Latest

    News

    Home News Page 20

    Report: Trump’s Truth Social Parent Company Sues 20 Media Outlets

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    Photo via Pixabay images

    The parent company to former President Trump’s Truth Social wants $1.5 billion in damages from news organizations that reported that the social media platform had lost $73 million.

    In a Monday lawsuit, lawyers for Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. said in the lawsuit that the number was “an utter fabrication” and accused 20 news outlets of a “deliberate, malicious, and coordinated attack” against Truth Social.

    Bloomberg has more:

    Outlets including the Guardian and Reuters posted stories early last week about Truth Social’s financial condition, citing a regulatory filing by its merger partner, Digital World Acquisition Corporation, a special-purpose acquisition company. Later, at least some of the outlets, including Reuters, posted corrections on their stories.

    Reuters and some other publications said they had reached the wrong figure by incorrectly counting a $50.5 million profit for 2022 as a loss. TMTG lawyers said that the “incredible circumstances” of all 20 outlets reporting the $73 million figure within hours of each other suggested a coordinated campaign.

    “We dispute any allegation that Reuters defamed TMTG or intended to harm TMTG,” a Reuters spokesperson said in a statement. “We corrected our mistake as soon as TMTG made us aware of it, consistent with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Reuters remains committed to reporting news fairly and accurately in the public interest.”

    Judge Rules Against Revoking Bond For Trump Co-defendant

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    On Tuesday, a Georgia judge declined to revoke the bond of one of former President Trump’s co-defendants in his 2020 election interference case.

    Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee determined Tuesday that the bond agreement for Harrison Floyd, a former leader of Black Voices for Trump, must be updated to reflect the “nuances of social media.” However, McAfee said he believed that Floyd did make a “technical violation” of his bond.

    Floyd was the first defendant threatened with pretrial detention over social media posts that prosecutors say demonstrate attempts at intimidating future witnesses.

    The Hill has more:

    “I think the ultimate result of today’s hearing is that it’s very clear to me that this bond needs to be modified,” McAfee said

    Willis’s attempt to revoke Floyd’s bond was filed hours later, alleging his social media posts violated his conditions of release.

    “What we’re really here to decide today is does this order mean something or not,” Willis said, asserting that Floyd “spit on the court” by posting about witnesses and co-defendants online.

    “None of these posts amounted to a threat or intimidation,” said Chris Kachouroff, one of Floyd’s attorneys.

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

    Former Obama Adviser Predicts Biden Has 50-50 Chance Of Reelection

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    3
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former President Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod said he thinks President Biden has a “50-50 shot” of winning in the 2024 election after advising Biden to consider dropping out of the race.

    “I think he has a 50-50 shot here, but no better than that, maybe a little worse,” Axelrod told New York Times’ Maureen Dowd in an interview. “He thinks he can cheat nature here, and it’s really risky. They’ve got a real problem if they’re counting on Trump to win it for them. I remember Hillary doing that, too.”

    Axelrod’s comments come shortly after the former senior Obama adviser said it would be “wise” for Biden to consider dropping out of the race, citing concerns about Biden’s age and ability to effectively lead. A recent poll also showed Biden trailing Trump in five out of six battleground states.

    But, the column notes, “Axelrod drew Biden’s ire because he urged the president to consider stopping at one term.” Axelrod earlier this month suggested that Biden needs to decide if it’s still wise to run following a recent poll showing Biden trailing former President Trump in key swing states.

    “I don’t care about them thinking I’m a pr— — that’s fine,” Axelrod told Dowd. “I hope they don’t think the polls are wrong because they’re not.”

    Lawyer Admits To Leaking Witness Video In Trump Election Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    4
    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Wednesday, an attorney for one of former President Trump’s co-defendants in Georgia admitted to providing videos of defendants who pled guilty to a media outlet.

    Attorney Jonathan Miller, who is representing former Coffee County election supervisor Misty Hampton, did not name the outlet and said he leaked the footage in the name of transparency during an emergency hearing.

    The Hill has more:

    “In being transparent with the court and to make sure that nobody else gets blamed for what happened – and so that I can go to sleep well tonight – judge, I did release those videos to one outlet,” Miller said. “And in all candor, I need the court to know that.”

