The Transportation Department under Secretary Elaine Chao designated a special liaison to help with grant applications and other priorities from her husband Mitch McConnell’s state of Kentucky, paving the way for grants totaling at least $78 million for favored projects as McConnell prepared to campaign for reelection.
Chao’s aide Todd Inman, who stated in an email to McConnell’s Senate office that Chao had personally asked him to serve as an intermediary, helped advise the senator and local Kentucky officials on grants with special significance for McConnell — including a highway-improvement project in a McConnell political stronghold that had been twice rejected for previous grant applications.
Beginning in April 2017, Inman and Chao met annually with a delegation from Owensboro, Ky., a river port with long connections to McConnell, including a plaza named in his honor. At the meetings, according to participants, the secretary and the local officials discussed two projects of special importance to the river city of 59,809 people — a plan to upgrade road connections to a commercial riverport and a proposal to expedite reclassifying a local parkway as an Interstate spur, a move that could persuade private businesses to locate in Owensboro.
Inman, himself a longtime Owensboro resident and onetime mayoral candidate who is now Chao’s chief of staff, followed up the 2017 meeting by emailing the riverport authority on how to improve its application. He also discussed the project by phone with Al Mattingly, the chief executive of Daviess County, which includes Owensboro, who suggested Inman was instrumental in the process.
“Todd probably smoothed the way, I mean, you know, used his influence,” Mattingly said in a POLITICO interview. “Everybody says that projects stand on their own merit, right? So if I’ve got 10 projects, and they’re all equal, where do you go to break the tie?”
“Well, let’s put it this way: I only have her ear an hour when I go to visit her once a year,” he added of Chao and Inman, a longtime Bluegrass State operative who had worked as McConnell’s advance man. “With a local guy, he has her ear 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You tell me.”
The circumstances surrounding the Owensboro grant and another, more lucrative grant to Boone County, highlight the ethical conflicts in having a powerful Cabinet secretary married to the Senate’s leader and in a position to help him politically. McConnell has long touted his ability to bring federal resources to his state, which his wife is now in a position to assist.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByjHH0GFt94/
https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance/status/1138966078657310721
https://twitter.com/divinity254/status/1138992031529930752
What gets me is the media pretending to be shocked at Trump’s comments about foreign powers offering dirt on opponents. They’ll exonerate him from all criminality in the next tweet. FOH!
https://twitter.com/RepWilson/status/1138958092769681409
Muslim ban enacted
Pedophiles are endorsed
Immigrant children locked in cages
Rule of law gone
Obstruction of justice in broad daylight
Subpoenas ignored
Encourages others to violate the law
Sexual assaulters get to the WH & the Supreme Court
The US Senate – dereliction of duty
White people want Trump. They own all of what’s happening to America.
https://twitter.com/RepRaulGrijalva/status/1138932767851520000
All of this! They’d rather burn the country down to the ground than have it any other way.
White people own this nightmare. From the Halls of Congress to the media, to the rural white voter. This is who they want. They don’t care if he’s a criminal. He’s racist & that’s enough for them.
https://twitter.com/TheRoot/status/1138913882167226368
Married to another man??😲😲😲
https://twitter.com/APCentralRegion/status/1138611652289552385
https://twitter.com/WolvesforKamala/status/1138893173537878016
https://twitter.com/DelgadoforNY19/status/1138937052312064001
https://twitter.com/SlimWiggy/status/1138937331493289985
Thread
https://twitter.com/psddluva4evah/status/1138934734757797889
https://twitter.com/IanSams/status/1138921238741639169
It’s that desi connection.. not hard to understand.. (As understandable as is the Dartmouth alumni connection that finds Kaling on CNN prime time with Jake Tapper);
But since random B-list celebrity endorsements are making headlines, here’s Samuel L. Jackson with Stephen Colbert/Late night the other night.. he’s unimpressed with the current field and says he prefers Stacey Abrams.. as do a whole bunch of Hollywood types (who aren’t desi, or affiliated with/pledged allegiance to the AKA/Skee Wee thing)..
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=edlZOSHy94c
https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1138909857774542853
https://twitter.com/robreiner/status/1138926309541916672
https://twitter.com/robreiner/status/1138926309541916672
😒😒😒
https://twitter.com/aterkel/status/1138896942845632513
He really should be confronted about this during the debates
https://twitter.com/mattbc/status/1138599945186041857
😂😂😂
https://twitter.com/HoarseWisperer/status/1138928486628888582
https://twitter.com/MrWeeks1982/status/1138928271792455680
https://twitter.com/DavidMDrucker/status/1138761082816929792
I got 23
https://twitter.com/CerromeRussell/status/1138786270430277633
👏👏👏
https://twitter.com/PoliticsWolf/status/1138916518245224453
https://twitter.com/SabrinaSiddiqui/status/1138850871872282624
🤔🤔
https://twitter.com/Bakari_Sellers/status/1138917979993911298
Congratulations 🎉👏
https://twitter.com/soulphoodie/status/1138917903540137984
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1138914904545615877
https://twitter.com/thegarance/status/1138884232170889217
Not surprising…
https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1138900711708667904
https://twitter.com/jkbjournalist/status/1138893511007322112
🙄🙄🙄🙄
https://twitter.com/chrislongview/status/1138824148367609856
https://twitter.com/ECMcLaughlin/status/1138897610897408000
https://twitter.com/lukeobrien/status/1138849119970217984
https://twitter.com/Taniel/status/1138599922247393280
😪😪😪😪
https://twitter.com/RCMhere/status/1138874504392957953
https://twitter.com/morethanmySLE/status/1138836767166148609
Well, this is interesting…..hmmmm…
gotta laugh at them asking for information about the new wife so bluntly in the story.
