A right-wing conference over the weekend proved that conservatives are still furious about Vice President Mike Pence not delivering the 2020 election to Donald Trump. But at the same time, they're also not ready to ordain Trump as their 2024 nominee.
During the Western Conservative Summit, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won the straw poll, besting former President Trump. While Trump was fine with DeSantis before, former GOP chairman Michael Steele predicted that it isn't going to be long before Trump lashes out.
Steele played clips from the conference showing that Republicans are low on policy and big on "culture wars," like Mr. Potato Head, manufactured conspiracies like critical race theory, the continued attacks on LGBT people, and other right-wing ridiculousness.
"Huge races, but the most interesting news to come out of that Faith and Freedom coalition was the straw poll that had Ron DeSantis beating Donald Trump, as you just mentioned at the top of the show," said former Romney/Ryan campaign adviser Kevin Sheridan. "I think that's something to watch. If DeSantis actually were to get into a primary with Donald Trump, it would be a tough race all around. And you know, that's the most interesting news."
"Well, Kevin, I know one thing for sure, when the former president sees that poll where DeSantis did better than him, look for that other shoe to drop from Trump," said Steele.
See the discussion below:
Trump DeSantis www.youtube.com
It was revealed this week that President Donald Trump used the Justice Department to spy on two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee and the White House counsel. New facts are becoming known about how Trump was able to do it through the Justice Department, which should be a check on illegally using spying against Democratic foes.
According to CNN.com, "the Justice Department's original secret subpoena to Apple, sources say, was an effort to identify people connected with the staffer. Apple provided names connected to the accounts the company had records for, including then-House Intelligence ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), two vocal political enemies of former President Donald Trump. This was potentially the first instance federal investigators knew they had records of the two California Democrats, according to the sources."
According to sources, CNN said that the Justice Department didn't even know that McGahn was being sucked up into its vacuum bag of corruption. The spying all went back to the leak of a story about Trump and Russia that the former president was furious about. So, he staged his own investigation to uncover who was behind the leak. He and his staff got phone records from CNN, the Washington Post and New York Times as well as members of Congres.
Neither Schiff nor Swalwell were found to have been the leakers, but it didn't stop Trump from going off on his own attack in speeches, at rallies and in television interviews.
"It's unclear what, if anything, the investigators did to alert supervisors after the names of lawmakers were turned over in the records obtained through the subpoena," said the report. "DOJ officials say it's possible the current procedures were technically followed despite claims by senior former officials to not know about the moves. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco is now conducting a review of those procedures."
"There is a lot we don't know, including how the department came to seek those records and whether prosecutors understood what records they were requesting," Schiff wrote in an op-ed this week. "We still don't know whether only Democrats were the subjects of these requests or whether the investigation was properly predicated. The department has yet to explain."
Ironically, Trump spent years claiming that former President Barack Obama spied on his campaign. He was never able to prove it with evidence.
Father Edward Beck spoke to CNN on Sunday to explain that the idea by Catholic bishops to punish pro-choice Democrats isn't going over very well with people who are for or against a woman's right to choose.
"I had mass this morning, a few of them actually, and unsolicited, I can't tell you how many people came up to me and were really upset about this," said Father Beck. "I mean, across the political spectrum. And basically what they were saying was, you had a former president who checked none of the 'life issue' boxes for the Catholic church except that he said he would appoint Supreme Court justices that could overturn Roe v. Wade. And that's all that seemed to matter."
He also recalled Trump's photo-op he did with the Bible after peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters were tear-gassed in Lafayette Square. He also recalled the times in which Trump appeared to make fun of Pope Francis.
"And then you have Joe Biden, a practicing Catholic, who is pro-choice, although he says he's personally opposed to abortion, and people are talking about denying him communion," Father Beck continued. "The reception of communion — people see it as really based in hypocrisy. I can't tell you, some said this is the final straw for them. If the bishops go ahead with that, that's it for them."
In an editorial, Father Beck characterized the blocking of communion as weaponizing something that is deeply personal and none of the business of the priest. At the same time, there's an overall concern that the American bishops would support Trump, who was against all Christian beliefs except for the issue of choice.
"I think one of the questions is, are there then other litmus tests about communion?" Father Beck continued. "What about other life issues? What about capital punishment? What about immigration? What about the environment? So, are we supposed to stand in a commune line with a checklist, and are we supposed to decide who is qualified to receive or is it just going to be this one issue?"
He went on to say that the word "communion" itself means "unity," and he said that the bishops have done nothing but divide people over politics, which the church shouldn't have any role in.
"In fairness to them, there's no document done yet," the priest explained. "So, it's going to be now drafted and we'll see in November what it actually says. Maybe there will be nothing about the reception of communion of President Biden or anybody else. Maybe it will be kind of an exhortation on the Eucharist. We just don't know. But remember, it has to pass two-thirds at that meeting to get approval of the bishops. And then Pope Francis has to approve it as well. And this is a pope who has said the Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect. It's medicine and nourishment for the weak. So, I don't know if I'm going to see Pope Francis approving a document that might exclude people from receiving communion based on these cultural hot-button issues."
Biden has long talked openly about his faith and how important it has been through the many tragedies in his life. Most recently, Biden wore his late son's rosary around his wrist. He also frequently flies home to attend services at his home church where his son, former wife and baby daughter are all buried.
See the discussion in the video below:
Priest warns Pope isn't going to deny anyone communion www.youtube.com
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