    ABC News was the first outlet to publish the videos on Monday, followed by The Washington Post, which showed four defendants who pleaded guilty in the election interference case – ex-Trump lawyers Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, plus former Georgia bail bondsman Scott Hall – interviewing with state prosecutors.

    Miller’s confession at Wednesday’s hearing came after Floyd’s lawyers filed additional documents insisting they did not leak the proffers and that the individual who did would come forward.

    “It is my understanding that today the individual that disseminated the proffer videos will inform the Court of that fact. … All of this colossal time waste is the direct result of the State’s intentional maneuver to use the typographical error in an email in a motion that the State knows has zero support,” Floyd’s lawyer wrote in court documents filed earlier Wednesday. 

    “The State knows that Mr. Floyd and his team were not the cause of any problem and is wasting valuable resources and it will be shown today.” 

    Fulton County DA Seeks To Revoke Bond for Trump Georgia Co-defendant  

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    6
    Image via Pixabay

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) is seeking to revoke the bond allowing a defendant in the Georgia election interference case to stay free ahead of the trial.

    On Wednesday, Willis’s office cited defendant Harison Floyd’s social media posts in a court filing, asserting they were in violation of the bond agreement he signed as a condition of release. 

    “Since his release from custody, the Defendant has engaged in numerous intentional and flagrant violations of the conditions of release ordered by the Court,” Willis’s motion states. 

    According to The Hill, a review of Floyd’s social media shows that the Trump co-defendant made numerous posts related to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Gabe Sterling, chief operating officer of the secretary of state’s office. 

    Floyd, a leader of Black Voices for Trump, was charged alongside the former president over Floyd’s alleged attempt to convince Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman to make false statements about election operations on Election Day 2020, under the guise of offering her help. Floyd pleaded not guilty. 

    “Look, the truth is that @GaSecofState & @GabrielSterling are the pieces of [s—] you should be mad at,” Floyd tweeted on Nov. 7, using a poop emoji to replace the expletive. 

    He also made several posts about Freeman, including to release of audio of the Fulton County poll worker talking to police officers, which the Georgia district attorney’s office claimed constitutes “an act to intimidate a known witness.” Floyd suggested on social media that the audio proved he did not set up a meeting with Freeman and Trump allies who prosecutors say menaced her. 

    “Because of and in response to the Defendant’s intimidating communications, witness Ruby Freeman has been the subject of renewed threats of violence from third parties,” the filing reads. 

    Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will ultimately decide whether to approve the request.

    Hunter Biden Seeks To Subpoena Trump In Criminal Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    3
    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)

    Hunter Biden is requesting to subpoena former President Donald Trump and three other senior Justice Department officials claiming the investigation against him is politically motivated.

    According to The Hill, Biden, who faces three federal gun charges, is demanding Trump and former Attorney General Bill Barr turn over communications and documents concerning the president’s son or his criminal investigation.

    The demands for documents, which must be approved by a judge, also extend to former Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen.

    “Mr. Biden seeks specific information from three former DOJ officials and the former President that goes to the heart of his defense that this is, possibly, a vindictive or selective prosecution arising from an unrelenting pressure campaign beginning in the last administration, in violation of Mr. Biden’s Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution,” Biden’s attorneys wrote in court filings.

    Prosecutors indicted the President’s son on gun charges earlier this year after a sweetheart plea deal fell through.

    Biden is accused of unlawfully possessing a firearm while addicted to a controlled substance and failing to disclose drug use when seeking to buy a weapon. Biden pleaded not guilty.

    Last week, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) subpoenaed Hunter along with other members of the Biden family as part of its corruption probe.

    “It is clear no measure of charges against Mr. Biden will ever be enough to appease Chairmen Comer and Smith and their MAGA allies,” Biden’s attorneys wrote in their motion.

    “As anyone can readily tell, it is not just pressure from within the Trump-era Executive Branch that is the problem; it is also incessant, unrelenting outside interference from congressional Republicans and their allies in the prosecutorial process, which is supposed to be independent and free from political interference,” the motion continued. “Undoubtedly, the current political climate has jeopardized that longstanding and fundamental American principle.”

    Trump Team Files For Mistrial In Fraud Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    Trump’s legal team requested a mistrial in the civil business fraud case in New York.

    The Wednesday motion claims that the trial judge and his principal law clerk’s purported bias against Trump has “tainted” the case.

