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Iowa Dems release '100 percent' of caucus vote totals showing Buttigieg ahead, amid calls for 'recanvass'
The Iowa Democratic Party announced that "100 percent" of precincts were finally reporting results late Thursday night -- 72 hours after the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses concluded on Monday. Still, numerous irregularities continue to plague the Iowa caucuses, prompting Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez to call for a complete "recanvass" to "assure public confidence.
The state party's numbers showed that Pete Buttigieg would be awarded 564 SDEs, or state delegate equivalents, while Bernie Sanders would receive 562 SDEs. In the popular vote, Sanders was ahead of Buttigieg, 45,826 votes to 43,195.
Still, no winner has been officially declared. Almost immediately after the new results posted, more reports of discrepancies popped up. And despite the Iowa Democrats' website saying "100 percent" of precincts were reporting, it appeared several caucus sites still had no data reported.
The ongoing confusion and skepticism surrounding the Iowa Democratic caucuses results come as seven of the Democratic presidential candidates -- Sanders, Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Billionaire activist Tom Steyer and entrepreneur Andrew Yang prepare for a debate in New Hampshire on Friday. Click here for more on our top story.
Other developments from the 2020 campaign trail:
- Buttigieg catches up with Sanders in New Hampshire due to polling surge
- Warren, in apology, cites America's 'long legacy' of 'racism and oppression' after women of color quit Nevada campaign
National Security Council aide Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik/FILE)
National security official who was key Trump impeachment witness for Democrats to be reassigned: reports
The White House is weighing plans to dismiss a national security official who testified against President during House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, according to reports.
The Washington Post reports that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman — a National Security Council aide who testified during House Democrats’ impeachment hearings in the fall — will be informed, likely on Friday, by administration officials that he is being reassigned to a position at the Defense Department. The move would come after Trump, in a triumphant scene at the White House Thursday, railed against what he called an “evil” impeachment process.
Bloomberg reported that the White House plans to frame it as part of an NSC staff downsizing, not a retaliation. Click here for more.
Treasury complies with GOP Senate inquiry, hands over highly confidential info on Hunter Biden, report says
The Treasury Department complied with a Republican-controlled Senate inquiry into Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine and handed over highly sensitive financial records and "evidence' of questionable origin," a report on Thursday said.
Yahoo News first reported that the Treasury Department began to turn over the documents related to the Senate inquiry late last year. Biden, the son of former 2020 presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, once held a $50,000-a-month job with Ukrainian gas giant, Burisma Holdings, while his father served under then-President Obama and was tasked with handling Ukraine policy. Click here for more.
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SOME PARTING WORDS
Laura Ingraham says Democrats should have filed articles of impeachment against themselves because they have abused their office and betrayed the public's trust.
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