Justice: Judge Disqualifies Prosecutor — And Her Entire Office — From One McCloskey Case For Politicizing It

 Hot Air

"Kim Gardner won her election while using Mark McCloskey as a fundraising tool. She just lost in court for the same reason. A Missouri judge took the unusual step of disqualifying the prosecutor and her entire office from prosecuting McCloskey, scolding Gardner for politicizing the case (via Cam Edwards at Bearing Arms): . . . "

"There’s a price for demagoguery, it seems. At least in Missouri.

. . . "The ruling only applies to Mark McCloskey and not his wife Patricia, whose trial is being conducted separately. However, the defense attorneys plan to enter Clark’s ruling into her proceedings by her next court appearance on January 15. They will ask Judge Michael Steltzer to join Clark’s ruling and toss Gardner and her office out of Patricia’s case as well. That would then require both judges to appoint special prosecutors, perhaps even separate special prosecutors, with no connection to Gardner and her office." . . .

. . . "One has to wonder why any prosecutor would take up this case now. Clark has made it pretty clear that this was a political hack job conducted by a political hack looking to make herself into a national star in politics. The case already stinks, and the governor’s pardon will hang like a Sword of Damocles’ Futility over everything a prosecutor would do. That, along with earlier allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, makes this case an embarrassment for anyone not named Kim Gardner. The best outcome would be a quiet dismissal, or at least as quiet as it possibly can be under present circumstances." . . .

Texas Sues Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin at Supreme Court over Election Rules

...It is a fundamental idea in all republican forms of government that no one can be declared elected * * *, unless he * * * receives a majority or a plurality of the legal votes cast in the election.

 First the background:

Joel B. Pollak  "The State of Texas filed a lawsuit directly with the U.S. Supreme Court shortly before midnight on Monday challenging the election procedures in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin on the grounds that they violate the Constitution.

"Texas argues that these states violated the Electors Clause of the Constitution because they made changes to voting rules and procedures through the courts or through executive actions, but not through the state legislatures. Additionally, Texas argues that there were differences in voting rules and procedures in different counties within the states, violating the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. Finally, Texas argues that there were “voting irregularities” in these states as a result of the above.

"Texas is asking the Supreme Court to order the states to allow their legislatures to appoint their electors. The lawsuit says:

Certain officials in the Defendant States presented the pandemic as the justification for ignoring state laws regarding absentee and mail-in voting. The Defendant States flooded their citizenry with tens of millions of ballot applications and ballots in derogation of statutory controls as to how they are lawfully received, evaluated, and counted. Whether well intentioned or not, these unconstitutional acts had the same uniform effect—they made the 2020 election less secure in the Defendant States. Those changes are inconsistent with relevant state laws and were made by non-legislative entities, without any consent by the state legislatures. The acts of these officials thus directly violated the Constitution.

…

This case presents a question of law: Did the Defendant States violate the Electors Clause by taking non-legislative actions to change the election rules that would govern the appointment of presidential electors? These non-legislative changes to the Defendant States’ election laws facilitated the casting and counting of ballots in violation of state law, which, in turn, violated the Electors Clause of Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution. By these unlawful acts, the Defendant States have not only tainted the integrity of their own citizens’ vote, but their actions have also debased the votes of citizens in Plaintiff State and other States that remained loyal to the Constitution.  . . . 

 A little known clause of the Constitution has a huge bearing on the Texas election lawsuit   . . . "The clause is well suited to the present situation, in which:

As the facts alleged by the State of Texas demonstrate, the 2020 elections ... represent the antithesis of a republican form of government.  An elite group of sitting Democrat officers in each of the Defendant States coordinated with the Democrat party to illegally and unconstitutionally change the rules established by the Legislatures in the Defendant States, thereby depriving the people of their states a free and fair election — the very basis of a republican form of government.

The Guarantee Clause places an obligation upon the United States to ensure that such an unlawful election not be carried to fruition.  This Court is the sole forum available for the enforcement of that obligation under the circumstances faced by the nation today[.]

