Tag: Trump bullying

Trump warns Georgia AG not to rally other Republicans against Texas lawsuit

The phone call came shortly before Loeffler, Perdue endorsed improbable election challenge

President Donald Trump warned Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr not to rally other Republican officials against a long-shot Texas lawsuit seeking to toss out the state’s election results, according to several people with direct knowledge of the conversation.

The roughly 15-minute phone call late Tuesday came shortly before U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue issued a joint statement saying they “fully support” the improbable lawsuit asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject election results in Georgia and three other battleground states that Trump lost.

Earlier in the day, Carr’s office called the lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “constitutionally, legally and factually wrong.” The complaint asks the justices to delay the Monday deadline for certification of presidential electors in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Continue reading.

Trump critic: I am not afraid of Trump

The Hill logo

Adam Kinzinger says he isn’t scared of President Trump.

Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran and lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, has garnered a reputation for being one of the few GOP lawmakers willing to push back on Trump. 

The Illinois Republican has been one of the most outspoken critics of the administration’s decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan, was one of the first in his party to recognize President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election, slammed the president’s allegations of voter fraud on Twitter and has come out heavily against the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Violent Threats By Trump Supporters Are Multiplying Nationwide

A Maryland man was arrested last week on federal charges for making violent threats toward Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, according to local prosecutors, the latest in a line of threatening incidents against the candidates and their supporters.

James Dale Reed was caught leaving a graphic and violent letter on a doorstep Oct. 4, the incident captured by a doorbell camera installed on the homeowners’ porch.

“Warning!” it read in big, bold letters.The letter informed the homeowners that if they were Biden/Harris supports, they “will be targeted.” Continue reading.

Duckworth doesn’t back down following Vindman retirement

Illinois Democrat demands more information on this ‘disgraceful situation’

Sen. Tammy Duckworth will keep her hold on more than 1,100 military promotions in place despite Wednesday’s announcement of the retirement of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

The Illinois Democrat announced the hold on Thursday amid concerns that Vindman would not receive a promotion to the rank of colonel in retaliation for his testimony before the House last year.

Vindman, a former Ukraine expert to the National Security Council, was ousted from his White House job following his November testimony in which he validated many of the concerns raised by the whistleblower whose report sparked the impeachment inquiry. Continue reading.

Trump Questions Render Canada Prime Minister Trudeau Speechless for 21 Seconds

TORONTO, CANADA — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canadians are watching what’s unfolding in the United States with “horror and consternation” and he paused for 21 seconds when asked about U.S. President Donald Trump and the use of tear gas against protesters to clear the way for a photo opportunity.

Trudeau has long been careful not to criticize Trump as Canada relies on the U.S. for 75 percent of exports. But Trudeau, who is usually quick to answer, paused and struggled to come up with the right words when asked about Trump calling for military action against protesters and the use of tear gas for a photo opportunity.

The prime minister avoided mentioning Trump directly. Continue reading.

“An Abuse of Sacred Symbols”: Trump, a Bible, and a Sanctuary

As the hours ticked down to prime time, the White House prepared its unholy production. It was Monday afternoon, and President Trump was getting ready to deliver his first speech on the massive protests sweeping the country. After unflattering reports that he had spent Friday evening in a bunker, Trump summoned the press corps to the Rose Garden for maximum effect. Never mind that the chaos had given way to peaceful demonstrations outside the White House. Men and women, along the sunny edge of Lafayette Park, chanted and knelt. A young boy and girl, flanking their father, held protest signs. A vender touted coronavirus masks bearing the grim slogan of our time: “I Can’t Breathe.”

In the course of the day, the city had started mending the wounds of the night before. A worker power-washed graffiti from the stone wall of a steak house. Crews mounted plywood over the shattered windows of a jewelry store and a battered A.T.M. Spray-painted slogans—“George Floyd” and “Fuck the Police” and “Free the People”—offered a condensed history of yet another grievous week in America, which began on May 25th, when Floyd died, on video, with the knee of a Minneapolis police officer on his neck.

Normally, one of the most striking features of the White House is its nearness. For years, tourists who stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue have been startled to come so close to the building, which is situated with a confident, open face to the world, a contrast to the secluded warrens of power in Beijing or Moscow. In recent months, that has been less true. Last summer, the Trump Administration started building a new thirteen-foot fence, twice the height of the old one, equipped with “anti-climb and intrusion detection technology.” It closed off Pennsylvania Avenue to pedestrians and cloaked the building behind a tall, white construction wall. When protests gave way to violence over the weekend, police expanded the realm of isolation, sealing off Lafayette Park and pushing the public farther away. On Monday, protesters returned to nearby streets. By late afternoon, several hundred had gathered. Continue reading.

Episcopal bishop on President Trump: ‘Everything he has said and done is to inflame violence’

Washington Post logoThe Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, was seething.

President Trump had just visited St. John’s Episcopal Church, which sits across from the White House. It was a day after a fire was set in the basement of the historic building amid protests over the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Before heading to the church, where presidents have worshiped since the days of James Madison, Trump gave a speech at the White House emphasizing the importance of law and order. Federal officers then used force to clear a large crowd of peaceful demonstrators from the street between the White House and the church, apparently so Trump could make the visit. Continue reading.

Trump has sown hatred of the press for years. Now journalists are under assault from police and protesters alike.

Washington Post logoThere are those who argue that President Trump’s endless disparagement of the news media is harmless — perhaps a little extreme at times, but mostly just a lot of talk.

Sure, he throws around terms such as “enemy of the people,” claims that accurate reporting unflattering to him is “fake news” and gleefully insults individual reporters — especially women of color. True, he likes to threaten to use the powers of his office to interfere with the business concerns of media companies he does not favor or to punish their owners.

But, come on, what has he really done that’s so bad? Continue reading.

Trump social media order starts off on shaky legal ground

The Hill logoPresident Trump‘s executive order that aims to strip certain legal protections from social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook is making political waves, but legal experts say the measure is mostly toothless and vulnerable to court challenges.

The order drew praise from Trump allies who share the president’s view that Silicon Valley carries an anti-conservative bias. The practical effect of Trump’s executive action, however, is likely to be minimal, according to telecommunications lawyers.

The most ambitious component of the order is a proposal to peel back legal immunities that online platforms have enjoyed for almost 25 years. Those valuable protections fall under a provision of a 1996 law often referred to as Section 230. Continue reading.

Trump warns protesters as unrest sweeps America

In cities across the country, protests turned violent as local authorities called for calm.

President Donald Trump reacted to the protests and incidents of vandalism and violence ripping through several American cities by threatening to invoke the power of the federal government and the military, tossing the equivalent of a lighted match into a national uproar over an African-American man’s death at the hands of police.

“Crossing State lines to incite violence is a FEDERAL CRIME!” Trump tweeted on Saturday afternoon. “Liberal Governors and Mayors must get MUCH tougher or the Federal Government will step in and do what has to be done, and that includes using the unlimited power of our Military and many arrests.”

Mayors have been sharply critical of Trump’s leadership amid the burgeoning crisis that has now spread to some two dozen cities, accusing him of deepening America’s divides. “There’s been an uptick in tension and hatred and division since [Trump] came along,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news conference on Saturday. “It’s just a fact.” Continue reading.