"Sphincter Politicians on Parade”

[LFC]

Perpetual sphincter politician Ted Cruz insults a female journalist with vastly bigger balls than he has. She spent years reporting in the war zone of Afghanistan. He ran away to Cancun because it was cold.

CNN’s public relations team fired back at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Monday after he mocked chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward for comments she made while reporting on the scene in Kabul. Sharing a deceptively edited clip from Pizzagate-promoting provocateur Jack Posobiec, Cruz wrote on Twitter: “Is there an enemy of America for whom @cnn WON’T cheerlead? (In mandatory burkas, no less.)”

CNN PR didn’t mince words while defending Ward, who has spent years reporting from the frontline of Afghanistan and other extremely dangerous spots in the world—and referenced Cruz notoriously fleeing a Texas winter storm in the process. “Rather than running off to Cancun in tough times, @clarissaward is risking her life to tell the world what’s happening,” the official CNN Communications Twitter account posted. “That’s called bravery. Instead of RTing a conspiracy theorist’s misleading soundbite, perhaps your time would be better spent helping Americans in harm’s way.”

Conservatives and right-wing media have ridiculed Ward for noting in her report from Kabul on Monday that Taliban fighters are trying to portray themselves to Afghan citizens as non-threatening. “They’re just chanting ‘Death to America,’ but they seem friendly at the same time. It’s utterly bizarre,” she noted, emphasizing the contradictory nature of their behavior. At the same time, Ward—now wearing a burka to stay in line with Taliban rules for women—pointed out the “bitter fear that is consuming so many Afghans in this new, bizarre world” and there are “far fewer” women on the streets now.

[LFC]

Oh, look. A deadbeat who is actively dodging the law wants to be governor of the most populated state in the nation.

A private investigator interrupted California Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox at a public debate Tuesday night and dropped off a February 2020 court order directing Cox to pay nearly $100,000 in fees to an agency that worked on his previous run for governor.

The agent, Aman Choudhry from Choudhry Investigative Services shouted over Cox as Cox began to introduce himself to the audience at the Guild Theater in Sacramento, saying the candidate “had been served.”

The papers indicate Cox owes the thousands of dollars, plus a 6% interest rate, to Sandler-Innocenzi, a Virginia-based consulting firm that worked on his 2018 campaign for California governor. The agency had helped Cox’s campaign with advertising, according to a San Diego Union Tribune report.

[snip]

Choudhry said he decided to come to the debate because it was the “best place” to serve the documents.

“Mr. Cox has been avoiding service and is ordered to appear in San Diego Superior Court regarding this case,” Choudhry told The Sacramento Bee. “He’s been ducking and dodging courts and not showing up. He thinks he’s above the law.”

[goldenvalley]

Aug 18, 2021 15:30:08 GMT LFC said:

Oh, look. A deadbeat who is actively dodging the law wants to be governor of the most populated state in the nation.

A private investigator interrupted California Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox at a public debate Tuesday night and dropped off a February 2020 court order directing Cox to pay nearly $100,000 in fees to an agency that worked on his previous run for governor.

The agent, Aman Choudhry from Choudhry Investigative Services shouted over Cox as Cox began to introduce himself to the audience at the Guild Theater in Sacramento, saying the candidate “had been served.”

The papers indicate Cox owes the thousands of dollars, plus a 6% interest rate, to Sandler-Innocenzi, a Virginia-based consulting firm that worked on his 2018 campaign for California governor. The agency had helped Cox’s campaign with advertising, according to a San Diego Union Tribune report.

[snip]

Choudhry said he decided to come to the debate because it was the “best place” to serve the documents.

“Mr. Cox has been avoiding service and is ordered to appear in San Diego Superior Court regarding this case,” Choudhry told The Sacramento Bee. “He’s been ducking and dodging courts and not showing up. He thinks he’s above the law.”

Nice stunt.  The dude's been all over the state in personal appearances in his second run at being governor.  The process server picked the time when the event is being taped and will be replayed.  

Cox is a businessman who moved to CA from Illinois.  He's run for several offices in Illinois losing each time.  He ran for governor in CA in 2018 and lost badly.

