Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
Donald Trump continues to push the Big Lie that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him (it wasn’t), but officials in Arizona say the Donald should “move on.” Continue reading “Arizona Sec Of State To Trump: ‘Take Your Loss, Move On’”
Donald Trump speaks at the White House (photo: public domain)According to an excerpt from the new book by Michael Wolff, “Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency,” Donald Trump was reportedly exploring ways to postpone the 2020 election last summer.
From Yahoo News:
“People can’t get to the polls. It’s a national emergency. Right?” Trump was quoted as saying. Mark Meadows, then the White House chief of staff, stepped up to say that that was not a constitutional possibility, Wolff wrote.
But Trump seemed unconvinced. “I’m sure there might be a way, but … well …” he said, according to Wolff.
Trump again raised the idea a few days later at a debate-preparation session in Bedminster, New Jersey, with Chris Christie, according to Wolff.
“I’m thinking about calling it off,” Trump told Christie, the book says.
According to Wolff, Christie then told him, “You can’t do that, man,” adding: “You do know, you can’t declare martial law. You do know that, right?”
A spokesperson for Trump denied the stories via Twitter.
Trump was reportedly considering using the #COVID19 pandemic as an excuse to postpone the 2020 presidential election — once again showing how far in advance he was planning to disrupt the election to maintain his grip on power.
https://t.co/d6HPcMTsKU— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) July 7, 2021
Donald Trump (image public domain/White House)The New York Times reports Donald Trump reached out to the top Republican in Phoenix twice via phone as his aides were attempting to overturn Arizona’s 2020 results, according to the official, who said he let the calls go to voice mail.
Clint Hickman, then the chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said in an interview on Friday that he let the calls — made in late December and early January — go to voice mail and did not return them. “I told people, ‘Please don’t have the president call me,’” he said.
At the time, Mr. Hickman was being pressed by the state Republican Party chairwoman and Mr. Trump’s lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani to investigate claims of fraud in the county’s election, which Mr. Biden had won by about 45,000 votes.
The Arizona Republic obtained the records of the phone calls from Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani after a Freedom of Information Act request.
There were no significant irregularities in Maricopa’s vote tallies, according to election officials there who have repeatedly refuted Trump’s claims.
More voter fraud found in Ohio. Oh, and yes, it’s another Republican caught cheating.
From NBC News:
Edward Snodgrass, who is a Porter Township trustee, has admitted to forging his dead father’s signature on an absentee ballot and then voting again as himself, court records and other sources revealed.
Snodgrass was busted after a Delaware County election worker questioned the signature on his father’s ballot. A subsequent investigation revealed the ballot had been mailed to H. Edward Snodgrass on Oct. 6 — a day after the 78-year-old retired businessman died.
In an interview with NBC News, Snodgrass said he made “an honest error” while struggling to take care of his dying father, who had advanced Parkinson’s disease. He said he had power of attorney for several years and because his dad had broken his right arm he’d already been “signing for him.” He said his dad had requested the absentee ballot.
Snodgrass told NBC News he had been “sleep-deprived” and not thinking clearly.
The 57-year-old has apparently agreed to plea guilty to a reduced charge of falsification which comes with a $500 fine and three days in jail.
Had he fought the charges of illegal voting, a fourth-degree felony, he could have faced a prison sentence of six or more months along with a $5,000 fine.
Even though Donald Trump continues to rant and rage about “widespread voter fraud,” the fact is it didn’t happen.
In May the Washington Post did a deep dive into local news reports across the country and found “only 16 incidents in which someone has faced criminal charges stemming from their attempt to vote illegally.”
I’ve previously reported on another Republican Trump supporter in Colorado who faked his missing wife’s signature and mailed her ballot in for Trump.
From The Hill:
A report from the GOP-controlled Michigan state Senate released Wednesday found no evidence of fraud in the 2020 election.
The report from the state Senate Oversight Committee affirmed that there was no evidence of fraud in the election.
“The Committee can confidently assert that it has been thorough in examination of numerous allegations of unlawful actions, improper procedures, fraud, vote theft, or any other description which would cause citizens to doubt the integrity of Michigan’s 2020 election results,” the committee wrote.
President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by a margin of 154,188 votes (50.62%-47.84%).
Nicholas Beauchene (image via Facebook)I’m not sure this counts as ‘voter fraud,’ but it’s definitely tampering with the election.
A USPS mailman has pleaded guilty to throwing away election ballots from heavily Democratic suburbs in New Jersey.
Via Justice Department press release:
A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier from Hudson County today admitted he discarded mail, including 99 general election ballots sent from the Essex County Board of Elections to West Orange, New Jersey, residents, from his assigned routes in Orange and West Orange, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Nicholas Beauchene, 26, of Kearny, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of desertion of mails.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beauchene admitted that on Sept. 28, Oct. 1, and Oct. 2, 2020, he discarded into dumpsters in North Arlington, New Jersey, and West Orange 1,875 pieces of mail that he was assigned to deliver to postal customers in West Orange and Orange, New Jersey.
This mail included 627 pieces of first-class mail, 873 pieces of standard class mail, two pieces of certified mail, 99 general election ballots destined for residents in West Orange, and 276 campaign flyers from local candidates for West Orange Town Council and Board of Education. Law enforcement recovered the mail on Oct. 2, 2020, and Oct. 5, 2020, and placed it back into the mail stream for delivery.
