Former Democratic congresswoman and failed Senate candidate Katie Porter on Tuesday announced her bid for the California governor’s office.
“What California needs now is a little bit of hope and a whole lot of grit, fresh blood and new ideas, leaders with the backbone to fight for what’s right,” Porter said in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dJwT7V9_TA&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a video</a> announcing her candidacy. “That’s why I am running for governor.”
Porter, 51, is the highest-profile Democrat so far to throw their hat in the ring to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/us/politics/katie-porter-california-governor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Seven other Democrats have entered the race, including Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former State Senator Toni Atkins, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Just four people have announced they would be running as a Republican candidate, though President Donald Trump’s Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, Richard Grenell, has expressed interest in running, as has Caitlyn Jenner, who also ran for governor in 2021.
Porter stated that she would opposed Trump’s agenda while also somehow bringing a fresh perspective to the State Capitol, which has long been antithetical to Trump’s agenda.
In October 2024, the <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/97b1p0sq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Berkeley IGS Poll</a> found that of numerous potential governor candidates, Porter was the one whom voters most prefer, although 52% of respondents said they had no preference at the time.
Porter’s chances — as well as every other Democrats’ — largely depends on whether failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris jumps into the governor’s race. A spokesperson for Porter said she would drop out of the race if Harris decides to run, the Times reported.
While Porter may be high-profile in the state, she lost the race to replace the late California Senator Dianne Feinstein to then-Rep. Adam Schiff last year. Schiff, known for his wildly incorrect accusations during the Russia Hoax, and who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-what-people-who-received-biden-pardons-have-said-about-them-in-the-past" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preemptively pardoned</a> by former President Joe Biden, won the election in a landslide.
Porter claimed after losing that the primaries were rigged against her and was roundly mocked online for the claim, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/katie-porter-mocked-for-claiming-primaries-were-rigged-against-her-after-she-was-blown-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Here’s a Democrat who claims her election was ‘rigged,’ I’m certain the MSM will pound her for that,” former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said at the time. “You’re not allowed to say that — or does that apply to only one person?”
“She lost by 20 points, but is saying the election is rigged because she was out spent,” added CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski.
“I’ve lost races where my candidate got vastly outspent &amp; once when some rich dude dumped 40 million on our head,” Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign official Steve Schale wrote on X. “It completely sucks. But can we stop trying to excuse every loss with the term ‘rig’ or ‘rigged?’ You lost, which I totally get just blows. But that’s all it is.”
During her time in the House, Porter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hot-potatoes-and-insults-fly-in-report-detailing-allegations-from-katie-porters-messy-divorce">faced allegations</a> that she was abusive towards staff and used racist comments. Porter&#8217;s ex-husband made similar claims during their contentious divorce, alleging that Porter had verbally berated him and once dumped a bowl of  “steaming hot” mashed potatoes on his scalp.

Katie Porter

Former Congresswoman Katie Porter Running For California Governor

Adam Schiff

California

U.S.

Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) complained on Tuesday that Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to serve as attorney general, had not reviewed each individual case prior to Trump pardoning the vast majority of those charged with January 6-related crimes.
Schiff shared a video on social media from Bondi&#8217;s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, during which he&#8217;d specifically asked her whether she would review the individual cases — and she&#8217;d said that she would review anything she was asked to review.
&#8220;Pam Bondi, last week on pardons for Jan 6 offenders: &#8216;I will look at every case on a case-by-case basis,'&#8221; Schiff captioned the clip. &#8220;Donald Trump, yesterday: &#8216;Full pardons.&#8217; No review. No accountability. Nothing.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Pam Bondi, last week on pardons for Jan 6 offenders: &#8220;I will look at every case on a case-by-case basis&#8221;
Donald Trump, yesterday: &#8220;Full pardons&#8221;
No review. No accountability. Nothing. <a href="https://t.co/4q95vfau4G">pic.twitter.com/4q95vfau4G</a>
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/1881710788194550216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A number of critics took to X to point out the rank hypocrisy of Schiff, who had himself received just hours earlier a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden for his role on the January 6th Select Committee, daring to say anything at all about who Trump chose to pardon — especially when he&#8217;d also remained silent when Biden also issued blanket pardons to several members of his immediate family.
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But then a few noted that Bondi had only answered questions in the committee hearing regarding what she would do if confirmed to serve as the 87th U.S. Attorney General — and because members of his party had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-democrats-put-arbitrary-hold-on-pam-bondi-nomination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arbitrarily delayed</a> the vote that would move her nomination forward out of committee, she had not yet even had a full vote in the Senate.
&#8220;Per Judiciary Committee <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/committee/rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rule</a> I.3, any member of the Committee may request an item on the Committee’s agenda be held over for a minimum of seven days. Holds are common practice in the Senate Judiciary Committee,&#8221; a notice issued on Wednesday by the committee read. &#8220;Pursuant to this rule, the Minority will hold Bondi’s nomination for seven days. As a result of this hold, which goes into effect tomorrow, the Committee will not meet in person for this week’s executive business meeting.&#8221;
A Judiciary Committee vote on whether or not to move Bondi&#8217;s nomination to the full Senate is now scheduled to take place on January 29th.

Pam Bondi Attends Confirmation Hearing To Be Attorney General

Adam Schiff Complains Bondi Isn’t Doing The Job His Party Is Blocking Her From Getting

