Mediaboss Marketing

Before the fated election that delivered a blow to then-president Donald Trump and his running mate Mike Pence, there was reportedly some tension brewing between the former VP and Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., on the campaign trail.

Article continues below advertisement

Article continues below advertisement

Both men were slated to speak ahead of President Trump at the campaign stop in February 2020. Donald Jr. was supposed to introduce Pence, but the crowd was so loudly chanting, Forty-six! Forty-six!, referring to supporters wanting Donald Jr. to become the next president, it brought the event to a halt.

Article continues below advertisement

One step at a time, Donald Jr. told the adoring crowd, reported Daily Mail. Let's worry about 2020. That's all we've got to focus on, right? Let's keep winning.

After introducing Pence, the crowd suddenly went silent, according to Bender, with no forty-six chants. Pences communications director noticed the deafening silence and remarked, Thats funny.

Article continues below advertisement

Following his speech to the crowd, Pence made an awkward joke about the moment to Donald Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, the book states.

A reportedly embarrassed Pence strategy team made it a rule that the former VP was never again to follow Donald Jr. onstage at a rally. He's just a hard act to follow, Pences political strategist Marty Obst told the Trump campaign.

Article continues below advertisement

The reported divide between Pence and Trump supporters comes after Pence has increasingly publicly tried to separate himself from his former boss, and fired back at Republicans who falsely claimed he could have overturned Joe Bidens 2020 election win.

Article continues below advertisement

Speaking during an event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Thursday, June 24, Pence who many believe is gearing up for a White House bid of his own in 2024 asserted that he did his constitutional duty when he led the certification of the election results.

Article continues below advertisement

Now there are those in our party who believe that in my position as presiding officer over the joint session that I possessed the authority to reject or return electoral votes certified by the states, he told the crowd, OK! reported. But the Constitution provides the vice president with no such authority before the joint session of Congress.

Pence continued: The truth is, there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the president. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone.

More:
'Hard Act To Follow': Mike Pence Jealous Of Attention Donald Trump Jr. Was Getting On Campaign Trail, New Book Claims - OK!

If theres one person whose lead you probably dont want to follow, its Rudy Giuliani. And if theres one person whose lead you most definitely do notnever, ever, under any circumstanceswant to follow, its Drunk Rudy Giuliani. Yet according to Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency, the newest book by Michael Wolff, premier chronicler of the stupidity of the Trump administration, it was a perpetually hammered Giuliani who convinced Donald Trump that Mike Pence had the power to ignore the votes of more than 81 million Americans and overturn the presidential election and declare Trump the winner.

New York Magazine published an excerpt from Wolffs upcoming book, which seems to confirm that the final months of Trumps presidency were a Groundhog Day of unhinged political strategies and a complete lack of understanding of American democracy. Making matters worse, according to Wolff, was that the then-president had been all but abandoned by his closest advisers in his final dayswith the exception of Rudy, who was apparently drinking heavily and in a constant state of excitation, often almost incoherent in his agitation and mania. You dont say?

Almost everyone who remained around the president understood that he, along with Giuliani, did in fact actually believe that there was yet a decent chance of upsetting the electoral count and having Trump declared the Electoral College winner or, failing that, prolonging the election and returning the fight to the disputed states. The presidents aides (and family) understood, too, that he was the only one (along with Giuliani, which only made the situation more alarming) in any professional political sphere to believe this. Hencealthough they did not call it such and tried to see it as more nuancedderangement.

There had been hardly a waking hour in the past 48 during which he and Giuliani had not been on the phone in pent-up nervousness and excitement over the coming battle in Congress on January 6. They were two generals poring over a map of the battlefield. Both men, egged on by hypotheticals ever nearer to fantasy and after exhausting all other options, had come to take it as an article of faith that the vice-president could simply reject Biden electors in favor of Trump ones and thereby hand the election to Trump; or, falling short of that, that the vice-president could determine that a state legislature ought to give further consideration to possible discrepancies in the states vote and send back the questioned electors for a reconsideration of their certification.

There is no question, none at all, that the VP can do this. Thats a fact. The Constitution gives him the authority not to certify. It goes back to the state legislatures, said Giuliani, as though on a loop. He kept repeating this to the president and to the others who were part of the continual conversation on his cell phone.

