Today is Tuesday, December 12, 2023. Finally, we have a case where someone big like former mayor Rudy Giuliani is being sued for defamation by two Georgia election workers whose lives were upended by the consigliere’s lies regarding their involvement in “rigging” the election for Joe Biden. The two workers sued the bastard for disseminating horrible conspiracy theories about both of them online. The election worker, Andrea “Shaye” Moss, testified to the effect that she was fearful for her life and the life of her mother and even other family members because of these despicable lies. The case against Giuliani is reported online in a CNN article by Devan Cole and Hannah Rabinowitz entitled ‘It feels like I’m trapped under someone else’s boot of power’: Georgia election worker testifies about Giuliani’s lies.”

Moss’s testimony was chilling. On the stand, Moss said this about how her life forever changed on December 4, 2020, when the lies were disseminated about her online. “On that day, lies were spread about me and my mom, saying that we weren’t doing our job, that we were committing fraud. All these crazy lies were spread about us that day, publicly, everywhere.”

She tearfully continued her testimony, saying, “It feels like I’m trapped under someone else’s boot of power. I can’t do anything, I feel helpless, and the only thing that’s surrounding me is the lies.”

Though Moss shared much of her experience as a victim of conspiracy theories with the House select committee that investigated the events surrounding January 6, 2021, her testimony today was perhaps the most detailed public account she’s given about that frightful period of her life.

At times, she grew visibly emotional while she took the stand, crying as she recalled how different her life has become since the election, including losing her job, entering therapy and seeing family members threatened.

In her testimony, Moss didn’t hold back the fears she had for her and for her son: “I am most scared of my son finding me and or my mom hanging outside my house on a tree, or having to get the news at school that his momma was killed.” She concluded, “That’s what I’m most afraid of.”

Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman are asking the jury to consider awarding them between $15.5 million and $43 million for the reputational harm they’ve suffered as well as monetary damages for emotional distress stemming from a series of specific statements the former mayor of New York and others, including the Orange Menace and his campaign, made about them. The judge in the case has already ruled Giuliani spread false, defamatory information about the two election employees.

During her direct examination today, Moss recounted for the jury how even her then-14-year-old son’s cell phone was flooded with violent and racist threats against Moss and her family after Giuliani targeted her and her mother.

Moss described how she had to tell her young son back then that racism is real and that it emerges quite shockingly. She grappled with composing herself during this part of her testimony. She said she felt she was the worst mom because she had to let her son have to hear what was going on in her mother’s life during the 2020 election.

Even today, Moss said, she suffers from paranoia and panic attacks from the threats that she and her family continue to receive. She described spending hours crying and scrolling through “hateful, racist, violent, nasty, negative messages” she received on her phone and Facebook account.

One of those “nasty” Facebook messages was shown to the jury yesterday in which Moss was called a “dirty fucking nigger bitch.”

Another message said simply, “be glad it’s 2020 and not 1920.”

In addressing these hateful messages, Moss said, “It’s hurtful. It’s hurtful to know that’s the way that people feel when I’m breaking my back to make sure their vote counts.”

The jury also heard messages that were left on Moss’s son’s cell phone telling Moss she was going to “hang” and that she was going “to hell.”

Her lawyer, John Langford, at one point showed the jury a video Giuliani and Trump shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, about her and her mother working at a Georgia voting center.

The election worker said that her superiors at work first made her aware of the online conspiracy theories and the hateful comments spurred by them.

“I learned that I have been receiving all types of hateful, racist, violent, nasty, negative messages,” Moss stated.

At one point during her impactful testimony, Langford asked if Moss counted ballots multiple times or created a false story that there was a water main break at her work site, which elicited a forceful negative reply both times. When he asked her, “Did you steal the election?” she said simply, “No.”

The harassment of Freeman and Moss clearly represents the best example of the human consequences of the lies Giuliani and other Orange Turd allies spread after the election. Their many lies have fueled a deep-seated distrust of American elections – which didn’t exist to this magnitude before – and prompted a wave of harassment since 2020 against election officials and workers – many of whom are leaving the profession. This trial now offers a chance for two of the most prominent victims of election denialism to confront one of its biggest propagators. The case offers another significant attempt to hold a key player accountable for spreading lies about the 2020 election.

As for the monetary awards being considered here, it’s my opinion that the jury must – must – strike heavily against the defendant, Rudy Giuliani, even if this bankrupts him. No person is above the law and this despicable man must be held to account for the misery he wrought upon the two innocent Georgia workers who certainly didn’t deserve the horror they both experienced at the hands of Giuliani and Chump. I would easily award the workers the maximum here: $43 million. Actually, I would even award them more in this situation; fuck Giuliani and let him die a broken and broke man!

