2024

Home 2024

Trump Responds to Threats Against Federal Law Enforcement

3
[Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

Since the weekend, a number of officials and media personalities, including Fox News hosts, have called on former President Donald Trump to call for an “end to the violent rhetoric” expressed against the FBI. (RELATED: Gunman Killed After Trying to Enter FBI Building)

On Monday morning’s episode of “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy said Trump, “a great supporter of law enforcement” should help tamp down on the rhetoric “against the FBI because the FBI was simply doing what the DOJ asked them to do.”

Co-hosts Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt called out the FBI, echoing the widely held belief about the Bureau’s current political biases, but they also condemned any violence and threats of violence with Earhardt saying “no one is for the violence of FBI agents.”

Doocy in turn recommended that people frustrated by alleged hypocrisy between the treatment of Republicans and Democrats by federal law enforcement recognize that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland was the man behind the Mar-a-Lago search warrant. (RELATED: Judge Unseals Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant – Trump Under Criminal Investigation)

Hours after the “Fox & Friends” trio issued a call for cooler heads to prevail, former President Trump told Fox News’ Brooke Singman he “will do whatever” he can to “help the country” and bring the temperature down or “terrible things are going to happen.”

The Daily Wire reports:

“People are so angry at what is taking place,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “Whatever we can do to help—because the temperature has to be brought down in the country. If it isn’t, terrible things are going to happen.”

Trump referenced the “years of fake witch hunts and phony Russia, Russia, Russia schemes and scams,” emphasizing that “nothing happens to those people who perpetuate that—nothing happens with them.”

He added: “And then they break into a president’s house—a sneak attack where it was totally—no one ever thought a thing like this would happen.”

Trump also said he told the DOJ he would do whatever he could to help. It is not immediately clear what kind of help Trump offered the DOJ, and the former president’s team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Before the DOJ’s warrant was unsealed, Trump used an intermediary to deliver a similar message to Attorney General Garland, saying according to a person with firsthand knowledge that “The country is on fire. What can I do to reduce the heat?”

According to Business Insider, it’s unclear if the message ever reached Garland.

The attempt to deliver the message preceded Garland’s Thursday press conference where he announced DOJ’s decision to unseal the search warrant. Trump had previously demanded the search warrant be released, even though he had a copy of it and the ability to do so himself.

Around the same time as Garland’s speech, but hours before DOJ unsealed the records, Breitbart published a leaked version of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant — including the names of the FBI agents who signed their names on the property receipts.

The version released by DOJ had all of the same information but redacted the agents’ names. The FBI is currently grappling with an “unprecedented” number of threats made against its agents.

The identity of the leaker to Breitbart, a media outlet long managed by Steve Bannon, remains unknown. Breitbart was roundly criticized for its decision to doxx the agents.

Hours later, Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, sent a push alert to its members with the article that included the unredacted search warrant.

A day later, police killed a man armed with an AR-15 and a nail gun who attempted to breach an FBI office in Cincinnati shortly after posting “Kill [the FBI] on sight” on Truth Social.

The post has since been removed by moderators.

READ NEXT: Trump Benefits From Announcing FBI Raid First: Politics, Media Experts >>

Trump Plans to Bring Michael Flynn Back if He Wins 2024

6
Susan A. Romano, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump says he wants to bring former national security adviser Michael Flynn back if he wins the 2024 presidential election.

“I will say, General Flynn, he’s some general. He’s some man. He took abuse like nobody could have handled, and he came out bigger, better, stronger than ever before,” Trump said via phone to the “ReAwaken America” rally at Trump National Doral Miami, according to a Rolling Stone report.

“He’s a leader, and you just stay wealthy and healthy and well, and everything. I want you to have great lives and, General, you just have to stay healthy because we’re bringing you back. We’re gonna bring you back,” the former president said. 

Trump fired Flynn early in his administration. The former adviser pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about speaking with the Russian ambassador before ultimately withdrawing his plea.

ABC Military Journalist Disappeared After Being Mysteriously Targeted by FBI

1
I, Aude, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

In a very strange tale, Rolling Stone recently reported that an acclaimed military journalist who has exposed shocking military cover-ups, friendly fire deaths, and foiled terror plots, disappeared after his home was raided by the FBI in April.

The magazine cited “sources familiar with the matter” as saying that the ABC producer James Gordon Meek was found with classified material on his laptop by the team of heavily armed FBI agents who appeared at his high-end, penthouse apartment in Virginia.

But this made no sense to friends and outside observers who noted that anything like that on his computer would be for a story he was likely working on.

