Election 2020: Antrim County back in Focus

From Sundance at CTH, Antrim County Audit Attorney Finds Audit Trail Logs Intentionally Scrubbed to Eliminate Evidence of Fraudulent Electronic Manipulation of Election Outcome. A long, but useful video at link.

A very interesting article and interview appears today that warrants everyone’s attention. In Michigan the lawsuit against Antrim County election officials continues. The lead attorney Matthew DePerno continues putting the evidence into the public and court record.

What the evidence shows is an intentional manipulation of the ballot counting systems that shifted votes from Trump to Biden, then the system was scrubbed of log-in details so the people who did the shifts would not be identified.

JD Rucker – “DePerno claims they found MySQL database management software on the tabulation machines in Antrim County. This is significant for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not supposed to be there, which means someone intentionally put it there. Second, it can be used to manipulate the database and make changes to results.”

 Also, Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward Provides an Update on the Maricopa Ballot Audit

Chuck DeVore at Da Fed on Democrats attempts to make the Texas new anti-fraud law racist, No, ‘Purity Of The Ballot Box’ Is Not Racist Election Law Terminology. It’s Historically Accurate, "As the Texas legislature works to strengthen its election laws against voter fraud, leftists are fighting the bill with revisionist history and cries of 'racism.'" Natalie Winters at TNP, CNN Poll Finds Majority Of Americans Think Voter ID Laws Make Elections ‘More Fair.’ It's just common sense. Democrats don't have any. Babylon Bee, White Liberals Watch In Amazement As Black Man Acquires ID

Jazz Shaw at Hot Hair, Narrative busting: Guess who comprised a majority of Trump's 2020 voters

It takes a while to parse through that much data, particularly given how long some of the states were counting and recounting everything, but now a progressive analytics firm has finished an in-depth audit of the numbers and those reliable white males didn’t perform nearly as well for Trump as had been projected. In reality, the majority of overall Trump voters came from a combination of women and minorities. And the percentage of his voters grew in every category except white males, which actually dropped. What are we to make of this? (The Federalist)

Gateway Pundit, Dem Rep. and Former Defense Secretary Get Into Shouting Match About Trump’s Role in Jan. 6 Protest

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) goes after former acting Defense Sec. Christopher Miller for taking back his written statement saying President Trump “encouraged” protesters on January 6.

Miller: “That’s ridiculous”
Lynch: “You’re ridiculous.” pic.twitter.com/8drl4UjR5D

— The Recount (@therecount) May 12, 2021

WaPoo publishes a hit piece on Josh Hawley, Grievance, rebellion and burnt bridges: Tracing Josh Hawley’s path to the insurrection "Insurrection"? In my world that's ground for a slander suit. Liam Brooks at Am Think thinks AG Garland spews more lies about white supremacy

The latest salvo of lies came from Attorney General Merrick Garland, who testified Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the January 6 "riot" at the U.S. Capitol. The alleged "riot" — that featured no firearms, no arson, and no looting — "was conducted by supporters of then-President Donald Trump and incited by white supremacist groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys," according to Yahoo News. "Five people died as a result of the attack," they added.

First of all, there is no evidence whatsoever that the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys are "white supremacist groups." But they support both the Constitution and Donald Trump, either of which, in the current leftist mindset, makes you a white supremacist...even if you're not white! (Just ask Candace Owens.) Second, the inference that "five people died as a result of the attack" is intentionally misleading, as three died from natural causes and one from an apparent drug overdose. The only violent death occurred when an unarmed female Trump-supporter was shot dead by a still unnamed Capitol Police officer.

Did "white supremacists" suddenly take to the streets and destroy American cities from coast to coast? No. I guess they're waiting for something more sinister to happen than a dead Trump-supporter, a Marxist revolution, and a stolen presidential election.

Back to A.G. Garland: "In my career as a judge and in law enforcement, I have not seen a more dangerous threat to democracy than the invasion of the Capitol," he said, adding that violence incited by white supremacists poses "the most dangerous threat to our democracy." Apparently, Garland didn't notice the billions of dollars in property damage and dozens of murders perpetrated over the past year by Marxist revolutionaries. Perhaps he was still pouting over his lost seat on the Supreme Court.

At Da Blaze, 124 retired generals and admirals say US in 'deep peril' under Biden, warn of his 'mental' condition. Natalie Winters at TNP again, U.S. Army Generals Warn Of Biden’s “Tremendous Marxist Assault” On America.

“Our Nation is in deep peril. We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty,” the letter opens.

The retired military officers criticized the 2020 election, noting Democrat House bill H.R. would solidify these problems.

The letter also slams the Biden White House, noting that the Mental and physical condition of the Commander-in-Chief “cannot be ignored.” “He must be able to quickly make accurate national security decisions involving life and limb anywhere, day or night,” they said while slamming the regime for passing executive orders in a “dictatorial manner.”

They also called the Chinese Communist Party “the greatest external threat to America,” advocating for more sanctions and restrictions to impede their world domination goal and protect America’s interests.”

The letter also argues the military shouldn’t be used as “political pawns” to protect the Capitol against a “non-existent threat,” in addition to voicing opposition to the spread of critical race theory. “We must support our Military and Vets; focus on war fighting, eliminate the corrosive infusion of Political Correctness into our military which damages morale and war fighting cohesion,” they wrote.

The Garland DOJ's attempts to get Rudy continue. Da Beast, The Feds Are Now Probing Rudy’s Dodgy Ukraine-Biden Dossier. They had to be dragged kicking and screaming and hiding stuff to look at Hillarie's Steele Dossier. WaPoo, Garland, Mayorkas highlight work to fight rise of domestic terrorism, as Democrats, GOP spar over who’s to blame.

And in the unlikely event you care about Liz Cheney's ouster from GOP leadership, I have a ton of links:

