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    Former Trump Ambassador Endorses Ron DeSantis

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Donald Trump is known for his bombastic personality and his no-nonsense approach to politics but while that attracted voters and donors in 2016 it seems to be having the opposite effect now.

    Major Republican donors seem to be turned off by Trump’s recent attacks on GOP challengers, especially Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

    Donald Tapia, a prominent businessman from Arizona and Trump’s former ambassador to Jamaica from 2019 to 2021, was a strong financial backer of Trump in 2016 and 2020, contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the former president over his two elections.

    “The name-calling has turned a lot of people off,” Tapia said to Politico. “Let me tell you, we don’t like that.”

    Tapia is now amongst a growing group of Republicans choosing to throw their support behind DeSantis, despite the fact he hasn’t even launched a presidential campaign yet.

    Recently, DeSantis has been the target of a number of Trump’s Truth Social tirades, even earning the nickname “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

    However, despite Trump’s barrage of attacks the Florida governor has opted to play coy, a tactic that seems to be drawing in more and more supporters.

    Popular podcast star Joe Rogan recently defended the Sunshine State governor from Trump’s criticsms.

    “All of the Fake News is reporting that I spend large amounts of my time coming up with a good ‘nickname’ for Ron DeSanctimonious, who is obviously going to give the presidential ‘thing’ a shot,” Trump claimed. “They are all 100% wrong; I don’t even think about it — A very unimportant subject to me!!!”

    When Rogan’s guest noted that Trump was losing “losing his touch” in coming up with nicknames, Rogan responded that the task would be even harder for Trump to do with the Florida governor.

    “Well, there’s not a good one that you can come up with for Ron,” Rogan said. “Because Ron, he’s too good with that base and his success in Florida is pretty unparalleled.”

    “I think Ron DeSantis would work as a good president. I think, I mean, what he’s done for Florida has been admirable,” Rogan said last summer. “I feel like what he did for Florida, a lot of people gave him a lot of grief, but ultimately, he was correct. He was correct when it comes to like deaths. He was correct when it comes to protecting our vulnerable populations. He was correct in terms of distribution of monoclonal antibodies, and he was furious when the government tried to pull those, they were trying to pull very effective treatments.”

    Earlier this week, DeSantis finally shed some light as to when Americans can expect his decision on a White House run.

    During an appearance with “Fox & Friends” DeSantis charted out the next few months saying that he will embark on a tour to promote his new book, “The Courage to be Free,” and work through the Florida legislature’s regular session, which begins in early March.

    “We’re going to sell some books, we’re going to spread the message of Florida. And then on March 8, I have our Legislative Session that’s kicking off,” DeSantis said.

    “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” he added. “This is going to be the most productive Legislative Session we have had across the board and I think people are going to be really excited … So those are what we’re going to be doing over these next few months as we get beyond that, then we can decide from there.”

    Report: Majority of Swing-State Voters in New Poll Wouldn’t Vote for Trump if Convicted

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    5
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Bad news for Donald Trump…

    A recent poll found that a majority of swing state voters would not vote for Trump in the upcoming presidential election if he is convicted of a crime.

    The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey found that among voters in swing states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, 53 percent of respondents said they were unwilling to vote for the former president if he is convicted in one of his multiple criminal cases.

    Forty-six percent of respondents said they are “very unwilling” to cast their ballot for Trump if he is found guilty, while 7 percent said they are “somewhat unwilling.” Twenty-nine percent of respondents said they were “very willing” to vote for Trump if he is convicted of a crime, and 11 percent said they are “somewhat wiling.”

    Black and Asian voters were also more likely to say they would not vote for Trump if he is convicted. Three-quarters of respondents who identified as atheist said they would be unwilling to vote for Trump if he is found guilty.

    People who voted for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections were less likely to say a conviction would change their mind this time around, the survey found.

    The former president is facing four separate indictments and has been charged with more than 90 felony counts, in addition to a civil fraud case.

    Judge Knocks Attorney Over 2020 Election

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    On Wednesday, a California judge recommended disbarring pro-Trump attorney John Eastman for his role in former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

    According to The Hill, State Bar Judge Yvette Roland found John Eastman culpable on 10 of the 11 counts filed by the California State Bar last year. The state bar sought to strip Eastman’s license to practice law in the state due to his “false and misleading statements” about purported election fraud and his role in “provoking” the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

    “In view of the circumstances surrounding Eastman’s misconduct and balancing the aggravation and mitigation, the court recommends that Eastman be disbarred,” Roland wrote in a 128-page decision.

