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Must watch. https://t.co/8PQqtgkzrq
— Reed Galen (@reedgalen) July 14, 2023
Remember the unnamed guy who helped Walt Nauta move the boxes in and out of the storage room? He's gotten a target letter from Jack Smith for obstruction, meaning he's in serious criminal jeopardy and unless he's lost his senses, will soon tell all he knows about Nauta and Trump
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) July 14, 2023
NEW: Hunter Biden’s attorney demands Donald Trump cease & desist from statements “both defamatory and likely to incite” violence against the U.S. president’s son.
— Frank G. Runyeon (@frankrunyeon) July 13, 2023
Invoking the Paul Pelosi attack, he says “we are just one such social media message away from another incident.” pic.twitter.com/UiP7rK7ebV
I didn’t either but it kinda makes sense.
GOP Lawmaker Banned From Wikipedia After Self-Editing Spree
Ursula Perano
Politics Reporter
Updated Jul. 13, 2023 at12:08 PM
Published Jul. 12, 2023 at4:31 AM
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) is a notable alumnus of Manhattan College—at least according to the Bronx liberal arts school’s Wikipedia page.
The congressman, a former state lawmaker who upset Democratic campaign chief Sean Patrick Maloney last year, may boast a resume that merits the honor. But it wasn’t the Wikipedia hive mind that put Lawler on the notable alumni list; it was apparently Lawler himself.
The edit, made two years ago, was far from a one-off. The longtime GOP operative was a prolific editor of his own Wikipedia content. Lawler made 26 changes in total—which earned him a warning from site administrators that he was violating policy by editing his own content, and, later on, an outright ban.
The account’s username—MichaelVLawler—is the same username Lawler uses on his personal Facebook and YouTube accounts. He also previously used “@michaelvlawler” on Twitter before changing the handle.
According to open source Wikipedia records, the edits were all made in 2021, while Lawler was serving as a New York assemblyman. Beyond authoring his self-made jump to his alma mater’s notable alumni, he made several more straightforward changes to his Wikipedia page.
Lawler added electoral statistics from his victory in 2020 over a Democratic assembly incumbent, buffed up his resume to note that he “serves as the Ranker of the Government Operations Committee and as a member of the Aging, Banks, Education, and Housing Committees,” and changed his name on the page in one instance from “Mike Lawler” to “Michael V. Lawler.”
The “V,” of course, is for Vincent.
He also added some links—like one to his campaign website, and one of him giving a “valedictory address” at Manhattan College, per the description from his YouTube. (He graduated from the college in 2009.)
The edits might seem fair game, if a touch self-aggrandizing. But where Lawler ran into trouble with Wikipedia was editing information about himself, which the site dubs as a conflict of interest and a violation of official policy.
In May 2021, Lawler’s account was flagged with a warning of the potential conflict of interest.
“We welcome your contributions, but if you have an external relationship with the people, places or things you have written about on the page Michael Lawler, you may have a conflict of interest (COI),” the notice stated. “Editors with a conflict of interest may be unduly influenced by their connection to the topic.”
Lawler was told not to make any more edits about himself, but continued to do so that August. His account was ultimately banned that same month from making any more edits to his page—or to any other page on the site. A number of Lawler’s edits were also reverted later.
The Daily Beast reached out to Lawler's office three times with questions about the account, but his spokesperson, Nate Soule, did not respond until after publication of the article on Wednesday.
In an email, Soule acknowledged the account belonged to Lawler and that it had been warned by Wikipedia administrators against editing his own content.
Citing a note published on Wednesday from a Wikipedia administrator, Soule said the ban was ultimately over Lawler not verifying his identity, which indicated he was the real Mike Lawler—a flag that only occurred after his account had been hit with a conflict-of-interest warning for self-editing.
After publication of this article, Lawler requested that Wikipedia administrators lift the ban on his account. In a Thursday email to The Daily Beast, Soule said the site ultimately did so on Wednesday night.
On Capitol Hill, Lawler is considered a rising star in the GOP ranks, after winning a difficult race in 2022 against a formidable opponent. His victory—along with a series of other flips in New York—was essential to Republicans taking the majority in the House. Since being elected, Lawler has positioned himself in the moderate wing of the fractured Republican conference, and has been a staunch ally to Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Despite Lawler’s ban, legitimate edits to his Wikipedia page have continued as his career and list of actions in Congress builds. The upcoming election cycle will be a pivotal one for him; as one of 18 Republicans representing districts Joe Biden won in 2020, Lawler is one of Democrats’ top targets.
Democrats are already lining up to challenge him. Former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) just launched his campaign to win back the district he held in the last Congress, before Maloney leveraged a redistricting shuffle to edge him out and run for a different seat in New York City.
