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As the possibility of Donald Trumps indictment becomes more apparent, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg isnt the only Democrat on Republicans minds. Evidently, some in the GOP are also thinking about the Clintons.

Rep. Andy Biggs, for example, claimed this week that he now has evidence of a two-tier justice system. His proof: Bill Clinton paid Paula Jones in a civil settlement in the 1990s. Now President Trump does something similar and the [Manhattan district attorney] wants to jail him, the right-wing Arizonan argued.

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Biggs probably shouldve thought this through a bit more because the cases arent similar at all. Unlike Trump, Clinton didnt pay hush money; he simply settled a civil case. Whats more, Clinton didnt try to keep the settlement secret, which is pretty much the opposite of what happened between Trump, Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.

But as it turns out, the Arizonan wasnt the only one thinking about the Clintons.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy spoke to reporters yesterday and was asked whether GOP lawmakers have concerns about whether Trump might have falsified business records to cover for hush money payments to cover up this alleged affair with an adult film actress. The California Republican responded:

Look, the thing I think about, it was interesting, someone briefed me on the use of money in a situation like this before. You probably covered this. Remember when the DNC and Hillary Clinton paid the law firm a million dollars and said that it was for something else, and we found out later it wasnt. It was all about the Russian inclusion, it wasnt for the legal part. So they went through, and they got investigated. A million dollars they spent, and you know what, at the end of the day, they didnt get arrested. They got fined.

It was at that point that the House speaker emphasized his equal justice talking point, effectively making the case that if Clinton wasnt arrested for her campaign finance controversy, then Trump shouldnt be arrested for his.

But just as Biggs didnt fully appreciate the details of his Clinton-related comparison, McCarthys pitch didnt quite work either, for reasons he shouldve understood.

Its true that Clintons 2016 campaign agreed to a civil penalty of $8,000 in the recent past stemming from an FEC investigation into how campaign money for Christopher Steeles dossier was reported. But as a Washington Post report explained soon after, This analogy isnt terribly strong, given, first, that the campaign and the Democratic National Committee faced punishment for the reporting and, second, that it centered on the mechanics of properly reporting campaign spending to the FEC.

In other words, McCarthy described Trumps hush money scandal as being a situation like the investigation into Clintons campaign finance filings, but the closer one looked, the less sense this made.

But lets also not brush past the disconnect between the question and the speakers answer. A reporter asked McCarthy about possible concerns that Trump allegedly falsified business records to cover for hush money payments to cover up this alleged affair with an adult film actress. The very first thought the California Republican had was to focus on Hillary Clinton.

The King of Whataboutism strikes again.

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

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Asked about Trump, McCarthys attention turns to Hillary Clinton - MSNBC

The two social media influencers teamed up online years ago.

Both had large right-wing followings and pseudonyms to hide their real identities. One called himself Ricky Vaughn, after a fictional baseball player portrayed in a movie by Charlie Sheen. The other called himself Microchip.

In 2016, prosecutors say, they set out to trick supporters of Hillary Clinton into thinking they could vote by text message or social media, discouraging them from the polls.

Ricky Vaughn, whose real name is Douglass Mackey, was charged in 2021 with conspiring to deprive others of their right to vote, and on Wednesday the men met face to face in court for the first time.

Mr. Mackey sat at the defense table in Federal District Court in Brooklyn wearing a sober gray suit. He watched as Microchip, clad in a royal-blue sweatsuit and black sandals, approached the witness stand, where he was sworn in under that name and began testifying against him.

This month, a federal judge overseeing the case, Nicholas G. Garaufis, ruled that Microchip could testify without revealing his actual name after prosecutors said anonymity was needed to protect current and future investigations.

The sight of a witness testifying under a fictional identity added one more odd element to an already unusual case that reflects both the rise of social media as a force in politics and the emergence of malicious online mischief-makers trolls as influential players in a presidential election. This weeks trial could help determine how much protection the First Amendment gives people who spread disinformation.

