The Laughable Pivot Some in the Media Are Taking Over Trump's Tax Returns

 Even the FBI’s illegal raid on Mar-a-Lago revealed nothing concerning allegations that the former president mishandled classified information. The release of these documents was the most anti-climactic unveiling of all time. It certainly might be the limpest anti-Trump attack.

Townhall  "They have wanted these sensitive documents for years. Donald Trump’s tax returns have been viewed as the Holy Grail of scandal for the Left. It’s the smoking gun they’ve lusted for, and now they came into possession of these documents after a lengthy legal battle between Trump’s lawyers and House Democrats. The Supreme Court failed to intervene after multiple lower courts had ruled against the former president regarding keeping these files under seal.

"Spencer wrote about it first—and it was a nothing burger. It might have been an even bigger dud than the Russian collusion hoax. Trump’s tax returns from 2015-2020 showed what we all knew about the former president: he got poorer being president. The cost to his real estate and business empire is not a secret. Trump often joked that he could be doing something other than dealing with Democratic Party attacks and liberal media lies but wanted to save the country.

"The liberal obsession with Trump’s tax returns did lead to media leaks. The New York Times and other outlets obtained past returns, with the Times proceeding to write lengthy exposes that no one read. It also found no ties to Russia, which further torched the collusion delusion that engulfed progressive America.

"Now, with no evidence of felonious activity, the Times is pivoting to say that the latest trove of returns, the big reveal, showed that the former president’s business prowess isn’t what was advertised (via NYT):

Big Media Fail: Idaho Suspect's Classmates Accuse Him of 'Anti-LGBTQ' Statements but Reporters Don't Verify

PJ Media

Norton, a lesbian, weirdly accused Kohberger of making “anti-LGBTQ” comments but did not tell the reporters what those comments were. Her accusation was repeated in many news publications that lifted her quotes from the Times. 

Bryan Kohberger, the criminology student arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary connected to the quadruple slaying of four University of Idaho students, may be signaling an intent to plead not guilty. Kohberger is currently represented by public defender Jason LaBar in Pennsylvania, who is handling the extradition order. LaBar told CNN that “Mr. Kohberger is eager to be exonerated of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible,” he said, forecasting that Kohberger intends to plead not guilty.

Moscow police have been unable to disclose what evidence they have against Kohberger that led to the arrest due to pre-trial rules in Idaho that restrict what information they can release to the public. Kohberger, however, does not intend to fight extradition, which will speed up the process of releasing the arrest and charging documents to the public.

LaBar revealed more details about Kohberger’s trip from Idaho to Pennsylvania, saying he left Idaho on Dec. 17 with his father, who met him in Idaho for the long drive home to Pennsylvania for Christmas break. The media frenzy has begun in earnest, and every person who has ever been in contact with Kohberger is being plied for interviews by reporters looking for any angle that will get those coveted clicks.

Related: Was Idaho Quadruple Murder Suspect Nabbed by DNA from Open Source Databank?

Reporters at the New York Times turned to Kohberger’s criminology classmates at Washington State University, who said that when the class discussed the murders, he was unusually quiet and didn’t participate in the discussions.

“We had quite a long conversation in class about it too. I don’t believe I remember him commenting about it at all,”  classmate B.K. Norton told the New York Times. ". . . 

Gingrich: ‘This Is the Most Corrupt and Dangerous Executive Branch in American History’

I think the House Republicans have an obligation to take head on the totality of corruption and dishonesty that we’re now dealing with at every level of the bureaucracy, not just the Biden administration but deep into the bureaucracy.”

 Breitbart  "According to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, the Biden administration rates as “the most corrupt and dangerous” in the history of the country.

During an appearance on FNC’s “Hannity” on Thursday, Gingrich made the declaration and warned of a “constitutional crisis” stemming from the Biden administration’s desire to wage war on its own people.

“Oh, look, I think they’ll do a lot, and I think this is just a childish game by the Biden team,” he said. “The fact is on the third or the fourth, the Republicans who will run the committees no matter who the speaker is, you know, I totally believe Kevin McCarthy will be speaker but put that to one side. The Republicans are going to be running the committees can simply hand deliver everything they’ve already sent up there and say, fine, we now may your standard, give us the information. I think they also can begin to file subpoenas, and I think they should broaden out what they’re doing if the ways and means Democrats release Trump’s tax data. I think next year, the Republicans have to subpoena all of the Biden family’s various taxes, including the University of Pennsylvania records and say, fine.”

