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Trump Issues Pardons To 5 Former NFL Stars

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On Thursday evening, President Trump issued pardons to five former NFL players.

White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson announced this week that several former professional football players have been granted presidential pardons, underscoring what the administration described as the power of redemption and second chances.

Among those granted clemency were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon.

“As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,” Johnson wrote in a post on X.

Johnson also said that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shared the news “personally” with Newton, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Cowboys during the team’s 1990s dynasty.

Klecko, a former New York Jets standout and Pro Football Hall of Famer, pleaded guilty to perjury after lying to a federal grand jury investigating an insurance fraud scheme.

Newton, a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge in 2001 after authorities found $10,000 in cash in his pickup truck and 175 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle traveling with him.

Lewis, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2003, pleaded guilty in 2000 to using a cellphone to attempt to facilitate a drug deal shortly after being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Henry, a Pro Bowl running back who played for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine in connection with financing a drug ring that operated between Colorado and Montana.

Cannon, the 1959 Heisman Trophy winner at LSU who later starred for the Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders, admitted in the mid-1980s to his role in a counterfeiting scheme. He died in 2018. His pardon was granted posthumously.

Presidential Pardons and Clemency

Under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the president has broad authority to grant pardons and commutations for federal offenses. The power has long been used by presidents of both parties to extend mercy, correct perceived injustices, and offer individuals a second chance after they have served their sentences.

President Donald Trump made use of that authority throughout his first term, often highlighting cases he believed reflected excessive sentencing or personal rehabilitation. His clemency decisions ranged from high-profile political figures to criminal justice reform cases, including Alice Marie Johnson herself. Johnson, who had been serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense, was granted clemency by Trump in 2018 after serving more than two decades in prison. Her case became a symbol for advocates of criminal justice reform and second chances.

Since then, Johnson has played a visible role in clemency advocacy, working with the administration to review cases and elevate stories of individuals seeking pardons.

Woman Charged After Allegedly Attacking 72-year-old Trump Supporter

Arrest image via Pixabay

Another disturbing example of political intolerance turned violent this week in Florida, where a 72-year-old man wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat was allegedly attacked by a woman enraged over his support for President Donald J. Trump.

According to authorities, Laura Garrett, 33, approached the elderly man at Northeast Park and Paw Place in Largo, Florida, and began interrogating him about his political views and why he supports President Trump. The man has not been publicly identified, but what followed was anything but a civil conversation.

Police say Garrett became physically aggressive, ultimately pouring the contents of a can over the man’s head and then striking him on the back of his head and shoulders with it. While Garrett later denied striking him, officers noted her conflicting statements and eyewitness evidence in the official arrest affidavit obtained by FOX 13 Tampa Bay.

After the assault, Garrett jumped a fence and fled the scene, leaving behind a shaken elderly victim whose only “offense” was expressing his support for a former U.S. president.

Police located Garrett shortly afterward, but her combative behavior didn’t stop there.

When officers attempted to arrest her, Garrett resisted and escalated the situation. According to the report, she intentionally dropped to the ground to avoid being handcuffed and later wrapped both legs around an officer, causing him to fall and suffer a bruised knee. That altercation resulted in a second battery charge—this time against a law enforcement officer.

Even after being restrained, Garrett continued to kick and struggle with police, making her arrest anything but routine.

She now faces multiple charges, including:

  • Battery on a person over 65 (a more serious offense under Florida law)
  • Battery on a law enforcement officer
  • Resisting arrest without violence

Denver Mayor Could Face Removal, Jail Time Over Deportation Stance

Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

Democrat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently said he was prepared to break with President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation plans and Republicans are warning he will absolutely suffer the consequences.

Johnston said during a recent interview that he was prepared to protest against anything he believes is “illegal or immoral or un-American” in the city – including the use of military force.

During a Sunday morning interview on Face The Nation, Paul told anchor Margaret Brennan that Johnston’s plan is a “form of insurrection” that could see him removed from office.