Attorney General

Congress

Donald Trump

January 6

Pam Bondi

Pardon

Politics

U.S. Senate

Some of the people who received preemptive pardons from President Joe Biden have previously condemned the idea of President Donald Trump issuing such pardons.
On Monday, Biden preemptively pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the January 6 Committee, including Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
Kinzinger and Schiff have both claimed in the past that accepting a presidential pardon would amount to an admission of guilt, but both have been quiet after receiving their own preemptive pardons.
<a href="https://store.dailywire.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqndn5W5hXuxOh4Dnzj3NrHSVayyLGsEShWj2n2EVNnohFOnXKd"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-861893 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/image.png" alt="" width="1024" height="391" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/image.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/image-300x115.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/image-768x293.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Just two weeks ago, Kinzinger said on CNN that he didn’t want a pardon because “the second you take a pardon, it looks like you’re guilty of something.”
“I’m guilty of nothing besides bringing the truth to the American people and, in the process, embarrassing Donald Trump,” Kinzinger continued.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨Now-pardoned Adam Kinzinger said he didn’t want one two weeks ago:
“The second you take a pardon, it looks like you&#8217;re guilty of something.&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/LVqqD7vAnZ">pic.twitter.com/LVqqD7vAnZ</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1881327219026583947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Kinzinger said something similar in a social media post on June 23, 2022.
“Some of my colleagues failed to uphold that oath &amp; requested pardons from the Trump Administration,” Kinzinger wrote on X. “More to come, but the only reason I know to ask for a pardon is because you think you’ve committed a crime.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
As Members, we take an oath to support &amp; defend the Constitution. Some of my colleagues failed to uphold that oath &amp; requested pardons from the Trump Administration.
More to come, but the only reason I know to ask for a pardon is because you think you’ve committed a crime. <a href="https://t.co/BLKWo5XpUD">pic.twitter.com/BLKWo5XpUD</a>
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepKinzinger/status/1540084543339773953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Schiff also denounced presidential pardons on July 23, 2020, after Trump pardoned his former political consultant, Roger Stone. In that case, Stone had been investigated, tried, and convicted when Trump pardoned him. Biden’s pardons preempt any investigation or trial.
“The power to pardon can be used to right a wrong, give people a second chance, or provide leniency when it&#8217;s deserved,” Schiff posted on X. “Or, if you&#8217;re Trump, it can be abused to reward a crony who lied to cover up your misconduct. We must prevent future abuse of the pardon power. And we will.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The power to pardon can be used to right a wrong, give people a second chance, or provide leniency when it&#8217;s deserved.
Or, if you&#8217;re Trump, it can be abused to reward a crony who lied to cover up your misconduct.
We must prevent future abuse of the pardon power. And we will. <a href="https://t.co/MBYumpnT1D">https://t.co/MBYumpnT1D</a>
— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchiff/status/1286376082946404352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Fauci thanked Biden for the pardon but claimed he committed no crime – without saying he would reject it.
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&#8220;I really truly appreciate the action President Biden has taken today on my behalf,” Fauci told ABC News chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl. “Let me be perfectly clear, Jon, I have committed no crime, you know that, and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dr. Anthony Fauci tells me he appreciates the pardon, but he committed no crime:
&#8220;I really truly appreciate the action President Biden has taken today on my behalf. Let me be perfectly clear, Jon, I have committed no crime, you know that, and there are no possible grounds for…
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl/status/1881330141965467778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Biden has now preemptively <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-biden-pardons-hunter-claims-son-was-singled-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pardoned</a> his son, Hunter, his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-biden-issues-more-pardons-for-his-family-during-final-minutes-of-presidency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brothers and sister</a> and their spouses, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-issues-last-minute-pardons-for-fauci-mark-milley-and-jan-6-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">political allies</a> who investigated Trump. The pardons come years after Biden himself suggested such pardons were something he would never grant.
“Now in terms of the pardons, you’re not going to see in our administration that kind of approach to pardons,” Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flashback-biden-warns-against-preemptive-pardons-in-2020-cnn-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN in 2020. “Nor are you going to see in our administration the approach to making policy by tweets. You know, it’s going to be a totally different way to which we approach the justice system.”

House January 6 Committee

Here’s What People Who Received Biden Pardons Have Said About Them In The Past

Here's What People Who Received Biden Pardons Have Said About Them In The Past

Adam Kinzinger

Executive

Joe Biden

On Wednesday, Pam Bondi, President-elect Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, flattened California Senator Adam Schiff when he consistently tried to deride her.
Schiff asked whether Bondi had the independence to say no to power, continuing, “The president has said Jack Smith should go to jail. Will you investigate Jack Smith?”
&#8220;It would be irresponsible of me to make a commitment regarding anything &#8230; without looking at a file,&#8221; Bondi responded.
“So you would need a factual predicate to open an investigation into Jack Smith?” Schiff asked.
“Not a summary by you sitting here,” she fired back, later adding, “72% of Americans have lost faith in the Department of Justice because of statements like this.”
Schiff continued by asking repeatedly about a possible prosecution of Liz Cheney, prompting an exasperated Bondi to ask why Schiff seemed more concerned about making a political point than about the disasters in his home state.
&#8220;No one has asked me to investigate Liz Cheney. We&#8217;re all so worried about Liz Cheney, senator? You know what we should be worried about?&#8221; Bondi replied. &#8220;The crime rate in California right now is through the roof. Your robberies are 87% higher than the national average. That’s what I wanted to focus on &#8230; if I&#8217;m confirmed as attorney general.”
Schiff talked about telling “hard truths” to Trump, asking if she would have &#8220;the gravitas, the stature, the intestinal fortitude&#8221; to tell him he lost the 2020 election.
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“Senator, what I can tell you is that I will never play politics,” Bondi answered. “You’re trying to engage me in a &#8216;gotcha.&#8217; I won’t play politics with any ongoing investigation like you did leaking your colleague Devin Nunes’ memo.”
When he asked about possible massive fraud in the 2020 election, Bondi answered that she could speak about Pennsylvania fraud, but Schiff cut her off.
Schiff then asked Bondi if she would caution Trump not to issue “blanket pardons” on his first day in office, saying that Bondi would not be able to review all possible pardons on the first day.
Bondi answered, “I will look at every file I am asked to look at.”
Schiff taunted, “Of course you won’t,” prompting Bondi to snap, “I would have plenty of staff. You said, ‘Of course you won’t.’ I’m not going to mislead this body nor you. &#8230; You were censured by Congress, Senator, for comments just like this that are so reckless.”
As a final example of Bondi’s mastery over the California senator, when he asked, “Are you ready to commit that none of the evidence in the January 6 investigation will be destroyed under your watch?”
Bondi again fired back, “Are you frightened because evidence was destroyed against President Trump that was false? Is that why you’re frightened now?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Pam Bondi completely DESTROYS Adam Schiff, a man who disgraces any government door he darkens.
This is a masterclass on dealing with a pompous, slimy, show trail politician. Bravo, Pam Bondi. <a href="https://t.co/8iugTaS8ko">pic.twitter.com/8iugTaS8ko</a>
&mdash; Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1879598567813488860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bondi Confirmation Hearing TW

