On Wednesday, October 11th, I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted at the Talbot County Community Center, coordinated by several including Councilmember Dave Stepp and the Talbot County Republican Central Committee, entitled “Maryland Voter Integrity Group: Are you interested in secure elections?”
The speaker, Mrs. Robyn Sachs, is a self-proclaimed voter advocate. Mrs. Sachs used this veiled event and her phony credentials to spew misinformation and disinformation regarding elections, created confusion, and further perpetuated lies and conspiracy theories that directly disenfranchise voters. Sadly and unacceptably, this event took place in a Talbot County government building, under the great seal of Talbot County.
Let’s consider that for a moment, our government buildings are being used to facilitate the spread of disinformation and misinformation. In attendance among others were Senator Johnny Mautz, Delegate Tom Hutchison, Easton Council President Frank Gunsallus and Sheriff Joe Gamble.
Some highlights of the misinformation and disinformation presented in this meeting:
Speculation that the US Federal Government in partnership with ATT and Verizon are actively engaged in undermining local elections using private servers installed behind the firewalls of our Board of Election offices that communicate clandestinely using the ATT FirstNet and Verizon wireless networks.
Fact: The Department of Homeland Security and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provide infrastructure and resources to local Boards of Election offices to protect elections and provide cybersecurity capabilities.
State of Maryland blank ballot data was presented in such a way to raise questions around pervasive voter fraud or vote manipulation.
Fact: Blank ballots are a result of individuals not completing questions on second, third or fourth pages of a ballot. Often voters will skip ballot questions which reside on the additional pages.
A local analysis of 2022 Talbot County voter data was presented, calling out perceived abnormalities that lead the Maryland Voter Integrity group to purport there is voter fraud in Talbot County.
Fact: This analysis was completed by an individual, Mr. David Morseburger, with no credentials for the inspection of voter data.
The misinformation and disinformation shared at tonight’s event perpetuates and recruits individuals to spread these ideas in Talbot County. We have not been immune in Talbot County to voter suppression and intimidation activities – in fact, in the ’22 election cycle the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee received several verified reports of door knocking campaigns to interrogate residents on their voting history, a civil rights violation.
I left this event feeling shaken and deeply disturbed that these lies are being spread in our community, behind the four walls of our local government buildings, endorsed or attended by numerous local politicians. Misinformation and disinformation leads to further fractures in our community, when we need to be working together as one.
As I reflect on the past several weeks, I’m deeply troubled at what is being prioritized in this county. Council members voting against a proclamation to support voter education week endorsed by our Board of Elections while at the same time endorsing this event.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Phil Jackson
Talbot County
Donna Yewell-Burke says
Phil you are clearly what is wrong with this Country. Everyone has the right to freedom of speech. Period..Take your fact check and shove it.If you think our voting system is not rigged,you are living under a rock..
Jim Moses CDR, USN (Ret.) says
If Maryland’s voting system was, as you assert, “rigged,” Mr. Harris would not be the First District’s representative to Congress. Think on that for a moment.
Holly Wright says
This event is part of a nationally organized medicine show complete with scripts to give the veneer of grass roots activity. The goal is to promote obstacles to voting justified using bogus scientesque data presentations.
Could Larry Hogan Republicans please take back the Talbot County Republican Central Committee from the crazies.
Phil Jackson says
Thanks, Donna!
Richard Marks says
Must be a mighty large rock since there are tens of millions of folks living there with Phil. I find it quite cozy, actually.
Mickey Terrone says
Great job Phil, to summarize the “alternative facts”, I.e., lies perpetrated by right wing fanatics like Ms. Sachs. After losing 63 court cases after the 2020 election, Trumpists are scrambling to predict what they know is coming with Trump’s 2024 candidacy. This time, however, they rightly fear that their self-imposed House of Representatives train wreck will even eviscerate their feeble hold on Congress.
Thus, they are setting the stage for Chapter 2 of their January 6th debacle. They’ll claim as Greg Gutfeld announced on FOX, that Republicans can’t win elections because they are all rigged and it’s time for the next civil war.