Kevin McCarthy: Liz Cheney ouster to White House in a day - The Washington PostBreaking: House GOP votes to remove Cheney from leadership – HotAir
Liz Cheney ousted from leadership post by House Republicans - The Washington Post
Why Republicans believe they're right to oust Liz Cheney - Washington Examiner
Poll: GOP voters largely back Cheney's ouster from leadership – HotAir
Ace of Spades - HQ Neocon Liz Cheney Ousted From Leadership; Vows That She Will Use All Of Her Remaining Power, Which Is Very Very Little, to Insure Trump Never Wins the Presidency for a Third Time
Liz Cheney plans travel and media appearances to confront Trump. - The Washington Post
Liz Cheney plans to run for re-election after leadership ouster - Axios
Journalist Drops an Inconvenient Truth on the Liz Cheney Concern Trolls – RedState
Elise Stefanik set to replace Cheney with support from Trump - The Washington Post
Ace of Spades HQ - 100 "Republicans" -- Most of Whom are Retired and Left the Party to Join the Democrats Years or Decades Ago -- Threaten to Leave the Republican Party Again Unless It Adopts Their Trump Derangement Agenda
‘Let’s move on’: Congress’ other pro-impeachment Republicans stay quiet - POLITICO
Althouse: "Liz Cheney is a bitter, horrible human being. I watched her yesterday and realized how bad she is for the Republican Party."
'She's a hero': Liz Cheney down but not out in Wyoming after crossing Trump
Drama: Chip Roy may challenge Elise Stefanik for Cheney's vacant leadership seat – HotAir
Cheney set to be face of anti-Trump GOP - TheHill
Liz Cheney Should Run for President - The Bulwark
Pelosi Launches Attack On GOP For Removing Liz Cheney – ‘Republicans Must Take Back The Party’
Trump Rains Down Hellfire on Liz Cheney After Her Ousting by Matt Vespa
Matt Gaetz Discusses What Happened in The Room When the GOP Conference Voted to Remove Liz Cheney - The Last Refuge
MSM Meltdown Over Cheney Proves GOP Did the Right Thing – PJ Media

Election 2020: CNN Tricked into Admitting the Obvious

The lead story today is that Jame's O'Keefe of Project Veritas fame came out with a new "hidden camera" video with a CNN director in which he admits (well, brags really) that CNN's open opposition to Trump may have been enough to tip the election against Trump. I don't believe that; I'm still convinced there was enough election chicanery in the "5 cities"  to turn the election. Fox, CNN staffer admits network's focus was to 'get Trump out of office,' calls its coverage 'propaganda'

A staffer for CNN spoke candidly to an undercover journalist about the political motivations the network had during the 2020 presidential election, boasting the left-leaning outlet helped defeat former President Donald Trump and even calling his own employer "propaganda."

In the first installment of what's billed as a three-part #ExposeCNN campaign from the right-wing guerilla news outlet Project Veritas, network technical director Charles Chester shed light on how the network wanted to remove its nemesis from the White House and help now-President Biden.

"Look at what we did, we got Trump out," Chester said in a celebratory tone. "I am 100% going to say it. And I 100% believe it that if it wasn't for CNN, I don't know that Trump would have got voted out."

Via the Wombats In The Mailbox: 04.13.21, Louder With Crowder: CNN Director Caught On Video Admitting Network’s Pro-Biden Bias TNP, WATCH: CNN Director Admits Network Pumps ‘Propaganda’ And ‘Speculation’ – “Our Focus Was To Get Trump Out Of Office”, Tyler O'Neil at PJ Media, CNN Director Admits Network Ran 'Propaganda' to Get Trump 'Voted Out' and Stephen Kruiser, The Morning Briefing: Project Veritas Confirms CNN Is a Cesspool of Biased Lies. Sundance at CTH, CNN Director Admits Network Airs Political Propaganda, Outlines Network Efforts to Remove President Trump and Boost Joe Biden. Ace, Project Veritas Sting: CNN Technical Director Admits CNN Ran Deliberate "Propaganda" to Elect Joe Biden 

"Fear sells," he says, in announcing CNN's next political propaganda crusade, for "global warming."

He also says "Climate change is going to be the next Covid thing for CNN."

And he says that this is dictated by Jeff Zucker.

So the next time they tell you to give up burgers (while they eat Kobi beef) to save the planet, you know your being gas-lighted. Now, news sources being biased is nothing new in America; it's been true from before the Revolution. What's new is the claim of objectivity, which is the real "Big Lie."

The other "newish" news is the revelation that Democratic pollsters admit they fucked up the election results, and still aren't quite sure why. John Sexton at Hot Hair, Dem pollsters: Our 2020 polling had 'major errors' (and we're still not sure why) 

Reading between the lines, I think these Democratic pollsters are hoping that all of this error is tied to President Trump and therefore, if he doesn’t run again, the 2024 polling will suddenly be more accurate. But was it hidden Trump voters who re-elected Susan Collins as well? I guess I’d need to see some more data before going with that idea.

Insty: I didn’t trust them then, and I still don’t.

Plus: “When GW Bush won a disputed election in 2001, the media, led by the NYT and WaPost, immediately dispatched hoards of journalists to count every vote. I always assumed that they were looking to discredit the Bush election. Has anything like that happened after the 2020 election? I must have missed it. The fact that the media has turned a blind eye to what could be a huge story tells me all I need to know. And what did polling of Democrats look like in 2001? Most of the Democrats I know are still convinced that GW Bush stole that election.” 

That’s different because shut up.

I have enough statistical training to be dangerous, and I wouldn't relish the job of being a pollster in today's world.

This is not a bad segue into the notion of election fraud. Paul Bedard at WaEx, Stuck: Most still say Biden ‘cheating’ beat Trump, but even writing such things down can get you banned on social media, Callie Peterson at WaEx, YouTube bans Sebastian Gorka's channel for repeated violations of 'presidential election integrity policy'

After repeated violations of YouTube's "presidential election integrity policy," the video platform terminated the channel for a radio show hosted by Sebastian Gorka, a onetime aide to former President Donald Trump.

Gorka's show, America First, was removed sometime over the past three days. The Washington Examiner can confirm it was live as recently as Thursday. The show features right-wing commentary on politics "to be the new front lines in the ongoing Culture War against the Left," according to a description on Apple Podcasts.

"In accordance with our long standing strikes system, we terminated the channel America First with Sebastian Gorka, for repeated violations of our presidential election integrity policy," Ivy Choi, a YouTube spokesperson, told the Washington Examiner on Sunday. "As we’ve publicly shared, our presidential election integrity policy prohibits content uploaded after last year’s safe harbor deadline that alleges widespread fraud or errors changed the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Any channel that violates this policy will receive a strike and channels that receive three strikes in the same 90-day period are permanently removed from YouTube, as in the case of America First with Sebastian Gorka."

It has not escaped my attention that Google owns both YouTube and Blogspot. Matt Margolis again, Trump Slams Supreme Court for Not Having 'Courage' to Hear Election Challenges

On the Georgia "voter integrity law" and associated nonsense, Via the Wombats In The Mailbox: 04.13.21, The Geller Report reports Wifebeater Warnock Admits To Signing E-Mail Lying About Georgia’s Election Reform Law Greg Piper at JTN, Georgia probe of Stacey Abrams-tied group ongoing with fight over subpoenaed documents "New Georgia Project appealed ruling ordering it to turn over records that may show "illegal campaign activities." If you don't have anything worth hiding, why are you trying to hide it? Rasmussen Reports, Election Integrity: 62% Don’t Think Voter ID Laws Discriminate, Breitbart, 62% of Voters, Including 59% of Black Voters, Say Voter ID Laws Do Not Discriminate. It's just a stupid charge. When all you have is a hammer. . . . 

