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    Trump Named TIME Person Of The Year

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    An honor…

    After surviving two assassination attempts and a landslide election victory Donald J. Trump has had a big year, to put it mildly.

    “For marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world, Donald Trump is Time’s 2024 Person of the Year,” the magazine wrote.

    It was widely expected Time would pick Trump; the magazine has bestowed the honor on the winner of that year’s presidential election in every race since George W. Bush in 2000. Trump was also named Person of the Year in 2016 when he first won the White House.

    “Since he began running for President in 2015, perhaps no single individual has played a larger role in changing the course of politics and history than Trump,” Time wrote. “Trump is once again at the center of the world, and in as strong a position as he has ever been.”

    Trump became just the second U.S. president after Grover Cleveland to win non-consecutive terms after he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

    Trump also became the first former president to ever be convicted of a crime in May. He was found guilty in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business documents related to covering up a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. His sentencing has since been repeatedly delayed and Trump has sought to have the case thrown out.

    Other criminal cases against him in Georgia and on the federal level have either been dismissed or are in limbo as he returns to the White House.

    The other Time finalists this year included Harris, billionaire Elon Musk – who was named Person of the Year in 2021 – podcasting giant Joe Rogan, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Lara Trump Steps Down From RNC Amid Senate Rumors

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Image via gage Skidmore Flickr

    Lara Trump has announced her plans to step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) after accomplishing her goals.

    In an announcement on X, Trump’s stepdaughter said she reached her three main objectives after Donald Trump won a landslide re-election.

    “With that big win, I kind of feel like my time is up,” she said. “What I intended to do has been done.”

    Her sudden departure has prompted speculation the Trump family member is eyeing a potential run to replace Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), whom her father-in-law, President-elect Trump, picked to be Secretary of State.

    “It is something I would seriously consider,” Lara has told outlets in reference to a run for Senate.

    “If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what they would look like. And I certainly want to get all of the information possible if that is something that is real for me,” Trump added.

    “But yeah, I would 100 percent consider it.”

    Trump, who was elected to lead the RNC alongside fellow chair Michael Whatley in March added that Whatley will remain as RNC chair.

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will choose Rubio’s replacement if the senator is confirmed to lead the State Department. That replacement would serve until 2026, when a special election will be held to determine who will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s term.

    Lara Trump joined Fox News on Sunday and was asked about the vacant seat that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) left open after being tapped by her father-in-law to be secretary of State.

    “Some may say it’s an asset, some may say it’s not an asset,” she said of her last name. “I think it depends how you look at it.”

    Certainly, you know, we’ve all had the opportunity over the past nine years really to fully involve ourselves in politics, to understand the American people, what they want, and we’ve all been residents for the state of Florida now for over three years. If that’s something that’s put in front of me, it would be a true honor. But, yeah, look, I think probably my last name does heighten my political profile a little bit, but I’ve got a proven track record. I’ve been co-chair of the RNC during the most consequential election of our lifetime. We were so proud of what we did at the RNC making sure that there was election integrity, making sure we got the early vote on, making sure we turned out low propensity voters and raising huge amounts of money. So I would say that my track record speaks for itself. Maybe having the last name Trump is just a little bit extra. I’m always happy to have it.

    Report: Trump Admin. Planning Major Loophole To Deport Illegal Migrants

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    9
    Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

    The incoming Trump administration is reportedly devising a plan to remove illegal migrants from the United States.

    Illegal migrants that have been ordered deported by an immigration judge, but hail from a country that refuses to take them back, may be sent to Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Grenada, Panama or possibly elsewhere once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, according to NBC News.

    The Trump transition team has not confirmed the proposed immigration plan.

    The Daily Caller reports:

    Foreign governments that refuse to take back deportees have long frustrated federal immigration authorities in multiple administrations. In lieu of remaining in detention indefinitely, many of these individuals may simply be released back into the U.S., even if an immigration judge has ordered them to be removed.

