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Ex-Trump Aide Says She Won’t Vote For Former President

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former Trump aide Sarah Matthews is turning her back on her old boss…

On Monday, Matthews said she would not cast for Trump in November.

“When we have a candidate on the ballot who will not uphold the Constitution, then I feel like I have to put policy aside” Matthews said on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”

“And I wanna support the person who is best suited to defeat Donald Trump,” she added in the clip, highlighted by Mediaite.

“I think it’s my duty to pick the person I think would do the least harm to the country,” Barr said on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom.” “And in my mind, that’s — I will vote the Republican ticket.”

Matthews said she has talked with a lot of Republicans, including high-ranking elected officials, who “bash” Trump privately. But, she added, “many of them will not even say it publicly.” 

“What they often say is that they’re supporting him because of the policies, that they want the conservative agenda. And where I get really frustrated is that they’re treating this like it’s a normal election, a normal Republican candidate and a normal Democratic candidate,” Matthews continued. “Well, this couldn’t be anything further from the case.”

Report: Obama Privately Warns That Trump Is ‘More Formidable’ Than Dems Realize

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Former President Obama reportedly had a private meeting with President Biden this summer where he warned him that former President Trump is a “more formidable candidate” than many Democrats realize. 

Two people familiar with the meeting informed Washington Post White House reporter Tyler Pager about the private lunch Obama had with Biden in June where the former president told Biden not to underestimate Trump and pledged to support Biden’s re-election bid.

According to the sources, Obama “voiced concern about Donald Trump’s political strengths — including an intensely loyal following, a Trump-friendly conservative media ecosystem and a polarized country — underlining his worry that Trump could be a more formidable candidate than many Democrats realize.”

As such, the 44th president “promised to do all he could to help the president get reelected,” which, Pager added, “was a welcome gesture for the White House at a time when Biden is eager to lock down promises of help from top Democrats.”

The report said, “During their lunch, Obama made it clear his concerns were not about Biden’s political abilities, but rather a recognition of Trump’s iron grip on the Republican Party.”

Regarding Obama’s pledge to help Biden’s campaign, Pager noted how the former president’s aides say he “will reprise his playbook from recent elections.” 

Watergate Prosecutor Says ‘Trump Is Toast’ In Fraud Trial 

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Slowking4, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman said former President Trump is “toast” in his New York civil fraud case.

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.

According to The Hill, Ackerman argued people are not only focused on the former president’s testimony but also his deposition with James’s lawyers last summer, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 400 times.

“Now what does it mean to take the Fifth Amendment? It means that you are refusing to answer a question, because a truthful answer would tend to be incriminating,” Ackerman said. “Then what did Donald Trump do last week? He went into court and said, ‘Oh, I didn’t do anything fraudulent, I wasn’t involved in a fraud.’ Which is just the opposite what in effect he was saying when he took the Fifth Amendment in his deposition.”

“So you’ve got contradictory testimony,” Ackerman continued. “You can use his assertion of the Fifth Amendment against him to basically find that he’s lying, that he’s manipulating the system when he goes in, refuses to answer questions, answers the questions in a half-baked manner.”

Earlier this week when Trump took the stand he fiercely defended his business practices and condemned those involved in the case as politically motivated “Trump haters.”

“I just don’t see how this judge at the end of the day is not going to find that, with respect to Donald Trump … ‘Liar, liar, pants on fire,’” Ackerman said.

Ackerman said that in his more than 40 years of civil law experience, he has never seen anyone “do such a stupid move as to suddenly start testifying” after they’ve taken the Fifth Amendment.

MAGA Congresswoman Files Impeachment Resolution Against AG Garland

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Chuck Kennedy for The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has had enough…

Reports indicate the pro-Trump lawmaker is planning to introduce articles of impeachment against Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday.

“In his conduct as Attorney General of the United States, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of the Attorney General of the United States, and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend, the Constitution of the United States, Merrick Brian Garland continues to materially endanger the justice system of the United States and empower President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to persecute his political adversaries at will,” the articles read.

In a press release exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, Greene accused Garland of weaponizing the Justice Department (DOJ) which has resulted in a “two-tiered justice system.”

“Garland has used the FBI as a personal police force for his boss, Joe Biden,” Greene wrote. “From investigating parents who protest their local school boards, to going after pro-life activists and Catholics, to persecuting former and future President Donald J. Trump, Merrick Garland’s corruption knows no bounds.”