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: Meet Hunter Biden’s new wife! Just weeks after splitting up with his brother Beau’s widow, the vice president’s son secretly marries world-traveling South African activist
Joe Biden’s son Hunter, 49, married Melissa Cohen, from South Africa, in Los Angeles in mid-May
Hunter used an instant marriage company to marry Cohen, and the hasty vows hint that Joe and the rest of the Bidens were not in attendance for the big day
A friend of Cohen said she lives in Los Angeles and the newlyweds met in early in May, having a whirlwind romance and getting matching tattoos
On Sunday, Jill Biden posted a family photo celebrating Hunter’s daughter Maisy’s graduation from high school but Hunter’s new wife was absent
In late April, reports surfaced Hunter had called it quits with his late brother Beau’s widow Hallie after two years of dating
At the beginning of their relationship, Hunter was still married to his then-wife Kathleen, though they had been estranged. That divorce was finalized in 2017
Do you know Melissa Cohen? Email cheyenne.roundtree@mailonline.com
By CHEYENNE ROUNDTREE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 12:44 EDT, 12 June 2019 | UPDATED: 14:51 EDT, 12 June 2019
https://media.giphy.com/media/8uw7IdKfHDVPG/giphy.gif
What an utter mess..
This Hunter guy seriously needs to get his act together.. so messed up..
Destroyed his marriage and kids, destroyed his family dynamics by hooking up with his late brother’s wife.. now once again indulging his mid-life crisis by hooking up with some woman – in these dicey times where so-called ‘honeypots’ are planted by adversaries to infiltrate and destroy..
What lie told 🤔🤔🤨🤨
https://twitter.com/contrapopulist/status/1138868550557458433
😂😂😂😂
https://twitter.com/ArrogantDemon/status/1138592651035500546
https://twitter.com/mj_lee/status/1138854349436784640
https://twitter.com/hollyotterbein/status/1138811789301489664
https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1138872970343006213
Things are heating up in Hong Kong.
Police repeatedly fire tear gas on protesters as confrontation turns violent in Hong Kong
PUBLISHED TUE, JUN 11 2019 10:10 PM EDT
UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO
Large crowds of protesters gathered around the local legislature as lawmakers postponed a debate on a law that’s been condemned by hundreds of thousands in the city.
The protesters are vowing to stop a government plan to allow extraditions to mainland China, but the heart of the demonstration is the fight against the city ceding its autonomy to Beijing.
Police threatened action and later fired tear gas at protesters.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who has refused to bow to public pressure, condemned the protests as an “open and organized riot.”
https://twitter.com/BridgeProject21/status/1138841689928425472
https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/1138853563680133120
https://twitter.com/jmartNYT/status/1138857762669154305
https://twitter.com/Sifill_LDF/status/1138777478317711360
https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1138850966932021248
https://twitter.com/mj_lee/status/1138832320859901952
😂😂😂
https://twitter.com/AngryBlackLady/status/1138825848461520896
https://twitter.com/MonieTalks_1/status/1138837019344457728
https://twitter.com/CivilRightsCntr/status/1138098634585772032
https://twitter.com/democracynow/status/1138694932976345088
The Curve for Unqualified White Men is REAL.
Word of the Day : June 12, 2019
Equivocal: adjective ih-KWIV-uh-kul
Definition
1 a : subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or confuse
b : uncertain as an indication or sign
2 a : of uncertain nature or classification
b : of uncertain disposition toward a person or thing : undecided
c : of doubtful advantage, genuineness, or moral rectitude
Chao corruption shocking even for scandal-plagued Trump cabinet
Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump’s cabinet has been rife with scandal from the beginning of his term, and rounds up recent reports of brazen corruption by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. Chris Lu, former Obama cabinet secretary, joins to share his insights.
June 11, 2019
Trump Has Received Money from 22 Foreign Governments
June 12, 2019
Representatives of at least 22 foreign governments appear to have spent money at Trump Organization properties, an NBC News review has found, hinting at a significant foreign cash flow to the American president that critics say violates the U.S. Constitution.
The extent and amount of foreign spending at Trump’s hotels, golf clubs and restaurants is not known, because the Trump Organization is a private company and declines to disclose that information.
https://twitter.com/KristenClarkeJD/status/1138816358639161344
https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/1138816485542043650
DON’T TRUST IT
Hit dogs holler 😒😒
The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) Tweeted:
A Democrat read a letter calling Trump supporters “racist” and “dumb” on the House floor. The GOP wasn’t happy. https://t.co/ezy78VKzPK https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1138770470076129280?s=17
https://twitter.com/ZoeTillman/status/1138809377069117441
A historian brought proof of family’s ancestors voting before Jim Crow to some of the Congressional Black Caucus:
https://twitter.com/RodneyProject/status/1137863458509283328
They’re weaseling out in the face of a treasonous buffoon and his criminal cohort mocking and making a mockery of them, making a complete fool of them and brazenly poking them in the eye every single day… and daring them to do something about it..
