Category: state

Utah Republicans Censure Mitt Romney One Week After Booing Him At State GOP Convention

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

The Republican Party in Weber County, Utah, issued a formal censure of Senator Mitt Romney for his multiple votes to convict former President Donald Trump during his impeachment trials.

The move comes a little over a week after Romney was booed vociferously at the Utah Republican Party’s organizing convention.

“The Weber County Republican Convention censures Mitt Romney for his votes to convict President Trump in two U.S. Senate impeachment trials,” the censure reads.

The censure resolutions claims both impeachment efforts “denied the President due process, allowed falsified evidence, did not provide adequate time for an investigation, and did not follow the U.S. Constitution…”

The censure resolution was passed by a vote of 116-97.

RELATED: Trump Cheers Utah GOP That Booed ‘Stone-Cold Loser’ Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney Censure Vote Fails

The successful vote to censure Mitt Romney comes after a similar effort fell short at the Utah state GOP convention on May 1st.

That vote failed by a tally of 798-711.

What the Utah Republican convention did succeed in doing, however, was making headlines by reigning boos down on the anti-Trump senator as he attempted to speak.

“I don’t hide the fact that I wasn’t a fan of our last president’s character issues,” Romney told the crowd as the booing grew ever louder.

“Aren’t you embarrassed?” he asked the Trump supporters.

RELATED: Mitt Romney Is Awarded JFK ‘Profile In Courage Award’ For Impeachment Vote

Trump: He’s A ‘Stone-Cold Loser’

Trump could hardly contain his excitement when seeing that Romney had been shouted down at the Utah Republican convention.

He issued a statement about the incident shortly thereafter.

“So nice to see RINO Mitt Romney booed off the stage at the Utah Republican State Convention,” Trump said.

“They are among the earliest to have figured this guy out, a stone-cold loser!” he added.

ABC 4 reports that nearly 600 Weber County Republican delegates attended the Utah convention, both in-person or online.

Weber County GOP Chairman Jake Sawyer believes the vote to censure was “respectful.”

“From the top down, we need to be able to voice our opinions agree with each other, and still come up with a solution at the end of the day,” said Sawyer.

He did admit that the vote is little more than symbolic.

Weber County becomes the second to pass a censure resolution against Romney in Utah, joining Washington County in April.

The news for the Senate Republican hasn’t been all bad since he joined Democrats in trying to impeach Trump on frivolous charges.

He was awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Library for his “historic vote” to impeach Trump during his first trial.

“He reminds us that our Democracy depends on the courage, conscience and character of our elected officials,” Caroline Kennedy, former Ambassador and daughter of President Kennedy, said in a statement.

Shortly after the election, conservative actor Scott Baio threatened to move to Utah and run against Mitt Romney in an effort to unseat the Republican senator.

 

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NY Assembly Takes First Step Toward Impeachment Of Cuomo, Police Report Filed Over Groping Allegations

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

The New York State Assembly has taken its first step in pursuing the possible impeachment of Governor Andrew Cuomo, as calls continue to mount for his resignation.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Thursday gave the chamber a green light to open a probe which would include full subpoena power.

Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim confirmed the move to Fox News.

“The Democratic Conference is taking the first step toward impeachment by opening an investigation with full subpoena power to obtain facts and testimonies under oath,” he said in a statement.

Kim, who has accused Cuomo of trying to help cover-up his ongoing nursing home scandal, vowing to destroy his career if he didn’t go along, said he felt the impeachment process could have begun immediately.

“Some members, including myself, argued that we had enough admission to proceed with impeachment today but the conference is leaning toward setting up the process and structure toward impeachment,” he said.

RELATED: Bill de Blasio Calls On Cuomo To Resign After Sixth Woman Comes Forward With Groping Allegations

Assembly Sets Forth on Path to Cuomo Impeachment

The Assembly’s actions in moving to possibly impeach Cuomo come as a sixth woman has come forward with sexual misconduct allegations.

The latest claim involves a female aide whose description of events – through a source with direct knowledge – could land in the category of assault. 

The Albany Times Union reports that Cuomo “aggressively groped” the woman “in a sexually charged manner” after summoning her to the Executive Chamber.

The incident allegedly involved the Democrat “reach(ing) under her blouse” and fondling her.

“The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious,” Heastie said in a statement adding, “the committee will have the authority to interview witnesses, subpoena documents and evaluate evidence, as is allowed by the New York State Constitution.”

Cuomo, aside from the impeachment probe, is currently being investigated on multiple fronts by Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James.

