Lou

Trump (P01135809) lawyer Sidney Powell pleaded GUILTY to six misdemeanor offenses agreeing to testify truthfully against her codefendants. Truth has been difficult for Sidney Powell who has been lying continually since the 2020 election. Many of Powell’s past statements have been egregiously false — like baseless claims that the Clinton Foundation, philanthropist George Soros, and former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez were responsible for manipulating voting machines to change the results. Powell avoided prison receiving 6 years probation and a small fine. Such a light sentence indicates that her testimony will likely include what Trump (P01135809), Meadows, Giuliani and others said in meetings and other interactions in which the plot and its execution were discussed. This insider’s view was something that had been previously missing, and it will likely be devastating at trial.

Trump (P01135809) attorney Ken Chesboro who helped orchestrate the Trump (P01135809) campaign’s 2020 fake electors plot, pleaded GUILTY Friday. Chesebro pleaded guilty to one felony – conspiracy to commit filing false documents. Fulton County prosecutors recommended that he serve 5 years of probation and pay $5,000 in restitution. Like Powell, he must testify truthfully against his codefendants. Chesboro hatched the plot to substitute fake electors.

He testified that he “created and distributed false Electoral College documents” to Trump operatives in Georgia and other states, and that he worked “in coordination with” the P01135809 campaign. 

“The defendant provided detailed instructions to co-conspirators in Georgia and other states for creating and distributing these false documents,” prosecutor Daysha Young said at the plea hearing Friday.

We’d prefer that Powell and Chesboro received prison time for their actions to overthrow our democracy but they must testify truthfully or their deal is null and void and they will be sentenced.

As House Republicans struggle to govern, the party suffered another black eye Thursday evening when Majority Leader Steve Scalise abruptly withdrew from the speaker’s race amid hardened opposition from more than a dozen holdouts. The problem for the House GOP is that it’s not clear anyone can lock down the 217 votes needed to win the gavel, raising questions over how and when the standoff over the speakership will last and at what cost.

Republicans are confronting a deepening leadership crisis that has left the House paralyzed with no clear path to elect a new speaker, after an effort to replace Kevin McCarthy following his historic ouster was derailed by entrenched opposition and deep divisions within the party.

UNBELIEVABE!! No wait, this is the GOP, it is totally believable.

When McCarthy was ousted, I thought who would be the worst choice to be speaker because I was pretty sure that that’s what the GOP would do. I was surprised when they nominated Scalise although he is no bargain but maybe the best we could hope for. Then Scalise couldn’t get the majority and they nominated who I thought they would, the bomb throwing, extreme right wing, Trump defender at all cost, participant in the Jan 6 insurrection, subpoena ignoring, jacket-less Jim Jordan.

I don’t know if Jordan will get 217 but my thought is that he won’t and I think it will be Elise Stefanik. She is currently number 3 in the GOP House and has proven to be able to move her position as required as she started as a NY moderate and morphed into a far right extremist. I think she can morph into whatever is required to get 217.

The insurrection continues.

Thought?

Democrats Need To Fall In Line

Kevin McCarthy has lost the House speaker’s gavel in a conservative revolt against his speakership by his own party, The vote was 216-210, with eight Republicans voting to remove McCarthy. This was a historic moment. McCarthy is the first Speaker ousted through the passage of a resolution to remove him.

To win over critics and secure the speaker’s gavel in January, McCarthy made a series of concessions to conservatives. Almost anything that they wanted. One major concession was the ability of any one member to offer what’s known as a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair – a move that can trigger a House floor vote to oust the speaker. On Tuesday, MAGA Rep Matt Gates, (a political light weight), offered a motion to vacate the chair on the House floor. 

Gates follows a long tradition of Republicans eating their own. Previous Speakers pushed out into retirement are Newt Gingrich, John Boehner and Paul Ryan.

After the Democrats came to McCarthy’s aid avoiding a government shutdown last Saturday, some thought they may do this again and save McCarthy.  However, some Democrats said that after having saved McCarthy on Saturday, he immediately went to the cameras and trashed them.  Thus, there was no appetite for helping him.

This reminded me of the story of the lady and the snake.  The lady finds a severely injured snake lying on the floor.  She picks up the snake and nurses it back to health.  Once saved, the snake bites the woman.  The woman asks the snake why he bit her.  The snake replies, after all you knew I was a snake when you picked me up.

Republicans have no plan how to move forward.

A judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.

Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling in a civil lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, found that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing loans.

Engoron ordered that some of Trump’s business licenses be rescinded as punishment, making it difficult or impossible for them to do business in New York, and said he would continue to have an independent monitor oversee Trump Organization operations.

Engoron’s decision, days before the start of a non-jury trial in James’ lawsuit, is the strongest repudiation yet of Trump’s carefully coiffed image as a wealthy and shrewd real estate mogul turned political powerhouse.

Book bans…criminalizing abortion…whitewashing our history…political violence…far-right nationalist movements that demonize groups based on race, religion, sex or gender identity—these aren’t isolated incidents. They’re all happening in the United States with alarming frequency.

Fascism can happen here and indeed has already started. If we lose our democracy, it won’t matter which political side you’re on.

As a supporter of Mission: Democracy, you know we haven’t shied away from calling out MAGA extremism for what it is: fascism. Our new ad, “Kick the Can,” premiering today, does it in the most provocative way yet.

MISSION DEMOCRACY – KICK THE CAN