Trump has boxed them in to the point where revolution is the white supremacists’ last gasp for overthrowing the will of the American people.
Mary Tydings Smith says
I also was present at this shocking and unnecessary event. The fact the event was conducted with the apparent approval of our County Council is deeply disappointing. Why the Council voted against a voter education initiative and then sponsored this false voter integrity event is a mystery. Kudos to Phil Jackson for shining a light on this “monkey business.”
Judy Wixted says
The Voter Integrity Project is the same group who harassed voters at their doors in 2022 with questions about their ballots in 2020. For example: A voter who had gone to college, moved out of state and then back to Maryland in 2020 called me personally to relate that since there was a 10 year gap in their voting pattern, the Voter Integrity Project showed up at the door to “investigate” There is a difference between open election processes and vigilantism. The freedom loving voters of Talbot will rightfully reject these strong arm tactics.
Shame on our local elected officials for sponsoring and spreading this propaganda. Considering the names Mr.. Jackson listed, it would appear that MAGA Republicans are in charge of our local Republican Party, something that should give us all pause.
What’s next indeed? Book Bans?
Carol Voyles says
Don’t know if county council approval is required in this instance, but this twice-evicted “event” was announced (as a public comment) at their last meeting.
Dick Deerin says
Thank you for this thoughtful letter. State and local Republican organizations as well as the national Republican Party are hard at work spreading false information and ludicrous conspiracy theories with the goal of suppressing the vote. As a democracy, we should be encouraging all citizens to vote and making the voting process as easy and efficient as possible.
Mary Boyles says
Thank you for attending and reporting about this event. Very distressing to know members of our local government participate in these disinformation meetings. The right to vote is essential to a healthy, thriving democracy. One hopes members of our government will support the Constitution and this basic right for each Talbot County citizen.
Eva M. Smorzaniuk MD says
This group certainly has the right to spread disinformation. What concerns me is that this event took place in a public building, and was coordinated by one of our county councilman. One would hope that county council members and town officials perform their due diligence and research the background of an organization before hosting them. One can check their website and Facebook page to see exactly what type of unsubstantiated rhetoric they spew forth.
Dennis Smith says
I would ask each of the elected representatives present in the meeting to provide a response to this publication Asti how in fact they managed to win a seat at an election if that election was as flawed as posited.
I am regularly an election judge in talbot county and if the summary of the meeting is correctly reported I have never heard such erroneous claptrap about how the elections are conducted.
Get a job as an election judge and learn first hand
George Dappert says
Absolutely, Dennis. As a past Election Judge myself, including the 2020 Election, I can attest to the unequivocal care and fairness of our Talbot County elections. There are an even number of Republican and Democratic Judges working the polls, including one Chief Judge from each party, all of whom work together to ensure accuracy. Every ballot is accounted for and every voter heard. The ignorance of the “Voter Integrity Project” is permitted as Free Speech, but that doesn’t mean they should be given a platform by government officials. Shame on them.
Charles Battanco says
I find it troubling that Dave Stepp, a County Councilman would endorse such a scam and use a Talbot County building to do it in. What an aroma.
Is this what we have coming in the 2024 Elections from the Republican Party?
While Freedom of Speech is a First Amend Right misinformation and disinformation may not be as protected when it’s knowingly false information.
It appears the Republican Party is running scared.
I smell fear!
Willard T Engelskirchen says
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. It sounds like conspiracy theories are alive and well in the Talbot County GOP. I was surprised to learn that some leaders whom I respect attended.
darrell parsons says
Thank you for this, Mr. Jackson. It’s another example of people presenting unsubstantiated opinions as facts. Unfortunately the leader of this event lives in the area where I live, served by the NextDoor email chain. She published something in that email chain today, positioning herself as the aggrieved party. She certainly has a lot of company in taking up that banner – our former president and many congresspeople. She purports to be a nonpartisan speaker who is being harassed by “cancel culture extremists”, while at the same time not giving substantive answers to commenters who respectfully disagree with her point of view.
