Latest articles from Crooks and Liars

C&L's Late Nite Music Club: The Hives, 'Hate To Say I Told You So'

Courtney Winfree — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:04:23 +0000

The Hives have been telling people they’re the best band in the world for 33 years. That seems hard to prove, but it’s undeniable they’re a helluva band. Especially live.

Formed in Sweden by brothers Pelle and Niklas Almqvist and their friends, who shared a love of AC/DC, the Ramones, and punk rock, the band initially called themselves Hives. They thought hives was a deadly, highly contagious disease and liked the idea of spreading through the music world like a plague. When they discovered it was actually just an allergic reaction, they kept the name but added “The,” reasoning that all the best band names were plurals.

The Hives may be cartoonish in their crowing, but they back up that swagger. Every show I've seen has been a blizzard of hits, plus songs I don't know that sound like hits, with frontman Howlin' Pelle getting an entire stadium to jump on command with his old-timey evangelical intensity, preaching the religion of the Hives. And between songs, he throws out quips that hit harder in a Swedish accent: “When the Hives stop playing, you're going to feel an intense sadness inside.”

Dressed in matching black-and-white suits, with a songwriting catalog credited to the mysterious Randy Fitzsimmons, whose “death” inspired an entire album, these guys are rock-and-roll jokesters. They’ve been known to hire Hives cover bands for their own post-show parties and even launched a tongue-in-cheek franchise opportunity for cover bands to help meet the apparently insatiable global demand for Hives music.

Judge Blocks The Trump Administration From Firing US Attorney Roger Rogoff

Red Painter — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 22:25:22 +0000

The courts have, yet again, stepped in to stop Donald Trump from doing something that he really wanted to do. In this case, a federal judge in Washington state ruled that Trump cannot fire U.S. attorneys appointed by the courts.

CNN is reporting that Trump fired Roger Rogoff after less than one hour on the job. A federal court appointed Rogoff as the U.S. Attorney for Seattle in July.

Judge Bastian, the chief judge in the Eastern District of Washington, said:

“Mr. Roger Rogoff is the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington and has been the rightful holder of that office since July 15, 2026, when he took the oath of office."

Period.

Courts have struggled with the Trump administration abusing the "interim" US attorney right that new administrations have, which allows them to place prosecutors in temporary roles for up to 120 days. Once those 120 days end, either the Senate must confirm the president's permanent appointee, or the local federal court can appoint someone.

Best-Selling Christian Authors From Texas Arrested For Child Abuse And Sexual Abuse

Red Painter — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 20:50:42 +0000

In today's edition of "Not A Drag Queen":

Best-selling Christian authors Seth Day and Heather Thompson Day of Texas were arrested following reports that they physically assaulted their high school-aged daughter. Seth Day allegedly physically assaulted their child while Heather concealed the abuse and failed to intervene. Seth Day was also arrested on charges of child sexual abuse, although the victim is not identified.

KTVU is reporting that the case began just over a week ago when a teacher did their job and served as a mandatory reporter when they became aware of potential physical abuse of a student. Investigators with the Keene PD conducted a forensic interview with the victim.

The victim told police that Seth Day "physically abused her out of anger on September 22, 2026, striking her in the face and chest with her cell phone. The attack resulted in visible lacerations and multiple bruises, which were documented by Keene police detectives."

White House Calls Republican Senator A ‘Pssy’ After He Told Trump To Fck Off

Conover Kennard — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 19:15:37 +0000

The White House has responded to the explosive text messages that Sen. Thom Tillis sent to Donald Trump earlier this year, and the response is almost as remarkable as the messages themselves. But it's predictable for the Trump White House.

As we noted on Friday, Tillis told Trump in one text that he had never been directly threatened with a primary contest—and said that if Trump had actually made such a threat, he would have told him to “f*ck yourself”

Tillis’s messages, which are expected to appear in his upcoming book, showed the senator bluntly rejecting Trump’s attacks and political pressure. In one message, Tillis told Trump that he did not take “bullshit” from anyone and warned that the country was failing. In another, he said that if Trump had personally threatened him with a primary rival, he would have told the president to “fuck yourself” and immediately announced his retirement.

“I don’t take this bullsh*t from anyone, including you,” Tillis wrote, adding that Trump should save the threats and games for people who didn't care whether he succeeded.

