the lead agent, and the presidential limousine/SUV driver are prepared to testify under oath that neither man was assaulted and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel,” tweeted NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander on Tuesday.

🚨 A source close to the Secret Service tells me both Bobby Engel, the lead agent, and the presidential limousine/SUV driver are prepared to testify under oath that neither man was assaulted and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel.

— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) June 28, 2022

" Cassidy Hutchinson, former senior adviser to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified on Tuesday in front of the Jan 6. House select committee she’d been told Trump tried to take the wheel as his motorcade drove to the White House. Trump had just informed rally attendees he would be joining them at the Capitol, where Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden’s electoral victory as president.

"Hutchinson testified,. . ."

Hearing on Jan. 6 a circus

 

"The House hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is another divisive, partisan, Democrat-led action. Like the two Democratic impeachment efforts to remove President Donald Trump, where the president himself and Republican defense were denied documents and witnesses and Democrats had secret sessions, the  Republicans were not allowed to choose their representatives for the hearings.

"Speaker Pelosi has exceeded her authority by rejecting the selected representatives, and did so before in an unprecedented way with the process used for the  impeachment hearings and in removing a Republican from all of her committees.

"The early hearings with police and security officers stressed the problems with the rioters and surely drew sympathy from most people. Forgotten, however, was the total disregard for the officers who were injured and all the people killed during the countrywide Black Lives Matter protests. These protests saw a police station and numerous businesses get destroyed, as well as many people fear for their lives.

"This is still the United States of America, and congressional hearings should be nonpartisan, with both Democrats and Republicans allowed their witnesses and treated fairly.". . .

Colbert Breaks Silence on Staffers’ Arrests at Capitol Building

David Rufful

. . ."Fox News host Tucker Carlson argued that “producers from Stephen Colbert’s show on CBS committed insurrection at the United States Capitol.”

"Colbert attempted to downplay the arrests. He claimed the illegal act was “very professional.”

"He even argued that they did not commit an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol because “an insurrection involves disrupting the lawful actions of Congress and howling for the blood of elected leaders – all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.”

"The left-wing CBS host proceeded to blame President Donald Trump for the events of January 6th at the U.S. Capitol.

"Colbert even whined that his staff was not in the main Capitol building.

“ 'After they’d finished their interviews, [my staffers] were doing some last-minute puppetry and jokey make-em-ups in a hallway, when Triumph and my folks were approached and detained by Capitol Police,” Colbert said.

"He continued, “A lot of paperwork for the Capitol police but a fairly simple story… until the next night when a couple of the TV people started claiming that my puppet squad had quote, ‘committed insurrection’ at the U.S. Capitol building.' ”. . .

The Left Aborts Its Right To Be Called Tolerant … Or Intelligent

The disconnect between the Supreme Court’s decision and the reaction from the left is even more startling when you read Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion, in which he argues clearly, forcefully, compellingly, and without apology that the Court made a grievous mistake in 1973 when it invented a constitutional right to abortion out of whole cloth, and then compounded that mistake with 1992’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Alito destroys the dissenting opinion and is brutal in his takedown of Chief Justice John Roberts’ hair-brained attempt to split the difference.

 I & I Editorial Board

"Let’s review the news since Friday’s Supreme Court decision – a decision that gave power back to the people to decide what laws should apply when it comes to abortion. Riots. Arson. Calls to assassinate a sitting justice. Threats of violence against anyone who is pro-life.

"Here’s a small sampling of headlines.

• Calls for Clarence Thomas’ assassination spread across social media after Roe reversed
• Christian Clinic Torched
• Antifa Packed A Flamethrower For Abortion Riot
• Man arrested for attempted murder of LAPD officers amid Roe v. Wade protests
• Abortionists go mad, shut down L.A. freeway
• Pregnancy Center in Virginia Vandalized
• Someone Set Fire to ‘Christ-Centered Ministry,’ Vandalized Premises After Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling
• Violent Portland Pro-Abortion Protesters Destroy, Vandalize Property
• Vermont State House vandalized: ‘If abortions aren’t safe you’re not either’
• Crisis pregnancy centers under attack after Roe v Wade overturned
• LIVE UPDATES: Riots Across U.S.

