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DOJ Confirms Comey Grand Jury Didn’t See Final Indictment

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The Justice Department admitted in federal court Wednesday that the grand jury which charged former FBI Director James Comey never reviewed the final version of the indictment that prosecutors ultimately filed.

During questioning by U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, prosecutors conceded that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan failed to bring the revised indictment back to the full grand jury after jurors declined to approve one of the original counts. Instead of resubmitting the updated charges, Halligan took the altered document directly to a magistrate judgeโ€™s courtroom, where only the grand jury foreperson and one additional juror signed it, according to CNN.

Judge Nachmanoff ordered the Justice Department to file a detailed response by 5 p.m. Wednesday addressing the revelations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons attempted to justify the process, claiming โ€œthe new indictment wasnโ€™t a new indictment.โ€ Nachmanoff, however, swiftly dismissed that explanation.

Comeyโ€™s attorney, Michael Dreeben, seized on the governmentโ€™s admission, arguing that because the full grand jury never considered the altered charges, โ€œno indictment was returned.โ€ He also noted that the statute of limitations has now run out on the allegations that Comey lied to Congressโ€”meaning prosecutors may no longer have any valid path to pursue the case.

Prosecutors further revealed they were instructed by the deputy attorney generalโ€™s office not to disclose whether career DOJ lawyers had prepared a memo recommending against indicting Comey before Halligan presented the case to the grand jury, Politico reported. Multiple outlets have indicated that DOJ career staff believed the evidence was too weak to justify charges.

Halliganโ€”appointed interim U.S. attorney in 2025 after working in insurance law and serving as a personal lawyer and White House aide to President Donald Trumpโ€”had no prior experience leading federal criminal prosecutions. She served as the sole prosecutor presenting the case to the grand jury.

Earlier this week, a federal magistrate judge criticized the handling of the investigation, citing โ€œprofound investigative misstepsโ€ and raising serious concerns about the integrity of the grand jury process under Halliganโ€™s oversight.

โ€œThe Court recognizes that the relief sought by the defense is rarely granted,โ€ Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick wrote. โ€œHowever, the record points to a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps, missteps that led an FBI agent and a prosecutor to potentially undermine the integrity of the grand jury proceeding.โ€

Report: US Planning Prisoner Swap With Russia

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Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

The United States and Russia are reportedly quietly reopening talks on a possible prisoner-exchange that could determine the fate of at least eight Americans still held in Russia. According to Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitrievโ€”who visited Washington in late Octoberโ€”discussions with U.S. officials were โ€œhumanitarian in nature, such as possible exchanges of prisoners that the U.S. side has been working on.โ€ A senior U.S. official confirmed the outreach and described the atmosphere as constructive, though emphasized that no agreement has yet been reached.

โ€œThe U.S. will welcome the release of any detained American,โ€ the official said, underscoring that Washington views this strictly through the lens of American lives, not political grandstanding.

During Dmitrievโ€™s trip he met U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. A source familiar with the conversations told Axios that Moscow hopes such a swap would โ€œcreate more trust between the countries.โ€ From a Republican perspective, this is exactly the kind of outcome our diplomacy should be pursuing: Americans held abroad should be brought home, and Russia should see we are serious, not passive.

While a handful of Americans were released earlier this year under separate agreements, these talks focus squarely on the eight who remain behind barsโ€”several caught up in cases the U.S. describes as politically tinged or based on contested evidence. According to Axios, the names sent to Moscow earlier by the U.S. include:

  • Stephen James Hubbard, 73, accused of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine
  • David Barnes, serving a 21-year sentence after a cross-border custody dispute
  • Robert Gilman, former Marine convicted of assaulting a police officer
  • Eugene Spector, sentenced on bribery and espionage charges
  • Michael Travis Leake and Robert Romanov Woodland, jailed on drug offenses
  • Daniel Joseph Schneider, convicted of abducting his son
  • Gordon Black, a U.S. soldier imprisoned for theft and alleged threats

U.S. officials havenโ€™t confirmed whether these eight are the focus of the current discussionsโ€”but with Moscow signalling interest, and Washington keen to show it can deliver for detained Americans, the groundwork for a high-stakes swap is clearly in motion.

