https://www.meidastouch.com/news/trump-campaign-paid-20k-to-fake-a-union-rally
When Joe Biden became the first president to join a picket line this past September for the UAW, the Trump campaign scrambled to do something to counter the move. Michigan is a critical state for both campaigns, and when auto workers went on strike last fall, Biden made it clear that he was on the side of the workers, and for that he was recently rewarded with the UAW endorsement.
What did Trump do? He did what he always does - used money and stagecraft to create the illusion of substance while doing absolutely nothing to help anyone. We saw this same production with the train derailment in East Palestine, OH, where Trump flew in for a photo op, passed out expired waters from one of his resorts, and had a few pallets of Goya beans from his friend flown in. Now we learn from recent FEC filings from his PAC that he did the same thing during the autoworkers strike.
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In the 4th quarter of 2023, the Trump campaign spent more on legal expenses than on "other" (normal campaign) expenses.
Those are just related to the Trump campaign, not to Trump personally. Though a few more judgements against him like the $83.3 million awarded to E. Jean Carroll and Trump may have to turn Mar-a-Lago into an AirBnB. 😆
Trump notoriously stiffs his lawyers but somehow ends up paying huge legal bills anyway. This is not the mark of a Stable Genius.
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Two progressive groups want the Federal Election Commission to investigate Fox Corp. and former President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign for breaking campaign finance laws.
On Friday, End Citizens United PAC filed a complaint with the FEC arguing that Fox Corp. Chair Rupert Murdoch broke the law when he shared Joe Biden's campaign ad and debate strategy with Trump adviser Jared Kushner.
The exchange of confidential information was first made public this week in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against Fox News and the Fox Corp. According to a filing citing Murdoch's sworn deposition, the Fox boss admitted to providing a preview of the ads with Kushner before they were public, as well as sharing Biden's debate strategy during the 2020 campaign.
End Citizens United PAC, a group that pushes for campaign finance reform, shared a copy of its complaint exclusively with NBC News. According to the group, the maximum penalty is five years prison time and fines of 200% of the value of the contribution.
“Fox Corporation’s blatant and cavalier act is a prohibited corporate contribution. The commission must immediately investigate,” wrote End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller.
The filing said the Trump campaign also broke the law by not disclosing the in-kind contribution. Neither Fox Corp. nor the Trump campaign immediately returned requests for comment.
Media Matters for America also filed an FEC complaint Friday against the two entities, alleging that Fox made "illegal corporate in-kind contribution."
Dominion has sued Fox News and Fox Corp. for $1.6 billion, arguing it defamed the voting systems manufacturer by knowingly broadcasting baseless fraud claims about its election equipment. Fox News has defended its coverage and criticized the defamation suit as "baseless."
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Love this site it's like having someone yell the news at you with the words worst metaphor or the world's most seen meme format
Wouldn't have it any other way
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The Trumpy Derby.
February 9, 2023
The hottest competition among Republicans currently is not for the 2024 presidential nomination. So far, the only declared candidate is Donald Trump, who announced in November hoping to freeze the field. No, the most riveting contest is over who will be Trump's vice-presidential running mate. It sure won't be his former veep, Mike Pence (pictured above receiving Mafia kiss of death), who was proclaimed MAGA non grata when he refused to violate the Constitution and install loser Trump as president in 2021.
Instead, many believe Trump will attempt to ease his numerous woman problems (he won only 44% of the female vote in 2020) by picking one to run with him 2024. But there are three things anyone wishing to be Trump's VP choice absolutely must do: 1) repeatedly claim Trump won the 2020 election, 2) look the part, and 3) praise him endlessly and effusively. With that in mind, let's handicap the fillies in the race.
One individual who fits the bill right down to her high-heeled pumps is failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. Lake built her entire candidacy on election denialism (√), looks good on TV (√), and even traveled to Mar-a-Lago to fawn over him in person (√). Many consider her the current front runner. Odds: 5/2
But don't count out Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene. One former Greene adviser told NBC News that her "whole vision is to be vice president." Which is why she backed Trump ally Kevin McCarthy in the speakership squabble and has been raising her profile as an obnoxious MAGA loudmouth. Odds: 4/1
Then there's Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations. Haley criticized him after the January 6 insurrection, but has since tried to mend fences. He just might pick her to prevent her from running for president on her own against him. Odds: 10/1
Finally, also-rans in the Trump veepstakes include:
• Tulsi Gabbard. This former Democratic representative from Hawaii and presidential candidate has recently drifted MAGA-ward and might get the nod if Trump runs as an independent. Odds: 20/1
• Elise Stefanik. A member of the House Republican leadership, she's ferociously ambitious and an early Trump 2024 endorser, but has little else to recommend her. Odds: 45/1
• Kristi Noem. The governor of South Dakota told CNN she would be "shocked" if he asked her to be his running mate. She needn't worry. Odds: 100/1
Of course, there's no predicting how Trump's disordered rat's nest of a brain works. He may well end up picking someone totally else. Like Sarah Palin. Or Beyoncé.
