• The reports of election fraud are mounting in Michigan. What's going on?
• First Michigan allegation: Detroit city worker claims ballots were ordered backdated; FBI begins probe
• Lawsuit: Detroit election worker was told to backdate mail-in ballots by city officials - and other MI election 'anomalies' ignored by MSM
• What did the Detroit whistleblowers, whose lawsuit was rejected, say they saw? Late ballot boxes, votes counted 4-5 times each
• Suitcases and coolers rolled into Detroit voting center at 4 AM, brought into secure counting area

Over 15 years, RT has grown from a single channel into a global multi-language news network, becoming "a voice which is trusted and respected" by millions of people in many countries around the globe, he added.

And, let's be honest, it's also the voice of the truth - the truth that many fear and would prefer to silence.

Putin said he believes that RT's success comes from its commitment to "the universal laws of fair, professional and free journalism." The broadcaster rejects censorship and isn't looking to claim "monopoly on the truth," the president said.

You're not afraid of asking uncomfortable questions and giving the floor to heated discussions with various - sometimes inconvenient - points of view.

The professionalism of RT's crew will assure that its "voice will continue to be heard on all continents," Putin said, wishing the broadcaster "steady growth, courage, audacity and success."

• CDA Section 230: DOJ to curtail big tech's legal immunities
• Sen. Hawley introduces bill to give Americans the ability to sue Big Tech companies over political censorship concerns

At the end of a roughly three-minute video [now since removed from Facebook. - ed.] posted Tuesday evening to Facebook, Johnson referenced law enforcement tracking down someone who made a threat against her before issuing what she called a warning.

"So, this is just a warning to you Trumpers. Be careful. Walk lightly. We ain't playing with you. Enough of the shenanigans. Enough is enough," Johnson states in the video.

"And for those of you who are soldiers, you know how to do it. Do it right. Be in order. Make them pay. I love y'all."

The last few seconds of the video have received considerable attention on social media, and were specifically cited in a news release Wednesday from the Michigan Republican Party. But in the same video, Johnson also calls on supporters to "hit 'em in their pocketbooks" and thanks people for "doing things right and in order."

Johnson, who is Black, received a litany of death threats and racist messages after she tried to question Rudy Giuliani during a recent legislative committee hearing. She has posted several voicemails to her Facebook page, including some calling for her to be lynched.

Johnson did not immediately return a voicemail or email seeking comment. In addition to her position as minority vice chair on the House Oversight Committee, Johnson served on the Agriculture and Families, Children and Seniors committees.

Chatfield and Wentworth did not reference any specific comments in the video or identify what they deemed threatening from the video, and a spokesman did not immediately respond to questions seeking clarification.

"Threats to either Democrats or Republicans are unacceptable and un-American. They're even more unbecoming of an elected official. Rep. Johnson has been removed from her committee assignments, and we are looking into further disciplinary action as the proper authorities conduct their own investigations," Chatfield and Wentworth said in the joint statement.

"We have been consistent in our position on this — violence and intimidation is never appropriate in politics. We have said that about threats against Gov. Whitmer, Secretary (of State Jocelyn) Benson, Rep. Johnson herself, and others. That applies to threats made toward public officials, and it must also apply when the threats come from public officials. Behavior like this will not be tolerated this term or next."

Gideon D'Assandro, a spokesman for Chatfield and Wentworth, said the video was referred to law enforcement. He did not specify which agency.

In a statement, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel condemned both the threats made against Johnson and the comments she made in the video.

"My office has received a number of calls and emails from residents about these incidents. I must remind people that if they have been threatened or if they fear for their safety, the appropriate thing to do is to call your local police department or 911, if it's an emergency, so that law enforcement officers can respond," Nessel said.

"As Michiganders, and as Americans, we cannot allow hateful rhetoric from a few individuals to drag the masses down into a spiral of unjust actions. It is never acceptable for anyone — especially a public servant — to incite violence or to threaten others with harm. When vigilantes assume justice is theirs to serve, our democracy suffers. It's time for us to move forward together as a state instead of engaging in — or celebrating — actions of hate and divisiveness."

House Minority Leader Christine Greig, D-Farmington, and Leader-elect Donna Lasinski, D-Scio Township, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon where they labeled Johnson's comments "regrettable" while calling for an end to divisive political rhetoric.

"It is regrettable that her comments have led to the unintended consequence of adding further tension. It's incumbent upon every elected official to be mindful of the impact of our words, especially in a moment of national tension and crisis," Greig and Lasinski said.

The Democratic leaders also blasted the move to remove Johnson from her committees, saying it "illustrates that the Republicans prioritize partisan politics and political theater over healing the wounds of division, preserving the well-being of the Legislature as an institution, protecting the safety of members, and acting on the needs of the people of Michigan."

At the start of the Tuesday Facebook video, Johnson thanks "everybody who is supporting our efforts, and when I say our efforts, I'm talking about doing things right and in order."