One involves a cover-up in which the administration is accused of hiding data on deaths of the elderly in nursing homes which may have been the result of the governor’s March executive order forcing the facilities to take on COVID-positive patients.

The second is an independent investigation into the numerous sexual harassment claims.

The impeachment probe is not expected to interfere with James’ investigations.

RELATED: Cuomo Lawyers Up: Executive Chamber Hires Criminal Defense Attorney Who Represented Harvey Weinstein

Police Report Filed Over Groping Allegations

Albany police also revealed Thursday they received a report from the New York State Executive Chamber about an incident with potential criminal activity.

The incident, which aligns with the new accuser’s groping allegations, involved a female aide and took place at Cuomo’s executive mansion.

The New York Times reports that the police department has not opened an official investigation, but is offering its services to the alleged victim.

The latest allegations have not only started the ball rolling on Governor Cuomo’s impeachment, but it has also prompted dozens of Democrat lawmakers to call on his resignation.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio responded to the groping allegations as “troubling” and “disgusting,” saying it’s time for Cuomo to resign.

“It is disgusting to me. And he can no longer serve as governor. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

Earlier this week, the New York governor practically dared lawmakers to impeach him.

“Cuomo told [Senate Majority Leader Andrea] Stewart-Cousins he wouldn’t quit and they would have to impeach him if they wanted him out of office,” the Associated Press reported.

 

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Cuomo Defiant As Top Democrats Call On Him To Resign: You’ll Have To Impeach Me

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Andrew Cuomo remained defiant as top Democrat lawmakers in the state joined calls for him to resign, reportedly telling one they’ll have to impeach the New York governor for him to leave the office.

Cuomo, once the darling of the mainstream media for his handling of the pandemic, finds himself embroiled in scandals on numerous fronts.

The governor issued an executive order in March forcing nursing homes to take on patients that had tested positive for coronavirus, then according to his own top aide, engaged in a cover-up.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal published a report indicating advisers to Cuomo “successfully pushed state health officials to strip a public report of data showing that more nursing-home residents had died of Covid-19 than the administration had acknowledged.”

Making matters worse, the governor has been accused by five separate women of sexually harassing them.

RELATED: Cuomo Admin Accused Of ‘Criminal Conspiracy’ Following Bombshell Report They ‘Stripped’ Data From Report On Nursing Home Deaths

Top Democrats Call on Cuomo to Resign

While the nursing home scandal is far and away the more shocking issue plaguing Governor Cuomo’s administration right now, the sexual harassment claims are causing Democrat lawmakers to take notice.

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins called on Cuomo to resign Sunday.

“We need to govern without daily distractions. For the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign,” Stewart-Cousins – a Democrat – said in a statement.

Heastie – also a Democrat – issued his own statement saying, “I too share the sentiment of Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins regarding the Governor’s ability to continue to lead this state.”

The pair join Democratic State Assemblyman Ron Kim who called on Cuomo to “do the right thing and resign.”

Kim’s target was the nursing home scandal and cover-up, in which he accused the governor of threatening to ruin his career if he didn’t help run cover for Cuomo in the media.

Kim would later call the activity outlined in the Wall Street Journal article “criminal.”

RELATED: Cuomo Is Accused Of Sexual Misconduct By Two More Women – ‘Just A Skirt’

Cuomo: You’re Going to Have to Impeach Me

Fox News reports that, as of Sunday, “a total of 37 lawmakers from either the Assembly or state Senate want [Cuomo] to resign, and 10 have called for impeachment.”

But Cuomo would have none of it, suggesting being forced to resign based only on allegations would be “anti-Democratic.”

“There is no way I resign,” Cuomo told reporters.

“They don’t override the people’s will, they don’t get to override elections,” he said of the lawmakers calling for him to step down. “I was elected by the people of New York state. I wasn’t elected by politicians.”

Cuomo would later dismiss “the premise of resigning because of allegations [as] actually anti-democratic.”

His statement completely neglects the fact that he’s been caught issuing an executive order that led to the deaths of thousands of seniors, then engaged in what state Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R) described as a “criminal conspiracy” to hide the numbers from the DOJ.

Cuomo was so defiant, the Associated Press details a phone conversation he had with Stewart-Cousins practically daring lawmakers to impeach him.

“In a brief phone conversation Sunday prior to the press conference,” they write, “Cuomo told Stewart-Cousins he wouldn’t quit and they would have to impeach him if they wanted him out of office.”

An Assembly Republican-led commission to impeach Cuomo was established in February.

To impeach the sitting governor of New York, the Assembly would need a majority vote in the 150-member body, and the state Senate would need a two-thirds majority of court members to convict.

