CNN Contributor and Former Lt. Gov. ‘Expelled’ From Georgia Republican Party

by | Jan 7, 2025 | CNN, Mediate, Politics

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

Georgia Republicans voted unanimously to expel  former Lt. Governor and current CNN contributor Geoff Duncan from the party.

Duncan first gained national attention in the aftermath of the 2020 election when, while serving as Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor, he vigorously argued against Trump’s baseless claims that his state’s election was rigged. Duncan became a prominent figure through his efforts to push back on Trump and his allies’ false allegations. Trump publicly called for him to be replaced as lieutenant governor.

Before his clash with Trump, Duncan was seen as a respected moderate Republican. He further angered loyalists of President-elect Donald Trump when he campaigned  on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris in her 2024 bid for the White House. Duncan even garnered a prime time speaking spot during the DNC as part of a coordinated “Republicans for Harris” message — which ultimately failed to get Harris elected.

Since Trump’s victory, the Georgia State Republican Party has followed the national trend of moving closer to the incoming president’s vision for the party. The party released the unanimously adopted resolution that lists all the evidence in support of why Duncan was expelled from the GOP, which you can read, in full, below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 6, 2025

RESOLUTION

OF THE

STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

OF THE

GEORGIA REPUBLICAN PARTY

AS ADOPTED BY UNANIMOUS ACTION

JANUARY 6, 2025

WHEREAS, Geoff Duncan (“Duncan”) ran as a Republican candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives and for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia; and

WHEREAS, in qualifying to run as a Republican candidate, Duncan swore an oath of allegiance to the Republican Party as prescribed by O.C.G.A. 21-2-153(b)(4); and

WHEREAS, in his campaigns for public office as a Republican candidate, Duncan portrayed himself as a Trump supporting conservative and, during his campaign for the Republican nomination as Lieutenant Governor, falsely implied the endorsement of President Trump; and

WHEREAS, Duncan’s claim of having been endorsed by President Trump fits into a larger pattern of false and exaggerated claims, including that he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology, played major league baseball as a member of the Miami Marlins and was a “successful businessman,” and

WHEREAS, Duncan’s single term as Lieutenant Governor was marred by embarrassment and scandal; and

WHEREAS, in the final months of his term as Lieutenant Governor, Duncan sought openly to undermine and sabotage the candidacy of Burt Jones, the Republican nominee to succeed him as Lieutenant Governor, and in doing so, gave aid to the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor and violated his oath of allegiance to the Republican Party; and

WHEREAS, Duncan undermined and sabotaged the candidacy of Herschel Walker, the Republican nominee for United States Senate, discouraging Republicans from voting for him and, in doing so, gave aid to Democrat Raphael Warnock and violated his oath of allegiance to the Republican Party; and

WHEREAS, Duncan comically sought the presidential nomination of the “No Labels” Political Party in opposition to the Republican Party and, in doing so, violated his oath of allegiance to the Republican Party; and

WHEREAS, Duncan endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for President of the United States against Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee for President and, in doing so, violated his oath of allegiance to the Republican Party; and

WHEREAS, when Joe Biden was forced out of the race for President because of physical and mental incapacity, Duncan endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for President of the United States against Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee for President and, in doing so, violated his oath of allegiance to the Republican Party; and

WHEREAS, by his pattern of conduct, Duncan has forfeited any claim to being even a nominal “Republican;” and

WHEREAS, Duncan made campaign speeches and appearances for Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Committee under the guise of being a “Republican for Harris,” and

WHEREAS, Duncan has obtained paid employment from CNN as a “Republican” commentator, using his false credential as a “Republican” to attack the Republican Party; and

WHEREAS, Josh McKoon, Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, with the support of the State Executive Committee of the Georgia Republican Party, has demanded that Duncan cease calling himself a “Republican” and using his false credential as a “Republican” to undermine and sabotage the Republican Party and its candidates;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the State Executive Committee of the Georgia Republican Party:

1. That the open letter from Josh McKoon, Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, to Geoff Duncan dated August 2, 2024, is hereby ratified, confirmed, and approved.

2. That Geoff Duncan is hereby expelled from the Georgia Republican Party. 3. That Geoff Duncan is hereby banned from qualifying as a candidate of the Georgia Republican Party.

4. That the nomination of Geoff Duncan as the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor is hereby expunged.

5. That nominations of Geoff Duncan as a Republican candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives are hereby expunged.

6. That Geoff Duncan is hereby demanded to cease calling himself a “Republican” or using his false claim of being a “Republican” for personal profit.

7. That Geoff Duncan is hereby banned from all property owned or leased by the Georgia Republican Party and all events held by or under the authority of the Georgia Republican Party.

8. That the Executive Director of the Georgia Republican is hereby directed to furnish Geoff Duncan with a copy of this Resolution and notice of Item 5 above pursuant to O.C.G.A. 16-7-21.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the foregoing resolution was adopted by the State Executive Committee of the Georgia Republican Party by unanimous action on a written ballot circulated by the Chairman.