    During Trump’s first White House term, he secured safe third country agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, which were intended to keep asylum seekers at bay by forcing them to seek refuge in those countries first before applying in the U.S. However, the Biden administration suspended those deals immediately upon entering office — part of a massive unraveling of Trump-era immigration policies by President Joe Biden that helped spark the current southern border crisis.

    Fani Willis Ordered To Hand Over All Communications With Special Counsel Jack Smith

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    She has five days…

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been ordered to hand over all records related to her communications with special counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee.

    The Georgia prosecutor is leading a controversial RICO case against now-President-elect Donald Trump and several of his top associates for alleged election interference. The case is currently frozen and Trump filed a motion to dismiss the criminal charges on Wednesday.

    The Daily Wire reports:

    Willis’ office claimed in March that it did not have any documents on file or communications with Smith or the J6 Committee, Fox noted. However, the claim was untrue, and the office did have such communication.

    Daily Wire reporter Luke Rosiak in October revealed Nathan Wade – Willis’ romantic partner, whom she hired as special prosecutor in the Trump case – had extensive communications with the Biden White House, according to records.

    Wade billed the Fulton County office for hours of meetings with the White House, the congressional January 6 committee, and other D.C. officials, according to records obtained by the House Judiciary Committee.

    On November 18, 2022, he billed eight hours for “Interview with DC/White House,” but under oath, he claimed he didn’t remember the meeting and couldn’t even say whether it was online or in person. Between September 7 and September 9, 2022, Wade billed $6,000 to taxpayers for “Witness Interviews; conf call DC; team meeting,” but couldn’t remember what the D.C. meeting entailed.

    Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney also said in his ruling that Willis violated Georgia’s open records act when she failed to respond to nonprofit Judicial Watch’s lawsuit about the communication.

    Judicial Watch filed a suit in March after Willis said she does not have responsive records to the request — the same thing she had told House Republican investigators seeking details about her election interference case brought against President-elect Trump.

    Willis had claimed she was not properly served, but McBurney wrote that despite confusion on the court docket initially, the prosecutor “never offered up a meritorious defense.”

    She is ordered to produce any relevant records and pay attorney fees.

    Trump Moves To Quash Georgia Case After Massive Election Win

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump moved to throw out his criminal election charges in Georgia after winning the 2024 election.

    The new filing aims to toss Trump’s fourth and final criminal case, which accuses him of entering a months-long unlawful conspiracy to overturn President Biden’s 2020 victory in Georgia.  

    “Accordingly, well before the inauguration of President Trump, this Court should inquire into its jurisdiction to continue to hear this appeal,” wrote Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, in the filing. 

    “That inquiry should result in this Court deciding that both this Court and the trial court lack jurisdiction to entertain any further criminal process against President Trump as the continued indictment and prosecution of President Trump by the State of Georgia are unconstitutional,” Sadow continued. “President Trump respectfully submits that upon reaching that decision, this Court should dismiss his appeal for lack of jurisdiction with directions to the trial court to immediately dismiss the indictment against President Trump.” 

    The Georgia case has not yet reached trial and has been raised for months as an appeals court takes up Trump’s argument that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) should be disqualified over her romance with a top prosecutor on the case who was forced to step aside. 

    Trump was charged in the case alongside more than a dozen of his allies, who could still face trial even if his charges are dismissed.

    After securing the presidency Trump’s two federal indictments were also tossed out.

    Trump’s filing comes hours after one of his co-defendants who pleaded guilty, Kenneth Chesebro, filed court documents seeking to invalidate his plea deal struck in October of last year.

    Trump Signals Plan To Nominate DeSantis For Admin. Role

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0

    President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as defense secretary to replace Pete Hegseth, Trump’s current pick to steer the Pentagon, multiple sources confirm to Fox News.

    The popular conservative governor, a Navy veteran who served in the Iraq war, was re-elected in a landslide in 2022 but is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2026.

