GOP operative comes forward as accuser in sexual misconduct claim against CPAC head By Beth Reinhard and Isaac Arnsdorf March 08, 2023 at 17:43 ET The man who has accused Matt Schlapp, the influential leader of the Conservative Political Action Conference, of sexual misconduct came forward publicly Wednesday after a judge said he must use his real name to proceed with a lawsuit. Carlton Huffman, 39, a longtime aide to Republican campaigns who lives in Raleigh, N.C., said he plans to amend the previously anonymous lawsuit, which seeks $9.4 million in damages for alleged sexual battery and defamation. “I’m not backing away,” Huffman said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I’m not going to drop this. Matt Schlapp did what he did and he needs to be held accountable.” Schlapp, 55, has denied Huffman’s claims that he groped his crotch and invited him to his hotel room during an October trip to Atlanta to campaign for Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Schlapp’s lawyer argued Wednesday that by proceeding anonymously, Huffman was trying to avoid scrutiny of his own record — including expressing extremist views on a white-supremacist blog and radio show more than a decade ago. “I strongly believe we cannot defend this case — and it’s a multimillion-dollar case — without being able to use his name,” said Benjamin Chew, Schlapp’s lawyer. Alexandria Circuit Court Chief Judge Lisa Bondareff Kemler described “balancing” the request for anonymity with the public’s interest in knowing the accuser’s identity and the ability of Schlapp and his wife, Mercedes, to defend themselves. Mercedes Schlapp is also accused of defamation in the suit.
continues.....
I'm not victim blaming here, but when the accuser said “That is not who I am anymore.” gives me pause. if he is a gop operative, for this current gop in 2023, there is a high likelihood that he is the exact same person he was when he made those hateful statements in the past.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
GOP operative comes forward as accuser in sexual misconduct claim against CPAC head By Beth Reinhard and Isaac Arnsdorf March 08, 2023 at 17:43 ET The man who has accused Matt Schlapp, the influential leader of the Conservative Political Action Conference, of sexual misconduct came forward publicly Wednesday after a judge said he must use his real name to proceed with a lawsuit. Carlton Huffman, 39, a longtime aide to Republican campaigns who lives in Raleigh, N.C., said he plans to amend the previously anonymous lawsuit, which seeks $9.4 million in damages for alleged sexual battery and defamation. “I’m not backing away,” Huffman said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I’m not going to drop this. Matt Schlapp did what he did and he needs to be held accountable.” Schlapp, 55, has denied Huffman’s claims that he groped his crotch and invited him to his hotel room during an October trip to Atlanta to campaign for Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Schlapp’s lawyer argued Wednesday that by proceeding anonymously, Huffman was trying to avoid scrutiny of his own record — including expressing extremist views on a white-supremacist blog and radio show more than a decade ago. “I strongly believe we cannot defend this case — and it’s a multimillion-dollar case — without being able to use his name,” said Benjamin Chew, Schlapp’s lawyer. Alexandria Circuit Court Chief Judge Lisa Bondareff Kemler described “balancing” the request for anonymity with the public’s interest in knowing the accuser’s identity and the ability of Schlapp and his wife, Mercedes, to defend themselves. Mercedes Schlapp is also accused of defamation in the suit.
continues.....
I'm not victim blaming here, but when the accuser said “That is not who I am anymore.” gives me pause. if he is a gop operative, for this current gop in 2023, there is a high likelihood that he is the exact same person he was when he made those hateful statements in the past.
Sure, but that doesn't mean the db Schlapp didn't try to give him a handy. Maybe they can both go away.
GOP operative comes forward as accuser in sexual misconduct claim against CPAC head By Beth Reinhard and Isaac Arnsdorf March 08, 2023 at 17:43 ET The man who has accused Matt Schlapp, the influential leader of the Conservative Political Action Conference, of sexual misconduct came forward publicly Wednesday after a judge said he must use his real name to proceed with a lawsuit. Carlton Huffman, 39, a longtime aide to Republican campaigns who lives in Raleigh, N.C., said he plans to amend the previously anonymous lawsuit, which seeks $9.4 million in damages for alleged sexual battery and defamation. “I’m not backing away,” Huffman said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I’m not going to drop this. Matt Schlapp did what he did and he needs to be held accountable.” Schlapp, 55, has denied Huffman’s claims that he groped his crotch and invited him to his hotel room during an October trip to Atlanta to campaign for Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Schlapp’s lawyer argued Wednesday that by proceeding anonymously, Huffman was trying to avoid scrutiny of his own record — including expressing extremist views on a white-supremacist blog and radio show more than a decade ago. “I strongly believe we cannot defend this case — and it’s a multimillion-dollar case — without being able to use his name,” said Benjamin Chew, Schlapp’s lawyer. Alexandria Circuit Court Chief Judge Lisa Bondareff Kemler described “balancing” the request for anonymity with the public’s interest in knowing the accuser’s identity and the ability of Schlapp and his wife, Mercedes, to defend themselves. Mercedes Schlapp is also accused of defamation in the suit.
continues.....
