Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mocked blue-state leaders as "the Grinches Who Stole Christmas" for blocking tax relief for Americans. On Wednesday, Bessent posted an AI-generated image of Democrat Governors Kathy Hochul of New York, Jared Polis of Colorado, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois as grinches.'This partisan stonewalling is a direct assault on the very families and workers liberal politicians claim to champion.'"Thanks to @POTUS, 'tis the season to be jolly — unless you're a taxpayer in New York, Colorado, Illinois, or the District of Columbia," Bessent wrote. "For millions of hardworking Americans, @GovKathyHochul, @GovofCO @jaredpolis, and @GovPritzker are The Grinches Who Stole Christmas.""Courtesy of their Scrooge-like tendencies, America's seniors, along with all workers who would benefit from No Tax on Tips and No Tax on Overtime, will be robbed of the tax relief they deserve," Bessent continued. "The Christmas season should be a time of great cheer. But due to the Trump Derangement Syndrome of these Governors and other radical leftists, too many low- and middle-income households will receive nothing but coal in their state tax stockings."President Donald Trump's July 4 bill eliminates taxes on tips for service-industry workers and on overtime for linemen and factory workers. It also provides a tax deduction for seniors receiving Social Security. A Wednesday press release from the Treasury Department accused the Democrat leaders of "political obstructionism" for "deliberately blocking their own residents from receiving these historic benefits at the state level."RELATED: Trump gives American farmers $12 billion boost to overcome inflation, trade wars J.B. Pritzker, Kathy Hochul. Photo: Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images"This partisan stonewalling is a direct assault on the very families and workers liberal politicians claim to champion. By denying their residents access to these important tax cuts, these governors and legislators are forcing hardworking Americans to shoulder higher state tax burdens, robbing them of the relief they deserve and exacerbating the financial squeeze on low- and middle-income households," the department's press release read.States are not required to adhere to all federal tax provisions. New York is introducing new codes to its tax form, requiring residents to pay taxes on tips and overtime. Colorado plans to require residents to report the amount of overtime pay that was deducted federally and then add it back for state tax purposes. Illinois is expected to adopt similar updates to its tax form to add pay deducted federally.New York has been ranked the worst state in the country for taxes. The state's overall tax burden is estimated at 12.02%, while Illinois' is 9.67% and Colorado's is 8.42%.RELATED: Trump Accounts: Newborns get a $1,000 tax-free nest egg that grows until age 18 — American dream revival or debt nightmare? Jared Polis. Photo by Hyoung Chang/Denver Post/Getty ImagesPolis responded to Bessent's comments in a post on X, claiming that Colorado has reduced taxes."Colorado has cut our income tax three times, and unlike these measures in Trump's law, those cuts are permanent," Polis wrote. "While the Secretary is supporting Trump's tariff taxes, we are delivering real relief through the most generous child tax credit in the nation and cutting poverty. Spend less time talking about tips, which Colorado conforms to and won't be subject to state or federal income tax up to the level designated in HR1 and instead focus on lowering interest rates, costs and bringing down the price of goods ahead of Christmas by eliminating these draconian tariffs. Happy holidays, Secretary — may your stockings be full of facts, not coal."In response to Bessent's post, Hochul wrote, "Remarkable that an office once held by Alexander Hamilton is now tweeting Grinch fanfic at governors."Pritzker's office did not respond to a request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Jonathan Franklin, a former race and identity correspondent for National Public Radio who now apparently serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, recently went into panic-mode after realizing he had made a series of damning remarks to investigative journalist James O'Keefe on hidden camera.In the footage published on Wednesday by the O'Keefe Media Group, Franklin — whose personal website is now password-protected, Instagram profile has been set to private, and page on the Georgetown University was largely scrubbed — appears to call various black conservatives a "coon," including Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Candace Owens, and U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas Herschel Walker.'Well, the thing is that I actually am James O'Keefe.'When pressed by O'Keefe on why he hasn't shared such views publicly, Franklin, who is set to teach a journalism course on sourcing and interviews, appears to say, "I'd have to stop being a journalist for me to say what I really want to say."At one point in his conversation with O'Keefe — whom he evidently did not recognize on account of a pair of glasses — Franklin appears to say, "I work with a bunch of stupid white people."Franklin declined to comment on the situation involving the video published by O'Keefe, a representative told Blaze News.RELATED: University of Minnesota faces backlash over project that seeks to cure the 'Whiteness Pandemic' Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images Georgetown University did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.After hearing enough racially charged rhetoric, O'Keefe asks Franklin in the video what he thinks about James O'Keefe.Franklin answers, "I've heard from people he's an a**h**e.""Well, he does, like, the undercover stuff and, like, exposes people, you know?" says O'Keefe. "He exposes people, you know, telling people, like, what they really think.""There's a way to do that sort of watchdog, gotcha, ambush journalism but doing in a way that doesn't disrespect the person that you're trying to catch or yourself as a reporter," says Franklin. O'Keefe then takes off his glasses, points to the hidden camera, and announces to Franklin, "Well, the thing is that I actually am James O'Keefe.""No, you're not," responds Franklin.Upon realizing the man he'd been talking to is in fact James O'Keefe, Franklin gets up and begins to run away. Outside the building, Franklin can be seen falling to the ground. After asking whether the adjunct was all right, O'Keefe tries asking him clarifying questions about his apparent "coon" comments, to which Franklin responds, "I will sue."O'Keefe and his team subsequently took Franklin to a pharmacy to get him Band-Aids for the cuts he sustained in his tumble. After cooling off, Franklin appeared to confirm to O'Keefe on camera that while he did work for NPR, he had lied during their earlier conversation about working for CBS News.When later discussing the encounter, O'Keefe questioned whether an individual who allegedly harbors racist views and would share them with a stranger should be teaching journalism classes at an institution like Georgetown University."That type of racism is not just his personal opinion," said O'Keefe. "It is a bias about a group of people that directly affects fairness, credibility and judgment. Why? Because he's a professor who is using these slurs. He is revealing a framework that shapes how he interprets information."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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