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    Classified Documents Discovered with Former President Mike Pence

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Mike Pence via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former Vice President Mike Pence has informed Congress that he discovered documents bearing classified markings in his Carmel, Indiana, home on Jan. 16 from his time as vice president. 

    According to reports from Fox News, Pence’s team informed the National Archives on Jan. 18 of a small number of potentially classified documents found in two small boxes. Another two boxes contained copies of vice presidential papers.

    Pence’s team said that after the documents with classified markings were discovered, they were immediately put into a safe.

    Next, the National Archives informed the FBI per standard procedure.

    Pence attorney Greg Jacob wrote on Jan. 18 to Acting Director Kate Dillon McClure of the White House Liaison Division National Archives and Records Administration to inform her of the papers “containing classified markings.”

    The documents were collected by the FBI at Pence’s home in Carmel, Indiana, on Thursday evening, Jan. 19. Pence was in Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life when the FBI collected the documents.

    Pence’s team said that although the documents bear classified markings, the Department of Justice or the agency that issues the documents will need to make a final determination on whether the documents are considered classified or not.

    According to Pence’s attorney Greg Jacob in a letter to Chief Operating Officer William “Jay” Bosanko of the National Archives and Records Administration on Jan. 22, the DOJ departed from its standard procedures that it ran with Biden, when it requested direct possession of the documents on Jan. 19.

    The discovery comes after classified documents from President Biden’s tenure as vice president were found at the Penn Biden Center think tank and Wilmington, Delaware.

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

    Texas Begins Construction of Makeshift Border Barrier

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    19
    CBP Photography, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Don’t mess with Texas.

    The Lone Star state is taking matters into its own hands and creating its own defense against illegal immigration. According to Gov. Greg Abbott, the state is using shipping containers in addition to other measures along the El Paso border to build a border wall.

    The move comes as El Paso saw an average of 2,400 migrants per day entering over one seven-day period, leading the city to declare an emergency. 

    “Texas is adding shipping containers to the US-Mexico border in El Paso,” Abbott tweeted on Wednesday. “This is in addition to the razor wire and National Guard. Together, the strategies are causing illegal immigration at that location to plummet.”

    Abbott’s announcement also came shortly after he provided an update to announce that Texas has bused 15,900 migrants to sanctuary cities in 2022.

    Abbott shared the update in a Twitter post with details on the number of migrants sent to each of the four included cities. The totals included over 8,900 migrants bused to Washington, D.C., over 4,900 to New York City, over 1,500 to Chicago, and over 690 to Philadelphia.

    Gov. Abbott linked to a San Antonio Fox 29 report on the barrier:

    Shipping containers were placed next to the Rio Grande in El Paso in hopes of diverting people crossing.

    In El Paso, the state of Texas lined up new shipping containers.

    The Lone Star state seems to be following the lead of Arizona which also used shipping containers to form a makeshift border wall to fill gaps left unresolved by the Biden administration.

    The Biden administration eventually sued the state of Arizona to remove the containers, claiming the state trespassed into federal lands.

    Sheriff Lamb on Border Security: ‘Go Back to the Trump-era Policies’

    By
    Victoria Churchill
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    0
    Pinal County, AZ Sheriff Mark Lamb attends the Federation for American Immigration Reform's 15th annual "Hold Their Feet To The Fire" media event in Washington, DC.

    The Federation For American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is currently hosting its annual two-day event – “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” – which is a gathering of radio show hosts, members of Congress, dozens of immigration activists, and even a few non-radio media members including your very own American Liberty News – who were invited to attend the event this year. The purpose of the event is to have the tough conversations about immigration that most in the mainstream media refuse to have.

    Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County, Arizona – and of Live PD and 60 Days In fame – was one of this year’s attendees. Pinal County is located between the cities of Phoenix and Tuscon.

    I had the chance to ask Sheriff Lamb a few questions today and get his thoughts on why he had come to Washington this year to share the extreme impacts of illegal immigration that he sees every day back home in Arizona, as well as what Washington can do about it.

    When asked about specific policies Washington could enact to make the lives of Sheriffs like himself easier, Lamb first pinpointed what he sees as “a key problem in this country” – “that we don’t understand the three branches of government anymore. ” Each branch is in place do their job and from the Sheriff’s perspective – that’s not currently happening.