[pnwguy]

Aug 18, 2021 15:30:08 GMT LFC said:

"He thinks he's above the law."

That's the Republican platform in a nutshell.  In any red state, it would be enough to get elected.

"Laws are for Libtards"

[LFC]

The Boeberts, shadier than a 200 year old oak in summer. More details on the companies she and her husband own.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) appears to have failed to properly disclose the true source of nearly $1 million her husband made in the energy sector, in possible violation of House Ethics rules. And even worse: Some of that money appears to have been paid through a company connected directly to Boebert herself.

According to new financial disclosures, Rep. Lauren Boebert’s husband, Jayson Boebert, made $478,386 in 2020 and $460,601 in 2019 for “consulting services” he provided to a company called Terra Energy Productions, AP reported last week. (That name appears to be an error, with the intended company being Houston-based Terra Energy Partners.) A Terra Energy Partners representative confirmed to The Daily Beast on Friday that Jayson Boebert was a contracted shift worker, but was not paid directly. Instead, he was paid through a company called Boebert Consulting.

It’s unclear whether the companies have been licensed to do business in the state. JBL903 LLC, despite still being listed as the registered agent for Boebert Consulting, has been delinquent since June 2019, according to Colorado state records. And in June of this year, Boebert Consulting went the same way, listed by the Colorado secretary of state as delinquent for failing to file its periodic report. Delinquent corporations are not authorized to do business in the state, though they may file to “cure” their delinquency and resume operations.

The new information also raises questions about personal conflicts of interest between Boebert, who sits on the House Committee on Natural Resources, and the energy industry she’s charged with regulating.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that earlier this month, an affiliate of Terra Energy Partners—the company which contracts Jayson Boebert’s services—requested immediate approval from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for 17 new gas wells near Boebert’s hometown of Rifle, Colorado.

In February, Boebert introduced legislation to block executive moratoriums on oil and gas drilling leases on public land, which President Joe Biden had enacted weeks prior. (A federal judge struck down that executive order in June.)

[goldenvalley]

You mean Boebert isn't just a girl with a gun and a bar?

[pnwguy]

Aug 24, 2021 18:25:53 GMT LFC said:

The Boeberts, shadier than a 200 year old oak in summer. More details on the companies she and her husband own.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) appears to have failed to properly disclose the true source of nearly $1 million her husband made in the energy sector, in possible violation of House Ethics rules. And even worse: Some of that money appears to have been paid through a company connected directly to Boebert herself.

According to new financial disclosures, Rep. Lauren Boebert’s husband, Jayson Boebert, made $478,386 in 2020 and $460,601 in 2019 for “consulting services” he provided to a company called Terra Energy Productions, AP reported last week. (That name appears to be an error, with the intended company being Houston-based Terra Energy Partners.) A Terra Energy Partners representative confirmed to The Daily Beast on Friday that Jayson Boebert was a contracted shift worker, but was not paid directly. Instead, he was paid through a company called Boebert Consulting.

It’s unclear whether the companies have been licensed to do business in the state. JBL903 LLC, despite still being listed as the registered agent for Boebert Consulting, has been delinquent since June 2019, according to Colorado state records. And in June of this year, Boebert Consulting went the same way, listed by the Colorado secretary of state as delinquent for failing to file its periodic report. Delinquent corporations are not authorized to do business in the state, though they may file to “cure” their delinquency and resume operations.

The new information also raises questions about personal conflicts of interest between Boebert, who sits on the House Committee on Natural Resources, and the energy industry she’s charged with regulating.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that earlier this month, an affiliate of Terra Energy Partners—the company which contracts Jayson Boebert’s services—requested immediate approval from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for 17 new gas wells near Boebert’s hometown of Rifle, Colorado.

In February, Boebert introduced legislation to block executive moratoriums on oil and gas drilling leases on public land, which President Joe Biden had enacted weeks prior. (A federal judge struck down that executive order in June.)

That's some nice income for a shift worker.  I'm sure there was no attempt at bribery there...

[LFC]

Nunes just had another of his frivolous lawsuits tossed (paywalled).