Stephen Greene at PJ, Insanity Wrap #186: Woke Corporations Hand Out Millions to Rioters, Get Looted Anyway. I'm beyond sympathy. You get what you pay for. Sundance is reporting Lawfare Activated – 16 Top Leftist Law Firms Plan “SWAT” Teams to Battle State Election Reform Legislation. Via the Wombats In The Mailbox: 04.13.21, Outkick has Senators Cruz, Hawley, & Lee Seek To Strip MLB Of Antitrust Exemption. That would be a start. Tax them, too. Kamala needs new shoes. Leah Barkoukis at Town Hall, NCAA Will No Longer Allow Championships to Be Held in States That Protect Female Athletes. I don't care; the sooner women's sports is ruined by the transgenders, the sooner we can expect to see reform. Maybe by the time Gabi gets to high school. 

Also via the Wombats In The Mailbox: 04.13.21,Julie Kelly Am Great,  Indefinite Incarceration For Protesters With “Wrong” Politics.

Tyler O'Neil again, GOP Sellout John Boehner Reveals Who He Voted for in 2020. To cut the suspense, Time, Despite criticism, Boehner voted for Trump in 2020. Yeah, he knew Biden world would be bad. Sundance reports Laughable, Nikki Haley Says She Will Back Trump and Stand Down if He Runs for Reelection in 2024. He's much less fond of her than I am. In the words of Ronald Reagan, "The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally, not a 20% traitor."

Election 2020: Putting the Star Back in Star Chamber

Just a reminder from Monica Showalter at Am Think that The hard facts driving impeachment fall apart. But what do the facts have to do with it? It's all being driven by "Orange Man Bad." and from LI, The Speech As Incitement Case Against Trump Continues to Crumble. Pipe bombs found as Trump was still speaking.  It's not like that argument ever had any serious backing. At PJ Media Rick Moran explains Here's Why Impeachment Will Backfire on Democrats and Make Trump Stronger. Meh, maybe. 

Insty, UNEXPECTEDLY: The ‘QAnon Shaman’ Just Flipped on Trump.im

Related: “Jake Angeli, shamanic practitioner, leads the crowd in a yell before the march in solidarity with climate activism groups across the country to the Arizona State Capitol Building Friday, September 20, 2019.”

Is  he a lefty provocateur or just a deeply disturbed individual? Embrace the healing power of "and." 

AllahPundit at Hot Air gloats Trump’s Impeachment Lawyers Bail Out — After He Tells Them To Push Election Fraud Theories At Trial. But from Anders Hagstrom at Da Caller, Donald Trump Announces New Impeachment Legal Team. The dispute seems to (and I say seems to because no one directly involved is talking and we only get media reports from anonymous sources, and we know how reliable they are) revolve around the original legal team wanting to emphasize debunking the "incitement to insurrection" charge, while Trump wants to emphasize the stolen votes." I understand the legal team wanting to do that, but we all know the Senate isn't going to convict anyway, so Trump want to keep his grievance out there. Ex-Republican Capt. Ed at Hot Air, AP: Trump’s Got A New Legal Team For His Impeachment Trial; UPDATE: Turley Refused, Warns Of “Self-Immolation”. But there's nothing left to burn. And since nothing says a fair trial like demonizing the defense lawyers, Leftists are trying to destroy Trump's new attorneys (Andrea Widberg at Am Think).

Daniel Greenfield at Front Page, When Resistance Became Sedition and Sedition Became Resistance "Republicans failed to punish Obama’s national security abuses. Biden’s abuses will be worse."

When November was just decorating the flagstones of D.C. with faded leaves, the Democrat cliques inside federal agencies were still touting their skill at undermining the White House in chats with reporters at bars where drinks cost more than most Americans earn in a day.

These members of the “resistance” had spent four years undermining elected officials while falsely claiming that they were entitled to do it because the 2016 election had been illegitimate.

Government officials boasted anonymously of undermining President Trump, members of Congress and their staffers helped protesters get inside to disrupt hearings, rioters who assaulted police officers and attacked federal buildings were bailed out by Democrat officials and celebrities who enlisted Silicon Valley and major corporations to support the riots.

By the time November was done, resistance had been rebranded as “sedition”. Storming Capitol Hill went from a passionate endeavor by Democrat activists protesting the Kavanaugh nomination, the environment, or some other lefty cause, to the single worst event since 9/11.

And suddenly "star chambers" are back in as Politico reports  Secretive Ethics panel will judge Hawley and Cruz, Republicans also oppose using the committee to probe electoral objections, even as they disagree with the two senators' conduct. At Da Wire, South Carolina GOP Votes To Censure Rep. Rice Over Impeachment Vote. Just who does he think he represents?

“We made our disappointment clear the night of the impeachment vote. Trying to impeach a president, with a week left in his term, is never legitimate and is nothing more than a political kick on the way out the door,” said Chairman Drew McKissick.

“Congressman Rice’s vote unfortunately played right into the Democrats’ game, and the people in his district, and ultimately our State Executive Committee, wanted him to know they wholeheartedly disagree with his decision,” he added.

Alex Parker at Red State,  'Petty,' 'Vindictive' and 'Jealous': Lou Dobbs Roasts Republicans Who've Turned on Trump After Accepting His Endorsement. Don't sugar-coat it, Lou! From Town Hall, Kurt Schlicter tells us to Stop the Third Party Insanity. Probably true, but the threat against the GOP-lite probably has some value. 

Tim Graham at New Busters is upset that Washington Post says Trump 'Must Never Have' His Own Presidential Library. But that's on brand for the WaPoo, and far from their most fascist idea. 

At Breitbart, Rand Paul: D.C. Troop Presence ‘Isn’t Really a Great Image for a Free Country or for Our Country’ Democrats are far more interested in walling off the Capitol than protecting the southern border. More troops in Washington than DC than in Kabul, so far. The Peacock, U.S. top diplomat condemns ‘harsh’ crackdown on Russian protests.

Fox, Republicans in key battlegrounds push to tighten voting rules in wake of Trump's defeat, "GOP lawmakers in Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania eye tightening laws on voting by mail" or as the NYT whines (via Hot Air), After Record Turnout, Republicans Try To Make It Harder To Vote. You mean, make it harder to cheat? Heaven forfend! 

As Fox also reports Twitter employees heavily favored Biden over Trump ahead of 'priceless' ban. Biden was the largest recipient of Twitter-affiliated campaign donation during the 2020 election cycle. Twitter delenda est. 