“I think you have to recognize two things here: One, the Democrats are going to play hardball every single day,” Gingrich continued. “They’re never going to be reasonable, and that’s fine. That’s who they are. They are desperately defending power. Two, this is much bigger than the Biden administration. This is the most corrupt and dangerous executive branch in American history. The FBI was corrupt before Joe Biden got elected. The things that have been going on with Fauci were before Joe Biden got elected. We have a real constitutional crisis of an executive branch seeking to wage war against the American people. . ."

Semi-retired Joe: Biden squandered 40% of his presidency on vacay, at Camp David, or at the Delaware mansion  . . .Seems President Trump was right again, and his bestowed monicker "Sleepy Joe Biden" was more than a mean tweet.

"The old dotard spends nearly half his time as president dandling his grandchildren on his knees, lying back in the Barcalounger, skinny dipping for the edification of the Secret Service, pulling his dog's tail, staring into space blankly as he does on the job, or falling off his bike.

"He's not a president. He's a semi-retired diddler who dabbles in the presidency, taking up playing the role of president from time to time, between stretches on Rehoboth Beach or St. Croix.

"Not surprisingly, he always seems to be someplace else whenever the country experiences a real crisis.". . .

Oops! It's Epps! Now Ray Epps Admits He ‘Orchestrated’ Jan. 6 ‘Insurrection’

The Peoples Cube

PJ Media  "Ray Epps is the fellow who was caught on video multiple times telling pro-Trump protesters that they were going to have to storm the Capitol. Yet despite this clear evidence that he was a singular ringleader and instigator of what Democrats insist was an “insurrection” that threatened the very survival of our free republic, Epps has never been charged with insurrection or anything else, or even been arrested. Meanwhile, people who never told anyone to storm the Capitol have languished in prison without trial for nearly two years now, in shocking conditions. All this has given rise to the widespread and lingering suspicion that Ray Epps is a fed, a suspicion that Epps himself has just reinforced by telling his nephew that he “orchestrated” the events of that fateful day. Of course he did.

"A transcript of a deposition of Epps with the House Jan. 6 Committee, dated Jan. 21, 2022 but just released on Thursday, reveals that at 2:12 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, Ray Epps sent a text to his 28-year-old nephew, Dalin Epps: “I was in the front with a few others. I also orchestrated it.” In the deposition, Ray Epps does his best to back away from this thunderous assertion. He is asked: “Help us understand this text. What did you mean by ‘orchestrate’? What did you orchestrate?” Epps responds first by deflecting to his relationship with his nephew, which no one in the room had asked him anything about: “I just meant that I got — you have to understand our relationship, uncle-nephew. We hunt together. We fun with each other. We do that kind of stuff.” After that, he got to the point: “What I meant by ‘orchestrate,’ I helped get people there.”

"Now, Ray Epps is on video saying on Jan. 5, 2021, saying, “I’m gonna put it out there. I’m probably gonna go to jail for it, okay?” He didn’t. “Tomorrow, we need to go into the Capitol. Into the Capitol.” The people around him in the video aren’t buying it and start chanting, “Fed! Fed! Fed!” At another point, Epps says, “Tomorrow — I don’t even like to say it ‘cause I’ll be arrested…” (he wasn’t). Someone in the crowd responds, “So let’s not say it.” “We need to go —” Epps continues, and looking at the man who told him not to say it, insists, “I’ll say it. We need to go in to the Capitol.” Once again his exhortation is received with derision.". . .

Adam Kinzinger Lies About Ray Epps Again, and We Should Probably Figure Out Why

"The January 6th committee recently ended with a whimper after a year of pomp and circumstance. Despite much manipulation of information by its members, the committee’s report garnered all of about eight hours of headline news before quickly burning out.

"Why? Because there was almost nothing revealed that we didn’t already know in it, and no matter how much Liz Cheney, Adam Schiff, and the rest insisted otherwise, they themselves never produced an ounce of evidence that Donald Trump orchestrated and was responsible for the Capitol breach.

"Still, there was something interesting shown in the testimony of now-infamous Ray Epps, the man who was caught on video multiple times telling people to enter the Capitol Building on January 6th. While the committee’s final report never mentions him, he apparently stated “I also orchestrated it” in relation to the events of that day.

"Yet, for some reason, Adam Kinzinger rushed to social media on Sunday morning to defend Epps.". . .

American Thinker: The winners of 2022

 

The winners of 2022; American Thinker   "The year 2022 has finally come to an end, as we look to 2023 with hope and cautious optimism, let's review the winners 2022 in no particular order of importance:". . . 