Throwback to simpler times, when I was given the greenlight to spend many a TPM workday covering which Twitter farm animal Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) was suing next.

The Fresno Bee was first to report that a Virginia judge dismissed a defamation suit that Nunes filed against Republican strategist Liz Mair back in 2019, claiming she had some role in feeding a juicy story involving a vineyard that Nunes invests in, yachts, drugs and sex workers to the McClatchy newspaper. And for being rude to him on Twitter.

This defamation lawsuit was one of 10 that Nunes has filed against various people, news organizations and other entities since 2019. This lawsuit in particular — which Judge John Marshall of Virginia’s Henrico County Circuit Court dismissed Mair from earlier this month — was aimed at Mair, Twitter and two anonymous Twitter accounts that posted, and continue to post, content posing as Nune’s “mom” and his “cow.”

It’s all very dumb.

“It is ridiculous that we have had a sitting United States congressman suing a fake farmyard animal, let alone me, for being mean to him on Twitter, which the First Amendment clearly protects,” Mair told me in a statement. “It is also extremely disturbing that Rep. Nunes has, on my read, appeared to use litigation as a cudgel to try to stifle free speech in such a wanton manner.”

The same judge already dismissed Twitter from the lawsuit. Nunes is still trying to sue the “cow” and “mom” accounts, but they remain anonymous and both have actually amassed a rather large Resistance-esque following on Twitter. Nunes has reportedly not been able to serve the cow and the mom the complaint, according to the Fresno Bee. Nunes could appeal Mair’s dismissal from the lawsuit if he wants to — he already has in at least one other suit of his that Mair was dismissed from.

Marshall dismissed Mair from this specific lawsuit, arguing that the sitting congressman failed to provide the exact words that Mair used to allegedly defame him and that the statements Nunes provided crying defamation weren’t actually defamatory, according to the Bee. The judge also found that Nunes wasn’t able to prove that Mair entered into some type of agreement to go after him.

This lawsuit and several others were all tied to Nunes being upset about a story that the McClatchy paper ran during his reelection campaign in 2018. Nunes barely won that reelection and, though he’s never admitted it, this all seems to be petty retaliation for that. Nunes also sued McClatchy over the story, and I talked to McClatchy about their planned defense against the suit back in 2019, but the company didn’t end up needing it. Nunes dropped McClatchy from that lawsuit — which also named Mair who was also dismissed from that suit — after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020.

The story at the center of at least some of these lawsuits was published in the Fresno Bee in 2018 and was based almost entirely on court documents, which made for a pretty poor case for Nunes. The piece was about a lawsuit filed against Alpha Omega Winery, a company that Nunes has a small partnership with. His investment there is also a matter of public record.

A former employee sued the vineyard after she worked serving wine to a group of men aboard a yacht. There was cocaine and some sex workers present and the woman was uncomfortable. The Bee named Nunes as an investor. That’s basically it.

I'd dearly love to see all of the folks having their freedom of speech attacked by this douche nozzle get together and bury him under one class action harassment suit. Open your wallet and say "AAAAAHHHH!!!"

[LFC]

Perhaps we should add "...and Their Spouses" to the subject line.

Jayson Steven Boebert, the husband of Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., has complicated his wife's political career recently, after reports that the right-wing congresswoman failed to disclose Jayson's highly-paid work in the natural gas industry while she was serving on the House Natural Resources Committee, which directly oversees regulation of that business.

It appears that might not be the only thing about Jayson that Rep. Boebert doesn't want the public to know. In January 2004, when Jayson Boebert was 24, he was arrested for exposing himself to two young women at a Colorado bowling alley. His future wife Lauren Roberts (as she was then known), who was 17 at the time, was also present and was told she was no longer welcome at the bowling alley.

Jayson Boebert pled guilty to "public indecency and lewd exposure" after that incident, according to The New York Post, and was sentenced to four days in jail with a subsequent two years on probation.