Barbara Perry says
Well said Phil. One correction, before someone says you did it on purpose, Mautz is now a State Senator.
Phil Jackson says
Good catch, Barbara. My honest mistake; Johnny deserves to be addressed correctly.
David Morseburger says
Phil,
I wish you had the common curiosity to stay and talk to us after the meeting. Instead you acted cowardly by hiding behind your keyboard and writing this Letter to the Editor. Robyn and I stayed and talked to numerous people to include some who had issue with our findings. We had great conversations and I personally learn more each and every time I talk to anyone with an opposing view.
I notice that you do not dispute the data I presented, as you only attack me personally. I would have loved to tell you about my experience and expertise in analyzing data. I would have loved to discuss the process I went through and arrived at the conclusions I did. Again, you ran to your keyboard to attack instead of “manning up” and discussing it civilly. Who had the agenda?
As for blank ballots, I thanked you for your information and I promised to go back and review your scenario. As promised, I am in the process of reevaluating blank ballots taking your statements into account. You provided some important information and then acted that the issue presented was totally explained without knowing the details behind the table that was presented. It would be easy for me to question your expertise however, I don’t want to sink to the level you did.
The invitation to talk still exists.
David
Phil Jackson says
David, you came into our county, threw shade at our Board of Elections by presenting data for precinct 1 and 2, without being able to answer questions about the populations of those precincts when questioned, and suggested that your “gut” feeling is that there is voter fraud in Talbot County, but prefaced in your slide that your not an attorney, prosecutor or judge (ie. an expert). That’s a giant and serious assertion with limited facts. No, I didn’t feel compelled to say hello. Further, with just a few minutes of research, you’d learn that I’m a bit more than a keyboard warrior in this community.
David Morseburger says
Phil,
I claim the population doesn’t matter. The chance/probability is very close to zero that a candidates gets the exact number of votes in two precincts and the other candidate is within two. From the data it appears that Precincts 1 and 2 in District 1 are the largest which makes it even less likely to happen.
As for my “gut”, it is my opinion. I wanted to make it clear that I am not making an accusation, just an opinion based on the analysis I performed. Only after a ruling by a Judge can you claim fraud. You have a problem with people having opposing opinions? I am ok with you having an opinion different than mine. I only ask that it be a civil discussion.
I didn’t call you a keyboard warrior. I said the act of running to the keyboard and not talking about the data (not saying hello) was cowardly. I even went out of my way to return to you and your question/comment so that I and the audience understood what you were saying.
Oh by the way, I have the education and experience to analyze data and present observations for leaders like the Board of Election to act upon.
David
Lynne McGrath says
I agree with Phil. There is a wealth of data, audits and judicial reviews that have clearly demonstrated election integrity in the county,state and federal elections. Just because people parrot the false narrative that “ the election is rigged” does not make it true.
No one disputes this group has freedom of speech regardless of their dissemination of false information. However, it is a reasonable question to ask if County facilities and therefore taxpayer dollars should be used to support these events. It does imply county endorsement which is very troubling.
Candis Robinson says
Since you are so knowledgeable on “the wealth of data” that “clearly demonstrates” election integrity,it would be nice if you made that data available to make your case, rather then just claiming that you have the receipts, but just casting aspersions upon and throwing accusations at the people that just clearly demonstrated what many of us have long suspected. How does your data hold up compared to theirs? Just how are they “disseminating false information?” Stop throwing mud and show us your stuff. Name calling doesn’t cut it.
Chris Gleason says
Lynne, the data obtained directly from the Board of Elections in Maryland absolutely contradicts your claims that the elections are not being rigged. How do you legally administer elections with a voting system with a void EAC certification?
