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    We Should Be Talking About Biden Corruption not Trump-Created Drama

    By
    Paul Crespo
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    2
    Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    ANALYSIS – Yes, it’s a big deal, that former President Donald Trump has been booked and charged in federal court with 37 counts of violating federal law. And we should be talking about it. 

    It’s definitely not Watergate, but some of the charges, such as obstruction, are similar to those Richard Nixon faced before he resigned in 1974.

    Thirty-one of the counts are for violating the Espionage Act through “willful retention” of classified records. The other six counts include obstruction of justice and false statements stemming from his alleged efforts to impede the investigation. 

    Meanwhile, the media is conveniently ignoring all of Joe Biden’s brewing scandals, which are far worse; even surpassing Watergate.

    We should be talking about Biden corruption, not Trump stubbornness.

    Many Trump loyalists argue that the Trump indictment proves there is a double standard compared to how Biden is being treated. And I would agree. 

    The investigation into Hunter Biden should not have taken five years and still be unresolved.

    That is an outrage.

    And then there are the bribery and foreign influence peddling allegations against Joe Biden himself.

    That should be the big story today. Not Trump’s rants on Truth Social about his latest legal woes.

    Hillary Clinton was also treated with kid gloves by the Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI, even though she destroyed evidence from hard drives and deleted 30,000 emails, some of which may have contained classified information. 

    She got off. That was absolutely wrong.

    If Republican ex-presidents and current presidential candidates are going to be indicted so should Democrat former Secretaries of State running for president. If not, then we have a partisan, two-tiered justice system.

    And I have written about this a lot. But here is where I see things a bit differently.

    We are today talking about Donald Trump and his drama, primarily because of Donald Trump. He did this one mostly to himself.

    Trump could have avoided this criminal legal battle had he simply turned over all classified materials he had in his possession when asked for them over an 18-month period.

    That’s what Joe Biden and former vice president Mike Pence both did when they were discovered to have ‘unknowingly’ kept classified documents after leaving office. They actually turned them over right away. 

    Did Biden do more than that, we don’t really know yet. But neither have been charged with any crimes.

    And Trump was not charged over any materials or records that he returned. Only those he willfully kept.

    Trump first made ludicrous claims about the documents, including that he had declassified them, which he hadn’t. And he fought back in court and delayed and delayed until he was forced to finally give 15 boxes of records to the National Archives and Records Administration.

    But a lot more remained.

    Then he began obstructing and moving the remaining boxes of records, including classified materials at his home in Florida. Despite repeated efforts by the FBI and DOJ to try to get them back, Trump refused.

    And like Watergate, the cover-up is what gets you in trouble.

    That is why the FBI finally raided Mar-a-Lago in August of last year. It was an unprecedented action, which I condemned at the time.

    We have also since learned that the FBI had preferred to continue trying to get Trump’s lawyers to turn over the remaining classified materials and surveil Trump home in case anyone tried to remove materials, but DOJ insisted on the raid.

    Maybe the raid could have been (should have been) avoided, but it was legal. And what the raid uncovered was that Trump had hidden a lot of classified materials in numerous unsecure places in his home.

    Further investigation showed that Trump also had admitted on tape that he didn’t have the authority to declassify documents after leaving office, and that he hadn’t done so prior to leaving. He also reportedly flashed highly classified plans to attack Iran in front of the faces of uncleared persons visiting him.

    None of this is good for Trump or the nation. The classified documents included “defense and weapons capabilities” of the United States and foreign countries. 

    But none of this would have been a legal issue if Trump simply turned over these extremely sensitive national security materials when requested, or at some point over the 18 months in question.

    So, now instead of talking about all of the incredible Biden corruption, we are here again talking about Trump-created drama.

    Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

    House GOP Elects New Vice Chair

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    On Wednesday, House Republicans elected a new vice chair of the House Republican conference after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rose up from the position to grasp the gavel.

    House Republicans voted Utah Rep. Blake Moore to become the new vice chair of the GOP conference.

    Speaking to the press after winning the position, Moore praised the House GOP’s “Commitment to America” platform from the 2022 midterm elections, and the passage of its H.R. 1 energy bill and H.R. 2 border and immigration bill earlier this year.

