Cockburn

Cockburn

Mischief, mayhem and Washington gossip. Send tips and party invites to cockburn@thespectator.com.

Axios bravely points out Covid hurt Trump’s economy

Axios reporter Emily Peck isn’t afraid to state the obvious out loud and pass it off as inspired. In a hit piece published Thursday, “Why Trump supporters give him a pass on record-high unemployment,” Peck made the case that the economy suffered during Trump's last months in office due to coronavirus. Huh, who knew a global pandemic and lockdown could cause record unemployment?  “Trump's economic record is only good if you leave off what happened from March 2020 to the end of his administration,” Peck wrote, as if that were not exactly what any reasonable person would do. Prior to the pandemic, the unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent, the poverty rate hit a sixty-year low, and the country saw the largest real household median income increase since 1967.

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Can anti-Trump conservatives slink back to MAGA?

Former president Donald Trump delivered a resounding 30-point victory in the Iowa Caucuses Monday night and, according to polls, seems likely to take New Hampshire as well. This is with the exception of one poll released Tuesday that shows Nikki Haley tied with Trump at 40 percent, but it has a sample size of only 600 voters and shows Haley winning with men and Trump winning with women. Seems unlikely. Provided Haley is unable to ride her establishment donor wave to victory in New Hampshire, then, the race will be all Trump by South Carolina. Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s campaign proved to be a huge disappointment; as strategist Ryan Girdusky helpfully laid out in a recounting of his meetings with Team DeSantis over the past year.

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Jamie Raskin warns of political assassinations

Congressional Democrats have finally admitted why they are so scared of Donald Trump — they think he’s out to kill them. January 6 was just a preview to a possible round of sweeping political assassinations. “Donald Trump and his lawyers essentially asserted that the president has the right to assassinate people, to kill people without any prospect of prosecution unless they’re first impeached by the House and convicted in the Senate,” Representative Jamie Raskin said on CNN last Tuesday after Trump's DC circuit Court of Appeals appearance. Raskin was referring to an argument made by Trump’s lawyer John Sauer that the former president is immune to criminal persecution for official acts taken while in office.

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Whatever happened to Gisele Fetterman?

The most surprising development in Washington of late has been the political transformation of Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman. The hulking cueball has full-throatedly supported Israel since the October 7 attacks — this week to the point of telling South Africa to “sit this one out” after bringing a genocide case against the Jewish state at the International Court of Justice. He has also talked of the need for “reasonable border talks,” branded his alma mater Harvard “pinko” and said he’s “not a progressive.” It’s almost like he wants to win Pennsylvania again. “How is it possible that John Fetterman in the last few months has seemingly become more based than half of the senate GOP???” Donald Trump Jr. approvingly tweeted Thursday.

Judge Judy endorses Nikki Haley

Reality TV heavyweight "Judge Judy" Sheindlin endorsed Nikki Haley for president on Tuesday. "I'm proud to endorse Nikki Haley because she is whip smart, has executive credentials and was a superb governor," Sheindlin said. "She has international gravitas as ambassador to the United Nations. She is principled, measured and has that elusive quality of real common sense. I truly think she can restore America and believe she is the future of this great nation." Haley is undoubtedly excited to have the support of her own reality-TV star to leverage against Donald Trump’s Apprentice fame. "Judge Judy is a no-nonsense lady who has earned the respect of millions of Americans from her courtroom by being thoughtful, fair and honest,” Haley said in a press release.

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Antisemitic ambassador axed by Turning Point USA

Morgan Ariel booted by Turning Point USA for consistent antisemitism Turning Point USA cut ties with one of its controversial ambassadors following her latest antisemitic tirade, in which she claimed that the “Zionist Jews controlling our planet are all pedophiIes who have no regard for the sanctity of human life and purity.”  Morgan Ariel, who previously claimed that she “work[s] for Jesus,” has previously drawn criticism for other shocking statements, including calling for the execution of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for promoting the Covid-19 vaccine, comparing American Christians to dogs being walked by Israel and promoting notorious far-right extremist Nick Fuentes.  Her thoughts this week proved to be the final straw.

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Is the New York Times’s Gaza mayor op-ed worth condemning?

