#feccing SIX!

[darkeagleruins]

Cashier working at Target made 797 contributions to political parties in one day. #Smurfing

Over six years, she made a staggering 7,191 contributions of $43,000.

With $5,801 of it going back to her.

Per the FEC, the average number of contributions per year an individual makes is 1.4, of people making political contributions.

BUT: the cashier did not make all those contributions, or give all that money, nor receive $5,801 back.

This is not a simple case of misappropriation, but a large-scale, fraudulent scheme to criminally launder money into political campaigns.

The money returned goes back into the "system" for the next campaign, the next election.

We've also seen this with extremely large amounts of money, such as FTX, Samuel Bank Freidman, George Soros PACS, etc.

Smurfing is structured criminal money laundering into political campaigns using the names and addresses of senior citizens without their knowledge.

[meret118]

There's a legal way to replace FEC commissioners — this isn't it. I've been lucky to serve the American people & stir up some good trouble along the way," Weintraub said. "That's not changing anytime soon.

----

My guess is they will try to have someone physically removed her from.the building, or change the locks and lock her out of the system. He wants to put an election denier who will let them cheat into what is supposed to be an independent agency.

ETA:

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Bitcoin may be surging to new heights this week, but some Democrats are likely cursing cryptocurrency.

The Democratic National Committee and an associated joint fundraising committee surrendered $765,000 from a convicted crypto executive to a federal agency best known for hunting suspected criminals, according to a Raw Story review of federal campaign finance records.

RELATED ARTICLE: Why big-time politicians are surrendering gobs of campaign cash to an unlikely source

The DNC and the joint fundraising committee, the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, sent $365,000 and $400,000, respectively, to the U.S. Marshals Service on Jan. 8, becoming the latest political committees to cough up contributions from executives of now-defunct cryptocurrency company, FTX.

The original contributions came in 2022 from Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO and founder of FTX. A federal jury in October convicted Bankman-Fried of stealing $8 billion from customers — which he in part used to finance political contributions, The New York Times reported.

The DNC did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Raw Story first reported in April that the U.S. Marshals began collecting money donated by Bankman-Fried and other former FTX executives — an all-but-unprecedented occurrence for the federal agency.

By September, the Marshals had collected upwards of $1.35 million from more than 150 political campaigns and committees, Raw Story reported.

Now, the Marshals have collected more than $2.3 million in FTX donations, according to Raw Story’s latest review of Federal Election Commission records.

RELATED ARTICLE: Feds expand their quest to claw back crypto-bro cash from big-time politicians

The “disgorgements” from the DNC and Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund are the largest single divestments of FTX-related campaign cash behind $500,000 returned by Priorities USA Action, a Democratic super PAC, according to FEC records.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee previously forwarded a $250,000 contribution to the U.S. Marshals, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent back $36,500.

Republican committees forfeited five and six-figure donations, too, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee ($109,500) and the Republican National Committee ($25,000).

Campaigns for prominent politicians ranging from House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) also sent the Marshals money from FTX-related executives.

The DNC raised nearly $137.4 million between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 31, 2024, and the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund raised more than $12.3 million in that same time period, according to FEC records.

The Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund helps fund the DNC as well as state-level Democratic party committees across the nation.

Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which prosecuted Bankman-Fried’s case, referred questions to the U.S. Marshals.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Bankman-Fried donated more than $40 million to political causes during the 2022 election cycle, according to a CBS News analysis.

Bankman-Fried, who turns 32 today, is awaiting sentencing within the next two weeks and could face more than 100 years in prison; however, his lawyers are arguing that he serve no more than six-and-a-half years.

------

How to get around RawStory's sub wall:

Command R, but as SOON as the text falls in, hit Command period.

Voila. The text of the article.

Fight Moloch!

[gatekeeper-watchman]

What Are We Going to Do?

          When you read our Declaration of Independence; when you read the Preamble to our Constitution; when you read our Constitution; and then, when you read the amendments, including our bill of rights, to our Constitution; how can you doubt, as President Abraham Lincoln said at Gettysburg in November of 1863, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”. From all that has gone before, how can we doubt that? And yet, despite all we have sacrificed and endured throughout the history of our great nation and all the blood which has been shed by our valiant soldiers on the battlefields here and abroad, we the people have effectively lost control of our government. Our government is no longer “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. Rather, our government is of the power elite (essentially, the top one percent of us), by the power elite, and for the power elite. Extending their tentacles, acting through the media and those whom we term lobbyists, they have brainwashed us with misinformation and propaganda and bought out our elected representatives to such an extent that we the people no longer have control of our government. Our great nation has become their playground and we are slowly but surely becoming their serfs.

