Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

Governor thought Trump was having a 'nervous breakdown' during 'scary 'phone call: new book



Donald Trump alarmed governors who took part in a call arranged by the White House in response to nationwide protests over the police murder of George Floyd.

The former president demanded that governors crack down on the protests to restore order in their states, and his Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, thought his rant was so unhinged she called her husband into the room to listen, according to excerpts from a new book published by The Hill.

“You can’t make this s**t up,” Brown told her husband, according to the upcoming book, "This Will Not Pass," by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.

Another governor, Maine Democrat Janet Mills, was so alarmed by Trump's behavior she called a security guard into the room to listen.

“You gotta sit here and listen to this because I think the president of the United States is having a nervous breakdown or something, and it’s scary,” Mills told the guard, according to the book.

The authors gained press for their book release earlier this week when it was reported they asked Trump why Kevin McCarthy would tell others that he had clashed with the president in what he described as an expletive-laced phone call, and the former president expressed contempt for the GOP leader.

"Inferiority complex," Trump said.

But Trump says the call never happened and that McCarthy didn't challenge him over the insurrection.

‘Ask me nicely’: Trump demanded loyalty from governors for help

In the aftermath of devastating storms that knocked out power to tens of thousands of people in Connecticut in August 2020, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) called the White House seeking federal help. Hours later, then-President Trump called back.

“There’s something you want to ask me about FEMA?” Trump said, according to Lamont’s recollection. “Well, ask me nicely.”

The anecdote, reported by the New York Times journalists Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns in their forthcoming book, “This Will Not Pass,” is just one of a series of Trump’s interactions with governors that struck many state executives as blatant departures from the norms of cooperative governing.

The book, obtained by The Hill prior to its release on Tuesday, depicts Trump as a mafia don, demanding loyalty from supplicants and political opponents alike, by turns using the largest bully pulpit in the world to beat them into submission and cajoling them in private to offer support.

When Trump called California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to discuss a cruise ship moored in San Francisco Bay, on which passengers were sick with the coronavirus, Trump agreed to allow the ship to dock so passengers could be treated. Trump said he would be watching, for “the reciprocity,” according to the book.

“He used to say that even privately — that was one of his favorite words,” Newsom recalled later to authors Martin and Burns. “It says everything and nothing at the same time.”

In another call with governors revealed by the book, after Trump said he would cut back federal funding for all but two states that deployed the National Guard to battle the coronavirus pandemic, he told governors who wanted the full costs covered: “You have to call me and ask me nicely.”

Trump’s unorthodox and at times boorish approaches to politics alarmed many governors, who told the authors his uneven and sometimes disinterested concern with the coronavirus pandemic made battling the virus more difficult.

“President Trump’s comments, his rhetoric and his almost flippant attitude in some contexts made it difficult for a governor like me to really push the seriousness of the medical emergency that we’re in,” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), no liberal himself, told the authors.

The coronavirus pandemic was another excuse Trump used to even political scores.

When Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) ordered his state reopened, contrary to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trump took the opportunity to blast his onetime ally in public. Privately, Trump dispatched then-press secretary Kayleigh McEnany to demand Kemp rescind his order, the book reports.

Republican governors, frustrated by the lack of direction from a White House under the control of their own party, took to holding private conference calls outside of the administration’s earshot to strategize and share best practices to combat the pandemic.

On a visit to the White House early in the pandemic, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) was taken aback when Trump showed him a room adjoining the Oval Office crammed with MAGA gear.

“They literally hand you a shopping bag, and you took anything you’d like,” Murphy recalled to the authors.

In a call with governors after nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, Trump demanded they crack down to restore order in their states. His rant was so unhinged that Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) called her husband into the room to listen in, the book said.

“You can’t make this s**t up,” Brown told her husband.

Across the country, Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) called a security guard into the room to listen in on the same call.

“You gotta sit here and listen to this because I think the president of the United States is having a nervous breakdown or something, and it’s scary,” Mills recalled telling the guard, according to the book.

