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Liz Cheney Was Up for a Prestigious Award. Then the Trustees Worried Trump Might Be Re-Elected.

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Presidential scholar and former White House photographer David Hume Kennerly issued a scathing letter of resignation criticizing the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation after it repeatedly refused to give Liz Cheney its annual award, he says, because the trustees are afraid of possible retribution if Donald Trump wins the presidential election.

The Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service is a prestigious award that has been bestowed upon Republicans and Democrats alike, among them, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush, and former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill.

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), whose strong criticism of Donald Trump and work as Vice Chair of the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack led to “a stream of death threats,” and ended her congressional career, was considered for the Gerald R. Ford Medal, three times, Kennerly says.

Kennerly, according to Politico, “resigned yesterday from the board of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, blasting the group for cowardice in rejecting Trump critic Liz Cheney as the recipient of its top yearly award, Daniel Lippman reports.”

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“Kennerly claimed in a letter to fellow trustees that Cheney’s nomination for the Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service was nixed largely out of fear that Trump would retaliate against the organization if he’s reelected. Cheney, herself a trustee, was rejected three separate times, Kennerly wrote, as other potential honorees declined the award.”

As his photographer, Kennerly writes he “was in the room with [President Ford] almost every day that he was in office,” and blasted the GOP: “If President Ford could see the current state of his former party he would be shocked and royally riled.”

Kennerly said he “strongly supported” efforts to give Liz Cheney the Ford Foundation award.

“To me there was no other choice,” Kennerly continued. “In 2022 Liz also received a Profile in Courage award from the JFK Foundation along with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They said she had been a ‘consistent and courageous voice in defense of democracy’ and that she had ‘refused to take the politically expedient course that most of her party embraced.'”

He adds that after two other people refused the award, “it became crystal clear to me that something else was going on.”

READ MORE: ‘Disinformation’: Greene Pushes Pro-Putin Propaganda in ‘War on Christianity’ Rant

“A key reason Liz’s nomination was turned down was your agita about what might happen if the former president is reelected. Some of you raised the specter of being attacked by the Internal Revenue Service and losing the foundation’s tax-exempt status as retribution for selecting Liz for the award. The historical irony was completely lost on you. Gerald Ford became president, in part, because Richard Nixon had ordered the development of an enemies list and demanded his underlings use the IRS against those listed. That’s exactly what the executive committee fears will happen if there’s a second coming of Donald Trump.”

Edward Luce, the Financial Times’ chief U.S. commentator, responded, writing, “If Trump can scare the Gerald Ford Foundation from giving an award to @Liz_Cheney six months before the election, imagine the spinelessness we’d see after he won. Really terrible foretaste what would be in store.”

Pete Souza, the famed former White House photographer for both presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, praised Kennerly, writing, “Bravo.”

Yale University professor Howard P. Forman summed it up, saying: “Ford Presidential Foundation trustees afraid of Donald Trump; decline giving an award to a lifetime public servant (Liz Cheney). Profiles in cowardice.”

 

 

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‘Huge Problem for Trump’: Joe Rogan Gushes Over Kamala Harris

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Populist podcaster Joe Rogan, the highly-influential commentator whose audience reflects a strong segment of Donald Trump’s MAGA base gushed over Vice President Kamala Harris in his latest episode.

“She’s nailing it,” exclaimed Rogan, who has 14.5 million followers on Spotify.

A “dudebro” with a predominantly male audience in the 25-44 range that spans the partisan divide, Rogan heaped praise on Harris’s team.

“They did an amazing job from the moment Biden drops out, forcing Biden to drop out, whatever they’re doing, whoever’s writing those speeches, getting her to deliver them, coaching her, she’s nailing it,” Rogan said.

READ MORE: ‘Megaphone for Hate’: Vance’s Slam of Dem ‘Rhetoric’ Backfires in ‘Streisand Effect’

“Whoever’s helping her. Whoever’s coaching her. Whoever’s the puppet master running the strings…” he said, serving up a “chef’s kiss” gesture, as NJ.com reported.

