Last Call For The Big Lie, Con't

Alabama GOP Sen. Mo Brooks will almost certainly not be a US senator for much longer.

Former President Donald Trump yanked his endorsement from Alabama Senate hopeful Mo Brooks on Wednesday, promising to make a new endorsement in the race before the May 24 primary. 

Trump's stunning decision to untether himself from a candidate who became the first Republican congressman to vote against certifying the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021, comes amid several dismissive comments that Brooks recently made about the election. Brooks was booed at a rally last August upon telling the crowd they should look beyond the last presidential contest. And in the last two weeks, he has publicly accused Trump of asking him to break the law by exploring ways to reinstall him as commander-in-chief. 

"Mo Brooks of Alabama made a horrible mistake recently when he went 'woke' and stated, referring to the 2020 Presidential Election Scam, 'Put that behind you, put that behind you,'" Trump said in a statement. 

He continued, "When I heard this statement, I said, 'Mo, you just blew the Election, and there's nothing you can do about it.'" 

Brooks will stay in the Senate race despite Trump's decision, according to a source close to the congressman. 

Trump, who vowed to throw his weight behind a different candidate in the "near future," met with Army veteran Mike Durant at Mar-a-Lago on Monday to discuss the race and get a better feel for the candidate, according to a person familiar with the meeting. He had previously told aides he is skeptical of Durant, who received a major boost in the race in the form of spending by More Perfect Union, an outside group that has committed to supporting moderate candidates in red and blue races. 

Trump also met with former Alabama Business Council president Katie Britt earlier this year amid his frustrations over Brooks' lackluster performance. As CNN has previously reported, Trump has told allies he's impressed with Britt's fundraising and has taken a liking to her husband, Wesley Britt, who played for the New England Patriots.
Britt served as chief of staff to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby.

 

So there's plenty of Alabama Republicans who will come to Dear Leader Trump asking for his blessing, and the only question he will ask is "Do you believe Joe Biden stole the election from me and will you help me now get  the White House back?"

 

Because that's what Brooks says Trump asked him to do.

In a statement Wednesday morning, Brooks accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, of manipulating him and said Trump had asked him to work to "immediately rescind" the November 2020 election and hold a special election to re-elect Trump. Brooks said he had repeatedly told Trump that the election could not be overturned after Jan. 6.

“I’ve told President Trump the truth knowing full well that it might cause President Trump to rescind his endorsement," the statement said. "But I took a sworn oath to defend and protect the U.S. Constitution. I honor my oath. That is the way I am. I break my sworn oath for no man."

 

Brooks tried to play both sides of the road and got run over standing in the middle. The lesson here is that the only thing that matters in Republican primaries is loyalty to Donald Trump, not to fact or America or your constituents. Brooks is done. He will not win the primary, especially in a state that elected Tommy Tuberville, the dumbest dirt clod in the entire Senate right now.

A state poll taken this week finds Brooks now in a distant third behind both Durant and Britt. 

 

In a race drawing national attention and millions of dollars already spent on ads, our new exclusive Gray TV/Alabama Daily News poll shows the Republican primary for the chance to replace retiring Senator Richard Shelby is a close contest, but with some eye-catching movement. Our polling shows businessman Mike Durant with a 6 point lead over former Shelby Chief of Staff Katie Britt, and both well clear of Congressman Mo Brooks.

Gray TV/AL Daily News Poll by Cygnal, +/-4%

Mike Durant - 34.6%

Katie Britt - 28.4%

Mo Brooks - 16.1%

Lillie Boddie - 6.5%

Karla Dupriest - 0%

Jake Schafer - 0%

Undecided - 14.4%

“It’s hard to ignore the real story here, Mo Brooks sliding,” says Alabama Daily News Publisher Todd Stacy. “Only 16% in this poll, that’s down from 40% of the electorate in August, that’s an incredible slide that I have you to attribute to him not getting his message out--he’s not had a whole lot of ads that really support his campaign, but more importantly he’s had about $1.5 million dollars of ads spent from PACS attacking him.”

 

No, as a Republican elected, your one job is to help the GOP steal the 2024 election and crown Dear Leader Trump as dictator, and everyone knows it.And while Durant and Britt are in the lead, Trump's made it clear that he favors someone completely loyal to his regime.

Show-Me-State, 👀 here!⁦

Congressman Billy Long ⁦@auctnr1⁩ just got a huge boost from President Trump in the race for #USSenate in #Missouri pic.twitter.com/VWdVc1n6bc

— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) March 23, 2022

Rep. Billy Long now the odds on favorite, and Mo Brooks's political career has been crucified on a national stage, and he serves as a warning to others: you serve Donald J. Trump or you are destroyed.