Yet, they’re still focused intently on a 71 year old black woman..
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1138795954688020480
Uh huh
Uh huh 😒🙄
https://twitter.com/Needle_of_Arya/status/1138737958406709248
Murdering Joey Scar needs to have a few stadiums full of SEATS.
😒😒😒
https://twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/1138619558909153280
God help us.
Dylann Roof should not be allowed to publicize his opinions. It is inflammatory and you know he has fans, a cult following.
This was sarcasm, Liza.
He was posting in response to the WSJ publishing that trash Op-ed from the criminal prosecutor in the Central Park Five case.
Well, I’m glad you explained that, Rikyrah. It seemed so real especially for the WSJ.
Yep, the sarcasm is intense, isn’t it?
🤔🤔🤔
https://twitter.com/KurtNiceHHL/status/1138486971133825024
👏👏👏
https://twitter.com/Johngcole/status/1138655606322139136
😒😒😒
https://twitter.com/itgurl_29/status/1138620349522857984
https://twitter.com/roper_93/status/1138509305374740482
“Is there not one decent, sensible adult working I’m this administration?”
There is not. What decent person would want to be associated with Trump?
From the publisher of the woman who bothered the eating transit worker
https://twitter.com/rarebirdlit/status/1137872118761189376
…preorders of less than 50 copies..
😜😂 Shaaaddde..
👏👏👏
https://twitter.com/zizii2/status/1138523718811095040
😒😒😒
https://twitter.com/BrianKarem/status/1138497083596574720
Good grief, who is his tailor? Awful appearance, just awful. Looks like a fat slob.
Appearance aside, isn’t it time the media stop using the p-honorific to legitimize and bolster a criminal …even as they report on his brazen criminality…?
https://twitter.com/skepticalbrotha/status/1138465073943457792
I like Julian Castro. I wish his campaign were picking up more steam.
https://twitter.com/agoldenbanks/status/1138520415951818752
Look…
Not everyone makes six figures and has an 8 figure cushion.👀👀👀 Jemele Hill
It was someone on another blog who wrote it and made more sense than anything I’ve read yet…
Black folks know who they live with. The majority of US live in red states. We want some sort of protection from the demons that we live with. During 44’s years, they were no less demon, but, we had a FEDERAL APPARATUS keeping them in check.
Black folks want that FEDERAL APPARATUS back. They KNEW, when left to their own devices, what these Republicans would do. Seeing it in practice…
Don’t have time for ponies and unicorns.
Have time for what can happen right now.
Half a bushel is better than none…because, we can’t handle another 4 years of none.
https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1138485016630112257
https://twitter.com/tify330/status/1138491734470660097
https://twitter.com/rescott534/status/1138546273483722752
https://twitter.com/Needle_of_Arya/status/1138746221550399488
https://twitter.com/OjPats4/status/1138524945720532992
https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/1138568953054334977
https://twitter.com/MadisonSiriusXM/status/1138589226394480640
https://twitter.com/theGrio/status/1138589227480780800
https://twitter.com/politicususa/status/1138525109424152576
https://twitter.com/CharlesPPierce/status/1138534660277972992
Indeed..
He thinks he’s slick with that whole blanket accusation.. even though he knows full well who’s to blame.. and who’s in charge..
https://twitter.com/EazyyyEl/status/1138229842246361090
https://twitter.com/BlogXilla/status/1138499751291301888
https://twitter.com/ReignOfApril/status/1138634438294855680
https://twitter.com/InactionNever/status/1138528854023258112
https://twitter.com/HenryLouisGates/status/1138647411402969088
https://twitter.com/StCyrlyMe2/status/1138647366410485761
Cheap trick – https://youtu.be/BJs_L7yq5qE
https://twitter.com/crystal4obama/status/1138658766956535808
Vietnam will forever haunt us, any American with a conscience.
They were showing “Platoon” on one of the TV stations over the Memorial Day weekend. I hadn’t seen it in a long time, it’s not easy to watch. I watched it a couple of times then ordered the DVD. Oliver Stone’s director’s commentary is just about the best one I’ve ever heard.
Stone, of course, is a Vietnam combat veteran who served in the army in 1967-68. He wrote “Platoon” in the mid-70s but no one was interested in making the film. He finally found financing ten years later. The Pentagon refused to help him, saying the film was “unrealistic.” But the characters and the battles and some of the events are based on Stone’s real life experience. “Platoon” is a history lesson which is exactly what Stone intended, not many films have been able to do that.
https://twitter.com/ATLBlackStar/status/1138668506717839366
Good Morning, Everyone 😄 😄😄
Happy HUMP Day, Rikyrah & 3 Chics Family!
GET’EM SG2. Get McTurtle and his cheap trick wife, Elaine Chao