Rashida Tlaib shall be honored in the annals of history as the tale of the public official who breached the children's trust.
Rashida has bastardized the legacy of the Congressional Seat of Detroit, Conyers' former seat, and by this act alone, I believe her congressional members have grounds to bringforth a call of expulsion from the body.
Rashida is attempting to bleachbit civil rights history, again, but in this instance, it is the legacy of impeachment.
Rashida engages in insurgent actions, repugnant to my constitution, becoming of "The Elected Ones".
I should file an Ethics Complaint.
Nah.
I got popcorn.
A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world. Albert Camus
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s re-election campaign is capitalizing on calls to impeach President Donald Trump with a line of T-shirts sporting her January call to “Impeach the mother (expletive)!”
Priced at $29 each, the T-shirts come in six different designs sporting the Detroit Democrat’s infamous call for Trump’s impeachment as part of an American flag or as a hashtag.
“You’ve asked for ‘em. And now we’ve got ‘em,” according to the Thursday email from Team Rashida.
Lean in with me to hold this lawless President accountable. Together, we will fight back and protect our democracy.
The T-shirts reference a story Tlaib recounted soon after being sworn into office in early January 2019 at a MoveOn.org and New American Leaders party. In an address that was filmed and later went viral, Tlaib recounted her son telling her, “‘Look, Mama, you won. Bullies don’t win.’ And I said, ‘Baby, they don’t because we’re going to go in there and we’re going to impeach the mother (expletive).’”
The comment sparked a bipartisan backlash, including condemnation from Trump who called Tlaib’s comments “disgraceful” and “disrespectful.”
Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga of Zeeland slammed the T-shirts as inappropriate, saying he’d be letting his constituents know about them.
“Can you imagine the outrage if I had put a T-shirt together like that for impeaching President Obama?” Huizenga said.
“First of all, my mother would have called me and told me, ‘Shame on you.’ Then I would have heard from my Republican colleagues asking me, ‘What in the world are you doing?’” he added.
“Then I would have to face myself in the mirror and my kids and explain what’s going on, at the same time I’m getting preachy about decorum and how we need civility in politics.”
Tlaib hasn’t been shy about repeating calls for Trump’s impeachment, which included her introduction in late March of an impeachment resolution. But a recent whistleblower report alleging Trump abused his office’s power to “solicit interference from a foreign country” appears to have fueled Tlaib’s determination.
Tlaib's message is one familiar to people in the 13th Congressional District and one that some have grown to accept or embrace, said TJ Bucholz, Tlaib's campaign spokesman.
"Especially for Rashida’s supporters, it's probably a fun item and maybe a collectible item to have," Bucholz said.
The actblue.com web page advertising the T-shirts notes the nation is “at the most critical moment in our movement to impeach Donald Trump,” but that momentum and volume is needed to ensure swift action.
“Get your ‘Impeach the MF’ t-shirt today to show your support for our movement to impeach Donald Trump and support Rashida’s re-election campaign!” the website said.
The website notes that the items are being offered as a gift in return for a contribution of $29 and that Tlaib “is solely responsible for producing and shipping your gift.”
We expect each other to speak fairly, truthfully and respectfully of our fellow members of Congress and of the president—not because we agree with each other at all times, but because of our great respect for the Americans who elected us to represent them. pic.twitter.com/jBngC0b9fl
Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a member. Each House can determine its own Rules (assuming a quorum is present), and may punish any of its members. A two-thirds vote is necessary to expel a member. Section 5, Clause 2 does not provide specific guidance to each House regarding when and how each House may change its rules, leaving details to the respective chambers.
Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.
Each House can determine its own Rules (assuming a quorum is present), and may punish any of its members. A two-thirds vote is necessary to expel a member. Section 5, Clause 2 does not provide specific guidance to each House regarding when and how each House may change its rules, leaving details to the respective chambers.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., left, joined by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
Washington – President Donald Trump on Sunday assailed a group of Democratic congresswomen of color, including Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, as foreign-born troublemakers who should go back to the “broken and crime infested places from which they came,” ignoring the fact that the women are American citizens and all but one was born in the U.S.
Trump was almost certainly referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and her allies in what’s become known as "the squad." The others are Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Tlaib. Only Omar, from Somalia, is foreign-born.