Bondi Demolishes Schiff When He Taunts Her

For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
On Sunday, as multiple wildfires still rage out of control in California, what to do about them and how to prevent such a tragedy from happening in the future was top of mind on many of the political talk shows. As one might expect, media personalities were quick to jump to the aid of Democrats — who are often only too happy to politicize natural disasters when they occurred in red states — were desperate to put a stop to the criticism being leveled at California&#8217;s leadership (or lack thereof) with regard to the fires.
Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), joined host Jonathan Karl on ABC News&#8217; &#8220;This Week&#8221; to discuss the &#8220;dangerous situation&#8221; still unfolding in Southern California.
&#8220;The red flag warnings have been reissued, the winds are coming back, and we still want to make sure that people are in a safe place,&#8221; Criswell said. The winds had abated enough to allow for air support to fly in water and fire retardant over the last day, but they are expected to pick up again and the situation is still extremely volatile.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FEMA&#39;s Deanne Criswell tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> that the wildfires in California are still creating a “dangerous situation.” 
“The red flag warnings have been reissued, the winds are coming back, and we still want to make sure that people are in a safe place.” <a href="https://t.co/DaiAqGdfIK">https://t.co/DaiAqGdfIK</a> <a href="https://t.co/E6hxHKtpFs">pic.twitter.com/E6hxHKtpFs</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1878450715128975494?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Criswell, fresh off her agency&#8217;s scandalous behavior in the southeast — refusing to knock on doors and offer federal assistance where signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump were visible — assured Karl that the federal government was prepared to handle the aftermath of the devastating fires in addition to what was already on their plate.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FEMA&#39;s Deanne Criswell tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> that the agency has funding to support the wildfire response in California, as well as “recoveries from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and the other 179 declarations that we had last year alone across the United States.” <a href="https://t.co/9L2wIzgR1g">https://t.co/9L2wIzgR1g</a> <a href="https://t.co/anOvr3S7Ko">pic.twitter.com/anOvr3S7Ko</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1878458844906508571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) also spoke to Karl about the fires ravaging his home state, praising firefighters and likening the devastation to that seen in war zones. &#8220;The heartbreak is just overwhelming,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“The heartbreak is just overwhelming.” 
California Sen. Adam Schiff tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> that the level of devastation in his home state due to the wildfires reminds him of visiting war zones, praises firefighters for the “extraordinary job they’re doing.” <a href="https://t.co/ztBCpzSppZ">https://t.co/ztBCpzSppZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/XL43g6Prb4">pic.twitter.com/XL43g6Prb4</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1878466548186104113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Schiff suggested that the best response to the fires would be to put forth an independent commission to review what had transpired. &#8220;What went right in our response? What went wrong in it?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sen. Adam Schiff calls for an independent commission to review the response to the California wildfires. 
“What went right in our response? What went wrong in it?” <a href="https://t.co/nf9CAUZ2iH">https://t.co/nf9CAUZ2iH</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pj3azIxjvm">pic.twitter.com/Pj3azIxjvm</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1878469879013023760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The new California senator, elected to fill the seat that was initially vacated when the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) passed away, also called on President-elect Trump to join with California in an effort to prevent future disasters.
Schiff, who spent the majority of Trump&#8217;s last term attempting to either impeach him or simply smear him as a Russian asset, claimed on Sunday, &#8220;It’s going to be really important for the incoming president to work with all of us in California to make sure that we get the resources we need to put out these flames &#8230; to get the relief to get back on our feet.&#8221;
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“It’s going to be really important for the incoming president to work with all of us in California to make sure that we get the resources we need to put out these flames &#8230; to get the relief to get back on our feet,” California Sen. Adam Schiff says. <a href="https://t.co/ANK2epHI2F">https://t.co/ANK2epHI2F</a> <a href="https://t.co/ygCxGG6ESk">pic.twitter.com/ygCxGG6ESk</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1878472726098120968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On CBS News&#8217; &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; FEMA&#8217;s Criswell also spoke with host Margaret Brennan — and she argued that despite the growing evidence to the contrary, California had been adequately prepared to confront the massive blaze.
&#8220;I think that they were very prepared,&#8221; Criswell said — despite multiple reports of budget cuts to local fire departments, empty reservoirs, and empty fire hydrants. She went on to blame the excessive winds — which are a common problem in Southern California — for the difficulties first responders have faced in battling the fires. &#8220;[They] have never seen 100 mph winds that are fueling the fire.&#8221;
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When asked why the Los Angeles area was so unprepared for these wildfires, <a href="https://twitter.com/FEMA_Deanne?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FEMA_Deanne</a> says, &quot;I think that they were very prepared.&quot; But she adds the firefighters &quot;have never seen 100 mph winds that are fueling the fire.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/JELhORdFoE">pic.twitter.com/JELhORdFoE</a>
&mdash; Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1878468188821709048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) echoed Schiff&#8217;s sentiments in calling for bipartisan efforts in helping California to rebuild.
&#8220;These wildfires don&#8217;t have any political affiliation,&#8221; she told Brennan. &#8220;They don&#8217;t belong to any political party. This devastation has affected thousands upon thousands of people who just ran out of their homes with nothing in their hands, and are trying to rebuild, and they need help.&#8221;
She called on President-elect Trump and newly re-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to visit the affected area, saying that they need to &#8220;witness the devastation for themselves.&#8221;
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There are plans to invite President-elect Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson to the areas of California afflicted by the wildfires and &quot;witness the devastation for themselves,&quot; says Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA).
&quot;These wildfires don&#39;t have any political affiliation,&quot; she says.… <a href="https://t.co/Lhb9U7F7M8">pic.twitter.com/Lhb9U7F7M8</a>
&mdash; Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1878471777275216065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) also weighed in, noting that if the federal government was going to assist California after obvious failures in preparation, that there would be &#8220;strings attached&#8221; to any funding provided.
&#8220;It has to do with being ready the next time because this was a gross failure this time,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;There will be strings attached&quot; to any disaster and recovery aid Congress will &quot;ultimately&quot; approve for the California wildfires, says Senate Majority Whip <a href="https://twitter.com/SenJohnBarrasso?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenJohnBarrasso</a>.
&quot;It has to do with being ready the next time because this was a gross failure this time,&quot; he tells… <a href="https://t.co/ym9WvXaDoa">pic.twitter.com/ym9WvXaDoa</a>
&mdash; Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1878474881836220742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom joined NBC News&#8217; &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; — where he said that Trump had not yet responded to an invitation to tour the damaged areas of his state.
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Trump has not responded to invitation to survey L.A. wildfire damage, Gov. Newsom says <a href="https://t.co/OP9KQebWTM">https://t.co/OP9KQebWTM</a>
&mdash; Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/1878455402188128749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Saying that the fires would be viewed as one of the worst natural disasters to be recorded in American history, Newsom also claimed that he still had complete confidence in the leadership in place — including L.A.&#8217;s Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, who was on a taxpayer-funded trip to Africa when the fires began.
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Gov. Newsom says he has ‘faith in our leaders’ as L.A. Mayor Karen Bass faces scrutiny <a href="https://t.co/l6WlHoYtdP">https://t.co/l6WlHoYtdP</a>
&mdash; Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/1878474534153506999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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TOPSHOT-US-WEATHER-FIRE

