Remember when Trump…

violated the Hatch Act?

The Hatch Act, passed in 1939, prohibits executive branch public servants from using their position to engage in political activity like campaigning, or the use of public locations to do so. While the President and Vice President are except, Trump’s administration has violated the Hatch Act several times over his tenure.

The Office of the Special Council, an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency, recommended Kellyanne Conway’s removal in June 2019 due to her violations of the Hatch Act. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a lawsuit in December of 2019 that alleged over 60 violations by Kellyanne Conway alone. She dismissed accusations of violating the Hatch Act as trying to silence her, saying, “Blah, blah, blah…Let me know when the jail sentence starts.”

Further accusations of violations have been levied against Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, trade adviser Peter Navarro, economic adviser Larry Kudlow, Vice Presidential chief of staff Marc Short, and former UN Ambassaor Nikki Haley.

Trump’s daughter Ivanka also violated the law by promoting Goya on Twitter.

Among the most open and breach of the Hatch Act was the use of the White House, also referred to as “the people’s house,” as the centerpiece location for the 2020 Republican National Convention. The fourth and final day of the RNC featured several speakers, including the President himself, on the White House lawn.

A screen displays the campaign banner for U.S. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence following Trump’s acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the South Lawn of the White House August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Day 4 of RNC 2020. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The day after, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows dismissed concerns, saying “Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares”

The Washington Post – Federal watchdog agency recommends removal of Kellyanne Conway from federal office for violating the Hatch Act
Newsweek – Kellyanne Conway Violated the Hatch Act 60 Times, Ethics Watchdog Claims in New Lawsuit
U.S. Office of Special Counsel – OSC Finds Kellyanne Conway Repeatedly Violated the Hatch Act, Recommends Removal from Federal Service
Forbes – Ethics Watchdog Accuses Trump Officials Of 15 Hatch Act Violations During Conventions
The New York Times – White House chief of staff: ‘Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares’ about possible Hatch Act violations

said Biden was controlled by “people that are in the dark shadows”?

In an August 31, 2020 Fox News interview, Trump alleged a conspiracy about opponent Joe Biden, who had been a centrist Democrat for 47 years of public service.

INGRAHAM: Who do you think is pulling Biden’s strings. Is it former Obama people?

TRUMP: People that you’ve never heard of. People that are in the dark shadows. People that are-

INGRAHAM: What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory. Dark shadows, what is that?

TRUMP: People that you haven’t heard of. There are people that are on the streets. There are people that are controlling the streets. We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend and in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that. They’re on a plane.

INGRAHAM: Where is-

TRUMP: I’ll tell you sometime, but it’s under investigation right now. But they came from a certain city, and this person was coming to the Republican National Convention. And there were like seven people on the plane like this person. And then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage. They were coming-

INGRAHAM: Planning for Washington.

TRUMP: Yeah, this is all happening.

INGRAHAM: But the money is coming from somewhere. How can it be tracked?

TRUMP: Money is coming from some very stupid rich people, that have no idea that if their thing ever succeeded, which it won’t, they will be thrown to the wolves like you’ve never seen before.

Trump seemed to be vaguely referencing protesters, who he also alleged had kept the city of Portland burning for “decades.” In the same interview, Trump compared killings by police to choking at golf.

NBC News – Trump claims without evidence that Biden controlled by people in ‘the dark shadows’
Politico – Trump alleges Biden controlled by people in ‘dark shadows’
CNN – The 35 most reckless lines from Donald Trump’s interview with Laura Ingraham

denied having mini-strokes?

Trump’s tweet was in response to a new book’s depiction of an unplanned visit to Walter Reed Medical Center in November of 2019. His denial drew attention because the book never made mention of mini-strokes.

Donald Trump v. The United States, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Michael Schmidt, also said that Pence was told to be on standby to assume presidential powers in case Trump had to be anesthetized.

The White House physician issued a statement saying, “I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media.”

Trump’s tweets came amid his attempts to paint Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden as mentally unsuitable for the position. In July, he bragged about completing a basic cognitive test.

The Hill – Trump denies ‘mini-strokes’ sent him to Walter Reed
Politico – Trump goes after Drudge over rumors of ‘mini-strokes’

likened deaths at the hands of police to choking at golf?

Trump made the remarks in an August 31, 2020 Fox News interview:

The police are under siege because of things – they can do 10,000 great acts, which is what they do, and one bad apple, or a choker – you know a choker, they choke, shooting the guy in the back many times. Couldn’t you have done something different? Couldn’t you have wrestled him? In the meantime, he might’ve been going for a weapon. And there’s a whole big thing there. But they choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt.

The interview came after months of protests and riots after George Floyd was killed by police on video. Trump had threatened the use of “vicious dogs” and “ominous weapons,” and warned that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

USA Today – Trump tells Ingraham some officers ‘choke’ during shootings, saying ‘They miss a 3-foot putt’
The Hill – Trump compares police who use force to golfers who ‘choke’
Business Insider – Trump denies fringe theory that a series of ‘mini-strokes’ prompted his unannounced trip to Walter Reed hospital last November
Forbes – Trump Denies ‘Series Of Mini-Strokes’ Prompted Surprise Walter Reed Visit

had cadets travel back to campus and undergo quarantine for a speech amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

In April, 2020, Trump announced that he would give the commencement speech for the graduating class at West Point on June 13. West Point officials were reportedly surprised by the decision, as they had sent home the class in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the press conference, Trump discussed how the ceremony would be socially distanced, saying that he didn’t like the look and preferred it “nice and tight.”

1,106 cadets were summoned from across the country back to their campus in New York, which was the epicenter of COVID-19 at the time. The graduating cadets were required to live in quarantine for the two weeks leading up to the speech, confined to their dorms and being required to stay in assigned cohorts. 15 had tested positive for COVID-19, though officials said that no one else was infected.