“Antifa and Black Lives Matter terrorists have caused billions of dollars of damage to property,” she continued. “Instead of prosecuting these crimes, Garland has persecuted Americans who engaged in legitimate political protest, people who were overwhelmingly nonviolent.”

The move comes after the Georgia Congresswoman introduced articles of impeachment against FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday.

Trump Scores Another House Republican Endorsement

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Donald Trump just scored another endorsement from the House of Representatives.

Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) told Fox News Digital on Monday about his endorsement.

“I can not sit idly by while Joe Biden and his disastrous policies continue to erode what makes America the greatest country in the world,” Barr said. “Since Biden took office, we have seen record-high illegal immigration at the Southern Border, 40-year high inflation, and threateningly weak foreign policy that has invited aggression from our adversaries.”

However, Barr said, “despite all of this, Democrats and the ‘mainstream media’ are doing everything they can to ensure Joe Biden remains president.”

“Donald Trump is the only candidate who can defeat Joe Biden and reinstate an America First agenda,” he said.

“American families’ incomes rose, and their small businesses flourished,” he said, adding that none of those developments were “coincidences.”

“They were a direct product of Trump’s low-tax, pro-economic growth policies,” he told Fox News Digital, saying Biden’s policies have “resulted in the opposite.” 

Trump Speaks Out As Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments

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Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Former President Donald Trump is reacting after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday.

The court is considering for the first time the meaning and reach of a provision of the 14th Amendment barring former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office again. 

“I just finished watching Supreme Court, you know, like to watch in many respects. It’s unfortunate that we have to go through the thing like that,” Trump told reporters at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. “I consider it to be more election interference by the Democrats that’s what they’re doing. Good news is we’re leading virtually every poll.” 

The high court heard arguments Thursday on whether Trump should be disqualified from the ballot in Colorado for inciting in an “insurrection” at his Jan. 6, 2021 rally at the Capitol. 

Trump called the oral arguments a “beautiful process” and said, “I hope that democracy in this country will continue.”

“You have millions of people that are out there wanting to vote and they happen to want to vote for me or the Republican Party, whatever you want or however you want to phrase it, But I’m the one running and we are leading in every poll,” Trump said, calling the support he’s received a “great honor.” 

The Hill and other outlets reported the Supreme Court justice appeared reluctant to take the extraordinary step of disqualifying former President Trump from appearing on the ballot.

Georgia Prosecutor Signals Timetable For Charges In Trump Probe

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Are the walls closing in on Donald Trump?

A new letter from election crimes prosecutor Fani Willis reveals indictments are likely coming in August.

The New York Times has more:

The Georgia prosecutor leading an investigation into former President Donald J. Trump and his allies has taken the unusual step of announcing remote work days for most of her staff during the first three weeks of August, asking judges in a downtown Atlanta courthouse not to schedule trials for part of that time as she prepares to bring charges in the inquiry.

The moves suggest that Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, is expecting a grand jury to unseal indictments during that time period. Ms. Willis outlined the remote work plan and made the request to judges in a letter sent on Thursday to 21 Fulton County officials, including the chief county judge, Ural Glanville, and the sheriff, Pat Labat.

“Thank you for your consideration and assistance in keeping the Fulton County Judicial Complex safe during this time,” wrote Ms. Willis, who has already asked the F.B.I. to help with security in and around the courthouse.

Ms. Willis had said in a previous letter that any charges related to the Trump investigation would come in the grand jury term that runs from July 11 to Sept. 1. Her letter on Thursday appears to offer more specificity on timing.

Willis has been investigating Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State.

The grand jury probe burst into the spotlight in February when jury foreperson Emily Kohrs made statements to the media that seemed to tease trouble ahead for Trump.

Trump was recently indicted in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump is the first President to be indicted on criminal charges.

Trump’s Older Sister, Maryanne, Dead At 86

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Photo via Pixabay images

Former President Trump is grieving the loss of his older sister.

Maryanne Trump Barry died Monday morning at age 86.

She died at her home on the Upper East Side, in Manhattan, and the cause of death is unknown at this time, the New York Times reported.

Barry was a former federal appellate judge who retired in April 2019.