Had the described scenario been set to the Benny Hill theme song, it would have been funny. Unfortunately, it was all too real, and is what led to the Capitol riots on January 6th. And its Giulianis actions in those days that have caused him to be stripped of his license to practice law in the state of New York. While we sit and anxiously await seeing how this embarrassing chapter in American history will ultimately end, Wolff can fill in some of the horrifying details.

Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency will be published on July 27, 2021.

(Via New York Magazine)

Read the original here:
Report: Drunk Giuliani Told Trump That Pence Could Decide The Election - UPROXX

Amid chaos at the White House as the coronavirus pandemic worsened, Donald Trump took to referring derisively to the Covid taskforce chaired by his vice-president as that fucking council that Mike has.

The revelation about the presidents contempt for his key advisory body is one among many in a new book, Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administrations Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, which is published in the US on Tuesday. The Guardian obtained a copy.

Previous revelations from the book have included that Trump wanted to send infected Americans to Guantnamo Bay and that he mused about John Bolton, his national security adviser, being taken out by Covid.

Authors Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta, both Washington Post reporters, also report in depth on how the extraordinary influence of outside consultants to Trump, including the controversial Stephen Moore, relentlessly undermined the work of the presidents scientific advisers.

The book is a deeply reported account of the beginning of a pandemic that has killed more than 600,000 in the US and a federal response hamstrung by incompetence and infighting.

Trumps derisive term for his taskforce, the authors write, was a signal that he wished it would go away and didnt want anyone to exert leadership.

Many on the taskforce didnt want the responsibility either, fearful of the consequences.

Under the chairmanship of Vice-President Mike Pence who is shown resisting his own appointment to replace the outmatched health secretary, Alex Azar the taskforce was led by Dr Deborah Birx, a US army physician widely praised for her role in the fight against Aids but whose star waned under Trump.

Abutaleb and Paletta portray Birx as a confident leader unafraid to challenge powerful men, but also someone who overplayed her hand when she decided to praise and flatter Trump as a way to manage him.

Of an interview Birx gave to the rightwing Christian Broadcasting Network, in which she praised Trumps ability to analyse and integrate data, the authors write: It was the kind of sycophancy one expected from Pence or [treasury secretary] Steve Mnuchin, not a government scientist.

The authors also say Birx worked well with Pence and was admired by fellow workers, though by April 2020, the chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was deriding the taskforce as useless and broken.

Birx served until the end of the Trump administration in January this year. Unlike her fellow taskforce member Dr Anthony Fauci, now chief medical adviser to Joe Biden, she did not remain in public service.

Abutaleb and Paletta also report that in March, as cases spiraled and the US death toll passed 1,000, unofficial adviser Stephen Moore, Trumps emissary [from] the conservative establishment strode into the Oval Office to convince the president to end shutdowns and get the economy moving.

Moore is an economist who in 2019 was nominated by Trump to the board of the Federal Reserve, only to withdraw after outlets led by the Guardian reported controversies in his past.

He told Abutaleb and Paletta Trumps controversial and soon dropped promise to reopen the US economy by Easter was the smart thing to do, because the economic costs of this are mounting and theres not a lot of evidence that lockdowns are working to stop the spread.

Lockdowns to stop the spread of Covid-19 remain in use around the world.

Moore is also quoted attacking Fauci, a common target for conservative ire over subjects including mask-wearing and the origins of Covid in China.

Fauci is the villain here, Moore says. He has the Napoleon complex, and he thinks he is the dictator who could decide how to run the country.

Moore also says conservative activists he advised as they staged protests against lockdowns and masks and who he famously claimed were successors of the great civil rights protester Rosa Parks asked: Whats wrong with this fucking Fauci? Sometimes theyd call him Fucky, not Fauci.

Originally posted here:
Trump contempt for White House Covid taskforce revealed in new book - The Guardian

American News Jun 30, 2021 9:57 PM EST

The identity of the person who fatally shot Capitol Hill rioter and US Armed Forces veteran Ashli Babbitt still remains unknown to the public and her family, even amidst an ongoing lawsuit from the family to discover the identity of said shooter.

The identity of the person who fatally shot Capitol Hill rioter and US Armed Forces veteran Ashli Babbitt on January 6 still remains unknown to the public as well as her family, even amidst an ongoing lawsuit from the family to discover the identity of said shooter.

The Spectator, a UK based outlet, is floating the idea that a Secret Service agent, one of whom that was in former Vice President Mike Pences security detail, was the one who allegedly shot her.

