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Embattled Democratic Rep. Katie Hill of California has been paying funds from her campaign account to a woman who has been identified as Hill’s former lover.

Hill is facing a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding allegations she had an inappropriate relationship with Graham Kelly, her legislative director. Such relationships are banned under ethics rules.

“The committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Katie Hill may have engaged in a sexual relationship with an individual on her congressional staff, in violation of” ethics rules, the panel said, according to The Washington Post. “The committee … has begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding the allegations.”

Hill has firmly denied any affair with Kelly took place.

“I am beyond grateful for the work the Ethics Committee does to ensure transparency in Congress. I welcome this investigation and will be cooperating fully to clear this matter up,” Hill said in a statement.

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However, the questions surrounding Hill grew more complex after Hill, who is openly bisexual, admitted to an affair with a former campaign aide who has been identified as Morgan Desjardins, 24, according to the Washington Examiner.

Hill told constituents that her relationship with Desjardins came “during the final tumultuous years of my abusive marriage.” She and Kenneth Heslep filed for divorce this summer, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“I know that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment,” Hill’s letter read.

Although Hill has said in a letter to her constituents that her affair took place before she was elected, Federal Election Commission data shows that since April, Desjardins has raked in about $14,000 from Hill’s campaign for consulting services, which multiple checks for $2,500 per month. Prior to that time, Desjardins was paid at a rate of about $50,000 a year as a staff member for Hill’s campaign, the records show.

In the meantime, photos of Hill have been posted on multiple websites. The website RedState began the barrage of private photos with images of Hill kissing another woman in a story that claimed the woman was involved in a relationship with both Hill and Hill’s former husband.

One of the images shows Hill nude while combing Desjardins’ hair. Another shows her with what the Daily Mail referred to as a bong. Hill, in turn, is demanding action against sites that have published the images, according to Fox News.

Lawyers Marc Elias and Rachel Jacobs, who work for the firm Perkins Coie, demanded the Daily Mail take down the images of Hill that it posted.

“This letter serves as notice that civil and criminal laws prohibit the publication of images of the character you have posted, and that our client is prepared to take all necessary means to protect her rights and to protect herself from an unprecedented, unwarranted and extraordinary offensive invasion of personal privacy,” the lawyers wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by multiple publications.

Hill’s attorneys focused on a claim in the Daily Mail that Hill had an inappropriate tattoo.

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“The claim that Representative Hill has Nazi imagery on her body in the form of a tattoo is false and defamatory,” the lawyers wrote. “We demand that you immediately cease and desist the publication of these abusive and spurious images. The continued publication by your outlet or others of these images will warrant legal response.”

Hill called the release of texts and letters that have been published online an attempt to humiliate that has crossed the lime to become a crime.

“The truth is, distributing intimate photos with the intent to publish them is a crime, and the perpetrator should be punished to the full extent of the law,” Hill said.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

As if there weren’t enough Trump-adjacent things for the media to feign outrage about this week, the president also managed to call Never-Trumpers “human scum” in a tweet.

“The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats,” Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday.

“Watch out for them, they are human scum!”

The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats. Watch out for them, they are human scum!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2019

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There was plenty of condemnation to go around for this, including from some Republicans.

“To call anybody human scum is beneath the office of the presidency. You can’t say that, right? You’re the president. You have different standards,” GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois told CNN.

Yet, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh said on his Thursday show that these are the people who call the president even worse things.

“Now, if the name sounds familiar, this guy’s a regular on CNN,” Limbaugh said of Kinzinger, according to a transcript on RushLimbaugh.com.

“He’s a Republican in the House, but he’s a regular on CNN throughout the drive-by media,” Limbaugh said.

“Last month, for instance, he blasted Trump for merely retweeting a comment from a pastor that impeachment could lead to a Civil War-like fracture. Pastor tweeted that; Trump retweeted it. Adam Kinzinger: That’s beneath the president. He shouldn’t be retweeting things like that. He said that retweet was beyond repugnant.”

“Now, I think this is rich. See, in the normal ebb and flow of things, I can understand, ‘I wish he hadn’t said ‘scum.’ But, folks, these are not normal times,” Limbaugh said. “And I dare say that none of these people who are telling Trump how to act and trying to define standards of decorum for him, I doubt that any of them could tolerate over a week what he puts up with, maybe not even that long.”

Limbaugh noted that the president “has been called a Nazi, a white supremacist, a racist. He has been accused of supporting white supremacists and Nazis — that’s that whole Charlottesville debacle — he has been called a traitor.”

“And they have been serious about it!” he continued. “He’s been called a Russian agent. He has been accused of undermining the United States government. He has been called the worst personal things, insults that you can possibly imagine. And he, like every other Republican, is just supposed to sit there and take it.”

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Limbaugh went on to compare what Trump’s been going through to some of the things that have been said about the radio host himself in his own career.

“Look at what Trump has had to endure them saying about his kids. Now, I know that many of you are saying he should still be above it, Rush,” he said.

Limbaugh talked about an email he once received: “It went on to describe how, over the course of doing the show, ‘we’re aware of how you’ve been insulted, but you never respond to any of it the way Trump does.’”

