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    Donald Trump Charged in Georgia 2020 Election Probe

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      0
      Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) has officially charged former President Donald Trump in the office’s yearslong investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn Georgia’s election results.

      On Monday night a grand jury voted to charge Trump on 13 charges ranging from making false statements and impersonating a public officer to conspiracy and racketeering — a charge generally reserved for organized crime. Eighteen Trump lawyers, advisers, and confidantes are charged alongside the leading GOP 2024 hopeful, including his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Each of them faces the racketeering charge, linking the multitude of alleged crimes together. 

      The 98-page document dropped shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday.

      The shared charge alleges the defendants participated in a “criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia — and elsewhere — to accomplish the illegal goal” of keeping Trump in office, Willis (D) said Monday.

      See the Trump allies charged in the Georgia Probe:

      • Mark Meadows
      • John Eastman
      • Kenneth Cheseboro
      • Jenna Ellis
      • Rudy Giuliani
      • Ray Smith
      • Jeffrey Clark
      • Robert Cheely
      • Michael Roman
      • Stephen Lee
      • Harrison Floyd
      • Trevian Kutti
      • Shawn Still
      • David Shafer
      • Sidney Powell
      • Cathy Latham
      • Misty Hampton
      • Scott Hall

      The investigation largely focused on a phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which the former president pressured the official to “find” enough votes to overturn the results.

      However, over the weekend an exclusive report from CNN revealed Georgia prosecutors also obtained documents connecting Trump’s team to a voting system breach in Coffee County in January 2021.

      CNN reports:

      Together, the text messages and other court documents show how Trump lawyers and a group of hired operatives sought to access Coffee County’s voting systems in the days before January 6, 2021, as the former president’s allies continued a desperate hunt for any evidence of widespread fraud they could use to delay certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

       Last year, a former Trump official testified under oath to the House January 6 select committee that plans to access voting systems in Georgia were discussed in meetings at the White House, including during an Oval Office meeting on December 18, 2020,  that included Trump. 

      Six days before pro-Trump operatives gained unauthorized access to voting systems, the local elections official who allegedly helped facilitate the breach sent a “written invitation” to attorneys working for Trump, according to text messages obtained by CNN.

      Read the full indictment below:

      23SC188947-CRIMINAL-INDICTMENT-1Download

      This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

      Attorney General Appoints Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Probe

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        5
        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)

        On Friday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of special counsel David Weiss in the Hunter Biden probe.

        “I’m here today to announce the appointment of David Weiss as a special counsel consistent with the Department of Justice regulations governing such matters. In keeping with those regulations, I have today notified the designated members of each House of Congress of the appointment,” Garland said. 

        Weiss is the federal prosecutor who has investigated the business dealings of President Biden’s son and brought charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware. 

        Garland said on Tuesday that Weiss told him that “in his judgment, his investigation has reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be appointed.”

        “Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Garland said.

        Judge Sides With Trump Over 2020 Election Case Protective Order

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
          -
          6
          Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          On Friday, Trump’s lawyers attended a Washington, D.C. hearing before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged election meddling.

          In court filings, prosecutors had argued for broad rules baring Trump’s lawyers from sharing “sensitive” materials with the former president, including witness testimony to the grand jury and recordings and transcripts of Trump associates who spoke to prosecutors. Trump’s attorneys argued that the government’s request was too broad and infringed on Trump’s First Amendment rights. 

          Judge Chutkan said she was not persuaded that the government has shown all information gathered in the case would fall under the protective order. She ruled that only information designated as “sensitive” should be protected.

           “The defendant has the right to free speech, but that right is not absolute,” Chutkan said at the onset of the hearing. “Without a protective order, a party could release that info to the jury pool.” 

          Federal prosecutor Thomas Windom said Friday the restrictions were necessary to prevent the “improper dissemination of materials … including to the public.” 

          “The defendant has set forth an intention to set forth any information that they deem informative,” Windom told the judge. 

          “Defense has broadcast their strategy, and that is not to try this case in this courtroom, and your honor should address that,” he said. 

          Special Counsel Obtains Warrant for Trump’s Twitter Account

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
            -
            11
            Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

            Recently unsealed court filings show Special Counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed and obtained a search warrant related to former President Trump’s account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

            The case, which was decided in July, ordered X to turn over the documents sought by Smith and also fined the company $350,000 for a three-day delay in complying with a court order of the records.

            According to reports from The Hill, The Justice Department (DOJ) first sought the records in January.

            The filing details a months-long battle between X and the special counsel’s office over the efforts to get information tied to Trump’s account, with an appeals court backing a lower court ruling “in all respects.”

            “The district court found that there were ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump ‘would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation’ by giving him ‘an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, [or] notify confederates,’” the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. noted in its ruling.

