Vigilant News

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Politics

Gavin Newsom Challenges Ron DeSantis to Debate on CNN After Months of Attacks, Political Ads

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This article contains the author’s opinion.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Friday challenged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to a debate after months of accusations and name calling. 

When he’s not busy masterminding new ways to make California as unappealing as possible, Gavin Newsome has taken to a new hobby: publicly criticizing Ron Desantis. Instead of working to address the myriad issues in his own state, the California Governor has been paying for anti-Desantis political ads in Florida and has even gone so far as to slander the Florida Governor as “bigoted”, an altogether unsurprising and unoriginal tactic. 

The most recent episode of this weird publicity production saw Newsome asking the feds on Thursday to intervene and investigate DeSantis for “kidnapping” after DeSantis sent 50 illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, an elite vacation spot where former President Barack Obama owns a $15 million home.

Newsom wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, saying:  

“In particular, I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws, which could serve as a predicate offense for charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970,”

DeSantis fired back Friday against Newsom’s letter to Garland, saying, “I think his hair gel is interfering with his brain function.”

“So the governor of California sent a letter to the Department of Justice saying, ‘You need to prosecute Texas and Florida governors.’ And all I can say is, I think his hair gel is interfering with his brain function,”

Later that day, Newsome responded to Desantis’s quip by proposing that the two Governors debate each other before the midterm elections in November.  

Newsome also recently agreed to debate his Republican challenger in California’s gubernatorial election, state Sen. Brian Dahle.

“Yeah, happy to do it and we’ll do it just as we did the last time I ran for office,” Newsom said when asked about the possibility of a debate with Dahle. “So, I look forward to it.”

It is unclear whether or not Desantis is interested in the proposed public spectacle.

Donald Trump, King of Trolls, is Now Endorsing Democrats

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Donald Trump, in several posts on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, began sarcastically endorsing democratic candidates in the party’s primary. 

The first target of Trump’s democrat endorsement campaign was lawyer Dan Goldman, who the former President praised for having “headed up the Impeachment committee and lost”.

“Lawyer Dan Goldman is running for Congress, NY-10, and it is my great honor to Strongly Endorse him,” Trump quipped. “I do this not because of the fact that he headed up the Impeachment Committee and lost, but because he was honorable, fair, and highly intelligent.”

Trump continued:

“While it was my honor to beat him, and beat him badly, Dan Goldman has a wonderful future ahead… He will be very compassionate and compromising to those within the Republican Party, and will do everything possible to make sure they have a fair chance at winning against the Radical Left Democrats, who he knows are destroying our Country. I would like to thank Dan for fighting so hard for America, and for working so tirelessly to stop ‘Trump,’… He was not easy to beat, but winning against him made me realize just how very talented I am!”

Trump’s “endorsement” of Goldman seems to be poking fun at the New York Times, which also endorsed Goldman in the Democratic primary last week, lauding his “work on the impeachment trial” and his “close working relationships” with the D.C establishment.  

Trump’s next target was the struggle between Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), a race that is the product of Democrats’ botched gerrymandering attempt, forcing two top Democrats to contend over a single seat. 

“A vote for Carolyn Maloney in NY-12 is a vote for the future! She is a kind and wonderful person, who has always said terrific things about me and will support me no matter what I do, just as I supported her very early on. She begged for a check with no quid pro quo, and I gave it to her. In fact, I gave her many… On the other hand, Jerry Nadler is likewise a hard-driving man of the people, whose energy and attention to detail is unlike anyone else in Congress… He is high energy, sharp, quick-witted, and bright. You can’t go wrong with either, but Carolyn Maloney is the better man. She will lead our Country into a very GREEN and prosperous future. Carolyn has my Complete and Total Endorsement, she will never let our Conservative Movement down!”

Did Liz Cheney Violate FEC Rules During Concession Speech?

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Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) lost her primary on Tuesday against Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman. Now, it’s being reported that Liz Cheney may have violated campaign finance rules.

It was reported Tuesday by CNN’s Jeff Zeleny that Cheney’s cinematic concession speech would be shot by James Goldstone, the ABC News President tasked with turning the J6 Committee hearings into a dramatic televised event.

As reported by Joel B. Polk of Breitbart, “Anyone who films a candidate may generally do so, under the protections of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” The kicker? if the film crew is producing a video, especially for a candidate, that counts as a service provided to the campaign.

The services provided by Goldston are likely worth tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, it was also reported by Zeleny that Goldston’s filming was done as a “favor” to Cheney, and thus his services would be classified as an in-kind contribution.

The FEC rules on in-kind contributions explain:

An in-kind contribution is a non-monetary contribution. Goods or services offered free or at less than the usual charge result in an in-kind contribution. Similarly, when a person or entity pays for services on the committee’s behalf, the payment is an in-kind contribution. An expenditure made by any person or entity in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate’s campaign is also considered an in-kind contribution to the candidate.

The value of an in-kind contribution—the usual and normal charge—counts against the contribution limit as a gift of money does. Additionally, like any other contribution, in-kind contributions count against the contributor’s limit for the next election, unless they are otherwise designated.

The current limit on contributions is $2,900 per cycle.

Goldston’s services should have to be reported to the FEC on Cheney’s campaign filings, but they also likely exceed the campaign finance limits. She could potentially face an investigation and fines from the FEC if she is found to be in violation.

CPAC Straw Poll Determines Donald Trump Strongest Choice for President Among Conservatives

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The top choice among conservatives for president in 2024 was determined via straw poll this weekend at CPAC Dallas, and former President Donald Trump maintains a strong lead at 69%.  

Other polls conducted nationally are showing strong for Desantis, most of them having Desantis and Trump neck and neck. However, the poll conducted at CPAC shows him trailing Trump by less than half at 24%. The next in line behind Desantis is Ted Cruz with a meager 2%.

Liz Cheney sits with Chris Christy and Marco Rubio at 0%.

When asked whom people would prefer to see as President Trump’s Vice President pick in 2024, the poll shows DeSantis in the lead with 43%. Kristy Noem was a second-place pick with only 9%.

It is now more clear than ever that Donald Trump has the most energy behind a hypothetical albeit likely 2024 bid, but he has not yet officially announced whether he’ll be running. Trailing conservatives like Ted Cruz are going to “wait and see” whether Trump declares before making a decision on potentially running.

This straw poll comes after threats from the Republican establishment against Trump in what seems like a last-ditch effort to maintain control of the party. The GOP leadership has recently said that they will no longer pay for the former President’s legal fees if he announces that he’s running in 2024.

The Daily Mail reports:

Republicans will stop paying Donald Trump‘s legal expenses if he announces he’s running for president in 2024, according to a new report published on Thursday.

The Republican National Committee has shelled out millions of dollars to law firms representing the former president amid government investigations and probes of his business interests.

But officials also worry that Trump could hurt the party’s midterms prospects if he announces a presidential run before this year’s elections.

An RNC official told ABC News that Trump would lose financial support as soon as launch a campaign because of the party’s ‘neutrality policy’ that bars it from taking sides in primaries.

RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel spelled out the stance in an interview in January.

‘The party has to stay neutral,’ she said. ‘I’m not telling anybody to run or not to run in 2024.’

There has been a serious bifurcation in the Republican party since the advent of Donald Trump and others like him. His presidency lead to what’s being colloquially referred to as “America First” politicians, who claim to be decidedly separate from their “Rino” counterparts.