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On Saturday, writing in the Great Falls Tribune, Democratic Montana state Sen. Bryce Bennett tore into the state GOP for attempting to restrict access to the ballot.
"Montanans were loud and clear six years ago when they voted to preserve the right to register and vote on Election Day (LR-126). That hasn't stopped Republicans from ignoring the people of Montana and bringing a bill to end Election Day voter registration, which has ensured over 60,000 Montanans could cast their ballots," wrote Bennett. "Republican bills are also targeting students and low-income communities with arbitrary and burdensome voter ID rules and forcing people to register with their county to do something as simple as dropping off a ballot for a friend or neighbor."
<p>Expansion of voting access during the 2020 pandemic resulted in Republicans having their best election cycle in Montana history.</p><p>"Year by year, generation by generation, we have fought to make the right to vote more accessible to all citizens of this great nation," wrote Bennett. "The days when former slaves, women, Native Americans, and young adults marching off to war were barred from voting are gone and we cannot afford to let out-of-touch politicians move us backwards. The malicious efforts by Republicans in Montana and statehouses across the nation to push voters out of their democracy is simply un-American, and we must all do our part to fight back."</p><p>You can read more <a href="https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/opinion/2021/04/10/montana-republican-voter-suppression-agenda-un-american/7173188002/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
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Jeffrey Epstein case will impact how Matt Gaetz is charged in underage sex case: prosecutor
April 10, 2021
On CNN Saturday, attorney and former federal prosecutor Shan Wu outlined a major reason why Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will face tight scrutiny in the DOJ sex trafficking investigation: authorities do not want a repeat of the saga of Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire wealth manager who initially was let off with an excessively lenient plea agreement.
"I think one important context is the Epstein case," said Wu. "Because the Justice Department has messed this up once before, letting a sex trafficker go with just a slap on the wrist. They're not going to let that happen again."
<p>"This is a different environment than it was before," Wu added. "The testimony of any of these complainants, particularly the underaged minor, will be devastating. This is a new time. We care about victims, and this is a problem for Gaetz."</p><p>Ironically, when the Epstein case was reopened in 2019, Gaetz was one of the few people pushing against it, <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article226861944.html" target="_blank">noted</a> the <em>Miami Herald</em>: "In an interview ... Gaetz said reexamining [Alex] Acosta's handling of Epstein's case, which came under increased scrutiny after the Herald's three-part series <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Perversion of Justice</a>, sets a 'dangerous' precedent for prosecutors."</p><p>Gaetz has vehemently denied all allegations and claimed they were fabricated as part of an extortion racket against his family. However, the former Florida tax official at the heart of the probe is working on a <a href="https://www.rawstory.com/matt-gaetz-joel-greenberg-2652022577/" target="_blank">plea deal</a>, which could ultimately lead to new information being exposed about Gaetz.</p><p>Watch below:</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6a19920179c467895e702881e8bb38df" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" type="lazy-iframe" scrolling="no" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WAmOMsJw5s8?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Shan Wu says Jeffrey Epstein fallout will ensure close scrutiny of Matt Gaetz</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAmOMsJw5s8" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p>
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Trump begs ex-Democrat to run against Brian Kemp in the GOP primary: ‘When are you announcing?’
April 10, 2021
Before he received a lifetime suspension from Twitter, Donald Trump repeated attacked Republican Gov. Brian Kemp for not overturning the 2020 election results after the incumbent president was the first Republican to lose Georgia since 1992.
Kemp seemed to patch up his relationship with many Republicans in the state after he signed a voter suppression bill that was so controversial the Peach State lost $100 million when Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game to Denver.
<p>But Trump appears to be holding a grudge.</p><p>Greg Bluestein, a political reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, posted a video of Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday evening.</p><p>In the video, Trump is addressing a crowd while standing next to Sarah Huckabee Sanders.</p><p>"This is my friend," Trump says as he points at former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones.</p><p>Trump then asks twice when Jones in announcing, presumably referring to a political campaign.</p><p>On Saturday, Jones said he would be sharing his plans on Friday with an image asking, "should I run for governor?"</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1f33ac5895f52c225ee7b0ad420c66e4" id="fff78"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1380890993373876228"><div style="margin:1em 0">Georgia - I look forward to sharing my plans for the state next Friday and I want you to be the first to know.
It… https://t.co/QEm9Pi4McU</div> — Vernon Jones (@Vernon Jones)<a href="https://twitter.com/RepVernonJones/statuses/1380890993373876228">1618065043.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Jones was a Democrat until January, when he became a Republican. In 2020, he endorsed Donald Trump and spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention.</p><p>Jones was a guest on the conservative podcast OutLoud with Gianno Caldwell where <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/vernon-jones-says-black-dems-160500045.html" target="_blank">he mentioned former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke</a>.</p><p>"You know, David Duke today, someone Black folks see as a big Klansman, could run as a Democrat today and Black people would vote for him just because he has a D beside his name," Jones argued.</p><p><br/></p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">A sign that Trump could endorse <a href="https://twitter.com/RepVernonJones?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepVernonJones</a>? This is Trump last night at Mar-A-Lago calling Jones his friend and asking: “When are you announcing? When are you announcing?" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gapol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gapol</a> <a href="https://t.co/ouOm2SCtiG">pic.twitter.com/ouOm2SCtiG</a><br/>— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) <a href="https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1380946249843683339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>
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