Election 2020: Impeachment 2.0 Slip Sliding Away

As promised, Nancy Pelosi and her band of merry pranksters delivered the second bill of impeachment to the Senate yesterday. NYPo, Trump article of impeachment over Capitol riot sent to Senate, Sundance at CTH, House Delivers Article of Impeachment, Trump Warns GOP of Primary Consequences. Mess with him, and you'll get a primary challenge. Seems fair to me. AllahPundit at Hot Air crows Pelosi, House Dems Deliver Article Of Impeachment To Senate

And in an interesting wrinkle that makes it even less likely to be a fair trial, Sen. Leahy, not Justice Roberts, to preside over impeachment trial (Da Hill). It's not entirely clear if Roberts said no because Trump was not longer President (and the constitution requires the CJ to preside over the impeachment trial of a sitting President), or if Schumer figured that out on his own. At NR Britanny Berstein writes, Sen. Leahy Expected to Preside over Senate Impeachment Trial, Not Chief Justice Roberts  Allah Pundit at Hot Air whines (he does a lot of whining) Roberts Bails Out Of Impeachment Trial, Leaving Dem Sen. Pat Leahy To Preside Instead; Update: Unprecedented, Says Cornyn. Will he vote in the jury (Senate) too. Will he also be a prosecutor? Althouse wonders Did Chief Justice John Roberts decline to preside over the Senate trial of the Trump impeachment? "I'm trying to understand "John Roberts ducks the spotlight by skipping the second Trump impeachment trial" by Joan Biskupic (CNN). Also "If the Chief Justice is required, then what Leahy is about to do is not a duty. Taking on a role that is not yours under the Constitution is an abuse of power."

I wrote, in my post yesterday, "Did Chief Justice John Roberts decline to preside over the Senate trial of the Trump impeachment?"

In the comments, Meade wrote: "Will Leahy be costumed in his horned animal skin shaman outfit?"

I said, "Can someone do a photoshop of this? I'd like to put it on the front page."

Breitbart, Growing Number of GOP Senators Oppose Impeachment Trial. David Catron at  Am Spec predicts Trump Impeachment DOA in Senate "He will be neither convicted nor barred from holding public office. RCP, Democrat Prospects of Convicting Trump in Senate Fade Away. Which inspires this musical intermission: 

Nice! Anyway, Byron York at WaEx writes of  The coming argument over whether Trump can be tried. From Da Hill, Rand Paul says Boycott the sham impeachment. Stacy Lennox at PJ Media (VIP), If You Thought the First Impeachment Was a Circus, Just Wait for Impeachment 2.0. Daniel Greenfield at Front Page wants to Impeach Obama for Inciting Black Lives Matter Riots. Well sure, but better, get Kamala Harris, and have her named as ineligible for the Presidency.

At the AtSlantic, The Trial Will Test Whether Senate Republicans Care Even About Themselves, and of course, the Democrats can always count on Pierre Delecto, Mitt Romney on board with post-departure impeachment trial of Trump, from Herr Professor Jacobsen at LI. Sundance announces Matt Gaetz Campaigns In Wyoming to Oust Liz Cheney From Republican Leadership over he pro-impeachment vote.

Hawley calls for ethics investigation into Dems who filed complaint against him. Fair is fair. Congratulations on his being able to ‘Bamboozle.’ his teachers at liberal teachers at Yale. Hawley mentors stunned by conduct, but early warning signs were there

On the occupation of Washington D.C. by federal troops, Chris Roach at Am Great calls it  Security Theater Redux "Far from being an exceptional response to an emergency, the sterile and militarized Washington, D.C. of Joe Biden’s inauguration was an effort at mass intimidation and a portent of things to come." At Am Think, Monica Showalter wonders Who ordered the National Guard troops stuffed into the icy underground parking garage? 

Whatever happened, it sounds like the doings of the Democrats, who used the Guard and then tried to bury them underground, out of sight, out of mind.  That sets a mighty interesting tone for the incoming Biden administration.  It might just be the first thing it's remembered for.

PM, Tulsi to Biden: 'let our troops get back home'

Ilana Mercer at Am Great, A Hardcore Libertarian Take on the Storming of the Capitol Building "Our country is not to be equated with our Capitol." Sundance reports Founder of #WalkAway Movement, Brandon Straka, Arrested For Participation in Capitol Hill Riot, and notes that as far as they know, he did not enter the Capitol itself, but encouraged others to do so. Should be an interesting trial.  

FBI Special Agent Jeremy Desor said that videos revealed that during the melee, Straka was part of a crowd pushing toward a Capitol doorway. Desor doesn’t contend that Straka went into the building, but says that as others tried to charge through the entrance, the activist shouted: “Go! Go!”

Desor said that as a Capitol police officer tried to make his way through the crowd with a riot shield over his head, Straka urged others to wrestle it from him. “Take it away from him,” Straka allegedly yelled. “Take it! Take it!” (read more)

NYT accidentally provides more evidence that Trump did not incited the rioters,  Son Tipped Off F.B.I. About His Father, Who Is Charged in Capitol Riot “I put my emotions behind me to do what I thought was right,” said Jackson Reffitt, who weeks before the siege alerted the F.B.I. that his father was planning “something big.” Disown the ungrateful wretch. But ABC holds to the narrative, ABC: U.S. Like Post-War Germany, Antifa and BLM Violence Is Morally Right (Newsbusters).

Sundance, DOJ Inspector General Announces Investigation into DOJ Effort to Influence the 2020 Election. Horowitz, who had a pretty hard time discerning bad motives in the Russiagate crowd. 

Yeah, you really cannot make this stuff up. After the DOJ, FBI, CIA and US Intelligence Apparatus writ large, went to extraordinary lengths to influence both the 2016 presidential election (Yates/Comey) against Donald Trump; and the 2018 mid-term election (Rosenstein/Mueller) against President Trump; with no accountability despite the overwhelming evidence…. Now the DOJ Office of Inspector General wants to investigate political pressure on the 2020 election.

Ex-Republican Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Here We Go: New Horowitz Probe Launched Over Allegations Justice Officials Tried To Overturn Election. Paul Mirengoff at Power Line, A DOJ coup attempt? No, an honest disagreement about the election.

At the American Mind, Setting the Record Straight on the POTUS “Ask "Vice President Pence was not asked to reject electoral votes."

Anxious reports Dominion files $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani, and Giuliani On Dominion Lawsuit: Yay! Now I Can Really Investigate Them! (Capt. Ed).

Ace, Remember: Abusing IRS Laws Regarding Non-Partisan Charities, Mark Zuckerberg Poured $350 Million Into Effort to Turn Out the (Extremely Democrat) Urban Vote "Strange that Mark Zuckerberg wasn't interested in promoting voting everywhere. Just in Democrat-controlled precincts." Remember, they got Al Capone on tax laws. WaT, Democrats question election results: 'We just trust the machines, and we shouldn't' "Discontent runs through a broad swath of voters from across the political spectrum." Jay Valentine at Am Think, You Know There Was Industrial-Scale Election Fraud. What Can Be Done?

Here's a story.

In December, my team was contacted by some data geeks with official election data from one of the swing states. It was a set of about 4 million records, mail-in and absentee ballots with all the supporting data. They asked if we could do anything with it.

