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Former Top Harris Aide Reveals Which Trump Pick Could Sink Her Candidacy

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(Los Angeles - EUA, 09/06/2022) Presidente da República Jair Bolsonaro, durante Sessão Plenária de Abertura da IX Cúpula das Américas..Foto: Alan Santos/PR

A former communications aide to Vice President Kamala Harris thinks one Republican is a major threat to her vice presidency.

Ashley Etienne, who served as Harris’ communications director in 2021, told CNN on Friday that she believes Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) is an “incredible debater” and could be the “greatest threat” in the upcoming election.

“I think JD Vance would pose the greatest threat [to] Kamala Harris, in some respects. I mean he’s an incredible debater,” Etienne told CNN. “I think he has this quality that makes him seem palpable to that one to two percent that actually might vote or that is undecided, that will actually pay attention to the debates because most people don’t pay attention to the debates.”

Etienne, who also served as deputy assistant to President Biden after his 2020 victory, said Vance is “super smart,” “quick-witted” and could pose a threat to Harris on the debate stage.

“I think he’s just got a quality about him where he’s super smart and sharp and quick-witted. I just think it’s going to be a challenge to see the two of them face-to-face. I mean, maybe it’s just me, but I think he’s going to be the greatest threat,” she said.

According to Fox News, after serving as a Marine in the Iraq War, Vance moved to San Francisco to work as a venture capitalist in the tech industry.

“JD has a Rolodex of Silicon Valley contacts that very few Republican figures can get to. And he put some of those to use on behalf of [Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio Bernie] Moreno,” a source in Vance’s political orbit previously told Fox News.

Vance is on Trump’s shortlist for vice president along with several other top Republican contenders. However, Fox News recently revealed that the first-term senator was one of only three from the candidate pool who had vetting documents requested from Trump’s campaign team.

Obama Begs Influencers To Back Biden

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Former President Barack Obama is getting desperate…

Over the weekend, Obama called on influencers to endorse Joe Biden and help his re-election campaign.

The former president, whom Biden served under as vice president, told influencers they might not agree entirely with Biden’s policies but should support him anyway.

“Joe Biden, you may not agree with everything he does,” Obama said at a campaign fundraiser for Biden in Los Angeles on Saturday, according to Axios. “By the way, you didn’t agree with everything I did. And that’s OK. Because in a big, messy, complicated country like this, there are going to be disagreements.”

“I need you guys to use your influence, and it doesn’t have to be boring,” Obama told them.

Obama also acknowledged that audiences on social media are often not interested in partisan politics. 

“We live in a cynical time,” he said, according to Axios. “Let’s face it: I think a lot of the people who watch you, listen to you, who are fans of you — a lot of times they feel turned off by the political discourse.”

“I get it,” Obama told the group, also giving insight into his media consumption. “You know, I frankly watch sports, mostly. Because it feels like everything is slash and burn.”

“But Joe Biden’s basic trajectory — what he believes in his core … nine times out of 10, he’s going to make decisions that accord with your core beliefs,” Obama said. 

A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted in April found that former President Trump is cutting into Biden’s lead among young voters. Biden’s support among young voters has decreased by 14 points from his 2020 election performance to April. 

McConnell Breaks Silence After ‘Positive’ Trump Meeting

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Mitch McConnell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had nothing but positive things to say about his Thursday meeting with Donald Trump.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee praised the GOP Senate leader during his comments at the D.C. meeting, POLITICO reported.

“We had a really positive meeting, he and I got a chance to talk a little bit, we shook hands a few times, he got a lot of standing ovations, it was an entirely positive meeting. Mitt Romney was there, as well, and I can’t think of anything to tell you about it that was negative,” McConnell said.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) added that Trump “immediately went in to address Mitch McConnell and said he’s done his best while he was here. He understands elections. And he understands how important two seats are and we need to be focused on those.”

“There was a lot of unity. A lot of people think we’re going in the wrong direction now,” McConnell’s fellow Kentucky senator, Rand Paul said, adding that most of the discussions centered on policy.

“I haven’t seen that Republican group as strongly united on all of those policy issues in a long, long time,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD).

The Thursday meeting marked the first time the two leaders met in person since 2020.