I'm not victim blaming here, but when the accuser said “That is not who I am anymore.” gives me pause. if he is a gop operative, for this current gop in 2023, there is a high likelihood that he is the exact same person he was when he made those hateful statements in the past.
Sure, but that doesn't mean the db Schlapp didn't try to give him a handy. Maybe they can both go away.
exactly. a bad person did a bad thing to another likely bad person.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Oh shit....breaking that Fox edited out tRump telling Hannity that he would let Russia have some of Ukraine
LOL
What's the big deal? We let millions of Mexicans etc. have parts of our country that most of us don't want them to have.
Mexicans Uhmm nice fellow you are! I’ll take 1 Latin American immigrant against 5 American bums any day of the week! What part of your neighborhood have they taken?
Ex-GOP Ohio speaker, lobbyist guilty in $60M bribery scheme
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
1 hour ago
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Republican Party Chair Matt Borges were convicted Thursday in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history.
A jury in Cincinnati found the two guilty of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering. Each faces up to 20 years in prison.
The government’s prosecution team was able to show that “Householder sold the Statehouse" and betrayed the people he was elected to serve, and that Borges was “a willing co-conspirator,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth Parker said in a statement.
“Through its verdict today, the jury reaffirmed that the illegal acts committed by both men will not be tolerated and that they should be held accountable,” Parker said.
The man who brought the case, Parker's predecessor David DeVillers, tweeted: “The line between influence peddling and bribery will now be drawn by the rule of law and not by politicians, lobbyists and corporations."
“We are incredibly disappointed in the verdict,” Householder's attorney Steven Bradley said in an email. “We will take some time to evaluate all of our legal options and will most certainly pursue an appeal. Our client is looking forward to going home to be with his wife and family during this very difficult time.”
The attorney representing Borges, 50, did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press on Thursday. The verdict comes two-and-a-half years after Borges, Householder and three others were arrested.
Prosecutors alleged that Householder, 63, orchestrated a scheme secretly funded by FirstEnergy Corp. to secure his power in the Legislature, elect his allies — and then to pass and defend legislation that delivered a $1 billion nuclear power plant bailout to the Akron-based electric utility. They alleged that Borges, then a lobbyist, sought to bribe Tyler Fehrman, an operative, for inside information on the referendum to overturn the bailout law.
“Justice,” Fehrman, tweeted after the verdicts came down.
In a phone interview, Fehrman said that the outcome proved the risk he took wearing a wire for the FBI as part of the government’s investigation was worth it.
“For them to come back and find both of them guilty, and after not too long, is just such a relief,” he said. “It is a good day for Ohioans. This stuff just can’t continue to happen.”
Householder had been one of Ohio’s most powerful politicians — an historically twice-elected speaker before his indictment. After his arrest, the Republican-controlled House ousted him from his leadership post, but he refused to resign for months on grounds he was innocent until proven guilty. In a bipartisan vote, representatives ultimately ousted him from the chamber, the first such expulsion in Ohio in 150 years.
In a move that may have been pivotal in the trial's outcome, Householder took the stand in his own defense. Appearing confident and relaxed, he spent a day contradicting FBI testimony, defending his support for the bailout bill — known as House Bill 6 — and denying that he attended swanky Washington dinners where prosecutors alleged he and FirstEnergy executives hatched the scheme in 2017. But prosecutors eviscerated his claims on cross-examination the next day.
Rachael Belz, CEO of the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action, said she hopes that the trial and guilty verdicts turn the tide in Ohio politics.
“We don’t believe that utilities funneling millions of dollars through shell corporations to drive state policy is how our state government should work, nor do Ohio voters,” she said in a statement. Belz held the decision up as evidence that Ohioans expect and deserve better.
“After so many years of utility-controlled energy policy that favored fossil fuels, Ohio must now move toward equitable, forward-looking solutions that will protect our air and water, the health of Ohioans, and provide clean energy jobs to keep Ohio competitive in the 21st-century economy,” Belz said.
Borges did not testify at trial but has insisted that he’s innocent. His attorneys argued that he was entirely uninvolved with the pay-to-play scheme, while Householder's team portrayed his actions as nothing more than hardball politics.
“The bottom line is that Larry Householder was engaged in political activity, not criminal activity,” his attorney Steven Bradley told jurors during closing statements. He said the government's investigation was flimsy and full of holes, calling it “a nothing burger.”
But over the previous six weeks, jurors had been presented with firsthand accounts of the alleged scheme, as well as reams of financial documents, emails, texts and wire-tap audio.
The prosecution called two of the people arrested — Juan Cespedes and Jeff Longstreth — to testify about political contributions that they said are not ordinary, but bribes intended to secure passage of the bailout legislation.
Householder’s attorneys pushed back on arguments about their recollections, as well as their motivations. Both have pleaded guilty and are cooperating in hopes of a deal with the government.
