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    Report: Mar-A-Lago Staff, Members Subpoenaed In Classified Docs Probe

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

    At least a dozen people ranging from members to employees of Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate have been subpoenaed as part of the Justice Department’s ongoing probe into the former president’s handling of classified materials.

    According to an exclusive report from CNN, multiple sources close to Trump’s inner circle confirmed that multiple individuals have been subpoenaed to testify to a federal grand jury, intentionally casting a “wide net.”

    The report noted that Trump’s communications aide Margo Martin, who worked in the White House and then moved with Trump to Florida, appeared before the grand jury in Washington, DC earlier this week.

    Special counsel Jack Smith has sought testimony from a range of people close to Trump. He’s targeted Trump’s own attorneys who represent him in the matter as well as staffers who work on the grounds of Mar-a-Lago, including a housekeeper and restaurant servers.

    The staffers are of interest to investigators because of what they may have seen or heard while on their daily duties around the estate, including whether they saw boxes or documents in Trump’s office suite or elsewhere.

    “They’re casting an extremely wide net – anyone and everyone who might have seen something,” said one source familiar with the Justice Department’s efforts.

    For instance, federal investigators have talked to a Mar-a-Lago staff member seen on security camera footage moving boxes from a storage room with Trump aide Walt Nauta, who has already spoken with investigators.

    The report noted that many of the Mar-a-Lago staffers are being represented by counsel paid for by Trump entities.

    The Justice Department has been investigating potential mishandling of national security records and possible obstruction. Last August, FBI agents conducted a raid on Mar-A-Lago and recovered more than 100 classified documents during a search.

    Earlier this year, documents marked classified were found in the Penn Biden Center thinktank in Washington, D.C. Shortly after a subsequent search found classified documents in President Biden’s Delaware homes.

    Federal Appeals Court Delays Deposition of Ex-Manhattan Prosecutor in Trump Probe

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A federal appeals court has delayed the congressional deposition of Mark Pomerantz, a former senior prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump.

    House Republicans are seeking to question Pomerantz as part of their probe into Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg‘s (D) prosecution of Trump. Earlier this month Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a yearslong investigation into alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

    According to reports from The Hill, the pause will last until a three-judge panel on the 2nd Circuit can hear a motion from Pomerantz and Bragg to pause the lower court ruling while their appeal proceeds.

    “This order reflects no judgment regarding the merits of the parties’ respective positions,” the appeals court wrote in its order.

    The court has put in place a quick schedule to consider the motion. Written briefs will be submitted through Saturday afternoon, and the court further directed the clerk to schedule the motion’s consideration for the first available three-judge panel.

    U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, a Trump appointee, on Wednesday rejected Bragg’s bid to quash Pomerantz’s subpoena.

    “In our federalist system, elected state and federal actors sometimes engage in political dogfights …The Court does not endorse either side’s agenda. The sole question before the Court at this time is whether Bragg has a legal basis to quash a congressional subpoena that was issued with a valid legislative purpose. He does not,” Vyskocil wrote.

    Last week, Bragg last week filed a lawsuit against House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio.) to block Pomerantz’s subpoena and Jordan’s other attempts at getting information from prosecutors. 

    Pomerantz served as a top prosecutor on the district attorney’s Trump case, which began under Bragg’s predecessor.

    Republican Gov. Warns Against Haley For Vice President

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said former President Trump should not pick fellow GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley as his running mate.

    Noem was asked by Newsmax’s Eric Bolling if it would be a mistake if Trump chose Haley to be his vice presidential pick and she only has one answer. She quickly replied “yes.”

    “But if he picked her, I would tell him I disagreed with him. But then I would support the ticket, because he’s still the president and the president still makes the decisions,” Noem said Tuesday.

    The popular South Dakota Governor has previously said she would be Trump’s running mate “in a heartbeat.” In September, the former president said he likes “the concept” of a female vice president but hadn’t given much thought to whom he would choose.

    Noem is reportedly among a group of rumored candidates, including Haley.

    “And you know, I just, I’ve had a lot of disagreement with Nikki Haley over the years, and I just don’t know which Nikki Haley is going to show up every day,” Noem said, highlighted by Mediaite. “She’s a different person depending on whatever works for her political agenda.”

