Sen. Loeffler calls for probe into China's use of US nonprofits to meddle in election

Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., wrote to top government officials on Thursday, calling for an investigation into the use of American nonprofits by China to interfere in U.S. elections and policies — reflecting a growing concern that the communist government is seeking to meddle in the November election.

“Although publicly available assessments of the Chinese government efforts do not elaborate on how they are carrying out these efforts, it is clear that the Chinese government has experience using nongovernmental entities to execute the Chinese government’s policy goals,” Loeffler said in a letter to Attorney General William Barr, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig.

A number of officials have warned about possible election interference from China, along with other countries such as Iran and Russia. Officials have warned that China is seeking to change the policy environment, counter criticism of China and put pressure on officials who oppose the comnmunist regime.

Barr was asked last month on CNN which country was more assertive and aggressive in election meddling.

“I believe it’s China,” Barr said. “Because I’ve seen the intelligence, that’s what I’ve concluded.”

In August, the intelligence community warned that Iran is seeking to undermine President Trump and Russia working to denigrate Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Officials also said China “prefers” that Trump does not win in November.

DNI's John Ratcliffe told Fox News that China poses “a greater national security threat economically, militarily and technologically to the United States than any other nation.

“That includes threats of election influence and interference,” Ratcliffe said.

Loeffler cites reports that found the China Red Cross and other groups are tied to China and the Chinese Communist Party, as well as a New York Times article that found examples of Chinese influence campaigns in Europe and Australia.

“In the United States, laws such as the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) and campaign finance restrictions on foreign donations are designed to ensure transparency and prevent foreign influence in our political processes,” Loeffler wrote. “Because nonprofit organizations receive donations from foreign individuals and entities, however, they represent a potential loophole for through which the Chinese government could influence American policies and elections.”

Loeffler asks for the IRS to conduct a review of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) filings for Chinese connections, for a list of entities who have received Chinese money and engaged in political activity to go to the DOJ, and for the DOJ to coordinate efforts to identify and prevent Chinese efforts to meddle in the election via nonprofits.

The Trump administration has been ramping up its efforts to crack down on Chinese influence at home and abroad in recent months, particularly since the outbreak of COVID-19, which originated in China.

Among the various measures the administration has taken is a State Department move in August to designate the Confucius Institute U.S. Center (CIUS) as a Chinese foreign mission.

The statement described the CIUS, which is funded by the Chinese government, as “an entity advancing Beijing’s global propaganda and malign influence campaign on U.S. campuses and K-12 classrooms” and one that is part of its communist party apparatus. The center denied the claims and accused the administration of  “international saber rattling.”

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

 

Graham steps in 'precarious' spotlight for Supreme Court confirmation during tough reelection fight

As Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., gears up to lead the Supreme Court battle in Washington, back home in South Carolina he's in the fight of his political life.

Jaime Harrison, a former Democratic party official who is trying to run as a nonpartisan in the conservative-titling state, is in a virtual tie with Graham -- a vast turnaround from the senator's last reelection when he sailed to a 16-point victory over his Democratic challenger in 2014.

Harrison is a prolific fundraiser who has blanketed the airwaves with so much advertising against the senator that Graham has made televised appeals for money during television interviews. The Cook Political Report just this week moved the race from leaning Republican to "toss up."

Harrison has been hitting Graham hard on his character, integrity and priorities. And Graham's Supreme Court flip-flop on confirming justices during an election year has played into Harrison's narrative that Graham's word can't be trusted. 

"That's why you have this neck-and-neck race that you typically wouldn't find to be the case in a state as red as South Carolina," said Todd Shaw, associate professor of political science and African American Studies at the University of South Carolina.

Voting is already underway in South Carolina, but for those on the fence, Graham is about to take on the role of a lifetime. Starting Monday he'll kick off confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett as chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

He's announced an ambitious timeline to get President Trump's third pick on the high court before the Nov. 3 election -- which will also determine whether the three-term GOP senator is out of a job.

“It’s a bit precarious because this race has become nationalized in some key ways," Shaw said of Graham's spotlight. 

Harrison is the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, a former lobbyist and a Democratic National Committee associate chairman. He's driven home a theme of "What happened to Lindsey Graham?" One ad plays Graham condemning Trump as a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" before the 2016 election and then saying the opposite after Trump won the presidency and Graham went on to become the president's golf partner and staunch ally.