    “This appearance of bias threatens both Defendants’ rights and the integrity of the judiciary as an institution,” Trump’s counsel wrote in the 30-page motion, according to The Hill.

    Trump’s counsel cited posts made by Judge Arthur Engoron to a Wheatley School alumni page, which the judge appears to run. Trump’s team claims there are references to the case and individuals involved with it, including Trump, his son Eric Trump, and Trump attorney Alina Habba.

    The motion cited the New York code reading that “a judge shall not make any public comment about a pending or impending proceeding in any court within the United States or its territories.”

    The former president’s legal team also addressed their concerns with Engoron’s principal law clerk, asserting that the clerk has acted throughout the trial as a “co-judge,” conferring with Engoron via whispers or written notes before most orders have been issued.

    “The principal law clerk is given unprecedented and inappropriate latitude,” Trump’s counsel wrote.

    The filing also claimed that the clerk has made “partisan political contributions in excess of strict limits,” including to groups that oppose Trump and support New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).

    New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case accuses Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization, and top executives of falsely inflating the values of Trump’s real estate properties and other assets in order to get tax benefits and better loan terms.

    James seeks around $250 million in damages, and she wants to bar Trump and his co-defendants from running another business in New York.

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

    Ex-White House Lawyer Says This Is What Could Land Trump In Jail

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5
    Image via Pixabay

    Could this be what sinks Trump?

    Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb said his former boss could soon end up in jail over extreme rhetoric regarding his New York business fraud trial and other cases.

    “It’s much like what he did on Jan. 6. It continues to be off the rails in terms of the extent to which his invective infects these proceedings and is the potential to intimidate witnesses,” Cobb said in a CNN interview Tuesday. 

    “I believe that, you know, at some point, comments like this will result in Trump not only being sanctioned,” he continued. “But at some point, these types of comments will result in him being put in jail pending some of these trials.”

    Trump and his attorneys are facing a limited gag order in the New York case, which prevents him from demeaning the court or discussing witnesses publicly. But Trump has frequently flouted the order

    Michigan Judge Rules On Trump Ballot Challenge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    3

    On Tuesday, a Michigan judge rejected a liberal group’s attempt to keep former President Donald Trump’s name off the state’s 2024 primary ballot.

    Michigan Court of Claims Judge James Redford rejected the argument the former president is ineligible for office under the 14th Amendment due to his links to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

    “The judicial action of removing a candidate from the presidential ballot and prohibiting them from running essentially strips Congress of its ability to ‘by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such a disability,'” Redford wrote.

    “The question of whether he is ineligible due to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment presents a political question that is nonjusticiable at the present time,” the judge continued. “The question of whether Donald Trump is qualified or disqualified from appearing on the 2024 general election ballot in Michigan is not ripe for adjudication at this time.”

    Numerous groups across the country have made similar attempts to keep Trump off the ballot however, none of the attempts have been successful.

    According to Fox News, currently pending is a decision out of a Colorado lawsuit. Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and six Colorado voters filed their lawsuit in September to block Trump from appearing on the primary ballot, citing the 14th Amendment. 

    Report: Trump Will File For Mistrial In NY Fraud Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    7
    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former President Trump’s attorney Alina Habba is planning to file for a mistrial in the former president’s fraud cause in New York.

    On Sunday, Habba told Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that she planned to file for a mistrial “soon,” while raising concerns that it will be the same trial judge deciding on the motion. 

    New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case accuses Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization, and top executives of falsely inflating the values of Trump’s real estate properties and other assets in order to get tax benefits and better loan terms.

    James seeks around $250 million in damages, and she wants to bar Trump and his co-defendants from running another business in New York.

    When asked about Trump’s concerns over the judge and clerk, Habba said the gag order prevented her from responding.

    “I can tell you that we will be filing papers to address all of those issues,” Habba said. 

    When asked if she will file for a mistrial, Habba said “soon,” and then “very soon.”

    “The problem is, with all of these things, such as filing a motion for recusal, which we have done twice, is that the judge has to be the one that decides: Is he going to recuse himself? Does he feel that there was a mistrial,” Habba said.

    “It’s a bench trial. We have one judge. And it’s the same judge that issued the gag order that has to make those determinations. So, at this point, I don’t have any reason to believe he shouldn’t after what we have learned, if it’s true,” Habba continued.

    1...192021...64Page 20 of 64
    © Great America News Desk 2022