The New York Times responded to Donald Trump’s threat of a libel suit and the letter should be read in full.
Russia Is Seeking to Delegitimize the U.S. Electoral System
Rick Hasen: “So if the Russians are not actually changing our election results, what might they be doing? The hacks and probing of election systems generate headlines which can undermine the public’s trust in the electoral process. As CNN noted, the hacks have already caused people to be suspicious about the election. And this feeds exactly into Donald Trump’s irresponsible statements that the vote will be rigged or stolen. In a close race, it is possible that Trump won’t concede and will instead create turmoil and threaten what we take for granted: the peaceful transition of political power between presidencies.”
“In short, the Russian hacking of our elections should be seen for what it is: an attempt to manipulate and destabilize the U.S., with an unwitting assist from an irresponsible presidential candidate spewing unsupported claims about rigged elections.”
Trump Says Global Conspiracy Trying to Stop Him
“Donald Trump issued a breathtaking call to arms Thursday as he emphatically denied allegations that he groped and kissed multiple women without their consent, charging that his accusers were part of a global conspiracy to extinguish his outsider movement,” the Washington Post reports.
“Scrambling to turn around his floundering campaign, Trump declared war on the media and multinational corporations, alleging they are colluding with Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton to orchestrate “the single greatest pile-on in history” and undermine his campaign, which he said was an ‘existential threat’ to the global establishment.”
Senate GOP Drop Trump In Fundraising Pitches
“The campaign arm of Senate Republicans has all but excised Donald Trump’s name from their email pitches after previously making him central to their online fundraising efforts — a sign of just how toxic the GOP nominee has become since the video of his lewd comments came out last week,” Politico reports.
Republicans Did Little Vetting of Trump
John Fund: “For a party that prides itself on promoting business-friendly policies, the Republican party failed to perform the basic due diligence anyone in the private sector would have demanded before hiring someone for a CEO position. In doing that, Republicans ended up not with a leader but with a giant distraction for a nominee. Because GOP voter turnout could be depressed as a result, Republican control of the Senate and even possibly the House is possible. By taking Donald Trump at this word that he had nothing to hide, too many Republican leaders may find they have everything to lose.”
Clinton Just Trying to Avoid Making Mistakes
New York Times: “She enters the final stretch of the presidential campaign with cautious optimism about the outcome. Unlike most presidential candidates, who spend the last precious weeks before Election Day holding a succession of big rallies, Mrs. Clinton seems to see no reason to pack her public schedule. After Thursday, the Democratic nominee had no public appearances scheduled for the rest of the week, and her campaign has not announced additional events before next Wednesday’s face-off with Mr. Trump in Las Vegas.”
“Aides point to rallies in Florida, Colorado and Arizona this week and say Mrs. Clinton has spent her downtime preparing for the debates. They have criticized Mr. Trump for shunning debate preparation, to his detriment. But her relatively light schedule also signals a newfound confidence inside the campaign as Mrs. Clinton seeks to get out the vote among specific constituencies and avoid making any unforced errors.”
Clinton Widens National Lead In Another Poll
A new Fox News poll shows Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump nationally by seven points, 45% to 38%, with Gary Johnson at 7%.
In a head=to-head match up, Clinton leads 49% to 41%.
State Poll Roundup: Thursday
Here are the latest state polls from the presidential race:
Pennsylvania: Clinton 51%, Trump 42% (Bloomberg)
New Hampshire: Clinton 48%, Trump 37% (PPP)
Florida: Clinton 49%, Trump 43%, Johnson 1% (Florida Atlantic University)
North Carolina: Clinton 45%, Trump 43%, Johnson 5% (Suffolk)
Utah: Trump 34%, Clinton 28%, McMullin 20%, Johnson 9% (Monmouth)
Nevada: Clinton 45%, Trump 39% (Public Opinion Strategies)
North Carolina: Clinton 45%, Trump 41%, Johnson 9% (NBC/WSJ/Marist)
North Carolina: Clinton 46%, Trump 42%, Johnson 5% (Emerson)
Ohio: Trump 42%, Clinton 42%, Johnson 9% (NBC/WSJ/Marist)
Ohio: Clinton 45%, Trump 43%, Johnson 7% (Emerson)
Virginia: Clinton 46%, Trump 43%, Johnson 6% (Emerson)
Georgia: Trump 48%, Clinton 42%, Johnson 4% (Landmark)
An Unprecedented Attempt to Delegitimize the Election
Historian Douglas Brinkley told the New York Times that the country has not had a presidential candidate from one of the two major parties try to cast doubt on the entire democratic process and system of government since the brink of the Civil War.