Also in the running for the Democratic nomination is Liz Whitmer Gereghty, sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Perhaps fortunately for Lawler, he is not the only member of his freshman class to have a past Wikipedia habit—or the only member from New York, even.
In January, it was revealed that Rep. George Santos (R-NY) owned a Wikipedia account under the name “Anthony Devolder,” one of the congressman’s known aliases. The account bio alluded to past instances in which he performed in drag. At the time, Santos was actively denying the credibility of photos and videos that showed him in drag attire.
But in the self-written bio, Santos claimed he started “his ‘stage’ life at age 17” at a “gay night club” as a drag queen that won several “GAY ‘BEAUTY PAGENTS [sic].”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-lawmaker-mike-lawler-banned-from-wikipedia-for-self-editing-spree
NEW: Capitol Police Officer @libradunn on DoJ appeal to INCREASE the Oath Keepers’ sentences: "I'm not sure what an appropriate length of sentence is, but when I see the DOJ go after MORE time, that let's me feel like they definitely have not only my back but America's back."
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) July 12, 2023
I love it!
BREAKING: THREAD: Reps Goldman and Raskin have sent a letter to Rep Comer DEMANDING he open an investigation into whether republicans on the Oversight committee have been DUPED by their “whistleblower” Gal Luft in furtherance of China’s interests. 1/ pic.twitter.com/2iwMdzp76C
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) July 12, 2023
Abortion is now functionally illegal in Iowa, even for people who have different religious views than those who imposed this restriction on Iowans. https://t.co/onsOj3AIoD
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) July 12, 2023
— mike luckovich (@mluckovichajc) July 11, 2023
Why do you say that? The article is from today.
The real question is whether Jims Jordan and Comer were harboring a fugitive of justice. The dude - their whistleblower - was indicted last year and skipped bail.
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) July 11, 2023
The tiger is Comer looking for his Hunter Biden whistleblower
Dems’ mission to stop a third-party presidential bid hits the Hill
Officials from progressive MoveOn and centrist Third Way are planning to brief Senate Democratic chiefs of staff about the risk it could pose to President Joe Biden.
By BURGESS EVERETT
07/09/2023 07:00 AM EDT
Democrats are mounting a coordinated mission to kill a third-party presidential bid — and it’s coming soon to Capitol Hill.
Officials from the progressive group MoveOn and centrist group Third Way are planning to brief Senate Democratic chiefs of staff on July 27, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. It’s part of an effort to educate Democrats about the risk that a third-party bid funded by the well-heeled group No Labels could pose to President Joe Biden — particularly if centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) runs for president rather than reelection.
Matt Bennett, executive vice president for public affairs at Third Way, and Rahna Epting, the executive director of MoveOn, will speak to Democratic senators’ top aides, according to the invitation. The invite tells chiefs of staff dryly that the two “want to share some information that they have on No Labels.”
Third Way has put together research showing that a third-party campaign would hurt Biden, an argument that No Labels has dismissed. Bennett declined to comment specifically on this month’s Capitol Hill meeting but confirmed that Third Way is working urgently to stop a third-party candidate.
“Very often there are differences of opinion or strategy when it comes to the Democratic coalition, because it’s very, very broad. But here, there’s unanimity, and everyone agrees that if they go forward this is going to hurt Joe Biden,” Bennett said in an interview. “We need to make clear to folks that what they are selling is an illusion, not a choice.”
The alliance between the party’s leading centrists and prominent liberals to publicly squash a third-party effort demonstrates how seriously Democrats fear that a spoiler candidate could tip the election to Donald Trump or another Republican candidate. If next year’s presidential ballot is as close as 2016 or 2020 were, Democrats worry that Trump-weary voters could defect from Biden to an alternative candidate — and just a few thousand of those defections could be decisive in the Electoral College.
Liz Cattaneo, a spokesperson for MoveOn, said that the group is “working with a broad range of Democratic organizations to stop No Labels from running a third-party presidential ticket.” She added that her organization is “committed to accountability for No Labels and to preventing right-wing extremists from winning back” the White House.
No Labels is unbowed. Ryan Clancy, the group’s chief strategist, said that “it shouldn’t surprise anyone … that voters are more open to an independent than ever before. It’s why our polling shows an independent ticket has a viable path” to winning.
Manchin has argued that there’s little harm in his entertaining a third-party bid, and he’s refused to rule one out even as his colleagues try to talk him out of it. Both Democrats and Republicans are “being driven by business extremes” and catering to the “far right and far left,” he said in an interview on the topic last month.