Probably the final nail in our coffin was in the form of Citizens United v. FEC, when the U.S. Supreme Court by a 5-4 margin ruled that corporations have the right to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence the outcome of elections. Effectively, the Court ruled that corporations have the right of free speech, the same as people. Corporations are people. How many people outside of those belonging to the one percent do you know who can stand up to that kind of political power? The net result is that our elected representatives pay little or no attention to us. We the people are no longer in charge. As I said before, our government is no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

What are we going to do? How can our people take back our government? Just for starters, we need new amendments to the Constitution:

We need corporations to remain legal entities. However, we must amend the Constitution to the effect that corporations are not people; and, therefore, do not enjoy the benefit of our bill of rights. They do not have the right of free speech.

We must amend the Constitution to the effect that all elections will be publicly funded from the public treasury, Federal, State, and Local, with caps per campaign to be set for all expenditures; no candidate will be allowed to use his or her personal assets nor those of family to finance campaigns; no candidate will be allowed to solicit or accept outside contributions other than those provided from the public treasury; and all campaigns will be limited to six (6) months duration. Separate “standalone” funds will be established for each election’s entity to account for all campaign transactions and financed by single fully identifiable tax assessments “earmarked” for each entry, i.e. strict accounting control.

In the conduct of all elections within our nation (Federal, State, and Local), through another amendment to the Constitution, we need to establish fair and consistent voting laws throughout, wherein all candidates and parties are treated equal and have equal opportunity under the law. Multiple political parties should be allowed with equal opportunity upon which to be voted.

We should reorganize our government into four branches, adding a “Branch of the Controller”, with the complete responsibility for accounting, control, reporting, budgeting and planning, internal auditing, and investigative reporting over all operations, including subcontractors and the capital police, throughout government. To those opposed to bigger government, I must emphasize that this change should not and must not increase the size of government one twit. Every function indicated in this recommendation is being performed currently throughout our government. This recommendation will put all these functions under one head, thereby eliminating duplication of functions and costs as well as (currently a problem), the fox guarding the hen house. I further recommend that the head of this new branch of government be appointed by the President, approved by the Senate, and serve an indefinite term, renewable every eight years. If he would be willing to accept the offer, I recommend we begin with General David Walker who is intimately familiar with the inter-working of our government and of excellent character. He should be given all authority and power necessary to successfully implement and execute the responsibility of this position.

Let us take back our government folks. Let’s get business and government back to serving the people rather than the people serving them. It’s up to you. Only if we work together can we achieve this end. What do you think?

[beardedmrbean]

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who is facing a Justice Department investigation over her campaign's security spending, which includes payments to her husband, has a campaign cash crunch and is trailing her Democrat primary challenger in terms of money on hand.

Bush's campaign has struggled to retain cash with under six months to go until the Aug. 6 Democrat primary. In fact, her committee's most recent filings show that it entered January with just $215,000 at its disposal. Her opponent, Wesley Bell, a progressive prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County who differs from Bush in his Israel stance, is currently better positioned and ended the fourth quarter with $408,000 in the bank.

Bell has also seen a fundraising surge since pivoting from challenging Republican Sen. Josh Hawley to entering the Democrat primary against Bush. From the beginning of October until late December, his campaign raised $492,000 and slightly edged Bush's money haul. He reportedly added another $100,000 in the first few weeks of January, his campaign told the Riverfront Times, which is not included in his most recent filing.

CORI BUSH'S CAMPAIGN PAYS $17,500 MORE TO HER HUSBAND, BRINGING HIS TOTAL TO $120K, NEW FILINGS SHOW

Along the way, Bell has also garnered the support of some deep-pocketed Democrat donors, such as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who gave the maximum $6,600 to his campaign for the primary and general elections, his filings show.

A recent poll found that Bush may also be in trouble come August. Bell is currently up by 22 points over the "Squad" member, the New York Post reported.

In addition to her campaign's substandard position, Bush is also staring down a federal investigation into her campaign payments for security, including to her husband, Cortney Merritts, whom she wed in February 2023. At the time of their marriage, Bush's office said they had been together before she entered Congress in 2021.

Merritts began accumulating money for security services starting in January 2022. Bush's committee, however, switched their description to "wage expenses" in April 2023 as they continued to bring scrutiny to the campaign.

Merritts has now collected $120,000 from Bush's campaign coffers. Politicians can pay family members from their committees if they provide "bona fide" services at fair market value. He pocketed the money as Bush's campaign simultaneously spent significantly more on St. Louis-based companies such as PEACE Security for private detail. She's spent over $770,000 on such services.