“The difference in that debate was not a difference in who’s going to have better policies, who’s going to be better for the country,” Rogan observed. “The difference in the debate, in my opinion, was who was better prepared.”

Rogan did not quite endorse Donald Trump in 2020, although he did tell listeners he would rather vote for Trump than Joe Biden.

“There’s a moment here when Rogan imitates Trump in the most cartoonish way imaginable, and that, I think, tells you a lot. For many people, Trump made them laugh at politics. But now they’re laughing at him,” remarked John Stoehr of the Editorial Board.

“This is a huge problem for Donald Trump,” commented digital marketing strategist and Obama campaign operative Tim Fullerton. “If Joe Rogan turns on him and starts praising Kamala Harris like he is here – Trump is toast.”

Watch below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Remigration’: Trump Continues Attacks on Immigrants With New Vow of Forced Deportations

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33 Bomb Threats in Springfield Shuttered 22 Facilities in Days After Trump’s Immigrant Lie

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It’s been just under a week since Donald Trump uttered his lies about Haitian immigrants stealing pets from the residents of Springfield, Ohio, and eating them. Now, according to the Republican governor, Mike DeWine, the city of Springfield has been hit with 33 bomb threats that have forced the evacuation or shuttering of 22 facilities, among them reportedly two hospitals, six elementary schools, a middle school, two colleges, at least two courts, and city hall.

Spectrum News national political reporter Taylor Popielarz posted a list of the facilities that have been subjected to lockdown, evacuation, closure, or search. This is a list of facilities, not the number of times they have been forced to evacuate or shut down.

(Click to view the full list)

Gov. DeWine in a Monday afternoon press conference declared all 33 bomb threats to be “hoaxes,” but also claimed they came from foreign countries.

“We have people, unfortunately overseas, who are taking these actions. Some of them are coming from one particular country. We think that this is one more opportunity to mess with the United States,” DeWine said, as The Columbus Dispatch reported. “We cannot let the bad guys win. Our schools must remain open. They’re going to remain open.”

READ MORE: Ohio GOP AG Smacked Down on CNN After Downplaying Bomb Threats Targeting Springfield

DeWine, while repeatedly declaring the claims that immigrants in Springfield are stealing and eating cats and dogs are false, on Monday also repeatedly refused to pin any blame on Donald Trump or his running mate, JD Vance.

“There’s been no evidence at all of anyone eating a dog or any Haitians doing any of that,” DeWine told CNN Monday (video below). “These Haitians that are there are legal, and they work very, very hard.”

“The mayor tells us and the chief of police tells us there’s been no evidence at all of anyone eating a dog or any Haitians doing any of that. These Haitians that are there are legal, they work very, very hard.”

Those comments echoed DeWine’s remarks on Sunday to ABC News: “What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in. These Haitians came in to work for these companies.”

“What the companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They’re very happy to have them there, and frankly, that’s helped the economy. Now, are there problems connected? Well, sure. When you go from a population of 58,000 and add 15,000 people onto that, you’re going to have some challenges and some problems. And we’re addressing those,” DeWine also said.

He also denounced the hate groups that have used the opportunity to descend onto Springfield.

“There are hate groups coming into Springfield. We don’t need these hate groups. I saw a piece of literature yesterday that the mayor told me about from purportedly the KKK. Look, Springfield is a good city. They are good people. They are welcoming people. We have challenges every day. We are working on those challenges,” DeWine said. “This idea that we have hate groups coming in, this discussion just has to stop. We need to focus on moving forward and not dogs and cats being eaten. It’s just ridiculous.”

READ MORE: Trump Repeatedly Blames Biden, Harris for Assassination Attempt Allegedly by Another GOPer

Despite calling the pet-eating claims “ridiculous,” despite acknowledging the hate groups have come to town as a result, despite stating the immigrants – contrary to Donald Trump’s claims – are there legally and have been called “essential” by local businesses, and despite the 33 bomb threats and the effect they have had on school children and medical care, the governor would not hold Donald Trump or JD Vance accountable.

