Facing backlash over FTX scandal, Democrats return millions in donations

According to OpenSecrets,Bankman-Fried gave roughly $40 million in public donations in the 2022 election cycle, with the vast majority, $36.8 million, going to Democrat-affiliated groups.

By Casey Harper | The Center Square

Updated: December 20, 2022 - 11:29pm

The Democrats' Senate Majority Political Action Committee announced Tuesday it would be returning about $3 million in donations from Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced FTX CEO who faces criminal charges, including campaign finance charges, after his multi-billion dollar digital asset company collapsed.

“Following the serious allegations against FTX, Senate Majority PAC previously set aside the contribution amounts from Sam Bankman-Fried and Nishad Singh with the intention of returning the funds once we receive proper direction from federal law enforcement officials based on their legal proceedings,” a spokesperson for the PAC told CNBC on Tuesday.

The PAC is also returning donations from the company’s former head engineer, Nishad Singh.

TheDemocrats' House Majority PAC said they will return about $6 million from the CEO, another of several Democrat-affiliated groups quickly clearing their names from association with Bankman-Fried and FTX.

Bankman-Fried led FTX, a digital asset exchange platform that skyrocketed in popularity and financial success before cratering in recent weeks, losing tens of billions of dollars worth of assets. That scandal has left Democrats facing backlash and questions over donations they received from the CEO.

Bankman-Fried has since been charged with stealing billions of dollars in part to shore up his hedge fund, raising ethical questions and suggesting wrongdoing at the troubled firm.

Shortly after news broke of the scandal, Democrats began to take fire for accepting millions of dollars in political donations from the embattled CEO.

According to OpenSecrets, Bankman-Fried gave roughly $40 million in public donations in the 2022 election cycle, with the vast majority, $36.8 million, going to Democrat-affiliated groups.

“That’s what happens when you are a Democrat mega donor helping to elect liberal politicians – you get treated with a different set of political standards,” Republican strategist and Co-founder of South & Hill Strategies Colin Reed said. “In 2022, he gave $40 million dollars to Democrats and $200 grand to Republicans. Politicians would be wise to rid themselves of this tainted campaign cash and avoid the ongoing headache. This is a guy facing allegations of billions of dollars worth of fraud and is about to pay a huge price for it. Anyone in his orbit is bound to get hit with collateral damage as his fallen star continues its incredible implosion.”

The Washington Examiner reported Tuesday on exclusive emails appearing to show thatBankman-Fried wined and dined top federal regulatorsin October of last year, raising more questions about whether the CEO was able to evade closer scrutiny.

The House Financial Services Committee has launched an investigation into Bankman-Fried and the company. They held a hearing earlier this month.

The ranking Republican on that committee, Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., blasted Bankman-Fried but urged that the entire crypto and digital space not be maligned because of his actions.

"It appears to be the same, old-school fraud, just using new technology," he said at the hearing last week, comparing the alleged fraud to that in other industries. "But it is important to note: we still use railroads, we still buy and sell real estate, and we still rely on businesses to provide services. We have to separate out the bad actions of an individual from the good created by an industry and an innovation."

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/dems-face-backlash-over-ftx-scandal-return-millions-donations

Say what? Gavin Newsom pleased to see California gun control law he signed into law struck down

The law allows private citizens to sue firearms manufacturers. California modeled the law after the Texas abortion bill.

December 20, 2022 - 11:33pm

(The Center Square) - A U.S. District Court judge deemed a California gun control law unconstitutional on Tuesday.

U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez determined that Senate Bill 1327, signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this year, is unconstitutional – an outcome Newsom welcomed as it puts a spotlight on similar provisions in Texas law.

The law allows private citizens to sue firearms manufacturers. California modeled the law after the Texas abortion bill, known as SB 8. It allows private citizens to sue abortionists and those who aid and abet in abortions.

Benitez blasted the law in his decision, calling the "fee-shifting" provisions an "unprecedented attempt to thwart judicial review."

"'It is cynical.' ‘It is an abomination.’ ‘It is outrageous and objectionable.’ ‘There is no dispute that it raises serious constitutional questions,'" Benitez wrote in the decision; he was quoting Newsom's vocal opposition to the Texas abortion law at the beginning of the quote.

This California law would have allowed private citizens to sue the manufacturers for up to $10,000, the same amount allowed under the Texas abortion law.

When the Supreme Court ruled that the Texas law could stay in effect earlier this year, Newsom called on the California legislature to create a similar law about guns.

