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Why Marine One Was Making All That Commotion Near the Vice President’s Residence

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One of the top trending topics on Twitter this afternoon was Marine One. The spike in interest in the presidential helicopters was due to some heavy flight traffic by them around the Vice President’s Residence at the Naval Observatory, which is located about three miles to the northwest of the White House. The movements were so noticeable that NBC’s Michael Benboss tweeted about it, which catapulted the Twittersphere into wild theory and conspiracy manufacturing mode. Considering the unprecedented events of the last week on Capitol Hill, this is hardly surprising. So, I wrote a tweet thread on the topic that tried to explain what folks were seeing. Although the explanations are far less entertaining than what some may hope, many seemed to appreciate the commentary and background, so I thought I would adapt it and do a formal post on the matter.

There are two major possibilities here to point out, and both of them being accurate simultaneously is actually more probable than not. Keep in mind that none of this is definitive, but it should go a long way in helping to explain what folks were likely seeing, and calm some nerves in the process. . .

Part of HMX-1’s role in COG operations includes quickly snatching POTUS and the VP and whisking them away to highly secure remote facilities were a major threat to emerge. This highly challenging action has to occur in a manner of minutes. This is partially why HMX-1 has a heavily guarded forward operating location at Naval Support Facility Anacostia, which is located just three miles from the White House. The unit is otherwise based 30 miles south of the Capital in Quantico, Virginia. With all this in mind, practice is important, especially considering the state of play in the Capital at this time. In fact, one could argue it is more critical now than at any time in recent memory. . .

The practice of primarily using the motorcade to get the Vice President where he needs to go, and especially from his residence to the White House and the Old Executive Building, is among the most obvious security changes that should happen, and we can only hope that it has. The alternative to the motorcade’s armored vehicle procession is using HMX-1’s White Tops. This would result in a sudden spike in helicopter activity at the Vice President’s residence. It may demand some additional training for HMX-1 crews in order to support the new transportation regime over the coming days. (Read more from “Why Marine One Was Making All That Commotion Near the Vice President’s Residence” HERE)

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Secret Service Investigates Death Threats Made Against Pence by Pro-Trump Lawyer

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A pro-Trump lawyer banned by Twitter is being investigated by the Secret Service for calling for Mike Pence to face the firing squad.

Lin Wood, a Georgia-based conspiracy theorist and high-profile Trump supporter, had his Twitter account removed on Wednesday for a series of provocative tweets, including saying that the Capitol riot had been staged by Antifa.

Wood then switched to Parler, the ‘free speech platform’, to continue his rant.

‘Get the firing squad ready,’ he posted. ‘Pence goes FIRST.’ . . .

The message was deleted by Parler, the CEO, John Matze, confirmed to Mediaite. (Read more from “Secret Service Investigates Death Threats Made Against Pence by Pro-Trump Lawyer” HERE)

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Graphic Video: Four Dead, Shooting in U.S. Capitol; Woman Killed at Capitol ID’d as Air Force Veteran; Tucker Carlson Weighs In

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By WND. One woman died as a result of a shooting Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol as Vice President Mike Pence was evacuated along with lawmakers meeting for the joint session of Congress to certify the election when protesters stormed the building, breaching multiple layers of security and barricades. . .

Later reports confirmed one woman had died, but no details were available immediately. Editor’s note: more on her tragic death, below.

President Trump tweeted: “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”

(Read more from “Graphic Video: Woman Dies After Shooting in U.S. Capitol” HERE)

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U.S. Capitol Secured, 4 Dead

By CNN. The US Capitol is once again secured but four people are dead — including one woman who was shot — after supporters of President Donald Trump breached one of the most iconic American buildings[.] . . .

A woman, who is yet to be identified, died after being shot in the chest on the Capitol grounds, DC police confirmed to CNN. More information on the shooting was not immediately available and a police spokesperson said additional details will come later. DC Police Chief Robert Contee said three other people died from medical emergencies during the riot.

“One adult female and two adult males appear to have suffered from separate medical emergencies, which resulted in their deaths. Any loss of life in the District is tragic and our thoughts are with anyone impacted by their loss,” Contee said at a news conference Wednesday night. (Read more from “U.S. Capitol Secured, 4 Dead” HERE)

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Woman Killed at Capitol Identified as Air Force Veteran From San Diego

By Forbes. The woman who died after being shot as a mob of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday has been identified as Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from San Diego, according to multiple reports.

Babbitt died at a hospital after being rushed out of the Capitol on a stretcher Wednesday afternoon (some media are spelling her last name as Babbit).

Babbitt was among a group of Trump supporters inside the Capitol when police opened fire, but it is unclear at this point what caused the lethal use of force.