"Sources close to and within the intelligence community tell Cockburn that Babbitt was actually shot by a member of then-vice president Mike Pences protective detail," writes The Spectator. Cockburn is the outlets political gossip columnist that engages in "Mischief, mayhem and Washington gossip," according to their website.

"The VPs detail, of course, is provided by US Secret Service, not the Capitol Police. One person asserted to Cockburn over drinks in DC that this is 'basically an open secret' in the intelligence community," they continue.

Law enforcement sources told The Spectator that the shooter, who was suspected as being a Capitol Hill officer, was identified as such "in order to protect the reputation of the Secret Service."

Another theory considered by Cockburn is the idea that the shooter was suspected to be a Capitol Hill officer because it's an "attempt to protect Pence from further anger or threats from Capitol rioters who wanted him to refuse to certify the results of the election on January 6."

Officers are usually named when involved in a shooting, but "the unnamed officers lawyer says that his client is being kept anonymous due to threats against his life," wrote The Spectator.

Babbitts husband, Aaron Babbitt, is suing the Metropolitan Police Department for $10 million for the identity of her shooter after the Justice Department ruled that it would not pursue criminal charges against the shooter.

Were independent and cant be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.

See the original post:
The Spectator floats theory that Ashli Babbitt was shot by Mike Pence's protective detail - The Post Millennial

Mike Pence's role in the Trump administration

Mike Pence's role in the Trump administration has been forced more into the spotlight with the president's illness from coronavirus. Here's a look back at Pence's career.

Dwight Adams, dwight.adams@indystar.com

Former vice president Mike Pence is showing no signs of slowing on the speaker circuit.

"The best days for the Republican party and the greatestnation are yet to come," Pence recently proclaimedto a crowd inSimi Valley, California. Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library,the former vice president laid out his vision fortheconservative movement andaddressed a defining question for his party in thepost-Trump era: What should the Republican Party stand for?"

That central theme is also forging Pence'sown politicalfuture.

'Un-American': Mike Pence uses strongest language yet on refusal to deny election results

Omnipresent: Mike Pence looks at the 2024 presidential race but sees Donald Trump everywhere

Since leaving office his final days tainted by the U.S. Capitol insurrection Pence remained mostly quiet in the early months of 2021. Beginning in April, he quickly bounced back into the public spotlight, fueling speculation thatIndiana's former governoris eyeing a 2024 presidential run.

These days, Pence is working with multiple conservative organizations and deliveringspeeches in crucial electionstates, wherehe's been greetedwith applause, met withsome booing and in New Hampshire earlier this month, he walked on stage to the '70s classic rock staple "Takin' Care of Business."

With that spirit, Pence has been trying toenergize conservative crowds,sharing endless accolades of former President Trump and their White House administration. That said,he also is also trying to build upon his own voicein the Republican party.

"I learned a lot serving alongside President Donald Trump. Some people think we're a little bit different," Pence said, prompting a few laughs from the audience.

He can also do one thing his former boss and potential 2024 competitor cannot: tweet. Sometimes, with the familiarly sporadic all-caps.

In his public appearances and online presence, Pence hascontinued to advocate for traditional conservative values a strong national defense, free market economics and anti-abortion but he's also speaking out about more hot-button topics, including border security,Chinaand "patriotic education."

"We must expose the messthe radical left has used to corrupt the minds of America's youth," Pence said Thursday,criticizing the "Defund the Police" movement,dismissing the idea of systemic racism and calling for the end of critical race theory in schools. He did not speak about the coronavirus pandemic,which has killed more than 600,000 Americans, or his role on the White House task force with the exception of blaming China for not being more transparent about the origins of the virus.

As he pushes ahead with those talking points at speeches and guest appearancesthis summer, here's a detailed look at what Pence's post-vice presidency life has looked like:

Pence made a swift move to his native Indiana on Jan. 20, delivering his vice presidential farewell address from his hometown of Columbus. At the airport there, with Back Home Again in Indianasetting the mood, Pence announced he and his wife Karen would eventually move back to his home state.

Earlier that same day, he hadattended the inauguration of President Joe Biden, unlike Trump, who broke with a longtime presidential tradition. The former president had attacked Pence online for certifying the results of the 2020 election, all while a mob ofrioters stormed the U.S. Capitol and disrupted the certification process.During the riot, some peoplechanted Hang Mike Pence and Bring out Pence," according to video shown during Trump's impeachment trial.