Tlaib, who has frequently jousted with Trump, vowing shortly after taking office in January that “we’re going to ... impeach the (expletive),” fired back Sunday.
"Detroit taught me how to fight for the communities you continue to degrade & attack," she wrote on Twitter. "Keep talking, you just make me work harder. I'm proud of my Palestinian roots & a WEAK bully like you never wins. This is what America looks like."
Trump’s tweets prompted a wave of searing condemnation from Democrats, who set aside their rifts to speak as one in calling Trump’s remarks racist and breathtakingly divisive.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president wants to “make America white again.”
Ocasio-Cortez, fighting for days with Pelosi, said Trump “can’t conceive of an America that includes us.”
“Mr. President, the country I come from, & the country we all swear to, is the United States,” she tweeted. “You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder.” Omar said as if addressing Trump: You are stoking white nationalism (because) you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda.”
Michigan's congressional Democrats took to Twitter to defend "the squad."
Rep. Debbie Dingell of Dearborn said, "We should call this what it is: hate. We can never forget it’s our diversity that makes us strong. There is no place for this kind of talk in our country."
Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holland said, Trump's "willingness to drag our values through the mud is appalling."
Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, said "Divisive rhetoric will NEVER 'Make America Great Again.'"
"America, we are better than this," added Rep. Dan Kildee of Flint.
With his latest tweet, Trump again inserted himself into a rift between Pelosi and the liberal congresswomen, after offering an unsolicited defense of the Democratic speaker days earlier. Pelosi has been seeking to minimize Ocasio-Cortez’s influence in recent days, prompting Ocasio-Cortez to accuse Pelosi of trying to marginalize women of color. “She is not a racist,” Trump said Friday.
On Sunday, Trump’s tone changed.
“So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run,” he said in tweets. “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
He added: “These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”
In a fundraising email, Tlaib told supporters that Trump's comments were "un-American."
"Three of us were born here, and Ilhan Omar came here as a child, a refugee who is as American as any of us," she wrote. "We all call this country home, and as someone wrote on Twitter today, we’re all more patriotic than Trump will ever be."
The attacks may have been meant to further the divides within the Democrat caucus, strained over internal debates on liberal policies and on whether to proceed with impeachment proceedings against Trump. Instead, Democrats united in denouncing the comments, which evoked the old racist trope of telling a black person to go back to Africa.
“Let’s be clear about what this vile comment is: A racist and xenophobic attack on Democratic congresswomen,” tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic presidential candidate.
Another 2020 contender, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, tweeted at the president: “This is racist. These congresswomen are every bit as American as you – and represent our values better than you ever will.”
Few Republicans immediately weighed in on the president’s comments, but Rep. Justin Amash of Cascade Township, a Trump critic who recently took steps to leave the Republican party, called the remarks “racist and disgusting.”
Shortly after the tweets, and a later post defending the harsh scenes at a border detention facility where hundreds of migrant men are being held in sweltering, foul-smelling conditions, Trump left the White House to go golfing at his Virginia club.
It was far from the first time that Trump has been accused of holding racist views.
His political career was launched on the backs of falsely claiming that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. In his campaign kickoff in June 2015, he deemed many Mexican immigrants “rapists.” And last year, during a White House meeting on immigration, he wondered why the United States was admitting so many immigrants from “shithole countries” like Haiti, El Salvador and several African nations.
Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in suburban Westchester County.
Pressley, the first black woman elected to the House from Massachusetts, was born in Cincinnati.
Omar, the first Somali native elected to Congress and one of its first Muslim women, was born in Somalia but spent much of her childhood in a Kenyan refugee camp as civil war tore apart her home country. She immigrated to the United States at age 12, teaching herself English by watching American TV and eventually settling with her family in Minneapolis.
Tlaib was born in Detroit.
Tlaib and Trump have had a few heated exchanges since she took office. After taking office in January Tlaib said “we’re going to ... impeach the (expletive),” referring to Trump, who called her remarks "disgraceful."
In May, Trump accused Tlaib of being anti-Semitic after an interview in which she spoke of her Palestinian ancestors experience as Israel became a refuge for European Jews after the Holocaust.
So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly......
“Mr. President, As Members of Congress, the only country we swear an oath to is the United States. Which is why we are fighting to protect it from the worst, most corrupt and inept president we have ever seen. … You are stoking white nationalism bc you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda.” – Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota on Twitter.
