Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

Trump's 'acolytes' failing miserably as they try to oust GOP governors



While Donald Trump appears to be having success at elevating the profiles of some of his supporters running for the Senate or the House, the New York Times is reporting that some of his avid followers' attempts to oust GOP governors are going nowhere with voters.

Case in point, wrote the Times' Reid Epstein is the campaign of Jim Renacci who is trying to replace Gov. Mike DeWine in Ohio as a Trumpian-outsider only to be such a non-factor he's has suspended trying to raise campaign contributions.

According to Epstein, Renacci "has found himself outspent, way down in the polls and lamenting his lack of an endorsement from the former president."

In an interview with the Times. he lamented, "Why waste time trying to raise money when you’re running against an incumbent? I would rather spend time getting my message out. I just don’t have a finance team.”

As the report notes, he is not alone with comes to supplanting a conservative Republican governor in the primary.

"Mr. Renacci’s plight ahead of Ohio’s primary election on Tuesday illustrates the challenges in front of Republican candidates who are trying to seize on the party’s divisions to unseat G.O.P. governors. Some have been endorsed by Mr. Trump as part of his quest to dominate Republican primaries, while others, like Mr. Renacci, have not received the coveted nod but are hoping to take advantage of Trump supporters’ anti-establishment fervor," Epstein wrote before adding, "But in every case, these candidates have failed to gain traction."

Among those who are facing challenges but still doing well in the polls are GOP governors in Alabama, Georgia and Idaho who are being pressed by Trumpian candidates, and in Nebraska where a Trump endorsee has a fighting chance for an open seat despite accusations of se*ual improprieties.

"In all of the races, governors from the traditional Republican establishment are showing their strength. Their resilience stems, in some cases, from voters’ desire for more moderation in their state executives than in their members of Congress," the Times is reporting with Phil Cox, a former executive director of the Republican Governors Association, explaining, "As an incumbent governor, you have to work really hard to lose your party’s nomination. Even if you’re an unpopular governor with the broader electorate, it should be relatively easy to build and maintain a strong base of support among your own party.”

The biggest test for a Trump endorsee seeking to knock off a GOP governor who has felt the wrath of Trump is in Georgia where former Senator David Perdue's campaign against Gov. Brian Kemp is going nowhere.

"For Mr. Trump, who regularly boasts of his approval rating among Republican voters and his endorsement record in primaries, the prospect of losing primaries — especially in Georgia, where he has for more than a year attacked Mr. Kemp — would be an embarrassing setback," The Times report states before adding, "Polls show Mr. Kemp comfortably ahead of Mr. Trump’s choice, former Senator David Perdue, who has bet his campaign on 2020 election grievances."

Read more about the report here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/29/us/politics/republican-governor-election-trump.html

[Rick Plant]

Trump election probe in Georgia to seat special grand jury


FILE - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis poses for a photo at her office, Feb. 24, 2021 in Atlanta. When potential grand jurors show up at an Atlanta courthouse Monday, May 2, 2022 they'll find a television camera in the room and streets closed outside nods to the intense public interest in the investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to pressure Georgia officials to overturn Joe Bidens presidential election victory in the state. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) (John Bazemore, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

ATLANTA – When potential grand jurors show up at an Atlanta courthouse Monday, they'll find a television camera in the room and streets closed outside — nods to the intense public interest in the investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to pressure Georgia officials to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential election victory in the state.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has taken the unusual step of requesting a special grand jury for the investigation, and the selection of that panel begins Monday.

The seating of a grand jury — even a rare special grand jury — is a routine process that's generally of little interest to the public. But the appetite for any news about this case has prompted the court to make accommodations for at least parts of the grand jury selection to be broadcast to the public. Although there will be cameras in the room, they won't be allowed to show potential grand jurors.

The investigation into potential attempts to influence the 2020 general election in Georgia began early last year. Willis asked the chief judge of the county superior court in January to impanel a special grand jury. She wrote in a letter that her office had information indicating a “reasonable probability” of “possible criminal disruptions” to the administration of that election.