From the anti-Trump National Review: The odds of the Texas election lawsuit prevailing in the Supreme Court might not be less than one in a quadrillion, but they are extremely remote — and should be.   . . . "Texas has no standing to challenge the election procedures in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Georgia, and the Supreme Court doesn’t have the authority to order new elections in those states or bar electors from those states from voting in the Electoral College. The case was brought by Texas because the Supreme Court is required to hear all lawsuits brought by a state against other states, but it retains the power to dismiss those suits out of hand if the case is not one that a state legally can bring. If there were any prior case that lent credibility to these outlandish claims, Texas would have cited it." . . .  Even Andy McCarthy calls the suit "frivolous"  "There is no way the Supreme Court is going to entertain Texas’s lawsuit."

BREAKING: Pennsylvania House of Representatives Join Texas in Their Lawsuit Against Key Swing States

 The legislators joined the Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society in supporting the Texas lawsuit, which asks the Supreme Court to remand the election results to swing-state legislatures for review and potential reversal.

Obama Blames Rush, Fox News For Ruining His ‘Connection’ With Conservatives

Daily Wire

. . . "During a virtual gala for the nonprofit organization PEN America, Obama attacked Fox News and Limbaugh for "character assassination" and claimed they "ruined" his "connection" with conservatives.

“ 'I ended up getting enormous support in these pretty conservative, rural, largely white communities when I was a senator, and that success was repeated when I ran for president in the first race in Iowa,” Obama said.

“ 'By my second year in office, I’m not sure if I could make that same connection, because now those same people are filtering me through Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and an entire right-wing or conservative media infrastructure that was characterizing me in a way that suggested I looked down on those folks or had nothing in common with them,” Obama continued.

"Obama is particularly angry with Limbaugh, which isn't surprising given Rush has used his massive platform for years to call out the former president." . . .

. . . "Later in the show, co-host DJ Envy asked Obama to answer those who said he hadn’t done enough for people of color while in office.

"Obama took no personal responsibility and blamed congressional hurdles.

“I understand it because when I was elected there was so much excitement and hope, and I also think we generally view the presidency as almost like a monarchy in the sense of once the president’s there, he can just do whatever needs to get done and if he’s not doing it, it must be because he didn’t want to do it,” Obama responded."

San Francisco Puts Another Nail in Its Own Coffin

National Review

For a city that already faces financial ruin, its newly passed ‘wealth tax’ could not have come at a worse time.

"Media coverage of San Francisco’s recent passage of a citywide “wealth tax” has been hard to come by, to say the least. One can be forgiven for wondering if leftist media outlets even see the writing on the city’s wall. It is not just that this bill will do little to provide additional net revenue to a city facing financial ruin; it is that this bill will surely do the exact opposite. Even critics of modern income inequality see policy prescriptions such as this as counterproductive. Indeed, in the present COVID-19 moment, San Francisco needs all the help it can get to attract businesses and well-paid taxpayers. This couldn’t come at a worse time.

"So, what is this new tax? Supporters call it the “overpaid executive tax.” (Kudos to them for framing so bluntly.) Technically, the citywide tax will operate as a levy of at least 0.1 percent on companies that pay their CEO more than 100 times the median pay of their workforce. That 0.1 percent tax can reach as high as 0.6 percent depending on how far above the company’s median pay the CEO’s total compensation is. Embedded in the name attached to this new legislation is the belief that disinterested third parties should determine fair and appropriate pay. Whether that be city bureaucrats or voters unconnected to the company in question, the notion that such actors should serve as the arbiters of proper pay levels is nothing more than a form of price-and-wage control. An easy retort to my concern here may be, “Why care about a mere 0.1 percent hit?”

"Well, if what we are seeking to address is really egregious, unfair, socially contemptible income inequality — robber-baron stuff — why should we stop at 0.1 percent? . . ."

DAVID L. BAHNSEN runs a private-wealth-management firm and is a National Review Institute trustee. @davidbahnsen

There’s a reason the media is suddenly reporting on Hunter Biden’s corruption

 Andrea Widburg  "In the world of Democrat politics, there are no coincidences. With that principle in mind, it’s possible to understand why Democrat media outlets are suddenly reporting about Hunter Biden’s corruption, a story that spills over onto his father. The first is to get ahead of potential breaking news about Hunter's imminent arrest. The second theory is the one Monica Showalter advanced: The leftists used Biden to attain the White House (or so they believe) and are now ready to get rid of him. Having a criminal son may be just what the Obama/Harris camp needs to make that happen. And if there’s any doubt about this theory, an article in The New York Times seems to lay it to rest." . . .