Why this matters

For the Republican-minded audience, this is about America first: no American left behind, accountability for Russiaโ€™s malign practices, and the restoration of American strength in diplomacy. Critics of past Democratic administrations argue that Russia has often treated U.S. citizens as bargaining chipsโ€”and the fact that Washington is now engaging quietly, but seriously, signals a turn toward a tougher posture.

What have we achieved so far under Trump?

Itโ€™s worth remembering that under the Trump administration, significant steps were taken to bring Americans home:

  • In February 2025, the U.S. secured the release of Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher imprisoned in Russia for possession of medical cannabis (a 14-year sentence), in what was acknowledged as a prisoner exchange.
  • In April 2025, another U.S. citizen, dual-national ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina, was freed from Russia in a swap described by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as secured through Trumpโ€™s efforts.

These releases underscore a Trump-era focus on returning Americans held by adversarial powers, not leaving them forgotten. While this upcoming swap is not yet finalized, the very fact that Moscow and Washington are in active dialogue is a sign the U.S. is not passive when its citizens are wrongfully detained.

The road ahead

There are still major questions to resolve: who exactly will be part of the swap? What will the U.S. give up?

Trump Calls Greene A ‘Traitor’ Amid Fight For Epstein File Transparency

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Trump pushed back Sunday evening against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greeneโ€™s (R-Ga.) warnings about her personal safety, escalating an already tense dispute within the GOP over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac before departing Palm Beach, Fla., the president reiterated his criticism of Greene, again referring to the outspoken conservative as a โ€œtraitorโ€ when asked about her claim that Trumpโ€™s rhetoric could endanger her life.

โ€œMarjorie โ€˜Traitorโ€™ Greene,โ€ Trump said, correcting a reporter who used the congresswomanโ€™s actual name. โ€œI donโ€™t think her life is in danger. I donโ€™t think โ€” frankly, I donโ€™t think anybody cares about her.โ€

A short time later, Trump doubled down on Truth Social, taking aim at Greene as tensions continue to rise over her calls for the full release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. โ€œWacky Marjorie โ€˜Traitorโ€™ Brown (Remember, Green turns to Brown where there is ROT involved!) is working overtime to try and portray herself as a victim when, in actuality, she is the cause of all of her own problems,โ€ Trump wrote. โ€œThe fact is, nobody cares about this Traitor to our Country!โ€

Greene, who has long portrayed herself as one of Trumpโ€™s staunchest allies, had posted earlier on X that โ€œthe hoax pizza deliveries have started now, to my house and family members,โ€ and said her familyโ€™s construction business had received a pipe bomb threat. She argued that Trumpโ€™s attacks on her were โ€œa dog whistle to dangerous radicals that could lead to serious attacks on me and my family.โ€

Responding to Trump labeling her a traitor, Greene wrote that the accusation is โ€œabsolutely untrue and horrificโ€ and said such language โ€œputs blood in the water and creates a feeding frenzy. And it could ultimately lead to a harmful or even deadly outcome.โ€

โ€œI am not a traitor,โ€ she insisted. โ€œHowever, when the President of the United States irresponsibly calls a Member of Congress of his own party, traitor, he is signaling what must be done to a traitor.โ€

Watch:

Greene defended her record and her long-standing loyalty to Trump. โ€œI fought harder than anyone to help President Trump get elected and I support his administration and the promises we made on the campaign,โ€ she wrote. โ€œMy voting record is one of the most conservative voting records in Congress and Iโ€™m very proud of that. The toxic and dangerous rhetoric in politics must end and we need healing in this country for all Americans.โ€

The dispute comes as Greene has intensified her criticism of Trumpโ€™s earlier reluctance to endorse the full release of the Epstein filesโ€”documents many Republicans argue should be made public to expose potential wrongdoing and eliminate politically motivated speculation. The House is expected to vote this week on a measure compelling the Department of Justice to release those records. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who initiated the discharge petition to force the vote, said he expects significant Republican support.

