Republicans Would Be Stupid Not To Confirm Pete Hegseth As Secretary Of Defense
Already, a month after a significant political victory and a major inflection point, Republican officeholders are becoming our biggest obstacle to success. Again.Already, a month after a significant political victory and a major inflection point, Republican officeholders are becoming our biggest obstacle to success. Again.Trump and Gaetz both won despite AG withdrawal, says CNN political analyst
The fallout is still being sorted from former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida withdrawing his bid for U.S. attorney general Thursday, but one CNN analyst says both he and the president-elect won the round.
Many recoiled when President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of Gaetz to the highest law enforcement office last week, especially after allegations involving underage sex trafficking. On Wednesday, members of the House Ethics Committee said they could not reach an agreement to publicly release a report about the claims.
'Either way, he gets the support now of the MAGA community who thinks that Democrats and haters of Donald Trump are just trying to take down Matt Gaetz.'
After Gaetz issued his withdrawal announcement, CNN political analyst Mark Preston reiterated his claim that Trump and the Florida congressman would win no matter what the outcome of his nomination.
"I'm of the conspiratorial class on this one," said Preston while his fellow CNN panelists laughed.
"No, I really am! So this is how I think it plays out," he continued. "I think Matt Gaetz is on the airplane, this idea's hatched for him to become nominee for attorney general. He knows within a few days that this House report is going to get released, OK? Either way, he gets the support now of the MAGA community who thinks that Democrats and haters of Donald Trump are just trying to take down Matt Gaetz.
"Now if they're successful in doing so, Matt Gaetz becomes a pariah within a community when that report's gonna get released anyway, but yet he has already established support [of the MAGA community]. Or if he gets through, then Donald Trump gets what he wants, right?" Preston says.
He went on to say that it really didn't matter who Trump installs into the Department of Justice as long as that person does what Trump wants them to do.
"It doesn't have to be Matt Gaetz. It could be Matt Thompson, or Matt Barnes. It could be any Matt!" he joked.
Preston posted the video of his comments about the Gaetz stratagem on his social media account. He also had a warning about Republican senators who rejected the nomination.
"Trump -- let alone his supporters -- keep scorecards ... there is only so many times the @GOP Senators will be able to defy Trump before he turns the firehose on them," Preston wrote.
Gaetz has vehemently denied all of the allegations leveled against him.
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Dem Bucks County official backpedals on apparent vow to count illegal ballots: 'Misinterpretation'
Bucks County Board of Commissioners Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia (D) is backpedaling on her pledge to count illegal ballots in the Senate election between Democratic incumbent Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick.
While multiple news outlets declared McCormick the winner, Casey has refused to concede the race, instead demanding a recount since the results were within the 0.5% margin that could trigger such a review.
'Misinterpretation of [an] inartfully worded statement on my part.'
The recount has sparked concerns about election integrity after Ellis-Marseglia basically admitted she planned to defy the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's order not to count undated or misdated mail ballots.
"People violate laws any time they want," Ellis-Marseglia stated. "So, for me, if I violate this law it's because I want a court to pay attention. There's nothing more important than counting votes."
Again, on Monday, the state's Supreme Court ruled that undated and misdated ballots cannot be counted.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley accused Democrats of "brazenly trying to break the law by attempting to count illegal ballots" to "steal the seat" from the Republican candidate.
"The RNC has filed four lawsuits over this already and will fight for as long as necessary," Whatley said. "This is the exact kind of left-wing election interference that undermines voter confidence."
On Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) broke his silence on the matter, claiming that there was "a lack of legal clarity surrounding undated mail-in ballots that caused significant confusion and put counties in a challenging legal position."
He stated that county officials "were damned if they did and damned if they didn't — likely facing legal action no matter which decision they made on counting."
"As we move forward, I want to be clear: any insinuation that our laws can be ignored or do not matter is irresponsible and does damage the faith in our electoral process," Shapiro stated, presumably referring to Ellis-Marseglia's previous statement.
"The rule of law matters in this Commonwealth, and as I have always said, it is critical for counties and officials in both parties to respect it with both their rhetoric and their actions," he added.
Whatley called Shapiro's statement "better late than never."
"Heartening to see. Once Democrats came to the conclusion that even ignoring the Pennsylvania Supreme Court can't scrape up enough ballots to win ... Governor Shapiro suddenly discovers that he stands with the rule of law," Whatley said.
Later that day, Ellis-Marseglia appeared to backpedal on her previous comments, according to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
She blamed a "misinterpretation of [an] inartfully worded statement on my part."
