Lou

With gripping testimony from Republicans and Trumps campaign staff, the panel is laying out in step by step fashion how Trump ignored his own campaign team’s data as one state after another flipped to Joe Biden, and instead latched on to conspiracy theories, court cases and his own declarations of victory rather than having to admit defeat.

The witnesses described in blunt terms and sometimes exasperated details how Trump refused to take the advice of those closest to him, including his family members. As the people around him splintered into a “team normal” headed by former campaign manager Bill Stepien and team crazy led by Rudy Giuliani, the president chose his sides.

On election night, Stepien said, Trump was “growing increasingly unhappy” and refusing to accept the “grim outlook.” Stepien and senior adviser Jason Miller described how the festive mood at the White House on election night turned grim as Fox News announced Trump had lost the state of Arizona to Joe Biden, and aides worked to counsel Trump on what to do next. But he ignored their advice, choosing to listen instead to Giuliani, who was described as inebriated by several witnesses. Guiliani told Trump to claim victory which he ultimately did knowing he was losing.

William Barr, who had also testified in last week’s blockbuster hearing, said that Trump was “as mad as I’d ever seen him” when the attorney general later explained that the Justice Department would not take sides in the election. “He’s become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff,” testified former Attorney General William Barr in his interview with the committee. He called the voting fraud claims “bull——,” “bogus” and “idiotic,” and resigned in the aftermath. “I didn’t want to be a part of it.”

Monday’s hearing also featured live witnesses, including Chris Stirewalt, a former Fox News Channel political editor who declared on Election Night that Arizona was being won by Biden. Stirewalt said that based on their data, it was clear that Trump was going to lose. Trump was enraged and he was fired. Also appearing was the former U.S. attorney in Atlanta, BJay Pak, who abruptly resigned after Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperge to find enough votes overturn his defeat.

The panel also heard from elections lawyer Benjamin Ginsberg who discussed the norms of election campaign challenges and the 62 failed court cases and former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, the only Republican on the city’s election board, who told the panel that regardless of how “fantastical” some of the claims that Trump and his team were making, the city officials investigated. He discussed facing threats after Trump criticized him in a tweet.

Trump’s “big lie” of election fraud escalated and transformed into marching orders that summoned supporters to Washington and then sent them to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to block Biden’s victory.

The panel also provided new information about how Trump’s fundraising machine collected some $250 million with his campaigns to “Stop the Steal” and others in the aftermath of the November election, mostly from small-dollar donations from Americans. One plea for cash went out 30 minutes before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. The emails claimed the donations were to Stop the Steal going into a General Election Fund but there was no such fund and money went to friends and family.

“Not only was there the big lie, there was the big ripoff,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.

From today’s testimony, it is clear that Trump was told by his attorney general, his campaign staff, multiple other republicans, the courts and his family that there was no fraud. He listened only to team crazy, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. He knew there was no fraud but constantly claimed there was to try and stay in power and to fund raise off it.

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol made its case to the American public during a prime-time hearing on Thursday night, placing the blame for the attack squarely on Donald Trump.

The hearing featured new video of the ambush and testimony from those closest to the former president, and over its course, the committee laid out its argument that the assault was an “attempted coup” directly resulting from Trump’s repeated efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The committee laid out in meticulous and shocking detail the extent that former president Trump went to overturn the election and keep himself in office. They presented evidence that the January 6 attack on the Capitol was not a rally that got out of hand but a planned effort disrupt the peaceful transition of power to overthrow our democracy. “Donald Trump was at the center of this conspiracy” said Chairman Representative Bennie Thompson.

As you may recall, the Republicans blocked the creation of a nonpartisan commission to investigate the attack and layout for Americans the full story of the assault on democracy. They then chose not to participate. The Democrats went ahead with two Republicans joining the committee (Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger). The result was a focused, effective committee operating without the constant disruptions from Republicans like Jim Jordan.