By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer – https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695

Republican pressure on Trump increased last week after Democrats selectively released new emails, including one allegedly written by Epstein claiming Trump โ€œknew about the girls.โ€ Many conservatives view the move as a partisan attempt to smear Trump and distract from Democratic figures who were associated with Epstein. In response, and just minutes before his latest Truth Social post criticizing Greene, Trump urged House Republicans to back full transparency.

Lawmakers โ€œshould vote to release the Epstein files,โ€ Trump said, arguing, โ€œwe have nothing to hide, and itโ€™s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party.โ€

Still, Massie cautioned that the Justice Departmentโ€”now conducting new probes into Epsteinโ€™s alleged connections to Democratsโ€”might use those investigations to justify withholding certain materials even after Congress acts. Republicans warn that bureaucratic resistance could undermine the effort for full disclosure, a point fueling frustration both inside and outside the party.

BBC Officially Apologizes To Trump For Deceptive Edit

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The British broadcaster BBC has formally apologized to the White House for the way it edited a clip of President Trumpโ€™s speech on January 6, 2021 โ€” the day before the Capitol attack. The apology comes just days after President Trumpโ€™s legal team threatened the BBC with a $1 billion lawsuit over the segment, which appeared in a documentary.

According to a BBC spokesperson, โ€œLawyers for the BBC have written to President Trumpโ€™s legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday.โ€ The BBC added: โ€œChair [Samir Shah] has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the Corporation are sorry for the edit of the Presidentโ€™s speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme.โ€ The BBC also confirmed that there are no plans to rebroadcast the documentary Trump: A Second Chance? on any of its platforms.

The broadcaster acknowledged that โ€œthe way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action,โ€ and referred to it as โ€œan error in judgement.โ€ The BBC nonetheless stated that it strongly disagrees there is a valid defamation claim.

The specific clip in question showed Trump saying to his rally crowd: โ€œWeโ€™re going to walk down to the Capitol, and Iโ€™ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.โ€ A fuller official transcript and video, however, show that Trump also told his supporters to march โ€œpeacefully and patrioticallyโ€ to the Capitol.

President Trumpโ€™s lawsuit accuses the BBC of defamation, alleging the broadcaster caused โ€œoverwhelming financial and reputational harmโ€ with the editing. With this apology, the BBC has taken a step toward mollifying the matter โ€” but the threat of litigation remains.

President Trump has a well-documented history of filing lawsuits (or threatening them) against major media outlets. Here are a few notable examples:

  • Trumpโ€™s legal team recently filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, four of its journalists, and publisher Penguin Random House. He accuses them of publishing false allegations about his business and political career, saying they harmed his brand and business interests.
  • Earlier in 2025 he filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner (including Rupert Murdoch) over an article about alleged ties between Trump and the financier Jeffrey Epstein.
  • In 2024, a settlement was reached when parent company Paramount Global (of CBS) paid $16 million to resolve a suit Trump brought over purportedly misleading editing of a 2024 interview on 60 Minutes.
  • Legal-watchers note that by mid-2025 Trump was involved in as many new media and defamation lawsuits as he was in all of 2024 โ€” reflecting a significant escalation of his willingness to use litigation in his media disputes

Special Prosecutor Assigned To Trump 2020 Election Case

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President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud at the Royal Court Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

A new twist has emerged in the Fulton County election interference case against President Donald Trump. On Friday, a special prosecutor was appointed to replace embattled District Attorney Fani Willis (D), who was disqualified after a court found her romantic relationship with a top prosecutor created an appearance of impropriety.

Peter Skandalakis, executive director of Georgiaโ€™s Prosecuting Attorneysโ€™ Council (PAC), announced that after failing to find another willing candidate, he would step in personally to oversee the case.

