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    Trump Posts $91.6 Million Bond To E. Jean Carroll In Potential Legal Settlement

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Image via Pixabay free images

    Former President Donald Trump has posted a $91.6 million bond in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.

    Despite his appeal, Trump had to post the money which he can get back if he wins the case in appeals court.

    The Hill reports:

    Trump had aimed to delay posting the bond or reduce the amount as he seeks a new trial and otherwise continues fighting the recent verdict.

    But after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected Trump’s latest request to delay a Monday deadline, the former president on Friday formally filed his appeal and posted the full $91.63 million bond.

    “President Trump respectfully requests that this Court recognize the supersedeas bond obtained by President Trump in the sum of $91,630,000.00 and approve it as adequate and sufficient to stay the enforcement of the Judgment, to the extent that the Judgment awards damages, pending the ultimate disposition of President Trump’s appeal,” Trump attorney Alina Habba wrote in court filings.

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

    George Santos Announces Primary Challenge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    Ex-Congressman George Santos (R-Ny.) is reportedly planning a political comeback.

    Less than a year after being expelled from Congress, Santos says he plans to mount a primary challenge against Nick LaLota (R).

    During his visit to the Capitol for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Santos announced on Twitter, that he would challenge LaLota of New York’s 1st Congressional District, on Long Island.

    “Tonight, I want to announce that I will be returning to the arena of politics and challenging Nick [LaLota] for the battle over #NY1,” Santos wrote on Twitter during Biden’s address. “I look forward to debating him on the issues and on his weak record as a Republican. The fight for our majority is imperative for the survival of the country.”

    “New York hasn’t had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like @nicklalota. He is willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain,” Santos wrote.

    “God bless you all, and we are off to the races!” Santos concluded.

    “To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos. If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in,” LaLota told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

    Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives on Dec. 1 after being indicted on multiple felony counts related to alleged campaign finance crimes, following which the House Select Committee on Ethics produced a report corroborating the indictment’s allegations. 

    Ex-Congressional Candidate Surrenders To Police After Arrest Warrant

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Police image via Pixabay free images

    On Wednesday, a former congressional candidate and WWE wrestler turned himself into authorities after an arrest warrant for open murder was issued for him.

    Dan Rodimer, 45, was identified Wednesday as the suspect in an alleged altercation that turned deadly inside a Las Vegas resort room in October, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

    Fox News reported that the man inside the room, later identified as 47-year-old Christopher Tapp, was taken to the hospital with “injuries as a result of a purported accident,” police said at the time.

    Tapp died at Sunrise Hospital on Nov. 5, FOX 5 Las Vegas reported, and on Nov. 22, police began investigating his death as suspicious after learning he had been involved in an altercation.

    David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, Rodimer’s lawyers, gave the following statement to FOX 5 on Wednesday evening:

    “Mr. Rodimer is voluntarily surrendering to authorities and will post a court ordered bail,” it read. “He intends on vigorously contesting the allegations and asks that the presumption of innocence guaranteed all Americans be respected.”

    He posted his $200,000 bail Wednesday night and has a hearing set for Thursday morning, local outlets reported.

    Mitch McConnell Endorses Donald Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) officially endorsed Donald Trump for President.

    McConnell unveiled the endorsement only after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), Trump’s final remaining opponent, dropped out of the race following Trump’s big wins on Super Tuesday.

    “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. It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support,” McConnell said.

    “During his Presidency, we worked together to accomplish great things for the American people including tax reform that supercharged our economy and a generational change of our federal judiciary – most importantly, the Supreme Court. I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people.”

    Despite Haley dropping out of the race, the former United Nations ambassador has yet to endorse Trump for President.

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

    Nikki Haley Suspends Campaign

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Following Super Tuesday’s disappointing results for Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina Governor has suspended her campaign.

    “I am filled with the gratitude for the outpouring of support we’ve received from all across our great country,” Haley said. “But the time has now come just suspend my campaign.” 

    In brief remarks to a crowd of supporters, Haley did not endorse Trump but called on the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee to earn votes from those who did not back him in the Republican primary. 

    “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him,” Haley said. “And I hope he does that. At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away.” 

    Trump kicked Haley on her way out of the primary in a post on Truth Social shortly after her remarks began. 

    “Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion, despite the fact that Democrats, for reasons unknown, are allowed to vote in Vermont, and various other Republican Primaries. Much of her money came from Radical Left Democrats, as did many of her voters, almost 50%, according to the polls,” Trump wrote. 

    “At this point, I hope she stays in the ‘race’ and fights it out until the end! I’d like to thank my family, friends, and the Great Republican Party for helping me to produce, by far, the most successful Super Tuesday in HISTORY, and would further like to invite all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation. BIDEN IS THE ENEMY, HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” 

    Senator Menendez Faces 12 New Federal Charges

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Senate Democrats, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    United States Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is facing one dozen new criminal charges in his alleged yearslong scheme with the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

    Menendez and his wife, Nadine, face charges of obstruction of justice, among others.

    As CNN reports:

    The new charges come days after one of the New Jersey businessmen who was previously indicted alongside Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez, and two others agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the investigation.

    Among the new charges in the superseding indictment are conspiracy, obstruction of justice, public official acting as a foreign agent, bribery, extortion and honest services wire fraud.

    Menendez had faced four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.

    The new charges add the underlying so-called substantive crimes to the conspiracy charges.

    Menendez persists in his innocence and pledges to do whatever it takes to retain his Senate seat.

