TWGB: The Detroit Deceit

 

Once again, Trump is in the news because we have tapes--a story in The Detroit News from Craig Mauger uncovers that a phone call between Wayne County election canvassers, Donald Trump and Ronna McDaniel reveals a little offering for their service in not certifying the election for Biden, which is a kind of back-handed bribe: we'll get you attorneys!

I mean, I love this for the obvious reason: they knew it was shady, they knew that the canvassers knew it was shady. Sure, it's probably illegal! But we will get you lawyers. You'll be fucked if you do this but we'll make sure it's with lube!

Is that just me? 

So of course, I go back through the TWGB archives, and huh. When one of the recipients of this phone call got asked about it back when, she just said Trump was concerned about her wellbeing. Well, yeah. Hence the lawyers. The other canvasser isn't available at the moment for further comment. He doesn't need lawyers at this time.  It's also pretty interesting to me that this call was followed up by an invite to the White House for certain Michigan officials. (I wonder if a similar call to PA officials occurred...wait, I don't!) I think this reinforces the Georgia RICO case by establishing a pattern of leaning on election officials. 

I can talk about the violence of 1/6 and the way Trump encouraged it then and still encourages violence, but the subversion of others' sense of duty and fidelity to their oaths of office is the key to the damage that Trump offers. Through coaxing and threatening, he undermines the idea that government isn't about duty or a higher purpose, it just become gross transactionalism. 

I like to think this opens up Trump for a new set of indictments in Michigan. And some for Ronna McDaniel too. (The Michigan GOP has its own terrible troubles right now.) 

Is this the "Finding Out", Yet? (UPDATED)

 

Breaking: Federal investigators have subpoenaed Georgia GOP chairman for information related to fake elector scheme there, as DOJ has issued fresh round of subpoenas to people from several states who acted as rogue electors after 2020 presidential election https://t.co/2c35eZBXXO

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) June 23, 2022

Because I was kind of waiting for this part.

UPDATE: Jeffrey Clark's home was searched.  I know, I know. But this is moving in the right direction (concentric circles towards the Trump White House.)

UPDATE: After all Kelli Ward's mean girl stuff over Rusty Bowers. (who still would support Trump as a 2024 GOP nominee for president after all this) I just find her and her husband's grand jury subpoenas funny as hell, because of the fake electors but also how she was behind the Cyber Ninja stupid recount and is now on a whole other grift. And I really feel she is not going to have good answers for herself because this is what you get when political posturing takes over from any sense of reality or accountability.

UPDATE: You know, I would not be surprised in Ronna McDaniel is going to have to go through a few things, because the RNC was on this. Just a feeling. But we're up to fake elector plots in seven states (I think) getting looked at hard, and this is fraud. If they purported to be presenting official documents that were no such thing on the basis of the fraudulent voter fraud claims, then the people who knew very well what they were may have been perpetrating a multistate fraud. Grand theft election?

What I'm saying is--it looks bad. 

UPDATE: Wait what? They got John Eastman's phone and he's so mad he wants it back RIGHT NOW you guys. Based Eastman's two work email accounts and busy behind shopping conspiracy theories and how to overthrow elections advice, i really does feel like shit is getting real. He went on Tucker Carlson tonight so you know what? He has a problem. 

TWGB: See Something, Say Something

 

Per the senator, a House intern, name unknown, was able to get a packet of information on electors, author unknown, to the chief of staff of a powerful GOP senator. His. Who then nearly delivered it to the Vice President of the United States to consider. pic.twitter.com/dmg9DgkbUb

— Robert Costa (@costareports) June 22, 2022

What was that thing we all learned post 9/11? That if some rando handed you off a dodgy package, you should scream bloody murder. Who the hell is this from? Why the hell give it to me? Who the hell is it for? Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who I helpfully note is stupidly up for re-election this year, is exactly that dumbass. Hrm, Give this unvetted shit from someone I do not know to the VP at our solemn handover of government? Yes, I will be on that shit like enjoying my Fourth of July in Moscow. 

Ron Johnson can fit an entire billiard ball in his mouth--have you seen his mouth? He can do it. I think he should, and keep it in place until forever. Because he lies, and I think his pretense that he doesn't know who gave him the fake elector votes is obviously a lie. 

Now, the people we saw testify today were all people who got death threats. Rusty Bowers had his family threatened. He was only discharging his duty the best he knew how, and the ravening crowd made his personal tragedy harder to deal with. Brad Raffensperger explained the same. But the plight of the Georgia election workers made me exceptionally mad, because they were just regular people doing a good and responsible job.  And were threatened with death because of the lies spread by Trump and Giuliani. The perpetrators of the lie should never know a minute of ease. They need to know accountability for what they provoked against blameless average people. These assholes made election work--the backbone of our democracy--an unsafe thing because wee toddlerbrain Trump was mad he lost.

Maybe someone like Johnson will see accountability, but I can only imagine--not enough. Imagine just casually lying about not knowing who gave him those votes. Like no one would press the matter further. It's the ease of lying that is so galling. The fake votes just magically appeared. He just thought he'd give them to the VP. No big at all. Just stealing an election for Trump. Nothing to see here.

It doesn't sit right with me that people who did the right thing went through hell and people who obviously did the wrong thing are so comfortable.

Democracy Health Check

NEW: Due to "credible threats of violence," the Michigan legislature's office buildings will be closed on Monday as the state’s 16 electors meet. https://t.co/wl2esGLEc6 pic.twitter.com/iswYATVHCr

— ABC News (@ABC) December 14, 2020

Well, threats of domestic terrorism regarding election results are not great. This is Trump's America. He did this. These are his people.

UPDATE: More fuckery, from an Michigan elected official, no less. 

UPDATE: Random thought: Trump has always been so hot to preserve Confederate statutes and Confederate-named military bases not just because of racism (although truly, he is so very racist) but also because he doesn't want people to get the idea that rebellion against the US is bad, actually.

UPDATE:  I guess Trump is hoping on the Clown College victory.

UPDATE: Arizona Republicans think Trump will get by with a little help from his friends and some light forgery. 

The Texas Kraken Can Mind Its Own Bidness

 

It's one thing when the Republican legislators in my own state want to throw my vote out even though they agreed that mail-in votes were a great plan until they realized that people might use them to vote against Trump and give him a real big sad, and it's another thing that Trump and his real big sad is even calling around to the PA Speaker of the House crying for more help getting my vote thrown out, but when Texas AG Ken Paxton swans in in his oversized cowboy boots and tries to throw my vote out, I feel some extra way about it. 

Who the fuck is Texas to tell my state how to run things? (And for that matter, why should SCOTUS be involved in what is definitely a matter of state. not federal law?) 

Texas can go ahead and deal with its own mess, starting with one Ken Paxton. And I've got no use for the kind of suck-ups who'd agree with it, whatever state they're in, either.

Wolverines!?

Six men were arrested and accused of plotting with a militia group to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the authorities said.https://t.co/kO83j7Ltu9

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 8, 2020

Yes, they seem a little hapless, but the trend is worrisome, and yes, they probably do represent the tip of the iceberg. And yes, despite the fake outrage from Trump surrogates* regarding whether his "Liberate Michigan!" Tweet and other rhetoric encourages these people--maybe it is a really harsh thing to say, but sometimes really harsh things are absolutely true. He was talking about insurrection. There didn't have to be an absolute direct link for those people to have felt like they got a wink and a nod. There are folks out there who have been primed for this type of activity for decades. And this is 100% domestic terrorism.

* This is especially true when, as in Jason Miller's case, the fake outrage also sounds a little bit like "and she had it coming!"