Salon has obtained a witness statement written at the time by Erica Anne Coombs, one of the two young women involved in the bowling alley incident, who still lives in Lauren Boebert's congressional district. Coombs wrote that after harassing a third person identified as Nora, Jayson Boebert told Coombs and another young woman, identified as Trisha Walies, that he had a tattoo on his penis.

"Trish and I were standing at the snack bar, and she came up and looked at my tattoo on my back, and she pulled down her sock and said, 'look, my is fading,'" she wrote. (The word "tattoo" may have been omitted.) "Then Jayson said 'I have a tattoo on my dick.'"

Just think, she witnessed this and thought to herself, "Wow. There's some real husband material."

[andydp]

Aug 31, 2021 20:25:04 GMT LFC said:

Perhaps we should add "...and Their Spouses" to the subject line.

Jayson Steven Boebert, the husband of Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., has complicated his wife's political career recently, after reports that the right-wing congresswoman failed to disclose Jayson's highly-paid work in the natural gas industry while she was serving on the House Natural Resources Committee, which directly oversees regulation of that business.

It appears that might not be the only thing about Jayson that Rep. Boebert doesn't want the public to know. In January 2004, when Jayson Boebert was 24, he was arrested for exposing himself to two young women at a Colorado bowling alley. His future wife Lauren Roberts (as she was then known), who was 17 at the time, was also present and was told she was no longer welcome at the bowling alley.

Jayson Boebert pled guilty to "public indecency and lewd exposure" after that incident, according to The New York Post, and was sentenced to four days in jail with a subsequent two years on probation.

Salon has obtained a witness statement written at the time by Erica Anne Coombs, one of the two young women involved in the bowling alley incident, who still lives in Lauren Boebert's congressional district. Coombs wrote that after harassing a third person identified as Nora, Jayson Boebert told Coombs and another young woman, identified as Trisha Walies, that he had a tattoo on his penis.

"Trish and I were standing at the snack bar, and she came up and looked at my tattoo on my back, and she pulled down her sock and said, 'look, my is fading,'" she wrote. (The word "tattoo" may have been omitted.) "Then Jayson said 'I have a tattoo on my dick.'"

Just think, she witnessed this and thought to herself, "Wow. There's some real husband material."

I keep thinking of the scene in "Hot Shots" whenre they're taking "hits" from Helium Pipes: "You're the 'best of the best' ".

[LFC]

This guy is going for this year's Matt Gaetz Congressional Douche Nozzle of the Year Award. 

32-year-old Michigan state Rep. Steve Marino (R) now has to be chaperoned at work after telling a fellow lawmaker he used to date that he was out to “destroy” her, prompting her to get a protective order.

In addition to telling House sergeants when he comes to the Capitol or House building, Marino also has to be escorted whenever he’s on the House floor or on the way to his office, Gideon D’Assandro, a spokesperson for House Speaker Jason Wentworth (R), told MLive.com.

Oh, and Marino also needs to keep himself at his desk, in the House Republican caucus room or the House floor.

The GOP lawmaker got slapped with the restrictions when 29-year-old state Rep. Mari Manoogian (D), who was in what she called a “volatile” a relationship with him for four months more than a year ago, got a protection order against him last week after he sent her threatening texts.

Marino told Manoogian that he hoped her “car explodes on the way in,” that it was his “life mission to destroy” her, and that she should “hide on the House floor,” according to court filings reported by the Detroit News.

“You’re truly the worst human being I’ve ever met,” Marino wrote. “I mean that with the utmost sincerity. Just a parasite.”

He accused Manoogian of “character assassination” last week when she came forward with her allegations.

Dude, if you're still sending threatening texts a year after the breakup then it's you. It's ALL you. You're clearly a f***ing child and probably a current incel who can't get another date.

[LFC]

What da' f***? In writing?

A confession letter written by Joel Greenberg in the final months of the Trump presidency claims that he and close associate Rep. Matt Gaetz paid for sex with multiple women—as well as a girl who was 17 at the time.

“On more than one occasion, this individual was involved in sexual activities with several of the other girls, the congressman from Florida’s 1st Congressional District and myself,” Greenberg wrote in reference to the 17-year-old.