Graham has represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and prior to that he served 10 years in the U.S. House, where he was an impeachment manager in the trial against then-President Bill Clinton. He's served in the Air Force and Air National Guard.

Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison speaks during the South Carolina U.S. Senate debate with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at Allen University in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. (Joshua Boucher/The State via AP)

All eyes will be on Graham's leadership next week and his handling of the extremely controversial confirmation hearings in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“It certainly puts a spotlight on him," said Danielle Vinson, a professor of politics and international affairs at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. "And given that South Carolina is still a Republican state and to the extent that he finds himself defending Judge Barrett, and trying to be supportive of her, I think that plays well with a good part of the state."

But Vinson warned against Graham delivering another "Oscar-worthy performance" like his angry outburst during the Justice Brett Kavanaugh hearing when he accused Democrats of trying to destroy a good man's life. The eruption scored big praise among the conservative base but turned off some independents and women who were concerned by the sexual assault allegations from high school leveled by Christine Blasey Ford.

"He probably wants to avoid the histrionics that we saw in the Kavanaugh hearing in an effort to not alienate independent voters," Vinson said. "But if he doesn't have any missteps along the way, I think that it can be a positive for him. And I also think they have to be careful with the coronavirus issues. If it looks like they're doing things on that committee that are unsafe, that's also not going to play well in parts of South Carolina.”

Graham backed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's move in 2016 to block Senate confirmation hearings on Merrick Garland in the last year of President Obama's presidency. He told Democrats at the time to "use my words against me" if the Supreme Court vacancy should happen during an election year of a Republican president.

He reaffirmed his opposition to confirming a Supreme Court justice during an election year position in 2018. “If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait till the next election," Graham said during the 2018 Atlantic Festival.

Graham's about-face decision to hold confirmation hearings just days before the presidential election came up during the Senate debate Saturday. Harrison accused Graham of breaking his trust with voters: "How good is your word?"

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., looks through notes during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, to examine the FBI "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation. (Stefani Reynolds/Pool via AP)

Harrison sided with Senate Democrats in wanting the Supreme Court seat to be decided after the election and said the Senate should instead be focused on passing another coronavirus relief bill.

But Graham has doubled down on the confirmation of Barrett as a way to solidify his support among the conservative base, which has been leery of Graham for his maverick bipartisan streak and votes to confirm two Obama justices.

"All I can say is that Amy Barrett is highly qualified," Graham said at Saturday's debate. "I'm the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. The president has every right to do this, and if you're counting on Mr. Harrison to ever vote for a conservative judge, you're making a mistake of high proportion. You can count on me for conservative judges."

Graham says Democrats changed the game the way they went after Kavanaugh and he wants a civilized and safe process for Barrett. 

"Democrats will have plenty of time to ask her hard, relevant questions," Graham told "Hannity" this week. "If they try to destroy her, it will blow up in their face like it did with Kavanaugh. I'm excited about the hearings I want every American to see Amy Barrett and how qualified she is."

If he's successful in getting Barrett voted out of the committee by his desired date of Oct. 22, he'd seal his legacy of cementing the high court's conservative tilt just days before his election. 

"It will be a tremendous accomplishment for President Trump and our country to have Amy Barrett on the Supreme Court," Graham said. "It's going to happen."

 

Debate moderator Steve Scully raises eyebrows with tweet asking Scaramucci 'should I respond to Trump'

Presidential debate moderator Steve Scully raised eyebrows on Thursday night with a tweet that is having critics question his objectivity ahead of the second matchup between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. 

Scully, who is best known as the political editor of C-SPAN and host of "Washington Journal," sent a cryptic message that caused quite a stir on social media. 

"@Scaramucci should I respond to trump," according to a tweet from his account.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN CALLS OUT SECOND DEBATE MODERATOR WHO INTERNED FOR BIDEN, WORKED FOR TED KENNEDY

That message appeared to be directed at former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who was once a supporter of President Trump but has since joined the #Resistance and has been outspoken in favor of Biden's candidacy. 

Scully, who was set to moderate a town hall event on Oct. 15 –­­ now crumbling after President Trump withdrew from the now-virtual debate –­­ sparked confusion and fury among critics, with many concluding that the moderator meant to send such a message to Trump's foe privately. 