Spin Cycle: Wildfires Rage, And Politicians Fan The Blame

ABC News

CBS News

FEMA

Fires

Fox News Sunday

Media

MSNBC

NBC News

Bucking the intent of the incoming Trump administration to cut down on unnecessary expenditures, California Democrats in Congress sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging him to hurry and approve additional funding for California’s floundering high-speed rail project.
On November 30, the incoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, noted on X:
<blockquote>
Summary of California High Speed Rail Project: Originally projected (in 2008) to cost $33 billion; now projected to cost between $88.5 and $127.9 billion. Estimated completion date was 2020; as of 2024, zero passengers have been transported and the majority has not even been fully designed. Received $6.8 billion in federal funds. Requesting $8 billion in additional federal funds.
</blockquote>
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Summary of California High Speed Rail Project: -Originally projected (in 2008) to cost $33 billion; now projected to cost between $88.5 and $127.9 billion -Estimated completion date was 2020; as of 2024, zero passengers have been transported and the majority has not even been…
&mdash; Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) <a href="https://twitter.com/DOGE/status/1862883821798002786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
Those estimates were similar to what the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/republicans-high-speed-rail-19983744.php">San Francisco Chronicle</a> reported. The media outlet said that the cost of building California’s largely unfinished high-speed rail line — of which California Democrat governor Gavin Newsom <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/08/10/governor-newsom-and-new-high-speed-rail-ceo-celebrate-caltrains-electrification-as-key-part-of-high-speed-rail-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bragged</a>, “We’re making rail real in California” — was initially estimated at $33 billion, has now ballooned to over $100 billion.
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“On Friday, Democratic lawmakers Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and Reps. Pete Aguilar, Jim Costa, and Zoe Lofgren sent a letter to Buttigieg calling on him to approve funding for the first phase of the project,” the Sacramento Bee <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article297401585.html#campaignName=sacramento_morning_newsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Monday. The <a href="https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-schiff-california-house-colleagues-push-for-critical-high-speed-rail-funding/">letter</a> asked for $536 million in federal funds, acknowledging, “The FSP-National grant application is part of an ongoing federal-state partnership that has provided approximately $28.8 billion in funding for California High-Speed Rail, including $22 billion from state funds and $6.8 billion from federal funds. &#8230; By preparing for future final design and construction of complex tunnels in this corridor, the Project will advance both state and federal goals to improve safety, expand economic strength and global competitiveness, address equity issues, and implement sustainability practices to confront climate change.”
“The project has struggled in recent years with obtaining federal funding, and it has been beset with both delays and cost overruns. It’s [sic] initial scope — of a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco — has been reduced to the first step of a planned route from Merced to Bakersfield,” the Bee <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article296622469.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.
Last week, Newsom <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-mocks-doge-brags-about-california-here-are-some-facts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mocked</a> DOGE, saying of it, “I dunno, this is like a promo project.”

California High Speed Rail construction.

BUCKING DOGE: CA Dems Beg Buttigieg To Give $536M To High-Speed Rail Before He’s Gone

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

High Speed rail

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) made it clear that he was not in favor of President Joe Biden issuing &#8220;preemptive&#8221; pardons for members of the January 6th Committee and other critics of Donald Trump out of fear that the president-elect could seek retribution once he takes office.
Some in the White House have floated the possibility that Biden could <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-aides-discussing-preemptive-pardons-for-fauci-schiff-cheney-report">issue pardons</a> to committee members like former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) before he left office, thus insulating them from any potential charges stemming from their work on that committee. They also suggested similar pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who is now a senator-elect.
But despite the fact that Blumenthal is among the Democrats insisting that Trump&#8217;s new administration will &#8220;weaponize&#8221; the justice system against his political opponents, he told CNN anchor Jim Acosta that he would oppose blanket pardons for those who might be at risk.
&#8220;I strongly oppose preemptive pardons. First of all, it’s in some ways going to be perceived as an implicit acknowledgment of guilt,&#8221; Blumenthal explained, referencing his own past as a prosecutor. &#8220;And people should know that walking into a courtroom and making charges is far from proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. There is no evidence of wrongdoing against those members of the January 6 committees who brought those impeachment articles or who prosecuted them. And the likely beneficiaries of preemptive pardons would be the top echelon, and the underlings would still have the fear of that kind of prosecution.&#8221;
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Blumenthal went on to explain that he would prefer to simply allow the criminal justice system to do its work, adding, &#8220;I think any such unfounded, unjust charges against people who simply did their jobs would ultimately cause a backlash against Donald Trump because there will be acquittals and the costs of their defense or investigation, I think, should be borne by a defense fund — I’d certainly contribute — or by a pro bono legal team, I sign up, count me in, because I think they are on the right side. And we ought to make these cases a test case for the principle of justice.&#8221;
Blumenthal shared a similar statement via X, saying, &#8220;Broad blanket preemptive pardons are a bad idea. Fully recognizing that DOJ &amp; other federal law enforcement may be weaponized for retribution or intimidation, the way to stop a bully is to confront him, not run &amp; hide.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Broad blanket preemptive pardons are a bad idea. Fully recognizing that DOJ &amp; other federal law enforcement may be weaponized for retribution or intimidation, the way to stop a bully is to confront him, not run &amp; hide. <a href="https://t.co/Nyu4DfJCfb">https://t.co/Nyu4DfJCfb</a>
&mdash; Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenBlumenthal/status/1865728983758782735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Senator Blumenthal Discusses His Legislation To End US Arms Sales To Saudi Arabia

