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    Trump Withdraws Lawsuit Against New York AG

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former President Donald Trump has withdrawn his lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

    Trump attorney Honey Rechtin filed a notice of voluntary dismissal without prejudice Friday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

    The filing states that Trump “voluntarily dismisses his claims in this action” against James “without prejudice.” 

    Trump filed the lawsuit in November claiming James abused her position as attorney general to “recklessly injure” him, his family and his businesses. Trump alleged James was pursuing “a relentless, pernicious, public, and unapologetic crusade” against him “with the stated goal of destroying him personally, financially, and politically.”

    per reports from The Hill:

    After James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and his three adult children in September over allegations of business fraud, the former president responded by suing the New York attorney general in November. 

    Trump claimed that James “abused her position as Attorney General for the State of New York to pursue a vendetta” against him.

    In her lawsuit, James accused Trump and his children of falsely inflating and deflating property values to obtain investments and tax and loan benefits, following a three-year investigation into the former president’s business practices.

    This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.

    White House Correspondents Reportedly Fed Up With Biden Press Secretary

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    9
    White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing on Friday, July 30, 2021, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)

    There is trouble brewing at the White House.

    New reports signal growing animosity between the White House press corps and Karine Jean-Pierre over her refusal to stray from talking points and her providing false information.

    According to Mediaite, more than a half dozen press corps members told CNN’s Oliver Darcy that “the temperature has gone up a lot in the last few days” in the White House briefing room.

    “She is arguably the least effective White House press secretary of the television era,” said one unnamed reporter who Darcy identified as a White House veteran, though this person did exclude Trump-era press secretaries from that dig.

    Another White House reporter told CNN, “You just get the feeling that you’re wasting your time and whatever is in front of her in the binder is all she is going to say, no matter how many times you ask the question. It’s just a painful waste of time.”

    Pressure has been building in the White House briefing room since last week. On Thursday afternoon, Jean-Pierre repeatedly said that the administration’s search for classified documents had been completed. However, that same night, five additional classified documents were found at President Joe Biden’s Wilmington, DE residence. The Press Sec. did not disclose the discovery of the documents at Friday’s briefing. The information wasn’t revealed until the White House released a statement on Saturday.

    On Tuesday, Jean-Pierre was pressed on whether the discovery of classified documents had been concealed from her or whether she knew about them and intentionally misled the reporters in the room during previous briefings. After multiple, lengthy non-answers, Jean-Pierre finally said she did not know the documents had been recovered ahead of last Friday’s briefing.

    “There is the expectation that when you say something, it’s going to be true,” an unnamed White House correspondent told Darcy. “That’s been the biggest credibility hit for her, it’s answering a question in a way that ends up not being true.”

    Judge Orders Trump and Attorney to Pay Nearly $1 Million Over ‘Bogus’ Clinton Lawsuit

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    15
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A federal judge in Florida has ordered Donald J. Trump and one of his lawyers to pay nearly a million dollars in sanctions for filing a frivolous lawsuit against nearly three dozen of Trump’s perceived political rivals, including Hillary Clinton.

    The sanctions, first reported by The New York Times, serve as a significant rebuke of the former president and add to his growing list of legal woes.

    “This case should never have been brought,” U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks wrote in a 46-page ruling. “Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim.”

    In the Thursday ruling, the judge addressed Trump’s history of using the courts as a cudgel, going back decades in his business career.

    “Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries,” Judge Middlebrooks wrote. “He is the mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process, and he cannot be seen as a litigant blindly following the advice of a lawyer. He knew full well the impact of his actions.”

    Judge Middlebrooks said Mr. Trump’s suit had been “brought in bad faith for an improper purpose” and had “needlessly harmed” the 31 individuals and organizations, including the Democratic National Committee, he had sued “in order to dishonestly advance a political narrative.” The judge added that Mr. Trump’s use of the courts had helped to undermine the public’s confidence in them.

    “A continuing pattern of misuse of the courts by Mr. Trump and his lawyers undermines the rule of law, portrays judges as partisans and diverts resources from those who have suffered actual legal harm,” he wrote.

    The judge said Trump and the lawyer who filed the case for him, Alina Habba, and her firm, Habba Madaio & Associates, are to pay $937,989.39.

    Trump Pressures Zuckerberg to Address Account Freezeout

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Photo via Pixabay images

    Former President Trump appears ready to rejoin social media.