How “heavily Democratic” are those New Jersey suburbs? Heavy.com reports Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump by 9,298 votes to 421 in Orange in 2016, and by 16,757 to 5,201 in West Orange.
Beauchene faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. His sentencing has been scheduled for September 21, 2021.
Barry Morphew (mugshot)Another example of that 2020 voter fraud Donald Trump keeps talking about was apparently found in Colorado.
From the Fox News affiliate KDVR in Denver:
Prosecutors have filed new charges against Barry Morphew, alleging the man accused of murdering his missing wife submitted a presidential ballot in her name. Morphew was recently arrested on charges of murdering his wife, Suzanne, after she disappeared a year ago. She still has yet to be found.
Court documents show he now faces one felony count for allegedly forging public documents and a misdemeanor mail in ballot offense. Bond has been set at $1,000 but he’s being held without bail on the murder charges.
According to the arrest affidavit, investigators responded to the Chaffee County Clerk and Recorder’s Office after the clerk made a report of alleged voter fraud in October of 2020. The clerk told investigators that they’d received a presidential ballot from Suzanne even though she was missing.
Morphew signed the ballot as the witness but didn’t include a signature for his missing wife.
When asked why he submitted the fraudulent ballot, Morphew told investigators, “Just because I wanted Trump to win.”
Five months after Suzanne Morphew vanished last Mother’s Day, the Chaffee County Clerk’s Office in Colorado received a bizarre notification: a mail-in ballot for the 2020 election had been submitted under her name https://t.co/pf2q03w2uO
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) May 14, 2021
“Barry Morphew told investigators he mailed the ballot on behalf of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, to help Trump win, saying ‘all these other guys are cheating,’ and that he thought his wife would have voted for Trump anyway, according to an arrest warrant affidavit” https://t.co/Xu8nerA8ME
— Sanho Tree (@SanhoTree) May 14, 2021
Suzanne Morphew’s husband, accused in her murder, charged with submitting presidential ballot in her name
“On April 22, Barry was asked by FBI agents why he submitted a ballot for Suzanne.
‘Just because I wanted Trump to win'”https://t.co/axFtBXAuuB
— Joe Sudbay (@JoeSudbay) May 14, 2021
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters (screen capture)Some news items you might have missed:
• New York Times: GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida (above) is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him. Investigators are examining whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz told Axios today that he has been “generous as a partner.”
• Kenneth-in-the-212: The ‘Morning Wood’ series on KIT212 is always worth the click. Eye-candy is good for the soul 🙂
• American Greatness: The right wing site calls out Donald Trump’s post-election fund raising which continues to rake in huge piles of cash, but very little of that money has gone toward the causes for which donors believe they are giving.
• Instagram: BMX pro Corey Walsh has become one of the few professional bikers to come out as gay. In a touching post, he shared how he’s struggled for years with his sexuality. p.s. his family and friends have apparently been awesome.
• CNN: Major Biden, the first rescue dog to live in the White House, has had another small ‘nipping’ incident while out on the White House South Lawn. #PoorDoggie
• BroadwayWorld: The Drama League has announced the 2021 Nominees for The 87th Annual Drama League Awards. This year the organization has established five unique categories to honor the extraordinary achievements of artists across the nation who created digital and socially-distanced theatrical productions during this challenging year of suspension for live arts.
• Logo: Emmy-winning actor and activist Billy Porter has returned for the third year in a row to deliver Logo’s 2021 LGBTQ State of the Union, a rousing speech assessing the status of LGBTQ acceptance and equality in the United States.
Needless to say, a lot has changed in the past year. Between the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the nation’s new presidential administration, Porter had plenty of ground to cover.
Televangelist Nathan French (image via official FB)Televangelist Nathan French announced on Elijah Steam’s YouTube show Friday that he’s certain Donald Trump really won ‘in a landslide’ and we’re all going to know it soon because ‘God’s about to lay it bare.
Via Right Wing Watch:
“I said he was gonna win big, and he didn’t win, and the Lord says, ‘Yes, he did.’ He actually won with a landslide victory, and a lot of people don’t get that. They tried to steal the election, and it’s not gonna work. God’s about to lay it bare.
“I think we’re gonna find out in April. I think everything’s gonna change. I see a shift coming. People are waiting to see when is the God of justice gonna step in.
“You’re already seeing some of the things on the news, and I don’t want to get into too much of that because there’s certain things I can’t really say. There’s a lot of stuff that I know that certain things are timed, but I do know that there’s a lot more to come. I’m really excited because I know not only is Trump coming back, but it’s gonna be incredible how God finishes what he began.”
Former state senator Frank Artiles arrested for campaign finance fraudWow, it looks like we found one of those “manipulated” elections!
And no surprise! It’s a Republican doing the manipulating.
Former Florida state Senator Frank Artiles (R) reportedly paid a man $50,000 to run in November’s District 37 state senate election as a third party candidate. The man, Alex Rodriguez, had the same last name as the incumbent Democrat, Jose Javier Rodriguez.
In the end, without any campaigning or actual political aspirations, Alex Rodriguez received over 6,000 votes. The Republican challenger, Ileana Garcia, won the contest over the Democrat by only 32 votes.
Artiles, along with Alex Rodriguez, was booked and arrested on third-degree charges of making or receiving campaign contributions over or in excess of limits, conspiracy to make or receive two or more campaign contributions over or in excess of limits, and false swearing in connection with voting or elections.