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    Stefanik Files Ethics Complaint Against Special Counsel Jack Smith

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      Elise Stefanik with Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons

      On Tuesday, House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) filed an ethics complaint against special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday, accusing the prosecutor overseeing the federal investigations into former President Trump of trying to “unlawfully interfere with the 2024 presidential election.”

      The New York Congresswoman filed the complaint with the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, arguing that Smith is trying to “rush” Trump’s federal election subversion case.

      “It’s obvious to any reasonable observer that Jack Smith is trying to interfere with the 2024 election and stop the American people from electing Donald Trump,” Stefanik said in a statement. “At every turn, he has sought to accelerate his illegal prosecution of President Trump for the clear (if unstated) purpose of trying him before the November election.”

      Smith should be censured for violating the Justice Department’s manual, she argues, citing a section that says attorneys may “never select the timing of any action…for the purpose of affecting any election.”

      “Smith’s conduct has brought disrepute to the Department of Justice and the entire federal government, and the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility should impose the discipline that such conduct warrants,” Stefanik said in her statement.

      The complaint is unlikely to prompt any action from the Justice Department, however, as Smith’s case kicked off with an August 2023 indictment, some 15 months ahead of the presidential election.

      Though an unwritten policy, the Justice Department encourages prosecutors to follow the “60-day rule” — avoiding any action that might influence an election.

      In November, Stefanik filed an ethics complaint against Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the former president’s civil fraud trial, accusing him of “inappropriate bias and judicial intemperance.” 

      GOP Senator Predicts SCOTUS Will Punt Trump Immunity Case

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        2
        [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

        On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court will send former President Trump’s immunity case back to the lower courts.

        “Well, I think the court’s gonna find that presidential immunity exists for President Trump like every other president, but you got to be within the scope of being president. I think they’ll send it back to the lower courts to find out exactly what actions fall within presidential immunity and what are considered personal. I think that’s the way this will end — there will be some immunity for some of the actions,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

        The Supreme Court heard arguments last week over whether Trump could have presidential immunity from criminal prosecution in the federal Jan. 6 case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. 

        Graham said the question of immunity may be “decided partially” for the former president.

        “There’s no absolute immunity in the Constitution. It will be a legal analysis, you know, the president needs to be protected. You know, we don’t become a banana republic here. We prosecute, you know, our political opponents, which is going on really in many jurisdictions,” he said. “But I think the immunity question will be decided partially for Trump and some legal, some factual analysis as to when and where it applies.”

        Graham then went on to slam all of the cases being brought against Trump as “political” and “selective prosecution.”

        “So I think most Americans are not going to decide how to vote based on Trump’s legal troubles, but their troubles they face — inflation, crime or broken border — your poll tells me everything I need to know about these legal problems for Trump. People looking at their problems, not Trump’s legal problems,” Graham said.

        Report: Trump Wants This candidate To Hit The Campaign Trail

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        0
        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]

        Presumed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has reportedly gotten tired of Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake spending so much time at Mar-a-lago.

        According to a recent Washington Post report, Trump is concerned Lake has focused too much on networking with the Republican elite and not enough on campaigning for a crucial win in the contentious state.

        “At one point last year, after grumbling for months that she was at his Mar-a-Lago Club too often, Trump gently suggested to Lake that she should leave the club and hit the campaign trail in Arizona, according to a person with direct knowledge of his comments,” the Post reporters wrote. “Trump has also asked others if she can really win in Arizona and if she might drag down his own poll numbers as he seeks the presidency again in 2024, advisers said.”

        Trump also privately thinks Lake’s 2022 election fraud claims are full of hot air, according to the report.

        “She didn’t win,” Trump bluntly told a political ally at a Mar-a-Lago dinner earlier this year, according to the Post.

        One other notable Lake moment got the attention of Trump and his inner circle: the incident in which a Lake ally released a tape of former Arizona GOP chair Jeff DeWit appearing to show Lake being offered a bribe to not run for Senate in 2024. The Post reporters described Trump’s reaction to the incident as “more surprised than angry” when he learned about it on the night of the New Hampshire primary in January.