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“Racial arsonist strikes again. Shut. Your. Reckless. Mouth. Racist attack on four strongly progressive congresswomen of color will not weaken them. IT ONLY MAKES US STRONGER.” – Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, on Twitter.
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“You’re going to have to ask the president what he means by those specific tweets.” – Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, when asked about the tweets, on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
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“To tell these American citizens (most of whom were born here) to ‘go back’ to the ‘crime infested places from which they came’ is racist and disgusting.” – Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a Trump critic who announced this month he was leaving the Republican Party to become an independent.
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“This president is hurting our country and bigotry like he just spewed is something that we need to end in this nation.” – New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Democratic presidential candidate, speaking to reporters in Pelham, New Hampshire.
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“Unfortunately there is an American tradition of telling people to go back where they came from. It’s a very bad tradition that we need to weed out of our nation because we are a nation of immigrants, that is who we are by our nature for hundreds of years. But you don’t expect to hear it from the president of the United States.” – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Democratic presidential candidate, on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
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“Let’s call the president’s racist attack exactly what it is: un-American.” California Sen. Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential candidate, on Twitter.
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“There’s nothing new about denying the belonging of those who call our nation to its highest values and criticize those in power. Those who launch such attacks reveal that they do not understand what is greatest about America.” – Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Democratic presidential
Trump may be sitting on his obstruction of justice IG Report, but it seems Putin has his own Detroit Brady Impeachment Dilemma burning a hole in his back pocket, too.
No one has ever discussed a foreign government sitting on U.S. exculpatory evidence before.
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn blocked a bill from Sen. Mark Warner that would require campaigns to report foreign offers of assistance to the FBI.
The bill from Warner, D-Va., known as the Foreign Influence Reporting in Elections Act, required unanimous consent in order to move forward, meaning that Blackburn's decision to object stopped the legislation in its tracks.
"I objected to the unanimous consent proposal presented on the floor because it was a blatant political stunt," Blackburn said in a news release Thursday. "My colleagues on the left tried to rush this legislation through the Senate without giving it a chance for the careful consideration and debate needed to address such an important issue. Of course action needs to be taken to protect the integrity of our elections, but let’s do this the right way."
President Donald Trump late Friday afternoon thanked Blackburn for blocking the bill and "fighting obstructionist Democrats."
"Democrats continue to look for a do-over on the Mueller Report and will stop at nothing to distract the American people from the great accomplishments of this Administration!" Trump tweeted.
Thank you Senator @MarshaBlackburn for fighting obstructionist Democrats led by Cryin' Chuck Schumer. Democrats continue to look for a do-over on the Mueller Report and will stop at nothing to distract the American people from the great accomplishments of this Administration!
Trump seemed to flip on the issue a day later in an interview with Fox and Friends. "Of course you give it to the FBI or report to the attorney general or somebody like that," Trump said.
After the Senate decision, Blackburn, R-Tenn., told reporters campaigns should report foreign contact to the FBI.
“All of us know, if you were to ever be contacted by a foreign entity, your first call is the FBI,” Blackburn said, according to Vox. “I don’t care if it’s Russia, Norway, China, whomever.”
A new low.@MarkWarner tried to pass the FIRE Act to require presidential campaigns to report interference to the FBI.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Blackburn on Twitter after the failure of the legislation, referring to the objection as "a new low" and "outrageous."
On the Senate floor, Schumer called it "disgraceful" that Republicans would "cower before this president when they know that the things he does severely damage democracy."
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and impeachment activists speak
to the press in her office on Capitol Hill. (Photo: Melissa Nann Burke)
Washington — Freshman U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib said Wednesday she plans to file a resolution this month to start impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, calling him "dangerous to our American democracy."
The Detroit Democrat's resolution will call for the House Judiciary Committee to investigate grounds for Trump's impeachment, she said.
"I can't wait to be able to file this resolution because I think a transparent and open investigation into the president's dealings is important," said Tlaib, surrounded by about 20 impeachment activists in her Capitol Hill office.
Tlaib has long called for Trump's impeachment. She made national headlines hours after her January swearing-in by issuing a cry at a Washington party to "impeach the mother(expletive)."
But Democratic House leaders have generally said it's too soon, urging members to wait on the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Tlaib indicated Wednesday that she's not waiting.