Liz Cheny related the findings of the committee in prosecutor-like precision. The most damning which may have been when Trump learned of the mob’s threat to hang Mike Pence, he said “Maybe our supporters have the right idea,” adding that Pence “deserves it” but there were many damning findings. General Miley related that Trump did nothing to defend the Capitol. He didn’t contact the Attorney General, Homeland Security, the National Guard or anyone else knowing his Vice President was in the building and in jeopardy. I guess that was the plan.

A person filming a documentary (Nick Quester) testified at the hearing. He filmed the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders meeting in a parking garage on the night of January 5. He documented the Proud Boys not going to the rally at all but marching on the Capitol at 10:30 AM 90 minutes before Trump spoke. They were walking around the Capitol and challenging the Capitol Police but there were not enough of them to break the line. They needed many more people. So they waited until Trump incited and instructed the crowd to go to the Capitol.

President Trump was told by multiple people that he lost the election. You may recall that Trump’s lawyers lost all 60 cases in the court. Attorney General Barr knew Trumps claims of fraud were false and told him as much. “I told the president it was bullshit”.

The committee reported of a night meeting with Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Mike Flynn. The White House lawyers upon learning of the meeting rushed to attend it. Ten minutes after the meeting Trump tweeted the tweet telling his supporters to come to the Washington on January 6. It was going to be wild. It was no coincidence that the rally was on the day of the previously ceremonial counting of the electoral college votes.

President Trump executed a 7 point plan.

1. President Trump engaged in a massive effort to spread false and fraudulent information to the American public claiming the 2020 election was stolen from him.
2. President Trump corruptly planned to replace the Acting Attorney General, so that the Department of Justice would support his fake election claims.
3. President Trump corruptly pressured Vice President Pence to refuse to count certified electoral votes in violation of the US Constitution and the law.
4. President Trump corruptly pressured state election officials, and state legislators, to change election results. 
5. President Trump’s legal team and other Trump associates instructed Republicans in multiple states to create false electoral slates and transmit those slates to Congress and the National Archives. 
6. President Trump summoned and assembled a violent mob in Washington and directed them to march on the US Capitol.
7. As the violence was underway, President Trump ignored multiple pleas for assistance and failed to take immediate action to stop the violence and instruct his supporters to leave the Capitol.

Next hearing will be Monday June 13.

It was interesting that all major networks televised the hearings except for Fox News. It was more interesting that Fox News did not have any commercial breaks while the hearing was in progress. I guess they didn’t want any of their viewers switching over to take a peak at what was going on in the hearing. I wonder who could have ordered them to do that? Hmmm.

On Friday, June 3rd and Saturday, June 4th, delegates gathered virtually and at the DCU Center in Worcester to endorse candidates for statewide office, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary, Attorney General, Treasurer, and Auditor, ahead of the Democratic Primary this September. 

About 40% of the delegates participated virtually. The convention was streamed online and all voting was done online. Those unable to vote online could do so by phone and by paper at the convention.

Candidates required 15% of the vote on the 1st ballot to be placed on the primary ballot on September 6. Candidates required greater than 50% of the vote to be endorsed by the MassDems Convention.

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Maura Healey was endorsed by the convention for Governor receiving the largest vote total at the convention. Maura received 71.2% of the vote. Sonia Chang-Diaz received 28.8% of the vote and will be on the primary ballot.

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Kim Driscoll led all candidates running for Lt. Governor receiving 41.4% of the vote. Adam Hines and Bret Bero did not receive 15% of the vote and thus will not be on the primary ballot. The three candidates receiving greater than 15% but less than 50% agreed to not have a 2nd ballot and thus Kim Driscoll was endorsed by the convention. Tami Gouveia and Eric Lesser received 23% and 21.2% respectively and thus will be on the primary ballot.

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Quentin Palfrey was endorsed by the convention for Attorney General receiving 38.8% of the vote on the first ballot and 54% on the second ballot. Andrea Campbell received 39.2% of the vote on the first ballot and 46% on the 2nd ballot and will be on the primary ballot. Shannon Liss-Riordan received 21.9% of the vote and will be in the primary ballot.

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Tanisha Sullivan was endorsed by the convention for Secretary of State receiving 62.4% of the vote. Bill Galvin will be on the primary ballot receiving 37.5% of the vote.