        “She tapes everything?” Trump reportedly asked. “That’s good to know.”

        In a statement sent to the Post defended the MAGA Republican “Kari Lake is a Smart and Fearless Leader who will WIN in Arizona, and help us flip the Senate to Republican control. Kari’s Opponent, Ruben Gallego, is an Open Borders RADICAL, who is BAD on Inflation and SOFT on Terrorists and Crime.”

        Trump Attorney Admits Unfortunate Truth Of Trump Hush Money Trial

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          4
          Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America,

          It’s not looking good…

          In an interview with Newsmax on Wednesday night, Alina Habba sounded less than optimistic about her client Donald Trump’s chances of prevailing in his New York criminal case.

          Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

          Appearing on Wednesday’s Greg Kelly Reports, Habba was asked about the proceedings.

          “How are you and what do you think tonight about everything?” Greg Kelly asked his guest.

          Habba struck a tone of resignation:

          …I don’t have hopes really that high at this moment that the New York courts will do the right thing, that the jury will do the right thing. We’re in a blue state, as you know, Greg. And I think everything’s by design. We’re in a case that was eight years old, over the statute of limitations, was denied by [former Manhattan District Attorney] Cy Vance, then brought only after President Trump decided he was going to run for office.

          “It’s very troubling,” she added. “We’re in the fight of our lives at this moment.”

          Report: Trump Leading In 6 Swing States

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
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            1

            It’s the economy, stupid…

            The latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey shows former President Donald Trump leading his successor in six of seven all-important swing states.

            Responses from a substantial sample of around 5,000 registered voters reveal Trump leading in Arizona (49% to 42%), Georgia (49% to 43%), Nevada (51% to 43%), North Carolina (51% to 41%), Pennsylvania (47% to 46%) and Wisconsin (48% to 44%). The poll shows President Biden leads Trump by 2 points in Michigan (47% to 45%).

            Seventy percent of respondents said the economy was heading in an unfavorable direction. A further 82% said the state of the economy would be of “great importance” in influencing their vote.

            America’s News Desk breaks down the results even further:

            Additionally, 54% of Americans hold the belief that inflation will worsen by the end of the year, while 17% are of the opinion that it will improve.

            Under the Biden administration, inflation has persisted at a high level, resulting in consumers facing increased costs for essential items such as food and gasoline.

            Last month, a political action group supporting Trump unveiled a website called “Biden-Mart” that focuses on the significant rise in food costs.

            Deep economic pessimism and Biden’s inverted favorability ratings more than make up for Trump’s 43.4% average favorability rating, according to the latest polls.

            Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

            Report: Secret Service Prepping If Trump Sentenced To Jail

              By
              Madeleine Jackson
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              1
              Image via Pixabay

              The U.S. Secret Service doesn’t know what to do about its “Trump problem.”

              The Secret Service is tasked is protecting our current and former presidents, and regarding former President Donald Trump, the organization has reportedly already had meetings to plan how to handle his security if he ends up behind bars.

              Trump is currently on trial in New York facing 34 felony counts for falsifying business records regarding alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

              According to a report by ABC News, the Secret Service “held meetings and started planning for what to do if former President Donald Trump were to be held in contempt in his criminal hush money trial and Judge Juan Merchan opted to send him to short-term confinement,” citing as a source “officials familiar with the situation.”

              During Tuesday’s arguments, prosecutors said they were “not yet seeking an incarceratory penalty,” asking Merchan to impose fines, but also highlighted Trump’s ongoing attacks and argued that he “seems to be angling for” being imprisoned.

              The ABC News report added that the officials “do not necessarily believe Merchan would put Trump in a holding cell in the courthouse but they are planning for contingencies.” These sources added that the discussions had not yet gotten to the point of discussing what to do if Trump is convicted and sent to prison, in this case or in the other three criminal matters pending against the former President, including two federal cases and one in Georgia.

              The Secret Service would not comment on specific discussions or plans for protecting Trump, but issued a statement:

              Under federal law, the United States Secret Service must provide protection for current government leaders, former Presidents and First Ladies, visiting heads of state and other individuals designated by the President of the United States. For all settings around the world, we study locations and develop comprehensive and layered protective models that incorporate state of the art technology, protective intelligence and advanced security tactics to safeguard our protectees. Beyond that, we do not comment on specific protective operations.