We are not election guys, and we have day jobs doing pretty cutting-edge stuff in technology, but we do love to play with data. The bigger, the more complicated, the better.

We built a spreadsheet with about 4 million rows, one for each of the ballots. We saw a video some teenager did counting how many ballots were received before they were mailed out. That's not a typo.

The U.S. Postal Service, which still finds letters from World War II in its system and piles of mail under bridges, delivered the ballots back to the state officials before they were mailed. As tech guys, we did think this might be a new, disruptive technology, and we are still trying to recreate it.

So we ran the test on the data we were given.

Guess what! About 30,000 — more, I recall — ballots were received before they were sent. A bunch more, in the thousands, were sent and received the same day. You get the picture.

O.K., big deal. We took an analysis some kid performed, and we did it, too, but with the most cutting-edge software out there, one that could create a 4-million-row spreadsheet that responded in less than a second.

Right. Our analysis was not the eureka moment.

The eureka moment was when we created the SIMPLE BUTTON. We created a button that said "ballots received before being mailed." It is just a button on the screen!

Some of our team, who may not even vote and certainly do not care a bit about election fraud, were amazed at how much fraud they experienced — by seeing it in live data. They touched the hot stove!

So we built a couple of more queries. Ballots sent and received in 24 hours, 48 hours!

The effect was the same to everyone we let hit the SIMPLE BUTTON — everyone was blown away.

Now comes the fun part.

There are a lot of publicly available data out there, and there are many, too many for us to track down, excellent analyses of those data. It is evidence but not proof.

Josh Hawley at NYPo,  Sen. Hawley: It’s time to stand up against the muzzling of America. Yep. Jim Treacher at PJ Media, House GOP: If the FBI Is Investigating Parler for the Capitol Riot, Let's Include Facebook and Twitter. Double yep.

Ex-Republican, Capt. Ed, As Expected, And Invited: Dems Make First Steps To Federalize Elections. I think it's unconstitutional, but when has that stopped the Democrats.

Also from Capt. Ed, BREAKING: SCOTUS Tosses Emoluments Clause Lawsuits Against Trump. Took 'em long enough to dispose of obvious nuisance suits. 

Election 2020: The Meaningless Impeachment

The second impeachment is still generating content. From Fox, Tucker Carlson explains Why Democrats wanted to impeach Trump again, and why the GOP went along "Wednesday's impeachment vote had nothing to do with moral outrage, but old-fashioned politics."

But why are Republicans playing along? They don't really have a sound political rationale for any of this, they're just dumb and guilty.

Here's how it works from the perspective of the Republican leadership: It would be best if Donald Trump just went away forever. He's embarrassing. They don't want to talk about him. They'd like him to disappear. So that's their plan with impeachment. Make it so that Trump can never run for office again, not that he actually planned to, and then disgrace Trump so thoroughly that he cannot appear in public ever again, then pretend that Donald Trump never happened.

Call it the suburban Connecticut denial strategy. "Whatever you do, don't talk about mom's alcoholism. Just act like it's not happening and maybe it'll go away."

Politico whines about How Trump Wins Impeachment, Again "He’s spent a lifetime turning near-disasters into brand-building triumphs. Here’s how he could do it once more—unless the Senate breaks the pattern."

Breitbart, Tom Cotton: Senate ‘Lacks Constitutional Authority’ to Proceed with Impeachment After Trump Leaves Office. What does the Constitution have to do with the Democrat's actions? Tyler O'Neil at PJ Media, Tom Cotton Suggests It's Unconstitutional to Impeach Trump After January 20, Insty:

At Power Line, Scott Johnson adds that as a result of Mitch McConnell’s decision and subsequent statement, “no Senate trial will be held and Trump cannot be removed until he has left office. Can the Senate convict and remove him once he has already left office? Former Fourth Circuit Judge Michael Luttig argues in this Washington Post column that a Senate trial would be unconstitutional.” Others disagree, as the ABA Journal notes. In any case, “What a wonderful way to kick off the Harris/Biden administration,” Johnson deadpans.

Of course, the NYT begs to differ, Why Trump Can Be Convicted Even as an Ex-President. I have this notion that, assuming the 'Pubs take the House and Senate in 2022 (a big assumption), they should immediately begin impeachment proceedings based on Biden's blatant corruption with China and Ukraine, and then, make him ineligible to hold the presidency. The worst problem with that is Kamala. 

From Alex Nitzberg at JTN,  Sen. Graham says Biden should oppose 'post-presidential impeachment' of Trump. I still say Trump should pardon Hunter Biden for everything, but not Joe. And from Carrie Sheffield at JTN, Trump reportedly furious about second impeachment vote, but believes move will backfire on Dems. For an amateur, Trump has pretty sharp political instincts; as a performer, he understands his audience. At Da Week, Matthew Walther says Impeachment season is just beginning 

As far as I can tell the only practical consequence of Trump's impeachment will be normalizing what was once an extraordinary procedure meant to get around the problem of having a head of state from whom all federal legal authority flows at the head of a partisan government. The campaign to impeach Trump began before his inauguration and continued even after it had been completed. In the future, presidents will regard the most extraordinary censure our federal government can deliver as a partisan slap on the wrist, like being held in contempt of Congress after refusing to cooperate with an absurd subpoena.

And as if to prove him right, GOP Congresswoman: 'I Will Be Filing Articles of Impeachment Against Joe Biden' on January 21 (Matt Margolis, PJ Media).

And to prove that humor is not dead in politics, Journalists falsely accuse Louie Gohmert of calling for more 'uprisings' after he quotes Pelosi (Fox). " 'I just don't even know why there aren't more- why there aren't uprisings all over the country and maybe there will be,'"  Not the Bee, This is so beautiful: Libs are freaking out because of what GOP Rep. Gohmert said on the House floor ... But he was quoting Nancy Pelosi verbatim 😂💀. He ain't as dumb as he acts on TV.

And speaking of incitement to violins, At Insty, TRUMP’S SPEECH WAS NOT INCITEMENT TO IMMINENT LAWLESS ACTION. 

Not if words and precedent have any meaning. You don’t need to be a lawyer to figure this out – read it for yourself. The entire media and political apparatus (apparently including the interim dean of Cornell Law School) is determined to gaslight you into believing it was. But you are not the crazy one.

And, as a lawyer, I really hate to say this, but it’s now wildly apparent you can’t trust our legal system on anything even remotely political either. Don’t expect sanity from that quarter.

Matt Margolis again,  Did CNN Accidentally Prove That Trump Did NOT Call for Violence at the Capitol? The only way for CNN to tell the truth would be by accident. NewsMax, Sens. Graham, Johnson Call for Independent Commission to Probe Capitol Riot. I'm sure it will be as well regarded as the Warren Commission. 

