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    Department of Justice Publishes Affidavit Used for FBI Raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      3
      Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

      The Justice Department has officially released the redacted affidavit used to obtain the search warrant used by the FBI in its recent raid of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence under the direction of U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart.

      A website where the federal judge in Florida is unsealing documents relating to the FBI’s raid is repeatedly crashing because of surging demand.

      “The government is conducting a criminal investigation concerning the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces, as well as the unlawful concealment or removal of government records,” the affidavit states. 

      Approximately 20 pages of the 38-page affidavit were either significantly or fully redacted.

      The FBI said it had “probable cause to believe” that records containing classified information, including National Defense Information, would be found within Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in addition to what he had previously turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration according to the document.

      Read the redacted affidavit below:

      Trump-raid-affidavitDownload

      Judge Bruce Reinhart gave the Justice Department until noon on Thursday to submit the redacted document after rejecting the Justice Department’s pressure to keep the record under seal.

      Fox News reports:

      Reinhart said that after reviewing the Justice Department’s redaction, the government “has met its burden of showing a compelling reason” and “good cause to seal portions of the Affidavit,” saying the disclosure would reveal “the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties,” the investigation’s “strategy, direction, scope, sources, and methods, and “grand jury information” protected by federal rules. 

      Reinhart said that after reviewing the affidavit with redactions, he has determined that the Justice Department “has met its burden of showing that its proposed redactions are narrowly tailored to serve the Government’s legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least onerous alternative to sealing the entire Affidavit.” 

      On Monday, Judge Reinhart wrote in a memo that he was inclined to make parts of the document public, saying it would “promote public understanding of historically significant events.” The DOJ pressured Reinhart to keep the document under wraps out of concern Trump supporters would retaliate against witnesses.

      Ahead of the affidavit’s release, Trump slammed the Justice Department’s “political hacks and thugs” in a statement shared to Truth Social.

      “The political hacks and thugs had no right under the Presidential Records Act to storm Mar-a-Lago and steal everything in sight including passports and privileged documents. They even broke into my safe with a safecracker – Can you believe?” Trump added. “This Act was created for a very good reason, and it works. We are right now living in a Lawless Country that just so happens to be, also, a Failing Nation!”

      When asked if national security could’ve been compromised by Trump’s handling of classified documents, Biden deferred to the ongoing investigation

      Trump has responded following the affidavit’s release calling for Judge Reinhart’s immediate recusal from the case.

      “Judge Bruce Reinhart should NEVER have allowed the Break-In of my home. He recused himself two months ago from one of my cases based on his animosity and hatred of your favorite President, me,” Trump wrote on his Truth social account. “What changed? Why hasn’t he recused himself on this case? Obama must be very proud of him right now!

      President Joe Biden dismissed claims from Trump that he broadly declassified the boxes of White House documents he took to Florida after leaving office.

      “I’ve declassified everything in the world. I’m president,” Biden said sarcastically, waving his hands in the air to reporters outside of the White House. “Come on.”

      Republican lawmakers have shared harsh reactions to the substantial redactions since the affidavit’s publication.

      Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs shared a screenshot of one of the heavily redacted pages and called for more transparency on this Twitter.

      North Carolina Congressman echoed calls for transparency in his own message.

      Conservative report Elijah Schafer shared a touch-and-cheek message about the redacted document as well.

      READ NEXT: President Biden Labels MAGA Supporters as a ‘Threat to Democracy’ >>

      Prominent National Conservative Group Distances Itself From Trump

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        7
        Gage Skidmore Flickr

        The Club for Growth has invited six possible Republican presidential candidates to its annual donor retreat. Former President Donald Trump isn’t one of them.

        The anti-tax super PAC spent $150 million in the past two election cycles boosting GOP candidates across the country. Its leader, David McIntosh, believes the Republican Party’s chances of reclaiming the White House in two years’ time will be significantly diminished if Trump becomes the party’s nominee.

        Now, McIntosh wants to do all he can to introduce major donors to other possibilities.

        The New York Times reports:

        “The party should be open to another candidate,” Mr. McIntosh said, suggesting that Republicans had already lost too many elections with Mr. Trump as the face of the party.

        The group and the former president clashed during last year’s Ohio GOP Senate primary. Trump sent McIntosh a vulgar message less than one month after graciously introducing him at a rally.

