Ryan Casts Doubt On "Bizarre" California Midterm Results

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has cast serious doubt over the "bizarre" California midterm election results, where it appears that seven GOP-held seats will flip to Democratic control, weeks later.

The election result "just defies logic to me," said Ryan during a Washington Post live event.

"We were only down 26 seats the night of the election and three weeks later, we lost basically every California race. This election system they have — I can’t begin to understand what ‘ballot harvesting’ is."

Ryan, who is retiring after this year, has previously declined to side with President Trump and other Republicans who have complained of election related irregularities and suspected fraud in places such as Florida and California, according to The Hill.

California does have a more liberal policy when it comes to counting ballots. The Golden State allows absentee ballots to be counted if they are mailed by Election Day and arrive at the registrar by the Friday after the election. That’s why results in a handful of close California House races were not called until days, or weeks, after Nov. 6.

In many cases, the GOP candidates had been leading on Election Night, but Democrats ultimately prevailed as additional absentee and provisional ballots were tallied in the days after. -The Hill

"In Wisconsin, we knew the next day. Scott Walker, my friend, I was sad to see him lose, but we accepted the results on Wednesday," said Ryan following the election. In California, however, "their system is bizarre; I still don’t completely understand it. There are a lot of races there we should have won."

When pressed about his California comments, Ryan said it seemed “bizarre” and “strange” that Democrats would win all seven competitive House races in California. Democrats ousted GOP Reps. Mimi Walters, Dana Rohrabacher, Jeff Denham and Steve Knight, and won seats held by retiring GOP Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa. GOP Rep. David Valadao is trailing Democrat TJ Cox, but the race is too close to call. -The Hill

"The way the absentee-ballot program used to work, and the way it works now, it seems pretty loosey goose," said Ryan. "When you have candidates who win the absentee ballot vote and then lose three weeks later because of provisionals, that’s really bizarre. I just think that’s a very very strange outcome."

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla defended the process in an interview with CNN.

"The philosophy here is, while it may take a little bit longer to finish counting ballots in California, the policies are in place to ensure that all votes can be properly processed and added to the tally — and I guess better said, that all voices can be heard in the political process," said Padilla.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-29/ryan-casts-doubt-bizarre-california-midterm-results

Deutsch: Today ‘Is the Tip of the Iceberg’ Trump’s Presidency, Entire Organization Will Be ‘Picked Apart’

Thursday on “Deadline,” Donny Deutsch said President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen pleading guilty to lying to Congress about a potential Trump Tower in Moscow was “the tip of the iceberg.”

Deutsch said, “I remember sitting on this show when Trump was really leaving him out to dry. You don’t need even my insight to tell you when somebody is consolatory, their right-hand man for ten years, they know everything…It’s your lieutenant. He was in the family.”

He added, “This is the tip of the iceberg. I’ve said this all along; Donald Trump could not get money once he was bankrupt in the mid-’90s other than Deutsche Bank. Once he’s out of office, this is not going to stop. Every ambitious attorney is not going to stop until they take this empire apart. This is not just the beginning of the end of his presidency but you’ll see his entire organization, his entire life, his entire fortune picked apart because nobody is bigger than the house. He tried to play the house.”

https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/11/29/deutsch-today-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-trumps-presidency-entire-organization-will-be-picked-apart/

Vandals burn Vermont veteran’s Trump flag at his front door – then Eric Trump steps in

A veteran in Vermont was shocked to find that vandals had burned his pro-Trump flag at his front door, but the president’s son is stepping in to help him out.

“That’s bullying. It’s scary.”

Annmarie Klein told New England Cable News that she and her husband Gus Klein awoke on Sunday to find their Trump flag burnt and left on their front stoop.

“It’s crazy,” said Klein. “To me, that’s violent.”

The Kleins say that the flag was taken from a pole on their front yard. They say that their neighborhood is politically liberal, but everyone usually gets along.

“That’s bullying,” she added. “It’s scary.”

Police say they are investigating the matter.

“It does make me sad,” Klein said. “I’m going to be 58 years old, and I’ve never seen something like this before. I’ve always lived in this area.”

“Knowing that there’s people out here who do this, there is fear in my mind and it’s not right,” Gus, a veteran of the Afghanistan War said to WCAX. “I should be able to come and go as I want and we should be able to sleep at night in our own property, so there is fear.”

Eric Trump steps into the story

Eric Trump, the son of the president, saw the story and tweeted that he would provide a replacement for the burnt flag.

“Gus,” Trump tweeted, “Thank you so much for the support and thank you for your service to our country!”

“Get us your address – a new Trump 2020 Flag will be coming your way,” he added. “Keep up the fight!”

A spokesman for the Vermont Democratic Party denounced the vandalism of Klein’s Trump flag in a statement.

“Difference of thought is what makes us average Americans,” said Christopher Di Mezzo. “But it’s the level of respect with which we treat that difference that makes us Vermonters – that makes us unique.”

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/11/29/vandals-burn-vermont-veterans-trump-flag-at-his-front-door-then-eric-trump-steps-in