U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

GOP candidate released a dramatic 'savior' ad – and it might be blowing up in his face



A Republican candidate looking to replace Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is getting some blowback for a campaign ad, making it the third time this year his public messaging struck a sour note, according to the Phoenix New Times' Elias Weiss.

Self-funded political newcomer Jim Lamon ran an ad that has even some Christian Republicans raising their eyebrows. In the Easter-themed ad, Lamon hints that he's Arizona's savior. "It's a close marriage of church and state that doesn't sit right with everyone in his target audience, a departure from previous attempts," Weiss writes.

“These are dark times. Times of plague and turmoil," Lamon says in the ad, suggesting he knows God's plan to save America.

Speaking to the New Times, Chandler-based trial attorney Tom Ryan, who is a Christian and former GOP voter, said that the ad's offensiveness was due to the "whole notion that he is the Savior."

“It’s wholly inappropriate and offensive. It made me sick to my stomach when I saw that," Ryan said.

“There is a real rise of Christian dominionism, which is not true Christianity at all,” Ryan continued. “It should be concerning to everybody. By hitching their wagon to Christianity, they retain power, like in Nazi Germany.”

Lamon is among a group of prominent Republicans who falsely claimed to be an elector for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election and funded security efforts in the election audit in Maricopa County.

Darlene Packard, a straight-ticket Republican voter and devout Christian from Prescott, told the New Times that Lamon's rhetoric is the kind thing that will potentially be the GOP's "downfall."

“When you go too far to the right, you piss people off and they go the other way. I get offended at that ‘holier than thou’ attitude," Packard said.

Watch the ad below:

[Rick Plant]

Nice lame excuse Mike!

GOP's Mike Lee defends texts with Mark Meadows about overturning election: 'He knew I wasn't there to do his bidding'



Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee says that the text messages he exchanged with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, in which they discussed strategy for overturning the 2020 election results, don’t really mean that he wanted to overturn the election results.

In his first interview since CNN last week revealed dozens of his texts with Meadows, the Utah Republican told Deseret News in an interview on Wednesday that was simply trying figure out if Congress could exert any legal authority over the presidential election. He also denied that he was Donald Trump's lapdog.

Lee told the newspaper that the string of texts between Nov. 7, 2020, and Jan. 4, 2021, were written with "a level of informality that would be reserved for a friend."

“He knows that when I said things like, ‘Tell me what we ought to be saying,’ what I was just trying to figure out was, ‘What is your message?’ He knows me well enough to know that that doesn’t mean I will do your bidding, whatever it is,” Lee said in a 45-minute phone interview. “Conversations I had with him at the time on the phone and in person, he knew that. He knew I was not there to do his bidding,” Lee said of his conversations with Meadows.

Lee asserted that the release of his texts to Meadows was done for “political motives” and were “leaked” to hurt his re-election campaign.

Even today, though, Lee refuses to directly answer the question when asked if President Joe Biden is the rightly elected president. Lee said: “President Biden is the president of the United States. ... We know that he is the president of the United States because the Electoral College met on Dec. 14 and then cast electoral votes. Those electoral votes signaled the victory for President Biden.”

Asked if there was fraud in the 2020 election, Lee demurred, saying, “I’ve answered your question."

https://www.deseret.com/2022/4/20/23034383/what-mike-lee-says-about-text-messages-donald-trump-2020-election-mark-meadows-fraud

[Rick Plant]

Because of President Biden's plans and strong leadership, the United States leads all the major advanced economies in GDP. 

[Rick Plant]

'Cowards': Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy called out for caving to Trump



Republican leaders in Congress received harsh criticism on MSNBC on Thursday after new reporting shows how livid they were with former President Donald Trump — before they decided to support him post-coup.

The analysis came after a bombshell report by The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/us/politics/trump-mitch-mcconnell-kevin-mccarthy.html

"In the days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building, the two top Republicans in Congress, Representative Kevin McCarthy and Senator Mitch McConnell, told associates they believed President Trump was responsible for inciting the deadly riot and vowed to drive him from politics," the newspaper reported. "But within weeks both men backed off an all-out fight with Mr. Trump because they feared retribution from him and his political movement. Their drive to act faded fast as it became clear it would mean difficult votes that would put them at odds with most of their colleagues."

For analysis, MSNBC anchor Ari Melber interviewed attorney Elie Mystal, justice correspondent at The Nation magazine.