    The number one problem that his officers face every day, Lamb said was Fentanyl, an issue that President Biden and most Washigton, D.C. politicians rarely touch on. Most Fentanyl that comes into the United States makes it through Pinal County, due to the I-10 corridor. Lamb praised the brave officers in his department who are on that interstate every day trying to stop the flow of drugs, as well as humans beings who are also smuggled through his jurisdiction illegally.

    Still, he emphasized that fentanyl is the leading cause of death amongst Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Last year in Arizona, Lamb told me there were 33 children who died from fentanyl – seven of them were under the age of one.

    When prompted, Lamb said he would welcome a visit from Biden as he could not recall a time when Biden had visited the border – either during his time as President or tenure as Vice President. “I do not agree with these guys at all, but I have respect for the positions of President and Vice President.”

    The Sheriff’s first and foremost request to the Administration is simple, he “would actually like to see them do their job – protect our border, secure it.” The easiest thing they can do is first “go back to the Trump-era policies, as we know those worked.” He said that the Biden Administration should should “start there, and then build from there.” In another effort to highlight the differences between the current Administration and their predecessors, Lamb said that he wants to see partnerships restored between federal agencies and the local agencies. He emphasized a stark difference between the “open line of communication that existed under Trump”, and the lack of communication he experiences now.

    Attorney General Appoints Special Counsel to Investigate Biden

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    15
    Chuck Kennedy for The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Things are heating up for Joe Biden.

    New reports indicate a second batch of classified documents has been recovered from President Biden’s garage in Wilmington, Delaware. The first batch of documents dating back to the Obama administration was uncovered inside the Washington offices of the Penn Biden Center think tank.

    “Lawyers discovered among personal and political papers a small number of additional Obama-Biden administration records with classified markings. All but one of these documents were found in storage space in the President’s Wilmington residence garage,” White House lawyers wrote in a Thursday statement. “One document consisting of one page was discovered among stored materials in an adjacent room.”

    The second discovery triggered the Justice Department to escalate to a special counsel investigation from a mere review. In a special press conference, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed former United State Attorney Robert Hur to handle the investigation.

    Fox News reporter Peter Doocy pressed the President over the second batch of documents on Thursday.

    “Classified documents next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?” Doocy asked.

    “I’m going to get the chance to speak on all of this, God willing it’ll be soon, but I said earlier this week — and by the way my Corvette is in a locked garage. It’s not like it’s sitting out in the street,” Biden responded.

    “So the documents were in a locked garage,” Doocy prompted.

    “Yes, as well as my Corvette. But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified material seriously,” Biden said. “I also said we’re cooperating fully and completely with the Justice Department’s review.”

    Trump’s Former Chief of Staff Subpoenaed in Jan. 6 Investigation

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Office of Congressman Mark Meadows, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows has been issued a subpoena in the special counsel’s ongoing investigation into Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.

    Reports indicate special counsel Jack Smith issued the subpoena to Meadows in January. Smith is seeking documents and testimony related to the Jan. 6 riot.

    The subpoena of Meadows follows the recent subpoena of former Vice President Mike Pence.

    Pence has vowed to fight the subpoena from the DOJ, saying he was prepared to go to the Supreme Court if it was necessary.

    “I’m going to fight the Biden DOJ’s subpoena for me to appear before the grand jury because I believe it’s unconstitutional, and it’s unprecedented,” Pence told reporters after an event in Iowa on Wednesday.

    As Great America News Desk previously reported:

    PENCE ALLIES SAY HE IS COVERED BY THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION THAT PROTECTS CONGRESSIONAL OFFICIALS FROM LEGAL PROCEEDINGS RELATED TO THEIR WORK — LANGUAGE KNOWN AS THE “SPEECH OR DEBATE” CLAUSE. THE CLAUSE, PENCE ALLIES SAY, LEGALLY BINDS FEDERAL PROSECUTORS FROM COMPELLING PENCE TO TESTIFY ABOUT THE CENTRAL COMPONENTS OF SMITH’S INVESTIGATION. IF PENCE TESTIFIES, THEY SAY, IT COULD JEOPARDIZE THE SEPARATION OF POWERS THAT THE CONSTITUTION SEEKS TO SAFEGUARD.