              The New York Times’ reporting cited two sources saying that the “impromptu meeting” with federal, state, and city agencies to discuss how to manage imprisoning Trump was instigated by the prosecution’s arguments regarding the gag orders, specifically the request that Merchan expressly remind the former president he could, in fact, be thrown in jail for contempt.

              The short-term incarceration Trump might face for violating a gag order would be in a courthouse holding cell, not a regular state jail or federal prison that he might find as his new address if he’s convicted in any of the cases against him.

              “The far more substantial challenge — how to safely incarcerate a former president if the jury convicts him and the judge sentences him to prison rather than home confinement or probation — has yet to be addressed directly, according to some of a dozen current and former city, state and federal officials interviewed for this article,” reported the Times, adding that it would require “keeping him separate from other inmates, as well as screening his food and other personal items,” plus making accommodations for a rotating detail of Secret Service agents to protect him 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Despite the normal prohibition on firearms in prisons, Trump’s agents “would nonetheless be armed.”

              [Watch] Trump’s Niece Compares Him Unfavorably To Jeffrey Dahmer On MSNBC

                By
                admin
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                3
                Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

                Mary Trump‘s aversion to her famous uncle is well-known, but it’s not every day she compares him to one of America’s most infamous serial killers.

                On national television.

                Reflecting on the Stormy Daniels hush money case, Trump’s niece joined MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell to mock the lack of Trump supporters demonstrating outside the courthouse and the absence of the former president’s family inside the courtroom.

                Several reporters also noticed their lack of attendance in the courtroom, asking the presumptive Republican nominee where Melania is.

                Appearing on Monday’s edition of “The Last Word,” Mary and Larry mocked the presidential front-runner, saying that even Jeffrey Dahmer‘s parents attended his trial. 

                “This is something that I’ve never seen,” O’Donnell claimed. “Not actually made manifest in the courtroom, before Donald Trump‘s in that courtroom alone. Jeffrey Dahmer’s parents were there every single day. It is. It is very hard, to, to find a courtroom where the criminal defendant doesn’t have a relative sitting there in the front row.”

                The younger Trump replied: “Yeah, well, I got a couple of things about that. First of all, it’s another example of how, he, he perverts systems or expectations. For anybody else, that would just be damning. Right. Just the way he talks about dogs would be damning.”

                “How many times have we heard that his bizarre behavior, that, that he engages in bizarre behaviors or just doesn’t conform in a way that, that a, a reasonably well-adjusted human being would?”

                “But like everything else about him, it just kind of gets baked in,” she continued. “Right.”

                “But it is. Let’s, it’s worth, pausing, about how under. Unfair on. Unreal. Bizarre. Strange. Unacceptable. Weird. Whatever adjective you want to use, it is that he is there alone in terms of friends and family,” her assessment continued.

                “I think it is worth pointing out… One. I don’t think he cares. I don’t think it matters to him. That is not where he gets his energy. That is not what gives him solace to the extent that anything does,” Trump opined. “He’s more upset about the fact that there aren’t more people outside protesting on his behalf. Right.”

                “But it also points to, the bizarre thing about my family that every transaction in this family is a transactional one,” the estranged niece continued. “I’m sorry. Every relationship, I should say, is a transactional one. His kids have decided, for whatever reason, that it’s not worth their time for them to be in that courtroom because they’re not going to get anything out of it. That’s, that’s the way this family rolls.” 

                Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

                Report: Judge To Rule Over Trump Gag Order

                  By
                  Madeleine Jackson
                  -
                  2
                  Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

                  On Tuesday, the New York judge presiding over Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial will deliver a ruling over the recently imposed gag order.

                  Ahead of Judge Merchan’s ruling, Trump blasted the controversial gag order in a Truth Social post.