โ€œSeveral prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and professional, each declined the appointment,โ€ Skandalakis said in a statement. โ€œOut of respect for their privacy and professional discretion, I will not identify those prosecutors or disclose their reasons for declining.โ€

The move came just as a judge-imposed deadline loomed for PAC to name a new prosecutorโ€”or risk seeing the entire case dismissed.

Skandalakis explained that while โ€œit would have been simpleโ€ to let the deadline expire, he believed โ€œthat was not the right course of action,โ€ citing the publicโ€™s interest in ensuring the matter is resolved properly.

The Georgia courtโ€™s decision to remove Willis cast major doubt on the future of the case, which accuses Trump and several allies of racketeering and other charges related to challenging the 2020 election results. Trump and most of his co-defendants have pleaded not guilty, maintaining that they did nothing wrong in questioning the outcome of the election. Four others accepted plea deals.

With Willis out, Skandalakis now has full discretion over whether to continue pursuing the case or to drop the charges entirely.

โ€œMy only objective is to ensure that this case is handled properly, fairly, and with full transparencyโ€”discharging my duties without fear, favor, or affection,โ€ he said.

This isnโ€™t the first time Skandalakis has been involved in a high-profile matter stemming from Willisโ€™s conduct. After she was previously barred from investigating Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) due to her involvement in a political fundraiser against him, Skandalakis also took overโ€”and ultimately declined to bring charges.

Citing that past experience, he said his familiarity with similar issues makes him the best candidate to take over the Trump case.

The original indictment accused Trump and more than a dozen associates of an โ€œunlawful conspiracyโ€ to challenge President Bidenโ€™s 2020 victory in Georgia. The case is one of several politically charged prosecutions targeting Trump during his campaign to return to the White Houseโ€”the first criminal cases ever brought against a then-former U.S. president.

Trump was previously convicted in New York on business record charges tied to a 2016 hush money payment. Meanwhile, his two federal prosecutionsโ€”for alleged election interference and mishandling classified documentsโ€”were dismissed following his reelection to a second term.

PAC officials had confirmed as late as Thursday that no replacement had been found, suggesting the decision came together quickly.

On Monday, Skandalakis addressed Trumpโ€™s recent presidential pardons for several allies charged in the Georgia case, saying his office had โ€œdiligentlyโ€ worked on the matter since Willisโ€™s removal and would continue to do so โ€œwithout being influenced by matters outside the scope of our assigned task.โ€

He also clarified that Trumpโ€™s pardons apply only to federal charges, not state cases.

โ€œTherefore, the task before my office remains unchanged,โ€ Skandalakis said.

Republicans Uncover Epsteinโ€™s Coordination With Reporters To Smear Trump

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By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695

Just hours after the White House publicly accused congressional Democrats of selectively leaking emails related to Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of additional pages of documents. These include email exchanges between Epstein and prominent journalists.

A significant portion of the new material shows correspondence between Epstein and writer-turned-biographer Michael Wolff. Wolff reached out to Epstein multiple times, discussing not only Epsteinโ€™s public image but how to leverage criticism of Donald Trump for strategic benefit.

In February 2016, Wolff wrote to Epstein:

โ€œNYT called me about you and Trump,โ€
โ€œAlso, Hillary campaign digging deeply. Again, you should consider preempting.โ€

A month later they discussed plans ahead of the release of Filthy Rich โ€” a true-crime book by James Patterson about Epstein, who was Pattersonโ€™s neighbor in Palm Beach. Wolff suggested to Epstein:

โ€œBecoming an anti-Trump voice gives you a certain political cover which you decidedly donโ€™t have now.โ€
And he added:
โ€œPatterson can be counted on to produce a bestseller, and while he isn’t regarded as a serious writer, he’ll surely be unloading a lot of tabloid copy โ€ฆ Because this will be tied to the election, the Trump-Clinton angle will amp up the attention 10-fold, in fact, possibly, a hundred fold. Possibly more than anything you’ve encountered before.โ€