The chief judge's order says the special grand jury is to be seated for a period of up to a year, beginning Monday. Unlike a regular grand jury, which hears many different cases and can issue indictments, a special grand jury focuses on investigating a single topic and produces a report on its findings. The district attorney then decides whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

Former Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter, who convened a special grand jury roughly 15 years ago, said the process for seating a special grand jury is pretty much the same as seating a regular grand jury. It's made up of between 16 and 23 people who are summoned from the county master jury list.

The judge will make sure the potential grand jurors are qualified — over 18, residents of Fulton County and haven't been convicted of a felony — and then will hear from people who want to be excused for one reason or another.

Unlike jury selection for a trial, where there are two sets of lawyers trying to ferret out biases and prejudices, there’s no defense attorney in this process because no one has been charged yet. Anyone who tunes in to watch shouldn’t expect to hear potential grand jurors questioned extensively about their political leanings or their opinions on Trump.

“There’s no excuses for bias or prejudice,” Porter said. “In this case, I would suspect if somebody came in wearing a MAGA hat, they would probably excuse them. But the inquiry into their prejudices or biases is very, very limited in selecting a grand jury.”

Once the special grand jury is seated, the cameras will have to leave — all grand jury proceedings are secret. But Willis indicated in her letter to the chief judge that one reason she wanted a special grand jury is to issue subpoenas to witnesses who have refused to cooperate without one.

Willis has confirmed that her team is looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for him to win the state. She has also said they're looking at a November 2020 phone call between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Raffensperger, the abrupt resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and comments made during December 2020 Georgia legislative committee hearings on the election.

In a separate investigation in New York, Trump is appealing rulings enforcing a subpoena for his testimony and holding him in contempt of court for failing to turn over documents in a civil investigation that the state attorney general’s office says has uncovered evidence that he may have misstated the value of skyscrapers and other assets for more than a decade.

Trump’s lawyers argue that Attorney General Letitia James is using the civil probe to collect information that could then be used against the former president in a parallel criminal probe overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. James and Bragg are both Democrats.

Bragg says the criminal investigation is continuing despite a shakeup in the probe’s leadership. So far, it’s resulted only in tax fraud charges related to fringe benefits against the Trump Organization and its longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. Both have pleaded not guilty.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/2022/04/29/trump-election-probe-in-georgia-to-seat-special-grand-jury/

[Rick Plant]

Georgia special grand jury to convene Monday to investigate Trump’s effort to overturn the election

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday will begin selecting a special grand jury to investigate Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

The move comes 482 days after The Washington Post published a damning recording of Trump pressuring GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" to make up the margin he lost to Joe Biden.

"The investigation is likely to proceed along a drawn-out timeframe. Willis previously told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she will wait to issue subpoenas until after Georgia’s primaries in late May to avoid the appearance that she’s attempting to influence the election for politically motivated reasons."

Raffensperger released the audio recording to The Post after Trump tweeted about the call and said the secretary of state "had no clue."

In February, Willis told Rachel Maddow the investigation would go beyond the call.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Trump to Hold Rally for Candidate Accused of Groping Eight Women

“Don’t send your daughters to work for this guy,” one accuser warned. But Trump has doubled down his support of Charles Herbster since the allegations became public

Birds of a feather flock together. Former president Donald Trump will appear alongside Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster at a rally on Sunday. Both Herbster and Trump have been accused of sexually harassing multiple women.

A total of eight women have come forward to accuse Herbster of groping them without consent. So far, two of the accusers have identified themselves by name.

Elizabeth Todsen allowed the Nebraska Examiner to publish her name alongside her accusation against Herbster for the first time on Friday. She said that he touched her without consent at the 2019 Elephant Remembers fundraiser for the Douglas County Republican Party. A witness, Todsen’s friend, confirmed he saw the incident and asked her if she wanted him to confront Herbster. Todsen declined, not wanting to cause a scene.

"It was just all a blur after that happened, because it was all I could think about,” Todsen told the paper. “I just remember sitting there, and we were listening to the speakers … thinking, ‘How do you support this man?’”

Todsen is the second alleged victim to allow her name to be used publicly. Earlier in the month, the Examiner published Todsen’s allegation, along with stories from seven other women, without naming her.

