The Party’s Over: No. 10’s COVID BYOB Affair

Above: Dame Shirley Bassey delivers the news.

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, British/American stand-up comedian, cricketer, and former London Lord Mayor, the Monty Python character currently serving as UK Prime Minister, is well in it for a spingtime garden party at his current abode, No. 10 Downing Street. It was a “bring your own bottle” party for staff. Very plesant-sounding. So why is everyone giving him stick?

The boozy party was on May 20, 2020, during a COVID lockdown strickly limiting outdoor gatherings and imposing fines up to £10,000 ($13,715) on violators. On that same day, there were 328 COVID-related deaths in the UK.

Mr. Johnson apologized before Parliament, but “Partygate” might be the scandal that finally gets BoJo made redundant and booted from office.

More:

“‘The party’s over, Boris’: what the papers say about Johnson’s No 10 crisis,” Graham Russell, The Guardian

“What next for Boris Johnson after his party apology?” Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News

Updates:

“Boris Johnson’s staff accused of more rule-breaking parties inside No 10,” BBC News

“On eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, Downing Street held lockdown parties,” Karla Adam, Washington Post

“Met police accused over failure to investigate No 10 lockdown parties,” Vikram Dodd, The Guardian

“Nobody warned me drinks event was against rules – Boris Johnson,” BBC News

“‘In the Name of God, Go’: Boris Johnson Told to Resign Over Boozy Lockdown Parties,” Jamie Ross, Daily Beast

Updated Updates:

“Boris Johnson ‘birthday bash’ added to list of alleged lockdown parties,” William Booth, Washington Post

“London police to investigate Downing Street parties during lockdown, raising stakes for Boris Johnson,” William Booth, Washington Post

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The Sins of Hobby Lobby

The 5,000 year old Gilgamesh Dream Tablet, an ancient clay artifact looted from Iraq and owned by Steve Green, the evangelical entrepreneur who heads Hobby Lobby craft stores and the so-called Museum of the Bible, has been returned to the Baghdad museum it was stolen from.

Uber-evangelical Mr. Green runs a $5 billion, 932-store retail chain which claims to be “Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.” He was caught buying 11,500 looted artifacts (“Thou Shalt Not Steal”), and smuggling them into the country with forged invoices (“Thou Shalt not Bear False Witness”) because he really, really wanted them for his Museum of the Bible (“Thou Shalt Not Covet”). Money paid for many of Iraq’s looted antiquities was used to fund terrorism (“Thou Shalt Not Kill”).

Hobby Lobby closes on Sundays, so that sabbath-observing thing is covered, anyway.

Jerry Falwell Jr. Sues Liberty U. for Damaging His Non-Existant Reputation

Trump-backing, pistol packing attorney Jerry Falwell Jr., once President of Liberty University by grace of God being fathered by university founder Jerry Falwell Sr., recently stepped down as head of LU, world’s largest evangelical diploma mill, following revelations of sexual scandal involving Falwell Jr., his wife, and a hotel pool boy. Liberty University’s code of honor holds that sex outside of “biblically-ordained marriage” is a ticket to Hell, and the disgraced Mr. Falwell slunk away with a mere $10.5 million separation package. 

His sexual shenanigans shredded what was left of Liberty University’s reputation after his shady real estate deals, low-quality online courses, and 2016 endorsement of Donald Trump, but Junior now says he is the injured party after the seamy sex scandal and the university board’s independent investigation of his dubious business operations. Mr. Falwell claims this reputational damage means he can no longer pose as a righteous Christian on the holier-than-thou circuit, or even on morally-challenged Fox News. He’s suing the university for alleged damages.

Fiddlesticks. It’s not as if Mr. Falwell’s current situation leaves him with no viable career alternatives. Liberty U is in Lynchburg, Virginia, an area short on entertainment alternatives, and “Jerry Junior’s” would be a great name for a topless bar.

