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    New York Launches Probe Into Trump Judge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    4
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has launched an investigation into a New York attorney’s claim that he advised Judge Arthur Engoron in the case against former President Donald Trump.

    Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey told WNBC-TV that he had a courthouse conversation with Engoron three weeks before the judge would slap Trump with a $454 million penalty for fraudulently inflating the value of his assets.

    New York judges are barred from considering outside opinions in such a way when litigating a case, yet Bailey said he discussed the legal questions at length with the judge.

    Judge Engoron’s ruling ordered Trump to pay nearly $355 million, Donald Jr. and Eric to each pay $4 million, and ex-Trump Org chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to pay $1 million. The order also barred Trump from serving as a corporate officer or a director of a company in New York for three years, and barred his sons for two years. The Trumps did avoid the so-called “corporate death penalty;”

    “I actually had the ability to speak to him three weeks ago,” Bailey said in an interview with the station on Feb. 16, just hours before the judge issued his ruling.

    “I saw him in the corner [at the courthouse], and I told my client, ‘I need to go,’” he recounted.

    “And I walked over, and we started talking … I wanted him to know what I think and why … I really want him to get it right,” the attorney continued.

    He said he “explained to” Engoron that ruling against Trump would have far-reaching implications beyond destroying the former president, including damaging New York’s economy.

    If Trump were forced to pay a hefty fine and shut down his business, it would make other companies concerned about similarly being targeted at any time, even when there were no actual damages or victims, as in this case.

    Trump’s legal team raised the same points, which Engoron ignored in his verdict.

    In a later interview with WNBC, Bailey walked back his claims slightly, saying they “didn’t even mention the word ‘Donald Trump’” during their conversation.

    However, the attorney admitted that it was understood exactly what they were discussing.

    “Well, obviously, we weren’t talking about the Mets,” Bailey said.

    According to the New York State Rules of Judicial Conduct, “a judge shall not initiate, permit, or consider ex parte communications, or consider other communications made to the judge outside the presence of the parties or their lawyers.”

    Al Baker, a spokesman for the state’s Office of Court Administration, denied that the judge had broken those rules.

    “The decision Justice Engoron issued February 16 was his alone, was deeply considered, and was wholly uninfluenced by this individual,” Baker said in a statement, according to WNBC.

    Judge Judy Labels Trump Hush Money Case ‘Nonsense’

    By
    admin
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    2
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A waste of time and taxpayer dollars…

    “Judge Judy” Sheindlin called Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) hush money case against former President Trump “nonsense” in a recent interview.

    “You gotta twist yourself into a pretzel to figure out what the crime was. [Bragg] doesn’t like him — New York City didn’t like him for a while,” Sheindlin said of Trump in a “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” interview streaming Friday on Max.

    “I would be happier, as someone who owns property in Manhattan, if the district attorney of New York County would take care of criminals who were making it impossible for citizens to walk in the streets and use the subway, to use his efforts to keep those people off the street, than to spend $5 million or $10 million of taxpayers’ money trying Donald Trump on this nonsense,” the longtime TV judge told Wallace.

    Watch:

    “I, as a taxpayer in this country, resent using the system for your own personal self-aggrandizement,” the “Judy Justice” personality said of Bragg.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Asked by the CNN anchor what she thought of Trump, the 81-year-old former Manhattan Family Court judge replied, “I think he was a good businessman, a real estate guy. And he was certainly terrific on ‘The Apprentice.’”

    The celebrity judge’s comments come as the Manhattan DA seeks an extension of the restraining order against former President Donald Trump. (RELATED: Manhattan DA Seeks Extended Gag Order Against Trump Amid Death Threats To Bragg)

    They argue that Trump’s public statements have increased tensions and led to threats against Bragg and his team before Trump’s July 11 sentencing.

    The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.

    Before Trump, no sitting or former president ever faced criminal charges. This is the lowest level felony in New York, any potential sentence will more than likely be served after the 2024 election.

    As The New York Times reports:

    The order, issued before Mr. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial began in mid-April, bars him from attacking witnesses, jurors, court staff and relatives of the judge who presided over the trial, Juan M. Merchan.

    Mr. Trump’s lawyers have sought to have the order lifted since Mr. Trump’s conviction in late May. But in a 19-page filing on Friday, prosecutors argued that while Justice Merchan no longer needed to enforce the portion of the gag order relating to trial witnesses, he should keep in place the provisions protecting jurors, prosecutors, court staff and their families.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

    Nikki Haley Lands New Gig After Failed Trump Challenge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Donald Trump’s last Republican rival has landed a fresh new job.

