CNN Speaks To GOP Voters But Doesn't Reveal They Are All Organized Trump Activists

(screen capture via CNN)

This is bad.

CNN interviewed a group of women presented as 'Republican' voters who happen to support Donald Trump, when they are actually part of an organized group that promotes the Donald.

From The Washington Post:

The seemingly random group of eight women were, in fact, members of an organized group dedicated to promoting Trump. The group calls itself the Trumpettes of America 2019 Palm Beach Team, although CNN and correspondent Randi Kaye didn’t mention anything about such a group. Nor did the anchors, including Anderson Cooper, who introduced Kaye’s report.

The network simply identified the panelists individually, with their names appearing onscreen next to the word “Republican.” Kaye gave no hint that the women knew one another and had a common cause.

As a result, the segment left the impression that CNN had assembled a panel reflecting a cross-section of opinion from Republican women about the crossfire between Trump and four freshman Democratic congresswomen of color, whom Trump told to “go back” to their own countries in Sunday tweets, despite all four being American citizens.

Rather than a cross-section, however, the Trumpettes were plainly of one mind.

Some of the women had appeared on CNN before, and neither time was an affiliation to being part of an organized Trump group acknowledged.

Edward Wasserman, dean of the University of California at Berkeley journalism school, described the lack of disclosure as "a fraud on the viewer."

Wasserman told the Post the network may have withheld the identity of the group "to cover up the lack of news value in the interview and to provide 'something that looks like balance' in the face of Trump’s criticism that CNN is anti-Trump."

The women do seem pleased with how the segment went, even going so far as to promote the clip on their Facebook page.

However, note that they encouraged their followers to watch them on "the Anti-Trump Fake News CNN Show."

There's gratitude for you...

NY Times Reports Donald Trump Is No "Self-Made" Man

Donald Trump

The New York Times has done a deep dive into Donald Trump's financial worth based on interviews with his father's former employees and advisers, as well as more than 100,000 pages of documents describing the inner workings and immense profitability of his empire.

The results of The Times research suggests the Donald is no 'self-made' man.

Mr. Trump won the presidency proclaiming himself a self-made billionaire, and he has long insisted that his father, the legendary New York City builder Fred C. Trump, provided almost no financial help.

But The Times’s investigation, based on a vast trove of confidential tax returns and financial records, reveals that Mr. Trump received the equivalent today of at least $413 million from his father’s real estate empire, starting when he was a toddler and continuing to this day.

[snip]

In Mr. Trump’s version of how he got rich, he was the master dealmaker who broke free of his father’s “tiny” outer-borough operation and parlayed a single $1 million loan from his father (“I had to pay him back with interest!”) into a $10 billion empire that would slap the Trump name on hotels, high-rises, casinos, airlines and golf courses the world over. In Mr. Trump’s version, it was always his guts and gumption that overcame setbacks. Fred Trump was simply a cheerleader.

“I built what I built myself,” Mr. Trump has said, a narrative that was long amplified by often-credulous coverage from news organizations, including The Times.

[snip]

By age 3, Mr. Trump was earning $200,000 a year in today’s dollars from his father’s empire. He was a millionaire by age 8. By the time he was 17, his father had given him part ownership of a 52-unit apartment building. Soon after Mr. Trump graduated from college, he was receiving the equivalent of $1 million a year from his father. The money increased with the years, to more than $5 million annually in his 40s and 50s.

A lawyer for Trump. Charles J. Harder, issued a statement to the Times saying, “The New York Times’s allegations of fraud and tax evasion are 100 percent false, and highly defamatory.”

“There was no fraud or tax evasion by anyone. The facts upon which The Times bases its false allegations are extremely inaccurate,” Harder added.

Can you imagine the discovery process if Trump sued for defamation? Would be all kinds of fun...

If this article on Fred Trump and @realDonaldTrump is accurate, their actions would appear to constitute tax evasion and tax fraud. https://t.co/tvydLiJ0o1

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 2, 2018

The 94% UNDER-valuing of Fred Trump's real estate, per @nytimes is egregious, likely criminal. Trumps escaped $300+ million of gift tax. 2 decades ago I reported such cheating was rampant, but IRS lacked resources to pursue. Congress has since made cheating easier.

