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Reagan lawyer: Republicans expanding ‘slow-motion coup’ as they try to ‘repeal the 20th century’
Reagan White House Solicitor General Charles Fried explained how Republicans are conducting a "slow-motion coup" during a Wednesday appearance on MSNBC.
"Our next guest was four years old when he fled Czechoslovakia with his family in 1939 to escape Nazi terror," MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell reported. "Twenty-two years later, he became a Harvard Law professor."
O'Donnell noted that now-Justice Samuel Alito worked for Fried and he testified at John Roberts confirmation that the nominee was "too smart a lawyer to overturn Roe vs. Wade."
O'Donnell noted a November op-ed Fried wrote for The New York Times titled, "I Once Urged the Supreme Court to Overturn Roe. I’ve Changed My Mind."
"To overturn Roe now would be an act of constitutional vandalism — not conservative, but reactionary," Fried wrote.
O'Donnell put an email on-screen that Fried sent to his producer.
"Unions, religion, second amendment, abortion, campaign finance, gerrymandering, regulation of elections. All this is an attempt in the last ten years or so to repeal the 20th century," he wrote. "The greatest threat next term: the 'independent legislature clause' case from North Carolina which would produce a slow-motion coup d'état."
Fried expanded on his analysis.
"What the court is going to have next term, they're gonna start in the fall on this issue and that is, when a state legislature picks electors, the state supreme court cannot do anything about it, because the constitution says that the regulation of electors is supposed to be done by the independent legislature," he explained. "Now, for decades, that has been understood to mean the whole legislative process in a state which includes, of course, the state supreme court."
He explained how such a U.S. Supreme Court ruling would make state gerrymandering of legislative districts even worse.
"North Carolina, which is the case involved, is a hideously gerrymandering," he explained. "The population is half registered Republican, half registered Democrat, but its 13-person congressional delegation is ten Republicans, three Democrats," he said. "And when the head of the legislative committee was asked, 'How did you do that? How come you did this?' 'Because we couldn't think of any way to get just two Democrats.' Now, this is what would be the coup d'état, because these gerrymandered state legislatures in all of the swing states – Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia — would then be able to send the electives -- the electors they choose, not the electors chosen by the people. and there is nothing that could be done about it."
In the over 50 years he has been at Harvard Law, he taught Criminal Law, Commercial Law, Roman Law, Torts, Contracts, Labor Law, Constitutional Law and Federal Courts, Appellate and Supreme Court Advocacy.
Watch below or at this link.
Reagan White House Solicitor General Charles Fried www.youtube.com
Disgraced former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens fitness to own a gun has become an issue in the Missouri Senate battle to replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO).
Greitens resigned as governor in 2018 after damning allegations of sexual assault and campaign finance violations.
He's now seeking a comeback, but is in the middle of a bruising primary with Attorney General Eric Schmitt, U.S. Reps. Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long. Gun-brandisher Mark McClowsky is also running.
RELATED: Eric Greitens’ attorney objects to deposition ahead of hearing over abuse allegations
The winner is expected to face Democrat Lucas Kunce, a lawyer and Marine Corps Reserve officer who served as the International Negotiations Officer for the joint chiefs of staff.
In campaign finance reports through the end of March, Greitens reported total receipts of $1.9 million and $345,000 cash on hand. Kunce reported total receipts of $3.3 million and $942,000 cash on hand.
Kunce raised the issue of Greitens' fitness to own a firearm in a campaign ad.
READ: Renowned trophy hunter shot dead and left on the side of the road in South Africa: police
"Terrorists, child abusers, and criminals like @EricGreitens shouldn't even be able to get a weapon. I'm the Marine veteran running against him," Kunce tweeted to introduce the ad. "Send me to the U.S. Senate, and I'll keep our families safe from criminals like him."
In the ad, Kunce addresses the camera while displaying a picture of a Rolling Stone article with Greitens holding a shotgun titled, "GOP Senate Candidate Fantasizes About Murdering Political Opponents in New Ad."
He played a clip of Greitens' controversial ad.
"Join the MAGA crew, get a RINO [Republican In Name Only] hunting permit. There’s no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesn’t expire until we save our country," Greitens said.
The ad then switched from video of Greitens with a shotgun to Kunce holding an AR-15.
"Now he thinks that teenagers, criminals, and terrorists should be able to get their hands on a weapon like this," he said, holding up the rifle as a tweet from Greitens appears on-screen.
\u201cIf a politician says you don't need a gun, you need a gun.\u201d— Eric Greitens (@Eric Greitens) 1654219060
"Well, assault, blackmail, and stealing from a veterans charity," Kunce says. "For any everyday Missourian, the question wouldn't be what type of gun he's going to buy, the question would be how long he's going to be in prison."
"Eric Greitens got a free pass because he was a politician with power. Send me to the U.S. Senate and I'll end that double standard," he said. "Lock. Him. Up."
\u201cTerrorists, child abusers, and criminals like @EricGreitens shouldn't even be able to get a weapon. I'm the Marine veteran running against him. \n\nSend me to the U.S. Senate, and I'll keep our families safe from criminals like him.\u201d— Lucas Kunce (@Lucas Kunce) 1657157467
Connecticut man threatened to kill Supreme Court justices and journalists who covered racial issues
On Wednesday, CT Insider reported that a Connecticut man has been arrested for sending out over 100 threatening letters to journalists who reported on racial issues — and Supreme Court justices.
"A number of the more than 100 threatening letters were sent to the homes of reporters and editors at Hearst Connecticut Media Group, the arrest warrant application shows. Those reporters had written stories with subjects who are Black and about race-related issues. A number of the people named in the stories also received threatening letters," reported Christine Dempsey. "Some of the letters threatened the journalists over their coverage of race-related issues, the application shows. 'All the changes in this letter Must be followed or else punishment at peoples’ homes including yours will occur!' Santillo allegedly wrote."
"One letter contained a similar threat, the affidavit states: 'We are telling everyone including the head of the NAACP and the KKK and all similar organizations including all 'white' supremacy organizations. People that don’t follow all this will be killed,'" said the report. "At least one letter was intercepted by the postal service before it got to a reporter."
According to the report, Santillo, who has also lived in Florida, has repeatedly been charged with mail threats in incidents since 2003. "In August 2016, Santillo was sentenced to five years of probation for sending threatening letters to public figures in Connecticut, including the New Haven police chief, Yale and Quinnipiac university administrators and federal judges," said the report. "He was indicted in September 2014 for sending threatening letters to the Connecticut officials about a homicide investigation from 1998, and he pleaded guilty to one count of mailing threatening communications in March 2015."
Santillo faces up to 10 years in prison for the Supreme Court justice threats alone. In order to be released pending trial, he must receive psychiatric treatment, adhere to a curfew, not possess any weapons, and cannot send a letter or email to any non-relative without the approval of a close family member.
Supreme Court justices have faced multiple threats in recent years. The gunman who murdered District Judge Esther Salas' son in her home also had plans to target Justice Sonia Sotomayor. And in the run-up to this year's Roe v. Wade repeal, a California man turned himself in to authorities after traveling to D.C. to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
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