    “So, I just, what I love about President Trump, or what I think the American people love about President Trump, is that he’s just himself and he’s just genuine,” Noem continued. “He’s just a normal human being who tells the truth, and gets up every day fighting for people. He has no reason to do this job other than the fact that he really truly does believe in America. And he wants to put the people out there — they get up every day and go to work. He wants to put them first.”

    House Speaker Signals Interest in Expunging Trump Impeachment

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Congressional Republicans are hitting the road running.

    On Thursday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy signaled to reporters that he would consider expunging one or both of former President Trump’s impeachments, according to The Hill.

    “I would understand why members would want to bring that forward,” McCarthy said in response to a question at a press conference on Thursday, before listing off several other key priorities for House Republicans. 

    “But I understand why individuals want to do it, and we’d look at it,” he added.

    Republicans have attempted to expunge the former President’s impeachments before.

    In the last Congress, a group of more than 30 House Republicans led by Rep. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) put forward a resolution to expunge Trump’s second impeachment.

    A smaller group, again led by Mullin, also introduced a resolution to expunge Trump’s December 2019 impeachment for allegedly attempting to withhold military aid from Ukraine in an effort to pressure the country to investigate the business dealings of President Biden’s son Hunter Biden.

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

    Trump Aide Expected to Testify To Grand Jury Investigating Jan. 6

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    12
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A former White House aide to President Trump is planning to testify before the grand jury investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the then-president’s alleged efforts to overturn the election.

    Former Trump aide Will Russell, who was reportedly with Trump on Jan 6., is expected to appear Thursday before the grand jury in Washington. Russell was subpoenaed by the grand jury last year.

    According to The Hill, Russell served in the White House as a special assistant to the former president and the deputy director of presidential advance operations and also continued working with Trump after he left office.

    Earlier this week, Trump revealed that special counsel Jack Smith informed him that he was a target of the investigation looking into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election, a signal that Trump’s third indictment is imminent.

    The grand jury is expected to meet Thursday, which is also the deadline for Trump to appear before the grand jury, which he is not expected to do.

    Other White House aides including Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Hope Hicks have also reportedly met with the grand jury.

    Georgia Judge Releases Grand Jury Report on 2020 Georgia Election Interference

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Friday, a Georgia judge released the report from the special grand jury who investigated former President Donald Trump’s actions after the 2020 election.

    The report, which included charging recommendations for 3 US senators, led to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s recent indictment on racketeering charges. 

    Included among the list of recommended indictments were two former senators from Georgia who ran for reelection in 2020, former Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, as well as Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), and Georgia Lt. Gov Burt Jones.

    Willis eventually indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants in the case.

    Trump was charged with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.

    Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

    Read the report below:

    2022-ex-000024-ex-parte-order-of-the-judgeDownload

    Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the partial release of the special grand jury’s report in February but, at the time, did not release its recommendations on who should or should not be prosecuted. The partial report indicated a majority of the grand jury believed one or more witnesses may have committed perjury in their testimony and recommended that prosecutors pursue indictments against them.

    Report: Hunter Biden To Plead Guilty To Tax, Gun Crimes

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    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’s son Hunter has reportedly reached a plea agreement in the federal investigation into tax-related issues.

    Hunter is expected to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his taxes.

    On Tuesday, two sources familiar with the agreement told NBC News that it includes a provision in which the U.S. attorney has agreed to recommend probation for Biden for his tax violations.

    Chris Clark, attorney for Hunter Biden, told NBC News in a statement: “With the announcement of two agreements between my client, Hunter Biden, and the Unites States Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, it is my understanding that the five-year investigation into Hunter is resolved.

    “Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement. A firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be the subject of the plea agreement, will also be filed by the Government. I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”

    Biden is also facing a separate gun possession charge that will likely be dismissed if he meets certain conditions, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.

    Ex-IRS Consultant Pleads Guilty After Leaking Trump Tax Info

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A former contractor for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pleaded guilty to intentionally leaking former President Trump’s and others tax information between 2018 and 2020.

    According to the Justice Department, Charles Littlejohn, 38, disclosed the tax returns of “thousands of the nation’s wealthiest individuals” to news organizations and tax information associated with a “high-ranking government official” to a second news outlet.

    However, Trump is not named in the complaint. 

    Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Littlejohn “betrayed the public’s trust” by stealing confidential information.