            The lower court’s March ruling also found probable cause to search Trump’s Twitter account “for evidence of criminal offenses.”

            Mike Pence Officially Qualifies for First Republican Presidential Debate

              By
              Madeleine Jackson
              -
              9
              Mike Pence via Gage Skidmore Flickr

              Former Vice President Mike Pence announced he will join the stage for the first round of Republican debates as the presidential campaign cycle ramps up.

              On Monday, Pence’s 2024 presidential campaign said that earlier in the day they crossed the 40,000-donor threshold – one of two criteria set by the Republican National Committee for GOP White House hopefuls to reach the debate stage. Pence had already passed the polling threshold mandated by the RNC, according to Fox News.

              The former vice president’s political team said they reached out to inform the RNC that Pence had qualified and spotlighted that they were the first campaign to submit their numbers for the national party committee’s verification process. 

              Pence becomes the eighth Republican presidential candidate to announce they’ve passed the thresholds to qualify for the debate. The other contenders who’ve already reached the criteria are former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and entrepreneur and best-selling author Vivek Ramaswamy.

              Trump has yet to say if he’ll attend the first debate.

              Recently, Trump has upped his attacks against his former running mate over recent comments he made regarding Trump’s ongoing legal battles from Jan. 6th.

              “WOW, it’s finally happened! Liddle’ Mike Pence, a man who was about to be ousted as Governor Indiana until I came along and made him V.P., has gone to the Dark Side,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. 

              “I never told a newly emboldened (not based on his 2% poll numbers!) Pence to put me above the Constitution, or that Mike was ‘too honest.’ He’s delusional, and now he wants to show he’s a tough guy,” Trump added, denying information that was contained in the indictment. “I once read a major magazine article on Mike. It said he was not a very good person. I was surprised, but the article was right. Sad!”

              During a campaign stop in New Hampshire over the weekend, Pence was greeted by pro-Trump hecklers who derided the former vice president as a “traitor” and a “sellout.”

              Report: Sheriff Expects Trump To Get Mugshot If Indicted In Georgia

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
                -
                2
                Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

                This is a first…

                Georgia‘s Fulton County sheriff said he expects Donald Trump will get a mugshot if the former president is indicted in a 2020 election investigation in the Peach State.

                “Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mugshot ready for you,” said Sheriff Pat Labat, according to local ABC affiliate WSB-TV.

                It could mean Trump would get photographed during booking for the first time across multiple indictments on the state and federal levels.

                After first being indicted in New York, Trump was fingerprinted when he was processed in April when he appeared for an arraignment in a hush-money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 

                Recently, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis signaled charges against Trump are coming by September 1. (RELATED: Georgia DA Says Trump Investigation Is Concluded ‘We’re Ready To Go’)

                “The work is accomplished,” Willis told local news station 11Alive on Saturday. “We’ve been working for 2 1/2 years. We’re ready to go.”

                “Some people may not be happy with the decisions that I’m making, and sometimes, when people are unhappy, they act in a way that could create harm,” Willis added.

                Trump Served Third Criminal Indictment

                  By
                  Madeleine Jackson
                  -
                  0
                  Gage Skidmore Flickr

                  Former President Donald Trump has been indicted a third time this year.

                  A Washington grand jury has indicted the former President on charges stemming from his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election.

                  Trump was charged with four counts for three different crimes including conspiring to deprive citizens of the “free exercise” of constitutional rights like voting.

                  The charges carry up to a 10-year prison sentence. 

                  The Hill has more:

                  Also included were charges for conspiracy to defraud the United States, a nod to the Trump campaign’s creation of fake electoral certificates that were submitted to Congress. 

                  The charges also include obstruction of an official proceeding, one of the charges also leveled at numerous rioters who entered the building, including members of the Oath Keepers and military and chauvinist group the Proud Boys.

                  A model prosecution memo from former prosecutors analyzing the case also suggests the former president could face charges on conspiracy to defraud the United States after creating fake electoral certificates that were submitted to Congress. 

                  Read the indictment below:

                  gov.uscourts.dcd_.258149.1.0_1Download

                  This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

                  Judge Rules Trump False Election Claims Covered by Presidential Immunity

                    By
                    Madeleine Jackson
                    -
                    6
                    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

                    A Pennsylvania judge sided with Donald Trump on Monday, finding that statements Trump made regarding the 2020 election while still in office are protected by presidential immunity.

                    Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Erdos said Trump’s immunity covered a tweet he issued and comments he made remotely from the White House during a Pennsylvania state Senate committee hearing in November 2020.

                    James Savage, a Pennsylvania voting machine supervisor in the 2020 election, filed lawsuits alleging Trump, Rudy Giuliani, two poll watchers and others conspired to defame him.