Eric Ploeg says
Lynne,
Why is it that when election integrity is the issue, some people call it voter suppression? It seems as though the voter suppression cry is being used as a defense against having requirements to legally vote. As contributor Kent Robertson puts it in his response here previously, “Please don’t say that voter integrity is voter suppression. The only votes that should be suppressed are the illegitimate ones.” I would think that everyone would be in favor of legitimate elections with a completely transparent process.
Otherwise, you express concern about the use of County facilities. That any discussion in which you disagree with shouldn’t occur in a public building? Although I didn’t attend, I understand it was a public forum, therefore an open discussion. Concerns about fair and legitimate elections are not partisan. So using our public facilities for such discussions is what they’re intended for, to maintain openness where the public is welcome. I believe its healthy to have such discussions openly.
George Gallagher says
Phil,
You sound like a person with a guilty conscience.
Your melodramatic Anti Election Integrity letter reads exactly, like if it was written by David Brock of Media Matters.
Carol Voyles says
Resort to name-calling and counter charges.
Always an option.
Eric Ploeg says
Phil,
Surely you’re aware that for our last election in Easton, the candidates and their representatives worked the community quite well. It’s good for our community that candidates were out to meet and greet within our community.
Since you’re a member of the Democratic Central Committee, why would you not support the conversation with the “Maryland Voter Integrity Group: Are you interested in secure elections?” gathering? You’re suggesting that people should never question the election process? And that to do so with specific concerns festers misinformation? That those concerns shouldn’t be addressed in local government buildings?
There should be a concern about secure elections from everyone. In these times, voting throughout American has never been easier. During the Covid Pandemic voting procedures were relaxed further, deadlines extended and there were abnormalities. But now the Pandemic is over and we need to return to casting votes securely without harvesting ballots. Do you really believe that despite the numerous methods for casting ballots and extended voting periods still in place that we now need a “voter education week” too?
You state that “the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee received several verified reports of door knocking campaigns to interrogate residents on their voting history, a civil rights violation.” INTERROGATING residents on their voting history? Really? That’s a strong statement.
Being a lifelong independent voter myself its becoming more and more challenging to remain objective as the misinformation and disinformation political tool is being used by all parties. More government interference is not the solution and election integrity should be embraced and not a partisan issue.
Phil Jackson says
Eric, I’m not challenging the way in which our candidates and their representatives worked together in 2022. In fact, I was a candidate for county council in 2022. That said, members of our community and organized individuals who came into our county engaged in deeply troubling behavior at voting locations and in our communities, knocking on doors and challenging individuals voting history, residency and integrity. These accounts were reported to the Maryland AG. Curiously, these activities were not challenged as a risk to “secure” elections at Wednesday’s event, however data from one of those organized parties was presented to substantiate false claims.
Regarding voter education week, for individuals who haven’t voted before, or individuals who feel so moved to start voting, any mechanism to support and empower those individuals should be welcome. Community members regularly enter our party HQ and inquire about the process to register and vote in upcoming elections.
Election integrity is important.
The false narrative being perpetuated by Wednesday’s event is a direct threat to our democracy.
David Morseburger says
I love how Phil throws out “Civil Rights Violation”, Interrogation, and the fail safe “direct threat to democracy” (as if we have a democracy, we are a republic). Like a good soldier following the progressive playbook.
Asking a voter if they voted and if so what method did they use (mail-in, early, day of) NOT who they voted for is intimidation or an interrogation? The voter has the right to not open the door or refuse to answer without any retribution.
Carol Voyles says
The United States of America is a Democratic Republic.
Michele Dappert says
David,
It seems you are confused about how Voter Intimidation is defined by law. Asking a voter anything about their voting history in public official’s uniform (such as a police officer, which is what occurred in 2022 in Talbot County), or under public auspices, is in fact a civil rights violation.
You can go here to see the full list: https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Reports/GUIDANCE_ON_VOTER_INTIMIDATION.pdf
Which includes:
– Confronting voters while wearing military-style or official-looking uniforms;*
– Harassing voters, aggressively questioning them about their
qualifications to vote;
– Spreading false information about voter fraud, voting requirements, or related criminal penalties.