"There is a sense of urgency on my part and many of us," she said.
I bet there is.
"I think every single colleague of mine agrees there's impeachable offenses. That's one thing that we all agree on. We may disagree on the pace. We may disagree that we have to wait for certain hearings, but at the same time, I think they all know the dangers of allowing President Trump to continue to violate our United States Constitution."
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, said Wednesday he doesn't believe Tlaib's resolution is called for, saying it's time for things that "move us forward, as opposed to picking fights that you can't win."
"But it's allowed, and that's something that any member of Congress can do," Walberg said.
Tlaib's would not be the first articles of impeachment filed against Trump this year.
California Rep. Brad Sherman, also a Democrat, re-introduced articles of impeachment against Trump on the first day of the new Congress after filing a similar resolution in 2017.
Tlaib, a former state lawmaker, slammed Trump for what she says are conflicts of interest created by his failure to divest from his businesses and accused him of obstructing justice in relation to the probe into Russian contacts with his campaign.
"For me as a member of Congress, it is so important to me that I check this president and even my colleagues when I feel like they are not abiding by the United States Constitution and upholding their oath," Tlaib said.
"Many of you have heard me say over and over again, look, he's a sitting CEO, as well as president of the United States. Understand that he hasn't divested in his foreign or domestic businesses."
She referenced Trump's tweet this week about a golf course owned by the Trump Organization in Scotland, in which he said it "furthers U.K. relationship!"
Tlaib also spoke of individuals who stay at Trump properties and then lobby the administration for "mergers and different kinds of things that they want."
"You know what we call that back home in Michigan? We call that pay to play," Tlaib said.
"This is setting a precedent. If we don't start impeachment proceedings today and hold him accountable to violating the United States Constitution, think about that. This is not going to be the last CEO that runs for president of the United States."
Tlaib said she, as a member of Congress, must follow higher ethical rules than Trump is following by not disclosing potential or actual conflicts of interest.
The White House did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment but was dismissive of Tlaib's impeachment talk in January.
"You’re not going to impeach this president when he’s had two of the most successful years that any president has had in modern history," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told CNN at the time.
"The only reason they want to come after this president is because they know they can’t beat him.
They can’t beat him when it comes to a policy debate, and they’re not going to beat him when it comes to 2020."
Walberg echoed the argument that Trump's policies are benefiting America.
"It's time now after two years of continued dissent about this president being president, it's time to move us forward — especially since his policies are working: We have a growing economy. You have low unemployment, and Michigan has been helped by that significantly," he said.
Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, said he doesn’t think impeachment proceedings are appropriate at this time.
“Every member should make up their own mind when they think the standard has been met,” said Kildee, chief deputy whip for the House Democrats.
“But for me, when we have a very thorough, ongoing investigation that is coming our way sooner rather than later, and the committee that I serve on is just now preparing to request access to the president’s tax returns, there's enough information in the immediate pipeline that I think it's worth waiting for them to make a more informed decision.”
Asked if House leaders have cautioned Tlaib about her plans, she did not directly answer.
"When I speak to leadership, they constantly remind me I have to represent my district, and they know the diversity of all of our districts and how we approach, certain issues, and the fact that we have different styles of how do we approach different issues," she said.
Tlaib on Wednesday was joined by activists from a group called By the People, who traveled to Washington from around the country, including New York, Ohio, Oregon and California.
But not Detroit.
They held signs including "Trump is the real national emergency" and "Tick Tock, Individual 1."
Activists with the group By the People gathered in Rep. Rashida Tlaib's Capitol Hill office on Wednesday for her impeachment announcement.
How cute. Markers and poster time!
After Tlaib's news conference, they were headed to the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to demand Trump's impeachment, said Anthony Torres, a spokesman for the group.
I wonder what Nancy said.
"We are calling on every other member of Congress to be a true patriot and exhibit the bravery that we've seen from Congresswoman Tlaib here today," said Torres, speaking to the television cameras.
"At this moment, to everyone watching, join our movement. Join us. This is the time for us to really make an America for all of us, and that begins with impeachment."
John Bonifaz, co-author of the book "The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump," argues that now is not a time for traditional congressional oversight.