Trump and Pence reportedly met face to facea week after the incident.

Capitol riot footage: Mike Pence sheltering with insurrectionists near

Video from the riots in Washington, D.C. shows Vice President Mike Pence evacuating with his family as insurrectionists were 100 feet away.

USA TODAY

After the insurrection and the tumultuous conclusion of the Trump administration, the Pences reportedly vacationed in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In February, Pence then joinedthe Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.as a distinguished visiting fellow,"where he advisespolicy experts and writes a monthly column. The latest one criticized the Biden administration's actions on border security.

He also signed on to be a scholar at theYoung AmericaFoundation, a conservative youth movement, where he will deliver speeches at college campuses and student conferences.

After a bit of a break, Pence dove back into the political spotlight with a flurry of professional and personal announcements. In early April, he announced the launch of his own political advocacy group and the release of his upcoming memoir, covering his rise from Columbus to the White House.

The two-book deal with Simon & Schuster raised concerns among its employees and others in the publishing industry, who criticized the company for publishing the former Trump administration official. Their demands to cancel the book deal, centered around Pences track record on LGBTQ issues, marginalized communities and his handling of the coronavirus crisis, were not met. At the time,Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp told employees canceling would go against their mission to publish a diversity of voices and perspectives.

The book deal could help the former vice president earn millions, with CNN previously reporting Pences deal with Simon & Schuster is in the $3 million to $4 million range, according to publishing industry sources.

Pence took time to take care of personal business in April, too. He had a pacemaker installed after reportedly experiencing "symptoms associated with a slow heart rate." The surgery was successful, according to his office. In 2016, upon being named the Republican vice presidential nominee, Pence disclosed he had an asymptomatic left bundle branch block.

All that set the stage for his first public address since leaving office, at a Palmetto Family Council event in Columbia, South Carolina. Pence praised the Trump administration and criticized President Joe Bidens first 100 days in front of a crowd of friendly conservatives.

"Had enough?" Pence said during his speech, slammingthe administrations liberal policies. "I have."

Mike Pence's South Carolina speech: Praise for Trump, attacks on Biden, silence on Jan. 6

As he tries to look to the future of the Republican party, the events of Jan. 6 continue to cast a dark shadow over Pence.

The House had passed a bipartisan bill creating an independent commission to study the Capitol Riot in May, but itlater failed to pass the Senate.In his home state, Rep. Trey Hollingsworthwas the only Indiana House Republican to support the commission, while Pence's brother Rep. Greg Pence voted against it.

'A day of darkness': Pelosi announces House select committee to investigate Jan. 6 attack

Later that month, the Pences moved into a$1.93 million, 7-bedroom mansion in Carmel, just in time to attend the Indianapolis 500.

Pence finally spoke more extensively about the elephant in the room at a June dinner hosted by Hillsborough County Republicans in Manchester, New Hampshire. He called the U.S. Capitol riot a dark day in American history and noted the disagreement between him and Trump, who continuously refused defeat in the 2020 election and insisted Pence had the power to block the certification of Bidens win.

I dont know if well ever see eye to eye on that day, Pence said, noting he and Trump have spoken many times since leaving office. But I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people for the last four years.

At another recent event, Pence was met with boos and and chants of traitor! Some hecklers reportedly had to be removed from his speech at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Orlando, Florida, where Pence addressed a group of conservative activists aiming to win back the majority in the 2022 midterm elections.

In his California speech, he used his strongestlanguage yet to describe his actions on Jan. 6:"There's almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American President. The presidency belongs to the American people and the American people alone." Pence said, reasserting that he had no authority to rejectany electoral votes certified by states.

Pence will continue his speaking tourin Des Moines, Iowa, at the Family Leadership Summit on July 16, among agathering of "Christians seeking cultural transformation in the family, church, government and more."

In August, he will attendYoung America's Foundation conservative student conference in Houston and he seems eager to keep going.He recently retweeted a link on how college campuses can apply to host the the former vice president as a guest speaker.

IndyStar reporters Kaitlin LangeandSarah Nelson and USA TODAY reportersMaureen Groppe and David Jackson contributed to this report.

Contact IndyStar reporter Rashika Jaipuriar atrjaipuriar@gannett.comandfollow her on Twitter@rashikajpr.

More:
What Mike Pence is saying about the future of the Republican Party - IndyStar