Raw Story

A Trump campaign adviser was on the receiving end of a forceful fact-check Wednesday night from a CNN anchor after he tried to claim the former president is being treated differently than other Americans in the justice system.

Bryan Lanza joined "NewsNight" with host Abby Phillip on Wednesday night and was asked if Trump is laying the groundwork to repeat his alleged 2020 election subversion.

In response, Lanza defended Trump and insisted Trump wants fair and free elections "unlike the last election, where rules were changed."

Not persuaded by the MAGA commentator's response, Phillip shot back that special counsel Jack Smith's massive, new briefing "pretty definitely debunks that."

"No it doesn't," Lanza insisted.

"Yes it does!" exclaimed Phillip.

Lanza doubled down and said — to the agreement of fellow panelist and former Democratic Rep. Bakari Sellers — that the filing is Smith's "interpretation without any stress test."

"There's no way it debunks anything," he said.

Phillip also dug in and insisted that the filing clearly states Trump was told he was going to lose the election and plotted before the election to say he was going to win. She noted the document pointed to recordings of former Trump strategist Steve Bannon talking about Trump's strategy in October 2020.

ALSO READ: He’s a sociopath:' J.D. Vance has Congressional Democrats freaking out

"That has nothing to do with irregularities," she insisted. "That's a strategy to lie."

Lanza noted that such documents and evidence "very rarely make it to court because when they're stress-tested they fall off," noting such evidence can come from disgruntled employees and people who misrepresent what happened.

Later in the clip, Lanza and Phillip clashed again as he tried to assert Trump "has been treated differently" in the justice system.

"How?" questions Sellers.

Lanza pointed to the federal judge who decided to hold the hearing before an election.

"Why does the judge get to make that determination?" he asked.

Before he could continue, Phillip again interjected, prompting Lanza to fire back, "You're asking me a question. You're not going to let me finish?"

Phillip noted there's only one reason prosecutors were even given the option to receive the filing.

"The Supreme Court stepped in to say Donald Trump gets to be treated differently," she said.

"No that's not true," Lanza retorted, talking over Phillip. "The reason we're having this filing is because Jack Smith said, 'Donald Trump does not deserve to be treated like everybody else, let's accelerate his case.' That's why we have this filing, Abby, let's be clear."

Phillip pushed back again, asserting that the Supreme Court's immunity ruling forced the district court to decide which of the allegations "actually get to be tried."

"Because Donald Trump has, according to the Supreme Court, some presumption of immunity for some of his actions. That is literally the definition of being treated differently. So he's actually benefitting from that."

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Former FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe smacked down Donald Trump’s claims Wednesday night that the Justice Department is violating its own rules following the release of a new, massive legal filing in the former president’s election interference case with just weeks to go until the 2024 presidential election

Emphasizing that the DOJ had nothing today do with the bombshell filing’s release earlier in the day, McCabe, now a CNN contributor, said on “Anderson Cooper 360” that he doesn’t find Trump’s arguments “particularly persuasive, as you might guess.”

“These are not decisions of the Department of Justice, these are decisions of the court, and the judge decided to release this filing today and that is not something the Department of Justice can control,” McCabe said.

ALSO READ: He’s a sociopath:' J.D. Vance has Congressional Democrats freaking out

“So, it’s really not a matter that comes within the scope of that policy whatsoever,” he said.

The rule Trump is referring to can also be waived by the attorney general, McCabe said, “anytime he sees it’s necessary to do that, or in the interest of justice.” McCabe added that the policy is specifically directed at investigators, including the FBI and U.S. attorneys, “and it’s a caution to not take any overt public actions – things that would be seen in the run-up to an election.”

“We are long past that point in this case,” McCabe argued. Cooper noted that “obviously Trump didn’t care” about the rule he is now complaining about in 2016 when then-FBI Director James Comey “informed Congress and inevitably it became public that the FBI was reopening the Clinton email investigation days before the 2016 election.”

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) revealed during the debate a surprising dislike considering his views on "sociopathic" childless cat people and the extra votes parents should be granted, a political analyst argued Wednesday morning.

Former President Donald Trump's running mate exposed Tuesday night a deep-rooted hatred of children, argued Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte.

"Vance sneered that climate change is 'weird science,'" Marcotte wrote. "With that simple answer, 'pro-baby' Vance showed he will wreak havoc on the futures of all children for his political ambitions."

This is just one of several examples Marcotte cites from the CBS News-hosted debate between Vance and Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN).

Vance's views on climate change, lies about Haitian immigrants eating pets, and attempts to soften his anti-abortion position represent a disregard for children that he would doom to deadly natural disasters, violent threats at school and more violence at home, Marcotte argued.

ALSO READ: Outrage as J.D. Vance tells rallygoers school shootings a 'fact of life'

"Research shows that when women are forced to carry pregnancies they don't want to term, they are more likely to stay in contact with men who abuse them and often their children," Marcotte wrote.

"And Vance has said he thinks women are obliged to stay with men who beat them, condemning women who leave violent marriages for shifting 'spouses like they change their underwear.'"

Marcotte argued that underneath Vance's professed "pro-baby" stance lies a deeply rooted desire to dominate women and a poorly concealed ambivalence about children's lives.

The columnist further admits this likely is not new information for voters who've read reports of podcast appearances during which Vance agreed childcare was the sole purpose of post-menopausal women and admitted he told his 7-year-old son to "shut the hell up."

But Marcotte argued it bore repeating.

"Vance made it very clear last night that children are only valuable to him if they can be used to derail women's futures," Marcotte concluded. "But when it comes to the futures of children themselves, Vance could not care less."

Former President Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, cannot brush off his dismissal of democracy, longtime GOP strategist and focus grouper Sarah Longwell wrote on X Wednesday.