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Chris Dempsey was endorsed by the convention for Auditor receiving 52.6% of the vote. Diana DiZoglio will be on the ballot receiving 47.3 % of the vote.

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Deb Goldberg was endorsed for Treasurer by the convention by acclimation as she has no primary opponent.

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Governor

1. Maura Healey – 2,858 votes – 71.2% – endorsed
2. Sonia Chang-Diaz – 1,115 votes – 28.8% – on ballot

Lt. Governor

1. Kim Driscoll – 1,641 votes – 41.4% – endorsed
2. Tami Gouveia – 911 votes – 23% – on ballot
3. Eric Lesser – 839 votes – 21.2% – on ballot
4. Adams Hinds – 493 votes – 12.4% – not on ballot
5. Bret Bero – 81 votes – 2% – not on ballot

Attorney General

1. Quentin Palfrey – #1: 1,605 votes – 38.8%. #2: 1,920 votes – 54% – endorsed
2. Andrea Campbell – #1: 1,622 votes – 39.2%. #2: 1,631 votes – 46% – on ballot
3. Shannon Liss-Riordan #1: 906 votes – 21.9% – on ballot

Secretary of State

1. Tanisha Sullivan – 2,578 votes – 62.4% – endorsed
2. Bill Galvin – 1,553 votes – 37.5% – on ballot

Auditor

1. Chris Dempsey – 2,148 votes – 52.6% – endorsed
2. Diana DiZoglio – 1,931 votes – 47.3 – on ballot

The committee elected 10 delegates to represent Danvers at the State Convention. They are:

• Lou Bernazzani
• Joe Caiazzo
• Nicole Caiazzo
• Beatrice Clark
• Gerald Clark
• Kasey Desmond
• Beth Kontos
• Vince Malgeri
• Carla Meagher
• Tom Meagher

State Committee Members Marilyn Hazel, Julie Curtis and Rani Jacobsen will attend the convention plus Sally Kerans, State Rep for 13th Essex District and Joan Lovely, State Senator from 2nd Essex District

Massachusetts Republicans overwhelming endorsed a Trump-backed conservative for governor at the Massachusetts GOP convention in Springfield on Saturday. Speakers leaned heavily into national themes and culture war debates, railing against abortion, characterizing Democrats as “evil” and issuing vague yet vulgar warnings about the state of education.

Geoff Diehl, a former Whitman state lawmaker who’s trumpeted Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, received 71% of the 1,194 votes cast by party delegates winning the party’s endorsement for governor. Diehl far outpaced Chris Doughty, a Wrentham business owner who cleared the 15% threshold to appear on the Sept. 6 ballot.

Diehl pitched himself as the progressive Democrats “worst nightmare” promising to hire back state workers fired by the Baker administration because they refused to be vaccinated and to dispatch the National Guard to the southern border “to stop the lawlessness”. Diehl and other statewide Republican candidates promised to be bulwarks against what he called the threat of critical race theory.

Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito did not attended the convention. The overwhelming support for Diehl marks a drastic departure for a party that since 2010 had turned to Baker as its standard bearer in a sign of intense friction between Bakers and the party’s conservative leadership.

• Speaker Thomas Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement who Trump named his “border czar” in 2019, spoke for more than an hour, leading the crowd in a “Trump! Trump! Trump!” chant after he finished.

• Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, a Diehl adviser, weaved throughout the crowd.

• David Beriet, the former leader of 40 Days of Life, an antiabortion group addressed the crowd. The party’s platform in the past frowned on abortion.

• Jim Lyons told the delegates “We don’t get our rights from Beacon Hill. We don’t get our rights from Washington. We get our rights from God. It’s time Democrats realize this.”

• Rayla Campbell, the party’s candidate for Secretary of State, charged that Republicans “watched our elections be stolen” and vowed that a “red tsunami … is brewing” in this year’s election, using biblical terms to describe Democrats. “We are going to crush and destroy these rotten devils that call themselves Democrats!” “This is a battle of good versus evil.”