More:

“Falwell sues Liberty, saying school damaged his reputation,” Sarah Rankin and Elana Schor, Associated Press

“Jerry Falwell Jr. sues Liberty University over reputation damage,” Justine Coleman, Thr Hill

Related:

“How Falwell Kept His Grip on Liberty Amid Sexual ‘Games,’ Self-Dealing,” Maggie Severns, Brandon Ambrosino, and Michael Stratford,, Politico

“Sex, Lies, And Regret: Giancarlo Granda Reels From Eight Years With The Falwells,” Josh Kovensky, Talking Points Memo

“A Trump executive order set the stage for Falwell’s political activities,” Maggie Severns, Politico

Updates:

“Falwell drops defamation lawsuit against Liberty University,” Associated Press

“Jerry Falwell Drops Lawsuit Against Liberty University,” TalkingPointsMemo

“Jerry Falwell Jr. spent heavily on Trump, GOP causes with funds from nonprofit Liberty University,” Peter Weber, The Week

“‘They All Got Careless’: How Falwell Kept His Grip on Liberty Amid Sexual ‘Games,’ Self-Dealing,” Maggie Severns, Brandon Ambrosino, and Michael Stratford, Politico

“Falwell’s Liberty University-Funded Think Tank Relentlessly Pushing Trump Fraud Claims, Says Report,” Jamie Ross, Daily Beast

“In final years at Liberty, Falwell spent millions on pro-Trump causes,” Maggie Severns, Politico

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The Falwell Legacy at Liberty University

Trump-backing, pistol packing attorney Jerry Falwell Jr., President of Liberty University by grace of God being fathered by university founder Jerry Falwell Sr., has stepped down as head of LU, the world’s largest evangelical Christian diploma mill. His exit last month followed revelation of sexual scandal involving Falwell Jr., his wife, and a hotel pool boy. Liberty University’s code of honor holds that sex outside of “biblically-ordained marriage” is a ticket to Hell, and students who practice it are automatically expelled. Mr. Falwell Jr. slinks away in disgrace with a mere $10.5 million separation package. 

An early endorser of Donald Trump in the 2016 campaign, Jerry Falwell Jr. forgave him for his adultery and other transgressions. “We’re all sinners, every one of us,” he said. “We’ve all done things we wish we hadn’t.”

Under Junior’s leadership, LU prospered through shady real estate deals, low-quality online courses, and untold hundreds of millions in federal student loans. The university board has started an independent investigation of business operations under Falwell Jr.’s tenure.

More:

“Business partner of Falwells says affair with evangelical power couple spanned seven years,” Aram Rosten, Reuters

“‘She was the aggressor’: Former Liberty student alleges sexual encounter with Becki Falwell,” Brandon Ambrosino, Politico

“Jerry Falwell Jr., Trump’s early and effusive evangelical champion, lifted a president before his own fall,” Eugene Scott, Washington Post

“Liberty University investigating fallen president Jerry Falwell Jr.’s entire tenure,” Theresa Braine, NY Daily News

“My Final Farewell to the Falwells,” Larry Flynt, Daily Beast

Updates:

“Liberty tells staff to refrain from interacting with Falwell,” AP via WTOP News

“The Falwells, the pool attendant and the double life that brought them all down,” By Michael E. Miller and Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Washington Post

Related:

“A Trump executive order set the stage for Falwell’s political activities,” Maggie Severns, Politico

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Roy Moore Loses In Alabama

Roy Moore, defrocked judge, gun-slinging, theocratic, racist homophobe, and alleged child molester, came in 4th in Alabama’s GOP senatorial primary on Super Tuesday, losing his bid for a general election rematch with Democrat Doug Jones. So you won’t find Judge Moore in the U.S. Capitol in 2021, but he might be hanging out near Claire’s in Gadsden Mall.

More:

“Accused pedophile Roy Moore flames out in Alabama GOP Senate primary,” Matthew Rozsa, Salon

“At Least Roy Moore Won’t Be a U.S. Senator,” Zak Cheney-Rice, New York Magazine

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Girls! Roy Moore Is Back.

