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    Trump Accuses Former House Speaker Of Making ‘Dumbest’ Choice In Years

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President-elect Donald Trump blindsided former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Sunday calling the debt ceiling suspension approved in 2023 as “one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.”

    However, while targeting the former top House GOP lawmaker, Trump leveled the criticism by describing McCarthy as a friend and a good person.

    “The extension of the Debt Ceiling by a previous Speaker of the House, a good man and a friend of mine, from this past September of the Biden Administration, to June of the Trump Administration, will go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years. There was no reason to do it – NOTHING WAS GAINED, and we got nothing for it – A major reason why that Speakership was lost. It was Biden’s problem, not ours. Now it becomes ours,” Trump declared in the post. 

    “I call it ‘1929’ because the Democrats don’t care what our Country may be forced into. In fact, they would prefer ‘Depression’ as long as it hurt the Republican Party. The Democrats must be forced to take a vote on this treacherous issue NOW, during the Biden Administration, and not in June. They should be blamed for this potential disaster, not the Republicans!” he added.

    A deal passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year suspended the debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, but Trump has been calling for the ceiling to be increased before he takes office. 

    “In June 2023, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025.  On January 2, 2025, the new debt limit will be established at the amount of outstanding debt subject to the statutory limit at the end of the previous day,” Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen wrote in a recent letter to congressional leaders. “Treasury currently expects to reach the new limit between January 14 and January 23, at which time it will be necessary for Treasury to start taking extraordinary measures. I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”

    Responding to Trump’s post about McCarthy, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) wrote in a post on X, “Sadly, this bad debt ceiling extension was opposed by only 71 House Republicans 18 months ago (notably opposed by virtually the entire @freedomcaucus).”

    “Democrats did vote on the recent debt ceiling increase proposal on 12/19: 197-2 against it (their price to support is very high – more spending/taxes),” Roy added. “Yes, we can & should address the debt ceiling – thru reconciliation in January with mostly GOP votes – but with real, meaningful spending cuts.”

    Texas Blocks Biden From Continuing To Sell Border Wall Materials

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Construction continues on new border wall system project near Yuma, AZ. Recently constructed border wall near Yuma, Arizona on June 3, 2020. CBP photo by Jerry Glaser.

    President-elect Trump celebrated the blocked sale of border wall materials following a Friday ruling.

    The incoming president, in a Saturday Truth Social post, called the ruling a “major, crucial WIN for America,” calling out President Biden and “his cronies” for seeking to stall the construction of the border wall, which was a central piece of Trump’s first administration.

    “The Judge has also ordered an investigation into the illegal selling of the materials, which will expose just how corrupt and anti-American Radical Democrats are,” he added.

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the victory in a statement on Friday evening after he filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration “to uncover potential legal violations” the administration was committing by selling off the materials.

    “We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office,” Paxton said. “This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda.”

    The Biden administration agreed to an order that prevents it from disposing of any further border wall materials over the next 30 days—allowing President Trump to use those materials as he sees fit.

    Paxton’s office added:

    If it is shown that the Biden Administration disposed of border wall materials purchased with funds subject to that injunction in violation of a court order—or that the Department of Justice made misrepresentations regarding the border materials that have been auctioned off—this would constitute unethical and sanctionable conduct, and the responsible parties could be held in contempt of court.

    Videos obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent earlier this month show unused sections of the wall being hauled away on the back of flatbed trucks from a section of the border just south of Tucson, a hotspot for illegal crossings during the Biden administration. 

    New Poll Reveals Shocking Opposition To Trump’s Tariff Plan

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Slightly more than half of voters in the U.S. oppose President-elect Trump’s plan to tariff proposal.

    The poll, released Wednesday, comes as Trump has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico and increase tariffs on China.

    While 51 percent of respondents opposed Trump’s tariff plan, 38 percent supported it, the survey showed.

    The majority of Democrats, 89 percent, Republicans, 76 percent, and independents, 53 percent, also opposed the plan, the poll found.

    More independents, 34 percent, supported Trump’s tariff plan than Republicans, 12 percent, and Democrats, 7 percent, the survey showed.

    Trump’s tariff threats have been met with a mix of reactions from global leaders, especially those from two of America’s top trading partners, Canada and Mexico. Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned earlier this week, citing Trump’s tariff plans in her resignation letter.

    “Our country today faces a grave challenge,” Chrystia Freeland said in a letter addressed to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25 per cent tariffs.”