Via Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.14.21,  Geller, FBI arrests LEFT-wing Antifa Leader John Sullivan for Inciting Riot in Capitol Siege, also, Fox, Left-wing activist charged in Capitol riot after saying he was just there to 'document' "Inside the building, he told rioters that "We got to get this s--- burned," and "it’s our house m------------," ". Twitchy, Radical activist arrested in connection with Capitol incursion urged rioters to burn it down, was a guest on CNN.  Sundance at CTH,  Left-wing Activist John Sullivan Indicted for Violent Operations During January 6th Capitol Hill Riot  Insty, LEFT-WING ACTIVIST CHARGED IN CAPITOL RIOT AFTER SAYING HE WAS JUST THERE TO ‘DOCUMENT:’ 

John Sullivan “faces federal charges of civil disorder, entering a restricted building and violent entry or disorderly conduct…As protesters climbed over a wall near the Capitol entrance, he allegedly exclaimed in the video, ‘You guys are f—— savage. Let’s go!’ ‘There are so many people,’ Sullivan’s voice can be heard saying as the camera shows a large group of people making its way toward the building. ‘Let’s go. This s— is ours! F– yeah. I can’t believe this is reality.’ ‘We accomplished this s—,’ he said at another point ‘We did this together. F— yeah! We are all a part of this history…’ While he has denied ties to Antifa in recent interviews, his group Insurgence USA had advertised an event called ‘Kick These Fascists out of DC’ on Wednesday around the same time as a pro-Trump rally near the National Mall that preceded the Capitol chaos.”

“After the rioting, Sullivan was invited onto CNN to discuss what he witnessed at the U.S. Capitol,” the Blaze adds.

Of course he's a CNN contributor. Which doesn't let right wing violent protesters off the hook:

However, Curtis Houck of NewsBusters tweets, “Guys, just because the BLM/Antifa guy has been charged doesn’t mean that they planned this and it was a false flag. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but facts don’t care about your feelings.”

And as Dan McLaughlin wrote a week ago: It Doesn’t Matter if a Few of Them Were Antifa. “But the hunt to find a few false-flaggers in a mob of the most deplorable segment of Trump supporters is a red herring. Even if some of them were there, it does not change what happened, or why. And if you’re trying to sell the theory that left-wingers were a driving force in all this, you better have hard evidence for that, because you are swimming against the tide of simple common sense, basic human experience, and what we can see with our own eyes.”

UPDATE: On the other hand, “Maybe this is why you don’t do one-day show trials masquerading as impeachment,” GOP spokeswoman Liz Harrington tweets.

More evidence of lefty agent provocateurs from J. Waller at Da Fed,  I Saw Provocateurs At The Capitol Riot On Jan. 6.  Jack Posobiec, This backs up everything we’ve been saying. Warning, Twitter link. Geller, HUGE! Analysis of Video of Trump Supporter Ashli Babbitt Death in the Capitol Shows Antifa’s Actions Led to Shots Being Fired (VIDEO). Sullivan. 

JTN, D.C. police refuse to release interviews of Capitol security officials from siege, citing privacy also, Bail fund promoted by Kamala Harris won't share records of alleged criminals it sprung from jail "Amid violent riots, vice president-elect promoted cash fund that helped convicted rapist, accused murderer."

Former Republican Capt. Ed at Hot Air, “Social Media Has Killed David Quintavalle”: Twitter Mob Fingers Wrong Man In Capitol Riot; Update: Perp ID’d CPD on person throwing fire extinguishers turns out to be Chester Fire Dept., not Chicago Fire Dept. Ooops! Ban Twitter. Newsbusters, CBS Boosts Conspiracy Theory GOP Lawmakers Part of ‘Inside Job’ Attack on Capitol

With absolutely ZERO evidence to back up the assertion, CBS Evening News spent part of Wednesday’s newscast giving oxygen to a conspiracy theory spawned from a Democratic congresswoman, claiming Republican members of Congress were in league with the insurrectionists and intentionally gave them “reconnaissance” assistance. The network even brought on a former U.S. attorney to call them Benedict Arnolds.

“Was it an inside job? New allegations that some members of Congress gave tours to rioters who stormed the Capitol,” anchor Norah O’Donnell loudly proclaimed during the opening tease, teeing up the fact-free report from chief Justice correspondent Jeff Pegues.

When it was his turn to smear Republicans with the unsubstantiated allegations, Pegues touted how New Jersey “Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a combat veteran, accused some of her congressional colleagues of working with the demonstrators.”

Stacy McCain, The Media’s Gaslighting Intensifies: Trump Voters Are ‘Terrorists’?  Meanwhile the WaPoo has decided to make "Q"  the newest Immanuel Goldstein, QAnon reshaped Trump’s party and radicalized believers. The Capitol siege may just be the start. Does anyone actually know any believers in QAnon? Although, given John Weaver,  Ed Buck, Anthony Weiner, Jeffrey Epstein and Weinstein and others, the idea that the US is run by a bunch of pedophiles is looking better and better. 

AllahPundit hopes Did Hawley Wreck His Career With His Certification Stunt? while at NewsMax, Sen. Josh Hawley Defends Electoral Objection in Op-ed.

This ain't hell, I thought there was no evidence of voter fraud? But we were assured there is no such thing as voter fraud, Woman Charged with Operating Massive Ballot Harvesting Scheme in Texas, only because she was outed by Project Veritas. Now do Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan. 

Sundance, Navarro Report, Volume III – Final Statistical Review "White House Senior Trade Policy and Advisor Peter Navarro releases his third report highlighting statistical anomalies in the 2020 U.S. election. [pdf HERE]"

Geller, The Case for Voter Fraud in Georgia: The Evidence is Overwhelming but NPR is trying to whitewash it After Attacks On Election Integrity, Georgia Officials Work To Rebuild Confidence

Remember, find some of these and many more unused links at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.14.21 and JJ Sefton's The Morning Report - 1/15/21 at Ace's.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas Election 2020 Gave to Me

Twelve new presidential candidates, eleven reporters a-screaming, ten Senators orating, nine judges a-judging, eight lawyers a-suing, seven pols a-lying, six pole workers a-cheating, five Electors, four poll watchers, three hanging chads, two spoiled ballots and a phone call from a phone tree. Ugh, now I have to start thinking about new titles. 

