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Special Counsel Files Superseding Indictment Against Trump

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Special counsel Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment in his case indicting former President Trump for his actions seeking to subvert the 2020 election

The superseding indictment is an effort by the special counsel to respond to a ruling earlier this summer by the Supreme Court, which held that Trump and other former executives retain broad immunity for core actions they took as president and are presumptively immune for other actions taken while in office.

While the indictment retains the original charges – a sign of Smith’s confidence in the evidence underpinning the case – it makes significant cuts in an effort “to respect and implement the Supreme Court’s holdings.”

The filing removes former Justice Department attorney Jeffrey Clark as an unnamed, unindicted co-conspirator in the case, a reflection of specific instructions from the Supreme Court that said Trump’s conversations with Justice Department officials were protected from prosecution. 

The superseding indictment is 10 pages shorter than the original, cutting lengthy examples from the original “speaking indictment” that walked through the evidence against Trump and his plots to remain in power.

But the new filing takes pains to distinguish various elements of Trump’s efforts to unwind the election as actions taken purely in a private capacity – and thus conduct that can be prosecuted.

Trump on his social media site called it “an effort to resurrect a ‘dead’ Witch Hunt” and move by Smith to “save face.”

“Deranged Jack Smith, has brought a ridiculous new Indictment against me, which has all the problems of the old Indictment, and should be dismissed IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote.

The Tuesday filing comes after Smith presented the case against the former president to a second grand jury, which had not previously heard the matter. It likewise concluded charges were warranted against the president.

Trump Agrees To Debate After Major Concession Secured

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have reportedly agreed to a debate format on ABC News scheduled for Sept. 10.

The only confirmed debate between the candidates faced a snag Monday over whether the microphones should be muted while the other candidate is speaking.

Per USA Today:

The former president and GOP nominee posted on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon that the pair will go head to head on Sept. 10, in a live debate hosted by ABC News. The pair had previously agreed on the date and host network, but Trump cast doubt over the weekend whether the debate would occur after all.

“Why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?” Trump asked in a Truth Social post Sunday, criticizing Jonathan Karl’s interview with Tom Cotton on ABC’s “This Week,” as well as the show’s panel of commentators.

Liam Enea, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Trump on Tuesday continued to criticize the network as “the nastiest and most unfair newscaster in the business,” while saying he would appear on their broadcast in two weeks.

He also noted that the rules of the debate would be the same as the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden on CNN, seemingly putting to bed disagreement between the two candidates’ campaigns.

Unlike Biden, the Harris campaign had pushed for a different approach. They wanted ABC News and other networks offering to host a potential October debate to keep the microphones on, even when it’s wasn’t the candidates’ turn to speak.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

Trump Selects Gabbard, RFK Jr. For White House Transition Team

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Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has announced plans to appoint Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard as honorary co-chairs of his transition team.

Tuesday’s move signals Trump’s intention to bring together a diverse range of voices as he prepares for a potential return to the White House.

According to The New York Times, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, in their roles as honorary co-chairs, will assist Donald Trump in selecting the policies and personnel for any potential second Trump administration.

They will be joined by the former president’s two eldest sons and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance:

“I’ve been asked to go on the transition team, you know, and to help pick the people who will be running the government,” Mr. Kennedy told Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, in an interview posted on X.

Both Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Gabbard spent most of their public life as progressive Democrats. Only four months ago, Mr. Trump was calling Mr. Kennedy a “Radical Left Lunatic” who was “far more LIBERAL than anyone running as a Democrat.” Trump allies pushed stories about Mr. Kennedy’s record of supporting abortion rights and far-left environmentalism as they tried to make his independent candidacy less appealing to Trump voters.

Ms. Gabbard, a former congresswoman who left the Democratic Party after her 2020 presidential run and who endorsed Mr. Trump on Monday, has been helping with the informal debate preparation sessions Mr. Trump has held in recent weeks. Ms. Gabbard has rebranded herself as a celebrity among Trump’s base, and she has long been friendly with Mr. Trump and was briefly considered as a potential running mate.