Jurors also heard taped phone calls in which Householder and another co-defendant, the late Statehouse superlobbyist Neil Clark, plotted a nasty attack ad — and, in expletive-laced fashion, contemplated revenge against lawmakers who had crossed Householder.
Clark, who died by suicide in March 2021, was also heard describing to undercover FBI agents posing as developers how he was directing cash through Generation Now, a dark money group that has also pleaded guilty, to keep it secret.
Householder testified that he never retaliated against those who voted counter to his wishes or who donated to his rivals. He told jurors that the set-up advanced his interests, which were the same as Ohio's interests, because they involved good policy.
Randazzo resigned as chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio after an FBI search of his home, but he has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. The government has asked the PUCO to delay its own internal investigation into FirstEnergy while their probe continues.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Oh shit....breaking that Fox edited out tRump telling Hannity that he would let Russia have some of Ukraine
LOL
What's the big deal? We let millions of Mexicans etc. have parts of our country that most of us don't want them to have.
Are you aware of what is happening to Fox News at the moment?
Yes I see a Twitter Files hearing showing how the Democrats colluded with Twitter to illegally censor free speech and effect an election.
How can twitter illegally censor speech? They are not a govt entity.
Second, the "democrats" were not in charge of the executive branch. Who precisely reached out to Twitter and what power of gov't would they have and what did they threaten?
Last, are you saying that the NY Post article about Hunter's laptop was available nowhere else? I couldn't go to the NYPost.com and see it or pick up a copy?
Oh shit....breaking that Fox edited out tRump telling Hannity that he would let Russia have some of Ukraine
LOL
What's the big deal? We let millions of Mexicans etc. have parts of our country that most of us don't want them to have.
Are you aware of what is happening to Fox News at the moment?
Yes I see a Twitter Files hearing showing how the Democrats colluded with Twitter to illegally censor free speech and effect an election.
How can twitter illegally censor speech? They are not a govt entity.
Second, the "democrats" were not in charge of the executive branch. Who precisely reached out to Twitter and what power of gov't would they have and what did they threaten?
Last, are you saying that the NY Post article about Hunter's laptop was available nowhere else? I couldn't go to the NYPost.com and see it or pick up a copy?
I'm guessing you won't answer these questions.
Uh! Sorry I said Democrats but meant to say DOJ which was made up of both Democrats and Repubs. It has been awhile since I combed through the documents but I remember seeing James Baker amongst other having communications with Twitter so that would be the govt entity.
From what I read the DOJ didn't have to do any threatening as Twitter was more than happy to take a hint (wink wink) and suppress the stories that the DOJ said to look out for and as they got active with their suppression didn't need much more help from the feds as they now had free reign and could put the pedal to the metal on censorship.
The New York Post was about the only place you were going to find a copy of the story as all of the social media giants such as Twitter, FB, Google, Youtube (need I go on) jumped on the suppression of the story. The gov't even had like 50 past alphabet agency executives write a letter saying that the story was Russian disinformation. (They just can't help themselves with the Russian thing can they).
Oh shit....breaking that Fox edited out tRump telling Hannity that he would let Russia have some of Ukraine
LOL
What's the big deal? We let millions of Mexicans etc. have parts of our country that most of us don't want them to have.
Are you aware of what is happening to Fox News at the moment?
Yes I see a Twitter Files hearing showing how the Democrats colluded with Twitter to illegally censor free speech and effect an election.
How can twitter illegally censor speech? They are not a govt entity.
Second, the "democrats" were not in charge of the executive branch. Who precisely reached out to Twitter and what power of gov't would they have and what did they threaten?
Last, are you saying that the NY Post article about Hunter's laptop was available nowhere else? I couldn't go to the NYPost.com and see it or pick up a copy?
I'm guessing you won't answer these questions.
Uh! Sorry I said Democrats but meant to say DOJ which was made up of both Democrats and Repubs. It has been awhile since I combed through the documents but I remember seeing James Baker amongst other having communications with Twitter so that would be the govt entity.
From what I read the DOJ didn't have to do any threatening as Twitter was more than happy to take a hint (wink wink) and suppress the stories that the DOJ said to look out for and as they got active with their suppression didn't need much more help from the feds as they now had free reign and could put the pedal to the metal on censorship.
The New York Post was about the only place you were going to find a copy of the story as all of the social media giants such as Twitter, FB, Google, Youtube (need I go on) jumped on the suppression of the story. The gov't even had like 50 past alphabet agency executives write a letter saying that the story was Russian disinformation. (They just can't help themselves with the Russian thing can they).
I guess your guess was wrong!
“Comb through” 😂
The documents refer to how often twitter shot down government requests. But if a law was broken, which one was it?
Oh shit....breaking that Fox edited out tRump telling Hannity that he would let Russia have some of Ukraine
LOL
What's the big deal? We let millions of Mexicans etc. have parts of our country that most of us don't want them to have.
Are you aware of what is happening to Fox News at the moment?
Yes I see a Twitter Files hearing showing how the Democrats colluded with Twitter to illegally censor free speech and effect an election.