    Nikki Haley the former two-term South Carolina governor who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, is joining the Washington, D.C.-based Hudson Institute.

    “Nikki is a proven, effective leader on both foreign and domestic policy,” Hudson President and CEO John P. Walters said in a statement Monday. “In an era of worldwide political upheaval, she has remained a steadfast defender of freedom and an effective advocate for American security and prosperity. We are honored to have her join the Hudson team.”

    Fox News has more:

    Haley, who received the Hudson Institute’s global leadership award in 2018 during her tenure as U.N. ambassador, will serve as the institute’s Walter P. Stern Chair. According to the Hudson Institute, the position was created four years ago to commemorate a former chair “who was instrumental in making Hudson one of Washington’s most respected research organizations.”

    The institute emphasized that “it is fitting that Nikki has taken on this title” because “she is a courageous and insightful policymaker.”

    Haley announced that she was suspending her White House campaign on March 6, the day Trump swept 14 of 15 GOP nominating contests on Super Tuesday.

    To date, Haley has declined to endorse Trump.

    “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,” Haley said last month, as she pointed to those who supported her during her White House run.

    “This is now his time for choosing,” she emphasized.

    Trump Returns To Twitter – Now X

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Photo via Pixabay images

    Former President Donald Trump’s official X account is back…for now.

    The first ad, posted at 2:54 am, included a voiceover from Ronald Reagan and was captioned, “Are you better off now than you were when I was president? Our economy is shattered. Our border has been erased. We’re a nation in decline. Make the American Dream AFFORDABLE again. Make America SAFE again. Make America GREAT Again!”

    Another ad was published at 3:00 am and read, “They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you. They’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you. I just happen to be standing in their way and I’m never moving. We will Make America Great Again!”

    Musk and Trump will talk live on X at 8 pm ET and Musk has already addressed the technical issues that have plagued past events – including the glitchy of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) presidential campaign last spring.

    “Am going to do some system scaling tests tonight & tomorrow in advance of the conversation,” Musk wrote on X ahead of the event.

    Trump had been banned from Twitter, which Musk bought for a staggering $44 billion and renamed X, after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.

    Trump has only posted once since Musk restored his Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, as the former president reserves his social media usage for Truth Social, which he owns. In August of 2023, Trump post his Fulton Country jail mugshot with a link soliciting donations.

    Trump Names 3 A-listers As Special Ambassadors To ‘Very Troubled’ Hollywood

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Austin Green, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    President-elect Trump announced three special envoys on Thursday with the purpose of promoting business in Hollywood.

    Those special ambassadors will be Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, Trump said. All three actors are conservative and have appeared publicly with Trump or praised him publicly in the past. Stallone, for example, praised Trump as “the second George Washington” while introducing him at the America First Policy Gala in Palm Beach in November.

    “It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post. “They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

    “These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest,” Trump added. “It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”

    The actors’ support for Trump is particularly significant given the strong anti-Trump sentiment voiced by many Hollywood progressives, such as George Clooney, who embrace politicians like former President Barack Obama.

    “When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world,” Stallone said of Trump in November. “‘Cause without him, you can imagine what the world would look like. Guess what, we got the second George Washington.”

    D.C. Waitress Fired After Vowing To Refuse Service To Trump Officials

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6

    A Washington, D.C.-based server has been fired after proudly saying in an interview that she planned to refuse service to Trump officials.

    The server was previously employed by Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill. She took part in a report by Washingtonian magazine about how the service industry would respond to President-elect Donald Trump’s team if they patronized her place of employment.

    Most individuals who were interviewed remained anonymous, but Suzannah Van Rooy provided her real name. 

    “I personally would refuse to serve any person in office who I know of as being a sex trafficker or trying to deport millions of people,” the server told the outlet, as The Daily Wire previously reported. “It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral convictions that are strongly opposed to mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them.”

    “People were a lot more motivated the first time around to do those kinds of shows of passion. This time around, there is kind of a sense of defeat and acceptance,” Van Rooy added. “But I hope that people still do stand up to this administration and tell them their thoughts on their misbehavior.”

    Beuchert’s Saloon denounced Van Rooy’s comments and confirmed she was no longer employed there, per Fox News Digital. The neighborhood restaurant and bar called her statements “reprehensible” and “unforgivable.”

