Federalist Society Co-Founder Blasts Trump: Campaign Update
Wesley Hunt, a former U.S. Army captain, said on Twitter that he remains asymptomatic.
(Bloomberg) -- A co-founder of the Federalist Society blasted President Donald Trump’s “fascistic” tweet. “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda endorsed Joe Biden for president. And former President Bill Clinton thanked Representative Jim Clyburn for endorsing Biden before the South Carolina primary.
There are 96 days until the election.
Other Developments:
Federalist Society Co-Founder Blasts Trump’s ‘Fascistic’ Tweet
Federalist Society co-founder Steven Calabresi voted for Trump, argued that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference was unconstitutional and opposed his impeachment.
But he said Trump’s tweet Thursday about delaying the election was “fascistic” and grounds for the president’s removal from office.
“Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats’ assertion that President Trump is a fascist,” he wrote in a New York Times op-ed posted Thursday afternoon. “But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president’s immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate.”
A law professor at Northwestern University, Calabresi has conservative credentials. He founded one of the original chapters of the Federalist Society in college, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and served under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
The Federalist Society has a prominent role in conservative politics. Trump and other Republican presidents have relied on the group to recommend nominees for the Supreme Court and other courts.
‘Hamilton’ Creator Miranda Endorses Biden (6:25 p.m.)
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the mega-hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” endorsed Biden on Thursday.
“I’m voting for Joe because our democracy is at stake,” Miranda said over video at the American Federation of Teachers virtual convention.
Miranda won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his 2015 musical. He starred as Alexander Hamilton in the original cast of the show about the Founding Father’s life, based on Ron Chernow’s biography.
Miranda, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is an outspoken advocate for issues such as aid for the territory and against gun violence. When then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence attended a performance of “Hamilton” in November 2016, cast members after the show called on him from the stage to abide by the show’s message of protecting the rights of all Americans. -- Emma Kinery
Clinton Thanks Clyburn for Ending ‘Family Fight’ (1:22 p.m.)
Bill Clinton thanked Clyburn for ending a “family fight” within the Democratic party by endorsing Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary, paving the way for Biden to win on Super Tuesday.
“Representative Clyburn, who, I really thank for with the stroke of a hand ending an intra-family fight within our party, proving that peace is needed by everyone,” Clinton said at the top of his eulogy at Representative John Lewis’s funeral in Atlanta on Thursday.
Biden won in South Carolina, the first state with a majority-Black Democratic bloc, buoyed by African-American voters after losing the first three contests in the presidential nomination race, Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. -- Emma Kinery
Biden Expands Ads Into Electoral Battleground of Ohio (10:59 a.m.)
Biden is expanding the electoral battlefield with his first ads to run in Ohio, a state essential to Trump’s hopes of keeping the White House.
The 60-second ad will run in Toledo and Youngstown, two smaller markets with large numbers of so-called Obama-Trump voters — especially the non-college-educated White men whose manufacturing jobs are most threatened by globalization.
“For Joe Biden, it’s about the backbone of this nation, working families,” the ad says, highlighting Biden’s roots in a small town in neighboring Pennsylvania.
Trump has spent $21 million in ads in Ohio, which he won by 8 points in 2016. He has another $18 million in ad time reserved there this fall. -- Gregory Korte
Michigan Official Warns of Delay in Election Results (8:59 a.m.)
Michigan’s top elections official warned that results of the Nov. election may not be known for days in the swing state.
In a virtual news conference Wednesday, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called on lawmakers to change a state law that bars officials from even opening absentee ballots until the morning of Election Day.
“It may well take several more days to get the final total for all of the elections,” she said, according to the Detroit Free Press.
In many states, elections officials can begin processing mail-in ballots in the days and weeks before the election so that they can be counted and results released not long after polls close.
But several states bar it until Election Day, including New York and the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. New York took five weeks to tally results from its June 23 primary due to a surge in mail-in ballots.
Candidate Set to Greet Trump Tests Positive (6:25 a.m.)
A Republican congressional candidate who was on his way to greet Trump at an event in Midland, Texas, turned around when he learned he had tested positive for coronavirus.
Wesley Hunt, a former U.S. Army captain running in Texas’ 7th Congressional District, said on Twitter that he remains asymptomatic but he’s notified people he’s been in contact with recently.
“I will be quarantining and ask that everyone continue to follow the CDC, state and local government guidelines in battling COVID-19,” he wrote on Twitter. “Together, we will beat this.”
Hunt’s announcement came just hours after U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert, who represents Texas’ 1st district, announced that he had tested positive for coronavirus.
Gohmert told a Texas TV station he was tested because he had been slated to travel with the president to Texas on Wednesday.
Spanish-Language Biden Ad Hits Trump Over Family Separation Policy
A Spanish-language ad for the Biden campaign criticizes Trump over the administration’s controversial family separation policy.
In a 60-second version of the ad, set to air in Florida and Arizona, the narrator says that the Obama administration sent $750 million in aid to Central America to try to stem dangerous treks to the U.S. border.
It then says that Trump doesn’t give “three cucumbers” -- a slangy way of saying in Spanish that someone couldn’t care less -- whether a mother and child share a roof.
The ad also cites Biden’s record on gun control, his steering of the Violence Against Women Act and the drop in the unemployment rate among Latinos under the Obama administration.
Although Biden is winning support from Latinos in recent polls, he is slightly underperforming compared to Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Democrats Unveil Partial Convention Schedule
Organizers unveiled a partial schedule for the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee next month.
Due to the coronavirus, many of the small group meetings will be held virtually, while some speakers will be appearing from locations around the country.
“We have an exciting lineup of programming over the course of four nights as we seek a better future for all Americans,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez.
The schedule includes meetings of groups for Black, Hispanic and Asian voters; young adults and seniors; disabled Americans and LGBTQ voters, among others.
Biden’s running mate will give an acceptance speech on Wednesday, Aug. 19, while Biden will accept the nomination on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Coming Up:
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren will host a virtual fundraiser for Biden on Friday afternoon.
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