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Fired State Dept Bureaucrats Reportedly Uniting To Sabotage Trump ‘Regime’

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A recent report revealed that current and former USAID and State Department officials are using their expertise in undermining authoritarian regimes abroad against President Donald Trump.

NOTUS reporter Jose Pagliery reported that “Some of the democracy-building experts President Donald Trump fired this year from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department are now reapplying the skills and knowledge they built up over decades to undermine Trump’s power.”

One anonymous current federal official warned to NOTUS, “Take it from those of us who worked in authoritarian countries: We’ve become one.” He added, “They were so quick to disband AID, the group that supposedly instigates color revolutions. But they’ve done a very foolish thing. You just released a bunch of well-trained individuals into your population. If you kept our offices going and had us play solitaire in the office, it might have been safer to keep your regime.”

“Former officials” reportedly told the news outlet that they are “holding workshops on a tactic called ‘noncooperation.’ They’re building a network of government workers willing to engage in even minor acts of rebellion in the office. And they’re planting the seeds of what they hope could become a nationwide general strike.

“Some in the informal network of Trump opponents are sharing an old CIA pamphlet with allies who still work in the government: It’s called ‘Simple Sabotage,’” the reporter added.

This community, NOTUS reported, “is composed of diplomats and human rights activists who were once on the U.S. government payroll encouraging Latin American dissidents to fight dictators and supporting African independence movements. They were involved to varying degrees with an ultimately successful uprising in the Middle East.” 

One group that NOTUS cited was “DemocracyAID,” which has no formal website or legal entity so far, but is “already hosting invite-only workshops with federal employees who hear about them from friends, vetting each person before they’re allowed into a trusted circle and teaching them case studies, like the Danish underground insurgency against Nazi occupation.”

Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly condemned such efforts in a statement to NOTUS, saying, “It is inherently undemocratic for unelected bureaucrats to undermine the duly elected President of the United States and the agenda he was given a mandate to implement.”

A senior State Department official told Fox News Digital, “The State Department is not aware of these reports but always takes our national security seriously. We will continue to take every precaution to protect the State Department from internal and external threats.”

The NOTUS report comes on the heels of a separate alarming report from Axios that revealed a concerning swath of Democrat lawmakers’ constituents encouraging political violence.

Democrat lawmakers say their voters are enraged at the lack of ability to counter President Donald Trump‘s agenda, with some sounding the alarm that they could potentially resort to “violence,” Axios reported Monday.

The outlet says it spoke to over two dozen House Democrats to measure the temperature of the Democrat base and what it uncovered was red-hot anger and a desire to circumvent the rule of law.

“We’ve got people who are desperately wanting us to do something… no matter what we say, they want [more],” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) told the outlet.

Axios noted that most of the lawmakers spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough… [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,” one such lawmaker said.

Another said their constituents are convinced that “civility isn’t working” and that they should prepare for “violence… to fight to protect our democracy.”

READ NEXT: Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin To Proceed With Mass Layoffs Amid Legal Challenges

Trump Media Investor Convicted Of Insider Trading

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Arrest image via Pixabay

On Thursday, a Manhattan grand jury found financier Bruce Garelick guilty of insider trading charges in a scheme that involved the merger of former President Donald J. Trump’s social media company with a publicly traded shell company.

Federal prosecutors had charged Garelick with five counts of securities fraud and conspiracy. 

Authorities claimed Garelick shared confidential information with his boss and at least one other person that Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, was close to announcing a merger with Digital World Acquisition Group, the shell company.

Mr. Garelick, 54, a former hedge fund manager, had been a board member of Digital World. 

The New York Times has more:

The information helped two brothers — Michael Shvartsman and Gerald Shvartsman — make nearly $23 million in illegal trading profits by buying Digital World securities in advance of the announcement, which sent the stock soaring. Mr. Garelick, who worked for Michael Shvartsman at a small Miami-based venture capital firm called Rocket One, made about $50,000 by trading off what authorities said was nonpublic information.

Last month, the Shvartsman brothers decided to forgo a trial and pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges. In their plea agreements, prosecutors have recommended a sentence of roughly four to five years for Michael Shvartsman; and three to four years for his younger brother.

Digital World raised about $300 million from investors in its initial public offering in September 2021. A little over a month later, the SPAC announced a deal to merge with Trump Media. After a long delay, the merger was completed in March and Trump Media became a publicly traded company. Mr. Trump’s nearly 70 percent stake in the firm is worth about $6 billion.

In a closing argument, Daniel Nessim, a federal prosecutor, described Mr. Garelick as a “sophisticated professional” who “cheated” and used inside information to benefit himself and his boss, Michael Shvartsman.

Garelick could face at least 25 years in prison.