   . . ."Sadly for Americans, the Democrats are among the winners of 2022. Biden's catastrophic misgovernance ruined the economy, caused high inflation, caused a crime wave, and brought in an uncontrolled influx of illegal aliens and the smuggling of illicit drugs into the U.S. Instead of addressing these issues, the Democrats remained focused on Trump, their green new deal, and the welfare of Ukraine.

Biden struggled to string a coherent sentence due to his declining cognitive abilities. Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris had similar problems despite her functioning cognitive abilities. The rest of the Democrats were pretenders who claimed to be compassionate yet their sole focus remained on one cause, themselves.

"Despite that, the Democrats didn’t do too badly during the midterms. Biden lost fewer seats in the House and Senate than Democrat stars such as Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Yes, the elections were compromised but in the end, the Democrats didn’t receive the routing they deserved.

"Tomorrow, I will deliver my list of sinners of 2022."

Democrats May Regret Releasing Trump’s Taxes

 Legal Insurrection

“While a majority of voters are OK with House Ways and Means Committee Democrats releasing former President Donald Trump’s federal income taxes, they also feel that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

"Democrats have just released Trump’s taxes, their last attack on him before losing control of the House. They may regret this and sooner than they think.

"Trump was rich when he entered office and served only four years. There are millions of Americans who are far more curious how people who have held office for decades have become wildly rich on a public sector salary.

"Paul Bedard writes at the Washington Examiner:

Voters seek revenge on Democrats who released Trump taxes

Voters are not in a very Christmas-y mood when it comes to Washington’s punishment politics.

In fact, they’d like to see some payback.

While a majority of voters are OK with House Ways and Means Committee Democrats releasing former President Donald Trump’s federal income taxes, they also feel that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Asked in a new Rasmussen Reports survey if the incoming GOP House majority should release the taxes of Democrats who voted to reveal Trump’s taxes, 54% said yes.

And it wasn’t just Republicans, 63%, and independents, 53%, but included more Democrats than not. Rasmussen said that 45% of Democrats wanted the taxes of the Trump critics released to 38% who didn’t.

The partisan divide was much wider on the overall question of releasing Trump’s taxes, which is to be completed Friday by House Democrats. Some 53% said they approved of the release to 40% who disapproved.

Democrats especially were supportive, with 79% approving of the release. Among Republicans, 63% disapproved.

"House Republicans must have read that poll, because they’re already reacting.

"Joel Pollak of Breitbart News reports:". . .

What Biden’s political evolution means for progressives in 2023; The original Santos, whom Democrats condemn

 The Hill   "Earlier this month, a president who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 as a senator signed the bill to officially repeal it and enshrine marriage equality into law.  

"President Biden has always fashioned himself as a centrist, even when seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, which makes his evolution on particular issues a fascinating weather vane.  

"After finally hearing progressives’ calls on everything from climate change and student debt to a filibuster carve-out this year, where might Biden advance next in 2023

“What’s been interesting is to watch his evolution,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in a wide-ranging interview with The Hill this week. It’s been “really good to see him absorb information, take information in, and move.”   

"Immigration, climate, judicial nominees, overtime pay — the list is lengthy. And wondering what Biden will tackle next has progressives on the edge of their seats. 

"Many who preferred other candidates in the 2020 presidential primary were skeptical that lifelong moderate Biden would push for their priorities, having seen him spend decades as a centrist Senate homebody. They saw more liberal contenders such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) advocate on behalf of progressive causes, and some were pessimistic about Biden’s desire to work with their flank. 

"But as he ticked off major successes, from the American Rescue Plan to the Inflation Reduction Act, many warmed to the idea that Biden could indeed become something akin to the FDR-style leader he now aspires to be. The more he accomplished, the more the left wing offered its trust. And progressives started drafting longer wish lists to try their luck in the new year.  

"“We were very careful in putting together our executive action list to work very closely with the administration,” Jayapal said. “I would say 90 percent of what was on our list was stuff that they also were very interested in.” 

"Jayapal, who was just elected to another term as chairwoman of the House Progressive Caucus, was pleased about the White House’s receptiveness to progressives’ agenda. When legislation stalled, frequently by moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and now-Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) and a small group of members in the House, she said administration officials were often enthusiastic to work on executive actions as workarounds to the narrow congressional majority.". . .More... 

