Georgia has opened (ETA: criminal) investigation into Trump's election meddling and 'find me votes'

[jayem]

I'm OK with Joe Biden's economy. Check the S & P 500 chart. (A broader index than the DJIA.) There was some growth from 2016-2020 when Trump was in office. But it bottomed out in late 2020. Then it took off after Joe was inaugurated. It reached its highest point ever, just over 4,712 in Nov., 2021. There was a dip earlier this year, but it's now coming back. It closed today slightly down at 4,370. Inflation or not, my portfolio's done much better in the last 2+ years, than when Trump was in office.

And BTW, Trump's so-called "tax cut" did nothing for me. My taxes went up. The TCJA eliminated all my itemized deductions. But it expires in Jan., 2026. No way Trump will be in office. Congress will likely still be divided. Hopefully, at least some deductions will be restored.

 

[NxNW]

Why not?

Because math.

 

[iluvatar5150]

The TCJA eliminated all my itemized deductions.

Yep. It doubled the standard deduction, but removed the personal exemption, which gave a lot of people (esp low-mid income folks) a slight tax cut while removing any tax advantage for charitable deductions for huge numbers of people.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Yep.

Don't get me started on the SALT tax cap.

 

[Aldebaran]

Because math.

Which one?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Speaking out for the first time, Rev. Stephen Lee’s lawyer admitted that his client’s version of events “sounds really wild.”

On Monday, a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury indicted Lee, a police chaplain living in the Chicago area, alongside Donald Trump and 17 others for a laundry list of election-related crimes related to the 2020 election. Lee, 70, is facing additional counts on top of the RICO charge, including conspiracy to solicit false statements and writings, criminal attempt to influence witnesses, and influencing witnesses.

Lee is accused of trying to pressure a temporary election worker, Ruby Freeman, to confess to a slew of bogus assertions by Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and other MAGA-world luminaries, that Freeman and her daughter, who are Black, surreptitiously introduced suitcases stuffed with thousands of fake ballots into the counting process to help Joe Biden.

--

[Lee had been trying to get in touch with Freeman after the election, when the bogus assertions were in the air.]

Lee left a note with a neighbor the night before, telling Freeman that time was “running out” and that he wanted to help her. Panicked, Freeman called 911 [when Lee showed up the next day].

When police arrived to investigate, bodycam footage shows Lee explaining, “I'm a pastor, and I'm also working with some folks who are trying to help Ruby out. And also get to some truth of what's going on.” He ... offered his unspecified services to Freeman pro bono, “if she’s interested.”

The officers asked Freeman if she wished to speak with Lee.

“I’m not interested,” she said. “I have a pastor.”

--

[Lee went looking for a black person to help him 'help' Ruby Freeman. He wound up with Ye's former publicist, who is also charged]

All [Trevian] Kutti would say was that she was there on behalf of a “high-profile individual,” and floated a dubious offer of immunity from prosecution if Freeman would admit to voter fraud. If she didn’t, Freeman would be thrown in jail, Kutti allegedly said.

 

[Pommer]

Speaking out for the first time, Rev. Stephen Lee’s lawyer admitted that his client’s version of events “sounds really wild.”

On Monday, a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury indicted Lee, a police chaplain living in the Chicago area, alongside Donald Trump and 17 others for a laundry list of election-related crimes related to the 2020 election. Lee, 70, is facing additional counts on top of the RICO charge, including conspiracy to solicit false statements and writings, criminal attempt to influence witnesses, and influencing witnesses.

Lee is accused of trying to pressure a temporary election worker, Ruby Freeman, to confess to a slew of bogus assertions by Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and other MAGA-world luminaries, that Freeman and her daughter, who are Black, surreptitiously introduced suitcases stuffed with thousands of fake ballots into the counting process to help Joe Biden.

--

[Lee had been trying to get in touch with Freeman after the election, when the bogus assertions were in the air.]

Lee left a note with a neighbor the night before, telling Freeman that time was “running out” and that he wanted to help her. Panicked, Freeman called 911 [when Lee showed up the next day].

When police arrived to investigate, bodycam footage shows Lee explaining, “I'm a pastor, and I'm also working with some folks who are trying to help Ruby out. And also get to some truth of what's going on.” He ... offered his unspecified services to Freeman pro bono, “if she’s interested.”

The officers asked Freeman if she wished to speak with Lee.

“I’m not interested,” she said. “I have a pastor.”

--

[Lee went looking for a black person to help him 'help' Ruby Freeman. He wound up with Ye's former publicist, who is also charged]

All [Trevian] Kutti would say was that she was there on behalf of a “high-profile individual,” and floated a dubious offer of immunity from prosecution if Freeman would admit to voter fraud. If she didn’t, Freeman would be thrown in jail, Kutti allegedly said.

It’s like if Voltaire was a comic book.