    DeSantis is “very much” in contention to replace Hegseth, multiple sources told Fox News.

    One source added that it was the president-elect himself who floated the governor’s name, and that Trump and DeSantis discussed the idea as they met Tuesday while appearing together in Florida at a memorial service for fallen law enforcement officers in Palm Beach County.

    The suggestion which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal comes as Hegseth returns to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to continue meeting with Republican senators as he makes his case for confirmation as defense secretary.

    Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who previously was a Fox News host, is facing a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations. 

    Hegseth has denied the allegations and has vowed to keep fighting for his confirmation.

    If Trump moves ahead and nominates DeSantis and the governor is confirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate next year, it would lead to the ascension of Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez. She would make history as Florida’s first female governor – and the first of Cuban descent.

    Trump DEA Nominee Withdraws From Consideration

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0
    By Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Simpson - https://www.dvidshub.net/image/1011806/coast-guard-cutter-dependable-drug-bust, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127998859

    Another one bites the dust…

    President-elect Trump’s choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced on Tuesday he is withdrawing from consideration.

    Florida’s Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a post on X Tuesday evening that he would instead tend to his current duties overseeing an area of the Sunshine State that includes Tampa Bay.

    “Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister said.

    “There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” Chronister continued. “I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County.”

    Trump just announced Chronister as his choice to lead the DEA in a Truth Social post on Saturday, tapping the local sheriff to take charge of the agency tasked with seizing illegal substances ranging from fentanyl to other opioids.

    “I am pleased to nominate Sheriff Chad Chronister for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA),” Trump wrote.

    “For over 32 years, Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE,” Trump added.

    Chronister marks the second nominee to withdraw from consideration after former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration to be the next U.S. attorney general.

    Trump Defense Pick Facing Uphill Road To Confirmation

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Is this Trump nominee doomed?

    Pete Hegseth, the Fox News personality and the President-elect’s pick to lead the Department of Defense is facing a troubled path to confirmation over a number of concerning allegations about both his personal behavior and his behavior on the job.

    Hegseth is the former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend and has been the subject of negative reports surrounding an investigation into an alleged sexual assault. The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer also recently published a damning expose alleging all sorts of over-the-top claims, including reported details of drunken behavior while overseeing a Veteran’s rights organization he was working for at the time.

    On Monday, Fox News reporter Chad Pergram filed a segment focused on the rocky road to confirmation which caught Hegseth dismissing concerns from another reporter.

    “It’s believed that [Pam] Bondi is easier to confirm than Gaetz, but Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth could be a problem. He faces questions about his personal conduct,” Pergram noted, before airing sound of Hegseth addressing a press gaggle in the halls of the Capitol building.

    “We are talking with every senator that wants to talk to us, and the conversations we have with senators, of course, are going to remain private,” Hegseth is seen saying.

    CBS News’ Nikole Killion is then shown asking the Secretary of Defense nominee, “When you were at Concerned Veterans for America were you ever drunk while traveling on the job?”

    Hegseth replies, “I won’t dignify that with a response.”

    Watch:

    Trump Reacts To Surprise Biden Pardon

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    4
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Biden’s sudden decision to pardon his troubled son Hunter has sent shockwaves across the nation.

    Following the shocking news on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump reacted to Biden’s surprising decision.

    “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote. “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”

    The Trump transition team also reacted to the shocking news.

    “The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Trump’s incoming White House communications chief Steven Cheung said in a statement to Fox News.

    “That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”

    On Sunday, Biden accused Republicans of unfair treatment and claimed Hunter was “treated differently” by prosecutors in a lengthy statement announcing the pardon. Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony firearm offenses in a Delaware trial earlier this year, and then pleaded guilty to multiple felony tax offenses in September. 

    “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the president’s statement read.

    Biden had previously denied any intent to pardon his son after Hunter was convicted earlier this year.