*Note, that the organization in 2022 referred voter’s information to the sheriff’s office and asked them to follow up sending armed officers to doors.
Kent Robertson says
Amen, Eric.
The hype on both sides reflects how people interact on just about everything these days.
Phil, conservative voters don’t want to suppress any legitimate vote. We do want to ensure that all votes cast are legitimate. Please don’t say that voter integrity is voter suppression. The only votes that should be suppressed are the illegitimate ones. Illegitimate voting is what fosters doubt about the veracity of the process.
Mickey Terrone says
So rather than attempt to offer a platform attrcative to millions more Americans, the Republicans are moving toward working to undermine the election process by suggesting beforehand that somehow its deeply flawed. Afterward, the militant, violent reaction by all those bypassed folks will have all the “evidence” they need to dismiss our republican form of representative democracy and act to take over the government on behalf of Trump.
I wonder if your group isn’t auditioning for a place in the 2025 Trump post-election protest campaign organization. I believe your true objective is to undermine public confidence in the election process as a whole, here and nationwide. It seems to me your elected Republican hosts all won their 2020 races amidst this voter fraud. Plenty of Republicans won places in both houses of Congress while Trump lost on the very same ballots.
Your schtick will be opposed by Democrats, locally and nationwide. Honest Democrats and Republicans who run our boards of elections everywhere, do an excellent, honest job. Welcome to the Eastern Shore. Now go home.
Michele Dappert says
Eric,
Of course, Election Integrity is absolutely imperative. The truth is, if you have any concerns about how elections are being run in Talbot County I encourage you to do two things:
1. Attend the Board of Election Open House on October 18th. Ask those responsible your questions. You will find that those who work at the Board are deeply committed, hard-working citizens of the county from both sides of the aisle, dedicated to providing safe, secure elections.
2. Work as an election judge in the next election. Having done so myself, I can attest again to the quality of the work — and to how intense the security already is. (Also, you get paid!).
Finally, I wanted to reply to your comment regarding ” INTERROGATING residents on their voting history? Really? That’s a strong statement. ”
Yes. This happened. In 2022. In Talbot County. This organization sent people door-to-door to interrogate voters with marching orders to report “suspicious voters to the sheriff.” You are correct it is a strong statement. It is not an assertion that is being made lightly. When a group such as this “Integrity Project” undertakes vigilante action to suppress votes, whether in one county or across the state of Maryland, that is an issue for the Maryland State Board of Elections and the Attorney General. And indeed, it was reported to both with verified reports (the AG was Brian Frosh, at the time) — as such activities ARE civil rights violations.
Surely it is more concerning that in the absence of any evidence beyond a “person’s gut”, individual citizens had police officers sent to their door to ask them about their voting history?
That the same group that did this, is now being hosted by our own government (the space was rented by our County Council member Dave Stepp) in a public building?
It is imperative that the public knows the history and facts.
Thank you to Phil Jackson for going to this meeting and reporting back.
Chris Gleason says
Phil the facts you claim just are not facts, sorry. The EAC and ES&S disagree with your “BLANK BALLOT” explanation. You are an IT guy. How about you request the system logs and audit logs for the ES&S voting systems and prove your position. Here is a link for you to start: https://immutabletruthelections.substack.com/p/does-maryland-have-a-problem-with
Shari Wilcoxon says
Phil Jackson you have been challenged to a debate. Will you accept? We can get it recorded and share with all.
I heard about Phil Jackson in Talbot county… I issued him a challenge…
https://immutabletruthelections.substack.com/p/does-maryland-have-a-problem-
Kent Robertson says
Wouldn’t it be great to have the major players have a real open discussion? It could be a panel discussion with Board of Elections representatives, Each present the “facts” that led them to their conclusions, and each explaining why they don’t agree with the other side’s “facts” or conclusions. Perhaps the two sides could then come together and agree on the relevant “facts” and design a study that eliminates discrepancies.
