Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden fielded a total of 11 questions from the town hall audience members during Thursday night ABC hour and a half event. However, two of those questioners masquerading as regular voters are heavily involved in Democratic politics, with one being Obama former speechwriter and the other is a wife of a high-profile Pennsylvania Democratic fundraiser.
Towards the middle of the ABC-hosted event, Nathan Osburn was given the opportunity to ask Biden his question. Osburn was listed in the ABC chyron as one that works in “communications” and was introduced by moderator George Stephanopolous as “a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Democrat.”
A quick google search found that in actuality Osburn was a former speechwriter in the Obama administration, specifically working in the Office of Public Affairs at the Commerce Department under the Obama-Biden administration from 2012-2014 as well as the Small Business Administration from 2009 to 2012.
“Amy Coney Barrett’s being pushed through at the last minute, even though millions have already voted. So what do you think about ideas from people like Pete Buttigieg and others to put in place safeguards that will help ensure more long-term balance and stability?” Osburn asked Biden. “And what do you say to LGBTQ Americans and others who are very worried right now about erosions of their rights and our democracy as a whole?”
His question mentioned former Democratic presidential primary candidate Pete Buttigieg with a nod to his idea of putting in place “safeguards that will help ensure more long-term balance and stability.”
During the 2020 Democratic primary, Osburn created a group in favor of Buttigieg. The Philly for Pete group had 500 members, according to Osburn who told Philadelphia Inquirer in June 2019 on watch parties each candidate surrogates were hosting for the first debate.
The second questioner with Democratic ties came from a mother of an elementary school-age transgender child, State College resident Mieke Haeck who was presented as the “first presidential election that you’re voting” asking Biden how would he “protect the lives and rights of LGBTQ people” under U.S. law?
A quick google search of Haeck found that she is far from being a generic voter and this might be her “first presidential election” that she will cast a vote in. Haeck is the wife of a former Pennsylvania Democratic candidate, Ezra Nanes who ran in 2018 against Republican state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman. Currently, Haeck’s husband is a Democratic fundraiser and at-large member of the Centre County Democratic Committee. Centre County is the county in which State College resides.
“My youngest daughter is transgender. The Trump administration has attacked the rights of transgender people, banning them from military service, weakening nondiscrimination protections, and even removing the word ‘transgender’ from some government websites,” Haeck said. “How will you as president reverse this dangerous and discriminatory agenda and ensure that the lives and rights of LGBTQ people are protected under U.S. law?”
“I will flat out just change the law,” Biden said in response without giving details on how he would change the law.
Haeck’s husband praised her appearance on Twitter.
“Our children and I are so proud of our @MiekeHaeck for her courage in asking this question of @JoeBiden and so grateful to our next President for his caring and decisive answer in support of transgender and all LGBTQ people,” Nanes wrote.
Our children and I are so proud of our @MiekeHaeck for her courage in asking this question of @JoeBiden and so grateful to our next President for his caring and decisive answer in support of transgender and all LGBTQ people. https://t.co/zvDlO9c2Tl
— Ezra Nanes (@EzraNanes) October 16, 2020
It is worth noting that Stephanopolous did kick off the event telling viewers that the voters are a group of mixed stating they would vote for Biden, a group of President Trump voters, and some undecided. However, the two Democratic questioners masquerading as regular voters at the ABC town hall follows controversy earlier this month surrounding a Biden town hall held on NBC.
During the October 6th NBC town hall, two attendees were identified as part of the undecided voters NBC portrayed in the event. Lawyer Peter Gonzalez and marketing executive Ismael Llano posed questions to Biden during a town hall on Monday, when he appeared before what the network described as an “audience of undecided Florida voters.”
But hours later it was found that the two were featured in August in an MSNBC segment declaring their support for Biden.
“If we get four more years of Trump, good luck, and good luck with the future attracting younger voters,” Gonzalez said as an MSNBC chyron noted why he was “voting for Biden.”
Llano was also identified as “voting for Biden” and offered praise for the former vice president.
ABC nor Stephanopolous has address this new controversy or why they never asked Biden about the recent NY Post bombshell report about Biden and his son, Hunter Biden emails that shows the former Vice President son using his father office in making deals worth millions with foreign nations.
20202020 Election2020 Presidential RaceABC NewsABC TownHallDemocratsEzra NanesGeorge StephanopoulosJoe BidenMayor Pete ButtigiegMieke HaeckNathan OsburnNBC Town HallObama Administration
william couch
October 19, 2020Senile old man is soooooooooooooooooo protected!!!!
greta
October 19, 2020Whatelse is new? Conservatives have been cheated as far as debates and townhall are concerned. The demorat socialist party doesn’t have a fair bone in their bodies.