WATCH: CORI BUSH'S HUSBAND CONFRONTED OVER THE THOUSANDS IN CASH HE HAS RECEIVED FROM HER CAMPAIGN

Merritts' online accounts and posts have indicated he worked at a railway company for years before starting a moving company. He did not have a private security license as of late February 2023, Fox News Digital previously reported. He also did not appear in a Washington, D.C., database of licensed security specialists at the time. 

The ordeal triggered at least two complaints from watchdog groups in the subsequent weeks. The first complaint, filed to the FEC in March 2023 by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, is still pending. The ethics committee has since cleared Bush in a second complaint from the Committee to Defeat the President.

"Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life," Bush previously said in response to the Justice Department investigation. "As a rank-and-file member of Congress, I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services."

"These frivolous complaints have resulted in a number of investigations, some of which are still ongoing," Bush said. "The Federal Election Commission and the House Committee on Ethics are currently reviewing the matter, as is the Department of Justice. We are fully cooperating in all of these pending investigations."

Bush's and Bell's campaigns did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

[187days]

Day Eighty-One

Did you know that if you want there to be a snow day, you must take six ice cubes and put them in your toilet (but don't flush), and you must also sleep with the largest spoon in your house under your pillow? This is a thing the ninth graders told me today.

So, clearly, there wasn't anymore mystery chaos, our school day was normal, everyone got back to teaching and learning. Woohoo.

I had a meeting with the school counselors- and Mrs. T, who wanted to sit in- this morning to discuss any of the students I had academic or behavioral concerns about; they've got notes from students' middle school teachers and counselors, so they were able to provide me with some information and insights, and I was able to give them some, as well, based on what I'm seeing and hearing in my classroom. So that was a good, productive way to start the day.

Aforementioned ninth graders had done an assignment on Wednesday in which they had to look through the Constitution to find answers to certain questions about the structure of the government, the separation of powers, checks and balances, the amendment process, and what various amendments do. Today we went over the answers, and talked about why our founders had made the decisions that they did- and which decisions contributed to the government's stability. It was a solid lesson, and it got students to think critically about their own government, so I'm happy with that.

I taught my APGOV students all about campaign finance law, which is one of my favorite things to teach because that's the kind of nerd I am. And, yes, I once again showed them how to look up campaign contributions on the FEC website; one of them did an evil supervillain cackle and exclaimed, "THIS IS SO MUCH POWER!" which was entertaining.

We had a quick track practice after school- just block drills, baton passes, and strides for my sprinters- since we couldn't have one yesterday. Meet's tomorrow!

[bllsbailey]

Judge Merchan Rejects Request To Toss Alvin Bragg Charges On Presidential Immunity Basis

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he arrives to court for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City.

Judge Juan Merchan has rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney’s request to dismiss charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on the basis of presidential immunity.

The trial evidence, according to Merchan on Monday, was “entirely to unofficial conduct and thus, receive no immunity protections.” 

“Further, even if this Court were to deem all of the contested evidence, both preserved and unpreserved, as official conduct falling within the outer perimeter of Defendant’s Presidential authority, it would still find that the People’s use of these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the Executive Branch, a conclusion amply supported by non-motive-related evidence,” Merchan wrote. 

The decision followed in July when President-elect Trump and his staff asked Merchan to reverse the guilty conviction in New York v. Trump, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding how presidents are immune from prosecution for official actions.

The judge also said that “if error occurred regarding the introduction of the challenged evidence, such error was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt.”

He rejected the request, but has yet to rule on Trump’s formal motion to dismiss the case altogether.

Meanwhile, Trump spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News that the decision is a violation of the U.S.  Supreme Court’s decision on immunity.

“Today’s decision by deeply conflicted, acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence,” Cheung said. “This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed, as President Trump must be allowed to continue the Presidential Transition process, and execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this, or any other, Witch Hunt.”

“The sooner these hoaxes end, the sooner our country can unite behind President Trump for the betterment of all Americans,” he added. 

As part of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s years-long investigation into the president-elect, Trump entered a not guilty plea to 34 charges of first-degree falsification of business documents. Bragg brought charges against Trump, and the inquiry was initiated by former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.

After an unprecedented six-week trial in New York City, a liberal New York jury found the former president guilty on all counts. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a former president has substantial immunity for official acts carried out while in office.

In a formal motion filed in July, Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, cited the Supreme Court’s immunity decision and argued that certain evidence related to “official acts” should not have been admitted during the trial.