"odd thing for the next debate moderator to tweet," Politico reporter Alex Thompson reacted.

"This is not going to help the idea that Scully is *in any way* an objective and unbiased journalist and moderator," NewsBusters managing Curtis Houck wrote.

"We need a different moderator at the v least. This is disqualifying," Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute, tweeted.

"It appears that our moderator for the next debate thinks he's dm'ing with Scaramucci but accidentally tweeted at him. I'm sure he'll be a fair and unbiased moderator," Daily Caller's Greg Price said.

"What? Why is the next presidential debate moderator publicly asking one of Trump’s staunchest critics in Anthony Scaramucci if he should respond to the president? In a related story, Scully once interned for Sen. Joe Biden. Optics here are horrible & underscore mistrust is media," The Hill media reporter Joe Concha tweeted.

Scaramucci seemed to offer him advice on how to deal with the president.

"Ignore. He is having a hard enough time. Some more bad stuff about to go down."

Responding to both Scully and Scaramucci's tweets, White House deputy communications director Brian Morgenstern told "Fox News @ Night" anchor Shannon Bream that "if anybody is having a bad week, it's certainly the presidential debate commission."

"Now their chosen moderator certainly seems not to be very impartial," Morgenstern told Bream. "The first one. Susan Page, of course, is writing the glowing biography of Speaker Pelosi and now Mr. Scully, who interned for Joe Biden, now colluding to use the word the Democrats love with the Mooche, who, you know, I love The Mooche, but he's gone way off the deep end. He is a wild-eyed critic of the president at this point. And now to have a debate moderator seeking his advice. I think the cat's out of the bag. I don't think Mr. Scully is impartial. So that really calls into question, again, the debate commission's judgment here."

Neither the Commission on Presidential Debates nor C-SPAN immediately responded to Fox News' requests for comment.

Scully's credibility as an unbiased debate moderator was previously questioned after it became known that he previously served as an intern for then-Senator Biden and served as a staffer for the late Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy. 

Another tweet of Scully's from the 2016 election showed him sharing a New York Times op-ed titled, "No, Not Trump, Not Ever."

Trump pulled out of the Scully-moderated debate after the Commission on Presidential Debates unilaterally announced that it would be turning the Miami town hall into a virtual event as the president continues his recovery from the coronavirus.

Biden subsequently withdrew from the debate and has since already scheduled an ABC News town hall scheduled for the night that the debate was supposed to take place.  

 

Kamala & Willie Cartoons

 

White House confirms President Trump is back working in Oval Office

President Donald Trump gives thumbs up as he stands on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington, after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. Trump announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:30 PM PT – Wednesday, October 7, 2020

President Trump is back in the Oval Office after his physician reported he has been fever free for more than four days and symptom free for over 24 hours.

Reporters first took note of the President’s return after seeing a Marine standing guard outside the West Wing. The White House has since confirmed he was being briefed on Hurricane Delta and stimulus talks.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Sean Conley stated the President’s vital signs remain stable. He also noted President Trump has not needed or received any supplemental oxygen since initially being hospitalized.

According to the physician, President Trump reported feeling great as he continues to work.

White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern talks with reporters as he walks back to the West Wing of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Despite this, the mainstream media has criticized the President for returning to the Oval Office and other areas of the West Wing while still infected with the virus.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern defended his decision by citing ways the staff can assist the President safely.

“So we have ways for him to do that (work in the Oval Office), we have PPE that we can use and we can interact with him standing back, like you’re standing back from me,” he said. “People can wear masks, goggles, gloves or whatever may be needed, we have CDC guidelines.”

Morgenstern also responded to questions about when the President’s last negative COVID test was.

“Look, we’ve addressed this, we’re not asking to go back through a bunch of records and look backwards,” he added. “We’re looking at the contact tracing process, to mitigate further spread of the disease.”

A Marine is posted outside the West Wing of the White House, signifying the President is in the Oval Office, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The White House official further explained that experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci have said President Trump is getting to the point where he wouldn’t be contagious to personnel.

Morgenstern stated the bottom line is the President “can interact with staff in a safe way” and noted “that’s a great thing.”