In a statement issued by his office following the gun law ruling, Newsom thanked the judge for declaring the bill he signed into law unconstitutional.

“I want to thank Judge Benitez," Newsom said in the release. "We have been saying all along that Texas’ anti-abortion law is outrageous. Judge Benitez just confirmed it is also unconstitutional. The provision in California’s law that he struck down is a replica of what Texas did, and his explanation of why this part of SB 1327 unfairly blocks access to the courts applies equally to Texas’ SB 8. There is no longer any doubt that Texas’ cruel anti-abortion law should also be struck down."

"With today's ruling, it is hypocritical to let Texas use procedural rules to shield its laws from review and then say that California cannot enact the very same rules in its laws," his office wrote. "As the Supreme Court has recognized, ‘in the law, what is sauce for the goose is normally sauce for the gander.’"

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/gavin-newsom-pleased-see-gun-control-bill-he-signed-law-struck-down

Democrat senator demands FBI explain how often it hacks Americans(kek how many democrats were hacked, assholes stop giving them more money if you don't want them to hack!)

Wyden asked the FBI how many operations it has carried out using hacking and how many were authorized by the courts.

Updated: December 21, 2022 - 8:45am

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is demanding for the FBI to answer questions about its policy about hacking Americans and its use of a controversial surveillance system.

"The American people have a right to know the scale of the FBI’s hacking activities and the rules that govern the use of this controversial surveillance technique," Wyden said in a letter Tuesday to FBI Director Chris Wray.

The FBI obtained Pegasus spyware from the Israeli company NSO Group,

The New York Times reported earlier this year. The agency said without giving a reason that it declined to deploy NSO's hacking tool that can be used to completely control a person's phone without their knowledge.

Wyden asked the FBI how many operations it has carried out using hacking and how many were authorized by the courts.

He also demanded to know whether any legal barriers would prevent the agency from using NSO or similar tools in the future.

The Oregon Democrat's letter comes as public figures such as Elon Musk and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) are calling for a Church-style committee to probe allegations of corruption in the FBI and the U.S. intelligence community.

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/democrat-senator-demands-fbi-explain-how-often-it-hacks-americans

Cybersecurity expert in Lake trial: Ballot printers must have been intentionally tampered with

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer sought to dismiss a subpoena requiring his testimony at the trial, but the judge denied the motion

Updated: December 21, 2022 - 2:22pm1 of 2

A cybersecurity expert in the civil trial of Kari Lake's lawsuit testified Wednesday that the issues experienced with ballot printers at Maricopa County vote centers on Election Day had to have been intentionally caused by changing the printer settings.

The trial began Wednesday with the testimonies of Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, Maricopa County Director of Elections Scott Jarrett, and cybersecurity expert Clay Parikh.

Parikh, who has previously worked with election systems, testified that the settings on either the printers or the laptops at the vote centers that sent the ballot print jobs to the printers had to have been intentionally changed to cause the printer errors that were experienced on Election Day.

Jarrett explained under direct examination that the vote center wait times were based on prior elections, and calculated that voters would wait in line for about 30 minutes on average. He said that wait times included how long it would take voters to check in at the vote centers.The election director said under cross-examination by defendants' counsel that the average wait time for all voters was less than few minutes on Election Day. (lying is not a good strategy in court and on the stand)

When asked by Lake's legal counsel about reports from poll workers that wait times were over two hours, Jarrett said that those workers could make estimates, but unless they were timing voters, it was an assumption.

Jarrett also testified that there was no 19-inch ballot design for the 2022 general election, only the August primary, so ballot printers couldn't have printed the wrong ballot.

Richer was questioned by Lake's attorney Bryan Blehm about his responsibilities as the Maricopa County recorder, which include Early Voting ballots and ballots in drop boxes, including any early ballots dropped off on Election Day.

Under cross-examination by the defendants' legal counsel, Richer said that he had "absolutely not" done anything to make the ballot printers not print correctly or knew of anyone who did.

The second witness to be questioned by Lake's legal counsel is Maricopa County Elections Director Scott Jarrett.

After a decade of election failures in Maricopa County, election officials are on trial this week for their management of the 2022 election.

As the trial for Lake's lawsuit begins Wednesday against Maricopa County election officials and her Democratic gubernatorial opponent, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Lake's legal counsel plans to also call Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates to testify about their handling of the 2022 election, according to a court filing on Sunday.