    “I am not going to do anything,” Biden said after the conviction. “I will abide by the jury’s decision.”

    Trump previously told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin that, if elected, he “wouldn’t do anything that would be overt” regarding Hunter Biden’s cases, calling the first son’s legal woes “a sad situation.”

    While Trump supporters’ negative reaction to the news was to be expected a number of Biden supporters have also attacked the decision and noted that the President likely traded his own legacy to protect his family’s reputation.

    MSNBC contributor Charlie Sykes quoted a “smart person” that texted him, agreeing that Trump probably can’t “believe his own dumb fucking luck at this point.”

    The Atlantic’s deputy executive editor Yoni Applebaum quoted an article by his publication’s newest addition, Jonathan Chait, who said Biden “chose to prioritize his own feelings over the defense of his country.”

    President Joe Biden Issues Pardon To Son Hunter

    By
    Seijah Drake
    -
    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)

    President Joe Biden announced on Sunday night that he has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, following his convictions in two separate federal cases earlier this year. Hunter Biden, 54, has faced legal battles related to firearms offenses and tax violations, and the pardon marks a departure from the president’s earlier stance that he would not intervene in his son’s legal matters.

    The decision to pardon Hunter Biden comes after a tumultuous year in court for the first son, who was convicted on felony firearm charges in June, and pleaded guilty to tax-related offenses in September. Biden’s announcement also frames the pardon as a correction to what he described as unequal treatment compared to others in similar situations. He emphasized that people in similar circumstances, such as those who fail to properly complete a gun purchase form or fail to pay taxes due to addiction, are rarely prosecuted to the same extent.

    “Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form,” he said in a statement. “It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”

    President Biden’s accusations of “double standards” and “unprecedented actions” in his statement defending his son’s pardon have drawn sharp criticism, especially in light of the Biden administration’s own controversial actions. Biden’s comments about Hunter being unfairly prosecuted are particularly ironic following his administration’s handling of former President Donald Trump‘s legal issues. The FBI’s raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022 to recover classified documents was described by many as unprecedented and politically charged. Critics argued that the raid was an example of the Justice Department being weaponized for political gain, a charge that echoes some of the president’s own language about the treatment of his son. By highlighting perceived unequal treatment of Hunter Biden, President Biden inadvertently mirrors the very arguments his political opponents have made about the Biden administration’s handling of the Trump investigation.

    In the case, prosecutors argued that Hunter lied on a federal firearm form when he checked “No” in response to a question asking if he was an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substances. This was despite Hunter Biden’s well-documented struggles with addiction, which included a period of crack cocaine use during the time of the purchase.

    The other major legal issue for Hunter Biden was his failure to pay taxes on at least $1.4 million of income. After a lengthy investigation, Hunter pled guilty in September to felony tax charges, admitting to evading taxes in 2017 and 2018. This plea came just as jury selection was about to begin for his trial, and was seen by some as an attempt to avoid further public scrutiny and potential jail time.

    The charges could have carried a prison sentence of up to 17 years, although Hunter Biden was likely to face a much shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. He was scheduled for sentencing on December 16.

    During the summer, President Biden had been adamant that he would not intervene in the Justice Department’s proceedings, even in light of Hunter’s legal issues. Just days after Hunter Biden’s conviction on the gun charges, President Biden reaffirmed that he would “abide by the jury’s decision,” and would not pardon his son.

    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump suggested that he would consider pardoning Hunter Biden if he were elected. Trump, who has faced his own legal challenges, said that while he thought Hunter Biden had been a “bad boy” he believed that a pardon could be warranted.

    Additionally, while the pardon resolves the immediate legal issues surrounding Hunter Biden, it is unlikely to end the public and political scrutiny of his actions. His business dealings and personal life continue to attract attention, particularly from Republican lawmakers and critics of President Biden, who view the legal troubles as part of a larger narrative of corruption and misconduct.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

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