        In OHSEN, Trump had expected McIntosh from the Club for Growth to stop supporting Mandel after Trump backed Vance. The Club aired a new spot today featuring Vance quotes criticizing Trump in the past. Trump had his assistant send McIntosh a text saying, “Go f*^% yourself.” April 21, 2022

        The Times continues:

        Mr. McIntosh insisted that there was no personal animosity guiding the group’s interest in seeking another option for the 2024 nomination. Instead, he said that Mr. Trump had proved to be toxic among general election voters, adding that Republicans had lost elections in 2018, 2020 and 2022 on the former president’s watch.

        Mr. Trump’s standing among Republicans dipped in public opinion polls in November and December. In addition to being largely blamed for the Republicans’ disappointing midterm season, he was also roundly criticized after hosting a private dinner — a week after his campaign announcement — with Kanye West, who has been denounced for making antisemitic statements, and Nick Fuentes, an outspoken antisemite and prominent young white supremacist.

        What do you think? Is Trump the strongest nominee to win in 2024? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

        Democrat Congressman Back Pedals After Trump Threat

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
          -
          13
          Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          A Democrat lawmaker is apologizing after calling to “eliminate” Donald Trump.

          Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Ny) made the incendiary comments during a recent MSNBC interview.

          “This man [Trump] cannot see public office again,” he told former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “He’s not only unfit, he is destructive to our democracy and he has to be- he has to be eliminated.”

          Goldman’s comment was particularly ironic given he had just argued Trump’s “rhetoric is really getting dangerous, more and more dangerous.” 

          However, it was;t long before Goldman issued an apology for his comments toward the former President.

          “Yesterday on TV, I mistakenly used the wrong word to express the importance for America that Donald Trump doesn’t become President again,” he wrote on X. “While he must be defeated, I certainly wish no harm to him and do not condone political violence. I apologize for the poor choice of words.”

          Vice President Biden Flew Son Hunter On Air Force Two To Close Foreign Business Deals

          By
          Paul Crespo
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          3
          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)

          ANALYSIS – Even as the world obsesses over Donald Trump’s latest legal dangers, the walls are slowly closing in on the Biden crime family. And I don’t use the phrase ‘crime family’ often.

          But it’s becoming increasingly clear that Joe Biden used his time as Vice President as a golden opportunity to unlawfully enrich his entire family, often flying his son Hunter on Air Force Two abroad to seal deals.

          In one well-known instance, VP Biden leveraged a billion dollars in U.S. aid to fire the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the energy firm that employed Hunter.

          In their ongoing investigation into alleged influence peddling involving Biden, members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee have asked the National Archives and Records Administration for unrestricted access to Biden’s travel aboard the vice-presidential jet, known as Air Force Two, and the VP’s official helicopter, known as Marine Two.

          They want to determine whether the trips aided his son Hunter’s shady foreign business deals.

          House GOP investigators believe Biden, while vice president under Barack Obama, used his power and influence to help his family and a group of associates with foreign business deals involving China, Russia, Ukraine and other countries, worth tens of millions of dollars.

          And there is more evidence to back up their beliefs. Last month, Devon Archer, Hunter’s former business partner, told House investigators the foreign deals were secured by selling the Biden “brand,” essentially, Joe Biden’s position as vice president of the United States.

          “Then-Vice President Joe Biden abused Air Force Two by allowing his son to jet set around the world to sell ‘The Brand’ to enrich the Biden family,” said House Oversight Chairman James Comer.

          “This is yet another example of then-Vice President Biden abusing his public office for his family’s financial gain.”

          More specifically, the Washington Times reported that:

          Lawmakers on the Oversight panel said the president’s son Hunter Biden may have traveled to 15 countries with his father while he was vice president and that during that time, Mr. Biden met in Beijing with his son’s business associate, a Chinese national, while he was on official business.

          “Then Vice-President Biden’s misuse of Air Force Two and Marine Two is indicative of yet another way in which the President has abused his various offices of public trust and wasted taxpayer money to benefit his family’s enterprise, which consisted of nothing more than access to Joe Biden himself,” Oversight lawmakers wrote to U.S. Archivist Colleen Shogan.

          House investigators also believe Biden used numerous aliases to hide his participation in his son’s shady deals. The Times added:

          …Comer also is seeking more than 5,000 White House emails that used aliases for then-Vice President Joseph R. Biden. The National Archives said it is awaiting approval from Mr. Biden and former President Barack Obama before handing them over to Mr. Comer, according to an aide to Mr. Comer.