    “It’s tough environment in Washington right now. It’s a split government type of thing, and we’re making — creating — as many ways as we possibly can as we move forward with this,” Moore said.

    According to reports from The Hill, Moore beat out six other candidates for the spot.

    The field included: Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.), Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Rep. Michelle Fishbach (R-Minn.), and Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas). Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) was in the running as well.

    The election process took more than two hours as the House GOP cycled through multiple ballots, dropping the lowest vote-getter each time. Van Duyne had led in the ballots until Moore took the lead when the field was down to three candidates, with Alford coming in third place.

    Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) formally nominated Moore for the vice chair position in the election on Wednesday.

    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. 

    Mike Pence Says He Won’t Endorse Trump

    By
    Victoria Churchill
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    1
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former Vice President Mike Pence had some strong words for his former boss in an interview with Martha MacCallum on Fox News. On Friday, Mike Pence made a bombshell announcement.

    Social media users from across the Republican spectrum had some choice words for Pence following his statement. Most conservatives seemed upset by the statement.

    Pence’s former Press Secretary and current co-host on The View – Alyssa Farah Griffin – was one of few Republicans who praised Pence’s decision.

    Former Illinois Congressman and Presidential candidate who defied Trump in 2020 also commended Pence’s decision.

    The University of Virginia‘s Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato also praised Pence’s choice and wondered if he had set a precedent for other top Republican leaders to reject Trump this year.

    This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. Republished with permission.

    Chris Christie Says He’d Fight Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    13
    Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    A fight for the ages…

    Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he would fight former President Trump and said if the two former allies were facing off in a match, “I’d kick his ass.”

    “Come on. The guy’s 78 years old. I’d kick his ass,” Christie told Piers Morgan in an interview that aired Thursday, when asked who would win in a head-to-head fight. 

    “Look, I’ll fight Donald Trump anywhere he wants, in any arena he wants – whether it’s on the debate stage or in the Octagon,” Christie later added.

    The fighting match rhetoric comes as some high-profile figures have claimed on social media and elsewhere that they were prepared to fight their chief rivals. 

    Twitter owner Elon Musk claimed he would be “up for a cage fight” against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who, in turn, tweeted “send me the location.”

    Christie has been a vocal opponent of Trump for years but has recently become especially outspoken against his latest campaign for the White House.

    Report: Hunter Biden To Plead Guilty To Tax, Gun Crimes

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    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)

    President Joe Biden’s son Hunter has reportedly reached a plea agreement in the federal investigation into tax-related issues.

    Hunter is expected to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his taxes.

    On Tuesday, two sources familiar with the agreement told NBC News that it includes a provision in which the U.S. attorney has agreed to recommend probation for Biden for his tax violations.

    Chris Clark, attorney for Hunter Biden, told NBC News in a statement: “With the announcement of two agreements between my client, Hunter Biden, and the Unites States Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, it is my understanding that the five-year investigation into Hunter is resolved.

    “Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement. A firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be the subject of the plea agreement, will also be filed by the Government. I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”

    Biden is also facing a separate gun possession charge that will likely be dismissed if he meets certain conditions, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.

    Manhattan DA Responds House Republicans’ Letter on Potential trump Indictment

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    11

    The Manhattan District Attorney’s office issued a response after top House Republicans demanded that Bragg testifies to Congress on a possible indictment of former President Trump.

    “We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law,” a spokesperson for Bragg’s office told Fox News Digital. 

    “In every prosecution, we follow the law without fear or favor to uncover the truth. Our skilled, honest and dedicated lawyers remain hard at work,” the spokesperson added. 

    Bragg’s statement comes after Republicans on the Administration and Oversight committees sent a letter to Bragg demanding that he turn over documents related to his Trump investigation and testify before Congress after reports said Trump could face an indictment this week.

    Over the weekend, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R- Calif.) responded to former President Donald Trump’s social media post saying that he will be arrested this week by pledging to have congressional committees investigate whether federal funding was involved in the case out of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

    “Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,” McCarthy said on Twitter. “I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”

    Mark Levin Says Trump Could Pardon Himself If Elected President

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    Popular conservative radio host Mark Levin argued this week that if elected to the White House Donald Trump would have the authority to pardon himself from state charges, according to exiting Justice Dept. policy.