In the days after Floyd’s death, as the virus still raged across the nation, Trump was planning his return to in-person events with a rally in Tulsa, Okla., where he hoped for a packed house to show off his electoral strength. Dining at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., he shared his plans with Murphy and his wife.

Trump was aware that the rally was scheduled for Juneteenth, a holiday that carried extra weight amid the racial justice protests. But he did not seem to grasp the significance of the holiday, which commemorates the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of slavery in the United States.

Can you imagine “changing the day of the rally in Oklahoma to accommodate these people?” Trump asked the Murphys. “Have you ever heard of such a ridiculous thing?”

Spokespeople for the governors quoted in the book, contacted for this story, either confirmed their recollection of the events or declined to deny those recollections.

On the other hand, some in the Trump administration saw a political benefit to the violence that raged in American streets, including clashes in Portland, Ore., between federal agents and antifa activists. As Brown, the Oregon governor, worked a back channel to then-Vice President Mike Pence to get federal agents out of Portland, a Trump administration official sounded an alarming warning to Brown’s top aide, according to the book.

“Not everyone wants to de-escalate this,” the official told Nik Blosser, Brown’s chief of staff.

Trump showed his lack of enthusiasm for containing the virus later that summer, as he tried to push North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) to allow the Republican National Committee to hold his renominating convention as normal, without requiring masks or social distancing inside the arena in Charlotte.

The book reports that Cooper told Trump he was worried about the delegates who would celebrate Trump’s renomination, many of whom were older, almost all of whom would travel from other parts of the country to come together.

“Aren’t you worried about them, particularly?” Cooper asked Trump.

“No, no, I’m not,” Trump replied.

“I’ve never had an empty seat, from the day I came down the escalator,” Trump told Cooper, recalling his campaign announcement at Trump Tower in New York. “I don’t want to be sitting in a place that’s, you know, 50 percent empty or more.”

https://thehill.com/news/state-watch/3470441-ask-me-nicely-trump-demanded-loyalty-from-governors-for-help-says-book/

[Rick Plant]

Judge rejects Trump's bid to end a contempt-of-court order that is costing him $10,000 a day



A New York judge on Friday rejected former President Donald Trump's attempt to end a contempt-of-court finding, according to CNBC.

In a sworn affidavit in response to the Manhattan judge holding him in contempt of court, Trump said this week that he was not in possession of the documents he needed to hand over in response to a subpoena, Bloomberg reported.

Trump is being fined $10,000 a day for “willfully” disobeying an order to comply with a subpoena issued by New York Attorney General Letitia James back in December.

“If there are any documents responsive to the subpoena I believe they would be in the possession or custody of the Trump Organization,” he said in the affidavit. Trump currently owes the court $40,000.


Trump signed affidavit swearing he does “not” have in his personal possession “any of the documents requested” in NYAG’s subpoena from Dec 1, 2021.

As Bloomberg points out, the Trump Organization has handed over more than 6 million pages of records in response to subpoenas. James’s office claims that only 10 appear to belong to Trump.

"I am surprised he doesn't seem to have any documents, they're all with the organization," Judge Arthur Engoron said.

Engoron last week ruled in favor of James, who is pursuing a civil probe into the ex-president and the Trump Organization.

James successfully argued that Trump was in violation of a court order to produce the accounting and tax documents to her investigators by March 31.

"In a major victory, a court has ruled in our favor to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court," she wrote on Twitter.

"Donald Trump must pay $10,000 per day for every day that he continues to defy the court's order to turn over documents to my office," James added.

In January, James said her investigation had uncovered evidence suggesting the fraudulent valuing of multiple assets and misrepresentation of those values for economic benefit.

Among the assets listed was Trump's penthouse in Manhattan's Trump Tower, which was claimed to be three times bigger in size than it actually was, overestimating its value by $200 million.

James can sue the Trump Organization for damages over any alleged financial misconduct but cannot file criminal charges.

The Trumps have claimed that James, who was elected to her position and is a member of the Democratic Party, is running a politically motivated probe.

