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In my first election in 1982, Democrats rigged about 25 percent of the voting machines to vote for everyone on the ballot but me. Thats 11 of 45 machines. The whole state was Democrat. Nothing was done to fix it. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), in a meeting between congressional Republicans and Vice President Pence, article published Jan. 27, 2017

While expressing support for the Trump administrations plans to investigate potential voter fraud in the 2016 election, an Alabama congressman offered a stunning claim: Democrats rigged 11 of 45 voting machine in his first election to the state legislature in 1982.

Thats a significant charge, especially since its pretty tough to rig an election. So we set out to find out whether facts supported Brookss claim.

Brookss comment, made during congressional Republicans meeting with Vice President Pence, became public via a leaked audio recording of the private meeting. His office corroborated the statement but did not offer much evidence to support it.

His office provided newspaper clippings showing there were complaints about malfunctioning voting machines in Brookss legislative district in Huntsville, Ala. During the afternoon on Election Day, Brooks announced that he planned on challenging election results and charged that 11 voting machines at one time or another during the day would not register Mo Brooks votes.

Brooks changed his mind after he won the election.

Im not going to contest it, Brooks said at his victory party on election night. But I hope therell be an investigation.

A month later, the county requested the FBI to investigate Election Day irregularities in Brookss district. But there is no evidence the FBI conducted an investigation or, if it did, whether it found that anyone (Democrat or otherwise) had tampered with the machines. Brookss office did not respond to our repeated requests for more evidence.

State investigative agencies and the U.S. attorneys office had no record of this investigation or its findings. News clippings from 1982 and 1983 reviewed by the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library and the Alabama Department of Archives and History had no reference to any investigative findings, either.

In fact, Alabama was one of three states the Justice Department placed under its watch in 1982 for potential voting rights violations or discrimination against black voters. There were nearly 200 federal observers at Alabama polling places on Election Day.

Henry Frohsin, anassistant U.S. attorney in Alabama at the time, could not recall any investigation or indictment related to Brookss 1982 election.

Had there been any bona fides to the allegation, we would have investigated and prosecuted it, if it had merit. But based on the fact that I dont recall that, I would have to conclude that there was no validity to the complaint, said Frohsin, who was interviewed for a 1982 Huntsville Times article about the irregularities.

Voting machines at the time had one lever for a straight-ticket vote and levers for individual races. The individual levers would sometimes malfunction, Frohsin said. News clippings show that some of the problematic machines were fixed by the afternoon on Election Day.

The Voting Rights Act had singled out states in the South, and we were cognizant of that. We were not going to have any hanky-panky going on in the polling areas, Frohsin said.

After our inquiry, Brooks told AL.com that the Alabama Bureau of Investigation confirmed that voting machines were not counting votes for him but could not find who was at fault.The agency could not provide The Fact Checker any record of this investigation.

Brooks claimed Democrats rigged a quarterof the voting machines in his 1982 election, but there is no evidence to support such a claim. Some voters reported problems with voting machines that day, but theres no record that an investigation turned up rigged machines or any Democrats responsible for it.

Memories may fade and change over time, and perhaps Brooks made the claim in the confidence of a private meeting. But its irresponsible to make a claim about a politically charged topic like this without the evidence to back it up. We dont know how oftenBrooks has been telling this apparently tall tale, but its time to retire it.

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Alabama congressman's unsupported claim that Democrats rigged voting machines in his election - Washington Post

Ami Bera / AP

BY: Brent Scher February 2, 2017 4:15 pm

A three-term California congressman is facing an uproar from within his own party as a newly formed anti-Trump group called The Resistance plansto stage a protest outside his office on Thursdayafternoon.

Rep. Ami Bera (D.),who has represented a swing district in California since 2013, will have his commitment to protecting minority groups challenged by the group, according to a report in the local Elk Grove News.

Bera has beena vocal opponent of President Trump's policieshis office points out that he co-sponsored a bill to overturn Trump's immigration executive orderbut many in his district questionwhether he can be trusted to be their voice in Washington, D.C.