Illinois US Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs serving as a helicopter pilot in the Iraq War, was among the most outspoken critics of the decision:

15 of the cadets tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after their return.

The New York Times – Graduating West Point Cadets Isolate for Two Weeks Ahead of Trump Speech
The New York Times – 15 West Point Cadets Test Positive for Coronavirus
Vanity Fair – Trump Is Making Cadets Return To Campus So He Can Give A Speech
CNN – Trump says he’ll deliver West Point graduation speech to socially distanced crowd

retweeted Russian propaganda about Biden?

On August 16, 2020, Trump retweeted audio purportedly between Biden and former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko from a February 18, 2016 recording.

Trump’s retweet of what intelligence officials already confirmed to be Russian propaganda. CNN

The video had already been described by US intelligence officials as part of a Russian campaign to attack and spread conspiracy theories against Trump’s 2020 opponent, Joe Biden.

The excerpt of the retweeted conversation centers on the ouster of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor, who had previously investigated the owner of a Ukraine energy company where Biden’s son, Hunter, once held a board seat. During the Obama administration, Biden led the charge to oust the prosecutor in the first place, with backing from several European allies, because of his failure to pursue corruption cases.

The account that originally tweeted the recording was suspended.

Trump has also tweeted a video about Biden flagged by Twitter for being misinformation, and in another instance, had his account restricted for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

Associated Press – Trump retweets purported audio of Biden call with Ukraine
CNN – Trump retweets Russian propaganda about Biden that US intel agencies say is intended to influence 2020 election
USA Today – Explainer: Biden, allies pushed out Ukrainian prosecutor because he didn’t pursue corruption cases

was called a liar and a brat with no principles by his sister?

In August of 2020, tapes of Maryanne Trump Barry discussing her brother, Donald, were leaked. Mary Trump, Donald’s niece, recorded 15 hours of her talks with Barry in 2018 and 2019 for her book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, published in July.

Throughout the released tapes, Maryanne is only critical of her younger brother, Donald:

…his goddamned Tweet and the lying. Oh my God. I’m talking too freely, but you know. And the change of stories, the lack of preparation, the lying, the holy sh*t.

Maryanne went on to call Trump a “brat,” and discuss how he paid someone to take his entrance exams for college:

In another tape, Marryane stated that Donald “has no principles,” and disparaged his border policy:

Trump’s response was, “Every day it’s something else, who cares. I miss my brother, and I’ll continue to work hard for the American people. Not everyone agrees, but the results are obvious. Our country will soon be stronger than ever before!”

Maryanne Trump Barry, former Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Maryanne Trump Barry. American Legal News

 

Maryanne was a federal judge until 2019. She was appointed by Reagan to the District Court of New Jersey and by Clinton to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. She resigned amid a probe into whether she and her siblings engaged in in fraud to limit the tax liability of their inheritance. Because the investigation in her instance only sought to determine whether she’d violated judicial conduct rules, it concluded with her resignation.

The Washington Post – In secretly recorded audio, President Trump’s sister says he has ‘no principles’ and ‘you can’t trust him’
USA Today – ‘He has no principles. None’: Maryanne Trump Barry tears into her brother in secretly taped audio
Axios – Trump’s sister says “you can’t trust him” in audio leaked to WashPost
Newsweek – Trump Says ‘Every Day It’s Something Else, Who Cares’ to Sister’s Secret Audio Recording
American Legal News – Maryanne Trump Barry Resigns in Face of Ethics Investigation
Wikipedia – Maryanne Trump Barry

repeatedly suggested being President for more than 2 terms?

The Washington Post compiled multiple instances up to 2019, including one in which he expressed admiration for China’s lack of term limits:

Trump retweeted a claim that he should have two years added to his term because of the Mueller investigation.

In a deleted tweet, Trump reiterated the sentiment that two years had been “stollen”:

Twitter Users Bake Donald Trump Over His Deliciously Weird Typo ...

He reiterated the suggestion a month later.

The remarks on additional terms resurfaced as the 2020 election neared. Trump tweeted a meme about his never ending presidency:

On August 17, 2020, Trump said that he wanted a third term because of the Obama administration’s supposed spying on his campaign. The conspiracy theory, often referenced as Obamagate or Spygate, has been debunked.

Trump reiterated the claim on August 24, the first day of the Republican National Convention. He suggested 12 more years “because we caught them doing very bad things in 2016.”

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution states, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

Politico – Trump again jokes about extending his term past 2024
Politico – Trump: 2 years of my term were ‘stollen’
News18 – Donald Trump Tweets How Two Years of his Term were ‘Stollen,’ Which Is a German Bread
The Hill – Trump retweets Jerry Falwell Jr. suggesting his term should be extended by two years
Rolling Stone – Trump Says He’ll Seek a Third Term Because ‘They Spied On Me’ 
Wikipedia – Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution

claimed that the “deep state” was delaying a COVID-19 vaccine?

There was no proof or elaboration on the claim.

The Food and Drug Administration is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, part of the executive branch. The head of the FDA, Stephen Hahn, was nominated by Trump on November 5, 2019.

At the time of his tweet, the United States totaled 5,861,632 cases and suffered 180,202 deaths.

Trump has referred to the “deep state” in the past, including the “Deep State Department,” prompting Dr. Anthony Fauci to struggle in holding his laughter.

Reuters – Trump says without proof that FDA ‘deep state’ slowing COVID trials
The Hill – Democrats tear into Trump’s ‘deep state’ tweet: His ‘lies and recklessness’ have ‘killed people’
Wikipedia – Food and Drug Administration
Wikipedia – Commissioner of Food and Drugs
Worldometer – Coronavirus, United States

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