BRENNAN: The stated Trump plan is to use the military or military assets, deputize the National Guard, and have them act as immigration agents. Do you believe that is lawful?

PAUL: You know, I’m 100% supportive of going after the 15,000 murderers, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapist, all of these people. Let’s send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison. So I would say all points bulletin all in. But you don’t do it with the army because it’s illegal. And we’ve we’ve had a distrust of putting the army into our streets because the police have a difficult job. But the police understand the Fourth Amendment. They have to go to judges. They have to get warrants. It has to be specific. And so I’m for removing these people. But I would do it through the normal process of domestic policing.

Now, I would say that the mayor of Denver, if he’s going to resist federal law, which there’s a long standing, standing history of the supremacy of federal law, he’s going to resist that. It will go all the way to the Supreme Court. And I would suspect that he would be removed from office. I don’t know whether or not that would be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law. But he will lose. And people need to realize that what he is offering is a form of insurrection where the states resist the federal government. Most people objected to that and rejected that long ago. So I think the mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history and really, I think will face legal ramifications if he doesn’t obey the federal law.

The president-elect’s pick to be the next border czar responded that he’s willing to put the Denver Mayor in jail for outright flouting Trump’s policies.

“You are absolutely breaking the law,” Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” designate, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “All he has to do is look at Arizona v. U.S. and he would see he’s breaking the law. But, look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing. He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail.”

Homan pointed to a statute that says it’s a “felony if you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from immigration authorities.”

Homan said they have to secure this country and save lives. 

“President Trump has been clear, we want to concentrate on public safety threats and national security threats. I find it hard to believe that any governor would say they don’t want public safety threats removed from their neighborhoods,” he said.

West Virginia Librarian Charged For Allegedly Recruiting People To Assassinate Trump

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Police image via Pixabay free images

A West Virginia woman was arrested in Ripley over the weekend after authorities said she used social media to issue threats against President Donald Trump.

Police arrested 39-year-old Morgan L. Morrow and charged her with making terroristic threats. Investigators allege Morrow attempted to recruit others online to help carry out violence against the president. (RELATED: Suspect Held Without Bail After Alleged Assault On Congressman)

According to the New York Post, Morrow was arrested over a TikTok video suggesting that finding a terminally ill sniper among 343 million Americans should not be difficult. The remark was cited in a criminal complaint obtained by Charleston-Huntington’s WOWK.

Morrow is being held at the South Central Regional Jail. No bond has been set, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The Post continues:

The Jackson County Public Library staffer was detained at her home and allegedly admitted to police that the TikTok was “intended as a threat directed toward President Donald J. Trump.”

Morrow revealed her “personal reasons for wishing harm upon the president,” according to the complaint, which did not elaborate on what they were.

Morrow claimed she had no intention to personally carry out the threat, the complaint said.

But deputies said such statements are “designed to encourage, inspire or entice others to carry out the threatened act, regardless of whether the speaker publicly intends to personally do so.”

“When you saddle up on the horse of stupidity, you have to be prepared for the ride that follows,” Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger told local media(RELATED: Shot In The Butt: Fighting The Wrong Guy At The Wrong Apartment)

The arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny of threats against public officials. In recent years, federal authorities have prosecuted multiple cases involving threats, plots, or attempts targeting President Trump.

WATCH:

READ NEXT: 19-Term Incumbent To Leave Congress Amid Health Controversy

Trump To Reportedly Pardon Hunter Binden-linked Businessman

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President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

Hunter Biden’s former business partner Devon Archer is reportedly set to receive a pardon from President Donald Trump.

Archer met with Trump over the weekend at the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia, where he said he received some “very encouraging words.”

“I had gotten word from my attorney earlier that the president was discussing this, and he had acknowledged that he was going to do it,” Archer said of the possible pardon Monday in an interview on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

Trump told the New York Post Sunday that he would give Archer a “full pardon” because he was “screwed by the Bidens.”

“They destroyed him like they tried to destroy a lot of people,” Trump said, according to the outlet.