Microchips testimony appeared intended to give jurors an inside view of what prosecutors describe as a conspiracy to disenfranchise voters. It also provided a firsthand account of crass, nihilistic motives behind those efforts.

I wanted to infect everything, Microchip said, adding that his aim before the 2016 election had been to cause as much chaos as possible and diminish Mrs. Clintons chances of beating Donald J. Trump.

Evidence presented by prosecutors has shown how Mr. Mackey and others, including Microchip, had private online discussions in the weeks before the election, discussing how they could move votes.

While Mr. Mackey made clear that he wanted to help Mr. Trump become president, Microchip testified that he was driven mainly by animus for Mrs. Clinton, testifying that his aim had been to destroy her reputation.

In the fervid and fluid environment surrounding the 2016 election, Mr. Mackey, whose lawyer described him as a staunch political conservative, and Microchip, who told BuzzFeed that he was a staunch liberal, became allies.

Online exchanges and Twitter messages entered into evidence by prosecutors showed the men plotting their strategy. Mr. Mackey saw limiting Black turnout as a key to helping Mr. Trump. Prosecutors said that he posted an image showing a Black woman near a sign reading African Americans for Hillary and the message that people could vote by texting Hillary to a specific number.

Microchip testified that Mr. Mackey was a participant in a private Twitter chat group called War Room, adding that he was very well respected back then and a leader of sorts.

Prosecutors introduced records showing that Microchip and Mr. Mackey had retweeted one another dozens of times.

Mr. Mackeys particular talent, according to Microchip, was coming up with ideas and memes that resonated with people who felt that American society was declining and that the West was struggling.

Microchip testified that he was self employed as a mobile app developer. He said he had pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge related to his circulation of memes providing misinformation about how to vote. Because of his anonymity the details of that plea could not be confirmed. And he added that he had signed a cooperation agreement with prosecutors agreeing to testify against Mr. Mackey, and to help with other cases.

Under cross-examination, Microchip said he had begun working with the F.B.I. in 2018. He also acknowledged telling an investigator in 2021 that there was no grand plan around stopping people from voting.

His time on the stand included a tutorial of sorts on how he had amassed Twitter followers and misled people who viewed his messages.

He testified that he had built up a following with bots, and used hashtags employed by Mrs. Clinton in a process he called hijacking to get his messages to her followers. He aimed to seduce viewers with humor, saying, When people are laughing, they are very easily manipulated.

Microchip said that he sought to discourage voting among Clinton supporters through fear tactics, offering conspiratorial takes on ordinary events as a way to drive paranoia and disaffection.

One example he cited involved the emails of John Podesta, Mrs. Clintons campaign chairman, which were made public by WikiLeaks during the campaign.

There was nothing particularly surprising or sinister among those emails, Microchip said, yet he posted thousands of messages about them suggesting otherwise. My talent is to make things weird and strange, so there is controversy.

Asked by a prosecutor whether he believed the messages he posted, Microchip did not hesitate.

No, he said. And I didnt care.

Link:
Online Troll Named Microchip Tells of Sowing Chaos in 2016 Election - The New York Times

A notorious Twitter troll known as Microchip told a Brooklyn federal jury that he spread chaos, controversy and misinformation online to damage Democrat Hillary Clintons chances of winning the 2016 presidential election.

I wanted to infect everything, Microchip testified Wednesday at the trial of fellow far-right troll Douglass Mackey, 32, whos accused of posting images on Twitter designed to trick people into thinking they could vote by text.

Microchip, who was allowed to testify using only his screen name, cut a striking figure in the fourth-floor courtroom at Brooklyn Federal Court.

Heavyset and bearded, with his hair slicked back, he wore a royal blue sweatshirt, sweatpants, sandals and socks. He often leaned back, looking toward the ceiling or crossing his arms as he viewed exhibits and answered questions.

FILE - A notorious Twitter troll named Microchip told a Brooklyn federal jury that he spread chaos, controversy and misinformation online to damage Hillary Clintons chances of winning the 2016 presidential election. (Shutterstock)

He described how he grew his online following, used psychological tricks to get ideas and memes in front of Hillary Clinton supporters and tweeted hundreds of times a day.