“I guess the point was that Trump should not respond the way he is. Well, it’s true. But I’ve had far different reasons. I’ve been handcuffed in how I can respond to this stuff, folks. I’m responsible for much more than just me here, and I have to take that into account.”

“But the business about identifying with Trump, I’m not conscious of that, but as I stop and think about it, look at the things — you know, I’ve been accused of making fun of people that can’t walk,” Limbaugh said. “I can’t remember all of the things because it’s been over 30 years, not just the racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe stuff, but the abject lies and misquotes about things that I have said.”

“So I guess in a way it’s not that I can identify with Trump, but I know what it’s like. And I’m not the only conservative Republican who does. But I’ve wanted to respond — this is the conversation I’ve had with you about nobody knows the right way to respond, no matter what you do, somebody’s gonna think you’re doing it wrong.”

Is “human scum” the right way to respond? Well, it’s certainly not going to win any awards for diplomacy.

Then again, neither are attacks where Trump is referred to as a white supremacist or a tool of Vladimir Putin. In that sort of context, “human scum” almost looks civil.

“I don’t think anybody out there can in any way relate personally to the literal attempts, I mean, real attempts to destroy everything about [Trump], his life, personal, business, his presidency, and then before that his campaign,” Limbaugh said.

“And what do you think somebody’s going to do when they are the subject of endless attacks like this?”

They’re going to respond, if they can. That’s something every undecided conservative voter should remember if they’re tempted to join the outrage brigade.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

On Oct. 23, the world lost an up-and-coming artist and a famous Christian musician lost a beloved son.

Truett Foster McKeehan, the son of Christian artist TobyMac, died at home this week. The tragic news was confirmed by both TobyMac’s representative and a tribute that TobyMac himself posted on social media on Oct. 24.

“Truett did pass away at home in the Nashville area sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning,” the representative said, according to the Nashville Tennessean.

“We just ask that everyone please be respectful of their privacy during this time and allow them to grieve their loss.”

On Thursday, the grieving father posted on Facebook about the young man he loved so dearly.

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“Truett Foster Mckeehan had joy that took the room when he entered,” the post began. “He was a magnetic son and brother and friend. If you met him, you knew him, you remembered him.”

“His smile, his laugh, the encouragement he offered with words or even without. He had an untamable grand personality and dreams to match. And he hated being put in a box.”

TobyMac extolled his Truett’s creative prowess, sharing that his son was beginning to see some success on his own.

“He expressed himself through the music he made. And by made I mean, written, recorded, produced, mixed, and designed the art. All of it. A true artist.”

“His first show was a week ago, and it was nothing short of electric. Everyone felt it, everyone knew it. He could’ve easily taken the easy route and put music out when he was 12, 14, 16, even 18, but he always said he wanted to live some life and have something to say before he did it. He didn’t want to be a child star, he wanted to be a man with scars and a story to tell. I always admired, respected and encouraged that stand.”

While Truett experienced some rough times, TobyMac spoke of his son’s weathered faith, reassuring people that though it may not have always looked like it, his son was a believer.

“Truett always had a soft spot for God,” TobyMac continued. “The Bible moved him. His heart was warm to the things of his King. He was by no means a cookie cutter Christian but give me a believer who fights to keep believing. Give me a broken man who recognizes his need for a Savior every time. That’s who Truett was and how he should be remembered.”

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The Christian artist also shared some moments and private messages between him and his son that highlighted the strength of the father-son bond they truly shared.

“My last moment with Truett in person was at his first show this past Thursday at the Factory in Franklin, Tennessee. I had to leave the next morning very early to fly and start our Canadian tour. As I stood in the audience and watched my son bring joy to a room, I was as proud as a “pop” (as tru called me) could be.”

“It was the culminating moment of a dream that he had since he was 12. It couldn’t have been sweeter. Our music, and what we say lyrically couldn’t be more different, but the outcome was much the same… offering a room full of people a few minutes of joy in a crazy world.”

“Our last text exchange is shared below.”

TobyMac reaffirmed his family’s faith even in these difficult times, pointing readers back to God.

“My wife and I would want the world to know this… We don’t follow God because we have some sort of under-the-table deal with Him, like, we’ll follow you if you bless us. We follow God because we love Him. It’s our honor.”

“He is the God of the hills and the valleys. And He is beautiful above all things.”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at the Second Step Presidential Justice forum on Friday.

The president is scheduled to speak about signing successful criminal justice reform legislation at Benedict College at 2:15 PM EDT.

Waaaay back around 2001 or 2002, when Hugo Chavez was still a rising autocrat in Venezuela, I was at a conference on Latin America’s outlook in New York, shortly before I made my first trip to Argentina.

The New York conference was held in a classy wood-paneled room, featured prominent Latin American and Latin Amercan-focused bankers and it addressed a Wall Street audience.

Several leading lights in finance were there, but one stood out: A woman whose name I’ll never forget, Ruth Krivoy, a former Venezuelan central banker who scared the heck out of the audience (an emerging-markets hedge fund manager I knew there later told me it scared even him) by warning that Venezuela’s mission under its current regime would eventually be to threaten and destabilize all of Latin America, particularly its best-run states.