    “HE THINKS THAT THE ‘SPEECH OR DEBATE’ CLAUSE IS A CORE PROTECTION FOR ARTICLE I, FOR THE LEGISLATURE,” SAID ONE OF THE TWO PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH PENCE’S THINKING, WHO SPOKE ON CONDITION OF ANONYMITY TO DISCUSS HIS LEGAL STRATEGY. “HE FEELS IT REALLY GOES TO THE HEART OF SOME SEPARATION OF POWERS ISSUES. HE FEELS DUTY-BOUND TO MAINTAIN THAT PROTECTION, EVEN IF IT MEANS LITIGATING IT.”

    This story is developing. Click refresh for the latest updates.

    Kari Lake Appeals Key Court Dismissal

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Kari Lake speaking with supporters at a "Stand for Freedom" rally at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

    Kari Lake won’t go down without a fight.

    The 2022 Arizona gubernatorial hopeful has filed an appeals notice to overturn an Arizona judge’s decision to dismiss her election contest.

    CV2022095403-Lakes-NoticeDownload

    According to The Washington Examiner, in the appeal filed with Arizona Superior Court on Tuesday, the Republican challenged the dismissal of several counts that were thrown out by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson over the weekend.

    In his decision, Thompson ruled Lake’s campaign did not have sufficient evidence to support her claims that the election was influenced by intentional misconduct that handed Hobbs the victory.

    “I am standing up for the people of this state, the people who were done wrong on Election Day, and the millions of people who live outside of Maricopa County, whose vote was watered down by this bogus election in Maricopa County,” Lake told Steve Bannon on his War Room podcast on Tuesday.

    Lake signaled her intent to appeal the judge’s decision shortly after her lawsuit was thrown out, claiming her “election case provided the world with evidence that proves our elections are run outside of the law.”

    Earlier this week, Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs (D) requested the judge sanction Lake.

    Maricopa County and Hobbs argued Lake and her team should have known that they had no evidence to successfully mount an election challenge. They also noted the Republican’s refusal to commit to accepting the election results prior to the midterms citing a since-deleted tweet Lake issued on Monday accusing the judge of integrity violations. 

    On Wednesday, Lake avoided being found liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees incurred by Arizona Governor-elect Katie Hobbs and Maricopa County after a judge rejected pleas to sanction the losing gubernatorial candidate. 

    Arizona Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled Tuesday that Lake must pay $33,000 for the expert witnesses hired by Hobbs in defense of her Nov. 8 election victory.

    Kari Lake Loses Appeal in Gubernatorial Race Challenge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Kari Lake speaking with supporters at a "Stand for Freedom" rally at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

    Arizona Republican Kari Lake’s challenge of her loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs in the gubernatorial race has been rejected by an appeals court. 

    On Thursday, the Arizona Court of Appeals denied Lake’s request to toss election results in Maricopa County and hold the election again.

    According to Fox News, the Republican challenger claimed problems with ballot printers at some polling places on Election Day resulted from intentional misconduct. Still, the court said Lake presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote. 

    “Lake’s arguments highlight Election Day difficulties, but her request for relief fails because the evidence presented to the superior court ultimately supports the court’s conclusion that voters were able to cast their ballots, that votes were counted correctly, and that no other basis justifies setting aside the election results,” the court said in its opinion. 

    The court said a witness called by Lake to testify had confirmed that voters whose ballots couldn’t initially be read at polling places could still ultimately have their vote counted.

    And while a pollster who testified on behalf of Lake claimed the polling place problems had disenfranchised enough voters to change the outcome in Lake’s favor, the court said his conclusions were baseless.

    In response to the ruling, Lake signaled her intent to take the case to the Supreme Court.

    “I told you we would take this case all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court, and that’s exactly what we are going to do. Buckle up, America!”

    Lawyers for Lake focused on problems with ballot printers at some polling places in Maricopa County, which is home to more than 60% of the state’s voters making it Arizona’s most populous county.

