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    Report: Attorney General To Release Special Counsel’s Report On Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    8
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Attorney General Merrick Garland will release Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Trump.

    Fox News reports:

    “The Attorney General determined that he will not make a public release of Volume Two while defendants’ cases remain pending. That should be the end of the matter,” prosecutors wrote.

    The Department of Justice told the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Wednesday that Garland intends to release Volume One of Smith’s report to Congress, which covers the allegations that Trump attempted to illegally undo the results of the 2020 presidential election.

    However, Garland will not release Volume Two, which covers the classified documents case against Trump, as two defendants in that case still face criminal proceedings. 

    Federal prosecutors made Garland’s plans clear in a Wednesday morning filing urging an appeals court to reject a bid from Trump valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira to bar the attorney general from releasing the report in its entirety, per reports from The Hill.

    The filing says the top members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees will be able to review the Mar-a-Lago report at the DOJ.

    Garland’s decision essentially assures the public will never see Smith’s report reviewing Trump’s mishandling of classified records at his Palm Beach home.

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

    Trump Files Emergency Petition With Supreme Court

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    President-elect Donald Trump filed an emergency petition to the United States Supreme Court Wednesday morning in an effort to block his impending sentencing in New York v. Trump. 

    Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing in New York v. Trump for Jan. 10 after a jury found the now-president-elect guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree.

    Read the full petition:

    scotus-trump-filingDownload

    “President Trump’s legal team filed an emergency petition with the United States Supreme Court, asking the Court to correct the unjust actions by New York courts and stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt,” Trump spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital. 

    “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the Constitution, and established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.” 

    Cheung said the “American People elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate that demands an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and all of the remaining Witch Hunts.” 

    He added, “We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again.”

    The filing to the United States Supreme Court comes after a judge in New York on Tuesday denied Trump’s motion to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing, which is currently set for Friday, Jan. 10 at 9:30 a.m.  

    Merchan set the sentencing date last week but said he will not sentence the president-elect to prison. 

    Merchan wrote in his decision that he is not likely to “impose any sentence of incarceration,” but rather a sentence of an “unconditional discharge,” which means there would be no punishment imposed. 

    Judge Denies Trump Motion To Delay Sentencing

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    Yikes…

    On Tuesday, a judge in New York denied a motion filed by President-elect Donald Trump to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing in the New York v. Trump case.

    ​​Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May 2024.

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

    Report: Judge Temporarily Blocks Special Counsel Report’s Release

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    3

    On Tuesday, Florida Judge Aileen Cannon temporarily blocked the Justice Department from releasing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Trump’s two prosecutions.

    The ruling from Cannon comes after Trump’s two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago documents case asked her to bar the release of both sections of Smith’s report, including that dealing with Trump’s election interference case.

    It’s not clear the extent of Cannon’s purview over the case, as a prior ruling from her tossing the case has been appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

    Cannon said her ruling blocking any transmittance of the report would remain in effect until three days after any appeals court ruling “unless the 11th Circuit rules otherwise.”

    The Florida-based federal judge said the ruling would “preserve the status quo” and “prevent irreparable harm.”

    Smith’s office declined to comment, but in earlier court filings said they would respond to the substance of Trump’s request by 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

    Attached to the filings is a letter from Trump’s legal team to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to fire Smith and leave the decision of whether to release the report to a Trump-appointed attorney general. 

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

    Trump Issues Warning To Hamas During Post-Certification Address

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    President-elect Trump repeated his warnings that “all hell will break loose” in the Middle East if hostages kidnapped from Israel and held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are not released before his inauguration.

    “It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” Trump said during a press conference at his residence in Florida, Mar-A-Lago. “All hell will break out. I don’t have to say anymore, but that’s what it is.” 

    Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said at the same press conference that there’s been a lot of progress on efforts to release about 100 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, saying he’s hopeful a deal is achieved ahead of the inauguration. 

    Witkoff said he had just returned from discussions in Doha, Qatar on the hostage release deal and was planning to head back to the region on Wednesday or Thursday. 

    “I believe we’ve been on the verge of it. I don’t want to discuss sort of what’s delayed it,” he said.

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken had earlier said he hoped the Biden administration could conclude a hostage release and ceasefire deal before the end of President Biden’s term

    Trump Requesting Attorney General Block Special Counsel Report’s Release

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Chuck Kennedy for The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    President-elect Trump and his two co-defendants in the classified documents case are working to block special counsel Jack Smith from releasing his final report.

    The motion filed late Monday, the fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol asks Judge Aileen Cannon to bar Smith from his plans to release his two-volume report.

    An accompanying letter from Trump’s legal team to Attorney General Merrick Garland reveals they have already reviewed a draft of the report, asking Garland to fire Smith and leave the decision of whether to release the report to the president-elect’s incoming attorney general.

    Trump has nominated Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the role.

    While Smith was responsible for the report, Attorney General Garland makes the final decision to release it to the public.

    Attorneys for Trump’s two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago case, valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira, rely on a ruling from Cannon that found Smith was unlawfully appointed in asking her to block the report’s release.

    Smith’s team responded with an early Tuesday morning filing.