Archer, who served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma with Hunter, told the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door hearing in 2023 about the influence of the Biden family “brand.”

He told investigators Hunter put his father — then Vice President Joe Biden — on speakerphone at business meetings between 10 and 20 times, although he noted “nothing of material was discussed.”

“You didn’t think you’d ever need this [pardon] because Joe Biden said he’d take care of you. Isn’t that what he said?” Watters asked. 

“Absolutely. Well, and so did Hunter. I mean, once a Biden, always a Biden.” Archer responded.

“I didn’t think — first of all, I didn’t think I’d need this because I never did anything. I was a victim of financial fraud in which I invested a lot of money and was taken down [by] a whistleblower [who] was blowing the whistle on Hunter.”

Campus Chaos Erupts At UC Berkeley Ahead Of Ending Tour by Turning Point USA

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On Monday afternoon in Berkeley, a bloody confrontation broke out near the campus of the University of California, Berkeley as the conservative student-activist group Turning Point USA (TPUSA) held its final stop of the “This Is The Turning Point” tour. The event featured noted conservative voices Dr. Frank Turek and actor-activist Rob Schneider, and came just two months after the murder of TPUSA’s founder, Charlie Kirk, at a campus event in Utah on Sept. 10.

According to video from Fox News Digital, the skirmish began around 4:30 p.m. PST. Two men were seen grappling in the altercation, with one suffering a serious facial injury and blood clearly visible. A mob of agitators—many wearing keffiyehs and carrying left-wing protest signs—surrounded the fight. The local police, including officers donning shields and batons, appeared challenged to regain control of the crowd.

The Berkeley Police Department reported at least two arrests by 6 p.m.—one individual was arrested for battery. A university spokesperson clarified the brawl occurred off campus grounds and declined further comment.

Turek, in a recent interview ahead of the event, said he urged Kirk to make the Berkeley stop of the tour: “If I could go to any one event with him, it would be that one… I wanted to go to UC Berkeley because it is so progressive and liberal in their views, and I wanted to provide evidence that Christianity was indeed true.”

As departure began, protesters reportedly surrounded all exits to the venue, heckled attendees, and shouted obscenities as they filtered out. It remains unclear how many individuals were injured in the fight.

Kirk, Trump & the Conservative Youth Movement
Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012, with the mission of mobilizing conservative students on college campuses. His organization became a central pillar of conservative youth activism.

Kirk’s relationship with Donald Trump evolved into a potent alignment:

  • Kirk was considered a key figure in helping Trump make inroads with younger voters, a segment Democrats long dominated.
  • He developed a direct line to the Trump orbit; multiple sources note that his influence extended beyond student activism into campaign strategy.

Kirk’s impact on the GOP’s youthful base, combined with his focus on campus organizing, made him a strategic asset to the Trump-aligned Republican coalition. As one analysis put it: “Kirk’s efforts significantly contributed to Trump’s appeal among younger voters.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the protests at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, in the wake of several arrests at a Turning Point USA event.

“We saw all of this at Berkeley back in 2017. @UCBerkeley was sued, and settled the case,” Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon wrote on the social platform X Tuesday, responding to another post claiming that “Antifa has turned Turning Point’s event at UC Berkeley in California into an absolute WARZONE.”

“The @CivilRights will investigate what happened here, and I see several issues of serious concern regarding campus and local security and Antifa’s ability to operate with impunity in CA,” she added.

Report: Trump Won’t Rule Out Hunter Biden Pardon If Elected

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President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

Former President Trump said Thursday that he would not rule out pardoning Hunter Biden if he wins November’s election.

“I wouldn’t take it off the books. See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they’ve done to me, where they’ve gone after me so viciously, despite what — and Hunter’s a bad boy. There’s no question about it. He’s been a bad boy,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, was found guilty in June of lying about his use of illicit drugs when applying to purchase a gun six years ago and unlawfully possessing it thereafter, marking the first criminal conviction of a sitting president’s child.

A federal judge agreed to push back Hunter Biden’s sentencing to Dec. 4. 