“From time to time, gas money or gifts, rent or partial tuition payments were made to several of these girls, including the individual who was not yet 18. I did see the acts occur firsthand and Venmo transactions, Cash App or other payments were made to these girls on behalf of the Congressman.”

The letter, which The Daily Beast recently obtained, was written after Greenberg—who was under federal indictment—asked Roger Stone to help him secure a pardon from then-President Donald Trump.

In the private text messages to Stone, Greenberg described his activities with Gaetz, repeatedly referring to the Republican congressman by his initials, “MG,” or as “Matt.”

“My lawyers that I fired, know the whole story about MG’s involvement,” Greenberg wrote to Stone on Dec. 21. “They know he paid me to pay the girls and that he and I both had sex with the girl who was underage.”

As part of the effort to obtain a pardon, Greenberg wrote multiple drafts of his confession letter. The Daily Beast obtained two typed versions and an earlier handwritten one. Certified forensic document examiner and handwriting expert Wendy Carlson compared the letter to writing samples obtained through two public-records requests. She said it was her professional expert opinion that the person who authored a 2019 financial disclosure for Joel Greenberg, as well as Greenberg’s 2020 Board of Elections form, was the same as the author of the letter.

“The person who authored the forms has been identified as the person who authored the letter,” Carlson said.

[LFC]

So many sphincters this week. Here's Lauren Boebert who "Oopsie!" paid for her rent and utility bills with campaign funds.

Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert paid rent and utility bills with campaign funds in violation of federal campaign finance laws, new filings with the Federal Election Commision show.

The filings, submitted to the FEC on Tuesday, also indicate that Boebert reimbursed her campaign for the $6,650 worth of payments. Representatives for the congresswoman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Each of the four payments in question (two for $2,000 each and another two for $1,325 each) were amended to show payments for the same amount, description and on the same days to John Pacheco, whose address is the same as Shooters Grill in Rifle, which Boebert owns. Pacheco’s relationship to Boebert was not immediately clear.

The latest discrepancy appeared in a July campaign finance report for the committee Lauren Boebert for Congress. Payments to Venmo were described as “Personal expense of Lauren Boebert billed to campaign account in error. Expense has been reimbursed.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert paid rent and utility bills with campaign funds in violation of federal campaign finance laws, new filings with the Federal Election Commision show.

The filings, submitted to the FEC on Tuesday, also indicate that Boebert reimbursed her campaign for the $6,650 worth of payments. Representatives for the congresswoman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Each of the four payments in question (two for $2,000 each and another two for $1,325 each) were amended to show payments for the same amount, description and on the same days to John Pacheco, whose address is the same as Shooters Grill in Rifle, which Boebert owns. Pacheco’s relationship to Boebert was not immediately clear.

The latest discrepancy appeared in a July campaign finance report for the committee Lauren Boebert for Congress. Payments to Venmo were described as “Personal expense of Lauren Boebert billed to campaign account in error. Expense has been reimbursed.”

The next month, FEC officials asked the campaign for clarification on the error. Boebert spokesman Jake Settle told Forbes that he would describe the payments as “personal expenses.”

If the payments were “personal use of campaign funds, the Commission may consider taking further legal action,” FEC Senior Campaign Finance Analyst Shannon Ringgold wrote in the August letter to Boebert’s campaign. “However, prompt action to obtain reimbursement of the funds in question will be taken into consideration.”

Boebert’s supplemental report filed Tuesday reiterated that the expenses had been reimbursed and will be reported with the campaign’s next, which is due in October.

[LFC]

Lock him up and throw away the key.

A Republican district attorney in Pennsylvania who styled himself as a tough-on-crime prosecutor—while refusing to pursue charges against anyone cited for disregarding state mask mandates—now stands accused of violently raping a female acquaintance in her own home, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Somerset County DA Jeffrey Lynn Thomas, 36, allegedly attacked the unidentified woman on Sept. 18, having first contacted her on Snapchat to say he’d be coming over in a few minutes, according to police. A criminal complaint obtained by the Somerset County, Pennsylvania Tribune-Democrat states that the woman knew Thomas in a professional capacity and that she had for years rebuffed his persistent sexual advances.