                  “HIGHLY CONFLICTED, TO PUT IT MILDLY, JUDGE JUAN MERCHAN, HAS TAKEN AWAY MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH,” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after arguments over the gag order concluded. “EVERYBODY IS ALLOWED TO TALK AND LIE ABOUT ME, BUT I AM NOT ALLOWED TO DEFEND MYSELF. THIS IS A KANGAROO COURT, AND THE JUDGE SHOULD RECUSE HIMSELF!”

                  Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office claim Trump has so far violated the order barring him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and the judge’s family 10 times. They are asking the judge to fine Trump $1,000 for each violation.

                  Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

                  The purported violations were mainly posted to Trump’s Truth Social, where he has made comments about potential witnesses in recent days. The gag order does not prevent Trump from attacking the judge or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D). 

                  One post, made on April 10, thanked an ex-lawyer to porn actress Stormy Daniels for “revealing the truth about two sleazebags who have, with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our Country dearly.”  

                  The “sleazebags” in question were Daniels and Trump’s ex-fixer and personal attorney, Michael Cohen — both expected to be prominent witnesses in the district attorney’s case. 

                  Another post maligns Cohen as a “disgraced attorney and felon…prosecuted for lying” and suggested that an ex-Manhattan prosecutor who once oversaw the investigation into Trump, Mark Pomerantz, should be “prosecuted for his terrible acts in and out of the D.A.’s office.” 

                  Trump has appealed the gag order, arguing it is an unconstitutional violation of his First Amendment rights, but it remains in effect as of now. 

                  Asa Hutchinson Announces New Career Move

                    By
                    Madeleine Jackson
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                    0

                    Former 2024 GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson is joining Scripps News as a political analyst, the news organization announced on Monday. 

                    The former Arkansas governor who also launched an unsuccessful bid for the White House is set to appear regularly on Mondays on the news outlet’s politics and campaign-oriented evening show, “The Race.”  

                    He joined the news outlet as a political analyst for the first time on Monday.  

                    “I am excited to be part of the Scripps News team as we head into one of the most consequential elections in history,” Hutchinson said in a press release. “Scripps News is committed to balance in its coverage of politics, and that is what America needs at this critical moment.”  

                    According to The Hill, the former Arkansas governor performed poorly in the primary as the Republican contest underscored former President Trump’s enduring dominance within the party. He ultimately dropped out in January after the Iowa caucuses.  

                    Report: SCOTUS Rejects Kari Lake’s Voting Machine Suit

                    By
                    Madeleine Jackson
                    -
                    1
                    Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

                    On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Republicans Kari Lake and Mark Finchem’s lawsuit over the use of voting machines in Arizona elections.

                    The Hill reports Lake and Finchem asked the Supreme Court to review a federal appellate judge’s decision to dismiss their case last October. The suit sought to block electronic voting machines from being used in the state, questioning their accuracy and reliability.  

                    Lawyers for Lake, who is running for a Senate seat in Arizona this cycle, and Finchem, who is seeking a state Senate seat, argued in a court filing to the Supreme Court that they had sufficiently argued that “[a]ll Arizona-certified optical scanners and ballot marking devices, as well as the software on which they rely, have been wrongly certified for use”; Arizona’s voting machines had been “hacked” and “manipulated”; and that there were apparent discrepancies in the Maricopa County’s vote count after the 2020 election. 

                    The lawsuit was filed ahead of the November 2022 midterms while Lake was running for governor.

                    The Supreme Court’s decision to decline to revisit the federal court’s decision puts a cap on Lake’s and Finchem’s lawsuit.

                    “We are obviously disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review the decisions of the Arizona district court and the Ninth Circuit, and order that our challenge to the 2022 election procedures be heard on the merits,” said Kurt Olsen, one of the attorneys that sought to get the Supreme Court to consider the case, in a statement, who argued new information came to light after their case was dismissed by the  circuit court. 

                    “Although the Supreme Court grants review in less than 1 percent of cases presented on petition, we believe we presented a case.”

                    “The Kari Lake and Mark Finchem case was dismissed based on a purported lack of standing to assert an injury,” Olsen wrote. “Therefore, the courts, even now, have not ruled on the merits of our case. We will continue to raise these issues especially in light of the upcoming 2024 election.”

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