"I apologize for all the upset and confusion it caused," she said.
Ellis-Marseglia claimed that the court's reaffirmed ruling on Monday provided some much-needed clarity.
"This is exactly what I was hoping for, for the court to weigh in and give us clarity," she said. "We were under a stay, and now we have full clarity."
Blaze News reached out to Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn to determine whether her office plans to open an investigation into the matter. However, Schorn did not respond to a request for comment.
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Trump And Vance Should Immediately Push A Populist, Family-Friendly Agenda
Trump and Vance need to make dramatic populist moves now while GOP voters' appetite for economic libertarianism has dwindled.Why Senators Would Rather Stick To The Status Quo Than Move On From The McConnell Era
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While Noem is certainly skilled at promoting herself, she doesn't have the courage required for this role.Republicans Can’t Afford To Elect Another Mitch McConnell As Senate Leader
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Republicans flipped another seat in the race for Senate after Ohio businessman Bernie Moreno defeated incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown'Stay in line!' Technical issues at polls not deterring voters in deep-red Pennsylvania county
The Trump campaign and Republican lawmakers are urging Pennsylvania voters to proceed to their polling places and to remain in line despite the malfunctions now affecting various voting machines in the Keystone State.
Footage went viral Tuesday morning showing an election official notifying frustrated Pennsylvania voters that the voting machines on site and elsewhere in Cambria County were down.
"Literally everybody in the county is having the exact same problem," said the official, adding that would-be voters could either wait in line or fill out a ballot for her to take later to the courthouse.
Concerned Americans flooded the comments with questions about possible election shenanigans, their confidence having likely already been shaken by recent reports of alleged "large scale" voter fraud and poll watchers being turned away in various areas in Pennsylvania.
'No one should be turned away from the polls if they wish to cast their vote.'
The Pennsylvania Department of State confirmed that the malfunctions were taking place in Cambria County, where Trump beat Biden in 2020 by 37 percentage points, and noted that "voters are continuing to vote by paper ballot, in accordance with normal operations, while the county resolves the issue with in-precinct scanning."
"We are working with the County to resolve this technical matter and remain committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe, and secure election," said the department.
Cambria County solicitor Ron Repak said in a statement:
The Cambria County Board of Election learned early this morning that a software malfunction in the County’s Electronic Voting System has prevented voters from scanning their ballots. This should not discourage voters from voting at their voting precincts. The Board has filed a Court Order extending the time to vote within Cambria County. No one should be turned away from the polls if they wish to cast their vote.
The Republican Party amplified the suggestion by Alex Meyer, deputy political director for the Trump campaign, that "voters should still proceed to their polling places as planned."
"The voting process is ongoing, and a court order has been filed in hopes of extended voting hours to 10pm to ensure everyone has an opportunity to cast their ballot," Meyer wrote on X.
'Do it for Corey.'
"Both electronic voting via express voting machines and hand-marked paper ballots are available at polling places. Completed ballots, regardless of format, will be accepted, secured, and counted by the Board of Elections," continued Meyer.
Meyer noted further that the county's board of elections has assured voters that all submitted ballots "will be safeguarded and included in the final count."
GOP chairman Michael Whatley emphasized the importance of voters remaining in line:
We understand that there are some line delays on the ground. We need you to stay in line. We need you to fill out your ballot in full and deliver it. Our Pennsylvania lawyers are all over this issue and will ensure fairness and accuracy in the process. Stay in line! Deliver your ballot!
Various other conservatives implored Republican voters to stick it out.
Jack Posobiec, senior editor at Human Events, wrote, for instance, "For every second you get stuck in line or face an issue at the polls[,] Remember there is one man who wasn't able to vote this year[.] A Pennsylvanian[.] His name was Corey Comperatore[.] Do it for Corey."
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna tweeted, "Stay in line!"
Mike Davis of the Article III Project noted that despite the voter machine issues, "Kamala Democrats are fighting in court against a mere 3-hour extension to ensure voters can vote. Kamala Democrats are fighting to disenfranchise voters on Election Day. Stay in line, Trump voters."
WTAJ-TV reported that just before 11 a.m., a court ordered that Cambria County polls will remain open until 10 p.m., affording voters additional time to cast their votes.
Pollsters have indicated that the election may hinge on the final result in Pennsylvania, where AtlasIntel's final poll showed President Donald Trump leading by 1 percentage point.
This is a developing story and may be updated with additional information.
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