When Epstein asked Wolff what he should say publicly about his relationship with Trump, Wolffโ€™s advice was pointed:

โ€œIf he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency,โ€
โ€œYou can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt. Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.โ€

In further correspondence, Wolff requested introductions for Epstein to two figures close to Trump: business leader and inaugural-committee chair Tom Barrack and former federal prosecutor Kathy Ruemmler. He told Epstein he sought โ€œan off-the-record perspective on White House procedures,โ€ while researching his book about Trumpโ€™s first 100 days in office. He also asked whether former President Bill Clinton would confirm he had never been to Epsteinโ€™s private U.S. Virgin Islands island, Little St. John โ€” a place Clinton has publicly denied visiting. Epsteinโ€™s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell has also denied seeing Clinton there.

The documents show that Epstein and Wolff planned to meet as recently as May 2019 โ€” months before Epstein died in a federal jail cell while awaiting trial.

Read some of the emails below:

Some of the newly released material included a short video of a dog and what appear to be chew toys modeled after Trump and the 2016 presidential rival Hillary Clinton. Others appear to be slides from an adviser working to generate positive search-engine results for Epstein following his 2008 conviction for child-sex crimes.

Earlier, Democrats had released documents that included an especially cryptic email from Epstein to Maxwell โ€” one that mentions Trump by name, and refers to an unnamed victim of Epsteinโ€™s trafficking network. The email read:

โ€œI want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump,โ€ Epstein wrote on April 2, 2011.
โ€œ[VICTIM] spent hours at my house with himโ€ฆhe has never once been mentioned. Police chief. etc. I’m 75% there.โ€

Officials later identified the โ€œunnamed victimโ€ as well-known Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year. Giuffre repeatedly stated that Trump was not involved in wrongdoing and โ€œcouldnโ€™t have been friendlierโ€ to her in their limited interactions. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, responded:

โ€œThe fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre.โ€

In his own post on Truth Social, Trump weighed in:

โ€œThe Democrats cost our Country $1.5 Trillion Dollars with their recent antics of viciously closing our Country, while at the same time putting many at risk โ€” and they should pay a fair price,โ€ he wrote.
โ€œThere should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our Country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!โ€

As a reminder: Epstein secured a highly-controversial so-called โ€œsweetheartโ€ deal in 2008 for child-sex crimes. He was arrested again in 2019 on more serious trafficking charges โ€” but died before the case went to trial. Maxwell was convicted of grooming and procuring girls and young women for Epstein; she is appealing and continues to assert her innocence.


Key Takeaways for a Republican Audience

  • The timing of the document releases and allegations of selective leaking by Democrats raises questions about political motive and media stratagem.
  • The correspondence shows efforts to frame Epsteinโ€™s narrative around Trump โ€” part of a broader attempt to tie the story to the 2016 presidential election and cast Trump in a negative light.
  • Trumpโ€™s defenders argue the documents reinforce his long-standing disassociation from Epstein, as well as serve to remind voters of Democratsโ€™ role in political maneuvering, rather than holding criminals accountable.
  • For Republicans focused on institutional integrity and media accountability, the episode reinforces concerns about selective exposure of documents, agenda-driven leaks, and manipulation of public perception.

Trump Ups The Ante On Imminent BBC Lawsuit

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Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump is threatening to sue the BBC for at least $1 billion, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation after it aired a misleadingly edited clip in its pre-election documentary, โ€œTrump: A Second Chance?โ€

The film, which aired ahead of the November 2024 election, includes footage from Trumpโ€™s January 6, 2021 โ€œStop the Stealโ€ rally, just before Congress certified Joe Bidenโ€™s 2020 victory. The BBCโ€™s version of Trumpโ€™s remarks spliced together two separate parts of his speech to make it appear more inflammatory.