“I care if you fail,” Tillis added, “and right now we are failing.”

JD Vance Calls Jeffrey Epstein ‘Great Character Reference’ For Trump

NewsHound Ellen — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 17:49:23 +0000

Clearly, Sean Hannity was hoping Vice President J.D. Vance would have some memeable defense for the Trump administration’s ongoing cover-up of the Epstein files. What he got was memeable alright, but for a whole ‘nother reason.

Hannity tried to raise the matter gently during his interview with Vance. “I’ve had a lot of callers, maybe they’re mad, I don’t know,” Hannity said. But believe me, he knows they’re mad. Then he came out with it. “Some people are still mad over the Epstein files,” he said.

Vance’s response was a stunner.

“Donald Trump threw that idiot out of his club what 25, 30 years ago, and wanted nothing to do with him,” Vance began. “And when you look at the Epstein files, which were released, we've got millions and millions of documents that have been out there. Sean, what is the one obvious thing? One, Donald Trump didn't just throw him out of his club. He turned Jeffrey Epstein into the local police for being a creep.”

Reality check: Trump did not turn Epstein into the police. However, Trump’s 2006 phone call to then-Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter, telling him that Epstein's sex crimes were well known in New York and Palm Beach, contradicts his claim not to have known about them.

Nobody should be surprised that Hannity let the lie go uncorrected.

Is Trump Offering Reach-Arounds To Erdogan?

John Amato — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 16:25:46 +0000

During a press gaggle, Trump told the media he always keeps Turkish President Erdogan happy.

Turkey was sanctioned by the US for its multibillion purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems in 2020 by the Trump administration.

A Turkish reporter asked if Trump will lift the sanctions.

Q: You said at the NATO summit back in July that you don't sanction your friends and it's time to lift the sanctions on Turkey. What's the hold-up, sir?

TRUMP: Yeah, who are you with?

Q: Turkey.

Turkey? I love Turkey.

Mr. President, what's the hold-up, sir?

Q: What's the hold-up?

TRUMP: I'll always speak to President Erdogan. He's a friend of mine, as you know.

And I'll always make him happy.

Good grief.

Trump loves him some autocrats.

He longs to be an autocrat.

The Republican-led Congress grants him as much power as it can.

Hopefully, if Democrats turn out in November, a new Congress won't feel the same way.

Trump on Erdogan: "I'll always make him happy"
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Mike’s Blog Round-Up

Tengrain — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 15:47:01 +0000

Above, Paula West performs, When that man is dead and gone. No reason for this song. No, really.

Paul Krugman asks us about the economy, “Who You Gonna Believe?”

Michael in Norfolk asserts that The Felon is repeating a Biden mistake on the economy.

Hackwhackers says the economy is working... only for the orange clown's crime family and the Epstein Class oligarchs.

And speaking of oligarchs, The Verge tells us that Amazon wrote a scary, threatening letter warning communities not to block data centers.

Bonus Track: It's time to take a Magazine Break! Not gonna lie, this was a rabbit hole for me.

Round-up by Tengrain who blogs at Mock, Paper, Scissors. You can follow Tengrain on the Fediverse, or on BlueSky. Send tips, requests, and suggestions to mbru@crooksandliars.com (with For MBRU in the subject line).

Trump’s Cornell Rape Case Take Is Every Bit As Ugly As You’d Expect

Conover Kennard — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 14:55:28 +0000

Donald J. Trump is once again making himself part of a disturbing story—and once again, his sympathy appears to be directed somewhere other than toward the alleged victim.

Trump said Friday that he feels “badly” for the seven men accused of gang-raping a woman at Cornell University after New York Attorney General Letitia James was appointed to oversee the investigation.

James, a longtime Trump nemesis who successfully prosecuted him for falsifying business records, has now taken over the case after Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had lost confidence in local authorities’ handling of it.

Asked about the investigation, Trump attacked James as “corrupt” and said he couldn't imagine the accused receiving a fair shake from her. He later complained on Truth Social about Hochul appointing what he called a “Corrupt Prosecutor” to handle the case.

"Well, Letitia James is a corrupt person," Trump told reporters. "She's totally corrupt, and I can't imagine it. I feel badly for whoever she's looking at because they won't get a fair shake."