Meek’s attorney, Eugene Gorokhov, told Rolling Stone: “Mr. Meek is unaware of what allegations anonymous sources are making about his possession of classified documents.”

Prior to his 13 years at ABC, Meek was a senior investigator for the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.

There was a great deal of speculation about what happened to Meek since he resigned from ABC immediately after the raid and declined a prestigious award soon thereafter.

He totally disappeared for the next several months, fueling even more speculation.

Some say his situation is a case of the Biden Justice Department targeting a journalist who had been extremely critical of Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan retreat.

“Independent observers believe the raid is among the first—and quite possibly, the first—to be carried out on a journalist by the Biden administration,” the magazine reported.

But later reports dismissed those concerns.

As the Daily Beast reported:

Inside ABC News, however, staffers were baffled by this framing, since Meek resigned from the network via email on April 27—the same day as the raid—citing “personal reasons” and told friends it was to “save colleagues and the company any embarrassment,” according to two people familiar with the situation.

Although the FBI declined to comment on the probe, the DOJ was more forthcoming, suggesting in a statement to Confider that the raid was not actually about Meek’s reporting work, despite what the Rolling Stone article seemed to indicate. “While the department cannot speak to any specific case or activity, the Department strictly adheres to the Attorney General’s July 2021 memorandum prohibiting the use of compulsory process with regards to members of the news media acting within the scope of newsgathering activities,” wrote Dena Iverson, principal deputy director in the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs.

ABC News sources similarly poured cold water on the idea that Meek was being probed for his journalism: “If the purpose of the FBI’s search is to find classified documents the first call you’d be making would be to ABC’s lawyers because you want the protection of the company,” one such insider told Confider. “We would’ve defended him; ABC’s lawyers would be right there,” another network insider said.

In the aftermath of the FBI raid Meek also suddenly ended his involvement in a book he was co-writing with Lt. Col. Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret, entitled ‘Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible Story of a Group of Americans Who Undertook One Last Mission and Honored a Promise in Afghanistan.’

Mann told Rolling Stone: ‘He contacted me in the spring, and was really distraught, and told me that he had some serious personal issues going on and that he needed to withdraw from the project.

Interestingly, Meek, who has not been charged with any crime, has since reportedly deleted photos of firearms and ammunition from his personal Facebook page.

Meanwhile, more recent reports have shown that Meek is now living discreetly with his elderly mother in McLean, Virginia.

The Daily Mail reported: “‘Missing’ ABC producer James Gordon Meek has emerged from hiding – but refuses to discuss the mysterious FBI raid that brought his storied journalism career to an abrupt halt.”

The reasons for the raid and his ‘disappearance’ from journalism remain a mystery.

Trump Takes Part In Influencing Legal Future

1
Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled for a probation interview Monday, a standard part of the sentencing process for those convicted in New York state court.

The interview, aimed at influencing his upcoming sentencing in July, will take place later today.

NBC News has more on the virtual hearing:

The pre-sentencing probation interview will be done over a special virtual network with added security measures, and the interviewer will be a female, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. The call is not expected to be held over Zoom, those sources added.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted last month on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the historic case. The probation interview is required by the court as part of the former president’s pre-sentencing report.

Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case, permitted Blanche to be present for the probation interview after prosecutors did not object. The Trump defense team is scheduled to submit their sentencing recommendation on June 13.

The former president is scheduled to be sentenced for all 34 felony counts in New York on July 11, days before the Republican National Convention begins.

Trump will conduct the interview from Mar-a-Lago in Florida with Blanche by his side.

The probation officer will record Trump’s lack of criminal history, employment record, current financial status, and observations regarding his “physical and mental condition,” all of which Merchan will consider in his sentencing.

READ NEXT: US Olympic Team’s Colossal Mistake – Huge Star Snubbed For Idiotic Reason…

Report: Conservative Network Shared Private Smartmatic Employee Data With Trump Team After 2020 Election

0
Gage Skidmore Flickr

Voting systems company Smartmatic is suing conservative media network One America News (OAN) and new evidence shows a direct connection to former President Donald Trump.

According to a report by CNN, an email exchange dated January 8, 2021, between OAN president Charles Herring and Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, who is also being sued by Smartmatic as well as other individuals tied to Trump for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election, purportedly contained a spreadsheet full of passwords for employees of Smartmatic.

The court records don’t reveal how OAN obtained the spreadsheet; according to CNN, lawyers for Smartmatic alleged the possession of the information means OAN executives “may have engaged in criminal activities” by “appear[ing] to have violated state and federal laws regarding data privacy.”