Trump and McConnell hadn’t spoken to each other since December 2020, when they had a falling out over Trump’s plan to contest President Biden’s victory in that year’s election.

In March, McConnell endorsed Trump for the presidency.

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said in the statement after Trump secured the nomination on Super Tuesday.

Trump Drops Biggest VP Hint Yet

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This is Trump’s strongest indicator yet…

Donald Trump is almost ready to reveal his choice for a running mate.

Trump spoke with Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Republican National Committee on Thursday following meetings on Capitol Hill. He was asked if his choice was present at any of the meetings.

“Probably. I don’t want to go, but I think (it) will probably get announced during the convention,” Trump said. “During the convention. There were some good people and, we have some very good people.”

The Republican convention will be held from July 15-18 in Milwaukee. Trump also said that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) could be on the shortlist for VP as well. 

“And I think I could consider that,” he said. “Yes. I haven’t been asked that question, but he would be on that list.”

Later in his interview, Trump said he hadn’t been asked to endorse former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, for the U.S. Senate. Hogan endorsed Nikki Haley over Trump and did not endorse him during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. 

“Yeah, I’d like to see him win,” Trump said. “I think he has a good chance to win. I would like to see him win.”

Trump-endorsed Congresswoman Defeats McCarthy-backed Primary Challenger

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South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace emerged victorious over a serious primary challenge on Tuesday evening.

On Tuesday, The Associated Press projected that Mace won renomination in South Carolina’s competitive Low Country-based 1st Congressional District by defeating Catherine Templeton, a former director of South Carolina’s labor agency who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, and Marine Corps veteran Bill Young.

Templeton was backed by millions spent by outside groups aligned with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“We did it – You, Lowcountry voters did it! A thousand times over – THANK YOU!,” Mace wrote in a social media post moments after her race was called.

Last week, Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) reportedly confronted fellow South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson on the House floor Tuesday after he endorsed her primary opponent.

Fox News Digital spotted Mace and Wilson having what appeared to be a tense exchange during House votes late Tuesday afternoon, hours after Wilson released a statement backing Catherine Templeton to unseat her.

Mace told Fox News that she told Wilson she “would never do to him what he has done to me,” and “we needed to stop the infighting and unify so we can win it all in November.”

“Too much at stake,” Mace added. “And that there is a place in the party for people like me, people like him, Trump, MAGA, independents, women, everyone. Oh, and that I was working hard to crush it Tuesday.”

Report: Smartmatic Subpoenas Fox Board Members In Defamation Lawsuit

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Looking east towards 6th Avenue along north (48th Street) side of Fox News building on a snowy afternoon. [Photo Credit: Jim.henderson, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons]

Voting systems company Smartmatic is going after Fox board members.

Smartmatic subpoenaed four members of Fox Corp.’s board of directors in connection with its ongoing lawsuit against Fox News over the network’s coverage of the 2020 election.

In motions filed with the Supreme Court of New York, Smartmatic requested relevant documents from four members of Fox’s board of directors: Anne Dias, Charles Carey, Roland Hernandez and Jacques Nasser.

“Accountability and responsibility do not stop with Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch,” J. Erik Connolly, Smartmatic’s attorney on its case, said in a statement to The Washington Post, which first reported on the subpoenas. “Smartmatic plans to pursue Fox’s board members as well to determine why they allowed the company’s most valuable asset, Fox News, to spread disinformation about the 2020 election.”

Smartmatic sued Fox for $2.7 billion after the 2020 election, arguing the network maliciously aired false information about its software being promoted by allies of former President Trump after the election.

Last spring Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems $787 million to settle a separate defamation lawsuit. (RELATED: Report: Fox News Reaches Last-Minute Settlement With Dominion Voting Systems)

Smartmatic’s case against the network is not expected to go to trial until 2025.

In April, Smartmatic and One America News (OAN) reached a settlement in the company’s defamation lawsuit against the conservative outlet.

“Smartmatic has resolved its litigation against OANN through a confidential settlement,” its lead attorney, Erik Connolly, confirmed to Mediaite:

The company also sued Fox News and Newsmax for airing false claims about its role in the 2020 election. Those suits are ongoing.