    The defective printers produced ballots that were too light to be read by the on-site tabulators at polling places. However, the county argued everyone had a chance to vote and all ballots were counted since ballots affected by the printers were taken to more sophisticated counters at the elections department headquarters.

    Additionally, Lake’s attorneys argued that the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility. The county disputes the claim. 

    Georgia Jury Concludes Trump Criminal Investigation Report

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The special purpose jury in Fulton County, Georgia, has finished its final report on its investigation into alleged criminal efforts by former President Donald Trump and others during the 2020 election.

    The special jury, requested by District Attorney Fani Willis and approved last January, reportedly submitted its final report and will await the ruling of Judge Robert McBurney on whether to make it public.

    A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 24, according to Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Bill Rankin.

    Willis opened the investigation last year after audio surfaced of a call between Raffensperger and Trump, where the former president pushed the secretary of state to “find” 11,780 votes to secure a win in Georgia and overturn his loss in the 2020 election against President Joe Biden.

    The special grand jury was granted the power to help dole out subpoenas and recommend charges, however, it lacks the authority to indict on its own.

    This story is developing. Click refresh for the latest updates.

    Trump Special Master Request Rescinded: Report

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6
    Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

    The federal judge in Florida who initially granted former President Donald Trump’s special master request has dismissed his lawsuit, marking a sudden end to the monthslong chronicle since the FBI’s search of Trump’s residence.

    Following the FBI’s unprecedented search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the former president requested a third party to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into the documents seized from the Florida estate.

    On Monday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, an appointee of the former president, affirmed an appeals court’s decision that she lacked jurisdiction to appoint a special master to oversee documents taken from his estate and lifted an injunction that blocked investigators from using them in a criminal investigation in the meantime.

    By dismissing the lawsuit, titled Trump v. United States, all scheduled hearings over the dispute in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida are canceled, and all pending motions are “denied as moot,” according to a court order.

    gov.uscourts.flsd_.618763.199.0Download

    The Washington Examiner reports:

    Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that Cannon never had the jurisdiction to assign U.S. District Senior Judge Raymond Dearie, a semiretired jurist based in Brooklyn, to serve the role of the special master.

    “We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant,” Judge William Pryor, an appointee of George W. Bush, wrote for a unanimous panel ruling. “Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so. Either approach would be a radical reordering of our caselaw limiting the federal courts’ involvement in criminal investigations. And both would violate bedrock separation-of-powers limitations.”

    Dearie had expected to complete his review by Friday. The 11th Circuit’s decision came less than two weeks after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith to oversee the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the unauthorized transfer of about 100 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after he left the Oval Office.

    This story is developing. Check back with Great America News Desk for the latest updates.

    Former Trump Org. CFO Sentenced to Notorious Prison

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2

    Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, is expected to be sent to Rikers Island jail in New York after receiving his sentence for his participation in a tax fraud scheme.

    Wesselberg, along with other top executives, pled guilty to running the scheme for the past 15 years where he and others received bonuses and other kickbacks designed to save the real estate company money.

    On Tuesday, the CFO was sentenced to five months in jail as well as pay nearly $2 million in taxes, penalties, and interest, and serve five years of probation.

    Rikers Island is one of New York’s most well-known jails and has become notorious for violence and drug use.

    The Washington Examiner reports:

    Weisselberg’s sentence comes one month after prosecutors and defense lawyers gave their closing arguments in the criminal tax fraud trial against the Trump Organization, wrapping up the yearslong investigation into the former president’s company and its financial dealings.The former CFO emerged as the prosecutor’s star witness after he testified that he had accepted illegal compensation for his own benefit and hid the payments from the company’s outside accountant. The former CFO continued this practice for years, ending it once Donald Trump was elected president and his company’s business practices came under new scrutiny.

    Weisselberg’s testimony strengthened prosecutors’ accusations that the Trump Organization paid for the personal expenses of several company executives without reporting them as income. These payments included paying for the managers’ rent, car lease payments, and other expenses. Prosecutors also alleged the company partially paid these executives as independent contractors rather than company employees.

    The Trump Organization pleaded not guilty, and defense lawyers sought to point the finger solely at Weisselberg.

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

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