AFP

[Rick Plant]

We all knew that Faux Propaganda hack Sean Hannity was an informal advisor to Criminal Donald setting policy and telling him what to do but these texts makes it official with solid proof. This right wing clown on radio/tv was helping to run our country and was giving advice to these Trump criminals. This is why Hannity continues to push bogus pro Trump propaganda each day and night because he wants to have the power. What an absolute joke and a disgrace. It's not just Hannity, the other right wing hacks at Faux were all in collusion coordinating as well. Faux Propaganda is just the propaganda arm of the RNC, the GOP, and Criminal Donald.

CNN Exclusive: New text messages reveal Fox’s Hannity advising Trump White House and seeking direction



Washington CNN — Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Fox’s Sean Hannity exchanged more than 80 text messages between Election Day 2020 and Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration, communications that show Hannity’s evolution from staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump’s election lies to being “fed up” with the “lunatics” hurting Trump’s cause in the days before January 6.

CNN obtained Meadows’ 2,319 text messages, which he selectively provided in December to the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. While the logs show Meadows communicating with multiple Fox personalities, as well as a number of journalists from other organizations, Hannity stands out with 82 messages. The texts, including dozens of newly disclosed messages, offer a real-time window into how Hannity, a close friend of Trump, was reacting to the election and its aftermath.

Throughout the logs, Hannity both gives advice and asks for direction, blurring the lines between his Fox show, his radio show and the Trump White House.

On the afternoon of Election Day, Hannity texted Meadows at 1:36 p.m. to ask about turnout in North Carolina. Two hours later, Meadows responded: “Stress every vote matters. Get out and vote. On radio.”

“Yes sir,” Hannity replied. “On it. Any place in particular we need a push.”

“Pennsylvania. NC AZ,” Meadows wrote, adding: “Nevada.”

“Got it. Everywhere,” Hannity said.

The texts also show the two men debating Trump’s strategy to challenge the election, complaining about Fox, and plotting about what to do after Trump left office – including possibly working together.

"You also need to spend at least half your time doing business with us,” Hannity texted Meadows on December 12. “And I’m serious. Did u ever talk to Fox. I’ve been at war with them.”

“I agree. We can make a powerful team,” Meadows responded. “I did not talk with (Fox News CEO) Suzanne (Scott) because I got tied up with pardons but I will make sure I connect. You are a true patriot and I am so very proud of you! Your friendship means a great deal to me.”

“Feeling is mutual,” Hannity wrote back.

Hannity did not respond to requests for comment from CNN; neither did Meadows or his attorney. A spokesman for the January 6 committee declined to comment.

Feeding the fraud conspiracies

Initially after the November 2020 election, Hannity appeared to be all in with Trump’s false election claims. On November 29, he texted Meadows saying he had his team trying to prove election fraud: “I’ve had my team digging into the numbers. There is no way Biden got these numbers. Just mathematically impossible. It’s so sad for this country they can pull this off in 2020. We need a major breakthrough, a video, something.”

Meadows responded, “You’re exactly right. Working on breakthrough.”

“Ok. Would be phenomenal,” Hannity texted back.

But several weeks later, as Trump’s team lost court challenges and the wild claims from attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell failed to materialize into anything more than false conspiracy theories, Hannity’s tone shifted.

Hannity checked in with Meadows on December 22, asking him how he was doing.

“Fighting like crazy. Went to Cobb county to review process. Very tough days but I will keep fighting,” Meadows said, referring to the Trump team’s objections to votes from Cobb County, Georgia.

While Hannity never appeared to dispute Trump’s false claims about the election itself, he expressed alarm at the tactics of some of those pushing Trump’s case. Hannity responded to Meadows, “You fighting is fine. The fing lunatics is NOT fine. They are NOT helping him. I’m fed up with those people.”

By New Year’s Eve, Hannity warned about the fallout if top White House lawyers resigned in protest. Hannity also appeared to accept the fact that the election was over and the President’s best course of action was to go to Florida and engage Biden from there.