    “By using his role as a government contractor to gain access to private tax information, steal that information, and disclose it publicly, Charles Littlejohn broke federal law and betrayed the public’s trust,” said Attorney Garland. “In every case, the Department of Justice is committed to following the facts wherever they lead and holding accountable those who violate our laws.”

    Littlejohn accessed tax returns associated with Public Official A – and related individuals and entities – on an IRS database after using broad search parameters designed to conceal the true purpose of his queries. He then evaded IRS protocols established to detect and prevent large downloads or uploads from IRS devices or systems. Littlejohn then saved the tax returns to multiple personal storage devices, including an iPod, before contacting News Organization 1. Between around August 2019 and October 2019.

    He pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax return and return information on Thursday.

    Fox News reported that the two organizations were the New York Times and Pro Publica, a New York City-based nonprofit investigative journalism group.

    Littlejohn faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

    Report: Trump To Pardon Disgraced Former Governor

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    Just in…

    President Donald Trump is expected to pardon former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

    Axios first reported the news.

    Blagojevich served eight years in prison on charges stemming from his effort to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat after Obama won the 2008 presidential election, until Trump commuted his 14-year sentence in 2020.

    The former governor also appeared on the Trump-hosted “Celebrity Apprentice” after being impeached and removed from office.

    The former governor defended Trump after Trump was indicted in the New York hush money case and likened Trump’s legal problems to his own.

    “I love Trump more today than ever!” Blagojevich said on social media at the time. “When you’ve lived through it yourself you recognize when they do it to someone else.”

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    RNC Prepping For Possibility Trump is Jailed During Convention

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Image via Pixabay

    Ready for anything…

    The Republican National Committee (RNC) is bracing for the possibility Donald Trump will be jailed during the convention.

    RNC Chair Michael Whatley stated that the RNC expects the former president to be officially nominated at the party’s mid-July convention in Milwaukee. 

    “We expect that Donald Trump is going to be in Milwaukee and he’s going to be able to accept that nomination and if not, we will make whatever contingency planning we need to make for it,” he said. “But the fact is, he’s going to be our nominee, and he’s going to be the 47th president of the United States.” 

    Whatley, who was elected as the chair of the committee in March, did not share more details about the plans but added that “everything is being thought about” regarding Trump’s options to still communicate to the base, regardless of if he is behind bars or not. 

    “We’ll cross that bridge but you sort of have to go into this stuff, as we certainly will be planning on it,” Whatley said on Tuesday. “We’ll be thinking about it, and we’re working on that right now. But what we want to do is we want to have a show that is going to roll out Donald Trump and his vision for America, which is going to set up this election cycle.”

    The North Carolina Republican added that the former president “will communicate directly with the American voters the way that he always does.” 

    On Thursday, the Manhattan jury found Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, guilty on all 34 charges.

    Before Trump, no sitting or former president ever faced criminal charges. This is the lowest level felony in New York, any potential sentence will more than likely be served after the 2024 election.

    Whatley stated that the RNC expects the former president to be officially nominated at the party’s mid-July convention in Milwaukee. 

    “We expect that Donald Trump is going to be in Milwaukee and he’s going to be able to accept that nomination and if not, we will make whatever contingency planning we need to make for it,” he said. “But the fact is, he’s going to be our nominee, and he’s going to be the 47th president of the United States.” 

    Whatley, who was elected as the chair of the committee in March, did not share more details about the plans, but added that “everything is being thought about” regarding Trump’s options to still communicate to the base, regardless if he is behind bars or not. 

    “We’ll cross that bridge but you sort of have to go into this stuff, as we certainly will be planning on it,” Whatley said on Tuesday. “We’ll be thinking about it, and we’re working on that right now. But what we want to do is we want to have a show that is going to roll out Donald Trump and his vision for America, which is going to set up this election cycle.”

    The North Carolina Republican added that the former president “will communicate directly with the American voters the way that he always does.” 

    RNC co-chair Lara Trump similarly mentioned on Sunday that the RNC needs to be “ready for anything” in regard to Trump.

    “But, yes, we have to make plans as they happen, and we’re going to have several contingency plans,” she added. “The truth is, it really doesn’t matter whether it’s from Trump Tower in Manhattan, whether it’s from Mar-a-Lago, whether it’s from our convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will nominate Donald Trump as our Republican nominee, and that’s what ultimately matters.”

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