The documentary quoted Trump as saying:

โ€œWeโ€™re going to walk down to the Capitol, and Iโ€™ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.โ€

However, in reality, Trumpโ€™s words were more measured. He told supporters:

โ€œWeโ€™re going to walk down, and Iโ€™ll be there with you, weโ€™re going to walk down, weโ€™re going to walk down. Anyone you want, but I think right here, weโ€™re going to walk down to the Capitol, and weโ€™re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and weโ€™re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because youโ€™ll never take back our country with weakness.โ€

He continued:

โ€œYou have to show strength, and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated, lawfully slated.โ€

Trump also explicitly called for peaceful protest, adding:

โ€œI know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.โ€

It wasnโ€™t until about an hour later in his remarks that Trump said the second part of the BBCโ€™s edited clip:

โ€œAnd we fight. We fight like hell. And if you donโ€™t fight like hell, youโ€™re not going to have a country anymore.โ€

BBC Leaders Step Down Amid Backlash

The controversy was first exposed by The Daily Telegraph, which published an internal BBC memo acknowledging the editing issue. Following the uproar, BBC Director-General Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness both resigned.

In a message to staff, Turness admitted that โ€œmistakes have been madeโ€ but denied claims that the BBC is โ€œinstitutionally biased.โ€

Trumpโ€™s Legal Response

Trumpโ€™s attorney, Alejandro Britt, sent the BBC a legal letter demanding a full apology and retraction. The letter accuses the broadcaster of โ€œdefrauding the publicโ€ and misrepresenting Trumpโ€™s words to paint him in a negative light.

โ€œWell, I guess I have to,โ€ Trump told Fox Newsโ€™s Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, confirming his intent to sue. โ€œWhy not? Because they defrauded the public, and theyโ€™ve admitted it.โ€

A Pattern of Media Accountability

This is not the first time the President has successfully taken on major media outlets.

Last year, ABC News settled with Trump for $15 million after anchor George Stephanopoulos falsely claimed on-air that Trump was found civilly liable for rape in the E. Jean Carroll case. The jury had, in fact, found him liable only for sexual abuse.

In July 2024, Trump won another $16 million settlement from Paramount, following claims that a โ€œ60 Minutesโ€ interview with Kamala Harris was heavily edited to favor her during the election season.

Trump also has an ongoing $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, accusing it of defamation after it published a supposed birthday note he allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epsteinโ€”a note Trump denies ever writing.

Trump Appeals To Supreme Court To Overturn E. Jean Carroll Case Verdict

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President Donald Trump has formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the civil verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll, marking the latest chapter in a years-long legal battle that has shadowed his political comeback.

In a petition filed with the Court, Trumpโ€™s attorneys argued that the $5 million jury verdict was โ€œpropped upโ€ by โ€œa series of indefensible evidentiary rulingsโ€ that allowed Carrollโ€™s lawyers to introduce what they called โ€œhighly inflammatory propensity evidence.โ€ The filing claimed that these rulings unfairly prejudiced the jury and violated federal evidentiary standards.

โ€œPresident Trump has clearly and consistently denied that this supposed incident ever occurred,โ€ attorney Justin Smith and his co-counsel wrote in the filing. โ€œNo physical or DNA evidence corroborates Carrollโ€™s story. There were no eyewitnesses, no video evidence, and no police report or investigation.โ€

Carroll first sued Trump in 2019, after publishing a memoir alleging that he raped her in a department store dressing room in New York City in the 1990s. Trump denied the accusation outright, saying he had never met Carroll, that she was not his โ€œtype,โ€ and that she fabricated the story to promote her book. His forceful denials led to Carrollโ€™s defamation claims, resulting in two separate trials.

Trumpโ€™s lawyers now assert that U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who oversaw the trial, โ€œwarped federal evidence rulesโ€ to support Carrollโ€™s โ€œimplausible, unsubstantiated assertions.โ€ They further contend that by upholding the verdict, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals created a conflict with other appellate courts over how such evidence should be treated.