"Notice that several instances of violence are in states that will almost certainly retain liberal access to abortion. Rationality isn’t a strong suit for those on the left. Temper tantrums, yes.". . .

https://townhall.com/political-cartoons

Gavin Newsom Buys Ad Space in Florida to Challenge Ron DeSantis in 2024

RedState

"California Governor Gavin Newsom is running for president. If you had any doubt about that, consider which state he focuses on the most, while ignoring his own. Yeah, you guessed it: Florida, along with Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis. Newsom assumes that DeSantis is who he will be opposing for President in 2024 and thinks his record of governance can best Gov. DeSantis’ work in his state.

"Deluded is, as deluded does.

"If you need any more proof that Newsom is deadly serious, look no further than a statewide cable ad buy Newsom just made— in Florida. Newsom is so overly confident that he doesn’t have to campaign for re-election in California that he is looking ahead and pouring his resources into his 2024 campaign.". . .

Calling Justice Thomas ‘Uncle Clarence’ exposes the rotten sham that is the progressive movement

NY Post

"A festering rot of racial animosity exists in our society that we willfully ignore socially and politically. It is a rot that eats away at the flesh of our civil society and spoils the greatness of our multicultural nation.

"Progressives continually tell us we have blinders on when it comes to racism in American society. They’ve shoved their ideological solution of anti-racism to force us to “deconstruct” what they believe is an inherently deep-seated racist nation. I, as a black American, am supposed to rejoice in the presence of our self-appointed saviors, but I peeked behind the veil and saw who they really are.

"Understandably, detractors of the decision have found themselves angry and anguished at last week’s Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade. Six judges found it necessary to overturn, but just one has been elected the face of all political animus: Clarence Thomas, who didn’t even write the court’s opinion.". . .

"With overwhelming anger seeping through their pores, Democrats saw only one viable target who would satisfy their rage. There was only one person for whom they felt comfortable exposing themselves by lifting the veil of their true hatred and indifference for black people.

SEE ALSO

Samuel L. Jackson takes race-based shot at Justice Thomas over Roe v. Wade

"In a matter of hours, “Uncle Clarence” was trending on Twitter, a reference to the racist pejorative “Uncle Tom.” I witnessed multiple conversations between white progressives questioning if Clarence knows he’s black, chastising him for being married to a white woman and even going so far as to feel completely comfortable calling him a n—er.

"Don’t believe me? Do a Twitter search yourself.

"Just one example: Left-wing Canadian pollster John Corbett tweeted, “Clarence Thomas: Just another dumb field n—er." ”

Lloyd Austin needs to resign as Secretary of Defense

Hot Air

"Since the announcement of the decision in Dobbs on Friday, elected officials and media personalities across the board have been weighing in with their own takes as you would expect. But one of the last people I would have expected to dive into the public debate was Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. And yet he somehow made the decision to wade into the Roe v Wade issue up to his hips. This turned out to be a very poor decision for several reasons, as we’ll see in a moment, but the question here goes far beyond one retired military officer’s personal views. The spectacle Austin created was simply damaging and Lloyd Austin needs to either resign or be fired, not that Joe Biden will make any such move. At Redstate, Mike Miller highlights Austin’s comments and points out how wrong he managed to get the entire affair.

‘It comes as no surprise that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has issued a statement all but condemning Friday’s overturn of Roe — by pledging that the United States military “be all that it can be” [sarcasm] and will do all it can in support of “seamless access to reproductive health care [on-demand abortion].”

What is a bit of a surprise — Austin’s apparent ignorance of federal law — is laughable.

In a statement posted on the Department of Defense website, Austin pledged the U.S. military’s (emphasis, mine) “readiness and resilience” to, in effect, “continue to provide access” to abortion.

"Before getting to the question of precisely how far this spectacle went off the beam, allow me to make one thing clear. This has nothing to do with the Dobbs decision on Friday and how Lloyd Austin might personally feel about it. He’s entitled to his personal opinion like anyone else. The error here has to do with Austin’s decision to make an official statement as the Secretary of Defense and, as Miller points out, his almost comical lack of knowledge in terms of the policies he’s discussing.". . .

Macron Buttonholes Biden, Delivers Bad Oil News in Front of International Media

 PJ Media   "In what sure looked like a cunning move, French President Emmanuel Macron waylaid “President” Biden just as he strolled near reporters, deep in conversation with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The men were attending the G7 summit that was being held Monday in the Bavarian Alps of Germany.