    According to NBC News, Trump’s campaign is formally petitioning Facebook parent company META to unblock his accounts.

    Facebook and Twitter banned Trump a day after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol as lawmakers certified Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

    Facebook ultimately decided to institute a limited ban on Trump that would come up for review after two years, starting Jan. 7 of this year.

    “We believe that the ban on President Trump’s account on Facebook has dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse,” Trump’s campaign wrote in its letter to Meta on Tuesday, according to a copy reviewed by NBC News.

    Trump’s campaign didn’t threaten a lawsuit, as some sources close to Trump thought he would. It instead talked about the importance of free speech and petitioned Meta for a “meeting to discuss President Trump’s prompt reinstatement to the platform.”

    A Meta spokesperson declined to comment about Trump beyond saying the company “will announce a decision in the coming weeks in line with the process we laid out.”

    According to a Trump adviser, who has spoken with him about Facebook and shared the gist of the private conversation with NBC News on condition of anonymity, explained that his campaign is cautiously optimistic Facebook will ultimately honor the two-year ban. However, the source noted the campaign is prepared to engage with House Republicans to advocate on Trump’s behalf and pressure Meta. The adviser said Congress is likely to examine Section 230 of the federal law affecting social media companies.

    “If Facebook wants to have this fight, fine, but the House is leverage, and keeping Trump off Facebook just looks political,” the adviser said, noting that House Democrats like Adam Schiff of California told Facebook last month to keep Trump off the platform.

    Federal Court Hands DeSantis a Win Over His ‘Stop Woke Act’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Ron DeSantis via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A federal judge in Florida handed Governor Ron DeSantis a substantial win after ruling that the governor’s administration did not violate a court order regarding the state’s “Stop WOKE Act,” which prohibits colleges from teaching Critical Race Theory and other woke concepts. 

    According to Townhall, plaintiffs attempted to argue that Gov. DeSantis failed to comply with a preliminary injunction that prevents the enforcement of some parts of the law, citing a memo sent out by Florida’s chief of the Office of Policy and Budget, Chris Spencer, asking universities to provide a list of all staff, programs and campus activities related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory.

    “Although this court would not hesitate to compel compliance with its preliminary injunction, this court finds there has been no violation of the injunction at this time,” U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker wrote in her decision. 

    Judge Walker previously called the law “positively dystopian” while issuing a temporary injunction. 

    In November, Walker wrote, “our professors are critical to a healthy democracy, and the State of Florida’s decision to choose which viewpoints are worthy of illumination and which must remain in the shadows has implications for us all…if our ‘priests of democracy’ are not allowed to shed light on challenging ideas, then democracy will die in darkness.”

    DeSantis’s press secretary Bryan Griffin defended the law, asserting the administration is fulfilling its duty to protect students against overt indoctrination attempts.

    “The governor, as chief executive of the state, has every right to ask how public dollars are being spent by public state entities, like state colleges and universities. In fact, that is good government,” Griffin said. 

    GOP Governor Stops Short of Endorsing Donald Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Despite Donald Trump’s early entrance to the 2024 presidential campaign, some Republicans are dedicated to taking the “wait and see” approach to the next election.

    Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who also previously served as Trump’s press secretary, told Fox News’s Shannon Bream that she isn’t focused on 2024 yet and declined to endorse her old boss publicly.

    According to The Daily Wire, Bream asked the newly sworn-in governor, “Your bio, on your official page as Governor, describes you as a ‘trusted confidant of President Trump. Have you talked to him about his ’24 run? Will you endorse him in that?”

    “I love the president, have a great relationship with him,” Sanders responded. “I know our country would be infinitely better off if he was in office right now instead of Joe Biden. But right now, my focus isn’t 2024. It’s focusing here in Arkansas and doing what we can to empower the people of this state, and make sure that I’m delivering on the promises that I laid out over the course of the last two years.”

    “My focus isn’t on 2024,” Sanders answered. “It’s on what we can deliver in this legislative session. I’m not going to set an arbitrary timeline. I’m not really focused on that at all.”

    Bream also pressed Sanders on her own ambitions.

    “I feel the pressure of delivering this legislative session,” Sanders said. “That’s the only thing that our team, and that I am focused on, is delivering on what we laid out to do.”