How can twitter illegally censor speech? They are not a govt entity.
Second, the "democrats" were not in charge of the executive branch. Who precisely reached out to Twitter and what power of gov't would they have and what did they threaten?
Last, are you saying that the NY Post article about Hunter's laptop was available nowhere else? I couldn't go to the NYPost.com and see it or pick up a copy?
I'm guessing you won't answer these questions.
Uh! Sorry I said Democrats but meant to say DOJ which was made up of both Democrats and Repubs. It has been awhile since I combed through the documents but I remember seeing James Baker amongst other having communications with Twitter so that would be the govt entity.
From what I read the DOJ didn't have to do any threatening as Twitter was more than happy to take a hint (wink wink) and suppress the stories that the DOJ said to look out for and as they got active with their suppression didn't need much more help from the feds as they now had free reign and could put the pedal to the metal on censorship.
The New York Post was about the only place you were going to find a copy of the story as all of the social media giants such as Twitter, FB, Google, Youtube (need I go on) jumped on the suppression of the story. The gov't even had like 50 past alphabet agency executives write a letter saying that the story was Russian disinformation. (They just can't help themselves with the Russian thing can they).
I guess your guess was wrong!
I guess you didn't watch the hearings hosted by Gym Jordan where the Twatter executives testified that the POOTWH White House specifically requested that anti-POOTWH twats be taken down? DOJ made Twatter and both campaigns aware of putin on the ritz disinformation attempts but made no specific request to suppress Hunter's laptop and Twatter, upon confirmation of the Hunter laptop story via NYPost or Ruddy Ghouliani releasing the hard drives for confirmation, would have not suppressed the story. This is sworn testimony under oath.
I remember reading all about the Hunter laptop story before the election in the NYT and WaPo. It was hardly suppressed. What is suppressed to this day are the contents of the hard drives and the chain of custody of them, although its known that they may very well have been tampered with.
Oh shit....breaking that Fox edited out tRump telling Hannity that he would let Russia have some of Ukraine
LOL
What's the big deal? We let millions of Mexicans etc. have parts of our country that most of us don't want them to have.
Are you aware of what is happening to Fox News at the moment?
Yes I see a Twitter Files hearing showing how the Democrats colluded with Twitter to illegally censor free speech and effect an election.
How can twitter illegally censor speech? They are not a govt entity.
Second, the "democrats" were not in charge of the executive branch. Who precisely reached out to Twitter and what power of gov't would they have and what did they threaten?
Last, are you saying that the NY Post article about Hunter's laptop was available nowhere else? I couldn't go to the NYPost.com and see it or pick up a copy?
I'm guessing you won't answer these questions.
Uh! Sorry I said Democrats but meant to say DOJ which was made up of both Democrats and Repubs. It has been awhile since I combed through the documents but I remember seeing James Baker amongst other having communications with Twitter so that would be the govt entity.
From what I read the DOJ didn't have to do any threatening as Twitter was more than happy to take a hint (wink wink) and suppress the stories that the DOJ said to look out for and as they got active with their suppression didn't need much more help from the feds as they now had free reign and could put the pedal to the metal on censorship.
The New York Post was about the only place you were going to find a copy of the story as all of the social media giants such as Twitter, FB, Google, Youtube (need I go on) jumped on the suppression of the story. The gov't even had like 50 past alphabet agency executives write a letter saying that the story was Russian disinformation. (They just can't help themselves with the Russian thing can they).
I guess your guess was wrong!
Thanks for answering. Let's pull this apart.
First, the DOJ was overseen by Bill Barr, the Republican. The FBI director was/is Chris Wray, a lifetime Republican. I think the accusation you are leveling is the one where the FBI warned Twitter against potential Russian disinformation. So assuming we agree on all of that, the questions are:
1. Are you suggesting Chris Wray was unaware that the FBI was warning Twitter? What about Bill Barr? In fact, just today Wray testified:
“I don’t believe FBI personnel were in contact with Twitter about the Hunter Biden laptop stories specifically,” Wray claimed.
“I think there were people in contact with Twitter about Russian disinformation efforts.”
“In that particular instance, I do remember hearing that we had received a request from the White House to make sure that we evaluated this tweet and that they wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement directed toward the president,” Navaroli said.
That's a pretty direct request from the gov't right there.
3. The NY Post was the original reporter. No one asked them to take down the story. Do you think that media companies should be required to carry certain content? Should Twitter be required to post stories, or are they a private company and they get to choose? As an example, should Fox News have been required to report on Stormy and Trump? I don't think so. Companies should be free to choose what to report (or not).
The FBI isn't perfect, I have my own problems with their history. But this is all manufactured outrage.
Oh shit....breaking that Fox edited out tRump telling Hannity that he would let Russia have some of Ukraine
LOL
What's the big deal? We let millions of Mexicans etc. have parts of our country that most of us don't want them to have.
Are you aware of what is happening to Fox News at the moment?