— David Cay Johnston (@DavidCayJ) October 2, 2018

“I have never even heard of Fred Trump.” pic.twitter.com/XiDVLVLYnh

— Diane N. Sevenay (@Diane_7A) October 2, 2018

Anti-LGBT Congressman (And Wife) Indicted On Campaign Finance Violations, Wire Fraud & More

Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter

 Virulently anti-LGBTQ Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter was indicted Tuesday, along with his wife Margaret, on charges of misusing campaign funds to the tune of $250,000.

Charges also included filing false campaign finance records to the Federal Election Commission.

CNN has the details:

The charges of wire fraud, falsifying records, campaign finance violations and conspiracy were the culmination of a Department of Justice investigation that has stretched for more than a year, during which the Republican congressman from California has maintained his innocence.

Republican Party leaders had long worried that with a potential indictment looming, Hunter’s traditionally safe district which makes up much of eastern San Diego County could be at risk of Democratic takeover in November’s midterm election.

The CNN report goes on to share that the congressman and his wife overdrew their bank accounts over 1,100 times in a 7 year period.

Investigators found the Hunters took several lavish family vacations including “a 2015 family vacation in Italy over Thanksgiving totaling more than $14,000; an April vacation in Hawaii costing $6,500; and a $3,700 trip to Las Vegas and Boise in July 2015.”

There were also big-ticket “campaign expenditures” like a $2,000 trip for a family member to attend a Pittsburgh Steelers football game in 2010.

Hunter allegedly insisted his wife be paid $116,000 from 2010 to 2017 as a “campaign consultant.”

According to The Washington Examiner, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has now stripped Hunter of his committee assignments.

“The charges against Rep. Hunter are deeply serious,” Ryan said. “The Ethics Committee deferred its investigation at the request of the Justice Department.”

“Now that he has been indicted, Rep. Hunter will be removed from his committee assignments pending the resolution of this matter,” Ryan added.

While Hunter represents a solidly Republican district, his Democratic opponent, Campa-Najjar, has been out-fundraising the Republican, reporting more than $1 million in campaign donations. Campa-Najjar has just over $200,000 in cash-on-hand while Hunter has over $350,000.

The California congressman has been viciously anti-LGBTQ for years and was one of the most strident voices against the repeal of DADT in 2011 and strongly supported the hideous Defense of Marriage Act.

Hunter was the second member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump for president. The first was Rep. Chris Collins (R) of New York.

Both now face prison time.

Former Trump Lawyer Investigated For $20 Million Tax/Bank Fraud

Former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen

The New York Times is reporting that Donald Trump's former personal attorney and 'fixer,' Michael Cohen, is being investigated for possible tax and bank fraud to the tune of $20 million in loans related to the taxi business he and his family own.

Investigators are also examining whether Mr. Cohen violated campaign finance or other laws by helping to arrange financial deals to secure the silence of women who said they had affairs with Mr. Trump. The inquiry has entered the final stage and prosecutors are considering filing charges by the end of August, two of the people said.

Any criminal charges against Mr. Cohen would deal a significant blow to the president. Mr. Cohen, 52, worked for the president’s company, the Trump Organization, for more than a decade. He was one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal and visible aides and called himself the president’s personal lawyer after Mr. Trump took office.

Trump keeps calling the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller a "witch hunt."

If that were true, Mueller sure has found a considerable number of witches to indict.

Trump is also angry that Mueller is filing indictments that don't seem related to "Russian interference," but the Special Counsel was charged with investigating not only the election interference but any crimes that might arise from the investigation.

Does it make any sense that the police, while investigating a robbery, should ignore a dead body they trip over in the course of the investigation?

"Pharma Douche" Martin Shkreli Found Guilty Of Fraud

Martin Shkreli, the "most hated man in America"

Infamous "pharma douche" Martin Shkreli, has been convicted on three of eight counts on Friday, after a five-week trial in the Federal District Court in Brooklyn.