Democrat Senator Says He Won’t Support Biden ‘Preemptive’ Pardons For Trump Critics

Democrat Senator Says He Won't Support Biden 'Preemptive' Pardons For Trump Critics

Anthony Fauci

January 6 Committee

Liz Cheney

According to a new report, President Joe Biden&#8217;s aides are discussing whether he should preemptively pardon government officials to protect them from possible inquiries or indictments from the incoming Trump administration.
“White House officials &#8230; are carefully weighing the extraordinary step of handing out blanket pardons to those who’ve committed no crimes, both because it could suggest impropriety, only fueling Trump’s criticisms, and because those offered preemptive pardons may reject them,” POLITICO <a href="//EB89B6DC-96C7-4A6A-871D-B88862E68717/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Names mentioned by POLITICO include members of Congress’ Jan. 6 Committee as well as Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA), former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“The beneficiaries know nothing,” one source insisted to POLITICO.
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Some Democrats in Congress are urging Biden to issue the pardons. Massachusetts hard-Left Senator Ed Markey, attacking Trump, <a href="https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2024-11-26/sen-markey-urges-biden-to-issue-preemptive-pardons-ahead-of-trumps-inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in late November, “I think that without question, Trump is going to try to act in a dictatorial way, in a fascistic way, in a revengeful first year … towards individuals who he believes harmed him. &#8230; If it’s clear by January 19th that [revenge] is his intention, then I would recommend to President Biden that he provide those preemptive pardons to people, because that’s really what our country is going to need next year.”
Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) said on Wednesday, “This is no hypothetical threat. The time for cautious restraint is over. We must act with urgency to push back against these threats and prevent Trump from abusing his power.”
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre <a href="//EB89B6DC-96C7-4A6A-871D-B88862E68717/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters, “As it relates to pardon- — pardoning or any clemency, the president, as you know, at the end of the year, makes announcements. He’s thinking through that process very thoroughly. There’s a process in place, obviously. And so, once — I’m not going to get ahead of — of the president on this. But you could expect more announcement, more par- — pardons and clemency at the end of — at the end of — at the end of this term.”
Asked how soon those other pardons could come, she answered, “I don’t have a timeline for you. As you know, this usually happens towards the end. And so, the president is going through that process, thinking through that process. I’m not going to get ahead of him. But you can expect more announcements to come.”

MixCollage-05-Dec-2024-03-03-AM-3531

Biden Aides Discussing Preemptive Pardons For Fauci, Schiff, Cheney: Report

An old video of Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/adam-schiff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Schiff</a> (D-CA) talking about the need for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a> to have transparency when it came to presidential pardons went viral on social media after President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> pardoned his son Hunter from federal crimes on Sunday.
Years ago, when there was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/23/politics/marc-short-michael-cohen-pardon-cnntv/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speculation</a> that then-President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> might pardon attorney Michael Cohen and others mired in the Russia investigation, Schiff unveiled a bill called the &#8220;Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act&#8221; that sought to &#8220;prevent this President or any other from abusing the pardon power for their own personal benefit or to obstruct justice.&#8221;
The bill would &#8220;require that if the President pardons someone in connection with an investigation in which the President or one of his family members is a target, subject, or witness, the evidence against recipient of the pardon would be provided by the Department of Justice to Congress,&#8221; according to <a href="https://schiff.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-schiff-introduces-legislation-to-prevent-abuse-of-presidential-pardons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press release</a>.
Schiff and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) <a href="https://www.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22source%22%3A%22legislation%22%2C%22search%22%3A%22%5C%22Abuse+of+the+Pardon+Prevention+Act%5C%22%22%7D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> versions of the bill in their respective chambers, but the legislation has never made it out of Congress.
In an April 2018 clip he <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchiff/status/987072188086870016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> to Twitter (now X), Schiff discussed his legislation with now-former CNN anchor Don Lemon and made the case for how Congress should be able to &#8220;find out whether the president is using this power to shield himself from liability.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If the President issues a pardon in a case in which he or his family are implicated, the American people need to know whether it is part of an attempt to obstruct justice. This bill would make that possible and serve as a powerful deterrent. <a href="https://t.co/kvIeORqvC3">pic.twitter.com/kvIeORqvC3</a>
&mdash; Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchiff/status/987072188086870016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Schiff added in the post: &#8220;If the President issues a pardon in a case in which he or his family are implicated, the American people need to know whether it is part of an attempt to obstruct justice. This bill would make that possible and serve as a powerful deterrent.&#8221;
Years later, people began to share the post and video after Biden announced on Sunday that he signed off on an extensive pardon covering any crimes that Hunter &#8220;has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.&#8221;
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While the pardon immediately nixed the First Son&#8217;s gun and tax crimes, it also covered a lengthy time span, including the period when Hunter had foreign business affairs in the works — dealings that later became part of the corruption-focused impeachment inquiry against President Biden and could be the subject of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/08/trump-gop-plot-biden-probe-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">future investigations</a> during the incoming second Trump administration.
Schiff, who won a U.S. Senate seat in the 2024 election, got an earful from some of his GOP colleagues who will control both chambers of Congress in the next term.
&#8220;This aged like milk,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RepNancyMace/status/1863615168506114118" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).
&#8220;(D)ouble standards.&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RepAndyBiggsAZ/status/1863634031843086752" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quipped</a> Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
&#8220;Given Joe Biden’s unprecedented pardon of his son Hunter, granting blanket immunity… do you still believe this [Schiff]?&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/WesleyHuntTX/status/1863621641667822072" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), adding, &#8220;Or is it rules for thee but not for me?&#8221;