“Look, I’m not here to place blame,” DeWine said.

After DeWine’s appearance, the Trump campaign wrongly claimed that because the origin of the bomb threats is allegedly overseas, they deserve an apology.

“Where do President Trump and JD Vance go to get their apology from the media who claimed they incited them?” the campaign’s War Room account asked.

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Remigration’: Trump Continues Attacks on Immigrants With New Vow of Forced Deportations

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Ohio GOP AG Smacked Down on CNN After Downplaying Bomb Threats Targeting Springfield

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Dave Yost, the Republican Attorney General of Ohio, took a shellacking Monday afternoon after a CNN host debunked some of his claims made in support of Donald Trump’s lies that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating residents’ pets, including cats and dogs, as well as geese. Yost also downplayed the bomb threats in Springfield that have closed public schools for days, saying he has no information on who is responsible, and suggesting it could be someone from anywhere in the world.

Donald Trump’s lie that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating pets has been refuted and debunked by the Republican Governor of Ohio, and the city’s mayor and city manager, along with local law enforcement.

But Yost wrongly insisted that there are credible reports that have been called in to city officials, claims he made days ago on social media that were quickly also debunked.

“There’s a recorded police call from a witness who saw immigrants capturing geese for food in Springfield. Citizens testified to City Council. These people would be competent witnesses in court. Why does the media find a carefully worded City Hall press release better evidence?” Yost asked on X last Wednesday.

READ MORE: Trump Repeatedly Blames Biden, Harris for Assassination Attempt Allegedly by Another GOPer

AG Yost over the weekend also weighed in on the alleged 20,000 Haitian immigrants (city officials estimate 12,000 to 15,000) who now live in Springfield.

“There’s not a town in America that could absorb a quarter to a third of its population of new immigrants. Don’t buy the shrill ‘debunking’ by the leftist media outlets that desperately want to shut down this debate just weeks before voting starts,” he wrote on X, appearing to use his office to make a political statement.

Yost is perhaps most well–known for falsely denying that 10-year old rape victim who wanted an abortion had been raped. He also tried to block President Joe Biden from appearing on the November 2024 ballot, and has published 28 statements attacking President Biden or his administration on a wide variety of issues. Among them: COVID and vaccines, abortion, the Supreme Court, the teaching of history in public schools, and election laws. Yost also signed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to disenfranchise the votes of thousands of Pennsylvania voters.

On Monday, CNN’s Brianna Keilar asked Yost how concerned is he about the bomb threats that have shuttered schools and other government facilities, including city hall and a motor vehicle office.

“Look, in Ohio, a bomb threat, particularly one that disrupts something like a school, is very serious crime. It’s felony, and my message is, whoever is responsible, knock it off,” Yost replied. “So let’s understand what there really is no evidence of, which is that these bomb threats are coming domestically. They might, they might not. That’s why we have investigations.”

READ MORE: ‘Hell Isn’t Hot Enough’: Fury at Trump as More School Evacuations Follow ‘Pet-Eating’ Lies

Keilar also told Yost, “So you’ve been tweeting about this controversy, giving credence to what is so far and after quite a lot of investigation and unsubstantiated allegation that Haitian migrants are eating people’s pets in Springfield as well as waterfowl in public places there, and local authorities have investigated both, and they have found nothing to support that. The mayor says this is the case. Do you think the mayor is lying?”

“No, my comment, and by the way, most of my tweets have been about the impact, the real impacts on this town, but my tweet was about the media’s disregard of citizen interactions, citizen reports with their government,” Yost replied, despite the citizen reports having been debunked.

Yost went on to complain about the increase in the number of school children in Springfield needing translators.

Later, he complained, “I’m trying desperately to bring attention to the very serious issues, that’s mostly what I’ve been talking about. You’re the one that’s taking one tweet and trying to make a national news story out of it. How much time have we spent on this? In this interview?” he asked.

“It’s not my tweets, sir, it’s your tweets,” Keilar replied.

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Remigration’: Trump Continues Attacks on Immigrants With New Vow of Forced Deportations

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