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

Trump Lawyers Seek to Delay Mar-a-Lago Documents Trial

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Trump’s legal team is requesting a judge to delay the upcoming trial concerning the former president’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House.

“The government’s request to begin a trial of this magnitude within six months of indictment is unreasonable, telling, and would result in a miscarriage of justice,” they wrote in the brief.

“The Government appears to favor an expedited (and therefore cursory) approach to this case,” they added.

Trump’s attorneys also argue the trial will hinder the former president’s campaign abilities.

“The Court now presides over a prosecution advanced by the administration of a sitting President against his chief political rival, himself a leading candidate for the Presidency of the United States,” the filing reads.

“Therefore, a measured consideration and timeline that allows for a careful and complete review of the procedures that led to this indictment and the unprecedented legal issues presented herein best serves the interests of the Defendants and the public.”

The Justice Department has requested a Dec. 11 trial date. Judge Aileen Cannon had earlier set an initial August trial date, which the filing also asks her to withdraw.

The filing from Trump’s attorneys also notes the magnitude of the unclassified discovery swiftly turned over after Trump’s arraignment, including more than 800,000 pages. 

Attorneys for Trump’s co-defendant Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet who was spotted on security camera footage moving boxes in and out of a Mar-a-Lago storage room, also signed onto the filing. Last week, Nauta pleaded not guilty in a Miami courtroom. (RELATED: Trump Valet Pleads Not Guilty in Mar-A-Lago Case)

Fox News Panelist Exits ‘The Five’

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Mark Taylor from Rockville, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Fox News is making some changes.

Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera announced that he will no longer be a panelist on the network’s roundtable opinion show, The Five.

“My last scheduled show appearances are Thursday and Friday June 29th and 30th,” Rivera tweeted Wednesday morning. “It’s been a great run and I appreciate having had the opportunity. Being odd man out isn’t always easy. For the time being, I’m still Correspondent at Large.”

As a rotating panelist on The Five, Rivera was known for regularly clashing with his right-leaning co-hosts.

So far it’s unclear who the network plan to replace Rivera with.

The announcement comes nearly a month after the network suddenly cut ties with primetime host Tucker Carlson days after agreeing to a nearly $800 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.

Trump Confirms Names On VP List

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[Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump confirmed a short list of names he is considering asking to become his running mate in the coming months,

Trump joined Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham to discuss the upcoming South Carolina primary, which takes place on Feb. 24., Ingraham asked the former president if the rumored names were in fact on his list of potential running mates.

The list includes three former GOP candidates, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.). He also confirmed that Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat but has since shifted to more conservative views.

Trump confirmed “they are” on his shortlist, but did not provide a timeline for when he will announce his vice presidential pick. He said, “all of those people are good. They’re all solid.”

Trump specifically commended Scott, who was in the crowd at the event, for his support.

“A lot of people are talking about that gentleman right over there,” Trump said when asked about a running mate, pointing to Scott. “And he’s, been so great. He’s been such a great advocate.”

“I have to say, this is in a very positive way, Tim Scott, he has been much better for me than he was for himself,” the former president continued. “I watched his campaign and he doesn’t like talking about himself, but boy, does he talk about Trump.”

The South Carolina senator suspended his primary bid in November after failing to earn enough support.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dead at 90

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California State Senator Dianne Feinstein delivers remarks at the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Washington DC, December 1, 2021. USDA Forest Service photo by Tanya E. Flores.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has passed away at age 90.

Sen. Feinstein was the longest-serving woman in the Senate.

Her biography says her “most notable achievements” are the “enactment of the federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994” and the “six-year review of the CIA’s detention and interrogation program that culminated in the 2014 release of the report’s executive summary and passage of legislation ensuring that certain post-9/11 interrogation methods are never used again.”

“Senator Feinstein’s career has been one of firsts,” her website biography also says. “She was the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco, the first woman elected Senator of California, the first woman member and first woman ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first woman to chair the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the first woman to chair the Senate Intelligence Committee.”

Trump Sues Judge Overseeing New York Hush Money Trial

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Monday, former President Donald Trump sued the New York judge presiding over his hush-money case over the gag order in an effort to delay the upcoming trial.

Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order bars Trump from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and the judge’s family.

The Hill has more:

The documents were placed under seal, though several outlets have reported that they pertain to the gag order. The Hill requested comment from Trump’s lawyers and his campaign regarding the lawsuit, which essentially functions as an appeal of the gag order.

Merchan cited Trump’s “uncontested record” of attacks on those involved in his legal matters in his original order curbing the former president’s speech. He originally refrained from gagging Trump, instead choosing to admonish him, but agreed to do so after Bragg’s office requested it last month.