Thomas sent the Snapchat message at around 11 p.m. last Saturday, the complaint explains. She replied that he was not welcome there, and to please stay away. Soon after, Thomas walked into the woman’s home with an armload of beer cans and handed her one, according to cops.

The woman asked Thomas to leave, but he reportedly refused and became “agitated.” After she slapped him, Thomas hit her in the face and gave her a nosebleed, the complaint states.

After the woman told Thomas again to leave, he pulled down her top, undressed himself, and raped her, according to a press release issued by the State Police.

“During the assault, Thomas grabbed her by the neck making it hard to breath [sic],” the complaint alleges.

The woman’s child was home during the attack, police said. Thomas finally left, but only after the woman promised him she wouldn’t report him to the police, according to investigators. She reported the rape to Pennsylvania State Police on Monday.

Thomas’ alleged victim told investigators that she and Thomas had smoked marijuana together prior to the attack, but the complaint did not specify whether this meant the night in question or some other time in the past. Recreational marijuana remains illegal in Pennsylvania.

[LFC]

Kristi Noem continues to be a real piece of ... work. Now she's being investigated for nepotism.

Less than a day after the Associated Press reported that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem strong-armed the state into giving her daughter a real estate license, the state attorney general she tried to oust is on the case.

“I have been contacted by concerned citizens and legislators,” Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg wrote in a Tuesday statement. “I am actively reviewing their concerns and I will be following the steps prescribed in codified law in relation to those questions.”

Democratic state lawmakers had raised concerns that Noem had improperly pressured the head of the state’s appraiser program, Sherry Bren, to provide her daughter a license after she was denied one.

Bren was then forced out from the job a week later and was given a $200,000 settlement to rescind an age discrimination complaint, the AP reported. The governor’s spokesman said the incident was a political attack and that Noem was helping cut “bureaucratic red tape,” though he did not deny the facts of the story.

Oh, yeah. And how can she be a Republican in good standing without a sex scandal.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has already had a week’s worth of news happen before the end of Wednesday, has denied and attacked a story that accused her of having an affair with former Donald Trump aide Corey Lewandowski. “These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie. These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can’t achieve anything without a man’s help,” she wrote in a tweet. “I love Bryon. I’m proud of the God-fearing family we’ve raised together. Now I’m getting back to work.” The story, published by a conservative online outlet called American Greatness, cited “multiple sources” who didn’t identify themselves but claimed the two, who are both married, have continued the affair for months.

[LFC]

Oh, look. Corey Lewandowski's name came up again.

A Republican donor has accused Corey Lewandowski, a longtime political adviser to former President Trump, of inappropriately touching and sexually harassing her at a recent charity event in Las Vegas.

Trashelle Odom, who is married to Idaho construction executive John Odom, said Lewandowski inappropriately touched her and made “vile” comments to her during the charity event held on September 26th at the restaurant of Las Vegas resort, Politico reports. In a statement, Odom told Politico that Lewandowski “repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful.”

The accusations have appeared to have immediate repercussions. According to The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Lewandowski has lost his position at the head of a top pro-Trump advocacy group, MAGA Action. “Lewandowski out, per Trump spokesman: … Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service. He will no longer be associated with Trump World,'” Haberman tweeted.

Odom also accused Lewandowski of repeatedly touching her legs and buttocks. “I am coming forward,” she said in her statement, “because he needs to be held accountable.”

David Z. Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, two Las Vegas-based criminal defense attorneys representing Lewandowski, told Rolling Stone in a statement: “Accusations and rumors appear to be morphing by the minute and we will not dignify them with a further response.”

[andydp]

Sept 30, 2021 15:52:16 GMT LFC said:

Oh, look. Corey Lewandowski's name came up again.

A Republican donor has accused Corey Lewandowski, a longtime political adviser to former President Trump, of inappropriately touching and sexually harassing her at a recent charity event in Las Vegas.

Trashelle Odom, who is married to Idaho construction executive John Odom, said Lewandowski inappropriately touched her and made “vile” comments to her during the charity event held on September 26th at the restaurant of Las Vegas resort, Politico reports. In a statement, Odom told Politico that Lewandowski “repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful.”