"We are putting his office on notice that these are issues that are really important to us and we are not going away and this is something that is really important to us," said Jaclyn Moreno, who founded The Resistance.

The group's demonstrationis being organized throughMoveOn.org, which has been targeting both Democratic and Republican legislators with protests.

"Democrats and Republicans alike need to hear from us before this parade of greed and hate is confirmed to a Cabinet that will attack working people, civil liberties, and the environment, while benefiting fellow billionaires and corporations," says MoveOn.org.

Concern in Bera's district is rooted partially in his vote for the SAFE Act, a bill that strengthened background checks for Syrians and Iraqis seeking refugee status in the United States. He was also one of the few Democrats whosupportedlegislation to cut of some funding to sanctuary cities.

Neither bill became law, but they are still seenby Bera's activist constituents as reasons to doubt the congressman's commitment to fighting Trump's immigrationpolicies.

"Ami Bera has a voting record in the past where he has voted against funding for sanctuary cities and where he has made it more difficult for certain groups coming from Iraq and other countries," Moreno said. "We want to let him know that we expect him to protect all vulnerable communities."

"We are putting his office on notice that these are issue that are really important to us and we are not going away and this is something that is really important to us," she said.

Moreno's group showed up to atown hall Bera held last week, according to the Sacramento Bee. The stated goal at the meeting was to "keep [Bera]progressive as we move toward this hateful new administration."

Bera told the Washington Free Beacon that he views the demonstration as "a good thing."

"Just as I was uplifted by the level of engagement at our overflowing town hall last Saturday, I am energized by how many of our neighbors today are coming together to stand up for our American values," Bera said. "People are engaged right now, and that is a good thing."

"The presidents recent executive order affecting refugees and immigrants does not reflect who we are as a nation, and this week I was proud to sponsor the SOLVE Act to block this un-American policy," he said.

Bera's seat in Congress is far from secure.All three of Bera's victories in the northern California district have been by thin margins, and the campaigns were not without controversy.

Bera's father,Babulal Bera, was sentenced to just over a year in federal prison for orchestrating a money laundering scheme that funneled at least $260,000 to his son's campaign.The congressman denied any knowledge of his father's scheme.

Link:
Democrats Now Targeting Their Own - Washington Free Beacon

One of the commercials by the pro-DeVos group is complete with clips of anti-Trump protesters destroying cars and lighting fires. | Getty

With education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos facing a rocky path to confirmation, a conservative group is launching a pair of scorched-earth TV ads defending her and accusing her Democratic opponents of being full of rage and hate.

One of the commercials, from the nonprofit organization America Next, is complete with clips of anti-President Donald Trump protesters destroying cars and lighting fires. It also has footage of actress Ashley Judd delivering impassioned remarks at the anti-Trump Womens March on Washington the day after the inauguration.

Story Continued Below

The 30-second spot provides a window into how Republicans plan to hit back against their Democratic rivals: by painting them as bitter and out-of-the-mainstream. It uses some variation of angry or hate no fewer than five times and left or liberal a handful more.

Why is the radical left so full of rage and hate? They still cant accept that Trump won and they lost, it says. Now extreme liberals like Elizabeth Warren are trying to stop Betsy DeVos from becoming secretary of education.

Why? DeVos angers the extreme left because she exposes their hypocrisy. DeVos wants low-income kids to have the same choices that liberal elitists have for their families. DeVos wants equal opportunity for all kids. That makes angry liberals even angrier, it concludes.

DeVos, a school-choice advocate, has come under fire from Democrats, who charge that she is too focused on public education alternatives. She has also drawn opposition from two Republicans, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who have voiced similar concerns. To be confirmed, it is likely that DeVos will need Vice President Mike Pence to deliver a tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

America Next is overseen by former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has also advocated for education reform. Before DeVos was picked for the post, Jindal had been mentioned as a possible contender.

A second commercial accuses Washington liberals of opposing giving low-income families the same education choices as everyone.