Accused of eight counts of securities and wire fraud, Shkreli now faces up to 20 years in prison.

From the New York Times:

The conviction, even as a mixed verdict, was a shattering defeat for the divisive Mr. Shkreli, who said before the trial that he was “so innocent” that the judge, jury and prosecutors would apologize to him afterward.

Mr. Shkreli was accused of securities and wire fraud related to two hedge funds he ran, MSMB Capital and MSMB Healthcare. Prosecutors charged he then illegally used a pharmaceutical company he founded, Retrophin, to repay the defrauded MSMB investors.

The prosecution brought forth an “avalanche” of evidence, as the prosecutor Jacquelyn Kasulis put it in her rebuttal argument, that included a threatening letter he sent to the wife of a former employee, statements he sent to MSMB investors showing great returns at the same time he had no money in fund accounts, three versions of a backdated agreement to make it look as if MSMB Capital had invested in Retrophin when it had not, as well as claims about assets under management that were wildly out of line with his actual fund size.

“It’s time for Martin Shkreli to be held accountable,” she said.

Shkreli came to the public spotlight after raising the price of a drug called Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 overnight. However, this case had nothing to do with the Daraprim debacle.

Trump Continues To Distract From $25 Million Fraud Settlement By Attacking HAMILTON

Donald Trump continues to use the Hamilton/Mike Pence incident on Friday night to distract from the fact that he just settled a huge fraud lawsuit regarding his failed Trump University for $25 million.

After posting two tweets yesterday morning, the Donald took to Twitter again on the subject. First he tweeted the above missive, which he promptly deleted.

Didn't he just go after Hillary Clinton for deleting internet communications?

And then he posted the below tweet in the middle of the night. In the post, he again demands an apology from the cast for calling Pence "sir," telling the audience not to "boo" Pence, and expressing their concerns as constituents in a calm voice.

Along the way, he slams Hamilton as "highly overrated." The show is one of the most celebrated in Broadway history and sold out for the next 8 months. But, whatevs....

Is this really "presidential?"

The cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2016

A Glimpse Of The Future From 1957

I happened to scroll past this today on Facebook, and something made me stop and watch.

This is a mashup of scenes from the 1957 film, A Face In The Crowd.

Official synopsis: An Arkansas drifter becomes an overnight media sensation. As he becomes drunk with fame and power, will he ever be exposed as the fraud he has become?

Very powerful, and quite the prescient warning. Let me know if this reminds you of anyone.

Near the end, music theater fans may get a small kick out of the "You're gonna love me" section.

Posted on Facebook:

I try to stay as far away from politics on Facebook as possible. That said, I just cut together a few of my favorite scenes from Elia Kazan's 1957 classic A Face in the Crowd. The entire film should be required viewing for everyone during this election

Possible Bribery Charges For Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi Over Donald Trump Donation

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi

A Massachusetts lawyer has requested federal prosecutors look into bribery charges against Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and GOP White House hopeful Donald Trump.

The issue at hand goes back to 2013 when Bondi was reviewing complaints against Trump University, now at the center of several fraud lawsuits.

Just days after her campaign sought, and received, a $25,000 donation to her political action committee from Donald Trump, Bondi decided against investigating the complaints.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

The Orlando Sentinel reported on Sept. 13, 2013 that Bondi’s office was looking into the Trump complaints. Campaign finance records show Bondi’s political committee, And Justice for All, received the $25,000 donation from Trump on Sept. 17, 2013.

“Evidence strongly indicates that Bondi’s decision not to initiate or participate in litigation against Trump University was given in exchange for Trump’s contribution based on the short time period between the receipt of the political contribution and the announcement of Bondi’s decision not to participate in the New York litigation,” Larrabee’s complaint states.

The Associated Press reported earlier this month that Bondi’s political consultant Marc Reichelderfer said she personally solicited the donation from Trump. Larrabee filed state ethics and elections complaints against Bondi over the Trump donation after the report was published.