==Both Hobbs and Richer sought to quash subpoenas for their testimony, but the judge overseeing the case denied their motions on Monday. Later on

Monday night, Hobbs asked the judge to reconsider his denial of her motion==. On Tuesday, Lake's attorneys withdrew their subpoena for her testimony. Lake didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/kari-lake-lawsuit-maricopa-county-put-trial-after-decade-election-issues

>>17993071

Cybersecurity expert in Lake trial:…

2 of 2

Lake's lawsuit was allowed to continue to trial after Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson dismissed 8 of Lake's 10 counts against the defendants while leaving intact counts II ("Illegal Tabulator Configurations") and IV ("Ballot Chain of Custody").

Count II alleges that the malfunctioning of ballot-on-demand printers on Election Day was intentional. To prove this count, the judge wrote, "Plaintiff must show at trial that the BOD printer malfunctions were intentional, and directed to affect the results of the election, and that such actions did actually affect the outcome."

Count IV alleges violations of the County Election Manual enabling ballots to be added to the total. Finding that "whether the county complied with its own manual and applicable statutes is a dispute of fact rather than one of law," the judge denied the motion to dismiss this count.

Maricopa County has a 10-year history of election issues dating back to 2012. In the 2012 and 2014 elections, its counting of early and provisional ballots was marred by long delays.

In the 2016 primary election, the county reduced the number of polling places to 60, down from more than 200 in the 2012 presidential primary, and 400 in the 2008 presidential primary. The sharp reductions caused hours-long lines for voters to cast their ballots. (So they planned to sabotage Trump then but weren’t successful)

The Obama Justice Department sent a letter to the Maricopa County Recorder's Office after the 2016 primary inquiring about the election issues, which occurred under Helen Purcell, a Republican who had held the office since winning the 1988 election. Amid these issues, Purcell lost her 2016 reelection race for county recorder to Democrat Adrian Fontes.

During the 2018 election, dozens of polling locations failed to open on time due to technical issues with election machines, leading to the county's Board of Supervisors retaking control over Election Day voting from the recorder's office.

In 2020, the Arizona state Senate ordered an audit of the presidential contest in the county.

The extensive investigation called into question more than 50,000 ballots cast in the election, including ballots cast by voters from residences they had left.The number of questioned ballots is nearly five times the margin of Joe Biden's victory in the state.

A separate review of Maricopa County'smail ballots in the 2020 found that more than 200,000 ballots with signatures did not match voter files and were counted without being reviewed.

In the 2022 election, at least 70 vote centers in Maricopa County experienced ballot printer issues on Election Day, which resulted in ballot tabulation machine errors.

The county has acknowledged that 70 vote centers had issues, while a report compiling Election Day observations made by GOP roving attorneys found that 72 out of the 115 vote centers they visited had issues. Maricopa County had 223 vote centers operating during the 2022 election, and Lake's lawsuit alleges that 59% of them — approximately 132 vote centers — experienced machine issues on Election Day.

Meanwhile, Richer, who was elected as Maricopa County Recorder in 2020, started a political action committee in 2021, funded by Democrats, that supports Republican candidates who, according to the PAC, "acknowledge the validity of the 2020 election and condemn the events of January 6, 2021 as a terrible result of the lies told about the November election."

In March, Richer sought support from the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — including funding, intelligence, and collaboration with social media — in election officials' often controversial efforts to combat purported election misinformation.

Briefing CISA's Protecting Critical Infrastructure from Misinformation and Disinformation Subcommittee, Richer "suggested that CISA hold bootcamps for media representatives such as FOX News or CNN to enhance media's understanding of how elections are administered."

Richer added that the "malinformation" his office has encountered included "Abuse of Arizona's permissive public records process," as they received more than 350 public records requests last year regarding the 2020 election(whine more asshole)

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/kari-lake-lawsuit-maricopa-county-put-trial-after-decade-election-issues

DOE investigating removal of LGBT books from school library

The investigation follows a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union.

(God save our country from this evil now!)

By Ben Whedon

Updated: December 20, 2022 - 8:37pm

The Department of Education's civil rights division is investigating the removal of LGBT books from a Texas school library.

"The Office for Civil Rights can confirm that there is an open investigation into Granbury ISD under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. We do not comment on pending investigations," the department announced in a Tuesday statement, per the Associated Press.

The investigation follows a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union based on a report indicating thatthe school district in Granbury, Texas, had ordered librarians to remove books addressing sexual orientation and transgender individuals.

