Lawsuit after lawsuit in President Donald Trump and the GOP’s attempted delegitimization of the election via the courts has been a bust, and it appears their voter fraud case in Arizona, a key state that helped lead to Trump’s defeat against President-elect Joe Biden, isn’t looking too compelling either.
The Brittle Grip, No. Infinity
As this election blurred forward I was taking notes for more editions of our “Brittle Grip” Series, the phenomenon of the super powerful and super rich feeling increasingly insecure in their power and wealth even as both wax. One of the key features of this new Gilded Age is the ultra-wealthy and ultra-powerful arguing that their ultra-wealth and ultra-power opens them up to criticism and animosity which entitles them to unique and greater rights and powers to protect themselves. I was forced ahead of schedule this morning by news out of St. Louis from the McCloskeys, the husband and wife sixty-something lawyers who entered the campaign drama when they came out of their house brandishing firearms and threatening to murder protestors who happened to be walking by their house. The couple has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the photographer who took those iconic pictures of them with their guns.
COVID Hospitalizations Soar To Record 59,000 By Reuters’ Tally
Hospitals beds on Monday were filled with roughly 59,000 COVID-19 patients across the United States — a new record according to a count by Reuters.
The record high tally comes as new COVID-19 infections have jumped to their highest levels yet for the sixth day in a row — passing the 100,000 mark — as the nation’s ability to combat the virus spirals further out of control.
The data shows that the United States is facing what may be the worst phase of the COVID-19 crisis to date.
Meanwhile, even as pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced late stage testing of a vaccine that it said was at least 90% effective in protecting against COVID-19, President-elect Joe Biden urged Americans to wear masks noting that if approved, distribution of the vaccine to a majority of the population would likely take many months.
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States, has surged around 73% over the past month to at least 59,008 by Reuters’ count — a spike that surpasses a high last set in late July when 58,370 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized for the virus on July 22.
Texas led with the highest number of hospitalized patients — more than 6,000 — followed by Illinois and California who reported roughly 4,400 and 4,700 patients respectively, according to the Reuters tally.
President-elect Joe Biden vowed over the weekend to “marshal the forces of science” to combat the coronavirus crisis in the United States, and on Monday announced a coalition of scientists and experts who would head up a coronavirus task force in his incoming administration as the country has reported more than 10 million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
COVID-19-related deaths over the past week also increased by more than 6,600 people, or 15 percent over the previous week’s toll –the highest one-week total since mid-August.
Report: WH Instructed Officials Not To Cooperate With Biden Transition Team
The Trump administration has instructed senior government officials against cooperating with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, a move that is prompting the Biden team to consider legal action, the Washington Post reported late Monday.
“We have been told: Ignore the media, wait for it to be official from the government,” a senior administration official told the Post.
According to the Post, the hold up stems from a block by the General Services Administration — a low profile agency headed up by Trump political appointee Emily Murphy. The administrator has reportedly refused to sign paperwork that releases Biden’s $6.3 million share of nearly $10 million in transition resources and gives his team access to agency officials.
The call to delay transition comes as media organizations on Saturday projected Biden as the winner in an election where President Trump — nearly three days later has continued to refuse to concede loss.
Biden transition officials told the Post during a Monday call with reporters that they had been denied access to State Department-facilitated calls with foreign leaders and access to secure facilities to review classified information.
Meanwhile, no formal briefings on agencies’ projects, budgets, or operations have taken place, the Post said.
The team is evaluating its legal options and growing increasingly alarmed that the stalemate could drag on and impede its work. The campaign has prepared for weeks for the possibility that Trump would not move forward with a peaceful transfer of power.
The Biden campaign has already started filling top White House jobs such as chief of staff and naming a task force of experts to tackle coronavirus response.
But if the GSA continues to slow transition, a legal challenge from the Biden team could target Murphy’s authority to independently judge election results when the president who appointed her has a vested stake in blocking Biden.
As Trump officials seek to placate Trump with legal battles to contest the election’s results, there’s growing fear that those efforts to avoid further bruising Trump’s ego as he is relegated to a one-term presidency, could have a lasting impact on national security.
DOJ Head Of Election Crimes Branch Resigns After Barr Allows Baseless Voter Fraud Probes
A Justice Department career official who oversees the DOJ’s election crimes unit resigned on Monday night, several hours after Attorney General Bill Barr issued a new Trump-friendly policy authorizing investigations into allegations of mass voter fraud before the election results are certified.
I Have A Question
Imagine for a moment the reaction to Loretta Lynch going to Chuck Schumer’s office while President Obama refused to concede defeat. Seriously though, what was Bill Barr doing in Mitch McConnell’s office today?
As Trump Whips Up Hysteria, Barr Tells DOJ It Can Probe Election Fraud Claims
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, if they exist, before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite little evidence of fraud.
Continue reading “As Trump Whips Up Hysteria, Barr Tells DOJ It Can Probe Election Fraud Claims”
Trump Loyalist In Top Intel Post Is Named NSA General Counsel After Pressure From WH
Michael Ellis, a Trump loyalist who was named senior director for intelligence on the National Security Council earlier this year, has been tapped by the Pentagon general counsel to be the top lawyer at the National Security Agency, according to the Washington Post on Monday. Continue reading “Trump Loyalist In Top Intel Post Is Named NSA General Counsel After Pressure From WH”
READ: Trump Camp Recycles Debunked Claims In Hail Mary Bid To Block Biden Win In PA
The Trump campaign sued on Monday to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden’s win in Pennsylvania, rehashing debunked claims casting aspersions on the integrity of the election.
Even Fox News Isn’t Buying Trumpworld’s Bogus Voter Fraud Claims
Fox News abruptly cut away from the Trump campaign’s press conference led by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, which was another effort to wage more of its bogus election fraud claims, on Monday afternoon. Continue reading “Even Fox News Isn’t Buying Trumpworld’s Bogus Voter Fraud Claims”