    “We need to take that threat extremely seriously,” she added. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.”

    In her letter, Freeland argued for “pushing back against ‘America First’ economic nationalism with a determined effort to fight for capital and investment and the jobs they bring.”

    “That means working in good faith and humility with the Premiers of the provinces and territories of our great and diverse country, and building a true Team Canada response,” she added. 

    Trump hit back at Freeland’s “toxic” behavior.

    “The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau,” Trump wrote in a Monday night post on Truth Social while mocking, again, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor.” 

    “Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada,” he added. “She will not be missed!!!” 

    Canada Threatens To Retaliate Against U.S. If Trump Admin. Imposes Sweeping Tariff

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    5

    The premier of a critical region in Canada is threatening to cut off energy and critical oil exports to the U.S. if President-elect Donald Trump implements a tariff on all Canadian products. 

    Trump recently threatened a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican exports in an effort to stop the flow of illegal immigration and drugs coming into the U.S.

    Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, said that he would consider retaliatory measures against the U.S. if the incoming president acted on his promise.

    “We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy – going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin,” Ford, who represents a region known for its crude oil production, told reporters. 

    The premier added that other officials in the country are reportedly identifying ways they can hurt U.S. exports if Trump enacts a tariff.

    “Some premiers proactively identified products that their provinces produce and export to the United States and which the U.S. relies on, and which should be considered as part of the Canadian response. This included some critical minerals and metals,” Ford said.

    “Canadians get hurt, but I can assure you one thing: the Americans are going to feel the pain as well, and isn’t that unfortunate?” Ford said.

    Trump has responded to the threats, saying “that’s okay if he does that.”

    “The United States is subsidizing Canada, and we shouldn’t have to do that,” Trump told CNBC at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. “And we have a great relationship. I have so many friends in Canada, but we shouldn’t have to subsidize a country.”

    However, a Canadian political science professor noted Ford might not be able to unilaterally cut off the province’s energy supply to the U.S.

    “I do not believe Ontario could unilaterally stop electricity exports to the U.S. without Ottawa’s approval. Similarly, Michigan cannot unilaterally stop the flow of western Canadian natural gas to eastern Canada without Washington’s approval,” University of Toronto political science Professor Nelson Wiseman told Now Toronto in response to Ford’s retaliatory threat.

    DOJ Reveals Number Of Confidential Sources Present For Jan. 6 Riot

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said there were more than two dozen confidential human sources in the crowd on Jan. 6, but noted only three were assigned by the FBI to be present for the event.

    The IG also said none of the sources were authorized or directed by the bureau to “break the law” or “encourage others to commit illegal acts.”

    The conclusion rejects theories that undercover FBI agents provoked the attack on the Capitol, which has since prompted charges for more than 1,500 figures involved in the riot.

    Horowitz on Thursday released his highly anticipated report on the FBI’s Handling of its Confidential Human Sources and Intelligence Collection Efforts in the Lead Up to the Jan. 6, 2021 Electoral Certification. 

     “Today’s report also details our findings regarding FBI CHSs who were in Washington, D.C., on January 6,” the report states. “Our review determined that none of these FBI CHSs was authorized by the FBI to enter the Capitol or a restricted area or to otherwise break the law on January 6, nor was any CHS directed by the FBI to encourage others to commit illegal acts on January 6.” 

    The report revealed that the FBI had a minor supporting role in responding on Jan. 6, 2021—largely because the event was not deemed at the highest security level by the Department of Homeland Security. 

    doj-ig-jan.-6Download

    According to the report, there were a total of 26 confidential human sources in the crowd that day, but only three of them were assigned by the bureau to be there. 

    One of the three confidential human sources tasked by the FBI to attend the rally entered the Capitol building, while the other two entered the restricted area around the Capitol. 

    If a confidential human source is directed to be at a certain event, they are paid by the FBI for their time.

    “One FBI field office tasked a CHS to travel to DC to report on the activities of a predicated domestic terrorism subject who was separately planning to travel to DC for the January 6 Electoral Certification; a second FBI field office tasked a CHS to travel to DC to potentially report on two domestic terrorism (DT) subjects from another FBI field office who were planning to travel to DC for the events of January 6; and a third CHS, who had informed their handling agent that they intended to travel to DC on their own initiative for the events of January 6, was similarly tasked by their field office to potentially report on two DT subjects from other FBI field offices who were planning to travel to DC for the events of January 6,” the report states.