Mystal said, "in the words of the great Walter Sobchak, 'No, Donny, these men are cowards.' We've always known they were cowards, we've always known they were craven and would debase themselves for Donald Trump, but I think what this reporting shows, that we need to start thinking about with a little bit more intentionality in the media, is that who are these people afraid of? Because at the end of the day, they're not afraid of Donald Trump, they're afraid of his violent beast. They're afraid of the very people who attacked them on Jan. 6."

"We have to stop acting like the Republican base is some kind of fringe, lunatic side show. No, this is mainstream Republican politics. Mainstream Republicans are the people who attacked the nation and will continue to attack the nation until we, as an intelligent society, do something about it," Mystal said.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Legal expert: Existence of more tapes creates ‘powerful incentive’ for Republicans to cooperate



The dynamics into investigations into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election may have shifted on Thursday after House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was caught telling a "flat out lie."

MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow played an audio recording of McCarthy talking to Rep. Liz Cheney (R-CA). The recording proved McCarthy lied about denying saying he was going to ask for Trump to resign following Jan. 6.

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance explained the psychological impact of the recording.

"They're all scared that there are tapes now. Family, members of Congress, party officials. They're going over every conversation they had in their minds, thinking thru whether someone might have taped them. It's a powerful incentive for people to decide to cooperate with prosecutors," she explained.

And apparently, there is a lot more tape from the period after the attack on the Capitol.

MSNBC
@MSNBC
We have a lot more on tape from this period ... it is sensitive, it is delicate, and we have it all on tape," New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin says. "It's going to tell a very different story about this period than the story that many people are trying to tell right now."

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1517323112068624390

[Rick Plant]

This has always been the MAGA money making scam that Criminal Donald used for years. They say or do something controversial which outrages the public, the public call them out on it, and then they play the victim whining to their gullible base that "Liberals" are attacking and trying to cancel their "freedom of speech". After that, they set up a fundraiser for their suckers to shower them with campaign cash. It's called the MAGA scam and they are nothing but vile right wing trolls and fraudsters.

Trump's 'MAGA Goon Squad' is 'grasping at straws' as they scramble for campaign cash



Appearing on the Daily Beast's "The New Normal," Roger Sollenberger -- who has been investigating the campaign finance woes of Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) -- explained that fundraising for the three has become more difficult as they scramble to ramp up the outrage that normally shakes loose cash from supporters of Donald Trump.

Last week Sollenberger reported that Taylor Greene is spending enormous amounts of cash on fundraising which has created the illusion that she is taking record sums, but now it is catching up with her.

Added to that, he notes, the far-right House lawmakers -- including Rep Lauren Boebert (R-CO) -- are falling on hard times getting the kind of attention that generated donations.

Labeling them the "MAGA Goon Squad," Sollenberger pointed out to the "New Normal" hosts, that the four GOP lawmakers as a group spent "$275,000 more than they took in in the first quarter of 2022."

Focusing on Greene -- who is facing being bumped off the ballot due to her ties to the Jan 6th insurrection -- he explained, "... this has been a pattern of her fundraising for a long time. Her numbers are kind of a sleight of hand in that way. People really see how much money she’s bringing in, but they don’t see that she spends a whole lot to get there. And this quarter gave the lie to that. She switched over to this like direct mail campaign and stopped doing so much digital stuff. And then just kind of ate it pretty hard.”

He went on to elaborate that trying to raise cash using Jan 6 has lost its luster and the four are "grasping at straws" trying to find a fresh approach to ramp up new outrage.

"They raised so much money off of the controversy that they could stir on the heels of that tumultuous and explosive event that generated so much resentment from the far right and they tapped right into that and were able to stir up millions of dollars last year on the heels of the riot," he stated. "And so in the past few months they've been kind of grasping at straws, right? Greene hasn’t really been able to attract much controversial lightning. Gaetz is—you know, his own investigation, we haven’t heard much out of it recently, it’s ongoing clearly, but it’s just not in the news."

"The only person who’s been in the news is Cawthorn for his orgy and cocaine remarks, and he just got blasted for that stuff. So they haven’t really been able to turn the magic on. The sauce hasn’t been there for the past few months and it really shows in the money," he added.

Read more and listen to it here: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-maga-goon-squad-dug-themselves-a-deep-hole-after-jan-6

[Rick Plant]

But wait....there's more!

'We Have a Lot More’: New York Times Reporters Tease Additional McCarthy Audio
"It is sensitive, it is delicate, and it is high-stakes."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) didn’t have the best of days on Thursday, as his denial of a New York Times story about his comments after the Jan. 6 insurrection was proven false after audio of a phone conversation he had with colleagues was leaked.

And yet things might not be getting any better for McCarthy, if what the two Times reporters on that story told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow comes to pass.

Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin appeared on Maddow’s primetime show to discuss their story—specifically, the phone call in which McCarthy told Republican leaders in Congress that he would tell then-President Donald Trump he should resign in light of the impending impeachment resolution.

“I would just say for the book-buying audience out there, for people who work in politics: This is only the start,” said Martin, whose co-bylined report Thursday is derived from the upcoming book This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America’s Future. “We have captured some of the most intimate and sensitive conversations in the extraordinary period following Jan. 6 on tape. And there is much more to come between now and when the book is out on May 3.”

Maddow then asked Burns about how McCarthy’s denial of the Times story now looks. “It really does appear to not be the truth for Mr. McCarthy,” the MSNBC host said.

“Well, that’s a pretty diplomatic way of putting it, Rachel. It was a totally bogus denial, as your audience just heard,” Burns replied. “And I think that what this moment captures, in addition to everything Jonathan just said, and what this tape in particular captures, is just the staggering gulf between what Republican leaders say about Donald Trump in public, and to his face, and what they will say about him in private.”

Maddow then said she wouldn’t be surprised if there were calls for McCarthy’s resignation.

“But of course, he answers to his caucus,” she acknowledged.

The MSNBC host then asked if the pair have on tape how McCarthy also called for some members of his party to have their social media accounts suspended, as Twitter and Facebook did with then-President Donald Trump.

“That is correct, and we have a lot more on tape from this period, which is at the highest levels of American politics,” Martin said. “It is sensitive, it is delicate, and it is high stakes. We have it all on tape, and it’s going to—I think—tell a very different story about this period than the story that many people are trying to tell right now.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-york-times-reporters-alexander-burns-and-jonathan-martin-say-they-have-a-lot-more-kevin-mccarthy-audio

[Rick Plant]

Marjorie Taylor Greene to testify under oath about Jan. 6

GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday will become the first member of Congress to publicly testify under oath about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Monday night, a federal judge allowed a legal challenge by a group of Georgia voters to move forward as they seek to disqualify Greene from running for reelection, citing her alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

The voters argue a provision of the Constitution's 14th Amendment known as the "disqualification clause" prevents Greene from holding federal office.

Passed shortly after the Civil War, the Disqualification Clause bars any person from holding federal office who has previously taken an oath to protect the Constitution -- including a member of Congress -- who has "engaged in insurrection" against the United States or "given aid or comfort" to its "enemies."

An avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, Greene has denied any involvement in the attack and said she is appealing.

Judge Charles Beaudrot will preside over Friday's hearing and witnesses will also be called to testify.

The time frame for the judge to render his decision on whether or not Greene should remain on the ballot is tight. Early voting for the Georgia primary begins May 2 and the primary itself is on May 17.

In an interview Tuesday with ABC News affiliate WTVC, Greene called the legal challenge a "scam."

"All I did was what I'm legally and allowed to do by the Constitution as a member of Congress, and that was I objected to Joe Biden's Electoral College votes from a few states," Greene said.

Greene also said she was a "victim" on Jan. 6.

Mike Rasbury, one of the voters challenging Greene's eligibility to run for reelection, said in a statement that Greene "took an oath of office to protect democracy from all enemies foreign and domestic ... However, she has flippantly ignored this oath and, based on her role in the January 6 insurrection, is disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution from holding any future public office."

Rasbury will be in the courtroom when Greene testifies.

Ron Fein, a lawyer representing the voters and legal director of Free Speech For People, told ABC News in an email that the Georgia "voters who filed this lawsuit have a right to have their challenge heard" and that he looks forward to questioning Greene under oath.

James Bopp, Greene's attorney, told ABC News Tuesday that the challenge to Greene is "absurd" and that it shouldn't be up to judges to decide who represents Georgia's 14th Congressional District.

Bopp also represents GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who is facing a similar challenge against his reelection from a group of voters in North Carolina.

Cawthorn's lawsuit to dismiss the challenge to his reelection is set for oral arguments May 3 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia.

Speaking on Fox News Monday night, Greene told host Tucker Carlson that Democrats are trying to keep her name off the ballot, maintaining she had nothing to do with the attack on the Capitol.

"I have to go to court on Friday and actually be questioned about something I've never been charged with and something I was completely against," Greene said.

The challenges against Greene and Cawthorn are part of a larger legal effort to prevent anyone allegedly involved in the events surrounding Jan. 6 -- or who supported it -- from running for reelection.

Similar challenges are being brought against GOP Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs of Arizona and theoretically could be brought against Trump if he decides to run for office again in 2024.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-testify-oath-jan/story?id=84219632