The accusations have appeared to have immediate repercussions. According to The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Lewandowski has lost his position at the head of a top pro-Trump advocacy group, MAGA Action. “Lewandowski out, per Trump spokesman: … Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service. He will no longer be associated with Trump World,'” Haberman tweeted.

Odom also accused Lewandowski of repeatedly touching her legs and buttocks. “I am coming forward,” she said in her statement, “because he needs to be held accountable.”

David Z. Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, two Las Vegas-based criminal defense attorneys representing Lewandowski, told Rolling Stone in a statement: “Accusations and rumors appear to be morphing by the minute and we will not dignify them with a further response.”

It’s notable that he was FIRED from the Trump “organization”.

The comments I read ranged from "Trump was jealous"; "Trump didn’t get to go first"; "How bad was this Trump fired him ?; and "Trump was mad because this was a major donor".

[LFC]

Gohmert again.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) on Thursday compared a 2016 congressional sit-in led by the late civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

It was just the latest in Republican attempts to minimize the mob attack on Congress earlier this year. But it was an especially extreme example: Lewis led the day-long sit-in in the House chamber, joined by several other lawmakers, to build pressure for gun control legislation.

Apparently insurrection to steal an election where nearly 150 police officers are injured and 5 people die is the same as a sit-in over gun control. O-kaaaaayyyyy.

It almost feels like Gaetz, Gohmert, and RonJon should get disqualified from this thread. They're just so ... consistent. Of course it probably wouldn't be tough to add another dozen to that list.

[Bact PhD]

Oct 22, 2021 16:51:05 GMT LFC said:

It almost feels like Gaetz, Gohmert, and RonJon should get disqualified from this thread. They're just so ... consistent. Of course it probably wouldn't be tough to add another dozen to that list.

LOL, kinda like retiring the five-time undefeated champion on “Jeopardy!” back when they did that. Maybe we need to note when someone mentioned on this thread becomes a “5-time champion.”

[goldenvalley]

Just call them consistent sphincters.

[LFC]

Another fine example of a model Republican leader.

Sen. Gene Suellentrop entered a no contest plea to two misdemeanor charges Monday that stemmed from an incident in March in which he drove for miles in the wrong direction on Interstate 70 before being stopped by a Kansas Highway Patrol officer.

Suellentrop, a Wichita Republican who was forced out of his role as the Kansas Senate's majority leader following his arrest, agreed to a deal that avoided conviction on a felony charge, including the pending count of eluding police. The plea agreement with prosecutors led Judge Jason Geier to find Suellentrop guilty of driving under the influence and of reckless driving.

Suellentrop acknowledged the evidence would prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. According to the KHP officer's charging affidavit, he was driving at speeds approaching 100 mph while fleeing through Topeka, and multiple vehicles swerved to avoid head-on collisions. When he was finally stopped, he reeked of alcohol and struggled to speak.

[LFC]

Josh Hawley is still a sphincter.

Far-right Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri never misses a chance to turn the COVID-19 pandemic into a culture war battle, and that includes President Joe Biden's vaccine/test mandate. The Kansas City Star's editorial board, in a scathing editorial published on October 21, lambasts Hawley for his objection to language used by the Biden Administration when offering guidance on pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccines.

Noting what Hawley told three Biden Administration officials in a recent letter, the editorial board explains, "The senator's political opportunism hits a new low…. when he objects to vaccine guidance involving women. It addresses COVID shots for 'people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to become pregnant now, or trying to become pregnant in the future'…. Incredibly, Hawley finds the phrases sinister. He prefers 'expecting' mother."

Hawley said of the Biden Administration's reference to pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccines, "It is part of an effort to target religious, conservative, and other civil service employees who do not subscribe to the far-left agenda."

The Star's editorial board, in response, writes, "What? The COVID requirement and guidance and language are designed to save lives, not target conservatives. Saving lives should be on everyone's agenda. In fact, the very guidance Hawley rejects allows for some discretion for pregnant women. 'An agency may allow.… an employee to delay vaccination based on the employee's particular medical circumstances.'"