“We can’t lose the entire WH counsels office. I do NOT see January 6 happening the way he is being told,” Hannity said. “After the 6 th. He should announce will lead the nationwide effort to reform voting integrity. Go to Fl and watch Joe mess up daily. Stay engaged. When he speaks people will listen.”

Prepping for a Trump interview

Hannity’s text messages to Meadows are of interest to the House select committee, which wrote to Hannity in January requesting an interview. That month, the panel released some of Hannity’s texts to Meadows showing his concern about what would happen on January 6, 2021.

After the letter was sent, Hannity’s attorney, Jay Sekulow, told CNN, “We are reviewing the committee’s letter and will respond as appropriate.”

The texts provide evidence of what many White House and Fox sources claimed during Trump’s time in office: That Hannity acted as a “shadow chief of staff” while also juggling radio and TV shows. Trump would frequently call into Hannity’s show – and Hannity appeared on stage with the President during his final 2018 campaign rally.

While Hannity was fiercely loyal to Trump on-air, his off-air relationship was more complicated. He sometimes complained about Trump’s conduct and fretted that the President was hurting the Republican Party writ large.

Hannity has said he is not a journalist, and Fox does not hold him to traditional journalistic standards. He is more akin to a GOP activist and entertainer, like some of his fellow Fox hosts. In addition to Hannity, Fox’s Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, Maria Bartiromo and Brian Kilmeade all sent messages to Meadows as well. A spokesperson for Fox did not respond to a request for comment.

In one noteworthy text, Bartiromo messaged Meadows on the morning of November 29, less than an hour before she was set to conduct Trump’s first interview since Election Day. The text included questions she planned to ask Trump.

“Hi the public wants to know he will fight this. They want to hear a path to victory. & he’s in control,” Bartiromo texted at 9:21 a.m. “1Q You’ve said MANY TIMES THIS ELECTION IS RIGGED… And the facts are on your side. Let’s start there. What are the facts? Characterize what took place here. Then I will drill down on the fraud including the statistical impossibilities of Biden magic (federalist). Pls make sure he doesn’t go off on tangents. We want to know he is strong he is a fighter & he will win. This is no longer about him. This is about ??. I will ask him about big tech & media influencing ejection as well Toward end I’ll get to GA runoffs & then vaccines.”

At 10:12 a.m., Trump called into Bartiromo’s show, “Sunday Morning Futures.” Her line of questions mirrored much of what she laid out in the text message.

“Thank you for talking with us in the first interview since Election Day,” Bartiromo said. “Mr President, you’ve said many times that this election was rigged, that there was much fraud. And the facts are on your side. Let’s start there. Please go through the facts. Characterize what took place.”

The committee previously released texts from both Kilmeade and Ingraham expressing alarm over the attacks at the Capitol and its effect on Trump’s legacy. Tucker Carlson appears in only one exchange in the Meadows text logs, when he was trying to speak to Meadows while prepping for his show on November 17.

“Sorry I missed you. I was writing the show. Figured it out I think, but I appreciate it,” Carlson wrote.

The logs also show there were dozens of journalists from other organizations who texted with Meadows during this time period. In contrast to Hannity’s messages, these reporters were frequently seeking the White House chief of staff’s confirmation of breaking news or trying to secure an interview with Trump.

Meadows received texts from reporters with the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Politico, Bloomberg, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN, among others.

'I’m beginning to feel down’

As the returns were coming in on Election Night, Hannity pinged Meadows to share a tweet about early vote totals out of North Carolina, a state that was crucial to Trump’s reelection hopes. “Will we hold??” Hannity asked Meadows.

“We are still good,” Meadows wrote back.

A week later, Hannity checked in again to see how Meadows was “holding up.”

“I am doing well. Working around the clock. We are going to fight and win,” Meadows said.

“You really think it’s possible,” Hannity responded. “I’m beginning to feel down. To (sic) much disorganization. We need Jim to front the messaging. Someone that’s credible.”