Despite the ongoing lawsuit against Fox News, in January a judge ruled Fox News Channel can proceed with its counterclaim. In part, because the network has yet to be found liable for defamation.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

Classified Documents Judge Rules On Motion To Dismiss Trump Trial

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

The federal judge presiding over Donald Trump’s classified documents trial has denied his motion to dismiss the federal case.

According to reports, Trump’s legal team had sought to throw out more than a half dozen of the 41 counts in the indictment, which accused the former commander in chief of illegally hoarding classified documents from his presidency and conspiring with others to conceal sensitive files from the federal government. 

Fox News has more:

The defendants had challenged counts related to obstruction and false statements, but U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued an order Monday saying that “the identified deficiencies, even if generating some arguable confusion, are either permitted by law, raise evidentiary challenges not appropriate for disposition at this juncture, and/or do not require dismissal even if technically deficient, so long as the jury is instructed appropriately and presented with adequate verdict forms as to each Defendants’ alleged conduct.”

Cannon did, however, agree to strike down a paragraph from the indictment that defense lawyers argued was prejudicial information that was not essential to the underlying charges.

At another turn she seemed to criticize Smith for using what is known as a “speaking indictment” where prosecutors lay out their charges in great detail, essentially telling the story of their case through court documents.

“The Court also notes the risks that can flow from a prosecutor’s decision to include in a charging document an extensive narrative account of his or her view of the facts, especially in cases of significant public interest,” Cannon wrote.

The decision from Cannon clears from her desk one of the many numerous pretrial motions from Trump seeking to toss the case.

Cannon has pointed to those motions in indefinitely punting the trial date.

Trump is facing charges on 41 counts in connection with the case, the majority of which are Espionage Act charges targeting the retention of classified records after he left the White House. He is also facing obstruction of justice charges related to his failure to return the records after a subpoena

New Details Emerge About Supposed NYC Trump Trial Juror

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Nine days ago, a New York City jury convicted former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s so-called hush money case. The jury convicted Trump on all counts related to falsifying business records stemming from a scheme to cover up hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

The jury deliberated for two days before reaching a verdict. The falsified records were assumed to violate federal campaign finance laws, which served as the predicate crime for the charges.

Although it is not uncommon for state prosecutors to base charges on violations of federal law, it is unusual in high-profile cases such as this. The jury had to find that Trump intended to commit, aid or conceal a second crime, supposedly federal campaign violations, to convict him on the falsification charge. (RELATED: ‘Mob Justice!’ Fox’s Constitutional Expert Shreds Letitia James’ Threat To Seize Don’s Assets)

Trump sentencing is scheduled for July 11. However, a new development has emerged that could potentially impact the case. In a letter to all parties, Judge Juan Merchan disclosed that the day before the conviction was announced, a Facebook user named “Michael Anderson” posted that Trump would be convicted, citing his cousin, who he claimed was a juror, as the source of this information.

Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Fox News continues:

Fox News obtained the letter Judge Juan Merchan shared with Trump defense attorneys and Manhattan prosecutors.

“‘Today, the Court became aware of a comment that was posted on the Unified Court System’s public Facebook page and which I now bring to your attention. In the comment, the user, ‘Michael Anderson,’ states:

“’My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted! Thank you folks for all your hard work!!!!’”

The comment was posted on May 29 “regarding oral arguments in the Fourth Department of the Appellate Division unrelated to this proceeding.”

Little public information is available about Michael Anderson’s profile. However, he describes himself as “Transabled & professional sh– poster.”

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

A Trump campaign official said they are “investigating the matter.” (RELATED: Trump Reveals What He Will Do To Biden If He Wins In November)

Despite his conviction, Trump can still run for president in the 2024 election. The U.S. Constitution does not prohibit a convicted felon from running for or holding the office of the president. Trump has already secured the necessary delegates for the Republican nomination and plans to appeal the conviction, a process that could extend beyond Election Day.

Recent polls have shown mixed impacts on the standings of Trump and President Biden following the trial. A Morning Consult poll indicated that Biden leads Trump by a single percentage point nationally, 45% to 44%. However, in key swing states, Trump maintains an edge.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

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Radical Congresswoman Makes Wild Claim About Trump Supporters: ‘Are They Preparing For A Civil War?’

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Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is once again raising the stakes, doubling down on her previous claims that an unknown number of Trump voters might be gearing up for a Ruby Ridge or Waco-style standoff.