Actually, in a related story, Giuliani himself has provoked the ire of the judge hearing the case, Judge Beryl Howell, for not shutting his fucking big mouth. Who does this sound like? Yes, you’re correct if you named a former president here as not being able to shut his stupid mouth when it’s in his best interests. After showing up late – about 20 minutes – for the first day of proceedings, the Ghoul went on an extended rant to reporters in which he stupidly repeated the same election lies that got him sued by Freeman and Moss in the first place. Outside court Monday night, “Ghouliani” shamelessly claimed, “Everything I said about them is true. They were engaged in changing the votes,” without offering any damn evidence to support this. Told there was no proof whatsoever of this, he insisted: “You’re damn right there is. Stay tuned.” Ghouliani has already lost the case, so there isn’t anything he can do at this late stage.

Back in court today, Howell warned the bastard he could face another defamation claim, and asked his attorney, Joseph Sibley, “Was Mr. Giuliani just playing for the cameras?” To which Sibley basically responded that his client is a loose cannon – who does that sound like? – and he’d love if the ex-mayor-turned-Chump consigliere would just “shut the fuck up.”

The contrite lawyer for this old client – Ghouliani is now almost 80 years old – actually asked for sympathy on behalf of his unrepentant client, saying, “This has taken a bit of a toll on him. He’s almost 80 years old. There are health concerns for Mr. Giuliani.” Sibley asked the jury to take pity on his aged client, saying the roughly $43 million Freeman and Moss have requested in damages “would be the end of Mr. Giuliani” and the “civil equivalent of the death penalty.”

I am sure this wise jury will not fall for Ghouliani’s lawyer’s plea for mercy and reward the two election workers every cent they are asking for – and even more so. I can’t wait for the jury to make its decision in this case.

In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Washington today to meet with President Joe Biden in an effort to make an in-person plea for the military and economic aid he said is necessary to continue Ukraine’s defense against the ongoing Russian invasion which is almost two years old. This important visit is reported in an online CNN article by Michael Williams entitled “5 takeaways from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s critical trip to Washington.”

The Ukrainian president met with members of Congress this morning and President Joe Biden later in the afternoon. This marked Zelenskyy’s third visit to the United States since the war began in February 2022. Zelenskyy’s meetings came on the same day that the U.S. declassified new intelligence on Russia’s losses so far in the war. “The intelligence shows U.S. officials believe the Russian military has continued to suffer heavy losses in the war – but is also determined to continue pushing forward.”

An aid package designed for the war-torn country is being stalled by congressional Republicans who want the Biden administration to make concessions on border security and immigration policy in exchange for the aid package.

Sadly, a deal remains unlikely with a holiday recess looming.

During a joint news conference with the Ukrainian leader today, Biden vowed the country will support Ukraine for “as long as we can.”

Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy told senators that he’s still counting on U.S. support to come through for his nation, according to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

One lawmaker, critical of the repugnican logjam regarding blocking the aid to Ukraine, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, drew parallels between Republicans’ failure to act and the early, ultimately failed, strategy by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain – remember him? – to appease Adolf Hitler’s regime in Germany. Merkley declared, “Those who are opposing . . . aid to Ukraine are falling into the same mistake Chamberlain made” warning Republicans to not let history repeat itself.

I don’t know about you, but this crazy move by repugnicans to intertwine aid to Ukraine with a domestic issue – our border security – which is a fucking repugnican trope since the dawn of Republicanism – is anything but insane. “More people will die,” Nancy Pelosi just said on Alex Wagner’s show tonight.

One good piece of news arising from today’s meeting is Biden’s announcement that he would be releasing $200 million in funding already approved by Congress to help Ukraine with its defensive needs.

However, this is a small fraction of the $60 billion sought by Biden for Ukraine in his supplemental funding request. Addressing the importance of passing his funding request, Biden said, “Congress needs to pass supplemental funding before they break for the holiday recess.” He added, “Failure to do so would hand Putin the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him.”

The President reiterated warnings he previously made that a Russian victory could cause a cascading failure of democratic norms and values throughout Europe and the world.

Biden warned, “We’ve seen what happens when dictators don’t pay the price for the damage, the death, the destruction they cause. They keep going when no price is paid. The threat to America, to Europe, and the world will only keep rising if we don’t act.”

Make no mistake: one American political party is actually helping a dictator, Russian President Vladimir Putin, by their inaction in getting this funding bill passed. What a day has arrived in this country when one political party acts as un-American as foreign dictators like Russian President Putin. What’s become of this once-respected party? I would say it’s being a cult party beholden to the Orange Hemorrhoid that has transformed the party into Chump zombies! They’ve given up on reason and sanity ever since their Golden Idol assumed the presidency in 2017.

Stay safe and be well.