2020 Election: Predictions, Results and Reactions

[N.E. Brigand]

Paxton was aquitted by the Texas Senate on all counts and was immediately reinstated. The votes on all the charges was 14 in favor of conviction, and 16 against. Only two Republicans voted in favor of conviction.

Crime pays.

[RoseMorninStar]

Paxton was aquitted by the Texas Senate on all counts and was immediately reinstated. The votes on all the charges was 14 in favor of conviction, and 16 against. Only two Republicans voted in favor of conviction.

Crime pays.

I cannot help but wonder.. this is behavior Republicans in Texas find acceptable? Hopefully voters will feel otherwise.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Axios has some interesting reporting on how the acquittal happen.

Scoop: How GOP pressured Texas senators over Paxton's impeachment trial

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Some, such as Roger Parloff, had predicted that Judge Mehta would overturn Caldwell's conviction, but he did not.

[N.E. Brigand]

Some, such as Roger Parloff, had predicted that Judge Mehta would overturn Caldwell's conviction, but he did not.

Here is Parloff's coverage of today's hearing. I thought the concerns he had shared were reasonable, and I'm also glad Judge Mehta ruled against Caldwell.

[N.E. Brigand]

NPR: "Fox News hit with another defamation lawsuit — this one over Jan. 6 allegations."

Fox News has been hit with yet another defamation lawsuit, this time by Ray Epps, a former U.S. Marine turned Arizona wedding venue operator who was in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

The suit centers on the statements of Fox's former primetime star, Tucker Carlson, who repeatedly placed Epps, a supporter of then-President Donald Trump who says he sought to stave off any bloodshed, at the center of the violent siege on the U.S. Capitol.

Carlson's guests and his own remarks conveyed with seeming certitude that Epps helped instigate the violence unleashed that day and also that he must have been collaborating with a federal agency to do so. Yet Carlson never presented viewers with any concrete evidence of the claims.

Right wing conspiracy theorists have been claiming for more than two years that the fact that Ray Epps wasn't charged with any crimes in connection with his activities at the Capitol on January 6th prove that he was an FBI agent provocateur that day.

Today Epps was charged with "disorderly or disruptive conduct on restricted grounds." He is going to plead guilty.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

That hasn't stopped right wing conspiracy theorists from claiming that the fact that Epps was not charged with more serious crimes is an indication that they were right all along.

[N.E. Brigand]

I missed the Vanity Fair story last week which offered yet another explanation: "Tucker Carlson’s Prayer Talk May Have Led to Fox News Ouster: 'That Stuff Freaks Rupert Out.'" That refers to the speech Carlson gave at a gala celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Heritage Foundation on Friday April 21 (he was fired on the morning of Monday April 24).

Although I now realize I did hear something about that story:

Rupert Murdoch was perhaps unnerved by Carlson’s messianism because it echoed the end-times worldview of Murdoch’s ex-fiancée Ann Lesley Smith, the source said. In my May cover story, I reported that Murdoch and Smith called off their two-week engagement because Smith had told people Carlson was “a messenger from God.” Murdoch had seen Carlson and Smith discuss religion firsthand. In late March, Carlson had dinner at Murdoch’s Bel Air vineyard with Murdoch and Smith, according to the source. During dinner, Smith pulled out a bible and started reading passages from the Book of Exodus, the source said. “Rupert just sat there and stared,” the source said. A few days after the dinner, Murdoch and Smith called off the wedding. By taking Carlson off the air, Murdoch was also taking away his ex’s favorite show.

Rupert Murdoch unexpectedly announced today that he is retiring from his position on the boards of Fox and the News Corp. (Posted to this thread as one of the several places Murdoch has been mentioned in the six months.)

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Cassidy Hutchison's former attorney, Stefan Passantino, is suing Andrew Weissman for a tweet the latter made last week casually saying (without naming him) that Passntino coached her to lie.



This strikes me as a very stupid move, which will attract much more attention to the issue than Weissman's tweet ever would have, and could lead to more information coming out about what Passantino actually did advise Hutchison to do or not do, which could expose him to discipline.

ETA: I am reminded that back in April, Passantino also filed a claim against the January 6 Select Committee, alleging $67,000,000 in damages. Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, the committee had six months to respond to that claim before Passantino could then file a lawsuit. I am not aware of whether the committee ever responded (or even if it could respond, so it doesn't actually exist anymore).