    The judge also recommended that Eastman be ordered to pay $10,000 in sanctions to the State Bar of California Client Security Fund.

    Roland wrote in her decision that Eastman showed an unwillingness to admit to “any ethical lapses” in his behavior.

    “This lack of remorse and accountability presents a significant risk that Eastman may engage in further unethical conduct, compounding the threat to the public,” the judge wrote.

    Eastman led the legal strategy attempting to change the election results in several key 2020 states, including by using slates of alternate electors to swing the election’s outcome in Trump’s favor. The plan also relied on then-Vice President Mike Pence throwing out the real electors for the “fake” ones.

    Hillary Clinton Warns Trump Will Withdraw from NATO

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Hillary Clinton via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former Democrat presidential candidate and avid Trump critic Hillary Clinton warned that if elected Donald Trump will make good on his threat to withdraw the U.S. from NATO.

    Over the weekend, Clinton made the claim during remarks at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, telling U.S. allies that they should take Trump’s claims to heart after the former president warned NATO countries to contribute their fair share.

    “We have a long struggle ahead of us, and the obvious point to make about Donald Trump is take him literally and seriously,” she said. “He means what he says. People did not take him literally and seriously in 2016. Now he is telling us what he intends to do, and people who try to wish it away, brush it away, are living in an alternative reality.”

    “He will do everything he can to become an absolute authoritarian leader if given the opportunity to do so. And he will pull us out of NATO even though the Congress passed a resolution saying that he couldn’t without congressional support, because he will just not fund our obligations,” she said.

    Clinton seemed to direct her message to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who has brushed off Trump’s recent comments.

    The Republican presidential frontrunner has repeatedly claimed that member countries should not receive protection if they do not pay their share toward NATO’s budget.

    “The whole idea of NATO is that an attack on one ally will trigger a response from the whole alliance and as long as we stand behind that message together, we prevent any military attack on any ally,” Stoltenberg said.

    “Any suggestion that we are not standing up for each other, that we are not going to protect each other, that does undermine the security of all of us.”

    According to Fox News, the NATO chief announced that 18 of the alliance’s 31 members are on track to meet their pledges of contributing 2% of GDP to the group. European states are on track to contribute $380 billion this year, and Germany will meet its 2% pledge for the first time since the Cold War.

    Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Against Hillary Clinton

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    9
    Hillary Clinton via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former president Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Hillary Clinton has been dismissed by a federal judge in Florida.

    Trump filed the lawsuit in March accusing Clinton and more than two dozen others of “a malicious conspiracy to disseminate patently false and injurious information about Donald J. Trump and his campaign, all in the hopes of destroying his life, his political career and rigging the 2016 Presidential Election in favor of Hillary Clinton.” 

    Bloomberg reports:

    The suit was amended in June to include new details from Special Counsel John Durham’s failed prosecution of longtime Democratic lawyer Michael Sussmann, who was accused of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation while providing a Trump-Russia tip just before the 2016 election.

    “At its core, the problem with plaintiff’s amended complaint is that plaintiff is not attempting to seek redress for any legal harm; instead, he is seeking to flaunt a two-hundred-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him, and this court is not the appropriate forum,” US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, appointed to the bench by Bill Clinton, said in a 65-page order dated Thursday. 

    The ruling by Middlebrooks, who in April rejected Trump’s request that he disqualify himself from the case, takes several shots at the lawsuit, noting that the theory of the case was “difficult to summarize in a concise and cohesive manner. It was certainly not presented that way.” He said many of the “characterizations of events are implausible because they lack any specific allegations which might provide factual support for the conclusions reached.” 

    Trump is currently ensnared in multiple legal battles in the Sunshine State. On Thursday, the Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal regarding a Florida judge’s motion to appoint a special master to review materials seized during the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago.

    White House Hopeful Pledges to Pardon Trump If Elected

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Vivek Ramaswamy speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

    Republicans, even his direct opponents, are still loyal to Donald Trump – despite the building legal woes.

    During a Tuesday press conference at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami, Florida Vivek Ramaswamy said if he is elected president, he will pardon Trump for his federal charges.

