VP Of CCP-Linked Gotion Offered Money, China Trip To Schmooze Local Official In Bid For Michigan Plant

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-07-at-1.49.36 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-07-at-1.49.36%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]The Federalist obtained texts revealing Gotion’s vice president of North American manufacturing kept a close relationship with the then-supervisor of Green Charter Township.

Oprah pulls out all the stops for Harris rally only to have the VP fumble on border question



Oprah Winfrey hosted a rally Thursday in Michigan, attempting to generate some excitement for Kamala Harris' campaign with the help of various wealthy Hollywood script-readers, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and identity-based booster groups.

After Winfrey spent roughly 25 minutes doing her best to convince potential voters that there is actually a "grassroots movement" behind Harris and that the vice president inspires "a real feeling of optimism and hope," Harris took the stage to knock back several softball questions.

Although the propagandic Q&A was designed to help Harris, it once again demonstrated that she is light on answers, heavy on platitudes, and incapable even in a friendly sit-down of offering actionable solutions to the problems she has helped create and exacerbate while vice president.

At one point, an audience member asked Harris — who oversaw the illegal entry of tens of millions of illegal aliens as border czar and condemned the border wall — what "specific steps to strengthening the border" she would take if elected president.

'I take very seriously the importance of having a secure border.'

"It's a wonderful and important question," said Harris. "I, you know my background was as a prosecutor, and I was also the elected attorney general for two terms of a border state. So this is not a theoretical issue for me. This is something I've actually worked on."

"I take very seriously the importance of having a secure border," continued Harris, "and ensuring the safety of the American people."

Aaron Heitke, the recently retired chief Border Patrol agent for the San Diego sector, cast doubt on Harris' commitment to Americans' security Wednesday, telling members of the House Homeland Security Committee that the Biden-Harris administration hid information about illegal aliens with terrorism ties from the American public as part of its effort to "quiet the border-wide crisis."

Heitke said, "The administration was trying to convince the public that there was no threat at the border."

Owing to the Biden-Harris administration's policies, the sector chief indicated the border went virtually undefended in various high-traffic areas for "weeks and months at a time," while unknown numbers of dangerous foreign nationals poured in.

Blaze News previously reported that at the same hearing, Patty Morin, mother of Rachel Morin, said, "They are bringing criminals into our country. They are allowing them into our smallest towns, and our people are dying."

Rachel Morin was savagely raped and murdered. The suspected perpetrator is an illegal alien who fled El Salvador to the U.S. last year after murdering a young woman.

Harris' meandering three-minute response culminated in a criticism of Republicans for not passing Democrats' so-called bipartisan border bill — legislation that would not have remedied the party's illegal immigration crisis, which could largely be resolved by actions taken by the executive branch.

Winfrey appeared keen to help orient Harris toward some semblance of an answer for the question of how she might address the crisis she has overseen.

"To answer Justin's question, now that that bill is gone and hasn't passed, will you introduce —" Winfrey said, at which point she was interrupted by the vice president.

"Absolutely," said Harris. "When I am elected as president of the United States, I will make sure that bill gets to my desk, and I will sign it into law."

The New York Post highlighted that Harris provided no additional policy proposals besides the one lawmakers already rejected.

In one of the more brazen moments of pandering during the interview, Harris attempted to paint herself as a supporter of the Second Amendment with the competence to shoot a home intruder.

"I'm a gun owner, too," said Harris. "If someone breaks in my house, they're getting shot."

"Some people have been pushing a real false choice — to suggest you're either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone's guns away," said Harris. "I'm in favor of the Second Amendment, and I'm in favor of assault-weapons bans, universal background checks, red-flag laws."

A video resurfaced earlier of Harris threatening to storm the homes of law-abiding Americans for surprise gun inspections.

In the 2007 footage taken at a San Francisco press conference, Harris said, "Just because you legally possess a gun in the sanctity of your locked home doesn't mean that we're not going to walk into that home and check to see if you're being responsible and safe in the way you conduct your affairs."

While politicians often change their positions as Harris has over immigration, fracking, and other issues since President Joe Biden's ouster from the race, the vice president recently made clear to CNN that her "values have not changed."