The 2024 incident occurred at a Cornell fraternity house, as detailed in a lawsuit filed by the woman, who remains unnamed. The lawsuit states that the bar’s bouncer marked an “X” on each of her hands to signify she was under 21, but she was still served at least one drink inside.

Via CNN:

Trump's Corrupt DOJ Attempting To Rehab Richard Nixon

Heather — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 13:13:44 +0000

JD Vance gave us a preview of this back in June. Now it appears Todd Blanche at Trump's corrupt DOJ is going to follow through on it.

As MS Now's Ali Velshi explained:

VELSHI: It seems as though President Trump's attempt to rewrite the history of the January 6th insurrection and his own other scandals and alleged crimes is no longer enough to amuse him.

He's now apparently intent on rewriting the history and legacy of another scandal-plagued president, Richard Nixon.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump's DOJ is, quote, reviewing whether the special prosecutor's office that investigated the famed Watergate break-in, committed misconduct, according to the people familiar with the matter, more than half a century after that scandal led to Nixon's resignation. Geoff Shepard, a former Nixon aide turned Watergate historian and revisionist, recently gave a two-hour presentation at Justice Department headquarters that laid out his theory that the deep state took Nixon down. The title of his 78-page slide deck, Watergate as lawfare, end quote.
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Republicans' Cash Blitz In Texas Won't Save Paxton

Emily Singer — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 11:46:37 +0000

Three weeks ago, Republican super PACs began dumping tens of millions into Texas’ Senate contest, unleashing an ad blitz they hoped would hurt Democratic nominee James Talarico and boost Republican Ken Paxton.

Yet Fox News dropped a poll Thursday evening that showed the money is not working, with Paxton trailing Talarico 49% to 51% among likely voters.

Oddly, the poll found Talarico’s lead grows among the universe of all registered voters, with 53% choosing Talarico and 46% choosing Paxton. That 7-point spread among the electorate as a whole is even larger than Fox News’ pollsters found in July, before President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune began pouring money into the state.

Rick Santelli: 'Big, Big Miss!' On September Jobs Report

John Amato — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 11:46:28 +0000

CNBC analyst Rick Santelli, one of the creators of the Tea Party craze, was not thrilled with the September jobs report because jobs created by the Trump administration severely underperformed and hourly wages declined.

"A bit of a disappointment, expecting $90,000 comes in at $29,000, and we see revisions," Santelli said. "Two-month revision down $60,000, $29,000 will be the lightest since July when it was $21,000."

Average hourly earnings, now if we take it on a month-over-month basis, this is a big miss, big, big miss.

We're expecting up three-tenths.

Our last look was up three-tenths.

This comes in up one-tenth, and up one-tenth would actually be the lightest of the year at equal decline of last year.

Find a smaller number, you're back in April of last year.

The Fed actually likes bad job creation so they don't have to raise rates, but the country and Trump's ego hate it.

Chipmunk face Hassett loved the report because he finds a way to spin every report to his liking. On Fox News, he would never say the economy wasn't where they hoped it would be.

A thriving economy does not underperform in job creation by 60k jobs in a month.

Every once in a while, a monthly report will have some good data, and Trump and Bessent will act like that one report has solved all their problems.

It's horrible that the Fed is rooting for unemployment and bad job growth.

Farmer Who Fled Canada For 'Traditional Values' Needs To Join Russian Military

Ed Scarce — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 11:46:18 +0000

Arend Feenstra took his wife and eight kids to Russia last year, mostly to get away from the gays and other aspects of modern life he finds undesirable. (I'm not sure how much of a problem that is in rural Saskatchewan, but whatever). Turns out, though, that if he wants to stay in Russia permanently, he'll have to sign a military contract. That'd most likely mean going to fight and die in Ukraine. That'd cut his life expectancy down to about 20 minutes once he reached the frontline.

Russia needs more men and changed the rules for foreigners late last year.

Source: Meduza

Canadian farmer Arend Feenstra, who moved to Russia through a streamlined immigration program for citizens of “unfriendly” countries who share “traditional values,” has complained that he cannot get a permanent residence permit. The news outlet Nizhny Novgorod Online drew attention to his YouTube video.

Feenstra received a three-year temporary residence permit in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region in early 2025. He then brought his wife and eight children to Russia and began farming.
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Friday Night Funnies Jim Gaffigan: Live From Old Forester

John Amato — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 23:51:54 +0000

It's Friday night and hot in Los Angeles.

