<Hundreds of text [sic] show that there was a concerted effort to raise a threat of disqualification of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the Georgia state 2020 election RICO criminal case against Trump and over a dozen co-defendants.

There were 413 texts exchanged between a key witness, Terrence Bradley, and Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for defendant Michael Roman, one of Trump’s co-defendants, helping her build a case that suggested the prosecutor engaged in an improper romance, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution who reported acquiring the text message evidence.

Bradley helped Merchant's defendant prepare efforts to dismiss Willis by accusing her of misconduct by hiring personal injury attorney Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor in the sweeping criminal case and then carrying on a romance that had them spending suspected taxpayer funds on lavish trips to Napa Valley and the Caribbean.

Bradley took the witness stand on Tuesday and was grilled by various defendants' lawyers about the Willis [sic] and Wade's affair.

And while he seemed to be short on memory, the text messages show a bolder Bradley who in a January text called them “arrogant as f----.”

Before she filed her motion that exposed the relationship, Merchant asked Bradley point blank when the Willis and Wade began dating.

Trump's attorney grills Nathan Wade’s former law partner: ‘Why in the heck would you speculate?’

Merchant asked: "Do you think it started before she hired him."

“Absolutely,” he told her.

She also supplied Bradley with an unfixed draft of her motion to suss out any errors and he noted she should include some income he earned from the DA.

“Anything else? Anything that isn’t accurate?” she asked him in a text.

“Looks good,” Bradley answered.

Merchant had claimed that she would try to keep Bradley's identity anonymous telling him she "protected you completely" in the document she filed.

“I am nervous,” reads a Merchant text from Jan. 8 — the day she filed her motion. “This is huge.”

“You are huge," Bradley told her. "You will be fine. You are one of the best lawyers I know. Go be great.”

Ultimately Merchant subpoenaed Bradley.

“I will leave you out but think if I don’t subpoena you it would look fishy,” according to a Jan. 24 text. “What do you want me to do?”

“I’m ok with it,” Bradley wrote back.

Bradley also guided Merchant on potential staffers at the DA's office and even her security detail, texting her: “Subpoena them all.">

<[Event "West Suburban Summer Grand Prix"] [Site "Framingham Mass"]
[Date "1985.06.16"]
[EventDate "1985"]
[Round "3"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Nute, Gary A"]
[Black "McDaniel, Andrew"]
[ECO "A90"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]

<As we gear up for a rough-and-tumble general election, once again the conventional wisdom taking hold is not so wise. Pundits are laser-focused on polls showing Donald Trump beating President Biden, progressive columnists calling on Biden to drop out because he is too old, and normally rational Democrats wetting the bed – nervous as hell that Biden is going to lose.

I wrote in this space two years ago about how the midterms were not going to be so bad for Democrats. I got an earful after that column. Then I got messages after the election telling me I was right.

So here we go again. But this is not a repeat of 2022. Joe Biden is on the ballot this time, and it is clear that Trump will be the Republican nominee. Biden is struggling in the polls and Trump has an immovable stranglehold on the MAGA wing of the GOP that is showing up for him in the primaries. The age issue seems to be dogging Biden more than Trump even though Trump is no spring chicken, and many of Biden’s successes have been because of the experience and wisdom that his age brings, not in spite of these things. So why do I feel we are in a much stronger position than the conventional wisdom would have us believe? Let’s look at eight reasons.

Dobbs Decision: Ever since Roe v. Wade was struck down, Democrats have been overperforming in most special elections, even ones in deep red states, including state legislatures, mayorships, and the 2022 midterm election. The latest show of Democratic strength is Congressman-elect Tom Suozzi’s victory in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. Suozzi won by an overwhelming 8-point margin. Since 2023, Democrats have overperformed district partisan match-ups in House and state legislative races by an average of seven percentage points.

This demonstrates the current strength of the Democratic Party, which will be critical for a Biden win in November. Democrats are organizing, and their grassroots infrastructure is robust and only getting stronger as we move to the general election. Although Biden was not technically on the ballot in any of these races, he will be in November. And this is exactly why he and Democrats are in a strong position.