If there is one thing the New York Times is good at these days, it's offending the public. Conservatives are often enraged at the Gray Lady from the sidelines, while its subscribers feel betrayed by anything the paper publishes from right of the center-left. This year, the Times wrapped up a particularly offensive Christmas gift — an op-ed by Gaza City mayor Yahya R. Sarraj condemning the Israeli military.   The Times published Sarraj’s essay, “I Am Gaza City’s Mayor. Our Lives and Culture Are in Rubble,” on Christmas Eve. According to the city’s mayor, Israeli’s bombardment of Gaza has resulted in more than 20,000 deaths and the destruction of Palestinian cultural institutions.

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Inside TPUSA’s wacky AmericaFest convention

Roseanne Barr, the QAnon Shaman and a gang of angry white teenagers walk into a bar. This may sound like the start of a horrible joke, but it was also the scene in downtown Phoenix, Arizona as Turning Point USA hosted its annual AmericaFest at a local convention center. Normal speeches by GOP mainstays such as Senator Ted Cruz were overtaken by some of the shenanigans afterwards — most glaringly headlined by a group of purported white supremacists at a fringe event reportedly shouting “nigger,” “gay sex,” and “faggot” at Rob Smith, who is black, gay and conservative. In one video, posted by @ValleyZoomerVZ, Smith is asked “how does anal sex help us win the culture war?” among other highly relevant questions. Smith calmly left the premises.

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Spilling the sordid secrets of the Senate

Hart of darkness How do they while away the hours in Congress in the long gaps between passing shutdown bills? Cockburn caused something of a stir this time last week by revealing that a staffer for Senator Ben Cardin was spending his free time indulging in gay sex acts in the Hart Senate Office Building. He left the august duty of blurring and posting the offending video to Henry Rodgers and his comrades at the Daily Caller later that Friday. The clip revealed that the staffer, later unmasked as Aidan Maese-Czeropski, was having sex with his partner, German grad student Georg Gauger, at the desk formerly used by late senator Dianne Feinstein.  The internet was aflame all weekend — and the follow-ups came thick and fast.

Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy baubles

Rudy Giuliani may sometimes carry himself like the Grinch, but the former New York City mayor loves Christmas enough to try his hand at ornament making. Even following a $148 million defamation judgment, Giuliani hasn’t given up the season's spirit. On Wednesday’s episode of his livestreamed program, America's Mayor Live, Giuliani seemed to have more on his mind than his financial woes. He shared a clip of his Christmas tree adorned with Nature’s Promise bottles, a fruit and vegetable supplement targeted at elderly conservatives. Still looking for that perfect stocking stuffer? Consider Nature's Promise: not only does it makes a great gift, every purchase helps Giuliani to "fight the traitors.

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Please stop taking nudes in the halls of Congress

The so-called hallowed Halls of Congress play host to a plethora of indecent acts every day — but one staffer for Senator Ben Cardin is taking it to new levels.The public Twitter account of the audacious young “twink” is comprised almost solely of him in flagrante delicto with his older “bear” partner. The images and videos are explicit — and conspicuously and deliberately contain the staffer’s face.One pic in particular, shared privately with Cockburn, raised his eyebrow, as it was taken in what certainly appears to be a conference room in the Hart Senate Office Building, where his boss’s office is located.In the photo, the strapping young gentleman is naked but for a jock strap, on on all fours, facing away from the camera.

The Politico story covering for Susanna Gibson is more embarrassing than anything she ever did

Susanna Gibson, the nurse turned camgirl turned defeated Democratic candidate for Virginia State Assembly, has scores to settle. In an interview with Politico magazine's Alexander Burns, she reveals all about what it was like to deal with the blowback from the national media discovering her side hustle, saying the ordeal "fundamentally changed" her "as a human." "My entire life was rocked on September 11, when the article ran," Gibson says. Cockburn can't imagine — truly the worst thing to happen on that date. Burns characterizes Gibson as being "captured in a recorded video performing sex acts online with her husband" and says that an "opponent exposed her private digital life to the public.

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Republican mass debate hysteria

Justice Louis D. Brandeis advocated for “more speech” as the best remedy for falsehood. But how much speech is too much speech? The Republican Party is pushing the upper limits, scheduling even more primary debates in the new year — even without President Trump. CNN is hosting two of them: one on January 10 at Drake University in Iowa and a second on January 21 at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. Between the two, ABC News and WMUR-TV will host one in coordination with the New Hampshire Republican State Committee on January 18... also at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. The ABC debate is “subject to RNC guidelines,” rather than being RNC sanctioned. Why?