   . . . "With Americans at large finally learning that Hunter Biden and James Biden are crooked and that Joe is the big, corrupt tree from which these rotten apples fell, there’s going to be lots of pressure on Joe to retire as quickly as is politely possible. It’s The New York Times that gives the game away. On Thursday, it published a positively wistful article entitled “Investigation of His Son Is Likely to Hang Over Biden as He Takes Office: Unless the Trump Justice Department clears Hunter Biden, the new president will confront the prospect of his own administration handling an inquiry that could expose his son to criminal prosecution.” The opening paragraph, speaks of Biden in a “no-win situation” that could be “politically and legally perilous,” and the report continues in that vein. The subtext is clear: Leave. Leave now.

"Joe served his purpose by being the bland front person for a full leftist assault on the White House. Now it’s time for him to go. And while his handlers may reward him for a job well done with the pleasure of the inauguration, you can be sure that they’ll pressure him to do what he promised to do, which is to invent a respectable disease and quit ASAP."

China’s leaders understand all too well from their historical eperience how to control America : use compradors  "There is a very large, rich, and influential class of Americans who owe their wealth and standing to China, having mightily prospered through business ties to the Middle Kingdom.  Every educated person in China understands the way such ties linking a wealthy elite beholden to foreign interests can be used to bring down even the mightiest of nations." . . .

. . .  "Make no mistake: those business interests that are in bed with the Chinese Communists are regarded behind the walls of Tien-an-Men as despicable traitors to their own country, tools useful to the regime, to be discarded and crushed when the time arrives when power can be eze4cised from Beijing. It is a delusion to believe that they are going to democratize China and lift up the Chinese people to comfortable membership in the modern world economy as co-equals.

"It is now time for Americans to understand how the Chinese themselves see their American domestic allies, including politicians like Eric Swalwell and Hunter Biden’s father (already dancing to the tune of his masters): contemptible but useful pawns to be used to weaken and ultimately subdue their primary rival."

Susan Rice tapped for major role in Biden Admin despite Benghazi controversy

 Paul Goldberg

"Former Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice has been to lead Biden’s Domestic Policy Council.

"Her pick announcement comes among others including former Obama White House chief of staff Denis McDonough for secretary of veterans affairs.

"Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge has been chosen to lead HUD.

"Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is being tapped for the same role he played in the Obama admin – secretary of agriculture.

"Katherine Tai, chief lawyer on trade for the House Ways and Means Committee has been picked for United States trade representative.

"Biden commented “This dedicated and distinguished group of public servants will bring the highest level of experience, compassion, and integrity to bear, solving problems and expanding possibilities for the American people in the face of steep challenges.”

"He added “The roles they will take on are where the rubber meets the road — where competent and crisis-tested governance can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, enhancing the dignity, equity, security, and prosperity of the day-to-day lives of Americans.”

"Susan Rice was reportedly under consideration for the VP role. She could face a difficult confirmation due to her controversial comments that followed the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi." . . .

“Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism.”

 NTD

"Sharyl Attkisson on Narratives and Media Bias; How Pearl Harbor Changed America | The Nation Speaks

"In this episode, we sit down with Sharyl Attkisson, five-time Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist and managing editor of Full Measure, to talk about her new book, "Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism." "Then, we discuss how Pearl Harbor changed America with Craig Shirley, historian and author of "December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World.' "

Schiff Refuses To Disclose Why He Withheld Details Of Swalwell’s Relationship With A Chinese Spy From Intel Committee

 The Federalist  "House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff did not respond to The Federalist’s questions about Intelligence Committee member and California Rep. Eric Swalwell’s position on the committee in light of recent news revealing Swalwell’s connections with a suspected Chinese spy.

"When asked whether Swalwell’s position on the House Intelligence Committee would be tainted or compromised by his relationship with Christine Fang, a suspected spy for communist China, Swalwell’s office did not reply as of press time. According to a new report by Axios, Fang leveraged her position and connections in California’s Bay Area for years to gather intelligence on Democrat politicians and government officials. 

"Schiff’s office also did not respond when asked if he previously knew about Swalwell’s involvement with Fang or if he was briefed about Swalwell’s relationship with Fang.

"Swalwell also refused to answer The Federalist’s questions about the extent of his relationship with Fang, ignoring allegations from sources directly familiar with the counterintelligence investigation of Fang who told The Federalist that she and Swalwell may have had a sexual relationship.