Blanche specifically contested the inclusion of testimony from former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks and former Special Assistant to the President Madeleine Westerhout. He also challenged evidence regarding the Special Counsel’s Office, Congressional investigations, the pardon power, Trump’s responses to FEC inquiries, his “presidential Twitter posts,” and other related testimony, claiming they were impermissibly admitted during the proceedings.

Earlier this month, Trump attorneys officially requested to “immediately” dismiss charges against the president-elect in New York v. Trump, declaring the “failed lawfare” case “should never have been brought.” 

“The case would never have been brought were it not for President Trump’s political views, the transformative national movement established under his leadership, and the political threat that he poses to entrenched, corrupt politicians in Washington, D.C. and beyond,” Trump attorneys said. “Wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts and his preparations to wield the full Article II executive power authorized by the Constitution pursuant to the overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.”

Trump’s lawyers pointed out that the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel came to the conclusion that “the categorical prohibition on the federal indictment of a sitting president…even if the case were held in abeyance…applies to this situation.”

Last month, Bragg asked Judge Juan Merchan to postpone the case until the end of Trump’s second term.

They further stated that Bragg’s “ridiculous suggestion that they could simply resume proceedings after President Trump leaves Office, more than a decade after they commenced their investigation in 2018, is not an option.”

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

[faith-in-democracy]

The Rich Are Voting Twice, and You’re Paying the Price

A corporation is not a person. No matter how you dress it up, it doesn’t breathe, love, or dream. But thanks to an absurd legal precedent, corporations now hold power that crushes our democracy.

When the Supreme Court declared in Citizens United v. FEC that corporations could spend unlimited money on political campaigns, they didn’t just open the floodgates—they washed away the voices of ordinary people. Billionaires and CEOs can now funnel millions into elections, drowning out your vote with cash. In this system, money speaks louder than values, and those who can afford it get more "votes" than the rest of us.

This isn’t democracy. This is a hostile takeover.

When corporations are treated as people, they don’t just influence policy—they write it. They lobby for tax breaks they don’t need, loopholes that gut environmental protections, and labor laws that favor profit over people. Meanwhile, the average voter gets ignored because their voice can’t compete with a six-figure donation.

But here’s the worst part: the very idea that corporations have “rights” like people spits in the face of the Constitution. Democracy is about equal representation. You get one vote. I get one vote. Amazon should not get a million.

We can fix this, but it starts with us. Congress won’t move unless we make noise. Here’s how:

Push for a Constitutional Amendment Support organizations fighting to overturn Citizens United. Groups like Move to Amend and Common Cause are leading the charge. Donate, volunteer, and sign petitions.

Elect Candidates Who Reject Corporate Money Look for politicians who pledge not to take corporate PAC dollars. Demand campaign finance transparency and hold leaders accountable.

Educate and Mobilize Talk about this with your friends, family, and community. Write to your representatives. Share posts. Go to protests. The more people understand this issue, the harder it will be to ignore.

This isn’t just about fairness. It’s about survival. If we let money rule our democracy, the rest of us don’t stand a chance. A corporation doesn’t care about your healthcare, your wages, or your kids’ future. It cares about profits.

It’s time to remind them who democracy is for. It’s not for the rich, the CEOs, or their lawyers.

It’s for us.

[ejesgistnews]

President Bola Tinubu Appoints Bianca Ojukwu, six others as Ministers in Major Cabinet Shakeup. President Bola Tinubu has appointed seven new ministers, following a significant cabinet reshuffle aimed at improving governance and addressing public concerns. The announcement was made on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, just months after the President’s initial cabinet formation in August 2023. The newly appointed ministers, who will undergo Senate confirmation, include: Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu – Minister of State, Foreign Affairs Nentawe Yilwatda – Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Maigari Dingyadi – Minister of Labour and Employment Jumoke Oduwole – Minister of Industry Idi Maiha – Minister of Livestock Development (a newly created ministry) Yusuf Ata – Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development Suwaiba Ahmad – Minister of State, Education Tinubu Sacks Five Ministers in Major Cabinet Reshuffle These appointments come as part of Tinubu’s response to increasing calls for a cabinet reshuffle amid economic challenges, rising inflation, and insecurity across the country. The President’s administration has faced growing public scrutiny over the performance of certain ministers, prompting this reorganisation. The new appointments follow the dismissal of five ministers earlier in the day, including Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Tahir Mamman (Education), Abdullahi Gwarzo (State, Housing and Urban Development), and Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development). Restructured Ministries In addition to appointing new ministers, Tinubu’s government has also made significant changes to existing ministries. The Ministry of Niger Delta Development has been scrapped and replaced by the Ministry of Regional Development, which will now oversee all regional development commissions across Nigeria. These include the Niger Delta Development Commission, North East Development Commission, South East Development Commission, and North West Development Commission. The Ministry of Sports Development was also dissolved, with its duties transferred to the National Sports Commission. Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism has been merged with the Ministry of Arts and Culture, now forming the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy. A Fresh Mandate President Tinubu thanked the outgoing ministers for their service and urged the newly appointed ones, along with those reassigned to different roles, to view their positions as a call to serve the nation. He emphasised the administration’s commitment to driving Nigeria towards irreversible growth and development, urging the new ministers to dedicate their efforts to achieving the government’s priorities. Stay informed with Ejes Gist News – Your Source for Credible News in Nigeria  right now