Enjoy a laugh or two...

Open thread.

Trump Driving Kennedy Center Into The Ground On Purpose

Lisa Needham — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 23:18:02 +0000

The Trump administration has been insisting to the courts—and everyone else—that the only way the Kennedy Center can stay open is if President Donald Trump’s name can be slapped on it, because those people who raced to donate because Trump’s name was on it would take their money back if Trump’s name isn’t on it.

It turns out that pretty much the opposite is true. Basically, once Trump befouled the place, donations went through the floor.

And it turns out that despite Trump repeatedly decrying how the Kennedy Center was insolvent, crumbling, and so on, it was solvent—until Trump took over.

Wow. Who could have predicted that the guy who managed to have his companies go bankrupt six times would not be a good steward of money?

Obese Donald Trump Insists That He’s An Awesome Physical Specimen

NewsHound Ellen — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 21:52:30 +0000

During Donald Trump’s visit to Texas on Thursday, he paused from boasting about his floundering economy to brag about his own physical magnificence. All in whatever is left of his own mind, of course.

“Who’s the healthiest of all the presidents? Who would you rate the most physically fit?” asked the 80-year-old, obviously obese Trump. That's the same Trump who tries to hide his disturbingly-purple hands with make-up and can’t stay awake during his own White House events.

“President Trump, President Bush, or President Barack Hussein Obama?” Trump “asked.” As if anyone had a doubt which one he’d pick.

Delusional Trump Claims He's Releasing A New Healthcare Plan—Again

John Amato — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 20:55:23 +0000

During a speech yesterday, Trump renewed his ignorance about how healthcare plans work and revived one of his bigger lies, claiming he was ready to pass his own healthcare plan, which is ridiculous since he's been saying that since 2017.

In his first term, the late Sen. John McCain stopped him from eliminating Obamacare by voting down a repeal of Obamacare and replacing it with a weak sauce plan that would have hurt millions of Americans.

TRUMP: And we will pass a truly great healthcare plan that will stop all payments to big insurance companies, which own the — by the way, the big insurance company, they — all those big monster — they're monsters.

They take in billions and billions of dollars from our country.

They own the Democrats.

That's why the Democrats fight for Obamacare, because that's what it's all about.

And we'll give the money directly to you, the people, so you can buy your own much better healthcare at a much lower price and have a lot of money left over.

And we will end no-cash payments.

Will it be released in two weeks?

There is no plan.

Is Trump starting to believe his own lies?

Did Natalie Harp tell him she'd have a plan very soon?

Hassett Spins Miserable Jobs Report As Proof ‘Trumponomics’ Is Working

Conover Kennard — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 19:51:55 +0000

Director of the White House National Economic Council Kevin Hassett was confronted with September's awful jobs report by Fox News's Bill Hemmer, and Hassett somehow said, "It's proving that Trumponomics is really working."

Hemmer started with the obvious problem: the September report was bad. Very bad. The economy added 29,000 jobs, versus expectations of around 88,000–90,000; unemployment ticked up to 4.2%, and prior months were revised downward.

Bassett's argument has several parts:

The jobs number "bounces up and down." So he minimizes the significance of the disappointing monthly figure.

He then pivoted to the GDP, noting that the latest revision put Q2 growth at 2.2%. That's a legitimate positive data point, although "radically revised up" is a pretty generous description—the third estimate is 2.2%, versus 2.5% in Q1.

He pivots again to inflation, claiming the three-month measures show very low inflation.

Then comes his big argument: factory construction jobs are evidence that Trump's policies are creating an investment boom today that will generate jobs tomorrow.
And finally, he concludes: "It's proving that Trumponomics is really working."

Reflecting Pool Case Against Olympian Dismissed Forever

Red Painter — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 18:54:37 +0000

The losses keep growing for DC Attorney General, Jeanine "Winebox" Pirro...and it is glorious.

Remember the Reflecting Pool debacle? You know, the multi-million dollar, horrific, moldy, algae covered paint job project that was given to one of Trump's buddies in a no-bid contract? The one that led to a former Olympian David Hearn being charged for a crime for merely touching the water? Yeah, that case is officially done and can never be brought back.