His ultimate goal, he said, was to cause as much chaos as possible, so that it would bleed over to Hillary Clinton and diminish her chances of winning.

Mackey, a former Manhattan resident now living in Florida, is accused of tweeting fake Clinton campaign ads under his popular Twitter moniker Ricky Vaughn a week before the 2016 election, urging voters to avoid the line and vote by text even though that was impossible.

Hes charged with conspiracy against rights, which carries a possible 10-year sentence.

Microchip pleaded guilty to the same charge and is cooperating with the government on the Mackey case and other FBI investigations.

Douglass Mackey, a former Manhattan resident now living in Florida, is accused of tweeting out fake Clinton campaign ads, a week before the election, urging voters to avoid the line and vote by text. Hes charged with conspiracy against rights, which carries a possible 10-year sentence.

At times Wednesday, Microchip tried to keep talking even after a lawyers objection, leading Judge Ann Donnelly to lightly tell him, stay in your lane.

He testified about participating in group chats with names like War Room, and Fed Free Hate.

I was in many group [direct messages], he said. We crafted memes, and one of those memes we crafted dealt with voting the wrong way.

Their intent, he said, was to defraud voters of their right to vote.

The hope would be that Hillary Clinton voters would see this and then vote incorrectly, Microchip testified.

One image posted by Microchip on Election Day showed a photoshopped picture of comedian Aziz Ansari holding up a sign reading Save time, avoid the line, vote from home.

Mackey was active in group chats, Microchip said. He was very well-respected back then, and he still is ... I would say that hes a leader of sorts.

He had good ideas for the strategy for creating memes.

With a Twitter post encouraging voters to vote from home displayed behind him, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) questions witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism hearing titled 'Extremist Content and Russian Disinformation Online' on Capitol Hill, October 31, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Microchip said he built his Twitter following 134,000 users for one account, and tens of thousands for others by using automated bot services, then let human nature do the rest.

If you see somebody followed by a lot of people, they might have something interesting to say, he remarked.

He spent about 90% of his time online talking about the upcoming 2016 election, to destroy the reputation of Hillary Clinton.

You wanted her to lose? Assistant U.S. Attorney William Gulotta asked.

Oh, yeah, he responded.

He described spreading his message through memes and humor, explaining, When people are laughing, they are very easily manipulated.

And he amplified images he found on reddit and the web forum 4chan, which often hosts vulgar and bullying photos and posts.

Microchip described 4chan in more benign terms: Its a place for internet intellectuals to gather together to talk about different topics.

He later clarified, 4chan is used by intellectuals and by absolute idiots, so its a dual thing there.

He also talked about the thousands of tweets he posted about Clinton campaign chair John Podestas hacked e-mails, which were twisted into the basis of the online Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

Microchip said he didnt see anything weird or strange in the e-mails, but that hardly mattered.

My talent is to make things weird and strange, so that there is a controversy ... and then his reputation would bleed over to Hillary Clinton, he boasted.

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Was what he posted true? No, he said, And I didnt care.

Mackeys lawyer Andrew Frisch pressed Microchip on his cooperation agreement and brought up an earlier statement he made to the FBI in 2021 that his firehose of tweets was meant to flood social media with content not part of a grand plan to prevent people from voting.

Frisch also pointed out that Microchip, who is self-employed as a mobile app developer, could potentially lose clients if he was publicly arrested or if his identity was revealed.

And he asked about out some of Microchips recent tweets, including one from last month in which he announced, My IQ is so high right now, you have no idea.

The trial is set to continue Thursday. Frisch said in his opening statement he expects Mackey to testify in his own defense.