Yes I see a Twitter Files hearing showing how the Democrats colluded with Twitter to illegally censor free speech and effect an election.
How can twitter illegally censor speech? They are not a govt entity.
Second, the "democrats" were not in charge of the executive branch. Who precisely reached out to Twitter and what power of gov't would they have and what did they threaten?
Last, are you saying that the NY Post article about Hunter's laptop was available nowhere else? I couldn't go to the NYPost.com and see it or pick up a copy?
I'm guessing you won't answer these questions.
Uh! Sorry I said Democrats but meant to say DOJ which was made up of both Democrats and Repubs. It has been awhile since I combed through the documents but I remember seeing James Baker amongst other having communications with Twitter so that would be the govt entity.
From what I read the DOJ didn't have to do any threatening as Twitter was more than happy to take a hint (wink wink) and suppress the stories that the DOJ said to look out for and as they got active with their suppression didn't need much more help from the feds as they now had free reign and could put the pedal to the metal on censorship.
The New York Post was about the only place you were going to find a copy of the story as all of the social media giants such as Twitter, FB, Google, Youtube (need I go on) jumped on the suppression of the story. The gov't even had like 50 past alphabet agency executives write a letter saying that the story was Russian disinformation. (They just can't help themselves with the Russian thing can they).
I guess your guess was wrong!
Thanks for answering. Let's pull this apart.
First, the DOJ was overseen by Bill Barr, the Republican. The FBI director was/is Chris Wray, a lifetime Republican. I think the accusation you are leveling is the one where the FBI warned Twitter against potential Russian disinformation. So assuming we agree on all of that, the questions are:
1. Are you suggesting Chris Wray was unaware that the FBI was warning Twitter? What about Bill Barr? In fact, just today Wray testified:
“I don’t believe FBI personnel were in contact with Twitter about the Hunter Biden laptop stories specifically,” Wray claimed.
“I think there were people in contact with Twitter about Russian disinformation efforts.”
“In that particular instance, I do remember hearing that we had received a request from the White House to make sure that we evaluated this tweet and that they wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement directed toward the president,” Navaroli said.
That's a pretty direct request from the gov't right there.
3. The NY Post was the original reporter. No one asked them to take down the story. Do you think that media companies should be required to carry certain content? Should Twitter be required to post stories, or are they a private company and they get to choose? As an example, should Fox News have been required to report on Stormy and Trump? I don't think so. Companies should be free to choose what to report (or not).
The FBI isn't perfect, I have my own problems with their history. But this is all manufactured outrage.
Yes Bill Barr and Chris Wray are lifetime Republican Swamp Rats just like James Comey and Jim Baker who was the DOJ lawyer before going to work for Twitter along with many other ex govt employees. Hmmmm.....
Chris Wray can testify all he wants under oath and I won't believe everything he says just like I didn't believe Comey, Rod Rosentstein and several other top alphabet organization officials who got ran out of there.
I went back and found another Twitter File article where Adam Schiff was the culprit in trying to get Twitter to censor people. I would think he qualifies as a govt official? He's one of the biggest liars in the business so he fits right in. There are several other twitter files showcasing other govt officials communicating with Twitter I just don't have time to pull them up.
Agree with what you say about the NY Post being the author and can sell it all they want but they immediately had their Twitter account suspended as well as their Youtube videos taken down and or labeled as misinfo. Google also shadowbanned them on their search engine. Of course as you said they are all private companies and can do what they want but my problem is that Section 230(c) of the Communication Act gives them immunity from any liability aka free reign to do whatever they want and not get sewed over it so they can just run amok however they see fit and that is not fair. Take away their protections and lets see what they do!
Jack Dorsey and Zuckerberg professed that they were just conduits for free speech and not a publishing company well you could of fooled me!
Oh shit....breaking that Fox edited out tRump telling Hannity that he would let Russia have some of Ukraine
LOL
What's the big deal? We let millions of Mexicans etc. have parts of our country that most of us don't want them to have.
Are you aware of what is happening to Fox News at the moment?
Yes I see a Twitter Files hearing showing how the Democrats colluded with Twitter to illegally censor free speech and effect an election.
How can twitter illegally censor speech? They are not a govt entity.
Second, the "democrats" were not in charge of the executive branch. Who precisely reached out to Twitter and what power of gov't would they have and what did they threaten?
Last, are you saying that the NY Post article about Hunter's laptop was available nowhere else? I couldn't go to the NYPost.com and see it or pick up a copy?
I'm guessing you won't answer these questions.
Uh! Sorry I said Democrats but meant to say DOJ which was made up of both Democrats and Repubs. It has been awhile since I combed through the documents but I remember seeing James Baker amongst other having communications with Twitter so that would be the govt entity.
From what I read the DOJ didn't have to do any threatening as Twitter was more than happy to take a hint (wink wink) and suppress the stories that the DOJ said to look out for and as they got active with their suppression didn't need much more help from the feds as they now had free reign and could put the pedal to the metal on censorship.