When Trumpโ€™s legal team first announced in September that they would appeal to the Supreme Court, Carrollโ€™s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, dismissed the move. โ€œWe do not believe that President Trump will be able to present any legal issues in the Carroll cases that merit review by the United States Supreme Court,โ€ she said at the time.

A spokesperson for Trumpโ€™s legal team characterized the Supreme Court filing as part of a broader effort to fight what they describe as politically motivated legal attacks. โ€œThe American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes,โ€ the statement said.

The appeal follows a series of defeats for Trump in the lower courts. In December 2024, a three-judge panel of the 2nd Circuit upheld the $5 million verdict, rejecting claims that trial errors had tainted the outcome. In June 2025, the same court denied Trumpโ€™s request for a full rehearing by all active judges, leaving him with the Supreme Court as his last legal option.

Trump did not attend the original 2023 trial but briefly testified at a second defamation trial in 2024, which resulted in a separate $83.3 million damages award for Carroll. That verdict was also upheld in September by a 2nd Circuit panel, which described the juryโ€™s damages as โ€œfair and reasonable.โ€ Trump has since asked the full appellate court to reconsider that decision as well.

Trump Pardons Former Lawmaker Convicted In Corruption Probe

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President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Monday, February 10, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House photo by Abe McNatt)

President Trump has granted full pardons to former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff Cade Cothren โ€” two Republican operatives convicted in a federal corruption case involving a legislator-funded mailer program. The White House announced that the decision came after what the administration describes as a disproportionate prosecution by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Biden administration.

According to a senior White House official, Casada and Cothren were convicted of a โ€œminor issue involving constituent mailers โ€” which were billed at competitive prices, never received a complaint from legislators, and resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000.โ€ The official added that โ€œthe Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, a perp walk and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years โ€” penalties normally reserved for multimillion-dollar fraudsters.โ€

Casada was sentenced in September to three years in prison, and Cothren to two and a half years, following their convictions. Casada resigned from his speakership in 2019 after a no-confidence vote within his party.

The former lawmaker was found guilty of 17 charges in the public corruption case, while Cothren was found guilty of all 19 charges in the trial that began in April. 

Casada resigned in 2019 after a no-confidence vote by fellow Tennessee Republicans. 

President Trumpโ€™s recent pardons:

To understand the Casada/Cothren case in context, here are key examples of Trumpโ€™s clemency use:

  • Earlier this year, Trump pardoned former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland (R), who had resigned amid a federal corruption scandal and served prison time.
  • He also pardoned former New York Representative Michael Grimm (R), who pleaded guilty to tax fraud.
  • In February, Trump pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) โ€” who had been convicted in a high-profile federal corruption case โ€” further underscoring the breadth and partisan ramifications of his clemency decisions.

READ NEXT: Report: Jack Smith Quietly Plotting โ€˜Counterattackโ€™ On Trump

Marjorie Taylor Greene Reportedly Prepping For 2028 Presidential Run

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is reportedly considering a run for president in 2028 โ€” a move that, if realized, could reshape the Republican Partyโ€™s post-Trump era and test the staying power of the โ€œAmerica Firstโ€ movement.

According to a new report from Notus, Greene has privately expressed interest in following in Donald Trumpโ€™s footsteps to the White House. The outlet cites four sources familiar with her thinking, saying Greene believes she represents the โ€œreal MAGAโ€ faction โ€” the core conservative movement that has reshaped the GOP since 2016 โ€” and that many Republican leaders have drifted away from those grassroots values.

One source told Notus that Greene feels confident she has built the national donor network and grassroots support needed to mount a serious primary campaign, especially as the GOPโ€™s base remains loyal to Trumpโ€™s populist agenda.


Building a National Brand

While Greene has long been a lightning rod for criticism from the left, sheโ€™s also gained national recognition for her unapologetic defense of conservative causes โ€” from border security to religious freedom, from cutting wasteful spending to standing up against what she calls the โ€œweaponizationโ€ of government against political opponents.