                    “Other legal proceedings may examine the propriety of his statements and actions while he was the President and whether, as the plaintiffs in this and other cases contend, it was this conduct which served as the actual threat to our democracy,” Erdos ruled. “But this case is not the proper place to do so. Here, Trump is entitled to Presidential immunity.”

                    “Here, then-President Trump’s Gettysburg remarks and his tweet were public,” Erdos wrote. “Moreover, the topic of these statements—claims from third parties and the President himself about irregularities in the Presidential election which on their face called into question the integrity of the election and whether now-President Joseph Biden had been duly elected—was undoubtedly a matter of great public concern.”

                    Trump praised the Monday ruling.

                    “We are pleased with the Court’s decision to honor the long-standing principle of Presidential Immunity,” Trump legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said in a statement.

                    “Today, the Court made it clear that it is well within the President’s discretion to address the integrity of our election without fear of liability,” Habba continued. “We expect that the rest of Mr. Savage’s claims will similarly be disposed of as they are without merit.”

                    Ex-Trump Defense Secretary Says Trump ‘Not Fit for Office’ of President

                      By
                      Paul Crespo
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                      4
                      The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

                      ANALYSIS – Why do so many of Donald Trump’s former top advisors say he is ‘not fit for office’ due to his character and actions while president? Former White House national security adviser John Bolton, who worked closely with Trump for a year and a half, has said that the former president is not “fit for office.”

                      The most recent to say that is former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Trump’s ex-defense chief reaffirmed his views on the former president in a recent TV interview.

                      The segment, reported by Breitbart, which began by discussing the most recent criminal charges being levied against Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot, turned to Esper’s views of his former boss.

                      Esper, a former Army officer, was fired from his post after Trump lost the 2020 election. He told Kaitlan Collins on CNN that he doesn’t plan on endorsing anyone in the GOP primary but made clear that he doesn’t support Trump because he puts himself first, not America.

                      Esper said:

                      I don’t plan on endorsing anybody. I said that I wouldn’t support Donald Trump. I don’t think that he is fit for office because he puts himself first and I think anyone running for office should put the country first. And they should abide by their oath and do a number of other things.

                      He added that the GOP needs a nominee who will grow the party: “I’m looking for somebody who puts the country first, a person who will abide by their oath, who will advance traditional, Republican policies and objectives and who will bring the Republican Party together and grow the party.”

                      Esper also said Trump has proven he isn’t a winner: “You have to win elections, and Donald Trump is not winning elections whether they are House, Senate or White House. That’s what Republicans need to do.”

                      The former Trump defense chief emphasized that at least half of the dozen current Republican candidates for president are very credible and could beat Joe Biden, noting that he was willing to “Assist any one of them, help them.”

                      Collins concluded by noting: “We talked about this many times, but to hear someone who was the Pentagon chief for a new candidate for president saying that you would willingly help his challengers who are running against him just speaks to the moment that we are in.”

                      While he didn’t name any specific candidates in this interview, earlier he praised Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a veteran of the war in Iraq, as one of those in the “next generation” who looks like a promising presidential candidate, reported the New York Post.

                      “He did a great job in Florida. He brought more Hispanics on board. He appears to me to be the frontrunner,” Esper said of DeSantis.

                      Esper first called Trump unfit for office back in November 2022 after he announced he was running again in 2024.

                      “I think he’s unfit for office,” Esper said in an interview with CNN. 

                      Esper added that Trump “has integrity and character issues as well,” describing one of those “character issues” as Trump’s difficulty with telling the truth, noting that he believes Americans want a trustworthy commander-in-chief. 

                      “I don’t think he’s an honest person. We saw the falsehoods that came out of his remarks last night … Americans need a leader they can trust,” Esper said. 

                      And John Kelly, former Trump Chief of Staff, and a retired 4-star Marine Corps general, agrees with Esper. Since Trump left office, Kelly has reportedly said Trump was the “most flawed person” he has ever met.

                      “The depths of his dishonesty are just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it’s more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life,” Kelly told friends, according to a report by CNN in 2020.

                      Kelly has also warned of the dangers to the country of a second term for Trump, telling the New York Times that it ‘…would be chaotic, because he’d continually be trying to exceed his authority but the sycophants would go along with it.’

                      Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

                      DeSantis, Aides Involved in Minor Car Wreck On Campaign Trail

                        By
                        Madeleine Jackson
                        -
                        6
                        Police image via Pixabay free images

                        Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis was involved in a minor car accident while traveling to a campaign stop on Tuesday morning.

                        DeSantis and his team were uninjured, according to his campaign. 

                        “This morning, the governor was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee,” said Bryan Griffin, press secretary for DeSantis’s campaign. 

                        “We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail.”

                        This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

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