Just a reminder from PM before we get too deep, FLASHBACK: Democrats object to counting Electoral College votes in 2000 and 2004 as the Daily Signal reports 11 Republican Senators Will Object to Electoral College Certification. John Solomon at JTN, McCarthy supports electoral challenge in House while deputy Cheney opposes it, and AllahPundit at Hot Air whines Pence: I Share Your Concerns About Voter Fraud And Look Forward To Hearing Objections On January 6 and snivels, Loeffler Will Object To Election Results On January 6 As Trump Plans To Speak At MAGA Protest In D.C.. Also at Hot Air, Capt. Ed reports Tom Cotton: Republicans Are Setting A Bad Precedent With Electoral College Challenge, Says …; Update: Congress Has No Authority To Judge Electors, Declares Mike Lee, Breitbart, Tom Cotton Stands up Against Electoral College Challengers: Would ‘Establish Unwise Precedents’, Althouse "If Congress purported to overturn the results of the Electoral College, it would not only exceed [its] power, but also establish unwise precedents." Sorry, that precedent has already been set by the democrats, thrice. Breitbart, Donald Trump Challenges Tom Cotton: How Can You Certify ‘Wrong’ Election

Sundance at CTH, Mo Brooks: Still Only One Republican Senator, Josh Hawley, Formally Supporting Electoral Challenge – Warns Ted Cruz is Pulling A Political Stunt. AllahPundit, Ted Cruz: Look, Everyone Needs To Calm Down About My Coup Caucus. And speaking of  Hawley Says ‘Antifa Scumbags’ Showed Up To His Front Door And Threatened His Wife, New Born Daughter. DC just proudly arrested on of the leaders of the "Proud Boys" for burning a BLM banner; do imagine they will go after this property crime with equal vigor? 

WSJ assures us All Pence Can Do Is Count "The Constitution is clear. Neither the vice president nor Congress has the power to reject electoral votes." Politics is the art of what you can get away with. Can Pence get away with hearing objections? I don't see why not. AllahPundit whines Why Did 10 Former Defense Secretaries Sign An Op-Ed Warning Against Military Interference In The Election? Good question, since I know of no interference by the military in the election. Poor Tom Nichols has a meltdown in the Atlantic, Worse Than Treason "No amount of rationalizing can change the fact that the majority of the Republican Party is advocating for the overthrow of an American election." No, they're just using the processes that exist to challenge election fraud. 

Via Hot Air, WaPoo whines Trump Sabotaging GOP On His Way Out Of Office With Push To Overturn Election. If it were really true, the WaPoo would be happy. 

Paul Bedard at WaEx, Liberal Media Scream: Smug Chuck Todd to senator, ‘I’ve had enough of hearing this!’  Ace, Chuck Todd Melts Down When Ron Johnson Tells Him the Media are Simply a Democrat Front Group

Unbelievably, Chuck Todd accuses Ron Johnson of "conspiracy theories" and "quackery" for investigating allegations of election fraud.

Chuck Todd's very next guest was Stacy Abrams -- who, according to her claims (and the assent of the media) is actually the duly-elected Governor of Georgia.

But he didn't ask her about her own claims of voter fraud.

He just asked her why she didn't run for Senator, given that she's clearly such a stellar candidate.

 Tom Maguire at JOM has President Trump On Line One...

Oh, yeah, Trump got on the horn with the GA Secretary of State to discuss revisions to the already certified GA vote totals.

Just another "perfect" phone call.

Capt. Ed,  House Dems To FBI: Investigate Trump For Solicitation Of Election Fraud In Raffensperger Call. Quelle surprise. But at JTN, John Solomon reports Liberal lawyer Dershowitz says no Trump crime in Georgia call, just bad media reporting "I've been teaching criminal law for over 50 years. I went through every word of that transcript, there is no crime there, period," famed law professor says. Insty, OLD AND BUSTED: Turtles all the way down.

The New Hotness? Watergate all the way down: Carl Bernstein calls Trump’s Georgia call ‘far worse than Watergate.’ —The Hill, today.

But how does it compare to all of the other Trump moments that Bernstein said was “worse than Watergate?”

● Carl Bernstein — Bob Woodward’s old reporting partner — says the tape of Trump admitting to downplaying COVID-19 is worse than Watergate, calling it ‘homicidal negligence.’ —Business Insider, September 10th, 2020.

● Legendary investigative journalist Carl Bernstein: ‘The Trump presidency is worse than Watergate.’ —Business Insider, August 3rd, 2018.

● Carl Bernstein: Russia probe feels ‘worse than Watergate.’—Chicago Tribune, November 2nd, 2017. . . .

Stella Morabito at Da Fed,  Ignoring And Ridiculing Election Fraud Concerns Will Not Make Them Go Away. Suing probably won't work either. Anxious, Dominion plans to sue Sidney Powell, doesn't rule out Trump. I look forward to discovery. ET, Trump: Georgia Secretary of State ‘Unable’ to Answer ‘Ballots Under Table’ Questions; Raffensperger Says It’s ‘Not True’. AllahPundit crows “Anti-Disinformation Monday”: Georgia Official Prebuts Trump On Election Claims Before Tonight’s Rally

Patrick Byrne (former head of Overstock) explains Folks, I’m going to tell you a bit more about what is happening. Not everything. But I can’t Live with myself if I keep waiting for the forces of law and order and government to do what they should. 

Imagine, for example, that a brand like Tiffany has a factory in Florence make it some bracelets. 1,000 bracelets. But they stay open Over the weekend, and make another 200. Then they sell those 200 “out the back door of the factory” to an unsuspecting buyer.

The buyer contest them forensically, and they would still come out as “Tiffany” bracelets. Except they are not, and illegal science. They were “diverted” out of the legitimate supply chain of Tiffany. Now imagine that the same thing happened with ballots. How do I mean?

How is how that industry works. Every county at a minimum needs their own ballot designed. There are positions that are specific to the county, propositions and bills and bonds and such as well. So there is an ecosystem of firms who do that design & print work for the counties.

Now imagine that a print shop printing ballots for a county in Pennsylvania, say, prints 10,000 pallets and delivers them to that county in Pennsylvania. The ballots reflect choices for county level seats, but at the top also the presidential election.

Imagine that besides Those ballots, that print shop prints 2000 extra ballots. And shipped them to a “boiler room“ somewhere, where a small army of highly committed people Filled them out taking time just to give the vote for president to Biden.

Then those votes are put in trays and put on the truck and shipped across state lines into Pennsylvania, to the county in question, and injected into the Postal Service there. It would be ballot-stuffing on an industrial scale.

Now imagine that in that boiler room some people acted so as to reserve copies of those ballots and which they had worked. When one tested them forensically, what would one find?  Like the Tiffany bracelet example, forensically they would test to be authentic. Right?

Raising this question: what are “authentic” ballots for one county in Pennsylvania doing In such a boiler room one state away and two states away from their original printing?

Charles Lipsom at Am Spec writes Why Trump must attend Biden’s inauguration. Biden's going to have a public inauguration? 

On the Georgia runoffs, Insty reports POLITICO REPORTS BIDEN, DEMS EXPECT GEORGIA LOSS TODAY: If Politico is reporting it on election day, the Dems must know something. But Mark Levin is gloomy, (Katie Pavlich at Town Hall) Mark Levin Warns: We're Looking Into the Abyss

"Our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are being destroyed by the Democrat Party and the media and they want to destroy what's left of this. We know this because Democrats have announced their intentions.