Now, the veteran congresswoman is hinting that the former president’s fans could be plotting a sequel to the Civil War, and she’s calling for an official government probe to get to the bottom of it. (RELATED: All In The Family: Maxine Waters Continues To Pay Daughter With Campaign Cash)

Waters’ rhetoric hit new heights during an appearance on MSNBC, where she dissected Trump’s language.

“I’m worried that he’s so divisive and that he’s talking about retribution, and they’re talking about revenge and I think that that’s dangerous. He’s even mentioned civil war at one point, talked about there would be bloodshed,” Waters told host Jonathan Capehart.

“Are they preparing a civil war against us?” she asked, leaving the question hanging in the air. “Should we be concerned about our safety? What is [Trump] doing with this divisive language? It is dangerous.”

The Los Angeles-area Democrat promised to enlist the “criminal justice system” to investigate what she described as the activities of “domestic terrorists,” clearly pointing the finger at Trump supporters.

“It is not just that [Trump is] a criminal, this is a man who disrespects the Constitution and democracy and we have got to find out what they are doing as domestic terrorists [who] tried to take over the government on Jan. 6,” Waters continued.

With a flair for the dramatic, Waters posed another rhetorical question, “How far is this going to go? Are they going to be attacking? Whom are they going to attack? What are we going to do? We’re trying to get an investigation going about that.” (RELATED: CNN Lawyers Take Unexpected Stand – Blast Judge Merchan And Back Trump Big Time)

After Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts, Waters took to social media with gusto, lambasting the presumptive Republican nominee.

Less than one month ago, Waters spun another yarn on MSNBC, predicting civil unrest if Trump loses in November, without a single eyebrow raised in objection. (RELATED: Maxine Waters Accuses ‘Right-Wing Organizations’ Of Training In The Hills)

Chatting yet again with host Jonathan Capehart, Waters declared her plan to press the Justice Department and the White House on how President Biden would respond if his opponent refuses to accept the election results.

But she didn’t stop there – Waters went on to allege (without evidence) that shadowy “right-wing organizations” are “training up in the hills somewhere,” suggesting that extremist violence against the government isn’t just a possibility but practically a done deal.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

Democrat Congressman Calls On New York Governor To Pardon Trump

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

An unexpected twist…

Members from both sides of the aisle have aired their opinions in the wake of former President Trump’s guilty verdict but Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) has shared an idea that’s unlikely to get much support from his colleagues: a pardon.

Following the verdict, Rep. Phillips said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) should seriously consider pardoning the former President “for the good of the country.”

Despite his call to let Trump walk free, the Democrat Congressman shared nothing but insults for the presumptive Republican nominee in a post on X.

Donald Trump is a serial liar, cheater and philanderer, a six-time declarer of corporate bankruptcy, an instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as a victim,” Phillips wrote on X. “@GovKathyHochul should pardon him for the good of the country.”

In a separate post, Rep. Phillips defended his proposal noting how the Trump campaign has already begun to capitalize on the shocking trial. (RELATED: Trump’s Conviction Turns Cash Cow: $200M Raised, Eric Tells Fox News)

On Friday, the Trump campaign announced a new record of $34.8 million raised in the hours after the verdict.

“You think pardoning him is stupid? Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are totally different.)” Phillips wrote in another post. “It’s energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.”

Hochul appeared to suggest that pardoning Trump is off the table as she made clear her support for the verdict in a statement released Thursday.

“TODAY’S VERDICT REAFFIRMS THAT NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. IN PREPARATION FOR A VERDICT IN THIS TRIAL, I DIRECTED MY ADMINISTRATION TO CLOSELY COORDINATE WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION. WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROTECTING THE SAFETY OF ALL NEW YORKERS AND THE INTEGRITY OF OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM,” THE STATEMENT SAID.

Phillips is not the only congressman calling for Hochul to pardon Trump. Republican New York Rep. Nick LaLota wrote on social media that “the best way to unwind” Trump’s conviction is for Hochul to “immediately announce her intention” to pardon the former president.

Earlier this year Phillips emerged as a long-shot “alternative” to President Joe Biden before suspending his campaign in March.

“I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again – because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options,” he wrote on X.

“But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be,” Phillips continued.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News