DL Open Thread: Friday, December 1, 2023

Israel Knew Of Hamas’ Planned Attack–And Did Nothing.  For over a year:

Israeli officials obtained Hamas’s battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show. But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.

The approximately 40-page document, which the Israeli authorities code-named “Jericho Wall,” outlined, point by point, exactly the kind of devastating invasion that led to the deaths of about 1,200 people.

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

Just, wow.

Adios, Santos.  Today’s the day.  More Rethug bloodletting on the floor of the House.  Have to say, I’ve never seen a human being who looks less like an authentic human being.  He’s always looked like some sort of construct that I’ve found both fascinating and bizarre. A character that Patricia Highsmith might have created:

The North Shore Leader, a newspaper in Santos’ Long Island district, originally raised questions about claims Santos made during his campaign where he estimated his net worth at roughly $11 million. More extensive allegations were published last December in The New York Times.

Among other lies, the 35-year-old Santos falsely claimed to have been a volleyball star at Baruch College, to have worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and that he was Jewish — stories he later amended or recanted in a December 2022 interview.

In May, Santos was indicted on 13 criminal charges including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

In October, prosecutors added an additional 10 charges in a superseding indictment, following a plea deal by a former campaign finance official affiliated with his campaign.

Mom For Liberty < Mom For Libertinism.  Self-righteous Rethugs doin’ what comes natcherly:

The Sarasota Police Department is investigating a sexual battery allegation against Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, a political bombshell in the home state of former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Ziegler and his wife, Sarasota County School Board member and Moms for Liberty founder Bridget Ziegler, have emerged as one of the most prominent political couples in the state in recent years.

Sources told the Trident that the woman accusing Christian Ziegler of sexual battery “alleged that she and both Zieglers had been involved in a longstanding consensual three-way sexual relationship prior to the incident.” The incident occurred when Christian Ziegler and the woman were alone at the woman’s house, the sources told the advocacy group.

More on Bridget from TPM:

As you’d expect both Zieglers are big time “family values” supporters. While Christian Ziegler is more or less contained within the world of Florida politics, Bridget Ziegler is a full blown MAGA star. She is not only a Moms for Liberty co-founder. She also played a key role in the passage of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay Law”. She’s also become a major anti-trans activist and proponent of bringing “religious values” into public schools.

To quote my favorite line ever from Law And Order: “YOU, you couldn’t keep it in your pants.”

Sen. Durbin To Rethugs: “Go F*** Yourselves”.  Hoisted ’em with their own petards (memo to self: find out what that means) by (a) having the committee subpoena both Leonard Leo and Harlan Crowe; and by (b) getting two nominated judges voted out of committee w/o the usual Rethug delaying tactics.  Calmly. Ruthlessly.  Why?:

It wasn’t until after Democrats voted out both nominees and the complaints had somewhat subsided that Durbin had a chance to spell out why this was happening: He was following a precedent set by the last two Republican chairs of the committee, who violated the same committee rule to advance nominees and legislation without giving Democrats a chance to weigh in.

“The two preceding chairs of this committee violated the letter and spirit of Committee Rule IV,” he said, referring to a committee rule that requires at least one member of the minority to vote with the majority to end debate on a matter before moving to vote on it.

Durbin said one former chair, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), violated this rule with a vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, and Graham was chair when he broke the rule to advance a partisan immigration bill without Democratic input.

“In doing so, Republicans established a new precedent that I followed on one occasion last Congress and will follow again today,” said the Illinois Democrat. “I’ve said time and again there cannot be one set of rules for Republicans and a different set for Democrats.”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) suggested it was petty for Durbin to break rules just because previous chairmen did it, too.

“So Mr. Chairman, you’re saying because you think Sen. Grassley violated the rule, you’re going to violate the rule?” he asked.

“It’s called precedent, senator,” replied Durbin.