RNC to judge: Pence doesn’t know what he’s talking about

[babylonsister]

Posted with permission.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/rnc-judge-pence-doesnt-know-what-hes-talking-about?cid=sm_fb_maddow


RNC to judge: Pence doesn’t know what he’s talking about
11/03/16 04:28 PM
By Steve Benen


It’s not every day that the Republican National Committee and it’s presidential ticket go to court to effectively declare, “Don’t worry, out vice presidential nominee has no idea what he’s talking about.”

But yesterday, that’s pretty much what happened. Politico reported:

Mike Pence declared confidently over the summer that the Trump campaign would be working hand-in-glove with the Republican National Committee to prevent voter fraud. Now, in a court filing, the GOP’s vice presidential nominee says he misspoke.

After facing a legal threat from Democrats, Pence and the RNC are disavowing his comments, with both insisting that the RNC has no role whatsoever in the Trump camp’s ballot security operation.

As we discussed last week, the RNC is under a federal court consent decree. Following some brazenly racist voter-suppression efforts in the 1980s, Republican officials are severely limited in engaging in any kind of “ballot-security” election activities, and as far as the RNC is concerned, the party is honoring that consent decree to the letter.

The trouble is, Mike Pence has publicly said the opposite. The Republican vice presidential candidate recently assured voters, “I will tell you that the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee are working very, very closely with state governments and secretary of states all over the country to ensure ballot integrity.”

In other words, according to Mike Pence, he and the RNC are doing precisely what the RNC is not legally permitted to do. Not surprisingly, Democrats brought this evidence to a federal judge as proof that the RNC is keeping its word – which as far as the DNC is concerned, means the consent decree should be extended several additional years.

So, as Rachel explained on last night’s show, the RNC’s attorneys told the judge yesterday that Pence just made all that stuff up – and the judge certainly shouldn’t consider the governor’s public remarks as evidence, since Pence was just making “incorrect assumptions” about efforts that don’t exist.

This isn’t the first time Pence has been thrown under the bus by his ostensible allies, but that doesn’t negate the embarrassment.

Complicating matters, Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, told the Washington Post over the summer that the RNC is involved in “ballot-integrity” efforts, prompting the RNC’s attorney to tell the judge that Conway is “mistaken,” too.

It’s quite an operation Republicans are running this year.

[Panich52]

1. "Makes up things"—translation: he lies a lot.

[AmericanActivist]

2. The RNC has serious problems nm

[Lucinda]

3. KNR

[world wide wally]

4. Yeah, but....Hillary has done email!

[Ford_Prefect]

5. "Ballot Integrity" is really White Terrorism by another name.

Intimidation and conveying a threat to innocent citizens of color intended to interfere with their constitutional right to vote for the candidates of their choice.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. tRump only hires the best. His VP & his camp manager are incompetent or ignorant or both. . . nt

[angrychair]

7. As that old saying goes

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck than it's probably a duck.

[Jopin Klobe]

8. The New Official Pence Republican Portrait ...

(He used a Henna rinse)

... Christie's was much, much, much bigger/wider ...

[caraher]

9. I'm sure Pence told the truth the first time

They have voter suppression down to a fine art in Indiana. And there's also a trumped-up "investigation" underway of voter registration efforts in the state. A local weekly, that basically runs almost no news at all except high school sports scores, has been running stories about all the supposed fraud they are investigating - really, as far as I can tell, in support of the Trump "election is rigged" narrative.

[Mc Mike]

10. Well, it stands to reason that bircher Pence and CNP er Conaway don't know what they're talking

about. Because they're repuglinazis.

But they both did happen to slip up here and tell the truth, about the voter suppression efforts their swinish party and campaign is super busy with, which they saw and heard talked about behind the scenes in campaign offices and meetings.

I always love reading Benen's take, he's a great analyst and writer.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Their credos is if you repeat a lie enough times

then it must be true. Until you claim that's not what you said.

[Cheviteau]

13. I'm Going To Catch A Barrel of Shit For This

I happened to be watching TV when Pence made his remarks in answer to a question from his audience. What he plainly said was that the Trump campaign and the RNC were working in coordination with counties commissioners and not other outside activists to insure ballot integrity. I can only assume we Democrats are doing the same. In my state it's called 'poll watching', a perfectly legal and peaceful endeavor in politics. Anyway, that's what he said and I think it unfair to paint his remarks any other light.

[Ligyron]

14. This Democrat is absolutely sure the RNC will cheat, steal, lie and intimidate

our voters at every available opportunity and by every means possible.

[Cheviteau]

16. Your Point

Your Point is well taken but it doesn't dispute mine.

[druidity33]

17. from what i understand...

this is an actual quote from Pence:

“I will tell you that the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee are working very, very closely with state governments and secretary of states all over the country to ensure ballot integrity.”

Sounds pretty specific.

[DK504]

15. What? They're lying?

'In other words, according to Mike Pence, he and the RNC are doing precisely what the RNC is not legally permitted to do."

How the hell does information, the truth, get out before election day other than Rachel Maddow?