During the Oprah rally, the newly minted gun-toting border defender also spoke vaguely of national unity, despite her continued efforts to vilify her opponent, who has twice been targeted in assassination attempts, and the recent survey indicating nearly 1 in 3 Democrats polled said it "would be better if Trump had been killed."

Harris said:

This is a moment where we can and must come together, as Americans, understanding we have so much more in common than what separates us. Let's come together with the character that we are so proud of about who we are, which is, we are an optimistic people. We are an optimistic people. Americans by character are people who have dreams, and ambitions, and aspirations, we believe in what is possible, we believe in what can be. And we believe in fighting for that. That's how we came into being.

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Joe Biden is out, and THESE questions need answering



Last Friday, an unknown entity announced that Joe Biden would drop out of the race the following Sunday. This information was denied by both Joe Biden and the White House, however.

Then come Sunday, Joe Biden did indeed announce that he would decline the Democratic nomination and drop out of the 2024 presidential election. Interestingly, this bombshell of an announcement came via social media.

Apparently, Biden’s decision to drop out was a result of “money, polling,” the fear that his continued campaign would “wipe out the Democratic party,” and because “staff, friends, [and] donors all abandoned Joe Biden.”

“Something doesn’t smell right,” says Glenn Beck, who has some questions.

5 DISTURBING Questions After Biden Dropped Out & Endorsed Kamala Harriswww.youtube.com

1. “Why didn't he address it from the Oval [Office] like all other presidents?”

Glenn suspects that the answer to that is because there was “a gun waiting to go off.”

“You have until 2:00pm on Sunday to resign or ... what?” he speculates.

2. “What did Joe Biden get in return for resigning? Were there promises made by anyone that ‘we will make sure that you're not held responsible for any of those crimes that you might have committed?’”

“They can pardon him if he's not the president, [and] they can pardon his family,” says Glenn.

Plus, they can point to Trump and say “if Trump gets in, it's going to be just revenge,” so “ we had to” remove Biden in order to pardon him before the administration shifts.

3. “Why [do] you jettison [Biden] and say it’s because he’s not capable” but you allow him “to run the country for the next six months?”

“That bothers me,” says Glenn, adding that the decision is a clear "inconsistency."

That’s just the beginning of his questions though. To hear Glenn’s inquiries and speculations in regard to Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ fearmongering about losing democracy, and the Democratic open primary that will select a new presidential nominee, watch the clip above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

5 DISTURBING Questions After Biden Dropped Out & Endorsed Kamala Harris

5 DISTURBING Questions After Biden Dropped Out & Endorsed Kamala Harris

Trump campaign and RNC sue Gov. Whitmer over her part in Biden's 'election interference' scheme



President Joe Biden's effort to compel federal agencies to mobilize favorable voting blocs has encountered another serious setback, this time in Michigan.

Background

The Heritage Foundation's government watchdog Oversight Project revealed via a Blaze News exclusive in May how the dutiful enactment of Biden's Executive Order 14019 could play out as "election interference."

The EO takes for granted that minorities, particularly black people, are disproportionately met today with "significant obstacles" to voting, especially by "voter identification laws and limited opportunities to vote by mail."

To rectify this supposed problem affecting groups that disproportionately vote Democrat, Biden suggested it is critical that his administration enmesh itself more fully in the election process and compelled federal agencies to "consider ways to expand citizens' opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process."

Mike Howell, executive director of the Oversight Project, previously pointed out to Blaze News how Demos, a leftist think tank whose 2020 recommendations to the Biden administration ostensibly inspired EO 14019, boasted that the so-called "BidenBucks" scheme could bring in as many as 3 million new voter registrations per year.

Even though Biden's decrepitude has hurt him in the polls in the aftermath of his disastrous debate with President Donald Trump, millions of votes in critical swing states could nevertheless tip the election in his favor.

'The Biden administration’s desperation to unfairly and illegally win the election knows no bounds.'

Besides exposing various agencies' strategic plans, the Oversight Project highlighted three ways states could derail the scheme: Pass laws attacking the application of the order with regard to presidential elections; frustrate the scheme with complaints about possible Hatch Act violations; and remove or attack designations of federal agencies to act under the National Voter Registration Act that were not provided by the state or were provided without appropriate authority.