Shortly after prosecutors dropped the case in August, they began pointing the finger at the Interior Department, suggesting that the damage was due to faulty installation and not imaginary vandals. The AG's office could have revived the case if they chose, which was hanging over Hearn's head...until now.

A judge on Thursday officially dismissed the charges *with prejudice*.

The court order said:

“The Court respects the authority of the Office of the United States Attorney to decide which cases to prosecute and which to dismiss. However, in the exceptional circumstances posed by this case, the government has no right to retain the ability to compound the errors it has already made, or even to threaten to do so, at Mr. Hearn’s expense.”

Hearn was arrested three months ago when he reached for a floating piece of painted liner that was floating in the Reflecting pool. Trump had, for weeks, blamed mysterious "vandals" for the damage. (There were no vandals).

'F*ck Yourself': GOP Senator’s Private Messages To Trump Are Brutal

Conover Kennard — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 18:20:00 +0000

North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis apparently had quite a bit to say to Donald Trump behind the scenes.

Newly revealed text messages show Tillis pushing back forcefully against the president during their increasingly bitter political feud. In one message, Tillis told Trump that he had never been directly threatened with a primary contest—and said that if Trump had actually made such a threat, he would have told him to “f*ck yourself” and immediately announced his retirement, Politico Playbook reports.

Tillis also made clear that his criticism of Trump wasn't coming from a desire to see the president fail. Quite the opposite, he said, explaining that he still wanted to help but wasn't willing to put up with Trump's treatment of him.

“I don’t take this bullsh*t from anyone, including you,” Tillis wrote, adding that Trump should save the threats and games for people who didn't care whether he succeeded.

“I care if you fail,” Tillis continued, “and right now we are failing.”

The messages, obtained by the outlet and set to appear in Tillis' forthcoming book, offer a remarkably blunt insight into the Republican senator's deteriorating relationship with Trump.

The exchange followed Trump's public attacks on Tillis, in which the president called him “weak and ineffective,” a “Nitpicker,” and a “QUITTER” after Tillis announced that he would retire rather than seek reelection.

Trump Just Floated The Idea Of Jailing Reporters Over Leaks

Andrea Thompson — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 16:56:17 +0000

Just days after Donald Trump was forced to lift his White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO, the president is now floating the notion of jailing reporters over leaks.

On September 18, Trump announced that he was banning the trio of media outlets for "their constant 'reporting' of FAKE NEWS!" All three outlets sued, and a 14-day temporary restraining order against the ban was implemented by Trump-appointed Judge Timothy Kelly, which ordered the outlets' access to be restored.

Despite that TRO, the president continues to target CNN specifically, with the outlet being removed from the press pool traveling with Trump during his trips to Texas and Oklahoma.

Following a rally for Ken Paxton in Texas, Trump spoke from the tarmac in Dallas, where a reporter confronted him: "You've been critical of CNN and other media outlets for their coverage."

Before the reporter could even finish their sentence, Trump interjected, "They're terrible!"

"What do you feel about those who feel like you’re doing too much with your executive power, you’re using it too much to go after political opponents, against the media," the reporter continued to press, "Things like that?"

Trump's response was beyond unsettling:

Pete Hegseth Claims Basic Journalism Is 'Treason'

John Amato — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 15:49:02 +0000

Toxic windbag Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth doubled down on Trump's attack on the free press by claiming if their reporting isn't jingoistic enough for him, they should be executed for treason.

HEGSETH: A free press is, of course, important, but partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops and the historic mission that they're undertaking is fundamentally anti-American.

It's sick.

It's a national betrayal.

It's treason, actually.

I mean, I hate to have to say it, but it has to be said.

What's with that stupid back drop?

By Hegseth's logic he should be tried for treason since he attacked and undermined the US government under President Obama and Biden as a media pundit for Fox News for over ten years.

The man is getting more deranged by the day.

He's our modern day Brig. General Jack D. Ripper.

Trump Tells TX Rally Crowd Ken Paxton Is A 'Pain In The A**'

Andrea Thompson — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:56:46 +0000

Despite the fact that he claims to want people to vote for him, Donald Trump seems to have quite a thing for publicly insulting Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

Just recently, at his Dallas "Trumpapalooza" midterm convention, Trump stood on the stage and declared of Paxton, "He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen, but you know what he is? He’s the greatest attorney general in America, and he deserves to be your next senator.”