“Arizona now down just 12813. Still ballots to count,” Meadows wrote back. “Very disorganized but I have been busting heads yesterday and today. Let NOT your heart be troubled my friend.”

Hannity and Meadows’ texts underscore the insular effects of the right-wing media echo chamber, where little if any accurate information about the election results was able to break through.

In November and early December, Hannity’s show often amplified Trump’s election lies. Guests including then-White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made near-nightly appearances to sow doubt about the election results and stoke support for doomed legal challenges. “We will follow the facts,” Hannity claimed on his December 2 program, one day after Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, declared there was no evidence of widespread election fraud.

But in his texts with Meadows, Hannity sounded resigned to the fact that the election was over.

“Texas case is very strong. Still a Herculean climb. Everyone knows it was stolen. Everyone,” Hannity wrote on December 8. “I vacillate between mad as hell and sad as hell. Wtf happened to our country Mark.”

Meadows responded, “So upset to see what we allowed to happen.”

“Honestly we think alike. That’s another discussion,” Hannity wrote back.

'I’ve been at war with them all week’

The text messages also shed light on Hannity’s tensions with Fox. The Trump-aligned channel infuriated the former President by calling Arizona for Biden on Election Night.

On December 6, Meadows sent Hannity an article about then-Fox host Chris Wallace (who has since been hired by CNN) interrupting Trump’s HHS Secretary Alex Azar when Azar called Biden vice president instead of president-elect.

“Doing this to try and get ratings will not work in the long run and I am doubtful it is even a short term winning strategy,” Meadows wrote.

Hannity responded with a jab at Fox and a suggestion about what Meadows should do after leaving the White House: “I’ve been at war with them all week. We will talk wen I see u,” Hannity wrote. “Also if this doesn’t end the way we want, you me and Jay are doing 3 things together. 1- Directing legal strategies vs Biden 2- NC Real estate 3- Other business I talked to Rudy. Thx for helping him.”

Hannity expressed his frustrations again several days later, telling Meadows that he had made a campaign ad.

“I was screaming about no ads from Labor Day on,” Hannity wrote on December 8. “I made my own they never ran it. I’m not pointing fingers. I’m frustrated.”

In his book, “Frankly, We Did Win This Election,” reporter Michael Bender reported that Hannity had scripted an ad for the Trump campaign, which then paid Fox more than $1 million to run. According to Bender, the ad ran only on one show, Hannity’s. When Bender’s book was published last year, Hannity denied writing a Trump campaign ad.

On December 11, Meadows asked Hannity to send him the phone number of Suzanne Scott, the Fox News CEO. “I can call through switchboard but that makes it a bigger deal,” Meadows said.

The next day, as Hannity pitched Meadows about working for Fox, he also offered an insightful window into how he views Trump. Hannity texted, “I truly feel sorry for our friend. He’s never had a days peace. On the other side of this, he’s exposed a very dark side of the swamp that’s far worse than I ever imagined and I am not particularly optimistic for the future.”

'The seats are slipping away’

By mid-December, both Hannity and Meadows were concerned about the two Senate run-offs in Georgia that would decide control of the chamber in 2021. By that point, Trump had started his harsh attacks on Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for certifying the state’s election for Biden.

Hannity and Meadows also began making plans for after the Trump administration, discussing how Trump could fashion a comeback bid and how Meadows could work against the Biden administration.

“These 2 senate seats are slipping away. Kemp is a total idiot,” Hannity wrote on December 12.

Hannity argued that Trump should make the Senate race about him.

“He has to make this about him. I’ll make a deal with you, If you (elect) 2 R’s to the senate, I’ll run again in 2024,” Hannity wrote of Trump. “Make it about him. 2 of the worst candidates I’ve ever seen.”

“The seats are slipping away,” Meadows responded. “I agree that he has to give some hope for the future. Connect the future to these candidates.”