The New York Post was about the only place you were going to find a copy of the story as all of the social media giants such as Twitter, FB, Google, Youtube (need I go on) jumped on the suppression of the story. The gov't even had like 50 past alphabet agency executives write a letter saying that the story was Russian disinformation. (They just can't help themselves with the Russian thing can they).
I guess your guess was wrong!
Thanks for answering. Let's pull this apart.
First, the DOJ was overseen by Bill Barr, the Republican. The FBI director was/is Chris Wray, a lifetime Republican. I think the accusation you are leveling is the one where the FBI warned Twitter against potential Russian disinformation. So assuming we agree on all of that, the questions are:
1. Are you suggesting Chris Wray was unaware that the FBI was warning Twitter? What about Bill Barr? In fact, just today Wray testified:
“I don’t believe FBI personnel were in contact with Twitter about the Hunter Biden laptop stories specifically,” Wray claimed.
“I think there were people in contact with Twitter about Russian disinformation efforts.”
“In that particular instance, I do remember hearing that we had received a request from the White House to make sure that we evaluated this tweet and that they wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement directed toward the president,” Navaroli said.
That's a pretty direct request from the gov't right there.
3. The NY Post was the original reporter. No one asked them to take down the story. Do you think that media companies should be required to carry certain content? Should Twitter be required to post stories, or are they a private company and they get to choose? As an example, should Fox News have been required to report on Stormy and Trump? I don't think so. Companies should be free to choose what to report (or not).
The FBI isn't perfect, I have my own problems with their history. But this is all manufactured outrage.
Yes Bill Barr and Chris Wray are lifetime Republican Swamp Rats just like James Comey and Jim Baker who was the DOJ lawyer before going to work for Twitter along with many other ex govt employees. Hmmmm.....
Chris Wray can testify all he wants under oath and I won't believe everything he says just like I didn't believe Comey, Rod Rosentstein and several other top alphabet organization officials who got ran out of there.
I went back and found another Twitter File article where Adam Schiff was the culprit in trying to get Twitter to censor people. I would think he qualifies as a govt official? He's one of the biggest liars in the business so he fits right in. There are several other twitter files showcasing other govt officials communicating with Twitter I just don't have time to pull them up.
Agree with what you say about the NY Post being the author and can sell it all they want but they immediately had their Twitter account suspended as well as their Youtube videos taken down and or labeled as misinfo. Google also shadowbanned them on their search engine. Of course as you said they are all private companies and can do what they want but my problem is that Section 230(c) of the Communication Act gives them immunity from any liability aka free reign to do whatever they want and not get sewed over it so they can just run amok however they see fit and that is not fair. Take away their protections and lets see what they do!
Jack Dorsey and Zuckerberg professed that they were just conduits for free speech and not a publishing company well you could of fooled me!
See that's the weakness of your arguments. When faced with the fact that Bill Barr, a Trump appointee, was the head of the DOJ and Wray, also a Trump appointee, understood what the FBI was doing was protecting the US, you just call them a Swamp Rat. So everyone BUT DJT is compromised. You are part of a cult, and Trump is both the head and lead Victim in the cult. Now you can call everyone a liar and a swamp rat, including every single person in a Trump administration. It's completely ridiculous.
Now on section 230, I think it would be absolutely hilarious if that was struck from Federal code. We should do it. The net effect is that you will be essentially REQUIRING YouTube, Google and others to block content that could be potentially false. If they don't, they are liable if it is untrue. They are going to protect themselves by blocking everything. You think the right wing is screaming censorship now, well it will be censored and you'd only yourself to blame. You don't see that as the consequence of the action?
Tennessee congressman Andrew Ogles’s résumé is too good to be true By Glenn Kessler March 10, 2023 at 13:49 ET “That is the state of politics in America today. They want power and control so badly that they are willing to say and do anything to get there. If you don’t have the integrity to just be you and run on what you’ve done, then I don’t want you in Congress. And so that’s how I present myself to you.” — Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tenn.), speaking to supporters while running for election, July 23 Ogles, a newly elected member of Congress, has been the subject of news reports by a Nashville television station for having exaggerated his background. When Ogles was one of the holdouts to approving Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House speaker, he claimed he was “an economist” — a claim he has made several times — along with other embellishments. But NewsChannel 5 in Nashville found that he had taken only one course in economics, at a community college, and received a C. Ogles first entered college in 1990 and did not get a degree until 2007.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
These idiot politicians think everyone loves them!
So … idiot politician? Man I do not like this guy either. But someone shows up to his rally and gives him something they made…what is he supposed to do? While kinda a quick “haha” in reality it’s not very clever and pretty stupid actually. Person thinks they are being so clever…I hate those people
Comments
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been hospitalized following a fall at a hotel in Washington, his spokesperson said late Wednesday.
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
This guy is a lot older than I thought.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
LOL
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Republican Party Chair Matt Borges were convicted Thursday in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history.
A jury in Cincinnati found the two guilty of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering. Each faces up to 20 years in prison.