Rep. Adam Schiff

Trump-Era Bill Comes Back To Haunt Schiff After Biden Pardons Son

The following is an excerpt from the new book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Disappearing-President-Trump-Social-Republic/dp/1641774576" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disappearing The President</a>” by Lee Smith, (October, 2024, Encounter Books)
* * *
<h3>The Counterinsurgents</h3>
Many of the analysts obsessed with Russian information warfare played crucial roles in Russiagate, like Hamilton 68 founder Clint Watts. “I was talking to him at the time and quoting him in stuff I was writing because I thought what he said made sense,” says Siegel. “And some of what he said didn’t make sense. People lose track of reality when they talk about information warfare.”
A West Point graduate, Watts joined the FBI after leaving the Army, and in 2011 he joined a think-tank based in Philadelphia, the Foreign Policy Research Institute. During the 2016 election cycle, he was a go-to talking head on Russian information warfare. “Regardless of the extent of Trump’s direct knowledge about Russia’s intelligence activities, active measures [by Russian intelligence] have achieved enormous success on the back of his presidential campaign,” he wrote in a 2016 article that supported the collusion narrative. “Russia sees Trump as a tool to undermine its American adversaries. In that regard, they’ve already achieved their goal and possess the potential to exceed their expectations.” (7)
The name of Watts’ organization, Hamilton 68, refers to the 68th essay from The Federalist Papers, in which Alexander Hamilton discusses the presidency and foreign influence: “These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one quarter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union?” (8)
The reference was clear: Trump had been raised by a foreign power. Thus, the purpose of Watts’ organization was not to track Russian “disinformation” and influence operations on social media, but was rather to add another branch to the counterinsurgents’ propaganda campaign vilifying the chief magistracy of the Union—Trump—as a Russian agent.
<div id="attachment_834755" style="width: 390px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Disappearing-President-Trump-Social-Republic/dp/1641774576"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-834755" class="size-large wp-image-834755" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/51LJIqjf3CL-380x576.jpg" alt="Jacket design by Steve Cooley. Encounter Books." width="380" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/51LJIqjf3CL-380x576.jpg 380w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/51LJIqjf3CL-198x300.jpg 198w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/51LJIqjf3CL.jpg 560w" sizes="(max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px" /></a>Jacket design by Steve Cooley. Encounter Books.</div>
Watts was supported by the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD), a project of the German Marshall Fund, a Washington, D.C. based think-tank funded by private donors; government agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development; foreign governments like Norway, Sweden, and Belgium; Big Tech oligarchies Google, Microsoft, and Amazon; and major Democratic Party donor George Soros, a Shadow Network giant.
ASD was founded in 2017 by a left-right coalition of anti-Trump activists who had supported and promoted Russiagate. Its board of advisors included: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jake Sullivan, a longtime Clinton aide and now Biden’s national security advisor</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Michael McFaul, Obama’s ambassador to Russia</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">David Kramer, aide to Senator John McCain. Kramer gave a copy of the Steele dossier to BuzzFeed, which published it in January 2017.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Bill Kristol, anti-Trump editor of the now-defunct magazine, the Weekly Standard</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Michael Morrell, former acting CIA director and longtime deputy director under President Obama</li>
</ul>
Morrell explained the ASD’s purpose as it was getting off the ground in July 2017. “In a perfect world, we would have a national commission that would be looking into exactly what happened, exactly what did the Russians do and what can we do as a nation to defend ourselves going forward and deter Putin from ever doing this again,” Morell told a journalist. “We all know this is not going to happen, so things like the GMF [German Marshall Fund] effort are hugely important to fill the gap.” (9)
In reality, ASD and Hamilton 68 were partners in the FBI’s ongoing anti-Trump operation, which had been off-boarded to Robert Mueller’s team when the special counsel investigation began in May 2017.
When the #ReleaseTheMemo hashtag appeared, Hamilton 68 reported that it was being spread by Russian bots. (10) Schiff and Feinstein’s letter on the hashtag relied exclusively on Hamilton 68’s data.
Even as the corporate media dutifully reported Hamilton 68’s declarations as fact, however, the Big Tech platforms were becoming increasingly wary of Watts’ analyses.
The Daily Beast offered a glimpse of this skepticism with a January 23, 2018 story reporting that Twitter analysts had determined the #ReleasetheMemo hashtag was spread by legitimate American accounts, not by Russian bots. (11)
Behind the scenes, Twitter officials were coming to believe that Hamilton 68 was a fraud. Twitter’s trust and safety head Yoel Roth told colleagues that a secret list of around 600 Russian bot accounts that Hamilton 68 monitored was “weird and self-selecting. They’re so unwilling to be transparent and defend their selection that I think we need to just call this out on the bullshit it is.” (12)
Twitter identified the 600 accounts tracked by Hamilton 68 and found they were neither Russian nor bots. Rather, Roth wrote to colleagues, “they appear to strongly preference pro-Trump accounts, which [Hamilton 68] use to assert that Russia is expressing a preference for Trump.” Roth wanted to confront Hamilton 68 publicly. “My recommendation at this stage is an ultimatum,” he wrote, “you release the list or we do.”