According to WTTG-TV, Babbitt lived in San Diego, and was a 14-year Air Force veteran. (Read more from “Woman Killed at Capitol Identified as Air Force Veteran From San Diego” HERE)

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Here’s what Tucker Carlson had to say about it:

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Trump Told People He Banned Pence’s Chief of Staff From the West Wing

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By CNN. President Trump told people he banned Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short from the West Wing today, according to multiple people. (Read more from “Trump Told People He Banned Pence’s Chief of Staff From the West Wing” HERE)

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Officials Discussing 25th Amendment for Trump Following Violence at Capitol

By The Hill. Administration officials have started discussing the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Officials have exchanged calls and messages about the extraordinary measure, which would require a majority of Cabinet officials plus Vice President Pence to declare to Congress that Trump is unable to fulfill his duties as president.

The discussions appear to be limited and it’s not clear whether they have reached the level of any Cabinet officials. It is not clear that officials would actually move forward with invoking the 25th Amendment, or that enough Cabinet members would even support it, particularly given Trump has only two weeks left in office. (Read more from “Trump Told People He Banned Pence’s Chief of Staff From the West Wing” HERE)

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Report: Mike Pence Does ‘Not Believe’ He Has ‘Power To Block Congressional Certification’; Trump Furiously Denies Reports

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By Breitbart. Vice President Mike Pence reportedly told President Trump Tuesday that he does not possess the power to block the certification of the election — a remark that followed Trump asserting the vice president, who is presiding over Wednesday’s joint session of Congress, has the “power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.”

According to a report from the New York Times, Pence reportedly told Trump “he did not believe he had the power to block congressional certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in the presidential election despite Mr. Trump’s baseless insistence that he did, people briefed on the conversation said.”

The report follows an earlier tweet from the president, who said that the vice president “has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors”:

Congress will formally count the Electoral College votes on Wednesday. Objections from at least one lawmaker in both the House and Senate would trigger debates in both chambers — a phenomenon that is expected to happen, with over 100 GOP members of the House and over a dozen GOP senators signaling their intention to object to electors in disputed states. (Read more from “Mike Pence Does ‘Not Believe’ He Has ‘Power To Block Congressional Certification’” HERE)

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Trump Furiously Denies Reports Pence Told Him He Cannot Overturn Election Result

By Washington Examiner. President Trump angrily denounced as “fake news” a growing number of reports that Vice President Mike Pence told him he lacked the authority to overturn Electoral College votes when a joint session of Congress convenes to certify the election on Wednesday.

His reaction demonstrates how his repeated, unfounded claims that November’s election was stolen from him have heaped pressure on his most loyal deputy.

For its part, Pence’s office declined to comment on news that he used his weekly lunch with the president to deliver his message, according to the New York Times.

But Trump issued a statement late in the evening, insisting once again that Pence had multiple ways to overturn the result and that he had never said he lacked the power.

“He never said that,” said Trump. “The vice president and I are in total agreement that the vice president has the power to act.” (Read more from “Trump Furiously Denies Reports Pence Told Him He Cannot Overturn Election Result” HERE)

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Does Mike Pence Hold the Legal Key to Keeping Trump in Office?; Joe Biden Accuses Trump DOD Staff of Risking National Security by Obstructing Transition

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By WND. A lawsuit has been filed seeking authority for Vice President Mike Pence, when Congress counts the Electoral College votes for president on January 6, to decide which slates of electors from contested states are valid.

The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Texas by a team lead by U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas.

It seeks a declaratory judgment “finding that the elector dispute resolution provisions in Section 15 of the Electoral Count Act … are unconstitutional because these provisions violate the Electors Clause and the Twelfth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

The issue has come up as President Trump’s challenges to the results of a number of swing states in the 2020 election have not been fully resolved. His campaign lawyers, and others acting in concert with but not under the campaign, have alleged, with evidence, that there was enough vote fraud to overturn the results, which were awarded by state officials to Joe Biden. . .

“They establish procedures for determining which of two or more competing slates of Presidential Electors for a given state are to be counted in the Electoral College, or how objections to a proffered slate are adjudicated, that violate the Twelfth Amendment,” the case indicates. (Read more from “Does Mike Pence Hold the Legal Key to Keeping Trump in Office?” HERE)

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Joe Biden Accuses Trump DOD Staff of Risking National Security by Obstructing Transition

By Breitbart. President-elect Joe Biden is accusing the Trump administration’s senior political staff within the Department of Defense (DOD) and other agencies of putting national security at risk by obstructing the White House transition process.

Biden, who campaigned for the presidency on a platform of restoring America’s standing across the globe, made the remarks Monday in Wilmington, Delaware, when discussing the national security and foreign policy challenges his administration is set to inherit. At the event, Biden accused senior political officials within President Donald Trump’s administration of refusing to cooperate with the official handover of power.

“For some agencies, our teams received exemplary cooperation from the career staff in those agencies,” Biden said. “From others, most notably the Department of Defense, we’ve encountered obstruction from the political leadership of that department.”