Brian Hughes, a Trump campaign senior adviser, said that they are “proud that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard have been added to the Trump/Vance Transition team. We look forward to having their powerful voices on the team as we work to restore America’s greatness.”

The news comes just four days after Kennedy suspended his independent run for president, throwing his support behind Trump.

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

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

Report: Georgia Judge Disqualifies Four Candidates

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

Does this affect Donald Trump‘s chance of winning Georgia‘s crucial 16 electoral votes?

The disqualification of four independent and third-party presidential candidates from appearing on Georgia’s November ballot could have significant implications for Donald Trump in his quest for the state’s crucial 16 electoral votes.

A state administrative law judge ruled Monday afternoon that neither the candidates nor their electors were eligible under Georgia law, delivering a setback to their efforts. However, these decisions are not yet final.

The Georgia Recorder’s Jill Nolin provides further details:

Chief Judge Michael Malihi also determined that former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not include his real residential address on his nomination petitions, which mirrors a recent ruling by a New York court. Kennedy announced Friday that he was leaving the race and backing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, but Kennedy has not formally withdrawn in Georgia.

Malihi handed independent candidate Cornel West a pair of mixed opinions, finding that he was eligible to run as an independent under state law but that his electors should have filed their paperwork in their own names, not the candidate’s.

The judge also concluded that the electors for Kennedy and socialist candidate Claudia De la Cruz made the same error on their paperwork.

And Malihi determined that the Green Party failed to show that their candidate Jill Stein would appear on the ballot in 20 other states, which is the threshold required under a new pathway created this year by Georgia lawmakers.

The final decision will be made by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), whose ruling could influence the dynamics of the presidential race in Georgia.

Georgia Democrats originally objected to these third-party candidates appearing on the ballot in the Peach State. Their concerns are particularly relevant, given that President Joe Biden won Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020.

A spokesperson for Raffensperger stated Monday evening that the judge’s decisions are currently under review.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

Special Counsel Appeals Court To Revive Classified Docs Case

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

Special Counsel Jack Smith urged a federal appeals court to reinstate the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump on Monday.

In a filing, Smith’s team described the ruling as “nonsensical,” citing longstanding legal precedents that directly contradict the judge’s conclusion.

The brief does not otherwise call for Cannon to be removed from the case — though the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is free to do so independently.

The 58-page filing is the first word from Smith since he pledged to appeal a ruling from Cannon that sided with Trump in questioning the legal basis for his appointment as special counsel, as well as his office’s funding.

“The Attorney General validly appointed the Special Counsel, who is also properly funded. In ruling otherwise, the district court deviated from binding Supreme Court precedent, misconstrued the statutes that authorized the Special Counsel’s appointment, and took inadequate account of the longstanding history of Attorney General appointments of special counsels,” Smith’s team wrote.

Monday’s brief, filed a day ahead of the deadline, offers a lengthy review of the special counsel statutes. It also takes particular issue with Cannon’s conclusion that the Supreme Court’s review of special counsel authority was “dicta,” or a remark essentially made in passing while discussing other issues in the case.

“Apart from the district court below, every court to consider the question has concluded that the Supreme Court’s determination that those statutes authorized the Attorney General to appoint the Watergate Special Prosecutor was necessary to the decision that a justiciable controversy existed and therefore constitutes a holding that binds lower courts,” prosecutors wrote.

The filing also points to bigger picture issues, writing that Cannon “erroneously disregarded [special counsel appointment] history as ‘spotty’ or ‘ad hoc,’” warning of the risks if her ruling is upheld.

Report: Trump Considering Dropping Out Of Upcoming Debate

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

What will Trump do next?

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump cast doubts that he will participate in the next presidential debate scheduled to be hosted by ABC News in September.

The former president’s latest outburst, delivered via Truth Social late Sunday, reignited speculation about his commitment to the debate.

Trump specifically criticized “lightweight reporter” Karl’s interview with Cotton, who’s performance he praised, after the journalist pressed the senator on the former president’s comments about the Medal of Honor, which the lawmaker defended.

I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Carl’s(K?) ridiculous and biased interview of Tom Cotton (who was fantastic!), and their so-called Panel of Trump Haters, and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?