In recent months, Greene has sought to expand her reach beyond the hardcore MAGA base. Sheโ€™s made high-profile appearances on Bill Maherโ€™s โ€œReal Timeโ€ on HBO, The View, and CNN, signaling an effort to engage audiences outside of conservative media. Her willingness to enter unfriendly territory underscores her confidence and desire to make the case for conservative principles in front of skeptics.

As one GOP strategist told Notus, โ€œSheโ€™s trying to take the MAGA message to a national stage โ€” not just to Republicans, but to all Americans who feel Washington is broken.โ€


Criticizing the GOPโ€™s Lack of Direction

Greene has also been unafraid to criticize her own party when she believes it has lost focus. On Real Time, she expressed frustration with Republicans who, after years of campaigning to repeal and replace Obamacare, โ€œstill donโ€™t have a plan.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m angry about that,โ€ Greene said on the show, adding that conservatives need to deliver tangible results, not just rhetoric.

In recent weeks, she has also called out male Republican members of Congress as โ€œweakโ€ for caving to establishment pressure, blasted the GOP for having โ€œno planโ€ to avoid government shutdown chaos, and criticized the partyโ€™s leadership for not pushing harder to release Jeffrey Epstein files, saying Americans deserve transparency and truth.


A Populist in the Trump Mold

Those close to Greene describe her as both fiercely loyal to Donald Trump and equally committed to ensuring his populist movement survives beyond him. She was one of Trumpโ€™s earliest and most vocal defenders during both impeachments and remains one of his strongest allies in Congress.

At the same time, Greene has worked to develop her own national voice, one that emphasizes restoring American sovereignty, rebuilding manufacturing, reducing foreign entanglements, and protecting traditional values that she argues have been under assault from both the left and establishment Republicans.

The 2028 Question

When asked directly about a presidential run during an appearance on comedian Tim Dillonโ€™s podcast last October, Greene laughed off the speculation โ€” but didnโ€™t shut it down entirely.

โ€œOh my goodness. I hate politics so much, Tim,โ€ she said. โ€œPeople are saying that, and Iโ€™ve seen a few people saying โ€˜sheโ€™s runningโ€™โ€ฆ What Iโ€™m doing right now is I very much want to fix problems. Thatโ€™s honestly all I care about.โ€

Still, those familiar with her thinking say Greeneโ€™s ambitions go beyond her congressional seat. With her growing national platform, fundraising power, and ability to command headlines, she could emerge as one of the most influential Republican figures in the post-Trump era โ€” whether she runs in 2028 or not.

In August, President Donald Trump made his clearest endorsement yet for a future Republican presidential candidate, declaring that Vice President JD Vance is โ€œmost likelyโ€ to carry the MAGA torch after his second term ends.

Trump described Vance as โ€œprobably the favoriteโ€ to lead the Republican Party into the next election cycle.

โ€œHeโ€™s most likely the heir,โ€ Trump said, referring to Vance. โ€œHe understands the movement, he understands the people, and heโ€™s doing a phenomenal job as Vice President.โ€

Trump also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling him โ€œsomebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form,โ€ suggesting Rubio could play a key role in a future Vance-led administration or campaign.

Rubio, for his part, echoed Trumpโ€™s praise of Vance during a recent interview with Lara Trump on Fox News.

โ€œI think heโ€™s doing a great job as Vice President. Heโ€™s a close friend, and I hope he intends to do it,โ€ Rubio said of Vance.

Although recent polling has shown Rubio with some early support among Republican voters for a potential 2028 run, conventional political wisdom indicates he wouldnโ€™t start publicly signaling interest in running for president until much closer to the election.

โ€œYou never know what the future holds,โ€ Rubio said. โ€œBut if Iโ€™m able to finish this term strong and we accomplish what weโ€™ve set out to do, Iโ€™ll be satisfied with that as the apex of my public service career.โ€