    “Recent comments made by a member of staff who had no authority to speak on behalf of our entire restaurant have been, quite rightly, flagged as inappropriate, hostile, intolerant, and unacceptable. This staff member does NOT speak for us as a restaurant,” Beuchert’s Saloon said in a statement.

    Beuchert’s saloon provided a follow-up after the backlash from the employee’s comments.

    “Not only do Ms. Van Rooy’s comments clearly violate our zero-tolerance policy on discrimination, but her decision to sign into our social media accounts in the middle of the night to post her own rhetoric in wildly offensive responses to comments is a further breach of conduct and protocol. She has no authority to speak on our behalf, and her comments do not reflect the positions of over twenty other people who make up our staff,” the statement said.

    “For these reasons as well as the sheer dismay and disgust we feel at her unforgivable behavior, Ms. Van Rooy has been dismissed immediately. Our staff and families (many of whom are personally offended by Ms. Van Rooy’s comments about them) are still reeling from what Ms. Van Rooy said and did, and we as a restaurant are simply horrified to be associated with base prejudice.”

    Fox News Host Laura Ingraham Joins Board of Trump Jr.’s New SPAC

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Fox News primetime host Laura Ingraham has been named a board member of a new special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) led by Donald Trump Jr..

    The blank-check firm, Colombier Acquisition Corp. III, filed its registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday, planning to raise 26 million units at $10 each — a total IPO target of about $260 million.

    The stated mission of the new SPAC is stirring: the company intends to “fund the next chapter of American Exceptionalism and help Make America Grow Again.”

    A Powerful Line-Up

    This initiative brings together heavyweight conservative and business voices:

    • Donald Trump Jr. himself is listed as a director of the SPAC.
    • Ingraham, as noted, takes a board seat, aligning her media voice with pro-growth, America-first business leadership.
    • Others on the board include billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya (often dubbed “Wall Street’s SPAC king”), Blake Masters (a former president of the Thiel Foundation and GOP Senate candidate-turned-investor), and conservative business leader Chris Buskirk of 1789 Capital.
    • The SPAC is sponsored by 1789 Capital — a firm with ties to Trump family allies including Trump Jr. — and led operationally by finance veteran Omeed Malik.

    Why This Matters for the Republican Agenda

    1. Scaling American Growth — The SPAC presents an opportunity to invest in high-potential private companies that are aligned with conservative economic principles: innovation, domestic manufacturing, job creation. It echoes longstanding themes of shrinking dependency on foreign supply chains and revitalizing American industry.
    2. Bringing Conservative Media Into the Arena — Laura Ingraham’s role on the board is significant beyond her television presence. It bridges the media platform with private-capital activity in service of a pro-growth agenda, reinforcing conservative alignment across cultural and economic spheres.
    3. Leveraging the Trump Ecosystem — This SPAC is further proof of increasing alignment between the Trump family’s business interests and the conservative movement. With Trump Jr. at the helm and Fox News hosts like Ingraham working in the same orbit, the cultural and economic wings of the movement are becoming more integrated. Some might view this as a consolidation of influence — and for supporters, it represents an effective mobilization of talent, media, capital and ideas.
    4. Messaging Strength — The marketing language around “American Exceptionalism,” “Make America Grow Again,” and taking bold action to merge private champions into public markets resonates deeply with patriotic, pro-growth, and pro-Liberty voters and investors. It signals optimism about the future of U.S. business and opportunity.

    Considerations for Conservative Investors & Supporters

    • Alignment of values and vision: This venture clearly invites participation by those who believe in American economic strength, renewal of manufacturing, and innovation under a conservative framework.
    • Risk and reward: As with all SPACs, there are inherent risks — particularly the uncertainty of what private company will be merged and how the market will react. However, the backing of high-profile conservative leaders may bring a unique brand strength and network effect.
    • Cultural impact: Ingraham’s involvement means that conservative media will potentially be linked to private-market outcomes. This could amplify messaging but also raise questions about separation of media and business roles (a subject of debate).
    • Timing: The filing was recent, and the IPO process is underway. As the venture develops, more details will emerge (which company they will target, when, etc.). Supporters should watch for updates and ensure that the company they merge with aligns with the broader vision.

    What’s Next

    Supporters in the conservative movement will likely view this development as a concrete manifestation of turning media influence into economic muscle — shaping culture and business in tandem.

    The IPO units are expected to trade under the ticker “CLBR U” on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

    The next steps will include selecting a target company to merge with, closing the deal, and executing on growth plans. Investors should monitor the company’s announcements and disclosures via SEC filings.