The government’s prosecution team was able to show that “Householder sold the Statehouse" and betrayed the people he was elected to serve, and that Borges was “a willing co-conspirator,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth Parker said in a statement.
“Through its verdict today, the jury reaffirmed that the illegal acts committed by both men will not be tolerated and that they should be held accountable,” Parker said.
The man who brought the case, Parker's predecessor David DeVillers, tweeted: “The line between influence peddling and bribery will now be drawn by the rule of law and not by politicians, lobbyists and corporations."
“We are incredibly disappointed in the verdict,” Householder's attorney Steven Bradley said in an email. “We will take some time to evaluate all of our legal options and will most certainly pursue an appeal. Our client is looking forward to going home to be with his wife and family during this very difficult time.”
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The attorney representing Borges, 50, did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press on Thursday. The verdict comes two-and-a-half years after Borges, Householder and three others were arrested.
Prosecutors alleged that Householder, 63, orchestrated a scheme secretly funded by FirstEnergy Corp. to secure his power in the Legislature, elect his allies — and then to pass and defend legislation that delivered a $1 billion nuclear power plant bailout to the Akron-based electric utility. They alleged that Borges, then a lobbyist, sought to bribe Tyler Fehrman, an operative, for inside information on the referendum to overturn the bailout law.
“Justice,” Fehrman, tweeted after the verdicts came down.
In a phone interview, Fehrman said that the outcome proved the risk he took wearing a wire for the FBI as part of the government’s investigation was worth it.
“For them to come back and find both of them guilty, and after not too long, is just such a relief,” he said. “It is a good day for Ohioans. This stuff just can’t continue to happen.”
Householder had been one of Ohio’s most powerful politicians — an historically twice-elected speaker before his indictment. After his arrest, the Republican-controlled House ousted him from his leadership post, but he refused to resign for months on grounds he was innocent until proven guilty. In a bipartisan vote, representatives ultimately ousted him from the chamber, the first such expulsion in Ohio in 150 years.
In a move that may have been pivotal in the trial's outcome, Householder took the stand in his own defense. Appearing confident and relaxed, he spent a day contradicting FBI testimony, defending his support for the bailout bill — known as House Bill 6 — and denying that he attended swanky Washington dinners where prosecutors alleged he and FirstEnergy executives hatched the scheme in 2017. But prosecutors eviscerated his claims on cross-examination the next day.
Rachael Belz, CEO of the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action, said she hopes that the trial and guilty verdicts turn the tide in Ohio politics.
“We don’t believe that utilities funneling millions of dollars through shell corporations to drive state policy is how our state government should work, nor do Ohio voters,” she said in a statement. Belz held the decision up as evidence that Ohioans expect and deserve better.
“After so many years of utility-controlled energy policy that favored fossil fuels, Ohio must now move toward equitable, forward-looking solutions that will protect our air and water, the health of Ohioans, and provide clean energy jobs to keep Ohio competitive in the 21st-century economy,” Belz said.
Borges did not testify at trial but has insisted that he’s innocent. His attorneys argued that he was entirely uninvolved with the pay-to-play scheme, while Householder's team portrayed his actions as nothing more than hardball politics.
“The bottom line is that Larry Householder was engaged in political activity, not criminal activity,” his attorney Steven Bradley told jurors during closing statements. He said the government's investigation was flimsy and full of holes, calling it “a nothing burger.”
But over the previous six weeks, jurors had been presented with firsthand accounts of the alleged scheme, as well as reams of financial documents, emails, texts and wire-tap audio.
The prosecution called two of the people arrested — Juan Cespedes and Jeff Longstreth — to testify about political contributions that they said are not ordinary, but bribes intended to secure passage of the bailout legislation.
Householder’s attorneys pushed back on arguments about their recollections, as well as their motivations. Both have pleaded guilty and are cooperating in hopes of a deal with the government.
Jurors also heard taped phone calls in which Householder and another co-defendant, the late Statehouse superlobbyist Neil Clark, plotted a nasty attack ad — and, in expletive-laced fashion, contemplated revenge against lawmakers who had crossed Householder.
Clark, who died by suicide in March 2021, was also heard describing to undercover FBI agents posing as developers how he was directing cash through Generation Now, a dark money group that has also pleaded guilty, to keep it secret.
Householder testified that he never retaliated against those who voted counter to his wishes or who donated to his rivals. He told jurors that the set-up advanced his interests, which were the same as Ohio's interests, because they involved good policy.
Under a deal to avoid prosecution, FirstEnergy admitted using a network of dark money groups to fund the bribery scheme and even bribing the state’s top utility regulator, Sam Randazzo.
Randazzo resigned as chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio after an FBI search of his home, but he has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. The government has asked the PUCO to delay its own internal investigation into FirstEnergy while their probe continues.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Second, the "democrats" were not in charge of the executive branch. Who precisely reached out to Twitter and what power of gov't would they have and what did they threaten?
Last, are you saying that the NY Post article about Hunter's laptop was available nowhere else? I couldn't go to the NYPost.com and see it or pick up a copy?