    While speaking to a crowd the Ohio businessman and tech mogul challenged his Republican counterparts to make the same pledge to pardon the former President if elected.

    “The use of police force by a sitting U.S. President against his chief political rival in the midst of a presidential election sets a dangerous precedent in our country,” Ramaswamy said in a press release.

    “No one is above the law: the U.S. President shouldn’t be able to use the federal police to arrest his opponents,” he continued.

    “No one should be below the law either, yet there are now two standards of justice depending on your political viewpoints,” Ramaswamy added. “That’s the single greatest threat to our constitutional republic today.”

    “If President Trump is prosecuted in a manner that effectively prevents him from running, this will permanently damage public trust in our electoral process and our justice system,” the letter reads.

    “Whoever among us is elected, our job of reuniting the nation will become daunting – if not impossible,” Ramaswamy wrote.

    Trump is set to be arraigned Tuesday after a federal grand jury indicted him last week on 37 charges related to his retention of sensitive documents. 

    In addition to pledging to pardon Trump, Ramaswamy also filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request this week seeking communication between the White House and the Justice Department concerning the second indictment of Trump. 

    Ramaswamy said he filed the request “to demand *exactly* what the White House Communicated to [Attorney General] Merrick Garland & [Special Counsel] Jack Smith about the unprecedented indictment of a former U.S. President & Biden’s disfavored opponent in this election.” 

    Other Republican candidates have yet to respond to Ramaswamy’s challenge but former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley signaled she’s “inclined” to sign on.”

    “I think we all need to let this trial play out. We need to see exactly what happens, when you look at a pardon, the issue is less about guilt and more about what’s good for the country. And I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case,” Haley said on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” when asked if she’d commit to pardoning Trump if elected.

    “That’s something you’d see in a Third World country. I saw that at the United Nations, so I would be inclined in favor of a pardon. But I think it’s really pretty mature at this point when he’s not even been convicted of anything,” she added.

    Manhattan Grand Jury Shares New Announcement -Delaying Potential Trump Indictment

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The Manhattan grand jury weighing an indictment against former President Donald Trump will reportedly not meet again until late April, delaying any potential charges.

    A source close to the matter told POLITICO that the grand jury investigating the alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels isn’t expected to hear evidence in the case for the next month largely due to a previously scheduled hiatus.

    However, District Attorney Alvin Bragg can adjust the schedule and ask the grand jury to reconvene if prosecutors want the panel to meet during previously planned breaks.

    POLITICO reports:

    The grand jury, which heard testimony in the Trump case on Monday, isn’t meeting Wednesday and is expected to examine evidence in a separate matter Thursday, the person said. The grand jury, which typically meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, is scheduled to consider another case next week on Monday and Wednesday, the person said, and isn’t expected to meet Thursday due to the Passover holiday.

    The following two weeks are set to be a hiatus that was scheduled when the grand jury was first convened in January, the person said.

    The unprecedented indictment hanging over Trump’s head stems from a $130,000 hush money payment he allegedly made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

    Prosecutors are expected to charge Trump with a felony by arguing that the alleged crime was committed to hide an illegal campaign contribution. The potential problem for Trump centers around how his company reimbursed former attorney Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to related charges and served time in prison.

    The payment to Daniels was listed as a legal expense and Trump’s company cited a retainer agreement with Cohen. The retainer agreement did not exist and the reimbursement was not related to any legal services from Cohen, thus setting up a potential misdemeanor criminal charge of falsifying business records. A report by NBC News said that Trump personally signed several of the checks to Cohen while he was serving as president.

    Prosecutors can elevate the misdemeanor to a felony if they can prove that Trump’s “‘intent to defraud’ included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime.”

    Prosecutors argue that the second crime is that the $130,000 hush payment was an improper donation to the Trump campaign because the money was used to stop a story to benefit his presidential campaign.

    Former White House Physician Gives Trump Bullet Update, Corrects FBI Director

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    A former White House doctor released a letter Friday stating that former President Trump is “rapidly recovering” following the July 13 shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

    Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) who took issue with testimony made earlier this week by FBI Director Christopher Wray, said “I want to reassure the American people and the rest of the world, that President Trump is doing extremely well.”

    Jackson, who is Trump’s former physician, said, “I have continued to monitor his health and well-being, along with his primary care physician, since the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13th.

