Still haven’t located Basil. He’s obviously hand-recounting every ballot cast in Georgia, and, being as thorough as he is, going door-to-door asking people to provide samples of their signatures. Considering all the deceased and otherwise out-of-state voters, this may take awhile. I’ll take over.

Meanwhile, in Frank’s home town:

Austin Mayor Stressed Residents ‘Need To Stay Home.’ He Was Vacationing in Cabo at the Time
Austin Statesman | 12/2/2020 | Tony Plohetski

In early November, as health officials warned of a impending COVID-19 spike, Austin Mayor Steve Adler hosted an outdoor wedding and reception with 20 guests for his daughter at a trendy hotel near downtown.

The next morning, Adler and seven other wedding attendees boarded a private jet bound for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where they vacationed for a week at a family timeshare.

One night into the trip, Adler addressed Austin residents in a Facebook video: “We need to stay home if you can. This is not the time to relax. We are going to be looking really closely. … We may have to close things down if we are not careful.”

…

The situation underscores the greater-than-normal scrutiny on public officials during the pandemic as they issue public pleas for people to take coronavirus precautions and balance other demands in their personal lives.

Political opponents often are standing guard to capitalize on any misstep or hint of hypocrisy.

…

Adler said his conduct is different from other officials because he did not behave in a way that was inconsistent with his message at the time. He added that his actions did not violate his regulations.

“Every day since March, I repeat that being home is the safest place for people to be,” Adler said in a statement Wednesday. “Only at our most trying moments, like around Thanksgiving, have I asked people not to travel as part of extra precautions. It is safest to stay home. However, we aren’t asking people to never venture out. We ask everyone to be as safe as possible when they do.”

The rate of people testing positive in Austin was less than 4% but started climbing after Adler was in Mexico. New cases rose dramatically as Thanksgiving neared.

Adler said his daughter wanted a much larger wedding but, due to the pandemic, downsized to mostly parents and siblings, some of whom flew into Austin. The event also included a Seattle-based wedding photographer.

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