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Anti-Hillary Clinton troll 'Microchip' testifies at election interference trial in Brooklyn: 'I wanted to infect everything' - New York Daily News

A fecal mystery. Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images

Imagine: You buy tickets to a Broadway show a glorious, big, high-kicking (Associated Press) musical comedy, but not Funny Girl and what you actually wind up getting is a smelly, real-life mystery about human feces. This is apparently what happened to Hillary and Chelsea Clinton during a recent performance of Some Like It Hot at Shubert Theater in Manhattan, and while sources in Page Six offer conflicting accounts about the details, one thing seems clear: Last week whenHillary and Chelsea Clinton were in the audience, a source told the tabloid, the lights came up for intermission and there were two human turds in the aisle just near the famous political duo.

There was an incident when Hillary Clinton and Chelsea attended, a second source, someone purportedly close to the production, confirmed. This person claimed that it was an elderly person and its rather sad, but yes, the house staff worked quickly to help resolve the situation and Act II started as scheduled. A third, also unnamed insider described the defecation as an unfortunate one-off. It doesnt sound like the placement of the poop, in the approximate vicinity of the former First Lady and Daughter, was deliberate, but the first source the source who painted the above picture of the scene says a witness spoke to the house manager, who said that it was actually the fourth time it had happened. The individual went on to allege: There is someone who is either shitting in the aisle, or surreptitiously dumping defecation that they smuggled into the theater.

Just one anonymous sources opinion, of course.

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Who Pooped Near Hillary Clinton in Aisle of Broadway Show? - The Cut

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton shared a video to promote her upcoming "Inside the Situation Room" class at Columbia University.

Columbia University published a press release on Wednesday promoting the new class.

"In an era increasingly defined by geopolitical competition, it is more important than ever for future policymakers to understand why and how foreign policy decisions are made," the press release stated.

It went on to describe the "Inside the Situation Room," course as being "co-taught by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo." The course will reportedly analyze "a range of case studies and examine decision-making in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts, from the search for Osama bin Laden, to the "red line" in Syria, to negotiating with Iran.

DEMS LOOKING BEYOND BIDEN COULD URGE PAST SUPERSTARS LIKE HILLARY CLINTON, AL GORE FOR 2024 TICKET

Hillary Clinton appearing in video announcing her new class at Columbia. (Screenshot/Twitter)

Clinton tweeted a video of herself performing in a skit, where the video joked that numerous Americans were excited she is "running again."

Hillary responds in the filmed skit by saying, "Well I sure am, Keren, I just got here early for the class were teaching together on foreign policy decision making."

"Classes dont start until September," Yarhi-Milo replied.

"Yeah, but I wanted to be prepared, Keren," Clinton said. "You know, when it comes to crisis situations youve always got to be prepared."

"Prepared? I think youre more prepared than anyone to teach this course," Yarhi-Milo replies as they engage in performative conversation pretending to name the course and decide how it will be taught.

Clinton then departs by saying, "If youll excuse me, Keren, I have got to run."

Author and journalist Glenn Greenwald speaks to the audience at Brazilian Press Association in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 30, 2019. Picture taken on July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Landau - RC1E37BE65F0

JONATHAN TURLEY: HILLARY'S EMAIL HALF TRUTH

Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald mocked the video and criticized Clintons impact on American foreign policy.

"The US official who has urged more wars than anyone over the last 3 decades with the possible exception of John Bolton - including Iraq, Libya, Syria, and now Ukraine - is teaching Columbia students a class called Foreign-Policy Decision-Making," he wrote. "And boy they're excited!"

He followed by tweeting a video of Hillary Clinton commenting "We Came. We saw. He died," after Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi was murdered.

Aug. 29, 2010: Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi gestures as he arrives at Ciampino airport, near Rome. (AP)

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"Video of the moment Hillary Clinton learned -- as a result of the war she insisted Obama join -- that Muammar Gaddafi had been killed by a street mob (after Obama vowed it wasn't a regime-change war)," he wrote. "This left behind a decade of slavery, ISIS and anarchy in Libya. Anyway..."

Conservative influencer Gina Bella responded to the video by slamming Clinton as a "dirty warmonger."

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Hillary Clinton releases video skit to announce her foreign policy class at Columbia - Fox News