"In a video of the incident (below), Macron catches up to Biden, calling, “Joe? Mr. President?” He steps between Biden and Sullivan, takes Biden’s arm, and draws him to a halt, saying “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt.” Reuters reports the momentous news the French president then delivers:

“I had a call with MbZ,” Macron was heard telling U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit, using shorthand for UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. “He told me two things. I’m at a maximum, maximum (production capacity). This is what he claims.”

“And then he said (the) Saudis can increase by 150 (thousands barrels per day). Maybe a little bit more, but they don’t have huge capacities before six months’ time,” Macron said.

"Biden stood silently as Macron broke the news that there would be no significant help from the two last-hope OPEC+ nations, meaning the fuel crisis and the additional problems it causes would continue. At one point, Macron begins speaking to the other adults present, as people sometimes unconsciously do when the elderly person they are addressing seems too senile to comprehend. Finally, Biden makes a surprised expression, then says, “Yeah, [unintelligible],” and motions towards the waiting meeting.". . .

Embarrassing: Biden's Grand Energy Plan Just Got Blown Up...By the French President 

"Biden was counting on these two nations to bail him out. Now, they can't. As Michael Shellenberger noted on social media, this means the US has to up the ante on domestic oil production. That means doing all the things the environmental left hates. It means nixing any notion that the Green New Deal is a viable policy. It means infuriating Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her supporters. 

"It's another blow for Biden who has touted that America is back. That its leadership is back, and that the adults are back in the room. Since that declaration, this presidency has been an endless cycle of embarrassment and incompetence. The vice president is a word salad chef with approval ratings that are worse than Joe's—and he's in the mid-30s. No one seems to have a plan on how to curb inflation, generate economic growth, create jobs, and get baby formula back on the shelves. Gas prices will now certainly soar close to $7/gallon by August. I'll wager that given we have weak, stupid, and slow leadership from Mr. Magoo here. ". . .

Well then, I guess it's time for Plan B:  Biden sends team to make nice with Venezuela 

In case the President has forgotten, our government does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Nor does most of the civilized world. He stole the last election in 2018 and we recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of that country. But now we’re going back into negotiations with Maduro’s people.

. . ."A good-faith effort by the Biden administration to secure the release of the American hostages is to be applauded. But as to any other negotiations that are likely going on, this may be a good time to remind ourselves of an old diplomatic rule of thumb. When you decide to wrestle with a pig, you inevitably come away muddy. So will the pig, but he doesn’t really care."

Anchors away...or should I say, 'Pronouns away'?

 American Thinker (Preferably  "anchors aweigh")

We face an existential struggle against the Chinese Communist Party and their PLA Navy.  War clouds are gathering in the western Pacific.  And our taxpayer dollars are funding this woke training video. 

"Several weeks ago, the secretary of the Navy identified climate change as an "existential threat" to the U.S. Navy and the nation and proudly proclaimed that climate change is the "focal point" for his tenure.  Now, according to the Daily Signal and other news outlets, the Navy has created a short training video to teach our warriors how to correctly use "'pronouns' and 'inclusive language' to create 'safe spaces' in the service."

"The short video is introduced by "Jony," who says he uses "he/him" pronouns, and "Conchy," who says she uses "she/her" pronouns (both are civilian engineers at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, Rhode Island), and instructs naval personnel that "using the right pronoun is ... a signal of acceptance and respect."  The proper use of pronouns, Conchy says, is a way to create "safe spaces" for everyone in the Navy.  And Jony says that "a really good way to do that is to use inclusive language."  "Instead of saying, 'Hey guys' you can say, 'Hey everyone' or 'Hey team.'"  Conchy adds that we can also use our pronouns in our emails and introduce each other by using our pronouns.

"Jony asks, "What would I do if I misgender someone?"  Conchy replies that it's not the end of the world, but just make sure to correct yourself, and don't place the burden on the person you offended to correct you.  If you don't know someone's pronouns, we are told, don't pressure him to give them because some people may be going through the "process of discovery" and don't yet know what their pronouns are.  Just use "gender-neutral" words.". . .

This would have helped at Midway I'm sure.

More Than a Stalinist Show Trial; Beyond the January 6 committee hearings, Stalinism advances on other fronts.

That regime rejected the rule of law, the presumption of innocence, and so forth, as so much “bourgeois” formality. The January 6 proceedings in Washington violate fundamental and longstanding norms of American justice. Witness the summary arrests, detention without trial, solitary confinement, denial of bail, withholding of evidence, and a lot more.  