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This kind of thing was inevitable. She's pretty dumb to say that out loud, though. The down-ballot republican candidates will be willingly sacrificed so that trump's campaign can hoard as many resources as possible. The funny thing is that trump and his people will try to convince those neglected republican candidates that his "success" will trickle down at the ballot box.
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I know what I'm getting everyone for Christmas
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NYPD and Media outside Trump Tower
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Transubstantiation is making a comeback.
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February 17, 2023
The messages, included in a legal filing as part of Dominion Voting System’s $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News, showed that Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham brutally mocked lies being pushed by former President Donald Trump’s camp asserting that the election was rigged.
In one set of messages revealed in the court filing, Carlson texted Ingraham, saying that Sidney Powell, an attorney who was representing the Trump campaign, was “lying” and that he had “caught her” doing so. Ingraham responded, “Sidney is a complete nut. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy [Giuliani].”
The messages also revealed that Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of Fox Corporation, did not believe Trump’s election lies and even floated the idea of having Carlson, Hannity, and Ingraham appear together in prime time to declare Joe Biden as the rightful winner of the election. Such an act, Murdoch said, “Would go a long way to stop the Trump myth that the election stolen.”
After the election, a furious Trump attacked Fox News and encouraged his followers to switch to Newsmax. And, in the days and weeks after the presidential contest had been called, they did just that. Fox News shed a chunk of its audience while Newsmax gained significant viewership.
The court filing also revealed that Fox News executives had criticized some of the network’s top talent behind the scenes. Jay Wallace, the network president, said that “the North Koreans” did a “more nuanced show” than then-host Lou Dobbs. Jerry Andrews, the executive producer of “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” referred to host Jeanine Pirro as “nuts.”
(select segments of the article)
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Why is it so useless?
April 15, 2024
The Federal Election Campaign Act was signed into law in 1971 by President Nixon with the purpose of creating limits for campaign spending on communication media, adding additional penalties to the criminal code for election law violations, and imposing disclosure requirements for federal political campaigns. In 1974, the act was amended and established the Federal Election Commission to enforce these goals. It was a good idea while it lasted.
Because over the years, right-wing organizations and individuals have launched lawsuit after lawsuit aimed at eliminating any kind of election regulation whatsoever. And a conservative Supreme Court has been only too happy to help. In fact, almost immediately it ruled that limits on campaign contributions were unconstitutional (Buckley v. Valeo, 1976).
With the passage of the follow-up Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in 2002, large chunks of this law too were struck down. The Court declared issue ads cannot be banned (FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, 2007), restrictions on wealthy candidates violate their First Amendment rights (Davis v. FEC, 2008) and, worst of all, corporations can spend unlimited amounts on campaigns (Citizens United v. FEC, 2010).
The arrangement of the FEC itself is also problematic. The commission consists of six members, three from each major party. Which almost guarantees gridlock since at least four of the six need to approve investigating any campaign violation. Still, according to the FEC's enabling statute, any non-enforcement is subject to judicial review. So, naturally, in June 2018, two Republican-appointed judges on the DC Circuit — including now-SCOTUS Justice Brett Kavanaugh — gutted that rule. No wonder that, of the 200 matters currently before the commission, only seven are under active investigation.
Of course, whenever the subject is election cheating, Donald Trump's name is always prominent. Most recently, he's been charged with illegally soliciting and directing "soft" (unregulated and undisclosed) money to an outside super PAC called America First Action, an outfit that spent almost $134 million on ads opposing Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Here's FEC Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub last December:
And for those keeping count, the tally is now 59 times the Commission has been presented with allegations that Mr. Trump or his committees violated the FECA, 29 times the Commission’s nonpartisan professional staff recommended that we take some steps to enforce the law, and (checks notes) still zero times a Republican commissioner has voted to approve any recommendation to enforce the law against Mr. Trump.
So if you're counting on the Federal Election Commission to rein in Trump's ongoing election crimes, don't bother. It's simply no use.
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