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BAD BEHAVIOR

House Republican Quits Amid Scandal of Forcing Staffers to Pick Up Dry Cleaning – and Dog Poop

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Republican member of the House of Representatives from Virginia will not seek re-election, announcing that he is an alcoholic and wants to pursue treatment, the Washington Post reports.

Thomas Garrett (R-Va.) represents a district in the center of the state and is facing a tough challenge from writer Leslie Cockburn. Garrett said now is the time to get treatment for his alcoholism. Garrett’s chief of staff, Jimmy Keady, had resigned last week. Garrett has faced allegations that he used staffers to complete chores like driving his daughters and cleaning up his dog’s poop.

“Any person — Republican, Democrat or independent — who has known me for any period of time and has any integrity knows two things: I am a good man and I’m an alcoholic,” Garrett said in a video. “This is the hardest statement that I have ever publicly made by far. It’s also the truth.”

Garrett made the announcement with his wife and baby daughter by his side.

“Sometimes winning means knowing where your priorities should be,” he said. “My devotion to the ideals and beliefs in America has not wavered, but my commitment to be the best husband, father and friend means addressing the only truth I’ve been heretofore unwilling to tell. God has blessed America, and he’s blessed me. I am not dying. I am starting anew with work and dedication.”

Image: Screenshot via YouTube

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BAD BEHAVIOR

Watch: Trump Uses Slur At White House Event to Complain to LSU Football Champs About Being Impeached

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President Donald Trump was extremely comfortable with the national championship players of LSU’s “Fighting Tigers” football team Friday, even laughing and lamenting abut his impeachment, while using a slur on-camera in their presence.

“It’s been there a long time, a lot of presidents, some good, some not so good,” he said, referring to the historic Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, a gift from Queen Victoria in 1880.

“But you got a good one now!” Trump bragged to the players, some of whom clearly appeared uncomfortable – and that was before he used profanity.

“Even though they’re trying to impeach the son of a bitch!” Trump said of himself. “Can you believe that? Got the greatest economy we’ve ever had. We got the greatest military, we rebuilt it, we took out those terrorists like your football team would have taken out those terrorists, right? We’re doing good.”

Some were stunned to hear the nation’s president swear, especially inside the White House, talking with college students, in video taken to play on national TV.

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BAD BEHAVIOR

The GOP Delves Into Anti-Irish Stereotypes for St. Patrick’s Day

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GOP attacks Beto O'Rourke via tweet

While far from the worst thing Republicans have ever done. the GOP opted to “celebrate” St. Patrick’s Day with an attack on Beto O’Rourke, using a mugshot of the presidential contender, topped with a clip art Irish top hat, and a letter board in front of him that reads, “Please Drink Responsibly.”

The Tweet reads, “On this St. Paddy’s Day, a special message from noted Irishman Robert Francis O’Rourke.” 

One of the most common and frustrating stereotypes for Irish people is the assumption that the Irish are all rowdy drunkards: while Ireland does have a cultural history surrounding the consumption of alcohol, many of the stereotypes are borne out of racism against the Irish. 

Fueling these stereotypes by the GOP may feel like a slap in the face, even as the White House attempts to portray our bonds with Ireland: President Trump and Vice president Pence, for example, just hosted the Prime Minister of Ireland. 

The image of O’Rourke used by the GOP was a mugshot from a DWI arrest over 20 years ago. The arrest had been dismissed, but the mugshot lives on, appearing initially during O’Rourke’s run against Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

The use of Beto O’Rourke’s full name echoes the use of Barack Obama’s full name during the latter’s campaign and presidency, as an attempt to use the former president’s middle name, Hussein, to link him to the former Iraqi leader of the same name. 

Ted Cruz had attempted to smear O’Rourke over his use of “Beto” as a way of delegitimizing his Senatorial run, trying to paint his nickname as an attempt to pander to Hispanics. The move was seen as largely disingenuous, given that Cruz uses “Ted Cruz” rather than his own given name. “Rafael Edward Cruz.”

It is also in contract to attempts to paint Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez not being a minority by using a high school nickname of hers, “Sandy.” 

The GOP will undoubtedly portray their tweet as simply a joke, and claim those who were offended are simply too think skinned to appreciate their brand of humor. 

Image via screen capture from Twitter.

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BAD BEHAVIOR

Ex-Trump Fixer Michael Cohen on Prague Visit: ‘Mueller Knows Everything’

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Longtime Donald Trump fixer Michael Cohen is denying reports he has ever been to Prague or the Czech Republic.

On Thursday, McClatchy reported that Eastern European intelligence discovered Cohen’s cell phone was in proximity to a cell phone tower in the Prague area. The salacious Steele Dossier on Donald Trump and Russia reported Cohen had visited the country during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Cohen, a convicted felon, denied ever being in the country.

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