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Some Twitter employees were worried about taking on an organization that represented a powerful consortium of political and intelligence officials. Others represented those same interests inside the company. “We have to be careful in how much we push back on ASD publicly,” wrote Emily Horne, who later landed a job in the Biden White House. Another Twitter executive, Carlos Monje, wrote, “I also have been very frustrated in not calling out Hamilton 68 more publicly, but understand we have to play a longer game here.” Monje later became a senior advisor to Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Twitter lawyers drafted a careful response to Schiff and Feinstein explaining that the company’s initial inquiry regarding #ReleaseTheMemo had “not identified any significant activity connected to Russia.” Twitter wrote that “because the Hamilton Dashboard’s account list is not available to the public, we are unable to offer any specific context on the accounts it includes. …We have offered to review the list of accounts contained in the Dashboard and this offer remains open.” (13)
Facebook responded simply by noting that Hamilton 68’s allegations concerned content on Twitter, not Facebook. (14)
Those responses were not good enough for the California Democrats. On January 31, Schiff and Feinstein sent another letter demanding that Twitter and Facebook try harder. “It is unclear from your responses whether you believe any of the Russian-linked accounts involved in this influence campaign violated your respective user policies,” the duo warned. “We reiterate our request that you immediately take necessary steps to expose and deactivate such accounts if you determine that they violate your respective user policies.” The letter continued, “Twitter inexplicably…neglected to answer the question of whether Russian sources were actively engaged in promoting the #ReleaseTheMemo hashtag, as illuminated by the Hamilton 68 dashboard of the German Marshall Fund.” (15)
In other words, You must find a way to tie pro-Trump accounts to Russian bots and then censor them—or else.
“In the end, Schiff, Feinstein, and the Dems just beat Twitter down,” says Langer, the Nunes aide. “They were threatening to take all kinds of retaliatory action if the platforms didn’t produce the right results. And eventually, Twitter found a way to connect #ReleaseThe Memo to Russian bots, even though there was no evidence for it and they knew Hamilton 68’s findings were fraudulent.”
The following January, Twitter released a report detailing its research into a new batch of 418 accounts that “appeared to originate in Russia.” The company admitted it could not determine if they actually were Russian bot accounts, but claimed they behaved similarly to Russian bots. Of the top three hashtags employed by these 400 accounts, number two was #ReleaseTheMemo, which was included in approximately 38,000 Tweets. (16) Thus, based on a few hundred accounts that may or may not have been Russian, Twitter insinuated that a grassroots campaign among American conservatives might really be a Russian influence operation.
“These possible Russian bot accounts comprised less than one-half of one percent of activity on the hashtag,” says Langer. “That’s a drop in the ocean. It’s statistically irrelevant. But Twitter left that out of the report.”
The release of the Nunes memo on February 2, 2018, exposed Russiagate as an instrument of information warfare, paid for by the Clinton campaign and directed by Obama’s spy chiefs. It was the Shadow Network’s counterinsurgency campaign targeting Trump, his allies, and supporters.
“What we’re now experiencing is what countless other countries around the world have experienced since the start of the Cold War,” says Benz. “When the U.S. government controls your information eco-systems, controls your political leadership, censors you, spies on you, and propagandizes you. People in Boston are now experiencing what people in Baghdad did. This is what it feels like when the U.S. government deploys its military, its intelligence, and civil society partners and media in a whole-of-society campaign to re-engineer your country.”
* * *
Lee Smith is the author of the New York Times bestseller &#8220;The Plot Against the President.&#8221; His other books include &#8220;The Permanent Coup&#8221; and &#8220;The Strong Horse.&#8221; A veteran journalist and regular contributor to Tablet Magazine, Smith lives with his wife and son in Charleston, SC.
This excerpt is published by permission from Encounter Books. “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Disappearing-President-Trump-Social-Republic/dp/1641774576" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disappearing The President</a>” by Lee Smith, (October, 2024, Encounter Books). Copyright 2024 by Lee Smith. Jacket design by Steve Cooley.
The views expressed in this book excerpt do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
* * *
NOTES:
Chapter Three: The Counterinsurgents
7. Andrew Weisburd, Clint Watts, and Jim Berger, “Trolling for Trump: How Russia Is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy,” War on the Rocks, November 6, 2016, https://warontherocks.com/2016/11/trolling-for-trump-how-russia-is-trying-to-destroy-our-democracy/.
8. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed68.asp
9. Josh Rogin, “National Security Figures Launch Project to Counter Russian Mischief,” Washington Post, July 11, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2017/07/11/national-security-figures-launch-project-to-counter-russian-mischief/.
10. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/right-wing-demand-releasethememo-endorsed-russian-bots-trolls-n839141
11.  Spencer Ackerman, “Source: Twitter Pins #ReleaseTheMemo on Republicans, Not Russia,” Daily Beast, January 23, 2018, http<a href="http://www/">s://www.</a> thedailybeast.com/source-twitter-pins-releasethememo-on-republicans-not- russia#:~:text=The%20online%20groundswell%20urging%20the,widely%20 since%20late%20last%20week.
12.  Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi), “1.THREAD: Twitter Files #15 MOVE OVER, JAYSON BLAIR: TWITTER FILES EXPOSE NEXT GREAT MEDIA FRAUD,” X, January 27, 2023, 12:49 p.m., https://x.com/mtaibbi/ status/1619029772977455105.
13.  Vijaya Gadde, Twitter General Counsel letter to The Honorable Dianne Feinstein and The Honorable Adam Schiff, January 26, 2018, https://democrats-intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/twitter_response_jan_26.pdf. 
14. https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/6/4/64bd3267-fdc9-46fb-b265-589dc5d08eff/8DBC13B7F818DA79F0E8C614A8F8159D.facebook-response-to-feinstein-schiff-1.26.18.pdf
15.  “Feinstein, Schiff Send Follow Up Letter to Twitter and Facebook on #ReleaseTheMemo Campaign,” U.S. Senate Committee on The Judiciary, January 31, 2018, https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/dem/releases/feinstein-schiff-send-follow-up-letter-to-twitter-and-facebook-on-releasethememo-campaign.
16.  Twitter, “Retrospective Review: Twitter, Inc. and the 2018 Midterm Elections in the United States,” January 31, 2019 (updated February 4, 2019), https:// cdn.cms-twdigitalassets.com/content/dam/blog-twitter/official/en_us/ company/2019/2018-retrospective-review.pdf.

