Somehow, the hell of the Iowa caucuses still isn’t over. After a disastrous week of delayed results, a flop of an app, and uncertainty over who actually won the caucuses in the first place, Troy Price, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, called for an independent investigation into the clusterfuck.
“With reports from 100% of the precincts in, we are taking steps to ensure the accuracy of the results,” Price tweeted. “An independent investigation of what happened is necessary once we finalize the results. @iowademocrats are committed to earning your trust and electing Democrats in Nov.”
Price held a press conference Friday afternoon which addressed the independent investigation and emphasized that the rollout of the results was “unacceptable.” But Price tried to end his statements on an optimistic note, highlighting the diversity of Iowans who came out and voted and how important it is that they know that their vote counted.
“We have a lot of work left to do, there’s no question about that, but I will say this: We have worked tirelessly over these last four days to produce a full record from all 1,765 caucus sites,” said Price. “Now we’re going to work to finalize that process here over the next few days.”
Reporters were not impressed with Price’s meek mea culpa, especially when questions of the controversial caucus app, Shadow, was brought up.
“Did you try [the app]?” one reporter asked.
“No, I did not,” Price said. “Our team did.”
“You’re the chairman of the party and you didn’t try the app?” another reporter asked. “Weren’t you curious if it would work or not?”
“I reviewed certain pieces of the layout and stuff like that,” Price said. “But I did not actually use the app, because I was not going to be in my caucus on Monday night.”
Uh, okay!
Later, a different reporter asked, “What argument can you make that Iowa should ever hold this sacred role in the process again?”
“I would say... look at what happened on Monday night, take away issues with reporting. The thousands of people who showed up across this state who had spent the last 13 months going through this job interview process for these presidential candidates. Iowa Democrats showed up on Monday night, they had these meetings, and they produced a result. Yes, it took longer than what we would have liked to have seen. But Iowans came out on Monday night and made sure they had their voices heard in this process.”
The reporter countered, “How can you take away the reporting aspect of that, though? This has changed the entire opening chapter of the Democratic nominating contest.”
“Listen, conversations happen every four years about Iowa’s role in this process,” Troy said. “Right now we’re focused on finalizing results.” Iowa is in good hands.
Lt Colonel Alexander Vindman, Ukraine expert on the National Security Council who testified against President Trump during the House impeachment proceedings, was escorted out of the White House Friday afternoon. According to Vindman’s lawyer, David Pressman, Vindman was asked to leave for “telling the truth.”
In a statement, Pressman said, “The truth has cost LTC Alexander Vindman his job, his career, and his privacy.” He added, “The most powerful man in the world—buoyed by the silent, the pliable, and the complicit—has decided to exact revenge.”
The New York Times reports that Vindman’s twin brother, an attorney for the NSC, was also fired.
From the New York Times:
The dismissal was foreshadowed earlier in the day when Mr. Trump essentially confirmed to reporters before leaving on a trip to North Carolina that Colonel Alexander Vindman would be pushed out. “Well, I’m not happy with him,” the president said of Colonel Vindman. “You think I’m supposed to be happy with him? I’m not.”
Vindman will reportedly be reassigned to the Defense Department.
- Joe Walsh is no longer running against President Trump. [The Guardian]
- Ben Carson wants to assure everyone that Trump can’t possibly be a racist because the people who wash the dishes and park the cars at Mar-A-Lago are really happy. [Politico]
- In other fucked up news, Antarctica hit 65 degrees today, its warmest recorded temperature on record. [Washington Post]
- Nothing says Friday night like another presidential debate. [New York Times]
- It’s not illegal to rip up the State of the Union address. [USA Today]