He’s back! Shopping mall romeo, twice-defrocked Alabama judge and gun-slinging theocratic racist homophobe Roy Moore wants to be Alabama’s Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2020. Sure, he lost his 2017 bid due to some pesky talk about hitting on teenyboppers, but Mr. Moore reasons that if Brett Kavanaugh could get through his Supreme Court hearing last year, he can get to the Senate this time.

More:

“Roy Moore, Accused Child Molester, Announces Second Senate Run,” Scott Bixby, Daily Beast

“Roy Moore announces 2020 Senate run, vows to ‘make more personal contact with people,'” The Week

“‘This place has enough creepy old men’: GOP vows to crush Roy Moore,” Burgess Everett, Politico

“Roy Moore is running for Senate again, and there’s nothing Washington Republicans can do about it,” Amber Phillips, Washington Post

“Donald Trump Jr. mocks Roy Moore after campaign announcement, reigniting criticism,” Sam Dorman, Fox News

“How Roy Moore Could Actually Win Alabama’s Republican Senate Primary,” Geoffrey Skelley, FiveThirtyEight

Related:

“Roy Moore’s lawyer Trenton Garmon arrested on drug charges,” Ivana Hrynkiw, AI.com

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It Takes a Village of Undocumented Workers to Run Trump Golf Resorts

Candidate Donald Trump railed against U.S. employers who hire undocumented workers, but his golf resorts were built by them, including the “Summer White House” at Bedminster, NJ. Villagers from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala were knowingly hired by Trump Golf managers as construction laborers, heavy equipment operators, landscapers, kitchen staff, and housekeepers for about two decades. After the Washington Post broke a story about undocumented workers at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester NY, where Eric Trump lives, these long-time Trump employees were all swiftly fired, and other Trump resorts shortly followed suit.

The Trump Organization did not use the federal E-Verify system except in cases like the DC Trump Hotel, a GSA construction project that required it. Once in operation, the hotel apparently stopped using it.

More:

“‘My whole town practically lived there’: From Costa Rica to New Jersey, a pipeline of illegal workers for Trump goes back years,” Joshua Partlow, Nick Miroff and David A. Fahrenthold, Washington Post

“Trump’s own undocumented help highlights plight of many immigrants,” Paul Reyes, The Hill

“7 questions about Trump’s use of illegal workers at his golf courses,” David A. Fahrenthold and Joshua Partlow, Washington Post

Roy Moore Claims Pulitzer-Winning Exposés Are ‘Forces of Evil’

The Washington Post won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for its investigative reporting of Roy Moore’s courtship of underage girls. Mr. Moore, failed senate candidate,  defrocked judge and gun-slinging, theocratic, racist homophobe, calls that reporting “lies and slander” in a fundraising email he sent out to raise money for his legal defense in a defamation lawsuit filed by one of his accusers.

“They spread slanderous lies and made numerous false accusations. They attacked my character. They dragged my reputation through the mud. They even attacked my wife and family. But instead of being held accountable in a court of law, the Washington Post just won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for their lies and slander against me and my family. Meanwhile, I’m being sued for standing up and defending myself and my family from ruthless lies and attacks. And it’s exactly why you and I must stand strong in our legal fight against the forces of evil.”

Hey, y’all. Pulitzer. That some kinda Jewish name?

More:

“Roy Moore fundraising off Pulitzers won for stories about him, cites ‘forces of evil,'” Leada Gore, AL.com

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Ray Moore: ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl!’