 

Lawsuit against DC mayor’s COVID crackdown on Baptist church draws 34 senators’ backing: report

 

 More than 30 U.S. senators have joined a lawsuit filed against coronavirus limits placed on a Washington, D.C., Baptist church by the city’s mayor, according to a report.

Mayor Muriel Bowser – who gained national attention by ordering the words “Black Lives Matter” painted in the street outside an Episcopal church near the White House that was visited by President Trump in June – has prohibited a different church, the historic Capitol Hill Baptist Church on A Street, from holding outdoor services in the city, citing efforts to slow the spread of the virus.

But earlier this month the Department of Justice sided with the church, claiming it was being blocked from outdoor worship even though the city has seen other outdoor gatherings, such as peaceful protests.

The U.S. government argued in a brief that, "While a local government has significant discretion to decide what measures to adapt to meet a public health threat, the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution requires that, whatever level of restriction it adopts, government must treat religious gatherings the same as comparable nonreligious gatherings."

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., tweeted that he was joining a group of Senate colleagues in supporting an amicus brief in the case, filed by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

Scott’s Twitter message included some criticism directed at Bowser.

Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C., speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C., June 25, 2020. (Getty Images)

“The Mayor’s selectiveness in determining which gatherings are permitted is unacceptable & violates the First Amendment & the Religious Freedom restoration Act,” Scott wrote.

In his message announcing his legal filing, Wicker wrote that Capitol Hill Baptist Church was “fighting for fair treatment in our nation’s capital.”

The church wanted its complete 850-member congregation to be able to attend outdoor services but has been prohibited from doing so because of the mayor’s limit of 100 people for outdoor gatherings.

In supporting the church, the Justice Department noted that protests held in the city have sometimes attracted thousands of people – yet have been held unimpeded.

In addition to Wicker, the amicus brief was signed by U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., John Thune, R-S.D., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., James E. Risch, R-Idaho, Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, John Boozman, R-Ark., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Tim Scott, R-S.C., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Bill Cassidy, R-La., James Lankford, R-Okla., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Steve Daines, R-Mont., David Perdue, R-Ga., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Ben Sasse, R-Neb., John Kennedy, R-La., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Mike Braun, R-Ind., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga.

Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this story.

North Carolina Dem Cal Cunningham apologizes for affair, sexting scandal: ‘I am deeply sorry’

James “Cal” Cunningham

 

James “Cal” Cunningham, the Democrat challenging Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina, issued an apology Wednesday night over an alleged affair and sexting scandal that came to light as the state’s residents prepare to vote.

“I am deeply sorry for the hurt that I have caused in my personal life and I also apologize to all of you,” Cunningham said in a statement that was live-streamed during a previously scheduled awards event.

“I hope all of you watching at home will accept this sincere apology and that we will continue to work together to change the direction of our country and strengthen our state.”

Cunningham’s video statement marked his first public appearance since a married California woman claimed she had an affair with the married candidate, a father of two children, and sexual messages between them were published, the News & Observer of Raleigh reported.

The candidate’s remarks, posted on Facebook, included his assertion that the accusations against him were an attempt by the Tillis campaign to distract voters, the newspaper reported.

“Because Thom Tillis knows that he is losing and knows that we are winning, he has now resorted to trying to make this campaign about something other than the issues,” Cunningham said. “But we know, I know, this campaign is about your hopes and your dreams.

“I will not get sidetracked, and I hope you won’t either,” he added.

Earlier Wednesday, Cunningham, 47, who is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, spoke to a local TV station just hours after the military said it was investigating the Democrat for unspecified reasons, The Associated Press reported.

“I’ve made it clear that I’ve hurt my family and that I’ve disappointed my supporters, and I’m taking responsibility for that,” he told Raleigh-Durham’s WNCN-TV, after being located in the parking lot of a coffee shop.

“I’m very clear that this campaign isn’t about my personal life; it’s about the people of North Carolina; it’s about the issues that are important to North Carolinians, and that’s what I’m staying focused on.”

Also Wednesday, the Army veteran husband of the woman allegedly involved in the affair with Cunningham called for the Democrat to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race.

“If elected, I can only imagine how misplaced his judgment would be for the people he’s charged to represent,” the veteran, Jeremy Todd, said in a statement obtained by the News & Observer. “I firmly believe Mr. Cunningham should drop out of the Senate race and ask that his behavior and actions be reviewed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

On Wednesday the Cunningham campaign also said the candidate planned to cooperate with the Army Reserve investigation.