[worldofwardcraft]

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.

[davidrivkin]

Why Samuel Alito Shuns the State of the Union

By David B. Rivkin, Jr., and James Taranto

March 6, 2024, in the Wall Street Journal

Justice Samuel Alito’s first State of the Union address was a happy occasion, but things went downhill after that. “The Supreme Court now has two superb new members,” President George W. Bush told the nation on Jan. 31, 2006. Justice Alito had been confirmed that same day, Chief Justice John Roberts four months earlier. Both were in the audience—justices get front-row seats—and both eventually came to regard the annual ritual as a burden. Justice Alito hasn’t attended one since 2010.

“Unless you’re there on the floor, you don’t really appreciate what’s going on,” Justice Alito told the Journal in an interview last spring. “The members [of Congress] are extremely vocal. . . . I remember during one where President Bush was speaking, and the leaders behind us were saying, ‘Bulls—! That’s bulls—!’ They’re always making these comments, and loud enough so you could hear it two or three rows away.”

That’s awkward for members of the court, whose official role requires them to rise above partisanship. Applause lines are even trickier, since silence can seem like dissent. “We sit there like potted plants, and then we look out of the corner of our eye to see whether any of our colleagues are going to stand up, or the Joint Chiefs are,” Justice Alito said. “There are some times when you have to stand up. Like, ‘Don’t we honor the brave men and women who are fighting and dying for this country?’—you can’t not stand up for that. But then you say, ‘Isn’t the United States a great country’—you stand up—‘because we are going to enact this legislation’—maybe you have to sit down.”

In January 2010, the court itself became the target of a presidential declamation. “With all due deference to separation of powers,” President Barack Obama said, “last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests—including foreign corporations—to spend without limit in our elections.”

As Democratic lawmakers arose behind the justices and clapped, TV cameras caught Justice Alito shaking his head and mouthing the words “not true.” He was right, as even the New York Times’s Linda Greenhouse acknowledged. Citizens United v. FEC didn’t touch the Tillman Act of 1907, which to this day prohibits corporate campaign contributions. It struck down provisions of a different law, enacted in 2002, and overturned precedents dating only to 1990 and 2003.

Justice Alito was surprised by Mr. Obama’s error. “I imagine the State of the Union speech is vetted inside out and backwards,” he told us. “Somebody should have seen that this statement was inaccurate.” He also failed to realize he was on camera: “My mistake was that I didn’t think about the fact that the text is distributed to the media ahead of time. They knew that the president was going to talk about the Supreme Court, so they had their cameras on us. . . . That’s why it’s a sore point.”

Justice Alito isn’t the first member of the court to shun the State of the Union. John Paul Stevens never attended. Antonin Scalia last went in 1997, Clarence Thomas in 2006. “It has turned into a childish spectacle,” Scalia said in 2013. “I don’t want to be there to lend dignity to it.”

Chief Justice Roberts was only a little less pointed in March 2010, six weeks after the Obama-Alito kerfuffle. “The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering, while the court, according to the requirements of protocol, has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling,” he told students at the University of Alabama Law School. “To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I’m not sure why we’re there.”

The chief justice has nonetheless continued to attend and is expected to do so again on Thursday night. As with those applause lines, you can’t even abstain without making a statement.

Mr. Taranto is the Journal’s editorial features editor. Mr. Rivkin practices appellate and constitutional law in Washington.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-samuel-alito-shuns-the-state-of-the-union-obama-supreme-court-polarization-6e1ed0a9

[internationalrealestatenews]

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[contemplatingoutlander]

This is just another example of how the Roberts' Supreme Court decimated campaign finance regulation in its Citizens United v. FEC and McCutcheon et al. v. FEC decisions.