    Media watchers will track how this move influences the relationship between conservative media, the Trump business ecosystem, and public market investment.

    The Democrat Shutdown is nothing more than a political scheme to hold America hostage. JD Vance is calling Schumer to END THE SHUTDOWN. [CO-SIGN THE MEMO HERE]

    Family of Isaac Hayes Sues Trump Over Playing Hit Song

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    5
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The family of late soul singer Isaac Hayes is suing former President Donald Trump for using the icon’s music at his rallies, Isaac Hayes III announced last week.

     The filing accused the former president and the Republican Nation Committee of “willfully and brazenly” engaging in 134 counts of copyright infringement.

    A letter to Trump and his campaign from the Georgia-based law firm Walker & Associates reads:

    Our firm has been retained by the family and Isaac Hayes Enterprises, who own the copyright to the musical composition and recording “Hold On (I’m Coming)” (the “Song”). It has come to our attention that you or the campaign have authorized the illegal public performance of the Song on multiple occasions during various rallies for your political campaign without authorization from the copyright holder, despite being asked repeatedly not to engage in such illegal use by our client.

    Upon information and belief, you, your campaign, and/or the RNC and other parties have willfully and brazenly engaged in copyright infringement in violation of several provisions of Title 17 U.S.C., including § 501, of the Copyright Act of 1976, as amended, over one hundred times. We have attached for your convenience a non-exhaustive list attached hereto as Exhibit A. As we prepared this letter, there was an additional use in Montana just two nights ago, even with your office apparently aware that you had no permission. We and the family hereby demand that you cease the continual infringement of our copyright and stop all unauthorized use of the Song.

    The suit further demands Trump pay $3 million, stop using the song, and to remove any campaign multimedia of the song being played at rallies. Hayes’ estate also demanded Trump issue a statement acknowledging he played the song without permission.

    Trump Scores Support From Another Billionaire

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Trump is scoring big…

    Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood said she would vote for former President Trump over President Biden in the November presidential election.

    Wood took part in an interview with ‘Meet Kevin’ financial analyst and YouTuber Kevin Paffrath, during which she was asked the popular question, “Trump or Biden?”

    Wood told the host she has three children with whom she has discussed the upcoming election and its consequences.

    “As I’ve said to them, ‘Look, I am going to vote for the person who’s going to do the best job for our economy,’” Wood told Paffrath. “I am a voter when it comes to economics, and on that basis, Trump.”

    She further explained that Laffer Associates founder and chairman Art Laffer “describes the first three years of the Trump presidency as the best in U.S. economic history, not the last one because of COVID, and I would agree.”

    Watch:

    The informal endorsement comes on the heels of several billionaires sending money and support toward Trump’s presidential campaign. (RELATED: Billionaire Makes Massive Political Contribution To Trump)

    Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune, made a $50 million contribution to the pro-Trump super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc.

    In a memo following Mellon’s donation, the PAC announced it had reserved $100 million in advertising through Labor Day.

    The New York Times continues:

    Mr. Mellon is now the first donor to give $100 million in disclosed federal contributions in this year’s election. He was already the single largest contributor to super PACs supporting both Mr. Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent. Mr. Mellon has previously given $25 million to both.

    Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, announced last month he will back Trump in the 2024 race after he previously called for the Republican Party to turn to a “new generation of leaders.”

    Senators Call On SEC To Open Investigation Into Trump For Insider Trading

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5

    Democrats are getting desperate…

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week asking for an investigation into President Donald Trump’s social media posts urging stock market purchases ahead of his tariff pause announcement

    “We ask the SEC to determine whether President Trump, any members of his cabinet, or other donors, insiders, and administration officials engaged in insider trading, market manipulation or other securities laws violations on April 9, 2025, when President Trump announced that it was a ‘GREAT TIME TO BUY’ into the stock market,” the senators wrote in a scathing letter.

    Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) also signed the letter, which slammed Trump for urging his social media followers to buy stocks “just hours before he announced a 90-day pause on his recently announced tariffs, leading to a historic market rally after days of dramatic market declines.”

    “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social at 9:37 am just ahead of his announcement that he would pause additional tariff increases on 75 countries for 90 days while slapping even higher levies on China.

    The letter was addressed to SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins, a Trump appointee, who was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday.

    “It is unclear which officials and affiliates for President Trump had advance knowledge of his plans to delay tariffs — but insiders may have known that he was going to announce a tariff pause and that the market would improve,” argued the Senators.

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