Democrats Get Reminded That Before George Santos, There Was Joe Biden

“I’ve done some dumb things, and I’ll do dumb things again. I’ve done some dumb things as senator, and I’ve done some dumb things as a lawyer. Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve been dumb,” then-Sen. Joe Biden said during his failed 1988 presidential campaign over allegations he was a serial plagiarist.

Tuesday night on Tucker Carlson’s program, former Democratic Congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard grilled Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) over what he admitted were lies he told on the campaign trail about who he is and his educational and family background.

In my opinion, Santos did not come off smelling like a rose during their lengthy exchange, but here’s the video so readers can decide for themselves what to  think: https://twitter.com/i/status/1607917139154837504

Is there any precedent at all to this George Santos situation? Has Congress ever had someone with so many remarkable biographical holes?

— Sam Stein (@samstein) December 22, 2022

"The answer is yes – and that “someone” is named Joe Biden. Take, for instance, the repeated lies he told about his and his family’s history while on the campaign trail during his failed 1988 presidential run. Not only was he untruthful about his life story, but he also was caught numerous times lifting passages from the speeches of other prominent politicos, including Robert Kennedy and JFK, without attribution: 

Too bad the media lost their appetite for Biden scandals when he actually became their nominee. pic.twitter.com/tLNVGQgSc8

— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) December 27, 2022

Much more here. The man is a treasure trove. A sad condemnation of the Democrat Party and what it has become. TD

 

The 6 Biggest Lies From Mayorkas and DHS About Team Biden’s Post-Title 42 Plans

 Heritage

"A "tissue of lies" is defined by The Free Dictionary as "a number of false statements made to deliberately hide the truth."

"Under this definition should be a copy of the Department of Homeland Security’s "Update on Southwest Border Security and Preparedness Ahead of Court-Ordered Lifting of Title 42." 

"In it, the Biden-Harris administration absolves itself of any responsibility for the unmitigated disaster on the U.S. southern border, instead blaming global conditions and Congress.

But the truth is President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas own both the current chaos as well as what happens after Dec. 21, when they can no longer use Title 42 to expel foreign illegal immigrants.

"Here are the biggest lies of the "Update":. . .

1. It’s Congress' fault. 

"Biden is asking lawmakers for an emergency $3.5 billion for DHS to deal with the border. Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Committee Chair Chris Murphy, D-Conn., disingenuously claims that "There’s still a whole bunch of Republicans that are rooting for chaos on the border … " and that he just wants to "make sure we have enough money to let the border guards do their job."

"In fact, Border Patrol agents are not doing their job because Mayorkas has them acting as clerks to process and parole thousands of illegal immigrants a week. If anyone wants chaos, it’s the Biden administration, which is using it to extort money and radical concessions from Congress.

"The memo says that "absent Congressional action to enact comprehensive immigration reform" (in which they include amnesty) and "create a fair, fast, and functioning asylum system," there will be overcrowding in facilities and mass release of illegal aliens "from DHS custody into communities without NGO [nongovernmental organization] or other sponsor support."

"That’s a shakedown. The additional billions Biden wants would go to Mayorkas’ migration machine to process and parole millions of alien arrivals, not to keeping them out of the country or stopping the flow of killer drugs.

2. It was broke when we found it.. . .  Full article here...

Simon Hankinson is a senior research fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation.

 Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger's Washington neighbors, witnesses react to grad student's arrest  

He said he saw "nothing unusual" from his now-accused neighbor.

Williams said he learned that Kohberger had been arrested just this morning, from social media, and spotted some of the law enforcement vehicles in the parking lot outside his home. 

Upon hearing the news, he said he wondered, "How long has he f------ been here?

Friend of Idaho murder suspect visibly shakes in TikTok video after news of his arrest and says the last time she saw him he was doing security at a SCHOOL - as shocked neighbors break their silence 

REVEALED: Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger conducted study of criminals' decision-making - and posted this chilling research project to Reddit seeking help from ex-cons

"In May, Kohberger took to Reddit to ask criminals to complete an anonymous survey about how and why they break the law. "

. . ."Questions included: 'Did you prepare for the crime before leaving your home?', 'Why did you choose that victim or target over others?' and 'What was the first move you made to accomplish your goal?' 

Questions included: 'Did you prepare for the crime before leaving your home?', 'Why did you choose that victim or target over others?' and 'What was the first move you made to accomplish your goal?' 

'After committing the crime, what were you thinking and feeling?' was another. 

He also asked how criminals 'leave the scene' and whether they acted alone. 

In the context of a criminology degree, the survey may seem perfectly innocent. 

It gains harrowing sinisterism in light of his arrest on suspicion of quadruple homicide today. 