Stacy McCain has Georgia on his mind in  ‘The Road Leads Back to You’

We shall soon learn if Democrats can steal another election (or two) in Georgia. They have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the Senate runoff campaign to elect Jon Osoff and Raphael Warnock. My native state has been barraged by wall-to-wall campaign ads and everybody down home has been bombarded by get-out-the-vote messages, so it is impossible for anyone in Georgia not to realize how high the stakes are. A few headlines via Instapundit:

Raphael Doesn’t Just Flirt With Marxism,
He Embraces It
— Lisa Carr, Victory Girls

The Media Is Lying About Trump’s Call
with Georgia Secretary of State
— Matt Margolis, PJ Media

Campaign Director: Warnock ‘Absolutely’ Backs
Defunding Police, ‘Most of Them Are Bad’
— Tyler O’Neil, PJ Media

Police Reports Detail Warnock’s
Obstruction in 2002 Child-Abuse Probe
That Led to His Arrest
— Brittany Bernstein, Yahoo News

Harvey Weinstein Attorney David Boies
Donated Thousands To Help
Warnock, Ossoff In GA Senate Races
— Dylan Housman, Daily Caller

The liberal media, of course, are ignoring any news that may reflect negatively on the Democrats, while hyping up a lot of nonsense about Trump’s phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State, but the news probably won’t have much impact on the Senate elections simply because of that multimillion-dollar advertising blitz in the state.

Modern election campaigns are ordeals to be endured, a punishment inflicted on the citizenry, and I pity the Georgians who can’t turn on their TVs without being reminded of this ugly political mess. 

On the Tenth Day of Christmas Election 2020 Gave to Me

Ten Senators orating, nine judges a-judging, eight lawyers a-suing, seven pols a-lying, six pole workers a-cheating, five Electors, four poll watchers, three hanging chads, two spoiled ballots and a phone call from a phone tree.

Speaking of Senators, Josh Hawley's "plan" keeps getting rave (or raving) reviews. Sundance at CTH, Senator Ted Cruz Leads Group of Republican Senators to Join Josh Hawley in Opposition to Electoral Certification , January 6th Ted Cruz Has a Rare Second-Chance At Redemption, But Don’t Expect Him to Take It…. , Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski and Pat Toomey Pledge to Support 2020 Election Fraud and  VP Pence Chief of Staff Gives Statement Supporting January 6th Challenge to Electoral Certification.  Politico whines that it is an ‘Exercise in futility’: Republicans lambaste Hawley’s push to challenge election. You can probably guess who.  Beth Bauman at Town Hall, Here Are the Dems Having a Fit Over Cruz's Plans to Challenge the Election Results and 11 GOP Senators Refuse to Certify the Election Results Until One Requirement Is Met

The group is calling for a "10-day audit" of the results after "unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities."

“Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes," the coalition said in a statement.

Trump’s not even gone yet and Dems are already unveiling this predictable tactic:

Trump was never a *real* fascist threat, just a joke. The real Hitler is the one coming next. So unless you want real concentration camps this time, stay in line behind Dems through at least 2024: pic.twitter.com/9ZUKEhirgQ

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 2, 2021

At Just One Minute, Tom Maguires says "Can You Please Get A Grip?" "This is nuts:"

This is playing with fire. In four or eight years when the Reps win the Electoral College (again) and the Dems win the popular vote (again) and AOC is screaming that some of the swing state results should be tossed because "the billionaires" corrupted the result, Republicans will regret this performance art. However it should help Hawley and Cruz with their 2024 Presidential aspirations, so first things first.

They will anyway. Go down fighting!

Matt Vespa at Town Hall,  As Judge Dismisses 2020 Election Lawsuit, It All Comes Down to Congressional Republicans on January 6 and a reminder from Rick Moran at PJ Media, Democrats Have Objected to Electoral Vote Certification for the Last Three GOP Presidents

One of the Bulwark Girlz cries about McConnell’s ‘Conscience’ Crisis "He stood by as Team Trump tried to overturn the election. Even now he refuses to smack down the Big Lie." 

Attorney Lin Wood has apparently gone around the bend:

If Pence is arrested, @SecPompeo will save the election. Pence will be in jail awaiting trial for treason. He will face execution by firing squad. He is a coward & will sing like a bird & confess ALL.

— Lin Wood (@LLinWood) January 1, 2021

John Sexton at Hot Air, Nick Sandmann To His Attorney Lin Wood: ‘What The Hell?’ and Liberty Unyielding asks Could Trump sue Lin Wood for legal malpractice? The proper question is whether he has any hope of winning, and I would guess not.

Da Beast whines Trump Plans to Fight the Election Even After ‘Stop the Steal’ Rally Ends (See this Twitter thread). Ann Althouse read the NYT so you don't have to, and catches them  "President Trump took to Twitter Friday evening to make the unfounded assertion that Georgia’s two Senate races are 'illegal and invalid,' an argument that could complicate his efforts..."

I'm pretty sure the NYT wants to help the Democrats, so anything that looks like advice to Trump not to do what he's doing should probably be translated into an expression of fear that it might work.

One might say that Trump's continued assertions about rigged elections keep Republican voters stirred up. They may get the idea that they need to win by enough to overcome the cheating. They may feel outraged that cheaters have been stealing elections and that it's crucial to fight back right now.

Alternatively, it might be that Trump doesn't mind losing the GOP majority in the Senate. He might prefer to fight his way back to power in 2024 with his party excluded from power. He'll be more of an outsider and able to attack everything in a much more interesting and theatrical way if we're not distracted by the day to day efforts of McConnell et al.

Possibly related, NewsMax reports Record 3M Early Votes in Georgia's Critical Senate Runoffs. Signature check, and address check each and every one by hand, because you know the Democrats are going to try to sneak as many illegal votes through as possible. The Last Tradition, WE CAUGHT THEM: Pallets of Fake Ballots in Georgia’s Fulton County Were Identified, Filmed and Sampled Before Moving Trucks Picked Them Up and Shredded Them. ET, Georgia Data Shows Over 30,000 of Trump’s Votes Removed, Another 12,173 Switched to Biden: Data Scientists

According to their analysis, which was published online as early as Dec. 24, time-series election data shows Trump’s votes were decrementing in various counties instead of increasing as they do normally.

At least 30,593 votes were allegedly removed from Trump as result, including 17,650 votes in Dougherty County, 7,008 votes in Dodge County, and 5,935 votes in Putnam County.

The removals happened at the county level and were hard to be observed at the state level because the decrements were offset by accurate data uploaded by other counties.

“I want to make that very, very clear that at no point in an incremental process, should you decrement it,” Mealey said.