Eight women, including Todsen, have accused Herbster in the Examiner of inappropriate behavior, including groping and a forced kiss, at political events and beauty pageants. At first, only GOP State Sen. Julie Slama allowed her name to be published alongside her accusation.

Slama said that Herbster touched her inappropriately at the same 2019 dinner where Todsen said he groped her. According to the paper, in a ballroom full of attendees, Herbster “reached up [Slama’s] skirt, without her consent, and touched her inappropriately.” Three witnesses confirmed to the paper that they saw it happen. When the paper reached out to Slama to ask about the incident, she replied, “Yes, confirmed,” but did not comment further.

In another alleged incident, Herbster was photographed with his hand outstretched behind a woman, below waist height. The woman and a witness confirmed to the paper that Herbster was groping her bu***cks when the photo was taken. Another accuser said Herbster behaved in a “creepy and controlling” manner after he touched her inappropriately. Per Nebraska law, inappropriate touching without consent and over their clothes is considered third-degree se*ual assault.

Herbster, through his campaign manager Ellen Keast, “unequivocally” denied the allegations when the news first broke last month. “This is a political hit-piece built on 100% false and baseless claims,” Keast said, blaming the “political establishment” for “smearing and trying to destroy him with lies.”

“Charles W. Herbster has a lifetime record of empowering women to lead,” Keast said in a statement to the Examiner. “His company, farm, and campaign are all run by women. Despite leading hundreds of employees, not once has his reputation been attacked in this disgusting manner.”

In response to Todsen coming forward publicly, Emily Novotny, Herbster’s campaign spokesperson told the Examiner, “We are going to stick by our statement that Charles 100 percent denies these allegations.”

When the allegations became public, Trump started to advise Herbster and, according to Politico, told the candidate he was not fighting back hard enough. Trump also endorsed the candidate’s plan “to hold a press conference aggressively denying the allegations and pushing back at his adversaries,” Politico reported.

On Saturday, responding to Todsen coming forward, Novotny told the New York Times that Herbster “will be taking legal action” against her. He has also hired the same law firm that Trump has used, according to Politico.

In 2019, Herbster was a wealthy Republican donor who made much of his fortune selling bull semen. He is now running in Nebraska’s Republican gubernatorial primary. The other unnamed accusers say they did not want to be publicly identified because they feared his power and that he might retaliate against them for speaking up.

“Being a conservative Republican woman in politics, you just expect to be treated with respect,” one of the unnamed women told the paper. “To be treated in that way in a public event, in front of everyone, just to prove, I believe, that he could get away with it, and not having recourse, it’s terrifying.”

“I’m scared for any young women that he would be dealing with in the future. Don’t send your daughters to work for this guy,” said another.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-charles-herbster-eight-women-accuse-groping-1345776/


‘He talked to somebody’: Donald Trump downplays candidate’s groping charges at Nebraska rally



Donald Trump has been addressing a Nebraska crowd for over an hour, but for a few moments, he celebrated the man he was there to endorse.

Charles W. Herbster has been accused of se*ual misconduct by at least eight women. But according to Trump, Herbster is being "badly maligned and it's a shame."

"That's why I came out here," said Trump. "It would have been easier for me to say, 'I'm not gonna come out.' I defend people when I know they're good. He's a good man. I came out here. Lotta people, by the way, David Bossie, right? This is the way it works, I mean, it's, uh, a lotta people say, and they look at you and they say, 'You don't have to do it, sir. You can—' I have to defend my friends. I have to defend people who are good. He was with us from the beginning."

He went on to say that he met people backstage at the rally who shook his hand and thanked him for being there despite the damaging allegations. Trump had more than 25 women who accused him of some form of misconduct, harassment or assault.

"He's been my friend for 30 years," Trump said of Herbster. "He's the most innocent human being — he's the last person to do any of this stuff. And even the stuff they're accusing him of — what do they say? He talked to somebody? He talked. It's a disgrace what they've done."

Herbster has been accused of groping two women at an event in 2019. One was Nebraska State. Sen. Julie Slama, a Republican.

"I coulda gotten out of this one real easy," said Trump. "I could've played golf. I coulda gone to the bach. I coulda done — and I'm here with Charles W. Charles W. Herbster. I said, 'Charles are you sure I have to come?' 'Please, sir, I'd like you to come.' It's so unfair. And his friends called me. They said we'd like you to come because it's so unfair and we can't let this stuff happen. You know, by the time he clears himself the election is over."

