Election 2020
BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES: D.C. boards up, shuts down ahead of election night unrest
Election day has arrived and so has the plywood
Election day has arrived and so has the plywood.
The nation’s capital looks chillingly apocalyptic as businesses across the city have boarded up their windows ahead of expected Election Night unrest.
While some businesses have been boarded up for months, others spent the day preparing for the worst.
Staff Photographer Courtney Rau, November 3, 2020
Construction crews dotted the streets, installing layer upon layer of plywood to protect businesses – both small and large – from potential riots and looting.
Contractors install plywood on K Street – Staff Photographer Courtney Rau, November 3, 2020
Forklift delivering plywood – Staff Photographer Courtney Rau, November 3, 2020
But plywood isn’t the only security measure being taken in Washington.
The National Park Service spent much of Monday evening installing a temporary, unscalable fence around the White House and Lafayette Square at the request of the Secret Service, which cited “unique security requirements with the upcoming Presidential election.”
Unscalable fence surrounds the White House and Lafayette Park – Staff Photographer Courtney Rau, November 3, 2020
The fence will remain in place until November 8.
In a news conference last week, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Peter Newsham discussed preparations in the city ahead of Election Night.
“We welcome people to come to the District of Columbia to exercise their First Amendment Right, but we won’t tolerate violence or unrest,” Newsham said.
Bowser said that though she has not requested help from the National Guard, they will be on high alert and ready to assist at any point.
All D.C. police officers will also be on duty patrolling the streets, the director of the city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Chris Rodriguez told reporters Monday, according to NBC Washington.
Outside the White House, protesters from all over the country – and the world – gathered with signs to cheer on their candidate.
A group carrying reversible ‘Latinos for Trump’ signs marched through the street in front of White House – Staff Photographer Courtney Rau, November 3, 2020
Posters fill the fence in front of Lafayette Park – Staff Photographer Courtney Rau, November 3, 2020
Though the daytime demonstrations were peaceful, who knows what kind of unrest the night may bring.
Just the News has obtained internal emails from election workers in Georgia’s Fulton County has increased confusion and mystery regarding the November presidential elections. As a reminder, Just the News writes, “Uncertainty arose regarding the ballot processing operation at Fulton County’s State Farm Arena on and after Election Night, when ballot-scanning apparently continued even after most election workers had reportedly been sent home.”
Affidavits from Election Night poll workers state they were directed by officials to stop working around 10:30 pm on November 3rd, and return at 8:30 am the next day. Multiple local and national media outlets reported absentee ballot counting stopped around 10:30 pm and cited county spokeswoman Regina Waller.
In truth, counting at the State Farm Arena continued past 10:30 pm. Waller herself told JTN in December that contrary to media reports, many citing her, that she had “stated to all media…that although several workers were released to go home, a small team remained behind to assist with scanning ballots.”
Through an open records request, JTN obtained a few suspect emails, in which Waller does in fact state counting ended at around 10:30 pm. The email, timestamped at 10:22 pm on Nov. 3, addressed to several county officials as well as State Farm Arena spokesman Garin Narain stated, “the workers in the Absentee Ballot Processing area will get started again at 8 am tomorrow.”
When reached for comment via email, Waller only stated the email “was in response to a question received asking when all workers would return” but did not respond to a request to see the original email to which she was responding. So then why did she keep a “small” team behind?
Another email from Fulton County Interagency Affairs Manager Fran Phillips-Calhoun timestamped at 11:15 pm that same night, almost an hour after Waller said counting stopped, Phillips-Calhoun’s email may suggest otherwise. “FYI-[the Secretary of State’s office] just sort of threw the team under the bus stating that ‘we had a great day, but we decided to throw in the towel for the night even though the public is waiting…’ on the results.”
Phillips-Calhoun’s email was sent to Waller and several other county staffers. Phillips-Calhoun did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the message specify which statement from the Secretary of State’s office she was referring to.
Election 2020
Pro-Trump super PAC rebrands to ‘stop Joe’s corruption, socialist agenda, liberalism’
It’s new name? Committee to Defeat the President.
A super PAC that heavily supported President Trump during the 2020 presidential campaign is changing its direction to focus on the new administration.
The Committee to Defend the President officially rebranded itself on Wednesday as Joe Biden takes office. Its mission is now aimed at taking down the incoming democrat.
It’s new name? Committee to Defeat the President.
During the 2020 campaign cycle, the PAC reportedly raised more than $16 million to support Trump and his “America First policy agenda, BizPacReview reports. The group will now focus on “undermining” Biden’s agenda.
“NEW NAME. SAME MISSION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT & STOP JOE’s Corruption…Socialist Agenda…Liberalism,” the website says.
The committee told Fox News it plans to match its 2020 fundraising during the 2022 election cycle, and pledges a seven-figure investment “to expose the Biden-Harris administration and other Democrats for their left-wing politics.”
The group will push new ads, opposition research, social media engagement, and “other innovative tactics.”
The PAC’s “new mission is to save Americans from the radical, dangerous policies of the Biden-Harris administration,” Ted Harvey, the group’s chairman, said.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will work around the clock to reverse the unprecedented progress of the Trump presidency,” Harvey added.
“From day one, we simply cannot let that happen. It is our patriotic duty to work around the clock and stop them – before the damage done to America becomes irreversible,” he said.
But, this isn’t the first time the PAC has switched gears.
Founded in 2013, it was originally called the Stop Hillary Pac, according to BizPacReview.
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