"According to the two sources, federal officials were so concerned about the romantic relationship between a U.S. congressman and a suspected Chinese spy that they even investigated whether Swalwell may have tipped Fang off about the counterintelligence investigation after he was given a defensive briefing on the matter shortly before Fang disappeared from the U.S. in 2015. A senior U.S. intelligence official told The Federalist that investigators only uncovered limited circumstantial evidence that Swalwell may have tipped Fang off after he was warned of her connections to Chinese intelligence." . . .

Kamala Says Biden Will Be 'Kept Comfortable' While A Discussion Ensues About Whether To Keep Him Alive

 Babylon Bee

"WASHINGTON, D.C.—In an honest and heartfelt talk with reporters, Kamala Harris discussed some of the tough decisions they now have to face in light of Biden's ankle injury. Harris is assuring the public these decisions will be handled with the utmost sensitivity and compassion.

" 'I can tell you this," said Harris. "Joe will be kept comfortable. He will be resuscitated if I wish, and then a discussion will ensue between me and my doctor about how we should move forward in the most humane way possible. In the end, this must always be the woman's choice, and I will make this choice privately between me and my doctor."

"One reporter pointed out that Kamala's statement was remarkably similar to what Governor Ralph Northam said about babies who survive abortions. 

" 'Yeah, that's no coincidence," said Harris. "Joe Biden's existence is inconvenient for me and my presidential ambitions. I owe my career to the right to choose, and I will exercise that right whenever I can!"

"Harris then threw back her head and cackled for five minutes straight, causing all the reporters in the room to nervously join in.

"The New York Times went on to praise Harris for her tremendously sensitive treatment of such a difficult issue. "

Antifa Leader Warns Trump: 'We're Armed - Concede By Sunday or We Retaliate'

 Neon Nettle

"An Antifa leader has issued an ultimatum to Donald Trump, warning that armed militia "will retaliate" if the president refuses to "concede by Sunday at noon."

"Adam Rahuba, who claims to lead a violent mob of Antifa leftists in Pittsburgh, PA, warned President Trump and his supporters that armed thugs will target "conservative areas" if their demands are not met.

"During the September 29 presidential debate, Democrat nominee Joe Biden responded to President Trump’s remarks about Antifa-led violence.

"Biden insisted that the group is not responsible for violent rioting by arguing that Antifa is simply “an idea” and “not an organization.”

"Antifa is "not militia," Biden protested.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding," President Trump responded." . . .

Fox News Continues Its Hellbent Race to the Ratings Basement as Newsmax TV Host Makes History by Knocking off Prime Time Star. However.....

 RedState  "The only thing speedier than Fox New flushing its ratings down the political toilet has been the meteoric rise of Newsmax TV, as once fiercely-loyal Foxers have continued to run away from the network they once trusted; straight into the welcoming arms of Newsmax TV.

"Nothing better illustrates the above than what happened on Monday night in the 7:00 p.m. EDT time slot. And what happened was history-making for Newsmax TV, as well.

"First, a bit of recent background.

"As my RedState colleague, Bonchie reported — less a month ago — one of Newsmax TV’s shows hit 1 million viewers for the first time in the fledgling network’s history; gleefully trumpeted by CNN CEO Jeff Zucker’s sniveling little Mini-Me.

. . . "No, CNN, Kelly’s ratings win was fueled by conservatives who are pissed off at Fox News for going all CNN on them. If they wanted to watch blatantly biased “journalism,” all they would’ve had to do was switch to your clown car of cable “news.”

"Let’s think about CNN and the hilarious irony for a minute.

"Here we have The Most Trusted Name in News™ gloating over the precipitous decline in ratings of Fox News. Given that the likes of Fredo Cuomo, Donnie Lemon, that idiot, Ana Navarro, & Co. — along with Havey Weinstein look-alike Jeffrey Zucker hate Fox News almost as much as they hate the Devil’s spawn — AKA: Donald Trump — that’s all they see, here. The freefall of Fox News only. The network that consistently beats CNN like a cheap set of drums, and has done so for years.

"But what the geniuses at CNN fail to see is that the reason Fox News ratings are falling as fast as Michael Moore skydiving before he opens his parachute(s), is precisely the reason CNN has been a permanent cellar dweller, along with PMSBC, as compared to Fox News:" . . . 