"In an ordinary chapter in American history, there would be a check and balance between an executive branch and the legislative branch, but this is not an ordinary chapter," said Bonifaz, who has worked with Tlaib on the issue and was at her office Wednesday.
"The remedy is to remove from office that official who so threatens the Republic. Is this how Rashida secured the 13th Congressional District seat? To suggest that we have to wait until 2020 to so-called 'impeach him at the ballot' completely contradicts the very purpose of why we have the impeachment clause in the Constitution."
On this exciting episode of Cocktails & Popcorn, Nancy Pelosi has been nominated Speaker of the House for the 116th Congress with Hakeem Jeffries as the Congressional Caucus Chair.
Let us begin with the City of Detroit Election Commission.
Detroit Election Commission
The Detroit Election Commission consists of the City Clerk, Janice Winfrey, Corporate Counsel, Larry Garcia, and the Mayor Pro Tem, Brenda Jones, who just so happened to be a Democratic Candidate for the 13th Congressional District Special Election.
Janice told Yvonne that she was to come testify in front of the Detroit Election Commission, but the day of the hearing, she told Yvonne that it was cancelled and that her complaint would be sent to the State Board of Canvassers where she would testify in Lansing.
But that never happened.
So, I am posting Yvonne's complaint so the public can learn what went on in her precincts, oh, and also to let the public know that the Detroit Election Commission threw her complaint in the trash.
Wayne County Clerk has no record
of my vote for the 2018 Primary
and Special Elections.
The vote was never certified because it never addressed any of the Primary Election, including the Special Election complaints, or irregularities, as witnessed above.
As a matter of fact, I can prove my vote and the majority of the vote of my Precinct were not counted.
Michigan Secretary of State Board of Canvassers
These are the members of the State Board of Canvassers:
Chair: Norman D. Shinkle - Republican
Vice-Chair: Julie Matuzak - Democrat
Jeannette Bradshaw - Democrat
Colleen Pero - Republican
Jeannette Bradshaw was not in attendance for the certification of the 2018 Primary & Special Elections.
Her absence was wise because the certification and recording of the vote becomes partisan, and that is never a good thing, particularly when dealing with such a historic and litigious action.
So, if the 13th Congressional District Special Election was never certified, nor recorded, that would mean that the rest of the Primary Elections could not be certified.
Washington — Democrat Brenda Jones is expected to become Michigan's newest congresswoman when she takes the oath of office Thursday after U.S. House leaders reached a deal on seating her.
It is the first time Michigan's 13th District will have representation in the U.S. House in nearly a year, since the resignation of former Rep. John Conyers Jr. last December.
Jones, 59, of Detroit will only serve a matter of weeks until January after winning a special election this month to finish out Conyers' term. She lost her bid to replace Conyers next year to former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit.
House Speaker Paul Ryan had delayed seating Jones in part because she has not stepped down from her position as president of Detroit City Council, and there's no precedent for an individual to serve in the U.S. House while holding locally elected office.
“The House had a precedent dating from 1909 that made clear that service as both a member of Congress and a state or local official were not compatible. However, Ms. Jones was duly elected by the constituents of the 13th District of Michigan," Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Thursday.
"Ms. Jones has written the speaker and indicated that she will abide by guidance from the Ethics Committee to minimize the conflict between her service as a member and her duties on the Detroit City Council during the short time she’s here. The House will carve out a narrow exception to the 1909 precedent."
Prior to the administration of the oath around noon Thursday, the House is expected to adopt a resolution authorizing Ryan as speaker to swear in Jones, effectively creating an exception to the earlier precedent.
Under the deal between Ryan and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Jones may accept no pay from Detroit's council and participate in no council votes while serving in Congress — conditions advised by counsel to the House Ethics Committee and which Jones previously attested to.
Ryan's office had previously warned that any House member could have objected to Jones holding two offices, at which point the matter would have been referred to the House Committee on Administration.
While the Constitution doesn't prohibit members from simultaneously holding state or local office, the House has historically taken the position that "high state office is incompatible with congressional membership," as stated in the House Ethics Manual.
But Jones this week released a copy of the unofficial opinion provided by counsel for the House Ethics Committee that said her position with Detroit City Council "does not appear to be incompatible" with her potential position in the U.S. House.
