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ETHICS

Anti-LGBTQ Evangelical Pastor With Ties to Trump Heads Organization Handing Out Envelopes of Cash to Black Voters

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President Donald Trump and his allies appear to be doing nearly everything they can – in apparent disregard for the moral or legal perceptions – to win the 2020 presidential election. Trump occasionally has courted the Black community’s vote, albeit in usual Trump fashion – by degrading them – as he did in 2016, asking, “What the hell do you have to lose?”

“You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed,” Trump, dircting his comments to African Americans, told his almost entirely white audience.

Trump walked away with a mere 8% of Black people’s votes – less than the usual 10% Republicans traditionally get.

But the Trump machine is at it again, believing they can get up to 30% of Black Americans to vote for Trump.

The Wall Street Journal reports 20% or more would hand the election to Trump.

“Allies of Donald Trump have begun holding events in black communities where organizers lavish praise on the president as they hand out tens of thousands of dollars to lucky attendees,” Politico reports. “The first giveaway took place last month in Cleveland, where recipients whose winning tickets were drawn from a bin landed cash gifts in increments of several hundred dollars, stuffed into envelopes.”

Cleveland is home to Pastor Darrell Scott (photo, with Trump), who has strong ties to President Trump and heads the organization behind the lavish payouts, according to Politico.

More events are planned, including one in Virginia, which has been postponed.

If it sounds fishy, organizers claim it’s not. Politico reports the cash payouts are “intended to promote economic development in inner cities,” according to the group behind them, the Urban Revitalization Coalition, a registered 501(c)3 charity.

At least one leading legal expert on nonprofit law questions the arrangement.

The organization’s CEO, Darrell Scott, says its donors “prefer to remain anonymous.”

Darrell Scott is Cleveland-based Pastor Darrell Scott, who not only is CEO of the Urban Revitalization Coalition, but happens to be a co-founder and board member of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump, and was a member of President Trump’s executive transition team.

He has strongly supported Trump and organized a meeting for Trump and other Black pastors at Trump Tower in 2016.

In August of 2018 Pastor Scott attended what was being described as a White House “State Dinner” for about 100 leaders of the Evangelical Christian community, which was attended by some of the nation’s leading anti-LGBTQ activists.

As NCRM reported at the time, the White House did not publish a list of attendees, but in his speech President trump specifically thanked anti-gay hate group leader Tony Perkins, along with anti-LGBT activists Franklin Graham, Paula White, Alveda King, Jerry Falwell, megachurch pastor and Fox News pundit Robert Jeffress, Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Ralph Reed, Focus on The Family founder James Dobson, and Pastor Darrell Scott.

Pastor Scott has a history of anti-gay statements.

Also in attendance, as documented in news reports and in photos posted to social media, were Eric Metaxas, Greg Laurie, and Gary Bauer. Bauer served before Perkins as the president of the Family Research Council.

After that 2018 “State Dinner” the White House was only too happy to promote Pastor Scott’s remarks:

Last year in February Trump again sang Pastor Scott’s praises at a White House event:

 

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ETHICS

Critics Wonder Why Ginni Thomas ‘Ethics Crisis’ Is Ignored as Supreme Court Investigates Its Own Clerks for Roe Leak

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3 years ago

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May 31, 2022

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The Marshal of the United States Supreme Court has begun her investigation into the nearly unprecedented leak of a draft majority opinion that is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade. But as that investigation gets underway, some online are asking why the Court and other government entities are ignoring the actions of the spouse of a sitting Supreme Court justice.

Ginni Thomas, a far-right-wing activist and lobbyist, appears to have acted to try to influence both the White House and state lawmakers to overturn the 2020 election, and has worked to help overturn the 49-year-old Supreme Court decision that found abortion is a constitutional right.

The Supreme Court is “taking steps to require law clerks to provide cell phone records and sign affidavits,” CNN reports Tuesday. “Some clerks are apparently so alarmed over the moves, particularly the sudden requests for private cell data, that they have begun exploring whether to hire outside counsel.”

Legal experts say the leak of the draft opinion is likely not a crime.

Earlier this month Politico noted that “Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife pushed false election subversion claims — and played a key role in anti-abortion messaging. But she’s not top of mind lately.”

That appears to have changed.

Last week Slate’s legal experts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern wrote: “Clarence and Ginni Thomas Are Telling Us Exactly How the 2024 Coup Will Go Down.” Stern offered up some details:

Apparently referring to reports the January 6 Committee has the phone records of then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, including his months-long texts with Ginni Thomas, Stern adds this:

Also last week the watchdog group CREW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington posted this:

This is their pinned tweet from May 4:

And today:

Over the weekend U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called for Justice Clarence Thomas to resign, be investigated, or impeached:

There are no legal charges against Ginni Thomas and no indication she is being investigated by any law enforcement officials or by the Supreme Court. Even the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack “is not expected to contact the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas,” The Washington Post reported last week, despite earlier reports, including from NPR, stating they wanted to speak with her.

Meanwhile, social media users are responding to the CNN article and one by The Daily Beast, and some are wondering why the court is investigating the leak while the Supreme Court justice’s spouse goes ignored.

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