“Cal will participate in this process, but it does not change the stakes of this election or the need for new leaders who will fight for the issues North Carolinians care about instead of caving to the corporate special interests – which is exactly what Senator [Thom] Tillis has done in his years in Washington," a Cunningham campaign spokesperson said.

North Carolina voters will soon decide between incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, left, and Democratic challenger James "Cal" Cunningham.

The Army Reserve confirmed its investigation was underway but would not disclose details.

“The Army Reserve is investigating the matters involving Lt. Col. James Cunningham. As such, we are unable to provide further details at this time," Simon B. Flake, a spokesman for the Army Reserve Strategic Communications, told North Carolina outlet WRAL-TV on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Cunningham leading Tillis, 47% to 42%, in voter support – but the poll emerged prior to Tillis’ confirmed case of coronavirus and details about the Cunningham scandal.

Tillis said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends" that Cunningham owes voters a full explanation for his actions.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

vice presidential debate moments between Pence, Harris

In a debate that was both contentious but also cooled down by several degrees compared to last week's presidential debate, Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris squared off Wednesday night on topics ranging from the pandemic to health care to the USMCA.

Pence and Harris, D-Calif., one of whom no matter what will be the vice president to the oldest president of the United States ever elected by January, met in what will be their only face-to-face public appearance of the election. Along with their convention speeches, the Wednesday debate will likely be their highest-profile moments of the general election.

Here are the top five moments of the vice-presidential debate.

1. Coronavirus dustup

Harris opened the debate with aggressive broadsides against the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic, taking her attack on its coronavirus response directly to the head of the coronavirus task force.

"The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country," Harris said.

"On Jan. 28 the vice president and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic," she continued. "And they knew what was happening and they didn't tell you... They knew and they covered it up. The president said it was a hoax."

Harris added: "This administration has forfeited their right to reelection based on this."

Pence responded by arguing that Joe Biden opposed some of the Trump administration's earliest actions on the coronavirus.

"I want the American people to know that from the very first day President Donald Trump has put the health of America first," Pence said before mentioning the ban on travel from China that Trump imposed. "Joe Biden opposed that decision, he said it was xenophobic and hysterical."

And in response to Harris' allegations that the Trump administration doesn't have a plan for the pandemic and Biden does, Pence said that Biden's plans are very similar to testing, tracing and other efforts the Trump administration has worked on.

"When I look at their plan," Pence said, "it looks a little bit like plagiarism, which is something Joe Biden knows a little bit about."

Harris shot back that whatever Pence said Trump are doing, it "clearly hasn't worked," citing "210,000 dead bodies."

2. "I'm not taking it"

Moderator Susan Page asked Harris whether she would take a vaccine that is approved by the Trump administration before the year is out. Harris and other Democrats have been accused recently of casting doubt on the effectiveness and reliability of a potential coronavirus vaccine, and polls show that faith in a vaccine may be dwindling.

Harris made clear that if a vaccine is vocally supported by medical professionals like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, she would be "first in the line to take it."

But, Harris said, "If Donald Trump tells us we should take it, I'm not taking it."

Pence responded with incredulity.

"The fact that you continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine .. is unconscionable," Pence said. "I ask you, stop playing politics with peoples' lives."

3. Debate over the truth

A discussion about economic policy turned to a debate over who is telling the truth to the American people.

As Pence was accusing Harris of telling the American people that she would immediately raise their taxes upon assuming office, Harris smiled and said "That's not what I said" while shaking her said.

What Harris said was that Biden "believes you measure the health and strength of America's economy based on the health and the strength of the American worker and the American family. On the other hand, you have Donald Trump, who measures the strength of the economy based on how rich people are doing. Which is why he passed a tax bill benefiting the top 1% and the biggest corporations of America, leading to a two trillion dollar deficit that the American people are going to have to pay for. On day one, Joe Biden will repeal that tax bill. He'll get rid of it."

Their fundamental difference, apparently, was whether the Trump tax cuts actually helped middle-class Americans.

After Pence finished his point, Harris alluded to last week when the presidential debate became an unmanageable mess of interruptions from Trump while Biden was on several occasions just repeating "that's not true" as Trump talked.