(Updated) See also: Soviet Show Trials come to American college campuses

 Lloyd Billingsley  "As Thaddeus McCotter contends, the reproduction of a “Stalinist show trial” is now live in Washington. That invites a look at the original production of 1936-1937, from one of the keenest observers at the time. 

"The Moscow trials, and the purges that followed them, were a turning point in the history of American liberalism, for it was irrevocably polarized by the controversies to which the trials gave rise,” explains the late philosopher Sidney Hook in Out of Step: An Unquiet Life in the Twentieth Century, published in 1987. As Hook recalled, “news of the trials burst like a bombshell.”

"The principal defendants were “all old Bolsheviks, Lenin’s comrades in arms, who had been glorified as heroes of the October Revolution until they fell out of favor with Stalin. Chief among the defendants was Trotsky, acknowledged by Stalin as the architect of the Petrograd insurrection that had placed the Bolsheviks in power.” 

"As Hook wondered, “had architects of the great experiment been agents of the Western secret police?” The notion was “inherently incredible,” and the charges against Trotsky, Bukharin, Radek, and others were “mind-boggling.”

"The heroes of the October Revolution, Stalin contended, had assassinated Kirov in 1934, planned the assassination of Stalin under the direction of Trotsky, and “conspired with fascist powers Germany and Japan to dismember the Soviet Union, in exchange for services rendered by the Gestapo.” They were also charged with “sabotaging five-year plans, putting nails and glass in butter, inducing erysipelas in pigs, wrecking trains” and so forth. ". . .

Lloyd Billingsley is the author of Hollywood Party and other books including Bill of Writes and Barack ‘em Up: A Literary Investigation. His journalism has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Spectator (London) and many other publications. Billingsley serves as a policy fellow with the Independent Institute.

What the Victory of Mayra Flores Portends for the Democrats

The lesson to be drawn from the shift in Hispanic voting is that the Democrats need to moderate their platform while the Republicans should preserve theirs. . . 

 The American Spectator  "The victory of Republican Mayra Flores in a historic Texas Democratic stronghold on Tuesday punctuates President Joe Biden’s problem with Hispanics. His woke agenda appears to be driving them into the arms of Republicans. Born in Mexico, Flores won the special election for the 34th Congressional District on a staunchly conservative platform of “God, family, and country” — a repudiation of Biden’s fixation on secularism, libertinism, and identity politics.

"Her victory is no doubt setting off alarm bells in Democratic circles, but it can’t come as a complete surprise to the party’s strategists. Some of the shrewder ones have been fretting recently over the party’s alienation of Hispanics.

"Liberals deluded themselves into seeing Hispanics as a permanent Democratic constituency.

"Clearly, this constituency does not harbor particularly radical views on the nature of American society and its supposed intrinsic racism and white supremacy,” wrote Democratic strategist Ruy Teixeria last December. “They are instead a patriotic, upwardly mobile, working class group with quite practical and down to earth concerns. Democrats will either learn to focus on that or they will continue to lose ground among this vital group of voters.”

"That sums up the appeal of Flores. Openly patriotic, she poured scorn on Biden’s plans to transform the country fundamentally. Hispanics, she argued, want a traditional, not woke, America.". . .

In 2020, Joe Biden was the Great White Hope for Democrats

 That was then...

Democrats praise Biden on CBS, ABC and CNN for ‘very good job:’ Doing well ‘by any metric’ except inflation (msn.com)   . . ."Throughout CNN’s “State of the Union,” Brian Deese, director of the president’s Nationwide Financial Council, instructed host Dana Bash, “We really feel superb about the place America is.”

"Bash pressed Deese about the opportunity of a recession.

"He stated that whereas there are a sequence of “international challenges” the nation is going through proper now, “there is no doubt that the US is in a greater place than every other main nation around the globe to deal with inflation with out giving up all of the financial good points we have had.' ”. . .

And our go-to source for Democrat praise:

This is now: Why the Left Will Cut Biden Loose; Victor Davis Hanson

. . .The point is not just the asymmetrical treatment that has shielded Biden’s cognitive decline, his rude outbursts, his outrageous racialist slurs, and bizarre sexual aggressiveness.

Instead, the Left now fears Biden’s terrible polls and a worse record — and the resulting damage he is doing to the Democratic Party.

In such a losing political context, Democrats will soon find no further reason to cover for Biden’s own serial abhorrent personal behavior on matters of financial probity, sex, race, and truthfulness.

No wonder they are growing desperate to find ways to cut him loose — without making Vice President Kamala Harris his successor.