    Twenty-three of the confidential human sources present on Jan. 6 came to Washington, D.C., to the Capitol on their own. Of that group, three entered the Capitol during the riot, and an additional 11 sources entered the restricted area around the Capitol. 

    But Horowitz said that investigators “found no evidence in the materials we reviewed or the testimony we received showing or suggesting that the FBI had undercover employees in the various protest crowds, or at the Capitol, on January 6.” 

    Trump Reveals Plan To Pardon J6 Defendants On ‘Day 1’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    9
    Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Trump has big plans…

    President-elect Donald Trump shared that he plans to immediately pardon “most” rioters accused or convicted of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 after his inauguration.

    “It’s going to start in the first hour,” Trump told Time Magazine Thursday, during an interview for his feature as the publication’s 2024 Person of the Year. “Maybe the first nine minutes.”

    However, Trump has remained vague on the exact details. More than 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants have been charged in connection with the Capitol attack, their conduct ranging from trespassing misdemeanors to assaulting police and seditious conspiracy against the U.S. government.

    In court filings, many rioters have expressed they expect immediate relief once Trump returns to the White House. Their lawyers have asked judges to delay sentencing, trials and other proceedings as Inauguration Day nears. However, Judges have largely denied those requests.

    Top leaders of the right-wing extremist Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, many convicted of sedition, face decades in prison for their roles in the riot, leading to questions about just how far Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons will go.

    Prosecutors in court filings Wednesday argued to a judge that, although Trump’s pardons might erase the penalties for Jan. 6 rioters, they won’t “unring the bell of conviction.”

    “In fact, quite the opposite,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Holvey wrote. “The defendant would first have to accept the pardon, which necessitates a confession of guilt.”

    On Thursday, President Biden commuted jail sentences for nearly 1,500 people and granted 39 pardons, marking the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.

    Sentences were commuted for inmates placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and who “have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities,” according to the announcement. The 39 individuals pardoned were convicted of non-violent crimes, the White House said.

    “I will take more steps in the weeks ahead. My Administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances,” Biden said.

    Thursday’s pardons come as the president has faced bipartisan criticism for pardoning his son, Hunter, of felony gun and tax charges.

    Joni Ernst Backs Hegseth For Defense Secretary After Pressure From Team Trump

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    3
    By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced her support for Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense Monday evening, marking a reversal from her earlier reluctance to back the embattled nominee. Ernst’s decision came just days after she indicated skepticism about Hegseth’s qualifications for the role.

    According to Politico, Ernst’s shift followed a concerted effort by President-elect Trump’s allies to persuade her. The report describes an intense pressure campaign that reportedly left the senator’s political life “extremely uncomfortable.”

    Mediaite further reports:

    Last Thursday, after meeting with Hegseth, who has been accused of sexual assault and alcohol abuse, Ernst, a veteran and sexual assault survivor, told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that she was undecided on his nomination.

    “I think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared, and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting process,” she said at the time.

    On Monday, after another meeting with Hegseth, Ernst changed her tune in a statement:

    I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.

    However, sources close to the matter strongly implied Ernst’s change of heart went beyond a productive discussion with Hegseth. One Trump ally, speaking to Politico, emphasized the role of grassroots activism, saying Ernst faced “an onslaught of criticism from MAGA activists” and “got the message loud and clear.”

    In recent days, allies of Trump adopted an approach that is not novel for the president-elect and his followers: Make life extremely uncomfortable for anyone who dares to oppose him. The swarm of MAGA attacks that Sen. Joni Ernst has experienced is a warning of what’s in store for others who express skepticism of his personnel choices.

    Days after signaling she continued to have serious concerns about confirming Hegseth, Ernst on Monday sounded a different note. She described their conversation Monday afternoon as “encouraging,” said she would “support” Hegseth through the process, touted some of the commitments he made to her about what he would do in the role, and suggested she would only take allegations against him seriously if they come from named accusers.

    The change in tune followed an aggressive push for Hegseth by top Trump allies and supporters, as well as a defiant performance by the Defense secretary nominee that has Trump’s team bullish on him getting confirmed. But it’s not just Hegseth. Trump allies believe his choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, and his nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, are in a stronger position as well.

    With a narrow Senate majority, endorsements from key Republican senators like Ernst are critical to the prospects of Trump’s nominees.