Meadows continued, “Additionally. I think we set up a group of administrative lawyers, with a communication arm that fights election laws in every state and fight Biden actions every day, starting on Jan 20. ACLU filed over 400 lawsuits against Trump administration. We need to do the same. I think I can raise around 10 million dollars to hire a team to make sure the fight continues and prepares the way for 2024.”

‘He can’t mention the election again. Ever.’

As January 6 approached, Hannity expressed his concern about what would transpire. He texted Meadows on January 5, “Im very worried about the next 48 hours. Pence pressure. WH counsel will leave.”

On January 6, after the Capitol was breached by pro-Trump rioters, Hannity was one of a number of people texting Meadows urging Trump to intervene. “Can he make a statement. I saw the tweet. Ask people to peacefully leave the capital,” Hannity texted Meadows at 3:31 p.m.

“On it,” Meadows responded.

Later that evening, after Trump had sent another tweet attacking Vice President Mike Pence, Hannity expressed more alarm to Meadows, “Wth (What the hell) is happening with VPOTUS.”

In the January 6 aftermath, Hannity sounded a glum note to Meadows as many Republicans looked to cast Trump out of the party. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell gave a floor speech on January 19 saying the mob was “provoked” by Trump, prompting Hannity to share the video with Meadows. “Well this is as bad as this can get,” Hannity texted.

Hannity spoke to Trump several days after January 6. The call did not go well, Hannity wrote in a group text to Meadows and GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Hannity said he wanted Trump never to speak about the 2020 election again, but that Trump was unwilling, and Hannity appeared at a loss for what to do next.

“Guys, we have a clear path to land the plane in 9 days. He can’t mention the election again. Ever,” Hannity wrote. “I did not have a good call with him today. And worse, I’m not sure what is left to do or say, and I don’t like not knowing if it’s truly understood. Ideas?”

Neither Meadows nor Jordan appeared to respond.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/29/politics/hannity-text-messages-meadows-trump-white-house/index.html

[Rick Plant]

Criminal Donald and his corrupt criminal administration purposely interfered with the CDC which allowed the pandemic to become even worse.   

New emails detail how Trump overruled CDC on COVID-19 spread at religious gatherings



Donald Trump's administration disregarded guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in May 2020 and refused to allow the public health agency to advise religious groups to consider holding virtual services as a means of limiting the spread of the coronavirus.

Emails released Friday morning by the House panel investigating the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic indicate that the Trump White House considered that advice "problematic" and rewrote the CDC guidance to remove “all the tele-church suggestions,” The Washington Post reports.

The CDC's proposed recommendations for virtual religious gatherings were prompted by reports that dozens of people were infected with the virus - and three people had died - after church events in Arkansas. It also noted that 87 percent of the attendees at a choir practice in a Washington state house of worship tested positive.

The United States surpassed 100,000 COVID-19 deaths in May of 2020 but that didn't stop the Trump administration from putting the brakes on the CDC's science-based declaration that houses of worship had become "hot spots" for coronavirus transmission.

The Washington Post reports: "The guidance subsequently published by the agency did not include any recommendations about offering virtual or drive-in options for religious services, clergy visits, youth group meetings and other traditionally in-person gatherings.

Trump's acquiescence to religious groups' pleas to encourage in-person gatherings forced the CDC to remove from public health warnings statements that singing in church choirs could spread the virus, even though its studies had found that actually was the case.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/29/trump-administration-cdc-interference-religious-groups/

[Rick Plant]

Leaked texts show Fox News' Maria Bartiromo gave Trump White House questions she'd ask president in advance



On Friday, CNN reported that Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo supplied former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows with questions in advance of interviewing former President Donald Trump.

"In one noteworthy text, Bartiromo messaged Meadows on the morning of November 29, less than an hour before she was set to conduct Trump's first interview since Election Day," reported Jamie Gangel, Jeremy Herb, Elizabeth Stuart and Brian Stelter. "The text included questions she planned to ask Trump."