In a separate Truth post, Trump raised concerns the panelists would be biased against him and brought up a past controversy involving Donna Brazile, who was accused of leaking debate questions with Hillary Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 election.

Will panelist Donna Brazil give the questions to the Marxist Candidate like she did for Crooked Hillary Clinton? Will Kamala’s best friend, who heads up ABC, do likewise. Where is Liddle’ George Slopadopolus hanging out now? Will he be involved. They’ve got a lot of questions to answer!!! Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!

This isn’t the first time Trump has cast doubt about the ABC News debate scheduled for September 10, which was initially brokered in a deal between Trump and President Joe Biden.

Harris’s campaign said that she would debate on ABC News first before considering any of Trump’s preferred venues on Fox News and NBC News.

RFK Jr. Drops Out Of Race, Endorses Trump

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UPDATE (3:03 p.m. ET):

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed the suspension of his campaign. Although his name will still appear on the ballot in red and blue states, he will be removing his name from the ballot in the 10 competitive states. In those competitive states, he is encouraging his supporters to vote for Donald Trump.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

PHOENIX – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the most prominent independent presidential candidate, has suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump, a move that could dramatically shift the dynamics of an already close presidential race. The announcement follows extensive negotiations between both campaigns.

CNN reported Friday that Kennedy had dropped an attempt to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania. In a filing, he wrote, “It is a result of today’s endorsement of Trump.”

Watch:

Negotiations Behind the Scenes

The possibility of Kennedy endorsing Trump arguably overshadowed the Democratic National Convention, where party leaders celebrated, even as the potential impact of his endorsement loomed large.

Speculation and Statements from Kennedy’s Campaign

It appeared increasingly likely over the course of this week that Kennedy would drop out and endorse the former president. Multiple sources told ABC News on Wednesday that RFK Jr. planned to endorse Trump for president at a live press conference on Friday at 2 p.m. ET in Phoenix, Arizona.

When asked about the reports, Kennedy neither confirmed nor denied the claim. A spokesperson for Kennedy’s campaign hinted earlier on Wednesday that the candidate would be addressing the “present historical moment” and outlining his “path forward” in his Friday remarks.

Hints of an Alliance from Nicole Shanahan

Speculation erupted after Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, mentioned the possibility of an alliance with Trump during an interview on Tuesday. Shanahan said that their campaign was drawing more support from Trump’s base than from Kamala Harris, raising concerns about inadvertently aiding a Harris victory by staying in the race.

“There’s two options that we’re looking at and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump, or we draw somehow more votes from Trump,” Shanahan said.

Aiming to Avoid the “Spoiler” Label

Shanahan, a billionaire attorney from Silicon Valley, emphasized that Kennedy campaign’s goal was not to act as a spoiler. “I did not put in tens of millions of dollars to be a spoiler candidate,” she said. “I put in tens of millions of dollars to win, to fix this country, to do the right thing. We don’t want to be a spoiler.”

The Current State of the Race

The latest RealClearPolitics polling average shows a razor-thin margin in the decisive battleground states. Trump currently holds narrow leads in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, while Harris leads in Wisconsin and Michigan by small margins.

So, what do you think? Do you believe Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement of Donald Trump will significantly impact the outcome of the 2024 presidential election? We welcome your thoughts in the comments below!

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

Officers Apprehend Escaped Criminal Threatening Trump

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Police image via Pixabay free images

It’s over…

Arizona law enforcement agents have detained the man accused of threatening to assassinate Donald Trump.

Ronald Lee Syrvud, 66, was arrested by Cochise County authorities while Trump was visiting Arizona to address the southern border crisis.

Syrvud, who had an outstanding warrant for felony failure to register as a sex offender, was charged with a sex offender violation upon his arrest. The 66-year-old man could also be charged for the alleged threats he made toward Trump, pending an investigation.

The Republican nominee said he was grateful for the Secret Service agents protecting him, adding that he wasn’t surprised that someone had allegedly threatened to kill him, the Daily Mail reported.