Vance was considered by political pundits to have debated more skillfully in at least the first half of the bout with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, but polling suggests debate viewers felt Walz won on several issues and even forced Vance to a draw on many conventionally GOP-favoring issues like immigration and the economy.

One of the biggest moments, however, was when Vance refused to answer whether he believed Trump lost the 2020 presidential election — and that cannot be overlooked, said Longwell, the founder of the anti-Trump Republican Accountability Project.

ALSO READ: The secret weapon Republicans use to win elections

"Last night’s debate had two features I like very much: substance and civility," wrote Longwell. "And yet, JD Vance told us he was totally cool with Trump’s refusal to abide by the 2020 election results."

"The more *normal* one sounds when saying insane things, the more alarmed we should be," warned Longwell.

Vance has continually refused to commit to accepting election results that go against Trump, and has made clear that if he were placed in former Vice President Mike Pence's shoes in 2020, he would have done as Trump demanded and illegally blocked the certification of the electoral count on January 6.

All of this comes at a time when the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee have shifted much of their resources away from conventional voter outreach and into poll watcher training and legal buildup, with the intent to contest any election results that don't go their way in 2024.

Last night’s debate had two features I like very much: substance and civility. And yet, JD Vance told us he was totally cool with Trump’s refusal to abide by the 2020 election results. The more *normal* one sounds when saying insane things, the more alarmed we should be.
— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) October 2, 2024

Former President Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, managed to keep the debate much more competitive than Trump himself did in his own widely agreed loss to Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this year, winning style points from pundits even as he raised some eyebrows with his failure to commit to the democratic process, and as viewers gave Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz higher marks on many key issues.

But there's one surprising group of people who may have been disgusted with how Vance conducted himself, former GOP strategist Stuart Stevens wrote on X Wednesday morning: some of Trump's own supporters.

The principal reason for that, he explained, was that Vance spent too much time trying to talk about himself — as he did during the opening question about how he'd handle foreign policy crises like Iran's attack on Israel this week — and not enough time going after Vice President Kamala Harris.

ALSO READ: The menstrual police are coming: Inside the GOP's plan for total control over women

"Dive into hard core MAGA social media. A lot of them hated Vance’s debate," wrote Stevens. "They wanted Vance to expose Harris as the devil."

But instead of doing that, Stevens continued, "he was on a personal rehabilitation campaign aimed at 2028. He wanted to become the Great White Hope of the [New York Times columnist Ross Douthat] crowd and the wealthy donors who know which fork to pick up. Looking at Vance’s history, it should shock no one he put his own ambitions first."

Moreover, Stevens argued, the Ohio senator did little to endear himself to the center either, with a standout bad moment being his refusal to answer questions about January 6: "This is the only thing that will be remembered from this debate. Vance was like the boyfriend who is confronted by an angry dad who asks him if he assaulted his daughter and the guy answers 'I’m focused on the future.'"

"The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart tore into former President Donald Trump on Monday night and MAGA Republicans, who he said have created a "fictional character" — a "bizarro Trump" who's a "truth-teller" and whose accomplishments and character "bear little resemblance" to the actual Trump.

The comedian began his show jabbing the GOP over its attacks that Vice President Kamala Harris is lacking policy specifics.

"If there's one thing the American public demands it is a detailed," he begins, before displaying a poster of The Golden Bachelorette. "Oh, the Golden Bachelorette!"

After playing a clip of Harris sharing specific numbers in some of her policy plans, Stewart jabs the former president — Trump would not "trifle with America in that manner."

The comedian then played a clip of an interviewer asking Trump for his detailed plan of action on how he would bring down prices. Stewart then queued up a prop: a chart showing "policy specifics" over "time," and a sharpie at the ready. The clip then showed Trump launching into a tangential attack on his opponent, saying Harris could "never do this interview" and saying she talks about her lawn.

ALSO READ: ‘Kind of crazy’: Vance’s Ohio neighbors can’t help but notice his Secret Service detail

A bewildered Stewart put his chart away — and brought out a second board showing "Huh?" over "time."

"I guess I had the wrong chart! The question, sir, was, 'How are you going to bring down inflation?' Your answer so far has been, 'Huh?'" Stewart mocks.

As the clip continued, Trump launches into an aside about China and Russia.

"Huh?" Stewart squeals, drawing out the word.

In another clip, Trump is asked to detail legislation he would pass to make child care more affordable.

Trump's response included mentions of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and his daughter Ivanka Trump. But it included no specifics.

"Huh," jokes Stewart, before launching into Trump's response about how tariffs will pay for child care costs. "F-- it one more."

Stewart then plays a clip of former Hawaiian Rep. Tulsi Gabbard asking Trump about in vitro fertilization.

After saying "life is very tough," Trump said IVF can give people children who they would not have children.

"As you know we have no taxes on a thing called tips, you know that," said Trump.

Stewart gives up and breaks out a new chart showing "What the actual f--- are you talking about?" over "time."

Stewart later looked at what Trump supporters actually like about the former president, arguing it must not be his "clear, specific policies," as they "demand from Kamala Harris."

After playing multiple clips of Republican supporters praising Trump for, among other things, telling it like it is and being authentic, Stewart launches into a long attack on the former president.

Stweart said the country finds itself in a conundrum: the qualities and policies that people profess they admire about Trump "don't seem to be an accurate reflection of said former president."

"It's as if they've created a fictional character," he said. "A bizarro Trump, whose accomplishments and character bear little resemblance to the self-aggrandizing perpetual victim guy he continues to tell you explicitly that he is."

This "fictional Trump, who's portrayed as much better than he actually is, is running to be president of a country he paints as much worse than it actually is," says Stewart, joking that those who listen to Trump's speeches may walk away thinking families are being "murdered several times while making breakfast."

Watch the clip below or at this link.