The GOP Mask Slips Again, Con't

Yesterday Indiana GOP Sen. Mike Braun let the mask slip and indicated that he'd be okay with "states deciding" who can be married, because like all Republicans, he wants to be free of federal protections for those people so that he can live in a white ethnofacist Christian theocracy. This morning it's I CONDEMN RACISM IN ANY FORM which is actually not the "walk-back" that the headlines decree.

Sen. Mike Braun said during a media call Tuesday that the U.S. Supreme Court was wrong to legalize interracial marriage decades ago.

That decision should have been left to individual states, he said.

Five hours later, Braun released a statement saying he misunderstood "a line of questioning," and emphasized that he condemns racism "in any form."

During the press call earlier Tuesday, Braun was asked about the landmark Loving v. Virginia court case after he explained he thought abortion rights questions should have been left up to the states back when Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. Mandating abortion access was judicial activism, Braun said, adding that individual states should instead be able to decide how restrictive abortion access should be.

A reporter then asked if he applied the same reasoning to the Supreme Court's decision in 1967 that struck down state laws banning interracial marriage under the 14th amendment, which guarantees all citizens equal protection under the law.

"When it comes to issues, you can't have it both ways," Braun said. "When you want that diversity to shine within our federal system, there are going to be rules and proceedings, they're going to be out of sync with maybe what other states would do. It's the beauty of the system, and that's where the differences among points of view in our 50 states ought to express themselves."

Braun doubled down when asked to clarify if he would be OK with leaving the decision of whether to allow interracial marriage up to states. After all, states had decided to make interracial marriage illegal.

"Yes, I think that that's something that if you're not wanting the Supreme Court to weigh in on issues like that, you're not going to be able to have your cake and eat it too," Braun responded. "I think that's hypocritical."

Hours later Braun backtracked in a written statement sent to media.

“Earlier during a virtual press conference I misunderstood a line of questioning that ended up being about interracial marriage," Braun said. "Let me be clear on that issue — there is no question the Constitution prohibits discrimination of any kind based on race, that is not something that is even up for debate, and I condemn racism in any form, at all levels and by any states, entities, or individuals.”

 

I "misunderstood." No he did not.

 

Straight up lie.

 

If anything, his statement does nothing to address his states' right Confederacy position. He still didn't say that he believed Loving or Obergfell was decided correctly, nor Griswold. And he gets away with this because of course treating those people as second-class citizens with few rights isn't "racism" in his eyes, it's "protecting the closely-held religious beliefs" of the white majority.

They expect the Supreme Court to give it to them.

Bolting For Belarus

Apparently one of the January 6th seditious terrorists has fled US Justice and has successfully sought political asylum in Belarus.

Belarus granted refugee status to Capitol riot defendant Evan Neumann, according to Belarusian state-run media, which circulated a photo of him apparently holding country documents.

“US citizen Evan Newman received refugee status in Belarus. The document was handed to him in the Department of Citizenship and Migration of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Brest Regional Executive Committee on March 22, 2022,” the Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported on Twitter.

In an interview with the state-run outlet, he said he had “mixed feelings” but thanked Belarus, which “took care of me,” CNN reported.

"I am upset to find myself in a situation where I have problems in my own country," he told the Belarusian-state media on Tuesday, according to the network. Court records indicate he does not have a lawyer and has been considered a "fugitive."

U.S. officials said in December that Neumann had left for the country following 14 charges he received in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Officials allege he assaulted Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers with a metal barricade and that he did not adhere to orders to leave the Capitol that evening, staying past 5 p.m.

The charges against him include civil disorder; assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.

I mean I'm kind of surprised that more January 6th terrorists haven't skipped town yet, American law enforcement has been in the process of identifying and charging suspects for the better part of the last 12 months or so. Newman fled the country in December. Besides, they're white dudes, it's not like they're a top priority to bring in. He was still out of pocket some eleven months after his role in attacking the US Capitol, more than enough time to get away.

But to go to a country currently on Putin's side in the Ukraine invasion and to show up seeking asylum from the "awful Biden regime" is just perfect for the kind of people who would rather see America burn. I hope they stick a Kalashnikov in his hand and tell him to head to Kyiv so he can experience some real political combat.

Getting picked off by a Ukrainian sniper grandma is better than he deserves.