"Don't get upset with folks, and start cussing them out and all that. Don't. It never works," she states.

"Be smart. You don't have to yell. You don't have to curse anybody out. You don't have to call people names. Hit their asses in the pocketbook. Hit 'em in the pocketbook."

In a second video posted Wednesday morning, Johnson elaborated on her message to "soldiers."

"All you soldiers, soldiers of Christ. Soldiers against racism. Soldiers against misogyny. Soldiers against domestic violence and domestic terrorism. Soldiers: Rise, it's time for you to rise," Johnson said in a portion of the video.

In a news released Wednesday, Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox said Johnson was inciting violence with her "deranged Facebook rant" posted Tuesday.

"It was distressing to know that Representative Johnson received threats after last week's hearing. However by issuing threats of violence of her own against the supporters of President Trump, she has sunk to the same level as the unhinged individuals who threatened her," Cox said, calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Democrats to denounce Johnson's comments.

Representatives for Whitmer and Nessel did not immediately provide comments in response to requests.

GOP Caucus in Georgia Senate Calls for Forensic Audit of Election
Simon Veazey December 9, 2020

Georgia state Senate Republicans are calling for a forensic audit of all election data, and for election officials to engage with investigations into alleged fraud.

"We insist that all counties immediately preserve all data from the November 3, 2020, General Election in order to conduct a forensic audit," the Georgia Senate Republicans Caucus said in a Dec. 9 announcement. "We also call on these counties to perform a signature audit."

They said they will continue to hold hearings into election fraud until and beyond Jan. 5, the date of the double runoff elections that will settle control of the U.S. Senate.

They indicated, however, that they don't believe the law allows them to appoint their own presidential electors.

In a list of announcements, the Republican group said they would also fund the secretary of state's call to investigate out-of-state residents moving to Georgia for the sole purpose of voting in the runoff.

The group said it will also pass legislation to reverse the "detrimental effects" of the consent decree that has been criticized for allegedly making signature matching so difficult as to be virtually impossible to carry out in practice.

They said the new legislation would be introduced "as soon as we may constitutionally convene," along with bills aimed to eliminate at-will absentee voting and requiring photo ID for absentee votes.

They also called on the secretary of state to immediately release a certified list of all voters from the Nov. 3 election, along with a certified list of all newly registered voters from Oct. 5 to Dec. 7 in the state.

Officials at the secretary of state's office didn't immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

"Georgia Senate Republicans have heard the calls of millions of Georgians who have raised deep and heartfelt concerns that state law has been violated and our elections process abused in our November 3, 2020, elections," the GOP caucus said.

The announcement stated there was no avenue available to challenge the state's presidential election results, instead suggesting that a better route is through the case filed by Texas with the Supreme Court.

"Our state constitution precludes us from calling a special session due to the lack of a three-fifths majority in both chambers," they wrote. "As constitutionalists, we must respect that."

While the Republicans hold the majority in both chambers, the GOP falls short of that three-fifths mandate in the House.

Georgia on Dec. 7 affirmed the state's election victory in favor of Democratic candidate Joe Biden by 12,760 votes, following several recounts without signature verification.

Four Republican senators circulated a petition on Dec. 7 calling for Gov. Brian Kemp, also a Republican, to hold a special session for legislators to discuss selecting electors for President Donald Trump in light of the evidence in support of accusations of voter fraud.

Kemp rejected their calls, saying that selecting a separate slate of presidential electors isn't allowed under state or federal law.

The official GOP caucus appeared to fall in line with his assessment in their Dec. 9 announcement, saying that state law provides no avenue to "retroactively alter the results from November 3, 2020."

Trump's lawyers insist the Constitution empowers the state legislators alone with the final say-so on electors, regardless of state law.

Meanwhile, a group of 15 Republican Georgia senators issued a statement siding with the Texas lawsuit that seeks to toss out Georgia's election results.

"This systemic failure to follow the law has allowed misconduct, fraud, and irregularities throughout the voting process of this state," they said in their statement. "These failures and other fraudulent activities were brought to light at the hearing held in the Georgia State Senate Judiciary Subcommittee last week.

"We urge the U.S. Supreme Court to accept this very important case submitted last night by the State of Texas."

• Texas sues Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin at US Supreme Court to invalidate their election results - UPDATE: 18 more states back Texas!
• Georgia, Y'all Got a Problem
• Georgia Senate issues new statement on election fraud
• What is Mark Zuckerberg's election money doing in Georgia?
• BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: "USB guy" was filmed cheering after inspecting bogus ballots under table in Georgia election day
• Georgia elections official and unhinged #NeverTrumper Gabriel Sterling tweets out nasty attacks on President Trump
• Georgia's Kemp again rejects lawmakers replacing electors after call with Trump - but it's not his call
• No, the Georgia vote-counting video was not 'debunked' - not even close
• Georgia judge dismisses Sidney Powell's election fraud lawsuit