Leaked audio material from a meeting with district Superintendent Jeremy Glenn appeared to reveal him saying,"I acknowledge that there are men that think they're women and there are women that think they're men. I don't have any issues with what people want to believe, but there's no place for it in our libraries."(Brave man!)

The district acknowledged it was aware of Glenn's comments and stated the removal of the books followed a recommendation from a review committee that did not include him. The committee convened to pursue compliance with a state order that school libraries not include explicit materials.

The ACLU contended that the decision was motivated by less procedural motivations, pointing to Glenn's comments and asserting "[i]n this case it was made very clear, because the superintendent kind of said the quiet part out loud," said ACLU attorney Chloe Kempf. "It's pretty clear that that kind of motivation is animating a lot of these policies nationwide."

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/education/doe-investigating-removal-lgbt-books-school-library

Major pharmacy chains limit sales of child pain meds amid high demand

(another evil psyop occurring, CDC and FDA involved, I’m sure)

The pharmacies said they remained committed to providing their customers with the products they require, but that lingering supply-chain issues would still impact the volume of product they could sell.

Updated: December 20, 2022 - 4:49pm

Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens are imposing limits on the amount of children's pain medication customers can purchase in one instance as demand for them surges.

While Walgreens will limit the purchase of such products online to six per order, CVS has announced a more stringent limit of two per online or in-store purchase, according to The Hill.

In particularly high demand this year are pediatric fever reduction products, in part, due to concurrent surges ofCOVID-19, the flu, and respiratory illness RSV, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dubbed a "tripledemic."(Fuckers! using parents with danger to their children)

The pharmacies said they remained committed to providing their customers with the products they require, but that lingering supply-chain issues would still impact the volume of product they could sell.

"We're committed to meeting our customers' needs and are working with our suppliers to ensure continued access to these items," CVS said, per the outlet.

"While Walgreens continues to have products to support our customers and patients, we have put into effect an online only purchase limit of 6 per online transaction to prevent excess purchasing behavior," said the other pharmacy chain.

Complicating matters is an ongoing antibiotics shortage that has at least partially stemmed from the spread of RSV, which has greater potential for severe symptoms in children.

"What we are seeing is record levels of RSV in young children. Usually, we see a spike in December or January, but it's earlier this year," Yale Medicine infectious disease specialist Scott Roberts said in late November. "COVID is still the most prevalent virus in the community, but it's on a downward trajectory, while RSV and flu are increasing."

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/health/major-pharmacy-chains-limit-sales-child-pain-meds-amid-high-demand

I knew Trump didn't endorse either one, is David Reaboi going to apologize for lying for DeSantis?

"David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense@davereaboi ·19h

While Trump endorses Ronna McDaniel and the RNC establishment status quo, I totally get why you need to change the story—but this is so pathetic a reach. https://chroniclesmagazine.org/web/trump-back"

Trump declines to make RNC chair endorsement of Dhillon or McDaniel: 'I like them both'

Under McDaniel's leadership, Republicans lost the House in 2018, the White House and underperformed in 2022.

By Madeleine Hubbard

Updated: December 19, 2022 - 9:22am

Former President Donald Trump said he will not endorse RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel's bid for reelection or Harmeet Dhillon, one of his attorneys seeking the post.

"I think they’re both good," Trump told Breitbart News on Friday. "I like them both."

The reelection team for McDaniel, whom Trump picked in 2017 to run the RNC, says she has enough votes among the 168 committee members for a fourth term.

Dhillon, a committee member from California, has garnered support from key Republican figures and state groups including the Texas and Arizona Republican Parties as well as longtime RNC member Morton Blackwell, who founded The Leadership Institute, a conservative training group.

Under McDaniel's leadership, Republicans lost the House in 2018, both the presidency and Congress in 2020 and had a lackluster performance in 2022.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/all-things-trump/trump-declines-make-rnc-chair-endorsement-dhillon-or-mcdaniel-i

https://twitter.com/alexbruesewitz/status/1605354750504882176?s=20&t=9HLSZuvr3PQts0i6YLzfug

FBI warns of dramatic rise in 'financial sextortion' incidents

(Is this a warning to their enemies? Or are they just trying to get ahead of Steve Friends statements that the FBI dropped all child abuse and trafficking cases to hunt J6’ers)

The agencies cautioned that such interactions begin on traditional social media platforms and gaming sites with predators often impersonating female players and targeting younger boys.