          White House records show that Mr. Biden used the name Robert L. Peters while serving as vice president. Mr. Biden also disguised his name on emails using the pseudonyms Robin Ware and JRB Ware, a play on his middle name and initials paired with his home state of Delaware.

          Critically, investigators noted a May 26, 2016, White House scheduling email sent to VP Biden ahead of a call with the Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko that was also inexplicably sent to his ‘private citizen’ son, Hunter. 

          At the same time, the drug-addicted, unqualified Hunter was earning $100,000 a month as a board member of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings, which was under investigation for corruption. The U.S. State Department had said Burisma engaged in bribery.

          And in a typical moment of braggadocio, a clueless Biden senior bragged about it. The New York Post reported:

          In a 2018 interview at the Council on Foreign Relations, Biden bragged that he unilaterally withheld a billion dollars in US aid from the Ukrainians to force them to fire Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin.

          The Ukrainians balked, but Biden gave them an ultimatum: “I looked at them and said, ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money.’ Well, son of a bitch. He got fired.”

          Tough guy, that Biden.

          Biden has claimed he demanded Ukraine fire its equivalent of Attorney General because he was corrupt, but we now know the State Department had found that Ukraine had made great strides in dealing with corruption, and Shokin, specifically, was praised in private correspondence.

          The Post added that Devon Archer’s testimony revealed that Burisma executives made the removal of Shokin a top priority and raised it with their hired gun, Hunter.

          Archer reportedly described how Burisma officials told Hunter of the importance of neutralizing Shokin, and how “a call to Washington” was made in response. The call was of course to Dad.

          And that’s what House investigators are hoping to prove. The Obama-Biden White House call logs, emails, and flight schedules are all part of the mounting evidence against Joe Biden.

          Democrat Senators Back Trump’s Penny Plan

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
            -
            4

            Multiple Democrat Senators have openly supported President Trump’s proposal to stop producing new pennies.

            Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) came out in support of Trump’s latest proposal on Tuesday, calling it a “common sense move.” 

            Over the weekend, Trump announced that he “instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.”

            “For far too long, the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents,” the president wrote on Truth Social. 

            “Let’s rip the waste out of our great nation’s budget, even if it’s a penny at a time.”

            Rosen took to X on Tuesday, writing, “I’m not afraid to embrace a good idea when it comes from the other side of the aisle, and I agree with President Trump on this.”

            “Eliminating the penny is a common sense move that’ll save taxpayer dollars,” she said. 

            She isn’t the only Democrat who has come out in support of Trump’s idea. 

            “As well as saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, there are major environmental benefits to eliminating the penny. This is a great move,” Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) said of the president’s plan. 

            RFK Jr. Blocked From New York Ballot As Supreme Court Declines Appeal

            By
            Patrick Houck
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            0
            Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

            Residence Questioned by Courts

            Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not be listed as a presidential candidate on the New York state ballot after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to reinstate his name. Lower courts determined that Kennedy’s address in Katonah, New York, did not qualify as his fixed and permanent residence, leading to his exclusion from the ballot.

            Kennedy’s legal team argued that removing him from the ballot would deprive his New York supporters of their right to vote for him. They emphasized that no evidence suggested voters had been misled about his candidacy. Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court declined to issue an emergency injunction.

            Opposition from New York Attorney General

            The emergency request to reinstate Kennedy’s name faced strong opposition from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office. Her team argued that the state had already mailed absentee ballots and the certification deadline had passed, making it too late to add his name back to the ballot. The court’s refusal marks a significant setback for Kennedy’s campaign efforts in New York.

            Kennedy suspended his presidential campaign last month and endorsed former President Donald Trump’s bid for the White House. Since then, he has worked to remove his name from ballots in critical swing states while keeping it on in others, triggering a series of legal battles.

            This Supreme Court appeal marked Kennedy’s first attempt to remain on the New York ballot, but he isn’t the first candidate to face such a challenge. Earlier this month, the Green Party’s candidate, Jill Stein, also failed to secure a spot on Nevada’s ballot after the Supreme Court denied a similar emergency request.

            New York Polls: Kamala Harris Leads Trump

            Despite Kennedy’s exclusion from the ballot, the latest Siena College poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump by 13 points in a direct matchup in New York. Pollster Steven Greenberg noted that although New York remains solidly blue, the margin isn’t as wide as in recent presidential cycles.