Those complaints are still being reviewed, but Bondi called the allegations untrue. A spokeswoman for Bondi did not respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.

Martin Shkreli - "Most Hated Man In America" - Arrested On Stock Fraud

Now dubbed "Most Hated Man in America," Martin Shkreli was arrested today and charged in an illegal stock scheme.

A boyish drug company entrepreneur, who rocketed to infamy by jacking up the price of a life-saving pill from $13.50 to $750, was arrested on securities fraud related to a firm he founded.

Martin Shkreli, 32, ignited a firestorm over drug prices in September and became a symbol of defiant greed. The federal case against him has nothing to do with pharmaceutical costs, however. Prosecutors charged him with illegally taking stock from Retrophin Inc., a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. He was later ousted from the company, where he’d been chief executive officer, and sued by its board.

In the case that closely tracks that suit, federal prosecutors accused Shkreli of engaging in a complicated shell game after his defunct hedge fund, MSMB Capital Management, lost millions. He is alleged to have made secret payoffs and set up sham consulting arrangements.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I wonder if he'll look that smug in jail...?

Shkreli's most recent douchebag move was to acquire the rights to a drug used to treat Chagas disease. Shkreli has announced his plan to get approval for the drug in the United States and sell it for around $60,000 to $100,000 for a course of treatment. In Latin America, where the disease is most prevalent, the drug costs only $50 to $100.

Abby Lee Miller of DANCE MOMS Fame Indicted On 20 Counts Of Bankruptcy Fraud

Reality TV celeb Abby Lee Miller, of DANCE MOMS fame, finds herself stepping in serious hot water as reports say she is the sole defendant named in a 20 count indictment by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of bankruptcy fraud, concealment of bankruptcy assets and false bankruptcy declarations.

According to the indictment, Miller attempted to reorganize her dance studio's debt via bankruptcy court in December 2010.

From WPXI:

She is accused of concealing income she earned between 2012 and 2013 from her performances on the show and related spinoff TV shows, as well as from dance sessions and merchandise sales.

The indictment alleges Miller created bank accounts to hide the income, and instructed others to conceal certain income from the bankruptcy court.

Miller is accused of concealing income totaling about $755,000.

If convicted, she faces a possible sentence of five years in prison, and a fine of $250,000 for each count of the indictment.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation Accused Of $100 Million Kickback Scheme

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a global nonprofit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care with over 350,000 patients, has been accused of defrauding federal healthcare programs over the past five years.

Allegations say the company may have raked in as much as $100 million in illegal kickbacks and referral fees.

Via Queerty:

In a lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on April 3, whistleblowers Jack Carrel, Mauricio Ferrer, and Shawn Loftis, all of whom held management positions with AHF before being fired from their jobs after questioning the organization’s referral practices, claim AHF boosted funding from federal healthcare programs, including Medicare, Medicaid and Health and Human Services HIV/AIDS grant programs, by offering illegal kickbacks of $100 to employees who created false HIV/AIDS referrals, and $50 to patients who patronized its clinics and pharmacies.

According to the complaint, the fraud began back in 2010 and took place in 11 different states plus Washington, D.C., and resulting in AHF collecting more than $20 million a year off thousands of illegal referrals.

According to the three former managers, the fraud began in 2010 and took place over 11 states and the District of Columbia.

AHS has been extremely vocal in it's opposition to the use of Truvada as a daily HIV preventive.

Former "Ex-Gay" Poster Boy Speaks Out Against Harmful Reparative Therapy

After years of being used as an "ex-gay" poster boy, Christian Schizzel has come out publicly against the techniques and practices used to try and change his sexuality.  Says Schizzel of the "ex-gay" movement, "I won't be a weapon anymore."

From Religion News Service:

In an exclusive interview with RNS, Christian tells about his experience with the Janet Boynes Ministries and The Bachmann & Associates counseling centers, the latter operation owned by U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann and husband Marcus Bachmann. Both entities were associated with the now closed Exodus International but are currently still in business. (No response yet for comment. Will update post if that changes.)