In particular, according to Politico Magazine, in McCutcheon, SCOTUS decided that unless money is given to a candidate's campaign in exchange for favorable policy decisions/laws (i.e., "quid pro quo") it isn't technically a "bribe." Therefore, it isn't sufficiently "corrupt" to be outlawed.

(Although even the SCOTUS "gang of six" must be feeling a little anxious that Trump appears to be running around lately begging billionaires for campaign contributions with promises that he will do their bidding.😳)

An article in Quartz, comparing the U.S. and British election systems, mentions a theory by a political science professor, Justin Fisher, that the difference in how much money is allowed in both systems is largely due to different values,

Fisher says the vast differences in money spent stem from contrasting philosophical approaches: the US favors liberty—the freedom of expression, which includes financial donations—while the UK favors equality. “Most European elections, and the UK is an example of this, are based on the principle of equality, of trying to ensure that the spending does not unduly advantage one side or another,” he explained. [color/ emphasis added]

The Roberts' Court clearly values the "liberty" of the wealthy and corporations to "freely speak" by making large monetary contributions to political campaigns.

Yet, it seems that the Roberts' Court doesn't value the "liberty"/ "free speech" rights of "the little guy" as much.

For instance, if, as the Roberts' Court claims, "money = speech," then wealthy people and corporations produce such a huge amount of "speech" (through their enormous campaign donations) that it drowns out the "voices," and limits the impact of the average American's political "speech."

And given how Trump appears to be "selling" his presidency to those billionaires willing to make huge campaign donations, the Roberts' Court's overvaluation of the "liberty"/ "free speech" rights of the wealthy and corporations results in corruption and the undo influence of the wealthy/ corporations on the laws and policies that the political benefactors of their monetary largesse implement when they are in office.

I think the only way to undo the damage the Roberts' Court has done to our nation will be if we elect a Democratic president and Congress, and are able to expand the Court. Because the "gang of six" isn't going to change their minds about any of this. And as long as they are in a majority, our nation is in peril of becoming a kleptocracy.

“Billionaires buying elections is not what this country is supposed to be about,” said Sanders.

By Sharon Zhang , TRUTHOUT

Published August 9, 2024

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) have spoken out about corruption in politics following the defeat of Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) in her primary this week by pro-Israel groups that poured millions of dollars into unseating the progressive lawmaker.

AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), spent $8.5 million on the campaign to oppose Bush, helping to make it the second-most expensive House primary in history — only beaten by Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-New York) primary in June, in which UDP poured $14.5 million into electing a pro-Israel challenger to Bowman.

To many who championed the two lawmakers for speaking out against Israel, the two losses were a show of AIPAC’s outsized influence on elections and the ability for deep-pocketed interest groups to buy elections.

[187days]

Day One Hundred Forty-Eight

We have sensors in all of our bathrooms that detect smoking, vaping, loud noises (that could be fighting), and so on. A couple boys tried to break one of them today, and, uh, that did not go well for them. Honestly, I was expecting there to be more stuff like that today because we're so close to spring break, and that can make things squirrely, but it was actually a pretty quiet day.

I had a bunch of seniors come in during Block 1 to take the citizenship test. They told me they'd studied together over FaceTime the night before, and it paid off because they all passed, which they were super excited about- especially if they'd taken it before and failed. So that was a good way for me to start my morning, being able to congratulate them for being one requirement closer to graduation.

When I was teaching Global Studies, a couple more students came in to take the citizenship test. Plus, I had two of my APGOV students finishing the FRQs from their last practice test because they'd been absent. In the past, it's been a bit of a challenge to get some of my ninth graders to stay quiet while there are test-takers in the room, but today it was easy. They've got book paper drafts due, so they were grinding on those, and maybe- just maybe- there's some maturity kicking in, too. They worked hard, and didn't disrupt each other, and made awesome progress. I proofread their writing and gave feedback comments as it was turned in, and I was pretty impressed.

Did I have a few attempt to turn in Googled summaries of their books? Yeah. But, when I called them on it, they went back to drafting properly. So... minor win? Turnaround? Something.

APGOV was the only block that wasn't quiet. We discussed campaign finance law, I showed them how to look up contributions on the FEC website (blew some minds with that), and then I had them poke around OpenSecrets. After lunch, I did a lecture on interest groups, which led to a discussion about hyperpluralism. So that was a solid class.

Six more seniors came to take the citizenship test after school, so I missed most of practice, but The Head Coach knew I was going to. I made it out in time to stretch with the sprinters, chat a bit, and then I figured I should mind my own training. So I threw down two miles on the track, finished just before it started to rain. Good times!