During her legal career, Barry worked as a federal prosecutor before being nominated by then-President Ronald Reagan to the Federal District Court in New Jersey in 1983. In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton appointed her to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

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

Colorado Republican Party Threatens To Cancel Primary If Trump Is Not Included On Ballot

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Missvain, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Last night, the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified former President Donald Trump from appearing on the Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot. The ruling has the Colorado Republican Party threatening to call off the primary election in the state if Trump is kept off the ballot.

The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra reported on the Colorado GOP’s response following the state supreme court’s finding that Trump is ineligible for the presidency:

“We will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand,” the party said in responding to the Court’s ruling.

“A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the opening lines of the court’s opinion read. “Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.”

The opinion said that the majority had “little difficulty concluding that substantial evidence” showed Trump’s subversion of the democratic process by “a concerted and public use of force or threat of force by a group of people to hinder or prevent the U.S. government from taking the actions necessary to accomplish the peaceful transfer of power in this country.”

The majority concluded “the events of January 6 constituted an insurrection.”

Saavedra continued, noting the legal reaction to the bombshell ruling:

Heritage Foundation election law expert and former FEC commissioner Hans von Spakovsky responded to the ruling by calling it “nakedly partisan” and “anti-democratic.”

“First, Section 3 of the 14 Amendment applies only to individuals who were previously a ‘member of Congress,’ an ‘officer of the United States,’ or a state official. Individuals who are elected—such as the president and vice president—are not officers within the meaning of Section 3,” he said. “Second, no federal court has convicted Trump of engaging in ‘insurrection or rebellion.’ In fact, the Senate acquitted Trump of that charge in his second impeachment.”

“Third, some scholars assert Section 3 doesn’t even exist anymore as a constitutional matter after the Amnesty Acts of 1872 and 1898–a matter completely ignored by the court today,” he continued. “Fourth, prior court rulings have held that Section 3 is not self-executing and Congress has never passed any federal law providing for enforcement, meaning that courts such as the Colorado Supreme Court have no legal authority to enforce Section 3.”

The Colorado Supreme Court temporarily stayed its ruling until Jan. 4, 2024, pending further appellate proceedings.

The Trump campaign has vowed to swiftly appeal the “completely flawed decision” to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits,” campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

This article was republished with permission from American Liberty News.

White House Hopeful Pledges to Pardon Trump If Elected

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Vivek Ramaswamy speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Republicans, even his direct opponents, are still loyal to Donald Trump – despite the building legal woes.

During a Tuesday press conference at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami, Florida Vivek Ramaswamy said if he is elected president, he will pardon Trump for his federal charges.

While speaking to a crowd the Ohio businessman and tech mogul challenged his Republican counterparts to make the same pledge to pardon the former President if elected.

“The use of police force by a sitting U.S. President against his chief political rival in the midst of a presidential election sets a dangerous precedent in our country,” Ramaswamy said in a press release.

“No one is above the law: the U.S. President shouldn’t be able to use the federal police to arrest his opponents,” he continued.

“No one should be below the law either, yet there are now two standards of justice depending on your political viewpoints,” Ramaswamy added. “That’s the single greatest threat to our constitutional republic today.”

“If President Trump is prosecuted in a manner that effectively prevents him from running, this will permanently damage public trust in our electoral process and our justice system,” the letter reads.

“Whoever among us is elected, our job of reuniting the nation will become daunting – if not impossible,” Ramaswamy wrote.

Trump is set to be arraigned Tuesday after a federal grand jury indicted him last week on 37 charges related to his retention of sensitive documents. 

In addition to pledging to pardon Trump, Ramaswamy also filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request this week seeking communication between the White House and the Justice Department concerning the second indictment of Trump. 

Ramaswamy said he filed the request “to demand *exactly* what the White House Communicated to [Attorney General] Merrick Garland & [Special Counsel] Jack Smith about the unprecedented indictment of a former U.S. President & Biden’s disfavored opponent in this election.” 

Other Republican candidates have yet to respond to Ramaswamy’s challenge but former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley signaled she’s “inclined” to sign on.”

“I think we all need to let this trial play out. We need to see exactly what happens, when you look at a pardon, the issue is less about guilt and more about what’s good for the country. And I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case,” Haley said on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” when asked if she’d commit to pardoning Trump if elected.

“That’s something you’d see in a Third World country. I saw that at the United Nations, so I would be inclined in favor of a pardon. But I think it’s really pretty mature at this point when he’s not even been convicted of anything,” she added.