Gavin Newsom, wife guy

Thursday night saw a clash for the ages between the governors of the twin territories that sustain America’s pornography addiction. It’s hard to determine a winner of the video nasty on Fox News between Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis: DeSantis endorsers claim that their man won, Trump supporters and Democrats call it for Newsom.One tidbit from NBC suggests that the Florida Man did a better job of getting under his opponent’s skin: the governors were potentially set to run longer, but Newsom’s wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom intervened after DeSantis pointed out that her parents had moved from California to Florida.Per Dasha Burns and Nnamdi Egwuonwu, Siebel Newsom “came into the debate room on at least two occasions to raise some objections.

Mehdi Hasan gets demoted

MSNBC has finally found a host that's de trop for them. Outspoken critic of Israel Mehdi Hasan had his show canceled by the network. Semafor announced the shake up on Thursday morning as part of broader changes to MSNBC’s weekend programming. Hasan’s show has been canceled but he will remain with the network as an on-camera analyst and fill-in host. Ayman Mohyeldin’s program will expand an hour to replace the vacated slot.  Hasan has been one of MSNBC’s most outspoken supporters of Palestine. During a November 16 interview with Israeli government advisor Mark Regev, Hasan attempted to get his guest to agree that Israel has wittingly killed children.

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George Santos blown

George Santos’s remaining time in Congress appears to be as fleeting as a candle — or, more accurate, a balloon — in the wind. As the congressman faces threats of explosion from within the Capital, a giant balloon of the swamp’s infamous fabulist is flopping around the National Mall.   The fifteen-foot inflatable of the disgraced New York congressman is currently caught in the city’s chilly fall gusts, falling flat on its face like Santos may soon do himself. The spectacle was commissioned by MoveOn Political Action, a progressive advocacy group which hopes to encourage Congress to expel Santos.   https://twitter.com/metzgov/status/1729530134359642540?

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New York Times sweetheart Calla Walsh turns violent

It's not often that the New York Times has a prophetic vision. In 2021, the paper ran a fawning profile of Calla Walsh, a high-schooler leading an "army of sixteen-year-olds" against Massachusetts's Democratic establishment. Now all grown up, Walsh has become a general to a fierce group of agitators. Walsh, now a committed communist, was arrested on Monday morning at a defense contractor facility in New Hampshire along with two other women. The three were arraigned on Tuesday on charges of riot, sabotage, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.   The women, along with a larger group of pro-Palestine protesters, had surrounded the Elbit Systems facility, which is allegedly involved in Israel's military campaign.

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Inside the Laura Loomer and Riley Gaines fight

Since she began speaking out against trans athletes competing in women’s sports, former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines has received her share of threats from the mob. Just this year, she was allegedly punched by a transgender protester in California. Now she finds herself in the sights of one of Trumpworld's most rabid advocates. Laura Loomer, a self-described investigative journalist and Trump supporter, accused the athlete of shilling for Ron DeSantis and posted her address to X, sparking a cat fight between the two women.   In the post, which has since been deleted, Loomer claimed that Gaines had been bought off by DeSantis. “In June 2023, Riley announced that she was endorsing DeSantis over Trump,” the post read.

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Who does George Santos subscribe to on OnlyFans?

Ever since the House Ethics Committee released its damning report on George Santos yesterday, the chatter has been non-stop. Yes, it appears the flamboyant fabulist used campaign funds to subscribe to sex workers on OnlyFans — but whose content is Santos paying for?  Two early claimants have emerged on Twitter/X. First, from plus-size porn star Leila Lewis. “THIS GUY WAS SUBBED TO ME HAHAHAHA,” she tweeted, following up with “i rated his dick 😭😭😭.” An unenviable prospect.  The other comes from Twitch streamer Soogz1, who boasts 2.3 million Twitter/followers. “my top spender 🥹🫶,” she wrote yesterday, along with a screenshot purporting to show that a user called George Santos had spent $435,621.13 on her content — $340,752.

Violent protest erupts outside the DNC

Once again a mostly peaceful protest has inexplicably ended up in violence — this time outside of the Democratic National Convention headquarters in Washington, DC. Ironically, this latest batch of protesters were calling for a ceasefire in Israel as they initiated their own violence on the streets of the nation’s capital.   A pro-Palestine protest was held Wednesday night outside the DNC headquarters as Democratic lawmakers gathered in the building for a fundraiser. During the melée, Capitol Police evacuated the top House Democrats from the building, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Representative Pete Aguilar.  The night began with a candlelight vigil down the street from the DNC before turning violent.

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