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Fulton County DA Seeks To Revoke Bond for Trump Georgia Co-defendant  

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Image via Pixabay

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) is seeking to revoke the bond allowing a defendant in the Georgia election interference case to stay free ahead of the trial.

On Wednesday, Willis’s office cited defendant Harison Floyd’s social media posts in a court filing, asserting they were in violation of the bond agreement he signed as a condition of release. 

“Since his release from custody, the Defendant has engaged in numerous intentional and flagrant violations of the conditions of release ordered by the Court,” Willis’s motion states. 

According to The Hill, a review of Floyd’s social media shows that the Trump co-defendant made numerous posts related to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Gabe Sterling, chief operating officer of the secretary of state’s office. 

Floyd, a leader of Black Voices for Trump, was charged alongside the former president over Floyd’s alleged attempt to convince Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman to make false statements about election operations on Election Day 2020, under the guise of offering her help. Floyd pleaded not guilty. 

“Look, the truth is that @GaSecofState & @GabrielSterling are the pieces of [s—] you should be mad at,” Floyd tweeted on Nov. 7, using a poop emoji to replace the expletive. 

He also made several posts about Freeman, including to release of audio of the Fulton County poll worker talking to police officers, which the Georgia district attorney’s office claimed constitutes “an act to intimidate a known witness.” Floyd suggested on social media that the audio proved he did not set up a meeting with Freeman and Trump allies who prosecutors say menaced her. 

“Because of and in response to the Defendant’s intimidating communications, witness Ruby Freeman has been the subject of renewed threats of violence from third parties,” the filing reads. 

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will ultimately decide whether to approve the request.

Hunter Biden Seeks To Subpoena Trump In Criminal Case

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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)

Hunter Biden is requesting to subpoena former President Donald Trump and three other senior Justice Department officials claiming the investigation against him is politically motivated.

According to The Hill, Biden, who faces three federal gun charges, is demanding Trump and former Attorney General Bill Barr turn over communications and documents concerning the president’s son or his criminal investigation.

The demands for documents, which must be approved by a judge, also extend to former Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen.

“Mr. Biden seeks specific information from three former DOJ officials and the former President that goes to the heart of his defense that this is, possibly, a vindictive or selective prosecution arising from an unrelenting pressure campaign beginning in the last administration, in violation of Mr. Biden’s Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution,” Biden’s attorneys wrote in court filings.

Prosecutors indicted the President’s son on gun charges earlier this year after a sweetheart plea deal fell through.

Biden is accused of unlawfully possessing a firearm while addicted to a controlled substance and failing to disclose drug use when seeking to buy a weapon. Biden pleaded not guilty.

Last week, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) subpoenaed Hunter along with other members of the Biden family as part of its corruption probe.

“It is clear no measure of charges against Mr. Biden will ever be enough to appease Chairmen Comer and Smith and their MAGA allies,” Biden’s attorneys wrote in their motion.

“As anyone can readily tell, it is not just pressure from within the Trump-era Executive Branch that is the problem; it is also incessant, unrelenting outside interference from congressional Republicans and their allies in the prosecutorial process, which is supposed to be independent and free from political interference,” the motion continued. “Undoubtedly, the current political climate has jeopardized that longstanding and fundamental American principle.”

Trump Team Files For Mistrial In Fraud Case

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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.

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Ex-White House Lawyer Says This Is What Could Land Trump In Jail

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Tim Scott Ends 2024 Presidential Campaign

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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

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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

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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

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