Money: Recently, the Biden campaign announced a record haul of $132 million with a hefty amount of cash on hand. About 97% percent of this came from donors who gave $200 or less. This is a tremendous show of grassroots strength. Compare that to the Republican National Committee. Its chairwoman just stepped down because of the party’s fundraising woes, or maybe because she ran afoul of what Liz Cheney rightly calls the “cult of personality” in the Trump era. In any event, much of the money raised by the RNC is going to pay Trump’s legal fees which may be a great message point for the GOP primaries, but not so much in the general election.

Republican Leadership: From the moment Kevin McCarthy was elected House speaker, the Republicans have been in a tailspin and don’t know which way is up. They can’t lead, negotiate, compromise, or solve any issue of import to the American people. After McCarthy’s ouster, Speaker Mike Johnson can’t go to the bathroom without permission from Donald Trump. This dereliction of duty has enabled Biden and the Democrats to flip the script on the one issue Biden was weakest on – immigration. Ever since MAGA leaders betrayed voters and scuttled the very border security deal they had helped negotiate because Trump needed the issue for the election, they laid bare what is most important to them – not their obligation to the American people, but their subjugation by Donald Trump.

The Polls: Most independent, non-Republican-leaning polls have Biden and Trump in a tight race, and some show Biden slightly ahead. But the coverage is breathless when there is an outlier poll that shows Trump way ahead of Biden. The voters may be trying to send a message that they want younger leadership, but it’s now a binary choice and a long way until November. Joe Biden beat Donald Trump once. He can do it again....>

<....The Vice Presidency: MAGA extremists love to use Vice President Kamala Harris as fodder to attack Biden. Easy to say before we see what horror show Trump will choose. Kamala Harris is actually a tremendous asset in mobilizing the Democratic coalition. Her focus on visiting college campuses, courting young voters of color and women voters, and calling out the extremist MAGA agenda has been a hugely powerful tool to keep Democrats and suburban women engaged on the existential threat a Trump presidency would be to our rights, liberties, and freedoms.

The MAGA Agenda: The latest demonstration that the MAGA movement is out of touch with American families is the Alabama Supreme Court designating an embryo as a person. Even Republicans see the flashing red warning signs of the political repercussions of this idiosyncratic and out-of-touch decision. As Alabama fertility clinics shut down their IVF operations, it is the death knell for families wanting to have children. Such extremism may have solidified a Biden victory. Republicans are rightfully in a panic over it. Americans have resoundingly rejected the MAGA extremist agenda in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, and will do so again in 2024.

Trump’s Weaknesses: Nikki Haley insists that Trump cannot beat Biden and that is why she has stayed in the race. And while Trump has beaten her unequivocally in every primary so far, there are glaring warning signs that up to 40% of voters in some states do not support Trump and will not vote for him in November. Those are voters who will vote for Biden or stay home. Either is a dangerous weakness for Trump.

The Contrast: The stark difference between the candidates will win the day for Democrats. Trump wants the economy to crash, he calls those jailed for attacking the U.S. Capitol “hostages,” and he will impose family separation and mass deportation camps. He wants a national abortion ban, will let Putin attack our NATO allies with no repercussions, believes he is above the law, and said himself that he wants to be a “dictator” on Day 1. He will impose another Muslim ban, will militarize the border, and will fight to keep himself in power even as he undermines the Constitution.

President Biden has created a record number of jobs, brought back manufacturing, lowered inflation, grown the economy to the strongest recovery of any nation, given millions of Americans healthcare, given seniors $35 insulin, and reduced rents and gas prices. Consumer confidence is at a three-year high, he has strengthened our democracy and will expand and protect our rights and freedoms. He has been a strong and effective president.

When it comes down to the decision of who should lead this country, Americans are smart and decent. Most will not vote for a fraudster with 91 criminal charges who is an adjudicated sex offender, an insurrectionist, a xenophobe and anti-immigrant, and a wanna-be dictator who is in it for self-aggrandizement and to stay out of prison. They will vote for a decent, empathetic, successful president who has shown he is committed to working, governing, and solving problems in a bipartisan fashion and putting the needs of the American people first.

None of this is to say that I think it will be an easy victory, nor a slam dunk. But I believe that President Biden is in a stronger position to win than Donald Trump, and the campaign understands the challenges ahead, the divided nature of this electorate, and the hard work they have to embark on to ensure victory in November.