That is the true scientific method.
Of course, it only works if both sides want to find the real truth of the matter. It’s extremely difficult to find people in the current climate who don’t have an agenda that is more important to them than the truth.
How can we ever come together if we can’t agree on the facts upon which our conclusions are drawn?
Christine Dolan says
Mr. Jackson,
As I understand from interviewing some of the folks involved with planning this event, your name came up twice in the behind-the-scenes efforts to cancel the event in question. Your studious attempt failed. Now, you are fostering a mischaracterization of the event and ginning up more nonsense by attacking fellow citizens in attendance without merit. The primary presenter was defamed on social media before the doors opened. She was never with the Cox campaign as some pushed on social media. She was a democrat for a long time.
I asked the man whose work was cited in the presentation to respond to your Letter to the Editor, which I have published in Easton Gazette. This is lengthy and in the weeds and a good analysis for food for thought.
https://eastongazette.com/2023/10/14/does-maryland-have-a-problem-with-their-elections/
I will be following up with my own reporting about the shenanigans pulled to cancel this event because Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly naysayers should be exposed. When one location informed me as a journalist that locals were threatening to protest the event at the first location, and hence, the event was cancelled, I informed Sheriff Joe Gamble. Gamble brought a law enforcement official with him for security for the event.
Threatening to protest certainly seemed over the top and utterly declasse and brazen for a simple community conversation. I say that as someone who created American Conversations in this community as far back as 2014, and there was no reason to even think about security because the whole purpose of American Conversations was to have civlized conversations and full throttle participation with Q & A and everyone could ask or comment as they see fit.
Robyn Sachs was defamed on social media by Foxwell and I note that you did not mention that she addressed those falsehoods at the top of her lecture.
I note that you did not identify yourself as Vice-Chair of the Democratic Central Committee in your Letter to the Editor. By negating that, some may not realize your “protection” of the democratic mantra.
God help us all if we do not follow the Talbot DCC’s mantra is the message that is the crux of your complaint.
You have demonstrated to me your political prejudices, which have morphed into further revelations of your election fraud ignorance.
Election fraud in campaigns is real. It is usually balanced by – “Well, is there enough to tip the balance of the results,” by many in the election business on all pollitical sides, but it does not address how do we clean up the fraud that remains.
To claim universally with the increase of mail-in ballots ostensibly because of COVID, no one sane – even though many partisans project this – that there are only clean elections in democracies and emerging democracies across the world is insane. Cross-reference that with internet links, which are real in some places, one would have to live under a rock not to realize that going back to at least 2008, algorythms were used massively to target voters. In that particular election, the geeks could figure out a bevy of data over the internet and target voters with specificity. Campaigns bragged about this then.
That is why there are both republican and democratic institutes here in the US, which send Americans overseas to oversee elections for fairness. Former President Jimmy Carter did it for years. One of our own citizens, Lesley Israel, has done it for decades.
And, it is a good thing to encourage people to volunteer because too many complain without participating in the process.
Which brings me to this – for all the absentees from the event in question now complaining and assuming Jackson is right, perhaps, you need to read the article published in Easton Gazette today by the man whose information was used at this event.
The USA does not have mandatory voting like Australia. We do not have paper ballots exclusively like France. For a country which claims to lead and export democratic elections supposedly, we need only remind ourselves that even Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 with only approximately 43% of eligible voters participating in the general election.
There is nothing wrong with asking a coalition of citizens to work together to clean up the rolls in their county. Cleaning up voting rolls seems to me to be a good start in any county.
What the Democratic National Committee, in conjunction with state parties, have done to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a disgrace whether you are an independent, republican, democrat, libertarian or belong to the green party. The rules the DNC changed are absolutely interference with the voters’ choices and the only reason the party is doing that is to prevent a challenge to Joe Biden. That is undemocratic just like when the DNC under Wasserman-Schultz knocked off Bernie Sanders. That alone is arguably election fraud, but from a different angle.
I do not see you calling that out.