 

[essentialsaltes]

'Not helping himself': Giuliani stuns ex-prosecutors by undercutting his own criminal case​

In response to the charges, Giuliani issued a statement suggesting that much of the information needed to know if an election was stolen didn't come in until months after he made the allegedly unlawful claims in an attempt to overturn the 2020 contest.

O'Donnell said it's interesting that Giuliani didn't say that to legislators in Georgia, instead of "telling them specifically the number of dead people that he lyingly claimed to have voted."

[Gwen Keyes Fleming, former DeKalb County (Georgia) District Attorney:] "the statements that were made [in December by Giuliani to Georgia legislators], they could not have been true, or perhaps Mr. Giuliani knew that they were not true or could not be confirmed until a later point in time."

[Andrew Weissmann, a former senior prosecutor for special counsel Robert Mueller]: "The claims that he was just exaggerating have been rejected by the D.C. panel [that yanked his law license]. He still does not have any proof to support the claims."

--

"I wasn't lying! I was just making factual statements unsupported by reality."

This really is the world that "alternative facts" takes us to.

 

[wing2000]

"I wasn't lying! I was just making factual statements unsupported by reality."

LOL

 

[inquiring mind]

I'm OK with Joe Biden's economy. Check the S & P 500 chart. (A broader index than the DJIA.) There was some growth from 2016-2020 when Trump was in office. But it bottomed out in late 2020. Then it took off after Joe was inaugurated. It reached its highest point ever, just over 4,712 in Nov., 2021. There was a dip earlier this year, but it's now coming back. It closed today slightly down at 4,370. Inflation or not, my portfolio's done much better in the last 2+ years, than when Trump was in office.

And BTW, Trump's so-called "tax cut" did nothing for me. My taxes went up. The TCJA eliminated all my itemized deductions. But it expires in Jan., 2026. No way Trump will be in office. Congress will likely still be divided. Hopefully, at least some deductions will be restored.

All that money the Fed prints ends up in the stock market. You're stuck with the inflation... and now high interest rates in an attempt to bring it down.

 

[Hank77]

Still double what it was under Trump. But we're supposed to be happy about it anyway since it isn't 8% anymore as it was last year.
Add the 3% to last year's 8% and it means we've seen prices increase 11% under just 2 years of Biden. Hooray!

When I get frustrated I remember it could be much worse, I remember these days when I was young with a small family and thinking we'd never, ever be able to buy our own home.

The inflation rate, 13.5% in 1980, fell to 4.1% in 1988, in part because the Federal Reserve increased interest rates (prime rate peaking at 20.5% in August 1981). The latter contributed to a recession from July 1981 to November 1982 during which unemployment rose to 9.7% and GDP fell by 1.9%.

 

[jayem]

All that money the Fed prints ends up in the stock market. You're stuck with the inflation... and now high interest rates in an attempt to bring it down.

Fortunately, I'm not a borrower. High interest rates don't negatively affect me. At least not so far. Actually, they've increased the return on my cash reserve, which I keep in a money market fund. It's now paying 5%. Which is pretty decent. I have 2 credit cards, which I use for convenience. But I pay the balance in full every month. And I get a little cash back reward.

 

[essentialsaltes]

which I keep in a money market fund. It's now paying 5%.

Taking a page from the "I got mine" Republican party. My homeloan is at 3.19%. I can get more than that on guaranteed investments. All I gotta do is make minimum payments and my wealth increases.

 

[Belk]

Taking a page from the "I got mine" Republican party. My homeloan is at 3.19%. I can get more than that on guaranteed investments. All I gotta do is make minimum payments and my wealth increases.
View attachment 334805

We managed to get a 15 year at 2.5%. Our mortgage (with extra capital on top) is less then a two bedroom apartment in the same area.

 

[Aldebaran]

Taking a page from the "I got mine" Republican party. My homeloan is at 3.19%. I can get more than that on guaranteed investments. All I gotta do is make minimum payments and my wealth increases.
View attachment 334805

Why take a home loan at 3.19% when the option to get it at 6% or more is available? Then you wouldn't be taking a page from the "I got mine" Republican party.

 

[JustOneWay]

Interest rates (30 yr fixed) under Reagan was above 10% every year he was president. That is 8 years.

 

[Aldebaran]

Interest rates (30 yr fixed) under Reagan was above 10% every year he was president. That is 8 years.

Whatabout Reagan?
Reagan isn't president. Robert L. Peters is.

 

[durangodawood]

Whatabout Reagan?

It just shows that conservatives can think a pres was the greatest ever despite interest rates well above where they are now.

So youre free to show Brandon some love!

 

[Pommer]

It just shows that conservatives can think a pres was the greatest ever despite interest rates well above where they are now.

So youre free to show Brandon some love!

No, no, Reagan is bus-fodder nowadays. I’ve seen it.

 

[OldAbramBrown]

... even if he legitimately won GA’s 16 EVs, he’d still lose the election.

Why can't Georgia split EVs proportionately between candidates?