Per CNN:

While Smartmatic’s public filings didn’t identify the sender or recipient of the email, court records from a separate 2020-related lawsuit confirm that Herring and Powell exchanged emails on the same date. The pair’s communications about the purported Smartmatic spreadsheet, which have not been previously reported, resurrect questions that have dogged OAN for years regarding its tendency to blur the lines between opinion journalism and brazen political advocacy.

Smartmatic is seeking billions of dollars in damages from OAN and Fox News after the networks falsely claimed that the company flipped votes during the 2020 election.

Last year, Dominion Voting Systems won nearly $800 million in its similar defamation suit against Fox News.

Teamsters Union Withholds Presidential Endorsement For First Time Since 1996

3
Kamala Harris via Wikimedia Commons

After union polling data shows Trump leading decisively among members…

In a historic decision, the Teamsters’ General Executive Board announced that the union will not be endorsing a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, following a surprising surge in support for former President Donald Trump among its membership. This marks the first time since 1996 that the influential labor union, one of the largest in the U.S., has opted not to back a candidate for the presidency.

The decision comes after internal polling revealed significant support for Trump, contrasting with the union’s past endorsements of Democratic candidates. The move reflects the diverse political views within the union’s 1.3 million members and its commitment to focusing on issues rather than party lines.

Earlier Wednesday, the Teamsters released its presidential endorsement polling data following a meeting between Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien and Vice President Kamala Harris. O’Brien emphasized the union’s commitment to a transparent endorsement process driven by its members.

“We are delivering on that promise to our members,” O’Brien said in a press release Wednesday. “Our final decision around a possible Presidential endorsement will not be made lightly, but you can be sure it will be driven directly by our diverse membership.”

Polling data shared by the union’s verified X account revealed positive results for the Trump campaign after President Joe Biden decided not to forgo reelection. A town hall straw poll initially showed President Joe Biden edging out Trump, 44.3% to 36.3%, before the incumbent president dropped out of the race. However, more recent electronic member polling, conducted from July 24 through Sept. 15, showed Trump leading with 59.6% of Teamsters’ support compared to Harris’ 34%. Additionally, a research phone poll conducted independently by Lake Research Partners from Sept. 9 to Sept. 15 showed Trump ahead with 58% support compared to Harris’ 31%.

The polling followed the major party conventions and the Sept. 10 presidential debate, which pundits widely viewed as a win for Harris. Despite her favorable debate reviews, Trump remains the preferred candidate among the overwhelming majority of Teamster respondents.

O’Brien’s meeting with Harris came at a critical time, as the union had yet to endorse a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Speaking about his conversation with Harris, O’Brien emphasized the union’s focus on issues important to its members and noted the political diversity within the Teamsters. “We don’t just represent registered Democrats. We represent registered Republicans and independents,” he said, adding that Harris acknowledged the union’s political diversity.

While many unions quickly endorsed the Democratic ticket, the Teamsters held out, with O’Brien making it clear that the union’s endorsement would depend on politicians’ actions rather than their party affiliation.

READ NEXT: [ALERT] Federal Reserve Unveils Controversial Election Year Strategy

Nikki Haley Campaign Rips Trump, DeSantis in Leaked Memo

11
The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The gloves are coming off…

The attacks from Nikki Haley‘s presidential campaign are heating up. In a leaked memo to donors, Haley’s campaign unleashed a barrage of attacks targeting her 2024 primary rivals.

The memo from Betsy Ankney, Haley’s campaign manager, casts Haley as above the political fray in the GOP presidential primary, recapping her more-than $11 million fundraising haul in the first quarter and early efforts in critical primary and caucus states like New Hampshire and Iowa. 

Donald Trump had a pretty good Q1, if you count being indicted as ‘good,’” Haley’s campaign wrote.

“It’s increasingly clear that Trump’s candidacy is more consumed by the grievances of the past and the promise of more drama in the future, rather than a forward-looking vision for the American people,” the memo reads.

Haley’s campaign also takes aim at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who’s widely expected to launch a White House bid later this spring once the state’s legislative session concludes.

“Ron DeSantis essentially launched his presidential campaign with a national book tour during this period and made one misstep after another, confirming what many observers have long suspected: he’s not ready for prime time,” the memo reads.

“None have taken the plunge,” it says. “That’s of course their decision, but they certainly did nothing to help themselves in the first part of the year. By contrast, Nikki is a decisive person. When she puts her mind to something, she’s IN IT, devoting all her energy to it night and day, week-in and week-out.”

The campaign took a slight shot at other contestants without specifically mentioning their names, suggesting they aren’t worth naming to begin with.