By Ben Whedon

Updated: December 19, 2022 - 3:53pm

The FBI, along with Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, on Monday warned of a consequential rising in the number of children and teens facing coercion to send sexually explicit images for extortion purposes.

"The FBI has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys—and the fact is that the many victims who are afraid to come forward are not even included in those numbers," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a press release. "The FBI is here for victims, but we also need parents and caregivers to work with us to prevent this crime before it happens and help children come forward if it does. Victims may feel like there is no way out—it is up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, there is hope, and they are not alone."

The agencies stated they have received over 7,000 reports in connection to such schemes in the past year alone, and that these incidents have produced at least 3,000 victims, mostly young boys. Moreover, the release stated that more than a dozen suicides had stemmed from these operations.

The agencies cautioned that such interactions begin on traditional social media platforms and gaming sites with predators often impersonating female players and targeting younger boys. They then use these personas to solicit sexual materials and, upon receipt, demand money to prevent their public release.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children CEO Michelle DeLaune said "[t]his is a growing crisis and we've seen sextortion completely devastate children and families… As the leading nonprofit focused on child protection, we've seen first-hand the rise in these cases worldwide. The best defense against this crime is to talk to your children about what to do if they're targeted online. We want everyone to know help is out there and they're not alone."

https://justthenews.com/nation/crime/fbi-warns-dramatic-rise-financial-sextortion-incidents

6 undisputed facts about Arizona election: Election Day issues, ballot counts, legal threats

At least 70 of Maricopa County's 223 vote centers experienced election machine problems on Election Day.

Updated: December 19, 2022 - 11:17pm

Following a judge's ruling that 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake's lawsuit challenging the outcome of the Arizona election will proceed to trial, opposing lawyers will continue to spar over contested facts, such as the number of vote centers affected by machine errors on Election Day. But amid the impassioned arguments about the Arizona election, six key facts aren't in dispute:

1. At least 70 vote centers in Maricopa County experienced ballot printer issues on Election Day, which resulted in ballot tabulation machine errors. The county has acknowledged that 70 vote centers had issues, while a report compiling Election Day observations made by GOP roving attorneys found that 72 out of the 115 vote centers they visited had issues. Maricopa County had 223 vote centers operating during the 2022 election, and Lake's lawsuit alleges that 59% of them — approximately 132 vote centers — experienced machine issues on Election Day.

File

LTR-2022.11.27-Liddy-to-Wright-FINAL.pdf

1. As of two days after the election, there was a nearly 16,000-ballot discrepancy between the outstanding ballot counts estimated by Maricopa County and the Arizona secretary of state's office. "Unable to currently reconcile SOS listing with our estimates from yesterday," Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer wrote in a Nov. 10 email. The county estimated 392,000 ballots left to be counted, while the secretary of state's website said there were 407,664 ballots left. "So there's a 15,000 difference somewhere," Richer concluded.

1. Maricopa County's Election Day issues prompted Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich's office to send a letter to the county inquiring about "first-hand witness accounts that raise concerns regarding Maricopa's lawful compliance with Arizona election law." The AG's office asked the county about ballot printer issues, difficulties checking voters out so they could cast their ballots at another vote center, and the commingling of non-tabulated ballots in Door 3 of the tabulation machines with tabulated ballots. Maricopa County responded that while the election problems were "regrettable," the number of ballots affected by printer issues were "fewer than 1% of ballots cast" and "every lawful voter was still able to cast his or her ballot."

1. Hobbs' office threatened the Mohave County Board of Supervisors with possible felony charges if they didn't certify the election by Nov. 28. Two of the supervisors on the board voted to certify the election "under duress."

1. Cochise County didn't certify its election by Nov. 28, but was then sued by Hobbs' office to certify. On Dec. 1, a judge ordered the county to certify, which they did before the end of the day. Hobbs then asked Brnovich for an investigation into Cochise for not certifying the election by the state deadline.

1. Maricopa County uses in-person voter turnout data from prior elections for planning placement of vote centers for future elections, but the county also categorizes the data by political party, raising concerns that voters of different parties could possibly have different Election Day experiences based on their location.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/top-seven-indisputable-facts-about-ariz-election-election-day-issues

Link to document in article

https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2022-11/LTR-2022.11.27-Liddy-to-Wright-FINAL.pdf

>>17993254

wow and notablethey are all lying on the stand