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    Trump Team Files For Mistrial In Fraud Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    6
    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.

    Trump’s Older Sister, Maryanne, Dead At 86

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    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.

    Tim Scott Ends 2024 Presidential Campaign

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Michael Vadon, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    In a surprising turn of events, the presidential primary field has one less competitor… Tim Scott has officially dropped out of the race.

    Scott made the announcement on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy,” the host himself a former Republican South Carolina congressman who wrote a book with Scott.

    “I love America more today than I did on May 22nd, but when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign,” Scott told Gowdy. “I think the voters who are the most remarkable people on the planet have been really clear that they’re telling me, Not now, Tim.”

    Scott’s campaign sent a fundraising email just minutes before he made his announcement giving donors what it called “one last chance to donate this weekend and help Tim reach his campaign goal.”

    Scott launched his candidacy in May 2022 and was the second South Carolinian after former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley to run for the White House on the Republican side. 

    Scott’s decision came a few days after the third Republican debate.

    Scott’s decision to drop out of the race leaves the question of who the South Carolina Senator will ultimately choose to endorse in the race as other candidates are openly vying for his support.

    “The best way for me to be helpful is to not weigh in,” he said when asked who he will support.

    Scott also gave a thumbs down to the idea that he could serve as the nominee’s running mate on the Republican Party’s 2024 national ticket.

    “Being vice president has never been on my to-do list,” he said.

    Who will be the next candidate to call it quits? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

    Judge Rejects Trump Bid To Delay Classified Documents Trial

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    A federal judge in Florida refused to delay the start of the classified documents trial involving former President Donald Trump.

    U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled Friday that she would dismiss the motion from Trump’s legal team “without prejudice” against taking it up again in the future. The trial’s start date could be reconsidered at a scheduling conference March 1, she wrote.

    The Hill has more:

    The order is a small victory for special counsel Jack Smith’s team, which had strongly argued against any delays in the case by suggesting that the former president wanted to push the case until after the 2024 presidential election. Trump is the undisputed front-runner in the GOP presidential primary.

    The Florida judge noted the 1.3 million pages of evidence — plus thousands of hours of security video shot at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — that prosecutors in the Mar-a-Lago case gave to the defense in discovery, in addition to the former president’s other legal woes with schedules of their own.

    “I am not quite seeing a level of understanding on your part to these realities,” Cannon said at the time to prosecutor Jay Bratt, a member of special counsel Jack Smith’s team.

    Trump is facing Espionage Act charges in the Mar-a-Lago case after refusing to return classified records from his time as president, as well as obstruction of justice charges for his efforts to conceal them from prosecutors.

    Joe Manchin Will Not Seek West Virginia Reelection

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Joe Manchin via Wikimedia Commons

    On Thursday, moderate Senator Joe Manchin (D- W.V.) announced he would run for another term in the Upper Chamber.

    The Hill reports:

    “After months of deliberation and long conversations with my family, I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia. I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate,” Manchin said in a statement. “But what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”

    Manchin’s announcement almost certainly hands Republicans a seat in next year’s elections in a deep red state

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

    Watergate Prosecutor Says ‘Trump Is Toast’ In Fraud Trial 

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5
    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.

    Minnesota Supreme Court Dismisses Challenge To Keep Trump Off 2024 Ballot

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    7

    The Minnesota Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to bar former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 primary ballot.

    Left-wing group Free Speech For People argued that Trump violated the 14th Amendment during the Jan. 6th, 2020 Capitol riot.

    The 14th Amendment disqualifies anyone from running for office who had previously taken an oath of office who then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

    The Daily Wire has more:

    “There is no state statute that prohibits a major political party from placing on the presidential nomination primary ballot, or sending delegates to the national convention supporting, a candidate who is ineligible to hold office,” Chief Justice Natalie Hudson ruled.

    However, the court’s ruling only applies to the state’s primary ballot and left open the possibility that the plaintiffs could make another attempt to block Trump from appearing on the general election ballot in November 2024.

    Trump celebrated the ruling in a series of Truth Social posts on Wednesday.

    “Ridiculous 14th Amendment lawsuit just thrown out by Minnesota Supreme Court,” Trump said. “Congratulations to all who fought this HOAX!”

    In response to the ruling, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in part: “Today’s decision in Minnesota, like New Hampshire before it, is further validation of the Trump Campaign’s consistent argument that the 14th Amendment ballot challenges are nothing more than strategic, un-Constitutional attempts to interfere with the election by desperate Democrats who see the writing on the wall: President Trump is dominating the polls and has never been in a stronger position to end the failed Biden presidency next November.”

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