Now its name is coming up, in exactly this context. Here are the stories, first, from the New York Times:

On Thursday, the President Sebastián Piñera of Chile boasted that his country was an oasis of stability in Latin America. “We are ready to do everything to not fall into populism, into demagoguery,” he said in an interview published in The Financial Times.

The next day, protesters attacked factories, torched subway stations and looted supermarkets in Chile’s worst upheaval in decades, eventually forcing Mr. Piñera to deploy troops to the streets. By Wednesday, at least 15 people were dead, and a clearly rattled Mr. Piñera had spoken of “war against a powerful and implacable enemy.”

And, from the Telegraph of London:

Brazil has deployed 5,000 troops to its beaches amid mounting fury at the government’s inaction over the worst oil spill in the country’s history.

The environmental catastrophe began in early September when large quantities of oil inexplicably washed ashore.

The mysterious spill has continued and has now touched more than 1,000 miles of Brazil’s coast, polluting some of the country’s most picturesque beaches and destroying local marine life.

Now public anger is rising over the Brazilian government’s failure to stem the flow – or indeed establish the oil’s source. In response, local officials have resorted to urging volunteers to aid the cleanup mission.

In both cases, Venezuela’s name has come up. In Chile’s, the argument is that Venezuela is doing some destabilizing through Marxist agitators. In Brazil’s, the accusation is that there was some kind of oil-dumping sabotage.

And coincidence of coincidences, both countries are led by conservative leaders who have done their darndest diplomatically to check the regime of Nicolas Maduro. They’ve also both been hit by floods of fleeing Venezuelan refugees and taken some steps to halt it.

Now they’re both experiencing unrest, and it’s got Venezuela’s name on it.

I have not looked at this closely yet, but it positively reeks of Chavista aggression, done in that sneaky way of Marxist activists. I’ve criticized these Latin democracies for not sending in Marines of their own and hosing the hellhole out.

Now, the argument for it grows strong, really strong. If it’s as true as it looks, the Venezuelan regime is trying to kill them. Time to strike back, hard, and absolutely kill it off.

Image credit: Prensa Presidencial via Wikipedia // CC BY-SA 3.0

Waaaay back around 2001 or 2002, when Hugo Chavez was still a rising autocrat in Venezuela, I was at a conference on Latin America’s outlook in New York, shortly before I made my first trip to Argentina.

The New York conference was held in a classy wood-paneled room, featured prominent Latin American and Latin Amercan-focused bankers and it addressed a Wall Street audience.

Several leading lights in finance were there, but one stood out: A woman whose name I’ll never forget, Ruth Krivoy, a former Venezuelan central banker who scared the heck out of the audience (an emerging-markets hedge fund manager I knew there later told me it scared even him) by warning that Venezuela’s mission under its current regime would eventually be to threaten and destabilize all of Latin America, particularly its best-run states.

Now its name is coming up, in exactly this context. Here are the stories, first, from the New York Times:

On Thursday, the President Sebastián Piñera of Chile boasted that his country was an oasis of stability in Latin America. “We are ready to do everything to not fall into populism, into demagoguery,” he said in an interview published in The Financial Times.

The next day, protesters attacked factories, torched subway stations and looted supermarkets in Chile’s worst upheaval in decades, eventually forcing Mr. Piñera to deploy troops to the streets. By Wednesday, at least 15 people were dead, and a clearly rattled Mr. Piñera had spoken of “war against a powerful and implacable enemy.”

And, from the Telegraph of London:

Brazil has deployed 5,000 troops to its beaches amid mounting fury at the government’s inaction over the worst oil spill in the country’s history.

The environmental catastrophe began in early September when large quantities of oil inexplicably washed ashore.

The mysterious spill has continued and has now touched more than 1,000 miles of Brazil’s coast, polluting some of the country’s most picturesque beaches and destroying local marine life.

Now public anger is rising over the Brazilian government’s failure to stem the flow – or indeed establish the oil’s source. In response, local officials have resorted to urging volunteers to aid the cleanup mission.

In both cases, Venezuela’s name has come up. In Chile’s, the argument is that Venezuela is doing some destabilizing through Marxist agitators. In Brazil’s, the accusation is that there was some kind of oil-dumping sabotage.

And coincidence of coincidences, both countries are led by conservative leaders who have done their darndest diplomatically to check the regime of Nicolas Maduro. They’ve also both been hit by floods of fleeing Venezuelan refugees and taken some steps to halt it.

Now they’re both experiencing unrest, and it’s got Venezuela’s name on it.

I have not looked at this closely yet, but it positively reeks of Chavista aggression, done in that sneaky way of Marxist activists. I’ve criticized these Latin democracies for not sending in Marines of their own and hosing the hellhole out.

Now, the argument for it grows strong, really strong. If it’s as true as it looks, the Venezuelan regime is trying to kill them. Time to strike back, hard, and absolutely kill it off.

Image credit: Prensa Presidencial via Wikipedia // CC BY-SA 3.0