"We saw enough of it in last week's debate, but I think this is supposed to be a debate based on fact and truth, and the truth and the fact is Joe Biden has been very clear. He will not raise taxes on anybody who makes less than $400,000 a year," Harris said.

Pence shot back: "Joe Biden said twice in the debate last week that he's going to repeal the Trump tax cuts. That was tax cuts that gave the average working family to a thousand dollars in a tax break every single year."

Harris responded, "That is absolutely not true."

"Is he only going to repeal part of the Trump tax cuts?" Pence asked.

The exchange was emblematic of the polarized state of politics in 2020, with each side approaching the issue not just from completely different perspectives, but from a completely different set of facts. As Page tried to get the candidates to move on to talking about the climate, Pence and Harris continued to shoot barbs at each other over Pence's claim that Biden would raise taxes as well as his claim that Biden would ban fracking.

"You're entitled to your own opinion, but you're not entitled to your own facts," Pence repeated multiple times throughout the remainder of the debate. He could be heard scoffing at one point as Harris reiterated that Biden would not ban fracking.

4. Foreign policy gets personal

Pence and Harris talked about foreign policy in what eventually became personal terms, with Harris assaulting Trump for apparent immorality hurting the United States on the world stage.

"What we have seen with Donald Trump is that he has betrayed our friends and... embraced dictators around the world," Harris said. "He doesn't understand what it means to be honest."

Pence said Trump kept his word when he moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and emphasized that Trump has overseen significant successes in the fight against ISIS.

Pence then attacked Biden over the death of Kayla Mueller, who was abducted by ISIS along with her boyfriend in 2013 after leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria. Mueller's parents blame the Obama administration for failing to save her life and were Pence's guests at the debate Wednesday.

"The reality is that when Joe Biden was vice president, we had an opportunity to save Kayla Mueller," Pence said. "The military came into the Oval Office, presented a plan. They said they knew where Kayla was... But when Joe Biden was vice president, they hesitated for a month. And when armed forces finally went in, it was clear she had been moved two days earlier."

"I'm so sorry," Harris said to Mueller's parents before going on to attack Trump for his reported comments about military members.

"This is about a pattern of Donald Trump's where he has referred to our men who are serving in our military as suckers and losers," Harris said. "Donald Trump, who went to Arlington Cemetery and stood above the graves of our fallen heroes and said, 'What's in it for them?' Because, of course, you know, he only thinks about what's in it for him."

"President Donald Trump not only respects but reveres all of those who serve in our armed forces," Pence said. "And any suggestion otherwise is ridiculous."

Pence demanded more time to respond to Harris' accusations, but Page wouldn't let him continue, citing the fact that the campaigns had agreed to certain rules. Pence continued to talk about the military issue after being asked a question about abortion.

5. Court-packing questions

Pence and Harris went back and forth over the vacant Supreme Court seat during the debate, with Pence extolling the administration's nominee for the seat, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and Harris emphasizing that there has never been a Supreme Court nominee confirmed this close to a presidential election.

At one point, Pence asked Harris point-blank whether she and Biden would pack the Supreme Court if they win the presidential election.

"Are you and Joe Biden, if somehow you win this election, going to pack the Supreme Court to get your way?" he said.

"I'm so glad we went through a little history lesson," Harris responded before changing the topic back to the timing of the Supreme Court vacancy.

Harris yet again did not give an answer about whether a Biden administration would pack the Supreme Court. She and Biden have been asked that question numerous times and have not yet provided an answer.

Pence told the camera that Harris and Biden would.

Bonus moment: "I'm the only one on this stage"

As the debate was coming to a close, Harris took the time to remind viewers of her past as a prosecutor after Pence made a point about law enforcement.

"I'm the only one on this stage who has personally prosecuted everything from child sexual assault to homicide," Harris said. "I'm the only one on the stage who has prosecuted, the big banks for taking advantage of America's homeowners. I'm the only one on this stage who prosecuted for-profit colleges for taking advantage of our veterans."

It was the first moment in which Harris explicitly referenced her past as a prosecutor, including as the former attorney general of California, which has been controversial in some liberal circles.

Bailey comment: Yes everyone remembers her as becoming a prosecutor by sleeping her way to the top with Willie Brown. 

Willie & Kamala

Willie & Kamala