    READ NEXT: Trump Gives Jaw Dropping Response Over Potential Biden Revenge Scheme

    Trump FBI Nominee Targeted By Iranian Hackers

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ramón Colón-López and the chief of staff to Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, Kash Patel, arrive at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Jan. 14, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

    President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director pick, Kash Patel, was the target of an Iranian hacking plot.

    Sources close to the matter informed CNN that the hackers successfully accessed some of Patel’s communications.

    Hackers reportedly accessed some of Patel’s communications, according to one source. Patel, a former chief of staff to the defense secretary during Trump’s first term, has been a vocal critic of Iran and an advocate for aggressive measures against the regime.

    While refraining from addressing the specifics of the incident, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer framed Patel’s leadership as integral to the incoming administration’s security policies.

    “Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” Pfeiffer told the network.

    Patel is only the latest to be targeted in the foreign hacking plot. Iranian and Chinese actors have reportedly ramped up efforts to infiltrate the communications of those close to the President-elect.

    Last month, the FBI informed Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney and nominee for deputy attorney general, that Chinese hackers had tapped his cellphone, sources confirmed. 

    Marjorie Taylor Greene Tapped To Serve Alongside Elon Musk, Ramaswamy On DOGE Subcommittee

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Marjorie Taylor Greene -Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons

    House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is expected to establish a subcommittee that will work with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and will select Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene as its director.

    A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., will chair the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, which will focus on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. 

    The subcommittee is expected to investigate wasteful spending, examine ways to reorganize federal agencies to improve efficiency and identify solutions to eliminate bureaucratic red tape.

    A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Comer had a meeting with Ramaswamy and his incoming DOGE team. Ramaswamy confirmed the meeting with Comer and Greene to Fox News Digital. 

    “A key step to driving greater efficiency in government is exposing the problem to the public—we are grateful that the House Oversight Committee has created a subcommittee to focus on this work,” a spokesperson for Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. “We look forward to working together.” 

    Comer told Fox News Digital that the new Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency “will align with the Trump administration’s priorities to eliminate government waste, streamline the federal government’s operations and cut red tape that’s stifling jobs and increasing costs for the American people.” 

    “I look forward to working with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to deliver on these goals to Make America Great Again,” Comer said.

    Greene told Fox News Digital that the House Oversight Committee “is the perfect place to support the DOGE mission.”

    “I’m excited to chair this new subcommittee designed to work hand in hand with President Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and the entire DOGE team,” Greene said. “We will identify and investigate the waste, corruption and absolutely useless parts of our federal government.”

    Greene said the subcommittee will provide “transparency and truth to the American people through hearings.”

    “No topic will be off the table,” she said. “The goal of DOGE is to bring accountability and GUT useless government agencies.” 

    Greene said she expects the subcommittee’s work “will expose people who need to be fired.”

    “The bureaucrats who don’t do their job, fail audits like in the Pentagon and don’t know where billions of dollars are going, will be getting a pink slip,” Greene said. “Chairman Comer and I are focused on delivering the mandate voters sent on Nov. 5th, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

    Earlier this month, Trump tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead DOGE.

    Trump said last week he hopes DOGE will become the “Manhattan Project of our time,” in reference to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s secretive atom bomb endeavor during World War II.

    Manhattan District Attorney Opposes Push To Dismiss Trump Conviction

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday said they will oppose President-elect Trump’s demand to dismiss his criminal hush money.

    Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) in the new letter said he won’t resist adjourning Trump’s sentencing next week so the judge can receive further briefing on the issue. 

    “No current law establishes that a president’s temporary immunity from prosecution requires dismissal of a post-trial criminal proceeding that was initiated at a time when the defendant was not immune from criminal prosecution and that is based on unofficial conduct for which the defendant is also not immune,” Bragg wrote.  

    “Rather, existing law suggests that the Court must balance competing constitutional interests and proceed ‘in a manner that preserves both the independence of the Executive and the integrity of the criminal justice system,’” he said. 

    Bragg signed the filing himself – a departure from the office’s typical practice. 

    Trump’s team celebrated the development.

    “This is a total and definitive victory for President Trump and the American People who elected him in a landslide. The Manhattan DA has conceded that this Witch Hunt cannot continue,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign spokesperson and incoming White House communications director, said in a statement. 

    Judge Juan Merchan, who oversees the case, must decide whether to push back the Nov. 26 sentencing, toss Trump’s conviction altogether or move forward despite his election victory.   

    Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to conceal an alleged affair, which he denies, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. 

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

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