The group is spending more than $500,000 to air the commercials, which will begin running Friday morning on multiple networks nationwide.

The ads were created by Curt Anderson, a veteran strategist who has worked for Jindal and a number of prominent Republican politicians.

Betsy has been very polite and deferential to these Democrat senators, he wrote in an email. But we dont have to.

See the article here:
Pro-DeVos TV ads attack Democrats as 'full of rage and hate' - Politico

Kellyanne Conway calls Senate Democrats a bunch of crybabies who say that they're going to oppose Supreme Court nominees before they even know his name. She says, This obstinance and obstruction is the modern Democratic Party. Seems like only yesterday that this was the Republicans' tactic, so it should come as little surprise that what goes around comes around.

The major difference between now and last year is the guy in the White House. President Barack Obama was a thoughtful man who might have achieved some truly remarkable things during his time in office if only his opponents had been willing to work together with him for the betterment of the country and the world. The current occupant is a belligerent blowhard who seems to revel in abrupt ill-conceived action, scare tactics and a greedy desire to grasp an even huger share of the world's wealth for America.

Conway is a spin doctor. She's doing what she's paid to do forget ethics.

Democrats are standing up for ethics and competency and brotherhood and peace in the United States and the world of today.

John Podulka, Winfield

Original post:
When Democrats use GOP tactics - Chicago Tribune

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer immediately said he had "serious doubts" about Gorsuch and hinted at a Democratic filibuster, saying the nominee would need to the support of 60 senators to be confirmed, but stopped short of committing to the tactic.

"Make no mistake, Senate Democrats will not simply allow but require an exhaustive, robust, and comprehensive debate on Judge Gorsuch's fitness to be a Supreme Court Justice," Schumer said Tuesday night.

On the surface, Senate Democrats stuck to a firm but somewhat noncommittal message that hinted at the behind-the-scenes debate at the Capitol over whether Democrats will filibuster.

If they choose to hold up his nomination unless he can win 60 votes, Democrats risk spurring Republicans to use the "nuclear option" to rewrite the rules to only require 51 votes for confirmation.

Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate, meaning they would still need to find the support of eight Democrats without the nuclear option.

It's possible moderate Democrats facing tough re-election battles could be plucked away by Republicans to support Gorsuch. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat, and Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, issued muted statements Tuesday night.

"I look forward to meeting with Judge Gorsuch, examining his record, and making a determination of whether to provide my consent. Just as I have all along, I urge my colleagues to put partisan politics aside and allow the vetting process to proceed," Manchin said.

And Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who votes with Democrats, hesitated to go after Gorsuch, saying he wants the nominee to go through a thorough vetting before making a decision.

Democrats, meanwhile, are already facing intense pressure from a liberal base fired up after Trump's inauguration, the immigration ban and a perception that some senators, including Schumer, have been soft on Trump's Cabinet picks.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, a veteran liberal from San Francisco, laid out her opposition in stark terms at a CNN town hall Tuesday night.

"If you breathe air, drink water or eat food, take medicine or in any other way interact with the courts, this is a very bad decision -- well outside the mainstream of American legal thought," Pelosi said.

Top Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who will spend the coming months vetting (and potentially blocking) Gorsuch announced "deep concerns" with his selection.

"I have deep, serious concerns about Judge Gorsuch," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. "An extreme ideologue on the court will threaten privacy rights including women's health care, worker and consumer protections, and public health and safety."

And Sen. Patrick Leahy, the former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee who shepherded President Barack Obama's two nominees on to the high court, sought to hang Trump's immigration ban around Gorsuch's neck immediately.

"In light of the unconstitutional actions of our new President in just his first week, the Senate owes the American people a thorough and unsparing examination of this nomination," Leahy said.

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz hinted at the idea of cracking open the "nuclear option" if Democrats when asked how Republicans should respond to a filibuster.

"The Democrats will not succeed in filibustering Judge Gorsuch," Cruz told CNN's Jim Acosta.

See the rest here:
Democrats ready for Neil Gorsuch battle in Capitol ...