GEORGIA REPUBLICAN PARTY

Caroline Jeffords

Caroline Jeffords, Secretary

The post CNN Contributor and Former Lt. Gov. ‘Expelled’ From Georgia Republican Party first appeared on Mediaite .

Meta appoints Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Dana White to board

by | Jan 7, 2025 | The Guardian

Social media company adds Trump ally to board in latest maneuver to improve ties with president-elect

Meta has appointed three new members to its board of directors, including Dana White, the president and CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a familiar figure in the orbit of the incoming president, Donald Trump .

The social media company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is also adding the auto tycoon John Elkann and the tech investor Charlie Songhurst, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg , said in a Facebook post late on Monday.

Continue reading…

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Welcome Back to the ‘Tough Times’ Era

by | Jan 7, 2025 | The Atlantic

Five years ago, at the 2020 Golden Globes , the comedian Ricky Gervais issued a scathing critique of celebrity activism. During his opening monologue as the ceremony’s host, Gervais took attendees to task for their apparent hypocrisy: “You say you’re woke, but the companies you work for—I mean, unbelievable,” he said, pointing out how Apple TV+ shows are “made by a company that runs sweatshops in China.” Gervais continued: “So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech, right. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything.”

At the time, the comedian’s admonition was notable for its acidity during what is typically a collegial ceremony. But despite its sour tone , Gervais’s monologue tapped into a real cultural shift: By January 2020, Hollywood’s rallying cries against Donald Trump’s first presidency had lost their headline-making power. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, Meryl Streep’s impassioned acceptance speech at the 2017 Golden Globes registered as an existential defense of art and the people who make it. Three years later, such appeals no longer galvanized the industry—or viewers at home. (Neither, for that matter, did much of the actual art produced in protest .)

Looking back on it now, Gervais’s attempt to dampen awards-show speechifying also served as an early indication of how Hollywood might respond to another Trump term—something that was reaffirmed by last night’s Golden Globes . Eight years after an awards season that saw Streep and several other stars (including Hugh Laurie and Viola Davis) delivering sharp rebukes of the incoming president, the celebrities were less willing to do so again. During yesterday evening’s celebration, presenters and awardees alike largely avoided direct commentary about politics or the result of the presidential election, instead making relatively subdued allusions to “difficult moments” or “tough times.” Ahead of another January 6 anniversary, and with weeks to go before Trump’s second inauguration, the hesitation to speak more pointedly suggests that the industry is less inclined to resist MAGA with the same fervor it showed in the mid-2010s.

[Read: The Golden Globes got a little weird with it ]

The cone of relative silence didn’t drop down overnight. In the past several years, Hollywood has wrestled with what constitutes acceptable advocacy. A wave of reactionary voices have decried diversity initiatives and other so-called woke campaigns, drawing scrutiny to such efforts within Hollywood and the corporate world. Many actors and creators are still navigating precarious working conditions, even after the resolution of the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes . And the war in Gaza has sparked division within the industry, prompting some entertainment workers who’ve supported calls for a cease-fire to ask for protections against being blacklisted .

During the recently concluded election cycle, these dynamics shaped the terrain on which celebrities exercised their political speech. And with Trump poised to take office again, the industry is perhaps rattled by the inefficacy of its previous calls to action—or at least lacks a vision of how to meet the political moment through either art or activism . The resulting show last night, in which several well-respected actors spoke vaguely about the importance of storytelling—and of conquering hate—felt like it could have aired in any year or political era.

In her opening set as the night’s host, the comedian Nikki Glaser briefly addressed the crowd’s failure to influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election: “You’re all so famous, so talented, so powerful. I mean, you could really do anything—except tell the country who to vote for.” Sandwiched in a monologue that saw her skewering familiar awards-night subjects, the comment underlined the trouble with celebrity advocacy in a polarized political climate. Unlike Gervais’s 2020 jab, Glaser’s joke took aim at a perceived disconnect between Hollywood elites and the masses. (Glaser also made one of the evening’s few unambiguous references to a Trump-aligned political figure: “The Bear, The Penguin, Baby Reindeer: These are not just things found in RFK’s freezer,” she joked.)

It’s unclear what, if anything, may bridge that gap. One of the night’s more interesting moments underscored the tension between awards-show glamour and the work of producing challenging art within Hollywood. Back in November, the actor Sebastian Stan said he was unable to take part in Variety’s Actors on Actors series because he’d starred in The Apprentice , a film critical of Trump, whom his industry colleagues were unwilling to discuss. But at the Golden Globes, Stan won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his work on another film, A Different Man.

While accepting the trophy, Stan shouted out both projects. “This was not an easy movie to make. Neither is The Apprentice, the other film that I was lucky to be a part of and that I am proud to be in,” he said. “These are tough subject matters, but these films are real, and they are necessary. We can’t be afraid and look away.” It was the closest anyone came to directly addressing the current moment, during an evening when Hollywood preferred to turn its gaze elsewhere.

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