Briefing top Hill Democrats about No Labels is a clear move to get the party on the same page in opposition to the group’s work. And all these dynamics could make the difference between the Senate majority and minority come 2025: If Manchin runs for the White House instead of reelection in West Virginia, Democrats could end up losing both his Senate seat and the presidential race.
A Manchin aide said that if his schedule permits, the senator’s chief of staff will attend the July 27 meeting.
Manchin is the candidate most frequently mentioned as a potential recruit for No Labels, which is eyeing a budget as high as $70 million for its third-party initiative. But there’s also some private talk about former Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan or even Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona leading an alternative slate, though Hogan says he won’t run for president and Sinema generally stays away from such speculation.
Any of those three candidates on a presidential ballot could influence a close contest for the Electoral College next fall. Dritan Nesho, No Labels’ chief pollster, said that polling “shows an overwhelming opening for a third-party ticket before names are even announced and any campaign communicating the vision and issue positions is run.”
Detractors counter that the group is wildly overstating its chances.
“What we are trying to make clear to the people around No Labels, especially people thinking about running on their ticket, is that that is a preposterous pipe dream. And they can have an impact, but it isn’t by winning,” Bennett said. “They can have an impact by spoiling.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/09/democrats-third-party-candidate-biden-manchin-00105183
Tuberville: My opinion of a white nationalist.. it’s an American. If that white nationalist is a racist, I’m totally against them.
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 11, 2023
Collins: White nationalist is racist
Tuberville: That’s your opinion pic.twitter.com/hT5wTPkCO4
How bad is it that we can’t tell the fake ones from the real ones!
What a joke the GOP has become!
Yet another national security threat posed by mindless cult members: Tuberville’s hold leaves Marines leaderless for first time in 164 years | The Hill https://t.co/K0g989tzSa
— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) July 10, 2023
Well aren’t you cheerful.
Should I just end it all now?
So much in Nauta's filing is sleight of hand; Woodward gives the impression he was unaware of the 7/14 ct date by saying he did not have access to electronic Ct filing system, but he surely WAS aware of this much-publicized date. And he can attend the conference remotely from DC. https://t.co/4tbqHJu9mo
— Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)🌻 (@AWeissmann_) July 10, 2023
I am in the Lower Hudson Valley, about 30 miles from NYC.
Another one of Tucker’s conspiracy theories are threatening Fox News
Sounds like Ray Epps is suing Fox now. Great work @TuckerCarlson & Darren Beattie ! https://t.co/0t730nO4K5 https://t.co/b7CFVxEmSd
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) July 10, 2023
Yes I do. We just came back from California and our flight on Saturday night was delayed for a couple of hours but if we came home yesterday it would’ve been canceled completely.
Bannon: What a deadbeat: first he is found guilty of criminal contempt; next he's charged with defrauding donors in a fake border wall scheme (after receiving a federal pardon for this, NY state picked up the slack thankfully); now he tries to avoid paying his lawyers. https://t.co/oTvsxGm0Rj
— Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)🌻 (@AWeissmann_) July 9, 2023
idea for reality show: MAGA Trumpist conspiracy theorists and paid actors live in a house, but it isn't said which are paid. Paid actors come up with crazy conspiracy theories they pretend to believe, and the audience has to figure out which are the real MAGA conspiracy theorists
— David Pakman (@dpakman) July 9, 2023
Reuters: Donald Trump Jr has cancelled his lecture tour in Australia, saying the woke government refused him a visa. Home Minister Clare O’Neil corrected him, saying he was issued a visa, but almost no one bought a ticket to see him. O’Neil said Junior was “a big baby”.
— LiberalNavySeal (@LeftyNavySeal) July 6, 2023
Trump docs case: Judge Cannon today ordered all attorneys of record to complete “outstanding applicant tasks” required to obtain security clearance. She wants each attorney to file a notice of compliance by July 13.
— Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) July 6, 2023
First pre-trial conference is currently set for July 14. pic.twitter.com/2tprBY2Jnm
Biden has said that he is not in favor of increasing the number of justices if there comes a time when the democrats would be able to do so.
Republicans will do it in a NY minute if they ever regain both houses and the White House.
BREAKING: Judge Jackson orders TRUMP to sit for a DEPOSITION in the lawsuit brought by @petestrzok and Page. https://t.co/czuqgTkpfZ
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) July 6, 2023
Ha ha
He is a legend in his own mind
He wants to be closer to Trumpty.
Legendary Actor announces he’s leaving California after 40
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 5, 2023
Years: “It’s become a THIRD WORLD Country pic.twitter.com/9B93SjKlYP
Donald thinks it was Jack Smith’s cocaine because he looks like a crackhead to him. pic.twitter.com/Q4rjCdwHl2
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) July 5, 2023