In 1977, Gena Richardson was a high school senior working in the men’s department of Sears at the Gadsden Mall when Roy Moore introduce himself:

“Moore, she says, asked where she went to school before asking for her phone number. Richardson declined to give it to him, telling Moore that her dad was a Southern Baptist preacher, and wouldn’t allow them to date. Moore was a 30-year-old lawyer working in his hometown of Gadsden at the time. A few days after their first encounter, Moore called Richardson’s school to try and ask her out again. From the [Washington] Post:

‘A few days later, she says, she was in trigonometry class at Gadsden High when she was summoned to the principal’s office over the intercom in her classroom. She had a phone call. “I said ‘Hello?’ Richardson recalls. “And the male on the other line said, ‘Gena, this is Roy Moore.’ I was like, ‘What?!’ He said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m in trig class.’ ”

Richardson says Moore asked her out again on the call. A few days later, after he asked her out at Sears, she relented and agreed, feeling both nervous and flattered. They met that night at a movie theater in the mall after she got off work, a date that ended with Moore driving her to her car in a dark parking lot behind Sears and giving her what she called an unwanted, “forceful” kiss that left her scared.’

Moore’s pursuit of Richardson at the Gadsden mall wasn’t unique, according to the Post’s reporting. Eventually, Richardson would hide when Moore came into the store, and the manager at the store would tell new hires to “watch out for” Moore. Kayla McLaughlin, a classmate and co-worker of Richardson’s, corroborated her story to the Post.”

 — “A High School Senior Wouldn’t Give Roy Moore Her Number So She Says He Called Her at School,” Elliot Hannon, Slate

Related:

“Roy Moore Dated ‘Younger Ladies’ For Their ‘Purity,’ His Pastor Friend Says,” Cameron Joseph, TPM Livewire

“Roy Moore admits his wife, who is 14 years his junior, first caught his eye ‘when she was just FIFTEEN and performing in a junior college dance recital,’” Hanna Parry, Daily Mail

“Retired Officer: We Knew Moore ‘Liked Young Girls,’ But Never Got A Complaint,” Nicole Lafond, TPM Livewire

“Flip Benham: Roy Moore Pursued Teenagers Because All The Other Women Were Married,” Kyle Mantyla, Right Wing Watch

Video: “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl,” written (and originally recorded) by John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson, performed by Muddy Waters, 1964. Muddy Waters (vocal, guitar),  Buddy Guy (guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), and Clifton James (drums).

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Roy Moore, Shopping Mall Romeo

Roy Moore, defrocked judge and gun-slinging, theocratic, racist homophobe, is currently the Republican candidate for Jeff Sessions’ old U.S. Senate seat. He’s also been accused of sexually molesting teenage girls when he was a 32 year old assistant district attorney. Five women have come forward so far. He was a persistent creep, hitting on teenybopper shoppers, waitresses and clerks, and was finally banned from the Gadsden Mall. As Jennifer Rubin points out, if Roy Moore can be banned from a shopping mall, he can be kept out of the U.S. Senate. Most Americans, the RNC, and Republican leaders agree, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is preparing for that possibility.

The Alabama Special Election is on December 12th.

More:

“6th Moore accuser claims he groped her in his office,” Haley Britzky, Axios

“Two more women describe unwanted overtures by Roy Moore at Alabama mall,” Stephanie McCrummen, Beth Reinhard and Alice Crites, Washington Post 

“Woman: When I Was 17, Moore Said, ‘I Go Out With Girls Your Age All The Time,’” Esme Cribb, TPM Livewire

“Roy Moore admits his wife, who is 14 years his junior, first caught his eye ‘when she was just FIFTEEN and performing in a junior college dance recital,'” Hanna Parry, Daily Mail

“Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby joins GOP leaders in shunning Roy Moore,” Lisa Mascaro and Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times

“3 Ways Republicans Can Block Roy Moore From the Senate,” Bridget Bowman, Roll Call

“How the Senate could expel Roy Moore if he wins,” Shane Savitsky, Axios

“GOP leaders weigh drastic plan to save Alabama Senate seat,” Alex Isenstadt and Eliana Johnson, Politico

“Moore Amid Mounting Pressure To Drop Out: I’m Facing A ‘Spiritual Battle,’” TPM Livewire

“Moore: ‘We are everything the Washington Elite hate,'” Mallory Shelbourne, The Hill

“Roy Moore’s Lawyer Just Sent a Grammatical Apocalypse of a Letter Threatening Local Media,” Elliot Hannon, Slate