"Hi the public wants to know he will fight this. They want to hear a path to victory. & he's in control," wrote Bartiromo to Meadows. "1Q You've said MANY TIMES THIS ELECTION IS RIGGED... And the facts are on your side. Let's start there. What are the facts? Characterize what took place here. Then I will drill down on the fraud including the statistical impossibilities of Biden magic (federalist). Pls make sure he doesn't go off on tangents. We want to know he is strong he is a fighter & he will win. This is no longer about him. This is about ??. I will ask him about big tech & media influencing ejection as well Toward end I'll get to GA runoffs & then vaccines."

This is very close to the actual first question Bartiromo posed to Trump in that interview. He replied, "This election was a fraud; it was a rigged election."

There is no evidence to support this.

The report also suggests several other Fox anchors coordinated with the White House, with Sean Hannity even acting as a "shadow chief of staff" and giving the White House direct advice, all the while bemoaning how Trump's erratic behavior was hurting his administration and the GOP at large.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/29/politics/hannity-text-messages-meadows-trump-white-house/index.html

[Rick Plant]

Trump's 'acolytes' failing miserably as they try to oust GOP governors



While Donald Trump appears to be having success at elevating the profiles of some of his supporters running for the Senate or the House, the New York Times is reporting that some of his avid followers' attempts to oust GOP governors are going nowhere with voters.

Case in point, wrote the Times' Reid Epstein is the campaign of Jim Renacci who is trying to replace Gov. Mike DeWine in Ohio as a Trumpian-outsider only to be such a non-factor he's has suspended trying to raise campaign contributions.

According to Epstein, Renacci "has found himself outspent, way down in the polls and lamenting his lack of an endorsement from the former president."

In an interview with the Times. he lamented, "Why waste time trying to raise money when you’re running against an incumbent? I would rather spend time getting my message out. I just don’t have a finance team.”

As the report notes, he is not alone with comes to supplanting a conservative Republican governor in the primary.

"Mr. Renacci’s plight ahead of Ohio’s primary election on Tuesday illustrates the challenges in front of Republican candidates who are trying to seize on the party’s divisions to unseat G.O.P. governors. Some have been endorsed by Mr. Trump as part of his quest to dominate Republican primaries, while others, like Mr. Renacci, have not received the coveted nod but are hoping to take advantage of Trump supporters’ anti-establishment fervor," Epstein wrote before adding, "But in every case, these candidates have failed to gain traction."

Among those who are facing challenges but still doing well in the polls are GOP governors in Alabama, Georgia and Idaho who are being pressed by Trumpian candidates, and in Nebraska where a Trump endorsee has a fighting chance for an open seat despite accusations of se*ual improprieties.

"In all of the races, governors from the traditional Republican establishment are showing their strength. Their resilience stems, in some cases, from voters’ desire for more moderation in their state executives than in their members of Congress," the Times is reporting with Phil Cox, a former executive director of the Republican Governors Association, explaining, "As an incumbent governor, you have to work really hard to lose your party’s nomination. Even if you’re an unpopular governor with the broader electorate, it should be relatively easy to build and maintain a strong base of support among your own party.”

The biggest test for a Trump endorsee seeking to knock off a GOP governor who has felt the wrath of Trump is in Georgia where former Senator David Perdue's campaign against Gov. Brian Kemp is going nowhere.

"For Mr. Trump, who regularly boasts of his approval rating among Republican voters and his endorsement record in primaries, the prospect of losing primaries — especially in Georgia, where he has for more than a year attacked Mr. Kemp — would be an embarrassing setback," The Times report states before adding, "Polls show Mr. Kemp comfortably ahead of Mr. Trump’s choice, former Senator David Perdue, who has bet his campaign on 2020 election grievances."

Read more about the report here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/29/us/politics/republican-governor-election-trump.html

[Rick Plant]

Trump election probe in Georgia to seat special grand jury


FILE - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis poses for a photo at her office, Feb. 24, 2021 in Atlanta. When potential grand jurors show up at an Atlanta courthouse Monday, May 2, 2022 they'll find a television camera in the room and streets closed outside nods to the intense public interest in the investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to pressure Georgia officials to overturn Joe Bidens presidential election victory in the state. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) (John Bazemore, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

ATLANTA – When potential grand jurors show up at an Atlanta courthouse Monday, they'll find a television camera in the room and streets closed outside — nods to the intense public interest in the investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to pressure Georgia officials to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential election victory in the state.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has taken the unusual step of requesting a special grand jury for the investigation, and the selection of that panel begins Monday.