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

    Report: FBI Searching For Iranian Spy Targeting Trump Admin. Officials

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Jsg2020, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    The FBI Is currently searching for an Iranian intelligence operative who has been allegedly plotting to assassinate current and former U.S. government officials, especially those who served in the Trump administration.

    According to The Daily Wire, the Bureau’s Miami field office issued a public alert as it sought information on Majid Dastjani Farahani, who is suspected of being a member of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, Semafor reported. The FBI warned of Farahani, 42, in a Most Wanted notice on Friday, saying that he speaks Farsi, French, Spanish, and English and will often move between Iran and Venezuela.

    The Daily Wire has more:

    According to the FBI, Farahani was recruiting “individuals for various operations in the United States, to include lethal targeting of current and former United States Government officials” as part of a revenge operation for the U.S. taking out Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in 2020 under Trump and Pompeo.

    Semafor reported that U.S. officials said Pompeo and former special envoy for Iran Brian Hook were given 24-hour security after the FBI warned of Farahani. In 2022, the Department of Justice indicted members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for an alleged plot to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who also served under Trump.

    Farahani is also accused of recruiting people to run “surveillance activities focused on religious sites, businesses, and other facilities in the United States.”

    Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump in January 2020. Shortly after Soleimani’s death, the top Iranian general and other officials vowed that Iran would get revenge on the U.S.

    Maine Sec. Of State Withdraws Trump Ballot Ban

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously sided with Donald Trump, Maine’s Secretary of State withdrew her determination that former President Trump should be blocked from the state’s ballot under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause.

    “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that individual states lack authority to enforce Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment with respect to federal offices,” Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows wrote in a modified ruling, obtained by The Hill. “Consistent with my oath and obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and pursuant to the Anderson decision, I hereby withdraw my determination that Mr. Trump’s primary petition is invalid.”

    “As a result of the modified ruling, votes cast for Mr. Trump in the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election will be counted,” Bellows continued.

    In December, Maine became the second state to block Trump from its primary ballots.

    The decision made Bellows (D) the first state official to remove a presidential candidate via the 14th Amendment, as the Colorado decision was made by a court.

    “I do not reach this conclusion lightly. Democracy is sacred,” Bellows said at the time.

    “I am mindful that no Secretary of State has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment,” she wrote. “I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection.”

    Bellows wrote in a 34-page decision at the time that Trump “was aware of the tinder laid by his multi-month effort to delegitimize a democratic election, and then chose to light a match.”

    Ex-Trump Organization CFO Pleads Guilty To Perjury Charges

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    On Monday, former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court to plead guilty to charges related to Donald Trump’s civil fraud case.

    Weisselberg pleaded guilty to perjury charges stemming from his testimony in former President Trump’s civil fraud trial. 

    The top executive was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million, plus interest.

    The Hill reports:

    Weisselberg’s charges stem from his testimony in October during the civil fraud trial, where he testified that he “never focused on” Trump’s Manhattan triplex that was listed on the former president’s financial statements as 30,000 square feet in size – despite actually being less than 11,000 square feet.  

    But after Weisselberg testified, Forbes published an article accusing him of lying under oath, citing years old correspondence between the magazine and Trump Organization executive. 

    “A review of old emails and notes, some of which the attorney general’s office does not possess, show that Weisselberg absolutely thought about Trump’s apartment—and played a key role in trying to convince Forbes over the course of several years that it was worth more than it really was,” Forbes wrote in its Oct. 12 article.  

    When confronted by state lawyers about the Forbes article, Weisselberg conceded that the triplex in the former president’s 5th Avenue Trump Tower was only 10,996 square feet. 

    Weisselberg is among several top executives at the Trump organization who were barred last month from operating their business in New York for a range of two to three years. That ruling came from Judge Aurthur Engoron, who also banned Trump and his children from operating the business. 

    A New York Appeals Court allowed Trump and his sons to maintain control of the company temporarily while they attempt to appeal Engoron’s decision.

    Engoron also “permanently” barred defendants Weisselberg and former corporate controller Jeffrey McConney from “serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State” and as a director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for three years.

    “There was never an option to choose a jury trial,” a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital last month. “It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.”

    New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sued Trump in 2022, alleging he falsely altered his net worth on key financial statements to receive tax and insurance benefits. The documents, which detailed the value of the Trump Organization’s various assets, were sent to banks and insurers to secure loans and deals, which the state purports is evidence of fraud.  

    Illinois Judge Removes Trump from Ballot

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    Donald Trump has been removed from a third state’s ballot…

    On Wednesday, Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter barred Trump from the Illinois ballot one month after the anti-Trump challenge was dismissed by the Illinois State Board of Elections. 

    According to court documents obtained by Fox News, the order urged the board to remove Trump or “cause any votes cast for him to be suppressed,” for violating section three of the 14th Amendment, or the “disqualification clause,” for engaging in insurrection.

    Porter’s ruling reverses last month’s decision by the Illinois Board of Elections to keep Trump’s name on the primary ballot after a group of Illinois voters accused the former president of engaging in insurrection. 

    However, the order is put on hold until Friday, in case of an appeal from Trump’s attorneys to the Illinois Appellate Court, First District or the Illinois Supreme Court. 

    A campaign spokesperson for Trump issued a statement to Reuters saying it “is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal.”

    For the first time, the Supreme Court is considering the meaning and reach of Section 3 of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which bars former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office again.

    The 14th Amendment, Section 3 of the Constitution states, “No person shall… hold any office… under the United States… who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States… to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

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