The Ethics Committee counsel said Jones' dual office-holding is only compatible given the "very limited time" Jones would be representing Michigan; given that she does not accept compensation from the council (including back pay); and given the council remains in recess during her term in Congress.
The opinion gave the example of a mayorship that overlapped three days with a House position and was not considered an incompatible office by the Ethics Committee when the House member did not accept pay for the mayoral position and recused from all work on behalf of the city for that time.
The House precedent from 1909 that Strong referred to relates to GOP Rep. George L. Lilley, who was sworn in as governor of Connecticut without resigning his House seat.
In Lilley's case, the Judiciary Committee determined that serving as governor and congressman to be incompatible and recommended vacating the office and removing Lilley's name from the clerk's rolls. The House later agreed to a resolution to that effect.
Jones' brief stint in the House will likely be among the shortest in history but won't set a record.
That distinction belongs to George Sheridan and Effingham Lawrence of Louisiana, who both served for one day only on March 3, 1875 — the final day of the 43rd Congress.
Brenda Jones asked House Ethics Committee if she had to resign from Detroit City Council.
House Ethics Committee said, "Nope", but did not go into detail, so I will.
See, House Speaker, cannot swear anyone in until the election is certified.
Since the election is not certified, she does not have to resign.
So, when she goes up to D.C. and does her own magical congressional stuff, she might just be arrested on the spot for impersonating an elected official, or something like that, because she cannot be sworn in, because the election is not certified, nor recorded.
How do I know the election is not recorded or certified?
Well, all you have to do is read the official notice of the Michigan Board of Canvassers announcing the November 28, 2018 deadline for Recount Petition Filing Deadlines, below, but let us examine the legal citation of the Notice:
168.879 Petition for recount; requirements; good-faith belief in winning; petition by state political party chairperson; recount and preservation of ballots; report; authority of legislature.
Sec. 879. (1) A candidate voted for at a primary or election for an office may petition for a recount of the votes if all of the following requirements are met:
(a) The office is an office for which the votes are canvassed by the board of state canvassers under section 841 or is the office of Representative in Congress, state representative, or state senator for a district located wholly within 1 county.
(b) The petition alleges that the candidate is aggrieved on account of fraud or mistake in the canvass of the votes by the inspectors of election or the returns made by the inspectors of election, or by a board of county canvassers or the board of state canvassers. The candidate must be able to allege a good-faith belief that but for fraud or mistake, the candidate would have had a reasonable chance of winning the election. The petition must contain specific allegations of wrongdoing only if evidence of that wrongdoing is available to the petitioner. If evidence of wrongdoing is not available, the petitioner is only required to allege fraud or a mistake in the petition without further specification.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, the petition for a recount is filed not later than 48 hours following the completion of the canvass of votes cast at an election. If the recount petition relates to a state senatorial or representative district located wholly within 1 county or to the district of a Representative in Congress located wholly within 1 county, the petition for a recount must be filed not later than 48 hours following the adjournment of the meeting of the board of state canvassers at which the certificate of determination for that office was recorded under section 841. However, for a special election for Representative in Congress, state senator, or state representative for a district located wholly within 1 county, the petition for recount must be filed not later than 48 hours after the certificate of determination is filed with the secretary of the board of state canvassers.
(d) The petition is presented to and filed with the secretary of state.
(e) The petition is written or printed and is signed and sworn to by the candidate.
(f) The petition sets forth as nearly as possible the nature and character of the fraud or mistakes alleged and the counties, cities, or townships and the precincts in which they exist.
(g) The petition specifies the counties, cities, townships, and precincts in which the recount is requested.
(h) If the office is the office of state representative, a copy of the petition is filed with the clerk of the house of representatives. If the office is the office of state senator, a copy of the petition is filed with the secretary of the senate.
(2) If a state senatorial race is determined by a vote differential of 500 votes or less or a state representative race is determined by a vote differential of 200 votes or less, the chairperson of a state political party may petition for a recount of the votes on behalf of a candidate in that race in the manner prescribed in subsection (1). Notwithstanding subsection (1)(b) and (f), the petition filed under this subsection need not allege fraud or mistake. Notwithstanding subsection (1)(e), the petition must be signed by the chairperson of the state political party filing the petition under this subsection.
