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Trump Winging It – Refuses ‘Traditional’ Debate Prep With Less Than 3 Weeks to Go

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President Donald Trump has a long history of not preparing. He infamously refuses daily intelligence briefings – opting instead to have them on average once a week. His gross mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic is infamous – and due to lack of preparation and lack of listening to scientists.

Trump rarely follows the advice of the experts he has at his disposal, both as a sitting U.S. president and as the head of the Republican Party engaged in a challenging re-election campaign.

Now we learn Trump is eschewing the advice of political experts, and refusing “traditional debate prep” for the presidential debates, NBC News reveals. He has not participated in a single “mock” debate session. and has no plans to. The first debate is less than three weeks away.

“The president has dismissed the typical debate preparations he participated in four years ago, joking to aides and allies that he’s been preparing for debates since he was born,” according to NBC News. “His ability to fire back at an opponent in real time, he’s argued, ‘isn’t something you have to practice.'”

Trump is instead opting for “informal discussions” with allies and top administration officials. It’s unclear if using an administration official for the specific purpose of helping him with his political campaign would be a Hatch Act violation.

Privately, the president’s allies are worried, NBC notes. They don’t “think his casual approach is a wise strategy,” and are “are expressing concern that the president’s overconfidence could backfire.”

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh disagrees, saying: “I think if you ask the president, he would say that he is preparing for debates by running the country, as president.”

The first presidential debate is Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Cleveland, Ohio.

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GOOD LUCK WITH THAT

January 6 Committee to Request Mike Pence Voluntarily Appear to Testify

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The House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack will request former Vice President Mike Pence, whose life was under threat during the January 6 insurrection, to voluntarily testify before the Committee.

“I think you could expect” the Committee to request Pence’s testimony “before the month’s out,” Chairman Bennie Thompson told NPR Friday.

It would be the closest yet the Committee has been to Donald Trump.

“The vice president was put in a tough spot,” Thompson continued. “The President was putting a lot of pressure on him to break the law, and he stood fast,”

“And because of his respect for law, there were people who came to the Capitol a year ago wanting to hang him. And so, if for no other reason, our committee really needs to hear what are his opinions about what happened on January 6.”

Indeed, Trump supporters that day infamously chanted “hang Mike Pence,” had a noose and gallows outside Congress, and literally roamed the halls hunting him down, as this video from the second Trump impeachment shows:

“Mike Pence should do America a favor & cooperate,” former Pence Homeland Security and Counterterrorism advisor Olivia Troye said on Wednesday. “He should release the stark photos of the reality he faced on January 6 displaying what Trump & Trumpism really means for our democracy when a President is capable of inciting an attack against his own Vice President. “

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Mo Brooks Tries to Weasel Out of Insurrection Lawsuit by Telling Judge He’s ‘Never Smoked Tobacco’ or Cheated

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U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) is being sued by Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA) for his role in allegedly inciting the January 6 insurrection. Brooks infamously evaded being served by going to great lengths, resulting in forcing the process server to hand the papers to his wife at their home.

Brooks on January 6 spoke at Trump’s MAGA rally and told the estimated 12,000 attendees, “Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.” But Brooks was also the first member of Congress to announce he would vote to overturn the election. And in December Politico reported Brooks was “spearheading the long-shot push to overturn the election results in Congress,” and noted he had organized a “trio of White House meetings, which lasted over three hours and included roughly a dozen lawmakers.”

The Alabama Republican Congressman tried to get the Dept. of Justice to defend him, claiming his inciting thousands of loyal Trump cultists was a part of his job as a federal government employee. The DOJ disagreed and refused.

So now he is in court.

Brooks, who is an attorney, is reportedly representing himself.

Related: Mo Brooks Posts His Gmail Password While Ranting About Eric Swalwell Subpoena

Here’s what he told the judge on Wednesday in his defense, asking to be dismissed from the lawsuit, per Reuters’ legal affairs reporter Jan Wolfe.

“Brooks is 67 years old.”

“Brooks has never smoked tobacco. Brooks does not consume alcohol. Brooks has never experimented with or taken illegal drugs.”

“Brooks has never been arrested or convicted of any felonies or misdemeanors.”

“Brooks has never had a DUI, a reckless driving ticket, or even a speeding ticket.”

“Brooks has never had a motor vehicle wreck in which anyone claimed Brooks was at fault.”

“Brooks has been married 45 years. Brooks has always been faithful to his wife. Together they have raised four children, all of whom are married, none of whom have been divorced, all of whom are law-abiding, none of whom have been arrested for anything, all of whom have college degrees and jobs,” it says.

He concludes with one curious claim: “Brooks has a perfect ethics record…despite Democrats…having harassed Brooks with at least 38 ethics complaints.”

 

 

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First Capitol Riot Hearing ‘Is Going to Be a Disastrous Day for Kevin McCarthy’: Politico Reporter

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The first Capitol riot select committee hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, and Politico reporter Rachel Bade predicted it would create major headaches for GOP leader Kevin McCarthy.

Specifically, Bade pointed to the fact McCarthy pulled all of his nominees out of the committee, which means that he will have no one to challenge the narrative that gets established.

“Tomorrow is going to be a disastrous day for McCarthy on both ends of the spectrum,” she said. “You are going to have men and women in uniform testifying about the violence they witnessed on January 6th. McCarthy is still sticking with Trump. That… is going to be tough for the party and tough for him. He decided to withdraw all his members from this committee, so he is not going to have anybody to push back on anything that is being said.”

Additionally, Bade said that the four far-right lawmakers who are planning to hold a press conference highlighting the alleged mistreatment of jailed Capitol rioters are also likely to create a public relations nightmare for McCarthy.

“These people were rioters. [They’re] calling them [political] prisoners now?” she said. “It’s going to be impossible for McCarthy.”

Watch the video below.

 

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