I can’t wait to get messages on November 6.>

<[Event "ROM-ch"]
[Site "Calimanesti"]
[Date "2015.04.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Georgescu, Tiberiu Marian"]
[Black "Stanciu, Alexandru Ovidiu"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A41"]
[WhiteElo "2477"]
[BlackElo "2348"]

<House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the impeachment inquiry against President Biden will move into its “next phase” including a public hearing with Hunter Biden testifying.

However, Hunter Biden’s lawyer cast doubt on this, saying the transcripts from previous witnesses made it clear there was nothing left to ask.

“The transcripts of witnesses who have been called to date, including Hunter’s, makes it obvious that there is nothing left to ask, answer, say or do. This illegitimate inquiry should have ended long before their star witness was indicted for lying but it wasn’t. Now that Hunter has put this partisan conspiracy to the lie that it is – on the record and under oath – this political charade should finally come to an end,” attorney Abbe Lowell said.

Hunter Biden testified in a closed-door deposition that he did not involve his father Joe Biden in any business dealings.

He denied allegations related to an infamous email referencing “the big guy.”

Hunter “first made clear in his opening statement and emphasized throughout the deposition, Joe Biden was not involved in, did not benefit from, and took no official actions to benefit any of his business ventures,” an inside source stated.

“Hunter discussed his addiction at length,” the source said, adding that Hunter “admitted that he was high or drunk when he sent the ‘sitting here with my father’ WhatsApp message, sent it to the wrong recipient, and is now embarrassed by the message.”

Comer said the deposition revealed contradictory statements that need further review and a public hearing would help clear them up.

Hunter Biden’s lawyer maintained the inquiry should end, however, while Comer said he looked forward to releasing transcripts and the public hearing.

Comer said the deposition “proves several bits of our evidence that we’ve been conducting throughout this investigation.”

He added that “there are also some contradictory statements that I think need further review.”

“So this impeachment inquiry will now go to the next phase, which will be a public hearing,” Comer said.

“Just as I said, when we said we were going to do the deposition first, we will have a public hearing next,” Comer said. “So I think that the public hearing hopefully will clear up some discrepancies between some of the statements that were made between some of the associates and what we heard today.”

“Hunter is eager to have the opportunity, in a public forum and at the right time, to discuss these matters with the Committee,” Lowell said in November of 2023.

Comer said “all in all,” he is “very optimistic, very excited about this deposition.”

“I look forward to releasing the transcripts as soon as both sides agree to that,” Comer said. “Hopefully that’ll be within the next 2 or 3 days.”

Hunter Biden said he was present “to provide the Committees with the one uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry: I did not involve my father in my business.”

“Not while I was a practicing lawyer, not in my investments or transactions domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist. Never,” he said. “You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn’t any.”

Hunter said he hopes the testimony will “put an end to this baseless and destructive political charade.”

“You have wasted valuable time and resources attacking me and my family for your own political gain when you should be fixing the real problems in this country that desperately need your attention,” he said.

The House Oversight Committee said it was now able to “confirm Joe Biden met with nearly every foreign national who funneled money to his son.”>

<Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton beat impeachment. On Super Tuesday, he wants political revenge.

The Republican, who just six months ago was on the brink of removal from office, is charging into Texas' primaries on a dramatic campaign to oust dozens in his own party. They include rank-and-file legislators, state judges and one of the most powerful figures in Texas: Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan, who oversaw the historic vote last year to impeach Paxton on corruption charges.

Paxton's purge attempt is part of a wild brawl engulfing the state's dominant political party, where the attacks are blunt and the haymakers personal. Phelan recently punched back with a video reminding voters of Paxton's extramarital affair, saying Paxton broke an “oath to his wife and God.”

Paxton himself is not on the ballot — he won a third term in 2022 — but the clean-the-House effort by one of former President Donald Trump 's most vocal defenders could reshape the Texas GOP for years to come, tilting the deeply conservative Legislature further to the right.

“I've never see anything like this primary,” said Bill Miller, a longtime Republican strategist in Texas. “The party is at civil war. There’s too much stuff going on to call it anything else.”

Paxton has targeted more than 30 Republican incumbents who drew primary challengers. And he didn't stop there. Flexing his post-acquittal political muscle, the attorney general is trying to remove three female Republican judges from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, one of the most conservative panels in the country, after it limited the powers of his office in a 2021 ruling.