Honor student athlete commits suicide due to COVID-19 school lockdown 

Fox is miles away from MSNBC and CNN

"A local story in Maine that chronicled the suicide of a 16-year-old high school student who was seriously depressed due to the COVID-19 lockdown of his school might have remained local.  But it was brought to national attention Wednesday on Laura Ingraham's Fox News Channel program The Ingraham Angle.  Ingraham's live video Skype interview with the dead boy's father, Jay Smith, only five days after his son's death was riveting and maddening.  This was not only because it exposed the lunacy of Democrat politicians' orders to end in-person schooling, but in light of the growing online meme that Fox News has morphed into an enemy of conservatives.

"I ask anyone who has bought into this "dump Fox News" mantra to seriously consider: what other mainstream media source (yes, Fox News is mainstream media) would have touched this story?  Answer: none." . . .

Voter Fraud Never Happens! (Except in These 10,000 Cases)

 Ann Coulter   

"The media have been lying about voter fraud for 20 years. The New York Times and The Washington Post will tell you: Let’s get something straight. There are only two cases of voter fraud in history and they were both Republicans.

"NEVER? No voter fraud ever?

     Nope!

"That’s your first clue they’re lying. Liberals don’t try to say partial-birth abortion never happens. They don’t say black men killing cops never happens. They don’t say immigrants ripping off government programs never happens. Only voter fraud NEVER HAPPENS.

"I bet you couldn’t find EVEN ONE!

"How about these?

— JOHN ASHCROFT, 2000

"John Ashcroft absolutely had a Senate seat stolen from him in 2000 when a state judge ordered polls in heavily Democratic St. Louis to remain open for an extra three hours. Republicans didn’t even hear about it for another hour. Despite an appellate court striking down the ridiculously lawless order, St. Louis was given an extra 3 1/2 hours to kick out tens of thousands of additional votes. Ashcroft lost the election by 49,000 votes.

"Twitter: This claim about election fraud is disputed.

— WASHINGTON STATE, 2004

" 'A week after the 2004 Washington state gubernatorial election, Republican Dino Rossi was up by 3,492 votes against Democrat Christine Gregoire. Then Democratic King county began finding “misplaced” ballots, eventually producing more than 10,000 of them.

"Hey, guys! I found another box of ballots under the sink!

"So that’s another 800 votes for Gregoire.

     Oh wait — you’re not going to believe this …

"You found more votes?

     Bingo! 600 votes for Gregoire.

"An examination of the records later showed that about 1,800 more ballots had been cast than there were voters who had requested them.

"Notwithstanding the miraculously appearing ballots, Rossi won the recount a few weeks later, but his lead was cut to 42 votes — easily within stealing distance. Democrat Christine Gregoire demanded a hand recount, and that put her ahead by 129 votes, whereupon she was promptly declared the winner.

"Washington voters overwhelmingly believed the election had been stolen and wanted a revote. Democrats didn’t care. Nothing was ever done about the flagrant vote fraud. Washington now has 100 percent mail-in-ballots and no Republican has ever again won the governorship.

"Twitter: This claim about election fraud is disputed.

— AL FRANKEN, 2008

"In 2008, Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota won his 2008 reelection bid against challenger Al Franken by 725 votes. But for weeks after the election, Democratic precincts kept “discovering” new votes for Franken.

"Day after day, votes were added to Franken’s column, while votes were taken away from Coleman. Random error would not continually benefit only one side.

"On account of Franken’s charisma shield, Barack Obama, who was running for president that year, won hundreds of thousands more votes than Franken in the same election, on the same ticket, in the same state that year. But during the “corrections,” Franken was winning three times as many votes as Obama .So the Democrats weren’t worried about believability.

"Eventually, all these late-discovered ballots put Franken ahead by 312 votes, whereupon he was immediately certified the winner by the George Soros-backed Minnesota secretary of state.

"A few years later, we found out that more than 1,000 felons, ineligible to vote, had cast votes in the 2008 Minnesota election. (To state the obvious, felons support Democrats by about 10-1.) There were 113 separate convictions for voter fraud in that election. That’s not easy: In Minnesota, a conviction for voter fraud requires proof that you broke the law knowingly.

"More than 100 convictions for something that never happens, way, way back in the prehistoric days of 2008 — who could remember that?

"Twitter: This claim about election fraud is disputed." . . .