Arguing that America’s national security infrastructure had been “hollowed out” over the past four years, the president-elect claimed senior administration officials were putting national security at further risk by refusing to cooperate with the transition. Biden, most notably, suggested such “obstruction” could create a “window of confusion … that our advertisers may try to exploit” in the days after his administration takes office.

“Right now as our nation is in a period of transition, we need to make sure that nothing is lost in the handoff between administration [sic],” he said. “My team needs a clear picture of our forced posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies.” (Read more from “Joe Biden Accuses Trump DOD Staff of Risking National Security by Obstructing Transition” HERE)

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Pence in Georgia: GOP Senate Needed to ‘Save America’

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Vice President Mike Pence made his first runoff campaign stop with Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler on Friday, urging voters to “keep Georgia and save America.”

“Let’s show the world what Georgia is all about—that the agenda of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi is not the agenda of the people of Georgia,” Pence said in Canton.

Republicans are counting on the vice president’s visit to spur turnout in the state’s impending Senate runoff elections, which will determine partisan control of the upper chamber. Pence’s speech mirrored Perdue and Loeffler’s messaging—the Republicans pitched themselves as the “last line of defense” that will ensure congressional Democrats cannot pass progressive legislation like the Green New Deal. . .

Pence is the latest high-profile GOP official to join Perdue and Loeffler on the campaign trail, with former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Tom Cotton (Ark.) all visiting the Peach State in recent days. The vice president praised Perdue and Loeffler for their “strong support” for the Trump administration. (Read more from “Pence in GeorgiA: GOP Senate Needed to ‘Save America’” HERE)

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China Censors Mike Pence During VP Debate Broadcast

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China’s censors cut off Vice President Mike Pence mid-sentence during the debate with Sen. Kamala Harris when he called out the Chinese Communist Party for its mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.

As Pence Wednesday night began to criticize Beijing’s response, saying “China is to blame,” CNN’s feed in China suddenly cut out and the words “no signal – please stand by” appeared over a test pattern. . .

Nathan VanderKlippe, the Globe and Mail’s Beijing reporter, noted the communist-run government’s heavy-handed response to the criticism.

“What it looks like when China censors a vice-presidential debate after a question about China is asked – and then lifts the blackout when conversation appears set to move on,” he posted on Twitter. (Read more from “China Censors Mike Pence During VP Debate Broadcast” HERE)

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VP Pence Steps Onto Center Stage With Trump Hospitalized

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Vice President Mike Pence flies to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday as he prepares for his biggest role yet — becoming the face of President Trump’s reelection campaign.

With the president laid low by the coronavirus, his deputy is stepping up as campaign officials hastily rejig plans for the final month before Election Day with “Operation MAGA,” deploying Pence and the Trump family in a new front line.

Analysts wonder whether they can replace the charismatic presence of the campaign’s biggest asset and whether the next in line to the presidency should even be out on the road. . .

On Wednesday, Pence steps fully into the spotlight with the vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City, turning what would have been a sideshow into the week’s big political event. . .

It means the man who has frequently been pressed into service in a supporting role — carrying out the sort of retail politics that Trump avoids, or acting as a bridge to some evangelical voters and the traditional conservatives who have never been entirely comfortable with a thrice-married reality TV star as their president — moves to center stage. (Read more from “VP Pence Steps Onto Center Stage With Trump Hospitalized” HERE)

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WATCH: Pence Says Trump Is Planning Executive Action to Protect Pre-Existing Conditions

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Vice President Mike Pence said during a Tuesday interview that the president is considering executive action, if necessary, to protect Americans with pre-existing health conditions.

As Democrats consider all the ways a conservative-anchored Supreme Court could affect different laws that were enacted under their own party control of the Executive and Legislative branches, the fate of Obamacare weighs heavy in their minds. Shortly after Election Day, the Supreme Court is set to rule on the constitutionality of certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act, including the much bemoaned individual mandate.

On Tuesday, CBS’ Norah O’Donnell asked the vice president whether he believed that Obamacare should be in such jeopardy when so many Americans are concerned about not being able to get health coverage for their pre-existing medical conditions. . .

“We’ve long believed that the individual mandate at the center of Obamacare was unconstitutional,” the vice president answered. That mandate, which legally requires all Americans to have at least a basic level of pricey health care coverage, has been blamed for hiking up the cost of premiums across the board. The tax penalty for refusing coverage has already been repealed for being unconstitutional.

“But make no mistake about it,” Pence continued, “the president’s also been very clear we’re going to make sure that any American with a pre-existing condition will continue to have coverage. The president is going to take action in the weeks ahead to make sure of that.”

(Read more from “Pence Says Trump Is Planning Executive Action to Protect Pre-Existing Conditions” HERE)

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