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New York State Democrats Want To Rename Donald J. Trump State Park

Posted on by John Hanson

Democrats in the New York state legislature are pushing a bill to rename Donald J. Trump State Park, a park about 50 miles north of New York City.

The park is a 436-acre area of unused land about eight miles east of Peekskill, New York.  

RELATED: DeSantis Rips Media Over Coverage Of Maskless Super Bowl Fans: ‘You Only Care If It’s People You Don’t Like!’

‘For These Reasons The Donald J. Trump State Park Should Be Renamed’

“New York State has always been known for its history of welcoming and embracing people of all cultures and backgrounds,” the bill states. “Even our park system reflects these values.”

The bill continues, “According to the Declaration of Policy of the Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, our parks should foster and strengthen the sense of purpose, well-being and identity of the citizens of this state.”

“The names of these parks and green spaces should embody the goals of uplifting and unifying New Yorkers,” the bill puts forth.

“For these reasons the Donald J. Trump State Park should be renamed.”

Trump bought the land for the purpose of building a golf course. That plan was changed so the former president donated the land to the state in 2006.

His only stipulation was that the area was named after him. But the land never actually became a state park.

The Push To Rename The Park Is Not New

Trying to change the name of this New York land is not a new effort.

In 2015, two Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill titled the “Anything But Trump Act.”

Democratic Assemblyman Charles Lavine said six years ago, “It is time the state of New York sends a message to Donald Trump that his hate speech is not welcome in our great state.”

“I am confident that the governor will take our letters into consideration,” he added. “If he is unable to act, then we are prepared to move forward with this legislation.”

RELATED: Lindsey Graham Predicts ‘Not Guilty’ Impeachment Votes Are Growing After ‘Absurd’ Arguments From Democrats

‘We Want People To Be Able To Appreciate Parkland… Without Shame’

The latest bill to change the name was sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Nily Rozic who said, “Our parklands should be reflective of New Yorkers that we can be proud of, New Yorkers that have expressed our values.”

She added, “There are a lot of other New Yorkers who are worthy of the honor of having a park named after themselves.”

“We’ve been working on this for a number of years, and I certainly am hopeful that it will get the green light and move forward,” she continued.

She finished,  “At the end of the day, we want people to be able to appreciate parkland and be able to visit it without stigma, without shame, and we want to be able to be proud of our open spaces.”

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Biden Administration In ‘Active Conversation’ To Require COVID Test Before Domestic Flights

Posted on by John Hanson

On Sunday, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that the Biden administration is in active conversations with the CDC about requiring Americans to have a negative COVID-19 test before traveling by plane to another U.S. state.

Buttigieg made his comments during an Axios interview when the Democrat was asked what he thought “of requiring a COVID test before someone flies even domestically?”

RELATED: Dan Rather Says It May Have Not Been ‘Responsible’ To Air Commercials Of Crowds Maskless During Super Bowl

Buttigieg: ‘Going To Be Guided By Data, By Science’

“Well, there’s an active conversation with the CDC right now, what I can tell you is this going to be guided by data, by science, by medicine, and by the input of the people are actually going to have to carry this out,” Buttigieg replied.

The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and 2020 presidential candidate continued, “But here’s the thing, the safer we can make air travel in terms of perception as well as reality, the more people are going to be ready to get back in the air.”

Buttigieg also argued that most Americans’ typical work schedule might be permanently changed due to the pandemic.

Buttigieg said we should start looking more closely at different types of transportation like “bikes, scooters, wheelchairs” because “roads aren’t only for vehicles.”

‘Mayor Pete’ Defends Keystone Pipeline Cancellation

“Mayor Peter” also defended President Joe Biden recently killing the Keystone Pipeline by executive order.

During Buttigieg’s Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz pressed Buttigieg on that issue, asking, “So for those workers, the answer is somebody else will get a job?”

Buttigieg replied, “The answer is we are very eager to see those workers continue to be employed in good-paying union jobs, even if they might be different ones.”

RELATED: Trump Lawyer’s Demand Senate Impeachment Trial Be Dismissed, Top Dem Admits ‘Not Crazy To Argue’ It’s Unconstitutional

It’s safe to assume the many Americans put out of work by the Biden administration’s decision to axe the Keystone Pipeline XL might take a very different view.

Several unions have blasted the move.

Even the head of America’s largest labor union, the AFL-CIO, declared his disappointment.

“I wish he had paired that more carefully with the thing that he did second by saying, ‘Here’s where we’re creating jobs. We can do mine reclamation. We can fix leaks. We can fix seeps and create hundreds of thousands of jobs doing that stuff,’” AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka said of the move.

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