    Levin argues that unique circumstances allow a president to pardon himself.

    Breitbart reports:

    The argument has several components. First, Levin notes that the existing Department of Justice policy against indicting a sitting president is partly explained by the idea that mounting a criminal defense would prevent a president from performing his or her duties.

    Second, Levin argues that the same reasoning ought to apply to state indictments of a sitting president, because they could likewise distract the president — and because, in theory, they could be brought by any elected prosecutor in any jurisdiction. It cannot be, Levin argues, that the reasoning for the policy against indicting a sitting president in federal court would not also apply to a state court, where filing indictments is much easier in certain jurisdictions and is often driven by political considerations.

    Finally, Levin argues that since a president can arguably pardon himself from federal crimes — a somewhat controversial, but accepted, view — the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause should override state law on pardons as well, for the reasons above.

    DeSantis Addresses Campaign Struggles ‘Narrative’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Ron DeSantis via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Florida Governor and presidential contender Ron DeSantis (R) is addressing claims his campaign has faltered head-on.

    DeSantis made the remarks during an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo.

    “These are narratives. The media does not want me to be the nominee,” he said. “I think that’s very, very clear. Why? Because they know I’ll beat Biden. But even more importantly, they know I will actually deliver on all these things. We will stop the invasion at the border, we’ll take on the drug cartels, we’ll curtail the administrative state, we’ll get spending under control. We’ll do all the things that they don’t want to see done.”

    The Florida Governor said that national primary polls were effectively useless because the primary is not national and it takes place over a series of months, not all on one day.

    “I can tell you we understand this is a state-by-state process,” he said. “We’ve had incredible support in the early states building an organization, signing up the key people that you need to be able to compete in a place like Iowa. We just launched our ‘Mamas Movement’. My wife was in Iowa with Governor Kim Reynolds launching that.”

    “Nobody has been a better champion for those folks than me,” he said. “And I would just also point out, you know, my re-election in Florida we had the greatest victory that any Republican governor candidate in the history of the state had, and yet a few months before the election I had media saying that somehow my re-election campaign was stalling, that we weren’t doing anything. And so we’re doing what it takes to win.”

    “And, oh, by the way, we just announced last week better fundraising than any non-incumbent has ever had if you look at what was reported, it was about $150 million, and that hasn’t even been deployed yet,” he continued. “We’ve got a long way to go. I’m looking forward to being able to participate in the debates, but this is not something that, you know, I ever expected to just snap fingers and all of a sudden, you know, you win seven months before anything happens. You’ve got to work, and it requires a lot of toil and tears and sweat, and we’re going to do that.”

    Last week, a prominent pro-DeSantis spokesman said he was concerned about the Florida Governor’s ability to overtake Donald Trump.

    “Right now in national polling we are way behind, I’ll be the first to admit that,” said Cortes. “I believe in being blunt and honest. It’s an uphill battle but clearly Donald Trump is the runaway frontrunner.”

    Report: Trump Must Pay Nearly Half-Billion Dollars Before Appealing New York Ruling

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    7
    Image via Pixabay free images

    Before Donald Trump can appeal Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling he must pay nearly half a billion dollars as a bond to New York State.

    Last week, the judge ordered Trump to pay $354 million in fines, $450 million with interest, after New York Attorney General sued Trump under and obscure New York fraud statute.

    Jonathan Turley points out another astonishing fact at the New York Post: before he can appeal, Trump must pay the whole fine:

    Under New York law, Trump cannot appeal this ruling without depositing the full amount, including interest, in a court account. Even for Trump, $455 million is hard to come by. Likewise, a bond would require a company to guarantee payment for a defendant who has been barred from doing business in New York and is facing the need to liquidate much of his portfolio.

    Nothing succeeds like excess for judges like Engoron. By imposing this astronomical figure, he can make it difficult or impossible for a defendant to appeal, absent declaring bankruptcy or selling off assets at distress prices.

    The excessive fine and its basis raise serious statutory and constitutional questions. Many of us believe it should be substantially reduced or tossed out entirely.

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