At nine years of age, Christian was sexually and physically abused by his step father — a missionary who used Bible verses to silence Christian into submission. He even used scripture during the acts itself to justify the abuse. Years later at the age of 18, after coming out to friends and family, Christian was encouraged to seek help at the ministry. It was there that they used this horrific experience to pinpoint the “cause” of Christian’s sexuality, although Christian said he knew about his sexuality before the abuse.

"Coming out publicly and sharing is important to me because my sexuality has been exploited my whole life by the Christian community both knowingly and un-knowingly."

Christian ends the Q&A by saying he considers his sexuality a natural gift from God, and urges those who support reparative therapy to rethink it's harmful and excruciatingly painful practice.

(h/t JMG)

Ted Cruz wishes he had half the balls Wendy Davis has...

Vows to speak until he can speak anymore.

And by "until I can't speak anymore," I mean "until I need a break because I don't have a tenth of the grit Wendy Davis has."

Exodus International, so-called "ex-gay" organization, ends it's harmful run

Exodus International, the most prominent "ex-gay" ministry, is closing up shop after more than three decades.

Decades have passed as we've seen Exodus and other offer so-called "reparative therapy," seeking to turn from gay to straight, only to find the therapy is not only ineffective but harmful.

From the Exodus International website:

“We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change – and they want to be heard,” Tony Moore, Board member of Exodus. The message came less than a day after Exodus released a statement apologizing  to the gay community for years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as a whole.

“Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we’ve ceased to be a living, breathing organism,” said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus. “For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.”

Chambers continued: “From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we’re all prodigal sons and daughters. Exodus International is the prodigal’s older brother, trying to impose its will on God’s promises, and make judgments on who’s worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to be the Father – to welcome everyone, to love unhindered.”

Alan Chambers has also released his own apology in a post entitled I Am Sorry "to the people within the LGBTQ community who have been hurt by the Church, Exodus International, and me":

Please know that I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly “on my side” who called you names like sodomite—or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know. I am sorry that when I celebrated a person coming to Christ and surrendering their sexuality to Him that I callously celebrated the end of relationships that broke your heart. I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine.

More than anything, I am sorry that so many have interpreted this religious rejection by Christians as God’s rejection. I am profoundly sorry that many have walked away from their faith and that some have chosen to end their lives. For the rest of my life I will proclaim nothing but the whole truth of the Gospel, one of grace, mercy and open invitation to all to enter into an inseverable relationship with almighty God.

I cannot apologize for my deeply held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in scripture surrounding sex, but I will exercise my beliefs with great care and respect for those who do not share them. I cannot apologize for my beliefs about marriage. But I do not have any desire to fight you on your beliefs or the rights that you seek. My beliefs about these things will never again interfere with God’s command to love my neighbor as I love myself.

You have never been my enemy. I am very sorry that I have been yours. I hope the changes in my own life, as well as the ones we announce tonight regarding Exodus International, will bring resolution, and show that I am serious in both my regret and my offer of friendship. I pledge that future endeavors will be focused on peace and common good.

Good riddance to Exodus and others who have caused great harm and injury to so many.

The Oprah Winfrey Netowork will air a special tonight that features Alan Chambers apologizing to gays and lesbians who were affected by his organization. Check times on your local guide.

Exodus International leader to apologize for damaging "cure" for homosexuality

For almost 40 years, Exodus International claimed to offer a "cure" for homosexuality. Alan Chambers, the leader of Exodus, decided last year to stop endorsing the controversial practice of gay-reparative therapy. And now, he has a new message: an apology.

In a special episode of Our America, Lisa Ling is joined by a group of survivors of the condemned and damaging practice of "reparative therapy" as they confront Alan Chambers.

Chambers recently asked Ling to help orchestrate an opportunity in which he could formally apologize to those who felt deceived and defrauded by Exodus' practices and to announce that the organization will cease to be an "ex gay" organization.

Tune in Thursday, June 20th at 10/9c for a special presentation of this powerful report.

For more on Our America with Lisa Ling, click here.