I'm guessing you won't answer these questions.
From what I read the DOJ didn't have to do any threatening as Twitter was more than happy to take a hint (wink wink) and suppress the stories that the DOJ said to look out for and as they got active with their suppression didn't need much more help from the feds as they now had free reign and could put the pedal to the metal on censorship.
The New York Post was about the only place you were going to find a copy of the story as all of the social media giants such as Twitter, FB, Google, Youtube (need I go on) jumped on the suppression of the story. The gov't even had like 50 past alphabet agency executives write a letter saying that the story was Russian disinformation. (They just can't help themselves with the Russian thing can they).
I guess your guess was wrong!
The documents refer to how often twitter shot down government requests. But if a law was broken, which one was it?
I remember reading all about the Hunter laptop story before the election in the NYT and WaPo. It was hardly suppressed. What is suppressed to this day are the contents of the hard drives and the chain of custody of them, although its known that they may very well have been tampered with.
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
First, the DOJ was overseen by Bill Barr, the Republican. The FBI director was/is Chris Wray, a lifetime Republican. I think the accusation you are leveling is the one where the FBI warned Twitter against potential Russian disinformation. So assuming we agree on all of that, the questions are:
1. Are you suggesting Chris Wray was unaware that the FBI was warning Twitter? What about Bill Barr? In fact, just today Wray testified:
“I don’t believe FBI personnel were in contact with Twitter about the Hunter Biden laptop stories specifically,” Wray claimed.
“I think there were people in contact with Twitter about Russian disinformation efforts.”
You can read it in Post. He is defending their action, so it stands to reason that this Republican believes the FBI is operating within the law. The not exactly liberal link here https://nypost.com/2023/03/09/fbi-chief-chris-wray-still-wont-vouch-for-hunter-biden-laptop-reports/
BTW, James Baker is the General Counsel of Twitter. So it would make sense that he would have a conversation with Twitter, since he was their lawyer.
2. The only known instance of the FBI asking for specific content to be removed was when the Trump team did it. This was from congressional testimony https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3849819-trump-asked-twitter-to-take-down-derogatory-tweet-from-chrissy-teigen-whistleblower/
“In that particular instance, I do remember hearing that we had received a request from the White House to make sure that we evaluated this tweet and that they wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement directed toward the president,” Navaroli said.
That's a pretty direct request from the gov't right there.
3. The NY Post was the original reporter. No one asked them to take down the story. Do you think that media companies should be required to carry certain content? Should Twitter be required to post stories, or are they a private company and they get to choose? As an example, should Fox News have been required to report on Stormy and Trump? I don't think so. Companies should be free to choose what to report (or not).
The FBI isn't perfect, I have my own problems with their history. But this is all manufactured outrage.
Chris Wray can testify all he wants under oath and I won't believe everything he says just like I didn't believe Comey, Rod Rosentstein and several other top alphabet organization officials who got ran out of there.
I went back and found another Twitter File article where Adam Schiff was the culprit in trying to get Twitter to censor people. I would think he qualifies as a govt official? He's one of the biggest liars in the business so he fits right in. There are several other twitter files showcasing other govt officials communicating with Twitter I just don't have time to pull them up.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/01/just-another-twitter-files-drop-adam-schiff-ban-requests/
Agree with what you say about the NY Post being the author and can sell it all they want but they immediately had their Twitter account suspended as well as their Youtube videos taken down and or labeled as misinfo. Google also shadowbanned them on their search engine.
Of course as you said they are all private companies and can do what they want but my problem is that Section 230(c) of the Communication Act gives them immunity from any liability aka free reign to do whatever they want and not get sewed over it so they can just run amok however they see fit and that is not fair. Take away their protections and lets see what they do!
Jack Dorsey and Zuckerberg professed that they were just conduits for free speech and not a publishing company well you could of fooled me!
Now on section 230, I think it would be absolutely hilarious if that was struck from Federal code. We should do it. The net effect is that you will be essentially REQUIRING YouTube, Google and others to block content that could be potentially false. If they don't, they are liable if it is untrue. They are going to protect themselves by blocking everything. You think the right wing is screaming censorship now, well it will be censored and you'd only yourself to blame. You don't see that as the consequence of the action?
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
By Glenn Kessler
March 10, 2023 at 13:49 ET
“That is the state of politics in America today. They want power and control so badly that they are willing to say and do anything to get there. If you don’t have the integrity to just be you and run on what you’ve done, then I don’t want you in Congress. And so that’s how I present myself to you.”
— Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tenn.), speaking to supporters while running for election, July 23
Ogles, a newly elected member of Congress, has been the subject of news reports by a Nashville television station for having exaggerated his background. When Ogles was one of the holdouts to approving Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House speaker, he claimed he was “an economist” — a claim he has made several times — along with other embellishments. But NewsChannel 5 in Nashville found that he had taken only one course in economics, at a community college, and received a C. Ogles first entered college in 1990 and did not get a degree until 2007.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14