    The Hill reports:

    “The Department can commit that the Attorney General will not release that volume to the public, if he does at all, before Friday, January 10, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.,” Smith’s team wrote, the same day Trump is set to be sentenced in his New York hush money case.

    “The Draft Report violates fundamental norms regarding the presumption of innocence, including with respect to third parties unnecessarily impugned by Smith’s false claims. Releasing the report to the public without significant redactions (that would render its release meaningless) would violate prohibitions on extrajudicial statements by prosecutors,” Trump’s team wrote in the letter to Garland.

    “This is particularly problematic with respect to ongoing proceedings relating to Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, as well as others who Smith and his staff falsely characterize as co-conspirators in the Draft Report,” they added.

    The letter to Garland reveals a few details about Smith’s report, including that it contains information about “anticipated members of President Trump’s incoming administration,” something Trump’s team complains could hinder their confirmation process.

    It otherwise appears to mirror language already included in Smith’s indictments of Trump.

    “Volume I of the Draft Report falsely asserts, without any jury determination, that President Trump and others ‘engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort,’ was ‘the head of the criminal conspiracies,’ and harbored a ‘criminal design,’” Trump’s legal team wrote in the letter. “Likewise, Volume II asserts, without any supporting verdict, ‘that Mr. Trump violated multiple federal criminal laws,’ and that he and others engaged in ‘criminal conduct.’”

    Report: Controversial Cabinet Pick Has Secured Support For Confirmation

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    He’s in…

    A new report Sunday revealed Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has privately promised President-elect Donald Trump that Pete Hegseth has enough votes in the Senate to be confirmed to head the Department of Defense.

    According to a report by CBS News, three sources have confirmed that Thune has assured Trump privately that his embattled defense secretary nominee will make it through the Senate confirmation process.

    When asked to confirm the reporting, a spokesperson for Thune told CBS News, “Two things we don’t discuss publicly: Whip counts and private conversations with the president.”

    The confirmation briefing for the former Fox News star will occur later this month on Jan. 14.

    On Sunday, Thune told Face The Nation host Margaret Brennan that all of Trump’s nominees will “still have to make their case in front of the committee.”

    A week after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump nominated Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. However, Hegseth faces allegations of sexual misconduct after an anonymous woman accused him of sexual assault in a Monterey hotel room back in 2017.

    Hegseth has also faced accusations of alcohol abuse.

    Report: Judge Sets Trump Sentencing Date

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5

    On Friday, New York Judge Juan Merchan announced President-elect Trump’s criminal sentencing will occur Jan. 10, rejecting his demands to dismiss the case.

    Judge Juan Merchan signaled he is inclined to impose no punishment for Trump’s 34-count felony conviction, given concerns about his immunity from criminal prosecution upon taking the oath of office. 

    Merchan said an unconditional discharge “appears to be the most viable solution.” 

    “While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendant an opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,” Merchan wrote.  

    The jury of 12 New Yorkers in May found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment his ex-fixer made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels

    Judge Merchan’s decision keeps Trump’s criminal conviction on the books, meaning he would be the first felon to assume the presidency, though Trump can still appeal the jury’s verdict.

    Congress Elects House Speaker

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    4

    On Friday, Congressional lawmakers convened to elect the next Speaker of the House.

    Mike Johnson (R-La.) will serve as Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress.

    With the Republican majority at 219-215, Johnson could lose only one Republican vote to remain speaker.

    Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was reelected to the top post in the House in a stunning floor vote on the opening day of Congress on Friday, securing the gavel on the first ballot.

    It appeared that he would fail on the first ballot as Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Keith Self (R-Texas) voted for other candidates. However, the chamber held the vote open as Johnson conferred with his opponents and Norman and Self switched their votes to applause in the chamber.

    The vote came after President-elect Donald Trump issued his “total” endorsement of Mike Johnson (R-la.) earlier this week.

    “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also offered her endorsement of Johnson shortly before Friday’s vote.

    Watch:

    “Tomorrow we convene at noon in the House of Representatives, and our first order of business will be to vote for Speaker of the House. This is a historic vote, and it is the first order of business that we have to accomplish before we can even swear in as members of Congress,” began Greene. “Now, here’s how I feel about it. You all have seen may disagree with Mike Johnson at times. You’ve seen me fight against him at times. But you want to know something else? Here’s what I recognize: For the past four years, all of you and myself included, have put blood, sweat, and tears into electing President Trump. And when you want to talk about blood, President Trump himself actually was the one that shed blood after an assassin shot him in the face.”

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

    Jimmy Carter Dead At 100

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3

    The nation mourns an icon…

    Former President Jimmy Carter (D) has passed away at 100 years old.

    He had turned 100 in October, making him the longest-lived president in the nation’s history.

    “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said Chip Carter, the former president’s son, in a Carter Center statement. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

    Surviving the former president are his children Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy; 11 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. His wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Smith Carter, died Nov. 19, 2023.

    The Carter Center announced on Feb. 18, 2023, that the former president had begun receiving hospice care after a series of short hospital stays, choosing to “spend his remaining time at home with his family” instead of receiving additional medical intervention.

    Former President Carter, a Democrat who was 52 when he entered the Oval Office.

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

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