According to the Mail, Syrvud was a registered Democrat in the past and had an extensive rap sheet, including pleading no contest to second-degree sexual assault of a child in 2000.

The alleged assassination threats come just six weeks after Trump was shot by a would-be assassin while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump was visiting the U.S. southern border on Thursday before heading to Glendale on Friday for a rally. Trump held his first outdoor rally since the assassination attempt on Wednesday in North Carolina where he stood behind bulletproof glass that was installed at the behest of the Secret Service.

On Thursday, Trump admitted that he had not been told about the potential threat posed by a suspect who threatened his life in Arizona — or the manhunt that was underway at the time to find him.

Watch:

One reporter asked Trump directly whether he’d been informed that someone had threatened his life — and that there was a manhunt still underway to track down the suspect — and Trump simply replied: “No.”

“For the Daily Mail, today there was a manhunt going on in this county, somebody made death threats to you,” he said. “Did you hear about that before coming?”

“No,” Trump said.

“What are your thoughts coming down here? Some people told me it’s dangerous for you to be here,” the reporter followed up.

“I’ve heard it’s dangerous, but I also have a job to do,” Trump said. “I heard it’s very dangerous, I hadn’t heard about that. They probably want to keep it from me.”

“Thank you for telling me,” he added with a laugh, looking over his shoulder and joking to his Secret Service detail, “Let’s get outta here, right now. No, thank you very much for saying, but no, and I have great respect for Secret Service, the job they do — including a month and a half ago when they were jumping on top of me with bullets flying right at them, so … no, I haven’t heard that, but I’m not that surprised. The reason is because I want to do things that are very bad for the bad guys.”

Report: RFK Jr. Withdraws From Arizona Ballot

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed paperwork to remove his name from Arizona’s 2024 presidential ballot.

“RFK Jr.’s campaign filed official paperwork with our office today withdrawing him from AZ’s 2024 election,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) said Thursday.

Kennedy announced Wednesday that he would address the nation Friday about his political future. His campaign said the speech, at 2 p.m. EDT in Phoenix, would center on “the present historical moment and his path forward.” (RELATED: RFK Jr. Announces Friday Press Conference Amid Withdrawal Whispers)

Trump’s campaign said the former president will be joined later Friday by a “special guest” at a rally in Arizona.

“President Trump will be joined by a special guest as he delivers remarks about his America First policies and his vision to lower inflation and the cost of living, secure the border, and make our cities safe again,” the Trump campaign said in a press release.

Trump said that he would be “honored” by a Kennedy endorsement. (RELATED: Trump Says He’s ‘Open’ To Having RFK Jr. Join His Administration)

“He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him for a very long time,” Trump said. “I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it.”

Trump said that he would “love” an endorsement from Kennedy because he’s “always liked” him.

He indicated that he “probably would” appoint Kennedy to a role in the administration if Kennedy were to drop out and endorse him.

“I like him a lot. I respect him a lot,” Trump said. “I probably would, if something like that would happen. He’s a very different kind of a guy — a very smart guy. And, yeah, I would be honored by that endorsement, certainly.”

Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son, said Wednesday that he is in favor of having Kennedy be a part of a government agency and allowing him to “blow it up.”

“I loved the idea, love the idea of giving him some sort of role in some sort of major three-letter entity or whatever it may be and let him blow it up,” Trump Jr. said on “The Glenn Beck Program.”

“I think that’s what we need. And so, I think that kind of unity, even where there may be certain disagreements on certain things, I think he could be a really great asset for that.”

Report: Manhunt Underway As Trump Arrives In Arizona

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Police image via Pixabay free images

A manhunt is underway in Arizona for a suspect who threatened to kill former President Trump ahead of a Thursday rally.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office has identified the suspect as 66-year-old Ronald Lee Syrvud. 

Fox News reports:

The sheriff’s office said Syrvud has outstanding warrants from the state of Wisconsin for DUI, failure to appear for DUI and from Graham County Arizona for hit-and-run and felony failure to register as a sex offender. 

The sheriff’s office said it also has an absconder hold for Syrvud for failing to register as a sex offender. 

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