[uinterview]

A new Federal Election Commission filing revealed that Donald Trump’s Save America PAC spent millions of dollars on his legal fees after the multiple indictments and increasing legal problems. Follow @uinterview for the latest exclusive celebrity videos & news!

[bllsbailey]

What We Know About the Trump Shooter

In the early hours of Sunday morning, at approximately 1:34 a.m. EST, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s Pittsburgh Field Office officially identified the Trump shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

Not much is known about Crooks. Now that the FBI has taken over as the lead federal investigative agency, expect further delays in the investigation's findings.

Here's what we were able to confirm as more details come to light:

According to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing corresponding to the shooter's residential address, a teenage Crooks, then age 17, donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a left-wing voter turnout PAC, through the Democratic donation platform ActBlue on January 20, 2021, the day of President Joe Biden's inauguration.

FBI officially identifies shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20 of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Voter records show Crooks was a registered Republican who made one singular $15 donation to a liberal PAC on January 20, 2021 — Biden’s Inauguration Day. pic.twitter.com/orEO4hq1PS— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) July 14, 2024

In a statement shared with Drop Site, an independent news project of The Intercept's co-founder Jeremy Scahill, the political action committee said Crooks had sent the donation "in response to an email about tuning into the inauguration."

"The email address associated with the contribution only made the one contribution and was unsubscribed from our [mailing] lists 2 years ago," Progressive Turnout Project said.

Minors can legally make campaign contributions within certain limitations, the FEC stipulates.

The upcoming race in November marks when Crooks would have been old enough to vote in a presidential election.

However, according to Pennsylvania voter registration rolls, identifying information matching that of Crooks says he was a registered Republican.

Allegheny County Councilman Dan Grzybek, who represents Bethel Park, said in an interview with The New York Times that Crooks's mother was a Democrat and his father a Libertarian. "You've got a large spattering of different backgrounds and ideals and definitely have a lot of mixed households in Bethel Park," said Gryzbek, who had previously met Crooks's parents while canvassing the neighborhood.

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Investigators reportedly believe that the rifle Crooks fired several shots from belonged to his father, Matthew Crooks, who allegedly purchased the firearm at least six months ago.

CNN contacted the elder Crooks, but the distraught dad declined to speak publicly about his son, saying he would rather wait until he talked to law enforcement first as he tried to figure out "what the hell is going on."

In June 2022, Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School, a suburban school district south of Pittsburgh and an hour away from the site of the shooting. Townhall has found footage of Crooks walking out during commencement to receive his diploma (1:08 timestamp on the right side of the split screen). Crooks, dressed in a black graduation gown designated for male graduates and donning a silver honors chord, crossed the stage and posed for a picture as few in the audience applauded him.

— Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld_) July 14, 2024

Crooks briefly appeared in the background of an old BlackRock advertisement filmed at BPHS. The company commercial spotlighted an economics teacher there. The firm confirmed Crooks's ad appearance, according to a press statement the world's largest money manager made on the matter. "We will make all video footage available to the appropriate authorities, and we have removed the video from circulation out of respect for the victims," BlackRock said, stressing that the students were unpaid. However, as of Sunday night, two clips, a 15-second version and a longer 30-second cut, are still up under BlackRock's X account.

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) July 14, 2024

At the school's annual Awards and Recognition Program, which honors BPHS graduates, Crooks earned the National Math & Science Initiative Star Award, a $500 cash prize, for his academic achievements, according to TribLive, a local outlet covering community news around Allegheny County.

Investigative journalist Meghan Schiller, reporting for Pittsburgh-based KDKA-TV, shared two yearbook pictures of a young Crooks. According to WPXI, a local NBC affiliate, the one photograph was taken in 2020.

— MEGHAN SCHILLER (@MeghanKDKA) July 14, 2024

TMZ also obtained what appears to be his Pennsylvania driver's license photo.

First Photos of Donald Trump Shooter Surface with Boyish Face | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/8M1ScnmhwJ— TMZ (@TMZ) July 14, 2024

Crooks's former classmates described him to ABC News as "a loner" who was "a quiet kid," though they wouldn't say he "ever appeared as a threatening person." One student who sat behind Crooks in an AP statistics class remembered him as academically gifted, always excelling in math and sciences. Others said he was "relentlessly bullied" and often wore hunting outfits to class.

Neighbors told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Crooks seemed "a little odd" growing up, but they never anticipated he was capable of carrying out a shooting, much less trying to take out a former president. "It's crazy ... you wouldn't expect that from that kid," one resident, who lived doors down from Crooks, said. "He was a little bit off. He was like the weird kid, but you wouldn't expect this."