I am willing to host an American Conversation at the Avalon and have Chris Gleason and you debate this issue since you claim to be such an expert, or host an American Conversation with experts to explain how we arrived at this point in history because I can tell you first-hand as a seasoned political journalist that we have never been in such a perilous state with the influx of billions of dollars as we have today. Our system is mired in special interest money that cuts out the average voter’s interest.
In mid-October 2020, I was on a conference call with other journalists, including two from FOX, two from CNN and two from AP leading the discussion with a bevy of journalists on the call, and what was put forth was how the media was going to address the enormous influx of mail-ins in the 2020 election. We all knew that changed the game on reporting on election night for those of us who understand the NES and the systems of collecting information.
Everyone, including FOX employees, was adamant that the best approach was to explain to the public we may not have the full results that night because of mail-ins because in some states the post-mark dates differed to be included in the count. And, lo an behold, FOX jumped out in front without Maricopa County’s numbers in. Maricopa County is a bellwether country liks Hillsborough County in Florida and many other counties are bellwethers for those of us who are mired in the weeds of reporting election results.
There is far more to election fraud and election reporting than the average citizen knows, and I say that as someone who called the races on election night at ABC News and CNN. The media does not always get it right but there are those in my business who damn well do our best inspite of false information and spin fed to us.
As for my credentials – over 40 years in media, 4 networks, Political Director at CNN, called the races at ABC and CNN on election night, have covered every presidential campaign since 1980, plus almost 24 years covering international politics and the transnational and transcriminal elements of human trafficking in 140 countries, and as the former Spokesperson for the 1990 USA Nelson Mandela Tour, which hardly makes me MAGA although here is an historical irrefutable fact. The man who donated the press plane for Mandela Tour was none other than Donald Trump, when no other democrat or republican in this country stepped up to the plate.
All of that information is to dispel even a swipe of discrediting me.
And, yes, I was in attendance taking notes.
If the timbre of my response is harsh, so be it.
I am done with this partisan lies and projections by those who do not even show up.
You lose when all you folks do is bitch and parrot mantras in absentia from first-hand knowledge.
Christine Dolan
CDMedia
Senior Editor
Chief Investigative Correspondent
Phil Jackson says
Christine, thank you for sharing your credentials with us. I appreciate that.
Yes, Robyn addressed the challenges to secure a venue when she started her discussion. She also shared how she became a republican – by changing her party affiliation to attend an event with her husband.
True, I was among dozens (if not over 100 individuals) who had concerns with a partisan mis/disinformation event being held at a Catholic Church facility which is directly against IRS policy prohibiting partisan politics, as you are likely well aware. Research would unveil any attempt to falsely claim this wasn’t partisan.
To be clear, I didn’t inquire with Easton Club East when they offered to host the event.
No, there was never a threat made to protest the event. Let’s not get dramatic. I and many others were extremely disappointed we would host such an event in a Talbot County government building as I expressed. Your ‘investigative reporting’ likely surfaced that I filed a complaint with Talbot County. It’s always wonderful to see Sheriff Gamble out in our community.
It’s not my interest to debate Mr. Gleason, who readers can investigate on their own on X (formerly Twitter) @immutablechrist. The Board of Elections, a local authority, will host an open house on October 18th in Talbot County. I encourage anyone with concerns to speak to the professionals.
It was my hope that writing this opinion piece would cause folks to think critically for themselves about this issue. I’m thrilled to see the dialogue.
Let’s get real for a moment. What we need to focus on locally are issues that are _actually_ impacting our citizens: hunger, infrastructure, sanitation, development, coastal flooding to name a few.
We do not have pervasive voter fraud in the county. It’s a manufactured headline in an attempt to create discord and chaos.
Brian Wroten says
Excellent points Phil. ATT are big right wing donors and have been instrumental in the rise of OAN and other right wing news networks. The idea ATT is working with Democrats to undermine our elections demonstrates these people aren’t even intelligent enough to not bite the hand that feeds them.