Now returning to Denton, Texas, where he's continuing to rally for Paxton as the midterm elections close in, the president took it upon himself to publicly dog on the guy yet again.

"He’s been a friend of mine for a long time, one of the most loyal people,” Trump said of the scandal-plagued Republican Senate candidate. "When I was being hit by the radical left… Ken Paxton was at my side, more than anybody, and I have to always remember that because he can be a pain in the a** sometimes — I’ll be honest.”

"Is he here, by the way?" Trump asked. "Oh, there he is. Good. I didn’t even know if he was here! I don’t care. I would say the same thing whether — the guy is the greatest attorney general in the United States of America.”

Instead Of Apologizing, Schmitt Keeps Lying Like A Child

John Amato — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:52:10 +0000

Sen. Eric Schmitt's response to being humiliated during Jack Smith's hearing by Sen. Klobuchar was to lie and lie again when confronted by the media.

Chris Hayes did a beautiful segment highlighting the train wreck of the one true dirtbag, Sen. Schmitt.

Trying to laugh it off and figure out a way to save his reputation, Schmitt lied again and told several different media outlets that there was only one NBA game on the date in question.

SCHMITT: (CNN) Listen, we had information he was at a basketball game. There was only one NBA game that night.

(FOX2) We had information, of course, about him being at a basketball game. The only NBA game going on that night was in Atlanta.

(TMZ) We asked him if he was at a basketball game that night. The only NBA game that was going on that night was in Atlanta.

How fucking stupid is this guy and his staffers? It takes seconds to find information on any sports game with a simple Google search. After agreeing that there was a NBA game in Atlanta featuring Steph Curry, Chris Hayes made these remarks.

"But what if I told you that was not the only NBA game that night?" Hayes said. "What if I told you there were, in fact, six league games taking place that night across the country, something it took our staff mere seconds to confirm?"

Egads. Another cock-up.

Hayes then described the sensation that was Caitlin Clark at Iowa and wondered if Schmitt has a probem with women's basketball?

El-Sayed Hits 'Low-T JD' And 'Meek Rogers' For Refusing To Stand Up To Trump

Heather — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:09:17 +0000

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed responded to Republicans who can't seem to keep his name out of their mouths while they run around trying to energize their base in red states across the country.

El-Sayed made an appearance on this Thursday's The Beat with Ari Melber, and after they discussed the recent polling that shows El-Sayed ahead of former Congressman Mike Rogers and what voters are telling him, Melber played some clips of House Speaker Mike Johnson, VP JD Vance and Rogers attacking him while campaigning for Republicans on other states.

Melber asked El-Sayed why they were so focused on him even on races that are out of state, and El-Sayed responded with a couple of new nicknames for Vance and Rogers, and explaining why they're appropriate.

EL-SAYED: Ah... Low-T JD. It's always funny, man. He just brings the energy down every time you hear him talk.

Look, the reality of it is that they want to distract you. They want to distract you from the issues at hand. They want to talk about me and my name as if me and my name are causing the problems. They are not.

The problems are, in fact, caused by their boss, Donald Trump, who they cannot deviate from because, of course, he rules their party with an iron fist.
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Inside Source: Schmitt Knew Jack Smith Evidence Was 'Unvetted,' But Used It Anyway

Andrea Thompson — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 11:55:31 +0000

According to a bombshell new report from MS NOW, Republican Senator Eric Schmitt knew that the text messages provided by the Department of Justice that he would go on to use as "evidence" against former special counsel Jack Smith in his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing were "unvetted," yet he chose to use them anyway -- a decision I can only imagine he is filled with regret over now.

Schmitt was desperate to prove a link between the former special counsel who once investigated President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who had her own separate investigation into the president in Georgia around the same time. Committee staff gave the senator's team access to the messages between unnamed prosecutors and Smith's team but, according to "a source with direct knowledge of the conversation," Schmitt and his people were warned right off the bat that the material had not been vetted and they were responsible for verifying the information -- something that, clearly, was not done.

Schmitt whipped those text messages out, blown up on big foam board, with all of the confidence and arrogance afforded to a mediocre white man, and confidently cited them as "evidence" that Jack Smith attended an Atlanta Hawks game on February 3, 2024, suggesting that this was proof that the then-special counsel was in Georgia and colluding with Fani Willis.