[Rick Plant]

Donnie is getting more senile at each rally he does. Now he's endorsing an imaginary candidate that doesn't even exist.

Trump Praises Imaginary Ohio Senate Candidate ‘J.D. Mandel’

No one appears to be more surprised by Donald Trump’s endorsement of J.D. Vance for the Ohio Senate than the former president himself, who on Sunday appeared not to know the former Never-Trumper’s name.

Speaking at a “Save America” rally in Nebraska in support of Charles Herbster, a Republican gubernatorial candidate accused of se*ually assaulting eight women, Trump crowed to a crowd: “You know, we’ve endorsed Dr. Oz. We’ve endorsed—J.P., right? J.D. Mandel, and he’s doing great. They’re all doing good.”

Trump appeared to be confusing the names of Ohio Republican primary candidates Josh Mandel, whom he hasn’t endorsed, and J.D. Vance, whom he (reluctantly) has.

Mandel, a former Ohio State treasurer running on a pro-Trump platform, was long presumed the front-runner in a crowded primary field until the former president issued his endorsement of Vance last month. “In the Great State of Ohio, the candidate most qualified and ready to win in November is J.D. Vance,” Trump’s April 15 statement said. “We cannot play games. It is all about winning!”

With the primary coming up on May 3, Trump may want to brush up with a rousing round of “Guess Who: Ohio Senate Edition.”

Trump: We’ve endorsed Dr.Oz. We’ve endorsed JP right? JD Mandell. He’s doing great.

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1520900796946079744

[Rick Plant]

'What planet is he on?' Morning Joe mocks Trump for forgetting who he endorsed in GOP Senate race

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough mocked former President Donald Trump for botching the name of the candidate he endorsed for the Ohio Republican Senate primary.

The former president backed venture capitalist and "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance over former state treasurer Josh Mandel, but he combined their names during a speech at a campaign rally in Nebraska, telling supporters he had endorsed "J.D. Mandel."

"Oh, my God," Scarborough said, hooting with laughter. "You know, you know, if the current occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue had done that, there would be headlines for, like, months. 'Oh, he can't remember,' which, of course, underlines the fact, how funny it is, you have people, right-wing Trumpists attacking Joe Biden for his mental acuity, right before Donald Trump couldn't remember who he endorsed."

The "Morning Joe" host recalled when Trump boasted that he had aced a cognitive test used to determine whether a person has dementia.

"What were the six or seven words he could remember?" Scarborough said.

Trump bragged that he remembered the words "person, woman, man, camera, TV," which he said astonished medical personnel, and Scarborough joked that perhaps the two GOP candidates could be fused together instead of running against one another.

"This from the former president was a remarkable performance, perhaps fusing together these Republican candidates, maybe he thinks it'll be the best chance in Ohio," Scarborough said. "Seriously, the guy -- like, what planet is he on?"

[Rick Plant]

Trump election probe special grand jury to be seated

ATLANTA (AP) — Potential grand jurors are scheduled to arrive at the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta on Monday for the seating of a special grand jury in the investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia.

The investigation has been underway since early last year, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis earlier this year requested a special grand jury to help it along. In a letter to the chief judge of the county Superior Court, she noted that the special grand jury would be able to issue subpoenas to people who have refused to cooperate otherwise.

The chief judge ordered the special grand jury to be seated for a period of up to a year, beginning Monday. It will be made up of 16 to 23 people called from the county master jury list. Special grand juries focus on investigating a single topic and making recommendations to the district attorney, who then decides whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

Because of the intense public interest in this case, the court has made arrangements for at least parts of the special grand jury seating process to be broadcast to the news media and public. Once the special grand jury is seated, however, everything it does will happen in secret.

Willis has confirmed that her team is looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for him to win the state. She has also said they’re looking at a November 2020 phone call between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Raffensperger, the abrupt resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and comments made during December 2020 Georgia legislative committee hearings on the election.

https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-georgia-presidential-8823a1c619ca26be91f8d76b83a9f974