    “The would-be assassin fired multiple rounds from a relatively close distance using a high-powered rifle, with one bullet striking the former President, and now the Republican Nominee for President, in his right ear,” Jackson continued.

    “During the Congressional Hearing two days ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested that it could be a bullet, shrapnel, or glass. There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet,” he added. “Congress should correct the record as confirmed by both the hospital and myself. Director Wray is wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else.”

    “As a former White House Physician for 14 years, who served during three presidential administrations, and served as the appointed physician for both President Obama and President Trump, I fully understand the global significance of this attempt on the life of the former President and the current Republican Nominee for President,” Jackson added.

    “As such, I want to reassure the American people and the rest of the world, that President Trump is doing extremely well,” Jackson concluded. “He is rapidly recovering from the gunshot wound to his right ear. I will continue to be available to assist President Trump and his personal physician in any way they see fit and will provide updates as necessary and with the permission of President Trump.”

    In an interview Thursday on FOX Business’ “Kudlow,” Jackson said it was “absolutely ridiculous” for Wray to suggest that Trump might not have been struck by a bullet.

    “This degrades any level of credibility that this man may have had – after years of weaponizing the FBI and the DOJ against the president,” Jackson said. “It was absolutely a bullet, I examined it. There was a track of a bullet.”

    In an interview Thursday on FOX Business’ “Kudlow,” Jackson said it was “absolutely ridiculous” for Wray to suggest that Trump might not have been struck by a bullet.

    “This degrades any level of credibility that this man may have had – after years of weaponizing the FBI and the DOJ against the president,” Jackson said. “It was absolutely a bullet, I examined it. There was a track of a bullet.”

    Jesse Watters Discusses Freak Hiking Accident

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Fox News host Jesse Watters was attacked by a dog over Thanksgiving…

    On Monday, Watters told viewers he had been approached by a woman and her “big dog” during a hike in a nature preserve:

    We’re on a tight part of the trail and I notice the dog’s all wet, and she’s like, “Oh, this my dog, you know, kind of wet, he just swam in the pond,” and I’m thinking, this is kind of crazy. You’re letting your dog swim in a pond, 37 degrees in a nature preserve? That’s my first clue. Second clue, woman’s kind of struggling to hold the dog on the leash.

    He continued, “The dog comes by, and I’m trying to back up, just give her a little room– dog bites me. Twice. Nips my groin and takes a chunk out of my hand.”

    Watters then ordered the camera to zoom in on his hand, which showed signs of a clear bite mark.

    “See it? Zoom in on that. Zoom in. And I never like to show pain, I never say ouch,” he said, before adding, “I mean, thank God she bit me. She didn’t bite someone litigious like Judge Jeanine. She would have been tied up in court for a year.”

    Watters then claimed, “I could tell she was a Democrat because when I pulled into the preserve in my car, there was Subaru Outback. Dead giveaway. Plus, she didn’t recognize me.” He concluded, “So that was my Thanksgiving. How was yours?”

    High Profile Democrat Loses Seat to MAGA Republican in History-Making Upset

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    In a shocking upset Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney has lost his re-election battle.

    The New York Democrat charged with leading the House Democrats’ re-election efforts called Republican challenger Mike Lawler to concede Wednesday morning. Maloney is the first sitting chairman of the DCCC to lose reelection in more than 40 years. 

    At a press conference, Maloney said he called Republican candidate Mike Lawler and congratulated him on a “good win” in New York’s 17th Congressional District.

    The Daily Beast reports:

    Despite Maloney trying to brand his opponent as “MAGA Mike Lawler,” and former President Bill Clinton calling an influential rabbi in the Hudson Valley to switch his endorsement, the incumbent failed to defeat Lawler, a GOP state assemblyman.

    Maloney maneuvered to run in a different district after the Empire State’s congressional map was redrawn, forcing fellow Democratic incumbent Rep. Mondaire Jones to run for a brand new district in Manhattan and Brooklyn, where he lost in the primary.

    As The Daily Beast reported in October, the DCCC chairman’s messy reelection fight—which included a primary challenge to his left from state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi—was the result of a series of repercussions from Maloney’s decision to switch seats, sparking gripes within Democratic campaign circles.

    This story is developing. Stay with Great America News Desk for more updates.

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