The Star wraps up its editorial by stressing that Hawley's culture war obsession serves no useful purpose during a pandemic.

"Like all Missourians, we wish Sen. Hawley would focus on real concerns: health care, education, infrastructure and a changing climate, perhaps," the Star's editorial board says. "Instead, he wastes our time and his by focusing on imaginary affronts to the cloudless world in which he lives, mostly for perceived political advantage. He is making the COVID crisis worse to further his political career. It is cynical and dangerous, and must be rejected by Missourians."

[LFC]

So many Republican sphincters. This one, plus another not in office, were stealing campaign cash hand over fist.

Sen. Brian Kelsey has been indicted for allegedly funneling money from his state account to his failed 2016 congressional campaign, a violation of federal law.

A Nashville grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Kelsey, 43, a Germantown Republican, on Friday charging him and Joshua Smith, 44, owner of The Standard Club, with violating multiple campaign finance laws as part of a conspiracy to bolster his 2016 congressional campaign, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The feds have been investigating Kelsey, an attorney, for more than four years, with hints of the probe leaking occasionally. The Dispatch, a conservative news site, reported in early October that investigators talked to Matt Schlapp about the American Conservative Union's endorsement of Kelsey in 2016, according to the Tennessee Journal.

Federal prosecutors say Kelsey and Smith conspired with others from February 2016 through mid-October 2016 to violate campaign finance laws and illegally shift “soft money," funds not subject to Federal Election Campaign requirements, from the senator's state account to his federal campaign committee, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

One of the unindicted conspirators is former state Rep. Jeremy Durham of Franklin, who was expelled from the House after an investigation found he sexually harassed 22 women.

The indictment accuses Kelsey and others of using a national political organization to make illegal, excessive contributions to Kelsey's federal campaign committee by secretly coordinating with the organization on advertisements supporting his federal candidacy and to cause false reports of contributions and expenditures to be filed with the FEC.

Kelsey and Smith are charged with conspiracy, illegally transferring “soft money" as a federal candidate and his agent, and illegally transferring “soft money" as a state officeholder and his agent. Kelsey is also charged with making excessive contributions to a federal campaign and accepting excessive contributions. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Among other accusations, the filing claims Kelsey gave Smith a check for more than $106,000 in July 2016 during a gathering at The Standard to be transferred from his campaign account to The Standard political action committee.

[LFC]

I loathe Matt Gaetz as much as the next TRSer and would love to see him go to prison for a long, long time but NO, NO, NO, NO!!! Prosecute and jail this asshole who threatened him and his children. This is sick and can't be excused for any reason.

Law enforcement arrested a California man last week for allegedly leaving a threatening voicemail for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in January.

The arrestee, Eugene Huelsman of Thousand Oaks, California, called Gaetz’s office on Jan. 9 and left him a voicemail vowing to “fucking kill” the congressman and warning him to “watch” his children, the feds allege in the indictment.

“Watch your back, I’m coming for you,” Huelsman allegedly said. “I’m gonna put a bullet in you and I’m gonna put a bullet in one of your fucking kids too.”

[LFC]

Devin Nunes's treasurer is his mommy, and she's a serial f***-up. The dumb apple doesn't fall far from the stupid tree.

This spring, after receiving a number of federal warnings about a series of accounting errors, the campaign committee for Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) embarked on a financial reckoning.

As a result of that reckoning, the campaign has now had to correct a slew of reports, and two of Nunes’ affiliated committees removed his treasurer—his mom—as their government contact.

But over the last few months, Nunes’ mother, Toni Nunes, has filed a confounding series of financial disclosures. The reports attempt to correct an array of accounting errors and oversights, some dating back to 2004, and because the errors carry over from one accounting period to the next, all subsequent filings were also incorrect—meaning the California Republican’s books have been off for 17 years.

But even after the embarrassing cascade of notices that inundated the campaign over the last year, Nunes’ mom has continued filing and signing reports herself. One of the corrected reports she filed this month—itself a correction of a correction—was flagged for additional errors a few days after she submitted it.