All the while, Paxton is still in legal jeopardy.

He is facing trial in April on felony security fraud charges that could lead to 90 years in prison if convicted. He is also fighting a subpoena for sworn testimony in a civil lawsuit that mirrors some of the impeachment charges. And a federal criminal investigation is ongoing into some of the same allegations.

“By the grace of God I’m here today,” Paxton told a political rally in suburban Dallas last month. “This matters more than anything I’ve ever done, that we win these races and that we win the Texas House.”

Some of Paxton's endorsements, and the millions of dollars flowing to them from third-party groups, clash with the Super Tuesday agenda of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor has his own list of GOP House members he's trying to throw overboard, angry that they voted against using tax money for private schools.

The double-barreled attacks have put extreme pressure on those lawmakers who happen to have fallen into the crosshairs of both men.

Abbott concentrated on a policy fight, but “(Paxton) is like a rabid dog that simply is angry at a large majority of House members," said Rice University political science professor Mark P. Jones. “He is willing to back anyone who wanted to mount a primary challenge.”....>

<....Paxton's biggest target is Phelan and the symbolic victory that would come with toppling House leadership.

Phelan’s two sessions as House speaker were a bonanza for conservatives: Since 2021, Texas has passed some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, supported Abbott’s headline-making anti-immigration crackdown, banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education.

But it was Phelan's House that also set Paxton’s impeachment in motion, and the two men have blistered each other with attacks ever since. Paxton has accused Phelan of being drunk on the job, and has campaigned against Phelan in his home district. Trump has piled on, endorsing Phelan's opponent.

Phelan responded with a scathing campaign ad recounting some of the impeachment corruption allegations. It specifically noted Paxton's affair with a legislative staffer.

“Vengeful Paxton is the reason Trump’s involved himself in our race,” Phelan says in the 30-second spot. “If Paxton will break an oath to his wife and God, why would he tell Trump — or you — the truth?”

Even if most of Paxton's endorsed challengers lose, knocking out a House speaker would be a “political earthquake,” Miller said.

At the courthouse, Paxton has targeted the three judges who were part of an 8-1 majority that stripped the attorney general’s power to prosecute voter fraud without permission from local district attorneys.

The voter fraud issue closely ties Paxton with Trump. Paxton led an effort in 2020 that asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Trump’s electoral defeat to President Joe Biden.

Paxton's aim is to remove two of the court's longest-serving judges: Judge Barbara Hervey was elected in 2001 and Presiding Judge Sharon Keller was elected in 1994. Judge Michelle Slaughter was elected in 2018.

“The Court follows the law, period,” Slaughter posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We cannot and will not be partisan political activists.”>

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Bg5 c6 7.O-O-O+ Kc7 8.Bc4 Be6 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.f3 Bc5 11.Nge2 Nbd7 12.Rd3 Rhf8 13.Rhd1 Rf7 14.Na4 Bb6 15.Nxb6 axb6 16.a3 h6 17.Be3 Nf8 18.Bd2 Ng6 19.Bb4 Ne8 20.Nc3 Nf4 21.Nb5+ cxb5 22.Rc3+ Kb8 23.Rd8+ Ka7 24.Rxa8+ Kxa8 25.Rc8+ Ka7 26.Rxe8 Rd7 27.b3 Nxg2 28.Rxe6 Nh4 29.Rxe5 Nxf3 30.Re8 Nxh2 31.e5 Ng4 32.Bd6 b4 33.axb4 b5 34.Bb8+ Ka6 35.Re6+ b6 36.Rg6 Nf2 37.e6 Rd8 38.Be5 Rd1+ 39.Kb2 Re1 40.Bxg7 h5 41.Bd4 Ng4 42.e7 Kb7 43.Rxb6+ Kc7 44.Rxb5 Rxe7 45.Rxh5 Re4 46.c3 Re2+ 47.Ka3 Ne3 48.Bxe3 Rxe3 49.c4 1-0>

Puff! Puff! Puff! (those legacies)

<[Event "Billerica Quad"] [Site "Billerica Mass"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Terrie, Henry L"]
[Black "Epp, Edward"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A27"]
[WhiteElo "2200"]
[BlackElo "2165"]