No one from Kohberger's family or university has yet commented on his arrest. 

The Press Finally Realizes the Bidens Are Pretty Terrible

RedState

"Wonders never cease. It seems that the press has finally decided to acknowledge that Joe Biden has disowned his grandchild.

"As RedState reported earlier on Friday, the child in question was fathered by Hunter Biden and has been at the center of a long legal battle over child support. Specifically, the president’s son doesn’t want to pay it and has done everything he can to avoid his paternal responsibilities. According to The Daily Beast, the Biden family “seemingly wants nothing to do with the child,” who was not even allowed to be at the inauguration.

"For all the talk about “decency” regarding Joe Biden, he sure seems to be a pretty indecent guy, doesn’t he? What kind of person disowns their own granddaughter, especially when it was Biden’s own son that has been such a degenerate? And to be sure, this isn’t just a matter of custody. According to past reports, Jill Biden didn’t even put up a stocking for their grandchild this past Christmas (or the one before that).

"That’s hard for me to fathom. The Bidens have become fabulously wealthy, mostly on the backs of taxpayers, either directly or via influence peddling, but they can’t take care of their own grandchild? That makes no sense unless the explanation is that Joe and Jill Biden are just legitimately selfish, terrible people, and to be honest, I think that’s the explanation.

While the press has always painted Biden and his family as empathetic and relatable, they are incredibly vicious and dysfunctional below the surface. One look at Hunter Biden will tell you that, and the president himself is ruthless in a different way.

"But as my colleague Jim Thompson shared in his piece, that ruthlessness isn’t over. The Daily Beast’s blurb links to a new story out of Arkansas revealing that Hunter Biden is still fighting to not have to pay child support and is opposing the child taking his last name.". . .

Taliban Minister: We’ll Harbor Al Qaeda and Abuse Women Even If America Nukes Us

Not a word of thanks to Democrats for equipping their magnificent army.

Daniel Greenfield

“If they impose sanctions on us, drop a nuclear [bomb] on us, start a war against us again, or have any other plan, we are still compelled to implement the commandments of our religion.”

"I don’t know, maybe another $1 billion in “humanitarian aid” from the Biden administration will convince the Taliban to become moderates just like Turkey, Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda.

"The Taliban Minister Of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem would like to explain something to our diplomats and misunderstanders of Islam. (MEMRI)

Mawlawi Neda Mohammad Nadeem: “There comes some suspicion in one’s heart about why the Islamic Emirate is doing this. It does not reopen schools, does not allow co-education for women, has imposed so many hijab restrictions, does not allow women in government departments…Why does it not allow women into ministries unless they cover their head and face? And why don’t you see the national interest?

“[The answer is that] we are all Muslims. To us, Allah’s religion is the most important thing. Had the Islamic Emirate considered the development and civilization of people as their real aim, then there would have been no need for war to begin with. [We could have] handed Osama [Bin Laden] over to them, and given women freedom like they demand now. The [governmental] system was already there – why was it necessary to [sacrifice] hundreds of thousands of martyrs?

“[But] Allah’s religion does not allow us to accept what those infidels want. The hijab is commanded by Allah’s book. ‘O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believers’ women to veil themselves.’ This is commanded by Allah’s book.". . .

2022’s top 5 biggest political losers include senators, a congresswoman and even a world leader

David N. Bossie | Fox News    'In the full-contact sport of politics, there are always winners and losers and 2022 was no exception. Among the winners this year are House Republicans, who won back the majority in the U.S. House and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who was re-elected with a stunning 59% of the vote in Florida. And then there are the unlucky ones on the other side of the ledger who drew the short straw this year. And to that end, here are the biggest political losers of 2022."  

5. Representative Liz Cheney  

Rep. Liz Cheney's actions as part of the January 6 Select Committee cost her a job in Congress and earned her possibly the top spot as one of 2022's biggest losers. (REUTERS/David Stubbs)

And perhaps the biggest loser of 2022 is outgoing Republican Representative Liz Cheney. Cheney went from being one of the leading conservative voices in the U.S. House to a footnote in former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s biography in the course of 24 short months. *

"Cheney managed to lose an unlosable congressional primary in Wyoming due to her partisan perch on the illegitimate January 6 Select Committee. Not only did the committee waste millions and still come up with absolutely nothing new, it was in the end exposed as a taxpayer-funded presidential exploratory committee. To quote a committee staffer from a recent Washington Post story, "…when [the committee] became a Cheney 2024 campaign, many of us became discouraged."