Said Brinkley: “I haven’t seen it since 1860, this threat of delegitimizing the federal government, and Trump is trying to say our entire government is corrupt and the whole system is rigged. And that’s a secessionist, revolutionary motif. That’s someone trying to topple the apple cart entirely.”
Flashback Quote of the Day
“Donald seriously, you know all about sexual predators and things like that…. You are one!”
— Howard Stern, interviewing Donald Trump on his show in 2006. His non-verbal reaction should be appearing in a Hillary Clinton ad soon.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Everything has changed. If you do a Friday night news dump now, I think you get the worst of both worlds because it is actually well read and well covered online, and you get beat up for trying to hide it by doing a Friday night news dump.”
— Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, quoted by National Journal.
Would You Vote for a Sexual Predator?
Jonathan Chait: “Donald Trump is a vile human being. He also happens to advocate policies — or, in some cases, policy-esque impulses — that I find dangerous and horrifying. And so revelations about his boasting of sexual assault serve to reinforce my repugnance for this grotesque bully. This makes it easy for people who agree with me to judge the Republicans willing to overlook Trump’s obscene and even criminal mistreatment of women.”
“But what if the candidate I supported were the Trump-like character? And, hence, what if the election of a sexual predator was the only alternative to eliminating health insurance for millions, allowing runaway climate change, submitting to right-wing control of the courts, and so on? Well, then, I have to admit that I would probably hold my nose and support him anyway.”
Trump Promises Evidence Against Accuser Claims
Donald Trump “aggressively pushed back on accusations from women who have alleged the now-Republican presidential nominee engaged in sexual misconduct with them,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “These vicious claims about me of inappropriate conduct with women are totally and absolutely false. And the Clintons know it, and they know it very well. These claims are all fabricated. They’re pure fiction, and they’re outright lies. These events never, ever happened and the people that said them meekly fully understand.”
He continued: “We already have substantial evidence to dispute these lies, and it will be made public in an appropriate way and at an appropriate time, very soon.”
Trump Blocked Request to Do Self-Opposition Research
Donald Trump “rebuffed political aides’ requests to research his past, people familiar with the matter said, a decision that contributed to his campaign being caught unprepared for the past week’s barrage of claims he mistreated women,” Bloomberg reports.
Michelle Obama Blasts Trump Over Vulgar Comments
First lady Michelle Obama delivered a powerful and emotional rebuke to Donald Trump, saying his vulgar comments on sexual assault “have shaken me to my core,” Politico reports.
Said Obama: “The fact is in this election we have a candidate for president of the United States who over the course of his lifetime and the course of this campaign has said things about women that are so shocking, so demeaning, I simply will not repeat anything here today.”
She added: “And last week we saw this candidate actually bragging about sexual assaulting women. I can’t believe I’m saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women.”
For more: Watch the speech.
Trump Suddenly Backs Out of Hannity Interview
Donald Trump canceled a scheduled interview tonight with Sean Hannity, CNN reports.
“Hannity is still set to interview the four Clinton critics who appeared with Trump at a pre-debate photo op on Sunday: Kathy Shelton, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broaddrick.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“If you’re interested in the presidential election, you might as well get up and leave, because I don’t have any observations to make on that.”
— Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), quoted by the Lexington Herald Leader, to an audience in his home state.
Judge Allows Complaint Against Christie
“A judge has signed a criminal summons against Gov. Chris Christie for official misconduct in office related to the George Washington Bridge closure,” according to NBC New York.
“The case now goes to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine if the case will lead to an indictment.”