The seating of a grand jury — even a rare special grand jury — is a routine process that's generally of little interest to the public. But the appetite for any news about this case has prompted the court to make accommodations for at least parts of the grand jury selection to be broadcast to the public. Although there will be cameras in the room, they won't be allowed to show potential grand jurors.

The investigation into potential attempts to influence the 2020 general election in Georgia began early last year. Willis asked the chief judge of the county superior court in January to impanel a special grand jury. She wrote in a letter that her office had information indicating a “reasonable probability” of “possible criminal disruptions” to the administration of that election.

The chief judge's order says the special grand jury is to be seated for a period of up to a year, beginning Monday. Unlike a regular grand jury, which hears many different cases and can issue indictments, a special grand jury focuses on investigating a single topic and produces a report on its findings. The district attorney then decides whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

Former Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter, who convened a special grand jury roughly 15 years ago, said the process for seating a special grand jury is pretty much the same as seating a regular grand jury. It's made up of between 16 and 23 people who are summoned from the county master jury list.

The judge will make sure the potential grand jurors are qualified — over 18, residents of Fulton County and haven't been convicted of a felony — and then will hear from people who want to be excused for one reason or another.

Unlike jury selection for a trial, where there are two sets of lawyers trying to ferret out biases and prejudices, there’s no defense attorney in this process because no one has been charged yet. Anyone who tunes in to watch shouldn’t expect to hear potential grand jurors questioned extensively about their political leanings or their opinions on Trump.

“There’s no excuses for bias or prejudice,” Porter said. “In this case, I would suspect if somebody came in wearing a MAGA hat, they would probably excuse them. But the inquiry into their prejudices or biases is very, very limited in selecting a grand jury.”

Once the special grand jury is seated, the cameras will have to leave — all grand jury proceedings are secret. But Willis indicated in her letter to the chief judge that one reason she wanted a special grand jury is to issue subpoenas to witnesses who have refused to cooperate without one.

Willis has confirmed that her team is looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for him to win the state. She has also said they're looking at a November 2020 phone call between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Raffensperger, the abrupt resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and comments made during December 2020 Georgia legislative committee hearings on the election.

In a separate investigation in New York, Trump is appealing rulings enforcing a subpoena for his testimony and holding him in contempt of court for failing to turn over documents in a civil investigation that the state attorney general’s office says has uncovered evidence that he may have misstated the value of skyscrapers and other assets for more than a decade.

Trump’s lawyers argue that Attorney General Letitia James is using the civil probe to collect information that could then be used against the former president in a parallel criminal probe overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. James and Bragg are both Democrats.

Bragg says the criminal investigation is continuing despite a shakeup in the probe’s leadership. So far, it’s resulted only in tax fraud charges related to fringe benefits against the Trump Organization and its longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. Both have pleaded not guilty.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/2022/04/29/trump-election-probe-in-georgia-to-seat-special-grand-jury/

[Rick Plant]

Georgia special grand jury to convene Monday to investigate Trump’s effort to overturn the election

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday will begin selecting a special grand jury to investigate Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

The move comes 482 days after The Washington Post published a damning recording of Trump pressuring GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" to make up the margin he lost to Joe Biden.

"The investigation is likely to proceed along a drawn-out timeframe. Willis previously told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she will wait to issue subpoenas until after Georgia’s primaries in late May to avoid the appearance that she’s attempting to influence the election for politically motivated reasons."

Raffensperger released the audio recording to The Post after Trump tweeted about the call and said the secretary of state "had no clue."

In February, Willis told Rachel Maddow the investigation would go beyond the call.

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