    Sander’s refusal to outwardly endorse Trump underscores speculation that Republicans are preparing to steer away from the former president and support another candidate in the 2024 election. Numerous polls have reported Trump trailing behind other potential contenders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

    Jim Jordan Launches First Investigation as Judiciary chair

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    10
    Jim Jordan via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) first investigation as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee will examine President Biden’s “mishandling” of classified documents and the Justice Department’s investigation.

    “We are conducting oversight of the Justice Department’s actions with respect to former Vice President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, including the apparently unauthorized possession of classified material at a Washington, D.C., private office and in the garage of his Wilmington, Delaware, residence,” Jordan and Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote in a letter sent Friday to Garland.

    “On January 12, 2023, you appointed Robert Hur as Special Counsel to investigate these matters,” they wrote. “The circumstances of this appointment raise fundamental oversight questions that the Committee routinely examines. We expect your complete cooperation with our inquiry.”

    “It is unclear when the Department first came to learn about the existence of these documents, and whether it actively concealed this information from the public on the eve of the 2022 elections,” Jordan wrote. “It is also unclear what interactions, if any, the Department had with President Biden or his representatives about his mishandling of classified material. The Department’s actions here appear to depart from how it acted in similar circumstances.”

    “In fact, on August 8, 2022, despite the publicly available evidence of President Trump’s voluntary cooperation, you personally approved the decision to seek a warrant for excessive and unprecedented access to his private residence. On August 15, 2022, Committee Republicans wrote to you and FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting documents and information related to the FBI’s raid of President Trump’s residence,” the letter said.

    Rep. Jordan’s investigation comes one day after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to examine the matter, former U.S. attorney Robert Hur. The DOJ escalated the matter to a special counsel investigation from a mere review after a second stash of classified documents was found inside the garage of Biden’s Delaware home. The first batch of documents were found inside the D.C., offices of the Penn Biden Center think tank.

    Trump Organization Fined in Tax Fraud Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    On Friday, the Trump Organization was fined $1.6 million following its conviction last month for criminal tax fraud.

    It was the maximum penalty former President Trump’s sprawling business organization could face for what prosecutors have described as a long-running scheme to evade taxes by providing perks to company executives.

    Earlier this week, former Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was sentenced to fives months in prison as well as pay nearly $2 million in taxes, penalties, and interest, and serve five years of probation for his role in the 15-year tax scheme.

    As Great America News Desk previously reported:

    Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, is expected to be sent to Rikers Island jail in New York after receiving his sentence for his participation in a tax fraud scheme.

    Wesselberg, along with other top executives, pled guilty to running the scheme for the past 15 years where he and others received bonuses and other kickbacks designed to save the real estate company money.

    On Tuesday, the CFO was sentenced to five months in jail as well as pay nearly $2 million in taxes, penalties, and interest, and serve five years of probation.

    Rikers Island is one of New York’s most well-known jails and has become notorious for violence and drug use.

    This story is developing. Click refresh for the latest details.

    House Speaker Signals Interest in Expunging Trump Impeachment

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    8
    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.

    Attorney General Appoints Special Counsel to Investigate Biden

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    15
    Chuck Kennedy for The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Things are heating up for Joe Biden.

    New reports indicate a second batch of classified documents has been recovered from President Biden’s garage in Wilmington, Delaware. The first batch of documents dating back to the Obama administration was uncovered inside the Washington offices of the Penn Biden Center think tank.

    “Lawyers discovered among personal and political papers a small number of additional Obama-Biden administration records with classified markings. All but one of these documents were found in storage space in the President’s Wilmington residence garage,” White House lawyers wrote in a Thursday statement. “One document consisting of one page was discovered among stored materials in an adjacent room.”

    The second discovery triggered the Justice Department to escalate to a special counsel investigation from a mere review. In a special press conference, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed former United State Attorney Robert Hur to handle the investigation.

    Fox News reporter Peter Doocy pressed the President over the second batch of documents on Thursday.

    “Classified documents next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?” Doocy asked.

    “I’m going to get the chance to speak on all of this, God willing it’ll be soon, but I said earlier this week — and by the way my Corvette is in a locked garage. It’s not like it’s sitting out in the street,” Biden responded.

    “So the documents were in a locked garage,” Doocy prompted.

    “Yes, as well as my Corvette. But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified material seriously,” Biden said. “I also said we’re cooperating fully and completely with the Justice Department’s review.”

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