“And then there are the others,” the memo reads. “Wait, what others?”

Republican Governor Admits He Did Not Vote For Trump In Primary

1
Georgia National Guard from United States, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

An unexpected response…

Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp recently disclosed he did not vote for Donald Trump in the state’s primary.

Kemp in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlin Collins on Wednesday, said he didn’t vote for anyone in the state’s primary because the GOP’s presidential race had already been decided.

“I voted, but I didn’t vote for anybody. I mean, the race was already over when the primary got here,” Kemp told Collins. “Well, it would be, for me, personally, politically, I mean it would be interesting if I had’ve voted for him, it would be interesting if I didn’t, it would be interesting if I didn’t vote at all.” 

Watch:

During his interview with Collins, Kemp said Trump should not focus on the 2020 or 2022 election during the debate. 

“I think that hurts him with swing voters. I mean from what I’m hearing from people, they are not focused on what happened in 2020 or 2022,” he said. 

Kemp and Trump have had a rocky relationship since Trump’s last year in office. In 2018, Kemp won the governor’s mansion partly because of a Trump endorsement. 

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, where Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by 12,000 votes, Kemp pointedly pushed back against Trump’s election fraud claims, leading Trump to call him a “clown” and a “fool.” 

Kemp endorsed Trump in March in a short statement, saying, “I think he’d be better than Joe Biden. It’s as simple as that.”

Activists Seek to Disqualify Trump From 2024 Ballot

10
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Two activist groups want to keep former President Donald Trump from the White House by any means necessary.

The groups say secretaries of state are empowered by the 14th Amendment to bar Trump from running for office because of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. The groups are calling their campaign “Trump is Disqualified,” and are timing it to coincide with the 155th anniversary of the 14th Amendment.

The Hill has more:

Starting Sunday, Mi Familia Vota and Free Speech for People will stage a week of rallies and banner drops outside the offices of the secretaries of state of California, Oregon, Colorado and Georgia.

The groups also penned a letter to Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar last month, calling on him to block Trump under what’s known as the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause.

“We’re really focusing on Nevada and California and [Oregon, Colorado and Georgia] to make sure that they are taking a stand by disqualifying Trump in those spaces, which is something that the secretary of state can do,” said Héctor Sánchez, executive director of Mi Familia Vota.

“Trump is responsible for the January 6th insurrection, plain and simple,” said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, campaign director for Free Speech For People. 

“Failing to hold him responsible not only violates the Constitution, but it also sets a dangerous precedent for permitting violent attacks on our democracy. That’s not a risk we can afford to take.”

Secretaries of state are charged with certifying eligibility of candidates and counting the votes in their state. Though Trump has been indicted twice and is under investigation in other cases, the groups say those are not disqualifying facts under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

Harris Campaign Accused Of Using Hacked Trump Campaign Info

0

On Wednesday, the FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies disclosed alarming developments regarding Iran’s alleged interference in the 2024 presidential election. The joint statement, released by the FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), confirmed that Iranian cyber actors attempted to share stolen information from the Trump campaign with the Biden-Harris campaign.

The report indicated that Iranian hackers sent unsolicited emails containing nonpublic Trump campaign data to individuals connected to the Biden-Harris campaign in late June and early July. While the agencies found no evidence that the recipients responded to the emails, the incident has sparked concerns about foreign interference in the U.S. election.

The Biden-Harris campaign condemned the Iranian cyber activity, emphasizing its cooperation with law enforcement since being informed of the phishing attempts. Campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein stated that the emails targeted the personal accounts of staff members rather than official campaign addresses, adding, “We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections.”

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign accused Iran of trying to help the Harris-Biden ticket and demanded clarity on whether the stolen material had been used. Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt questioned, “What did they know, and when did they know it?”

Karoline Leavitt speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore ]

The matter has now drawn attention on Capitol Hill, with House Intelligence Committee members weighing in. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) noted that there was no evidence the Biden campaign responded to the unsolicited emails, while praising Harris and Biden for recognizing that foreign election interference is unacceptable.

Iran, for its part, has denied any involvement. The Iranian Mission to the United Nations issued a statement rejecting the accusations, calling for the U.S. to provide substantiated evidence.

This revelation follows reports last month of internal communications from the Trump campaign being hacked, including emails that were allegedly leaked to Politico. The leaked documents included a 271-page dossier on Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, detailing potential vulnerabilities in his political record.

The developments have intensified concerns regarding foreign influence and interference in the 2024 election, as well as the need for investigations and safeguards to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

READ NEXT: Top Union’s Shocking Decision After Kamala’s Move Sparks Major Controversy