Hunter Biden in September pleaded guilty to all nine federal tax charges he faced, staving off his second criminal trial this year, just before it was set to begin.

President Biden has repeatedly said he would not pardon his son before leaving office.

Republican Says Hunter Biden Investigation Will Move Forward

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President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

The House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the panel will continue its investigation into Hunter Biden’s criminal activity in a Thursday interview with Politico.

“We think we need to look at David Weiss, the special counsel,” Jordan told the outlet. 

“There will be some additional work we need to do, I think, there because when we deposed him, he wasn’t willing to — he didn’t answer any questions, really, because it was [an] ongoing investigation,” he added.

He criticized President Biden for pardoning his son ahead of his exit from the White House on all crimes committed in a 10-year period.

“I didn’t agree with it. I think a lot of Americans didn’t,” Jordan said.

But he added that “the president can pardon anyone he wants to pardon.”

Jordan’s committee launched a broad probe into Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden for alleged unethical business dealings which prompted their testimony before members of Congress last year.

Republican Lawmaker Gets Into Physical Altercation Outside US Capitol

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Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Things were heated on Capitol Hill this week…

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) was caught in a run-in outside the Capitol on Thursday with a protester who challenged him over his stance on Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The Republican reportedly shoved the man, who he later claimed had intentionally “bumped” into him after being approached near the Longworth House Office Building, according to Politico.

The incident occurred shortly after lawmakers wrapped up their final votes of the week.

Burchett’s spokesperson Will Garrett defended the congressman’s reaction in a comment to Politico, saying the protester had crossed a line.

“Everyone has a right to their opinion, and they can say all of the filthy stuff they want. But they don’t have the right to bump the congressman,” Burchett spokesperson Will Garrett said in a statement to The Hill

Capitol Police briefly detained and questioned the protester, though the department has not commented publicly.

Burchett, meanwhile, dismissed the confrontation with characteristic bite, telling reporters the activist “had bad breath.”

Last year, Burchett introduced a resolution to reject the United Nations’s decision to place the Israeli military on a list of child’s rights abusers.

“Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East and their leadership tries to protect life. Hamas, on the other hand, hides behind innocent civilians like a bunch of cowards. We need to make it clear to the United Nations that the United States completely supports Israel’s efforts to wipe these terrorists off the map,” Burchett said at the time. 

Suspect Arrested After Ramming Car Into White House Barricade

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A man was arrested Tuesday night after driving his vehicle into a security gate at the White House complex, the United States Secret Service (USSS) announced. According to the agency, at approximately 10:37 p.m. on October 21, the individual drove his vehicle into the Secret Service vehicle gate located at 17th and E Streets NW in Washington.

Arrest image via Pixabay

Uniformed Division officers of the Secret Service immediately arrested the driver. The vehicle was assessed in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and was “deemed safe.”

The agency said the investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing, and no motive has yet been publicly identified.

While officials noted there was no known breach of the core residence or threat to the President’s safety at the time, the incident raises fresh questions about security.

Since President Trump returned to office for his second term, the nation has witnessed a number of alarming incidents—some narrowly averted, some still under investigation. Two recent events in particular stand out:

1. The hunting-stand incident near Air Force One
Over the weekend, the Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched a federal probe after agents discovered a “hunting stand” positioned in a tree with a direct line of sight toward where Air Force One touches down at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, ahead of President Trump’s arrival at his estate in Mar-a-Lago.

While officials stressed that no individuals, ammunition or explosives were found at the site, the discovery of an elevated platform within view of the presidential aircraft sparked serious concern. It comes on the heels of past assassination attempts targeting the Republican President.

2. The July-and-September 2024 assassination attempts
On July 13, 2024, while President Trump was speaking at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman climbed onto a rooftop and fired multiple shots; one grazed Trump’s ear and a spectator was killed.

Then on September 15, 2024, at the Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach in Florida, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was spotted hiding in shrubbery with a rifle aimed at Trump. Secret Service agents intervened and arrested him later that day.