Crooks worked as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Marcie Grimm, the nursing home's administrator, said the facility was shocked to hear of his shooting spree, saying that the employee's background check came clean, per The New York Times.

According to Pennsylvania's public court records reviewed by Townhall, Crooks did not have a criminal history, at least as an adult anywhere in the Keystone State.

Bomb-making materials were found inside the shooter's vehicle, parked in the vicinity of the Trump rally, and at his home, according to The Associated Press.

Crooks opened fire at a campaign rally where Trump was speaking Saturday in Butler County, about a 50-minute drive northeast of the Steel City.

A viral video circulating on social media shows the body of the gunman lying motionless on the roof of a manufacturing plant, AGR International Inc., near Butler Farm Show grounds. The shooter was spotted by spectators "bear-crawling" on the building before a counter-sniper team of Secret Service agents returned fire, killing him.

A photograph making rounds appears to depict the assailant wearing a T-shirt that promotes Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube channel for firearms enthusiasts. Known for its sensational experiments and demonstrations, the page frequently posts videos testing guns and teaching educational content on firearms safety.

Demolition Ranch's founder Matt Carriker reacted to the neutralized shooter sporting his merchandise, writing on Instagram, "What the hell."

The rooftop was less than 150 meters (or 164 yards) from Trump's podium, a distance from which a decent marksman could reasonably hit a human-sized target; for reference, that's the range at which U.S. Army recruits must shoot a scaled human-sized silhouette to qualify with the M-16 rifle, according to AP.

Crooks tried to join his high school's shooting club, but he was rejected for being "comically bad" at aiming and cracking "crass," "off-color" jokes, The New York Post reports.

Bethel Park's rifle team shoots Anschutz single-shot rifles with peep sights and .22-caliber ammunition, Crooks's ex-classmates told The Post. The school's shooting range is 50 feet long by 21 feet wide and has seven ranges.

Once, Crooks fired from the seventh lane, which was the closest to the right wall, and hit the left wall, missing every target on the back end. He was off by close to 20 feet, one teammate recalled. "[Crooks] tried out … and was such a comically bad shot he was unable to make the team and left after the first day," he said.

Crooks "couldn't shoot at all. He was a terrible shot," another BPHS alum added.

Even the coach, the team members continued, had concerns about Crooks. "Our old coach was a stickler, he trained Navy marksmen, so he knew people. He knew when someone's not the greatest person."

"We noticed a few things Thomas said and how he interacted with other people … He said some things that were kind of concerning," the source stated. "You know, obviously, we're using guns in a school setting so you need to be very careful in that regard," he explained, without elaborating on what exactly Crooks said that was inappropriate.

Reportedly, Crooks was asked not to return after a preseason session. However, he did belong to the Clairton Sportsmen's Club in a neighboring borough, the club's counsel confirmed to ABC News.

The presumptive Republican nominee narrowly survived the assassination attempt after literally dodging a bullet that grazed his ear, piercing the upper part and causing blood to gush.

At least one attendee has died, and two rally-goers remain critically wounded. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for the family of the deceased victim, Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief and father who heroically shielded his daughter from the gunfire.

As Spencer covered, authorities held a midnight press conference on the shooting but offered nothing enlightening, sidestepping questions concerning the shooter's identity. Officials said they were "not prepared" at the time to release the name of Trump's would-be assassin until they had "100 percent confidence."

The reason for the delay in positively identifying the shooter was partly because he didn't carry ID on his person, which was one of the "complicators," according to authorities. "It's a matter of doing biometric confirmations," officials explained, such as "looking at photographs" and testing his DNA to see if there's a match already in a system somewhere.

Investigators are "working tirelessly to identify what that motive was," officials said.

Internet trolls initially misidentified the shooter as Marco Violi, an Italian sports writer residing in Rome. The video blogger, who runs a YouTube commentary channel about AS Roma, the Italian soccer team, published a statement on his Instagram page saying he "strongly den[ies] being involved in this situation" and was "woken up in the middle of the night" from numerous notifications related to rumors spreading online, according to an Italian-to-English translation. The journalist added that he will file a complaint against the X accounts that "invented this fake news and all the news headlines that spread" the misinformation.

X user "@jewgazing," pretending to be the Trump shooter, posted a picture of himself to troll other X accounts and cause confusion. The image was widely reposted, with X users finding shared similarities in the troll's and shooter's facial features. Eventually, the troll scrubbed his X page after uploading a clip of himself in the car, declaring, "My name is Thomas Matthew Crooks. I hate Republicans. I hate Trump. And guess what? You got the wrong guy."