(3) The ballots in a precinct petitioned for recount in a legislative contest must be recounted for that office by the board of state canvassers and must be preserved until the contest is disposed of under the rules of the legislative body that takes office beginning in January following the contested general election. In legislative recounts of a special general election, ballots in a precinct petitioned for recount must be preserved until the contest is disposed of under the rules of the legislative body serving at the time the report in subsection (4) is filed.
(4) Upon the completion of a recount for a legislative office, the board of state canvassers, in addition to the certification required by section 892, shall forward to the appropriate legislative body a report of the results of the recount.
(5) This section does not limit the authority of the legislature under section 16 of article IV of the state constitution of 1963. History: 1954, Act 116, Eff. June 1, 1955 ;-- Am. 1973, Act 157, Imd. Eff. Dec. 6, 1973 ;-- Am. 1980, Act 61, Imd. Eff. Apr. 1, 1980 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 261, Eff. Mar. 28, 1996 ;-- Am. 1999, Act 216, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 1999 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 128, Eff. Aug. 1, 2018 Popular Name: Election Code
According to MCL 168.879(1), it states, in part:
A candidate voted for at a primary or election for an office may petition for a recount of the votes.
If for any reason there is no candidate of a political party for the office of representative in congress, a blank space shall be provided on each of the official primary ballots that affords every elector of the political party an opportunity to vote for a candidate for that office by writing in the name of his or her selection.
So, I guess this means if someone wrote in the name of someone on the official Primary Ballot, that someone would be a candidate, and, as such, would be able to petition on fraud under MCL 168.879(1)(b).
(b) The petition alleges that the candidate is aggrieved on account of fraud or mistake in the canvass of the votes by the inspectors of election or the returns made by the inspectors of election, or by a board of county canvassers or the board of state canvassers. The candidate must be able to allege a good-faith belief that but for fraud or mistake, the candidate would have had a reasonable chance of winning the election. The petition must contain specific allegations of wrongdoing only if evidence of that wrongdoing is available to the petitioner. If evidence of wrongdoing is not available, the petitioner is only required to allege fraud or a mistake in the petition without further specification.
Then, the report goes through one last process pursuant to MCL 168.879(3):
(3) The ballots in a precinct petitioned for recount in a legislative contest must be recounted for that office by the board of state canvassers and must be preserved until the contest is disposed of under the rules of the legislative body that takes office beginning in January following the contested general election. In legislative recounts of a special general election, ballots in a precinct petitioned for recount must be preserved until the contest is disposed of under the rules of the legislative body serving at the time the report in subsection (4) is filed.
Since we are also dealing with a Special Election, MCL 168.879(4) states that the report of the recount results would be forwarded to the appropriate legislative body, which may just be the U.S. House Judiciary, which would probably refer it to the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, who would probably refer it to the Office of Special Counsel.
(4) Upon the completion of a recount for a legislative office, the board of state canvassers, in addition to the certification required by section 892, shall forward to the appropriate legislative body a report of the results of the recount.
Of course, MCL 168.879(5) recognizes the powers of the Michigan Constitution:
(5) This section does not limit the authority of the legislature under section 16 of article IV of the state constitution of 1963.
Sec. 16. Each house, except as otherwise provided in this constitution, shall choose its own officers and determine the rules of its proceedings, but shall not adopt any rule that will prevent a majority of the members elected thereto and serving therein from discharging a committee from the further consideration of any measure. Each house shall be the sole judge of the qualifications, elections and returns of its members, and may, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members elected thereto and serving therein, expel a member. The reasons for such expulsion shall be entered in the journal, with the votes and names of the members voting upon the question. No member shall be expelled a second time for the same cause.
But hey, what do I know?
I know the recount petition filing deadline elapses 48 hours after the adjournment of the Board of State Canvassers meeting at which the results were certified as official, which was November 26, 2018, but I did not attend the meeting, so there is a possibility that the statute is tolling as of this posting.
I know if the Michigan 2018 General Election is not certified, let alone recorded and we should expect a petition, or Grand Jury indictments, or something like that because I wrote in my candidate for the 2018 Primary Election, which is still not certified or recorded.
I also know that these pseudo-elected candidates should know all this, considering that they really, really want to be public officials doing public official stuff like preserving voting rights by respecting the integrity through due process in elections, and not interfering in a federal investigation of fraud by way of public posturing, or clowning, as a more colorful descriptive, before being officially sworn in.