Some Republicans were apparently paying attention.

Fighting back

Earlier this month, Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales (R) revealed he had taken action accordingly, informing federal agencies and departments active in his state that they were prohibited from engaging in voter registration and other election activities without state authorization.

Morales noted in a letter to the various EO-guided agencies in Indiana, "If your agency has been distributing voter registration forms or assisting the public with voter registration or absentee voting forms, you are requested to discontinue such action immediately, as the unauthorized conduct of such activity is likely violative of Indiana and federal law."

"States know best when it comes to our elections," Morales wrote on X. "We don't need federal government overreach to run safe, secure elections!"

Last week, the America First Policy Institute, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), Republican Texas Reps. Ronny Jackson and Beth Van Duyne, and others filed a lawsuit against Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and several other big names in the Democratic administration over the EO, claiming Biden and his cabinet officials "have usurped States' role in registering voters and redirected federal resources to partisan voter mobilization efforts, in violation of federal law."

Echoing many of the concerns raised by the Oversight Project, the complaint noted that Biden's "EO and its implementing agency actions violate federal law, including multiple violations of the Administrative Procedure Act."

It also emphasized that the EO unconstitutionally expands the federal government's role in elections.

"The Biden administration’s desperation to unfairly and illegally win the election knows no bounds," Rep. Jackson said in a statement. "Instead of instilling policies that Americans want and need, they turn to the well-oiled D.C. swamp filled to the brim with deep state loyalists to illegally register voters in an attempt to help them win."

LaRose noted, "This is a cynical attempt to turn government agencies into a Democratic turnout machine, and it's wrong. That's why I'm joining this lawsuit and working to hold the administration accountable."

Taking Whitmer to court

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and her administration appear especially keen to help see through Biden's initiative.

The Oversight Project indicated that the U.S. Small Business Administration announced an agreement with the Michigan Department of State to aid in the realization of Biden's EO.

That's particularly troubling given that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's poor track record when it comes to elections. A court determined in 2021 that she violated state law by unilaterally altering absentee voting rules ahead of the 2020 election. She also worked closely with Mark Zuckerberg-funded groups to influence state elections in 2019.

— (@)

The Trump campaign, the Michigan Republican Party, and the Republican National Convention sued the Biden administration, Whitmer, and Benson on Monday over the "BidenBucks" scheme.

The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan accused Whitmer of issuing an executive directive in December to designate several state and federal agencies as voter registration agencies — including the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs — despite lacking the legislative authorization to do so.

'This is an illegal attempt by Biden, Whitmer, Benson, and the party in power to manipulate our country's most important election.'

The lawsuit indicated further that Benson, who similarly lacks such authorization, did likewise, designating various Small Business Administration offices throughout the state VRAs.

"Because these unauthorized actions do not represent lawful designations by the State of Michigan for purposes of Section 7 of the NVRA, the designated VA and SBA offices are not lawfully operating as VRAs under federal law," said the complaint.

The Oversight Project previously indicated that the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 provides that federal and nongovernmental offices can only "engage in the type of activities directed by the Executive Order if a state 'designate[s]' that office to act as a voter registration agency."

The plaintiffs are seeking a "permanent injunction barring the State Defendants from designating any VRAs without express authorization from the Michigan Legislature."

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement, "The federal government should not be using American taxpayers' dollars to conduct unauthorized voter registration activities."

"This is an illegal attempt by Biden, Whitmer, Benson, and the party in power to manipulate our country's most important election," continued Whatley. "We are committed to stopping this election integrity violation and securing our elections."

The Oversight Project said of the lawsuit, "The exposure of the 'BidenBucks' scheme to turn the entire Federal government into President @JoeBiden campaign's get-out-the-vote is in legal jeopardy."

A spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of State told Blaze News in a statement, "It is unfortunate that this divisive, partisan lawsuit was filed yesterday. Making it easier for veterans and small business owners in Michigan to register to vote should not be controversial."

The spokeswoman added, "We will review this and any other litigation that comes our way but remain committed to ensuring that every Michigan voter has the tools and resources they need to participate in every election."

Blaze News also reached out to the governor's office but did not immediately receive a response.