            “Despite the Democratic convention, the debate and numerous other events during the six weeks between Siena College polls, there has been little movement in the horse race or in either candidate’s favorability rating. While the race appears largely static, Harris did pick up support among Latino voters, leading Trump 56-39%, up from 48-47% in August,” Greenberg noted. “Independents moved further in Trump’s direction, supporting him over Harris 58-34%, up from 47-40% last month. Interestingly, New York’s independent voters moved significantly in the Republican direction across several questions that will be on the ballot.”

            “New Yorkers trust Harris more than Trump on abortion, democracy and the economy, and trust them equally on immigration. But there are huge partisan divides. Democrats trust Harris on all four issues by between 76 and 89 percent, and Republicans trust Trump by between 76 and 89 percent,” the Siena College pollster continued. “While independents trust Harris more on abortion by 50-42%, they trust Trump more on the other three by between 15 and 34 points.”

            In previous elections, Democrats have won New York by at least 18 points. President Biden carried the state by 23 points in 2020. In a multi-candidate race, Harris’ lead drops slightly to 12 points.

            READ NEXT: Top MAGA Republican Burned At Campaign Event, Vows To Return To Politics

            Take Action Now: Support the Fight to Protect Wrongly Accused Officers!

            Trump Makes Fresh Bid To Toss Georgia Election Case

              By
              Madeleine Jackson
              -
              1
              Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

              Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge to toss Trump’s Georgia 2020 election criminal racketeering case on First Amendment grounds.

              On Monday, Sadow filed court papers insisting that the allegations involved “core political speech,” telling the judge the indictment must be dismissed ahead of trial, according to The Hill.

              “The First Amendment, in affording the broadest protection to political speech and discussion regarding governmental affairs, not only embraces but encourages exactly the kind of behavior under attack in this Indictment,” wrote Sadow and Jennifer Little, Trump’s other Georgia attorney.

              “The Fulton County prosecutors have not identified any non-speech or non-advocacy conduct in the allegations against President Trump,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in the new filing. 

              “An examination of the indictment reveals why: none of the allegations relate to any non-speech or nonadvocacy conduct,” they continued. “Every charge and overt act alleged against President Trump rests on core acts of political speech and advocacy that lie at the heart of the First Amendment.”

              Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged in August with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Trump and his 18 co-defendants have all pleaded not guilty to the combined 41 charges they face. The former president has also made numerous attempts to have the trial delayed, arguing his team would not be ready for trial by October.

              Trump Denies Secret Putin Calls Made After Leaving White House

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
                -
                3
                Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

                Trump is firmly denying allegations in veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s new book.

                In his new book, Woodward claims the Republican presidential nominee has held multiple phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office in January 2021.

                Woodward also wrote in his book, ‘War,’ that Trump agreed to secretly send Putin COVID-19 testing equipment. 

                Steven Cheung, the communications director for the Trump campaign, told The Hill in a statement that “None of these made up stories by Bob Woodward are true,” and said that Trump gave no access to the journalist for the latest book, as Trump had for past books.

                Cheung attacked Woodward’s mental fitness in the statement saying he “suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

                The spokesperson further pointed to Trump’s lawsuit against Woodward, in which the former president seeking $50 million from the veteran journalist over his publication of tapes of interviews he conducted with Trump while he was in office between Dec. 2019 and Aug. 2020, which featured in the 2020 book ‘Rage.’

                Woodward wrote that according to Trump’s aides, there have been as many as seven phone calls between Trump and Putin since Trump left the White House in 2021, according to CNN.

                Woodward also cited Trump aide Jason Miller as not being aware of any calls between Trump and Putin, but added that President Biden’s Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines did not conclusively rule out contacts between the Russian leader and the former president. 

                “I would not purport to be aware of all contacts with Putin. I wouldn’t purport to speak to what President Trump may or may not have done,” Haines said, according to Woodward.

                Take Action Now: Support the Fight to Protect Wrongly Accused Officers!

                Republican Lawmaker Gets Into Physical Altercation Outside US Capitol

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
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                2
                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. 

                Amanda Head: THIS Issue Will Kill Democrats’ Majority In The Midterms

                  By
                  Amanda Head
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                  0

                  With less than a month until Election Day, candidates are working to capitalize on the issues important to voters. As Democrats focus on abortion most Republican candidates have focused their campaigns to address issues a little closer to home for most Americans; crime and the economy.

                  My co-host John Solomon addresses the heart of the issue in a recent article.

                  See what I have to say below:

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