• Chris Doughty, to light applause and some booing drew on his experience as a business owner and promises to create jobs and his role as a grandfather in promises to root out “indoctrination” in schools. He received 29% of the delegate votes.

• Leah Allen and Kate Campanale – Diehl’s and Doughty’s hand-picked running mates, respectively – vied for party endorsement for lieutenant governor. Allen received 70% of votes.

• Jay McMahon, a Buzzards Bay lawyer is running for attorney general for the second consecutive time.

• Anthony Amore, from Winchester, is running for state auditor for the second time.

• No Republican is running for state treasurer.

• Byron Donalds, a conservative Florida US Rep who was endorsed by Trump was the keynote speaker. He urged activists to be “more active” to help begin cutting into Democrat control. He trained his sights lowers than turning the “deep sea blue” state red. “Let’s just get to, like, purple”

Boston Globe – May 22

The following members of the Danvers Democratic Town Committee were elected as Town Meeting Members:

Louis George – Precinct 1

Deborah Gesauldo – Precinct 1

Julie Curtis – Precinct 5

Marilyn Hazel – Precinct 6

Ryan Griffis – Precinct 6

Carla King – Precinct 8

Lou Bernazzani – Precinct 8

Dan Geary – Precinct 8

The Annual Town Meeting was held in the Danvers High School Auditorium on Monday May 16, 2022 at 7:30 PM.

The Town Meeting consisted of a Special Town Meeting in which 6 Articles were voted on and the Annual Town Meeting in which 40 Articles were voted on.

Drawing a lot of discussion is Article 5 under the Annual Town Meeting articles. This Article is titled: Home Rule Petition – Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical Schools District Enrollment. This article proposed placing a limit on the number of Danvers students to be enrolled at the Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical Schools District each year.

The town tabled this controversial issue on capping its enrollment at Essex Tech and shot down a proposed procedure for recalling elected town officials during Danvers’ Annual Town Meeting Monday night.

The town’s Finance Committee gathered with 128 Town Meeting members inside Danvers High School’s auditorium for a quick Special Town Meeting and Annual Town Meeting to consider 46 total proposed articles.

Town Meeting members passed an amendment to indefinitely postpone a vote on Article 5, a drafted home rule petition that would cap the number of Danvers students who attend Essex North Shore Technical & Agricultural School to 40 freshmen per year. “This amendment’s postponement will allow for the opportunity for more firm, continued and renewed work with Essex Tech’s administration, as well as potential for public workshops or other focused communications to answer questions outside of social media or less-inclusive email chains.

Voters reelected two incumbent members of the Select Board and elected a new member to the School Committee and other local representatives during the town’s election Tuesday.

Appears around 2600 residents cast their ballots at Danvers High School between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m..

Gabriel Lopes received 1,457 votes for an open seat on the School Committee, beating against Paula Jones, who garnered 808 votes. Lopes’ term will last the next three years.

Incumbents Daniel Bennett and David Mills won the two seats up for grabs on the Select Board. Bennett came in first with 1,295 ballots. Mills grabbed the second with 1163 votes coming ahead of third-place finisher Timothy Donahue by 37 votes. Both of the incumbents will serve three-year terms.

Town Moderator Patricia Fraizer, who ran unopposed, was re-elected for another year with 1690 votes.

DDTC member Julie Curtis won seat on Library Trustees Board leading with 1,356 votes, followed by Natalie Luca Fiore with 1307 votes and, Kenneth Yoon Lee with 1,082 votes. All were elected to three-year seats as Library Trustees.

The first Annual Town Election after the completion of the 2020 Federal Census requires that precinct lines be rebalanced, ALL Town Meeting Members be reset and ALL member seats will run for re-election.  All of the eight Precincts 18 seats were up for election.  The top 6 candidates in each Precinct that received the most votes will be elected to the 3 year term, the next 6, to the 2 year term, and the last 6 of the top 18 will be elected to the 1 year term.  To find out who they are visit: https://storage.googleapis.com/proudcity/danversma/uploads/2022/04/05-03-22_ATE_OFFICIAL_Results.pdf