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Michigan residents could be fined and imprisoned for using wrong pronouns under Democrats' new bill



Democrats in Michigan's state House have passed a hate speech bill (HB 4474) that could possibly subject those who refer to transvestites by their real names, use the pronouns corresponding with a purported victim's biological sex, or have their criticisms of gender ideology taken personally by an accuser to felony charges, hefty fines, and jail time.

"As it is written, the risk that disfavored opinions will become criminal under this legislation is too severe," warned state Rep. Andrew Fink (R) ahead of the 59-50 House vote on June 20 advancing the bill.

The legislation, which would amend the Ethnic Intimidation Act, states that a "person is guilty of a hate crime if that person maliciously and intentionally ... intimidates another individual" based wholly or in part on that person's "gender identity or expression."

Those perceived to be in violation are guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment of up to two years and/or a fine of up to $5,000. If the so-called victim of the perceived intimidation is under the age of 18 and the offender is at least 19 years old, then the prison sentence can be extended to five years and the fine doubled.

The legislation, proposed by LGBT activist and state Rep. Noah Arbit (D), defines "gender identity or expression" as "having or being perceived as having a gender-related self-identity or expression whether or not associated with an individual's assigned sex at birth."

Intimidation is defined as "a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened, and that actually causes the victim to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened."

— (@)

The Daily Mail reported that if this bill is ultimately ratified, then penalties would be based on how alleged victims "feel" about so-called efforts to intimidate.

With leftists and once-respected medical institutions claiming that "deadnaming" and "misgendering" are harmful and this legislation leaving it up to accusers' feelings to to determine what is criminal, the bill could have a significant chilling effect on free speech, particularly for those noncompliant with LGBT activists' speech codes.

Earlier iterations would likely have made matters even worse.

Democrats initially scrubbed the requirement that the intimidation be intentional and executed with malicious intent.

Additionally, an earlier iteration of the bill would have enabled so-called victims of nonviolent offenses to take legal action even if the alleged offender had been found innocent in a court of law. To bring a civil cause of action, the alleged victims would only need to claim that they suffered "severe mental anguish" as a result of the so-called hate crimes. They would have been able to seek damages of $25,000.

William Wagner, distinguished professor emeritus at Cooley Law School and former U.S. magistrate judge for the Northern District of Florida, told the Daily Wire, "Make no mistake about it. Those advocating for this legislation will wield these policies as a weapon capable of destroying conservative expression or viewpoints grounded in the sacred."

"One merely needs to look at the scores of cases brought against schools, churches, businesses, and individuals around our country. Proponents use these laws to silence and financially cripple those who dare to adhere to a different viewpoint and oppose their agenda," added Wagner.

According to the former magistrate judge, under HB 4474, someone who overhears a religious preacher's sermon or reads a conservative writer could claim intimidation, citing an attack on his or her "perceived gender identity."

State Rep. Angela Rigas (R) told the Wire, "The state of Michigan is now explicitly allowing the gender delusion issue to be used as a 'protected class,'" said Rigas. "This opens up numerous issues when it comes to the courts and the continued weaponization of the system against conservatives. ... We saw similar concerns when they wanted to pass blocks on 'conversion' therapy. It seems Dems want to be in the business of telling people how to think. We are determined to keep choice and opinion a free choice despite those efforts."

Besides its potential for weaponization by LGBT activists against conservatives, Wagner stressed that the law is unconstitutional because "the bill determines what is criminal 'after the action,' the opposite of the due process required by the Constitution."

Wagner told the House Criminal Justice Committee earlier this month, "We’re talking millions of dollars for the state in attorney fees that they’ll have to pay when this is challenged, and it inevitably will be by one side or the other."

Arbit maintains that "these bills do not infringe on anyone’s constitutional right," reported WEMU.

"Threats and violence and things of that nature and protecting against crime is certainly something that we absolutely should be doing in Michigan. But we shouldn't be building that around an individual's feelings of being frightened," Republican State Rep. Steve Carra told CBS News Detroit. "Scrap this bill. This is not a bill that we need for the state of Michigan."

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The Rick & Bubba Show - LIVE - Oct. 27, 2022

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