President-Elect Donald Trump Meets With Biden, Congressional Leaders In Washington

Remember When The Deep State Framed Trump As A Russian Agent?

Books

Democrats

Federalist Papers

Leftists

Russiagate

Twitter

Twitter Files

Numerous Democratic politicians and celebrities will join a &#8220;White Dudes for Harris&#8221; call on Monday evening to promote Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s presidential campaign.
More than 80,000 people have signed up, <a href="https://x.com/dudes4harris/status/1817977115528265920" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the virtual event&#8217;s organizers, who said participants would &#8220;welcome Vice President Harris to the presidential race and pledge to help get her elected.&#8221; Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who is being floated as a potential VP pick, and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) are expected to <a href="https://x.com/harris_wins/status/1817960396327903534" target="_blank" rel="noopener">headline</a> the virtual event, which begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — another VP contender — gun control activist David Hogg, &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; actor Mark Hamill, and singer Josh Groban are also expected to make appearances.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TODAY-Join me along w/Pete Buttigieg-Gov. Roy Cooper-Rep. Adam Schiff-Bradley Whitford-Jimmy Williams-David Hogg-George Goehl-Ben Wikler-Josh Gad-Jon Cooper-Rory O’Malley-Michael Kelly-Misha Collins-Scott Galloway-Josh Groban &amp; countless others ALL dedicated to electing… <a href="https://t.co/mt2QAzhjLP">pic.twitter.com/mt2QAzhjLP</a>
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkHamill/status/1817883071338680551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
&#8220;Together, we aren’t going to sit around and let the MAGA crowd bully other white guys into voting for a hateful and divisive ideology because we understand that under MAGA everyone loses,&#8221; the event&#8217;s sign-up form states. &#8220;We know that as white dudes, we have both a strong, and positive role to play in America’s shared future, and it begins with all of us cutting through the MAGA crap and reminding the folks who have co-opted American symbols what America actually means. We are excited to join together with you in this fight.&#8221;
Team Trump blasted the &#8220;White Dudes for Harris&#8221; event as &#8220;more desperate pandering&#8221; from the Harris campaign.
“White Dudes for Harris is more desperate pandering from the same campaign that thinks cooking collard greens and making cringy, inauthentic calls into the BET awards is outreach to the Black community. Kamala Harris is the most unpopular Vice President in history because she’s inauthentic and dangerously liberal,&#8221; Team Trump Black Media Director Janiyah Thomas said in a statement to The Daily Wire. &#8220;On the contrary, President Trump’s engagement with diverse communities is completely authentic as he shows up in our neighborhoods, meets people where they’re at, and offers solutions to fix the problems created by the Biden-Harris Administration’s failed policies. That’s why President Trump continues to increase his support from Americans of all backgrounds across the country.”
Anyone can RSVP for the call by submitting their name and email, and the sign-up form does not ask any questions about race or sex. The organizers also urge people who RSVP to donate to the Harris Victory Fund and direct them to ActBlue, a fundraising platform used by Democrats.
The &#8220;White Dudes for Harris&#8221; call was organized by political activist Ben Wessel and <a href="https://x.com/MikeNellis/status/1817209765405032533" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Nellis</a>, a former advisor to Harris, according to the <a href="https://www.nysun.com/article/white-dudes-for-harris-zoom-call-draws-celebrity-attendees-and-tens-of-thousands-of-sign-ups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Sun</a>. Wessel previously <a href="https://www.climateone.org/people/ben-wessel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked</a> as the Director of NextGen Rising where he pushed for &#8220;progressive policies with a focus on mobilizing the voters who care most the issues: young people.&#8221; Wessel also worked on the campaigns of Sen. Cory Booker and former President Barack Obama. Wessel is currently the Director of State and Local Political Affairs for the <a href="https://www.emersoncollective.com/collective" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emerson Collective</a>, an activist organization focused on the environment, education, immigration, and race and equity.
Nellis is the founder of Authentic, a digital marketing agency that has been used by the campaigns of<a href="https://authentic.org/case-studies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Democrats</a> such as Rep. Schiff, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, the Senate Majority PAC, and President Joe Biden.
Harris supporters have also held calls targeting other specific groups based on race and sex. &#8220;Win With Black Women&#8221; said that it has raised more than $1.5 million in support of Harris since she became the presumptive Democratic nominee. A &#8220;Win With Black Men&#8221; call also reportedly raised $1.3 million for Harris&#8217; campaign, while a &#8220;White Women: Answer the Call&#8221; virtual event attracted nearly 200,000 people over Zoom and raised more than $11 million, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-grassroots-organizers-raise-millions-online-campaign-first-week/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Harris supporters have also held calls for Latinas and South Asian women to boost the vice president&#8217;s campaign.
The Daily Wire has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg, Adam Schiff To Speak At ‘White Dudes For Harris’ Virtual Event

Pete Buttigieg, Adam Schiff To Speak At 'White Dudes For Harris' Virtual Event

2024 Election

Elections

Kamala Harris

Mark Hamill

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said the quiet part out loud during a Monday morning interview, admitting to NBC&#8217;s Savannah Guthrie that Democrats had forced President Joe Biden out of his 2024 reelection campaign because they feared he could not win.
Less than a full 24 hours after Biden announced he would not accept the party&#8217;s 2024 nomination — but stopped short of resigning the presidency — Guthrie asked Schiff the question that has been plaguing many Americans: If everyone is so concerned that Biden is not fit for another campaign and another term in office, why are they not equally concerned about his ability to remain in office until next January?
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
GUTHRIE: If you’re so concerned about Biden’s condition that you called for him to drop out, how do you justify him serving as president *right now* if he doesn’t have the competence to run?
DERANGED ADAM SCHIFF: Uhhhh… <a href="https://t.co/5d8LmvNJVb">pic.twitter.com/5d8LmvNJVb</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1815358177233310116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;If you were sufficiently concerned that you came out publicly and said he shouldn&#8217;t run, how do you justify him serving as president right now if he doesn&#8217;t have the competence to run?&#8221; Guthrie asked.
&#8220;Well, my concern was whether he would be able to win, whether he would be able to prosecute the case against Donald Trump,&#8221; Schiff said. &#8220;I have every confidence in his abilities as president and his ability to continue doing the remarkable job that he&#8217;s doing, but I am very excited to throw my full support behind the vice president.&#8221;
Schiff essentially admitted that even though Democratic primary voters had overwhelmingly selected Biden, he was ready and willing to throw in with the other high-profile Democrats and major donors to negate their votes out of fear that Biden would not be able to win against Trump in November.
As CNN commentator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/delicious-cnns-scott-jennings-says-the-party-of-democracy-is-now-organizing-a-coup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Jennings</a> had stated earlier, &#8220;The party of democracy is now organizing a coup!&#8221;

Meet the Press  – Season 77

Schiff Says The Quiet Part Out Loud: Admits He Helped Dems Oust Biden Because He Was Losing