The Patriot Post® · Tuesday: Below the Fold
Security
Cheatle resigns: Following Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s tense House Oversight Committee hearing yesterday, calls for her to step down intensified. This morning, Cheatle responded by tendering her resignation. In a letter sent to the Secret Service, she acknowledged that the agency had fallen short on its mission. “We do not retreat from challenge,” she wrote. “However, I do not want my calls for resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do towards our vital mission.” She then concludes, “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that, I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director.” We’ll have more in today’s featured analysis.
Latest unattended roof excuse: Meanwhile, we have the latest excuse for why the infamous roof was left unattended during the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Citing a whistleblower, Senator Josh Hawley says that “law enforcement personnel were in fact STATIONED to the roof the day of the Trump rally, but abandoned it, citing the heat. They also say law enforcement were supposed to be patrolling the building, but opted to stay inside instead.” It’s the hot tin roof excuse.
So much for a better tone after Trump assassination attempt: So hate-filled are the Democrats and so profound is their regret that the assassin hadn’t been a better shot that they’ve already returned to the eliminationist rhetoric that created the deadly environment in the first place. Recall all the Hitlerizing of Trump, the incessant talk of his “existential threat to democracy,” to the point where even the, ahem, respectable New Republic adorned its June cover with Trump-as-Fuhrer. And there was the vile Lincoln Project just six days after the attempt on Trump’s life comparing the Republican National Convention to early Nazi Germany. So much for civility. “Their denouncement of the assassination attempt and of ‘political violence’ suggests that they never really believed Trump is comparable to Hitler,” writes The Federalist’s Logan Washburn. “On the other hand, if they really do believe Trump is a new Hitler and an existential threat to America, their denouncement of violence rings hollow. Neither possibility is encouraging. But leftists’ reversion to Hitler and fascism comparisons less than a week after the shooting is telling.”
Politics
Biden browbeaten with 25th Amendment? According to the New York Post, leadership within the Democrat Party has been pushing Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race for weeks. In fact, allowing Biden to debate Donald Trump was part of an “elaborate” strategy to demonstrate to the country that Biden was not fit and to pressure him to end his campaign. Yet he stubbornly continued. Ergo, party leaders then threatened Biden with the 25th Amendment, with Kamala Harris and his cabinet declaring him unfit to serve. Biden finally conceded and endorsed Harris on Sunday. However, while Democrat lawmakers and party leaders are coalescing around Harris, it’s rumored that some of the party leadership would prefer to see Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as their nominee.
Harris has the delegates/Manchin won’t run: The Associated Press reports that Kamala Harris “has secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee against Donald Trump.” She currently has the commitment of 2,688 delegates, more than the 1,976 needed to secure the Democrat nomination. Of course, things could all change at the Democrat convention next month when delegates formally cast their votes. That said, no other candidate has thrown his or her hat into the ring. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who was rumored to be considering it, said on Monday that he’s “not going to be a candidate.” Instead, Manchin called for a “mini-primary,” saying, “That’s the process — find out if you have the strongest candidate, whether it could be Kamala or whoever else.” But it’s more than Barack Obama who is not sold on Harris. John Morgan, a prominent Democrat donor, said he will not be fundraising for Kamala. “You have to be enthusiastic or hoping for a political appointment to be asking friends for money. I am neither,” Morgan explained.
Kamala Harris doesn’t answer whether Biden is fit for office (Fox News)
Harris donations top $100 million after Biden’s exit from presidential race (BBC)
Obama’s undemocratic democracy: Kamala Harris racked up a big win yesterday with the endorsement, however delayed, of Nancy Pelosi. But Barack Obama? He’s still scheming. Indeed, having finally gotten rid of his former veep, he’s now hoping to get rid of his former veep’s veep via an “open primary” — which is a euphemism for unaccountable behind-the-scenes power brokers picking one’s nominee. “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” said Obama after kicking Old Joe to the curb. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August.” Uh-huh. The truth is, Obama is a shrewd and smart political player, and he knows that Kamala Harris is every bit the political albatross that Joe Biden was. To Obama, “democracy” is malleable. It can mean different things depending upon one’s needs at the time — and at this particular time, it means overthrowing the will of one’s own voters.
All-important George Clooney endorses Harris: It was only a matter of time, we suppose, before Barack Obama gave the go-ahead to his buddy George Clooney to endorse Kamala Harris. Interestingly, though, Obama himself refuses to endorse her, even though he once said Harris was “the best-looking attorney general” in the nation. Clooney didn’t make that mistake. Instead, fresh from having helped defenestrate Joe Biden, he heaped praise on him: “President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He’s saving democracy once again. We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.” About that excitement: We’re not sure what Clooney means by “all,” but joining Obama in withholding their endorsements are Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Update: Early this afternoon, both Schumer and Jeffries endorsed Harris.
Harris to snub Netanyahu’s address: On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress. The address has long been scheduled, but the newly endorsed Democrat presidential candidate will not be attending. This is a highly unusual move, as it is the diplomatic custom for the vice president to preside over the Senate. Kamala Harris’s excuse for not being there is a previously scheduled event in Indianapolis. That’s nonsense. Harris is snubbing Netanyahu’s address over fears of alienating the anti-Israel constituents with the Democrat Party. While Harris may disagree with and even dislike Netanyahu, the fact of the matter is that Israel is one of our closest allies, and Netanyahu is that Jewish state’s current leader. Leadership demands stepping up and putting duty above petty partisan virtue signaling. Harris’s dodge is a failure of leadership.
Harris is still raising money for the murderous ‘Freedom’ Fund: In case you’ve forgotten, in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd riots, Kamala Harris encouraged her followers to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, ostensibly to bail rioters out of jail. But, as The Washington Free Beacon reports, only a small percentage of the more than $41 million raised by the fund was used for that purpose. Instead, “The remaining funds helped post bail for violent criminals such as Christopher Boswell, a twice-convicted rapist who was freed from jail in 2020 pending kidnapping and sexual assault charges after the Minnesota Freedom Fund paid $350,000 for his release … [and] Career criminal George Howard who] shot and killed a man during a road rage incident in August 2021,” just three weeks after the fund sprung him from jail.
Misc.
Biden scheduled for White House return today after COVID diagnosis, abandoning reelection campaign (NY Post)
Axios has a damning story about Kamala Harris. It’s why people likely doubt her behind the scenes. (Townhall)
Rape surges 11% in NYC as bail reform, vulnerable migrants, depleted NYPD create perfect crime storm (NY Post)
Elon Musk says trans child was figuratively “killed by the woke mind virus,” vows to destroy it (NY Post)
Humor: “Sorry, no refunds,” says Hunter Biden to all the foreign governments that sent him bribes (Babylon Bee)
For the Executive Summary archive, click here.