Loren Merchan is also the subject of the former president’s efforts to recuse the judge from the case — an effort he has mounted twice. The most recent bid came Friday, when Trump asked the judge to recuse because his daughter has a “direct financial interest” in the former president’s case, given the firm’s work for his 2024 presidential election opponents.

The eleventh-hour lawsuit against Merchan comes just a week before Trump is scheduled to head to trial in his New York criminal case on April 15.

The former president faces 34 charges linked to hush money payments made by his ex-fixer to porn actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

On Monday, a judge in New York denied a separate request for a delay in his hush money trial. Trump’s attorneys argued for the trial to be relocated from Manhattan and postponed as they pursue the matter. 

Trump’s attorneys argued for the trial to be relocated from Manhattan and postponed as they pursue the matter. His attorneys argued that Manhattan, a well-known liberal bastion, was not an appropriate location for the Republican president’s case. They requested a change of venue to Staten Island, the only borough in New York City that Trump won in both 2016 and 2020.

Democrat Senator Demands Fellow Dem ‘Shut Up’ About Biden’s Poll Numbers

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The gloves are off…

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) didn’t mince words when he brushed off longtime Democrat strategist James Carville’s concerns over Biden’s recent nosedive in polling.

Fetterman had an inflammatory response to Carville’s warnings, cursing him out and questioning his relevance in a recent Politico interview.

“There’s a whole lifetime in politics between now and next November as well. I’m not worried about that. And I’m very vocal about this, too, while there are Democrats that are being very critical about the president. … I’ll use this [as] another opportunity to tell James Carville to shut the fuck up,” Fetterman told Politico regarding Biden’s polling.

“My man hasn’t been relevant since grunge was a thing,” Fettterman said. “And I don’t know why he believes it’s helpful to say these kinds of things about an incredibly difficult circumstance with an incredibly strong and decent and excellent president. I’ll never understand that.”

“I really am not worried about that because he is my guy,” Fetterman told Politico. “And he is going to be the Democrats’ guy, and I’m proud to campaign with him.”

Carville pushed back against the senator’s claims about his lack of relevance and said that other Democrat senators “apparently haven’t gotten the memo yet,” Politico reported.

“[Fetterman’s] colleague Sen. Casey asked me to host a fundraiser with him last week,” Carville told Politico. “Sen. Brown asked me to go to Cleveland to campaign with him.”

Judge Orders Hearing On Fani Willis Amid Corruption Allegation

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

On Thursday, the judge overseeing the Georgia election interference probe against former President Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants, scheduled a hearing next month to weigh accusations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) hired her romantic partner as a top prosecutor on the case.

Judge Scott McAfee scheduled the hearing for Feb. 15 and directed Willis to respond to the allegations in writing by Feb. 2.

Michael Roman, a co-defendant and 2020 Trump campaign official, filed a court motion to dismiss the case, accusing Willis of having an affair with the special prosecutor who assisted in securing a grand jury indictment against former President Donald Trump. 

Citing “sources close” to both Willis and Wade, Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, claimed the pair have been involved in an “ongoing, personal and romantic relationship,” and went on vacations together. The filings argued the alleged relationship, which Merchant claims started before the election interference began, makes the indictment “fatally defective” and requests it be dismissed.

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

Arizona Candidate, RNC File Election Lawsuit

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Missvain, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Arizona Republicans have filed a lawsuit after widespread voting issues impacted Election Day and prolonged results for more than a week.

Arizona Republican attorney general nominee Abraham Hamadeh in conjunction with the Republican National Committee (RNC) filed suit against many election officials Tuesday. 

The lawsuit targets Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) alongside the recorders and boards of supervisors for all counties in the state.

According to Fox News, the lawsuit also stated the Republicans are not alleging “fraud, manipulation or other intentional wrongdoing,” and added that the alleged mismanagement did not directly affect the outcome of the election.

“The voters of Arizona demand answers and deserve transparency about the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the General Election by certain election officials,” Hamadeh said. “Pervasive errors by our election officials resulted in the disenfranchisement of countless Arizonans who had their voices silenced.” 

According to Maricopa County election officials, at least 60 voting locations experienced issues with their ballot-on-demand printers. The assistant attorney general is demanding an in-depth report addressing those issues, as well as the “check-out” procedures at each polling location and each location’s official ballot report.

Hamadeh and the RNC allege that Arizona officials also wrongly disqualified provisional ballots and mis-marked early voters in the system.

Over the weekend, Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Wright sent a letter to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office demanding explanations for the numerous election problems before the results can be certified next week.

“The Elections Integrity Unit of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has received hundreds of complaints since Election Day pertaining to issues related to the administration of the 2022 General Election in Maricopa County,” Wright wrote. “These complaints go beyond pure speculation, but include first-hand witness accounts that raise concerns regarding Maricopa’s lawful compliance with Arizona election law.”