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Durham Testifies FBI Rejected Warnings Of Clinton’s Plan To Link Trump To Russia

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Hillary Clinton via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Wednesday, Special Counsel John Durham testified before Congress that the FBI ignored key intelligence reports from 2016 linking the Hillary Clinton campaign to a scheme to tie then-presidential candidate Donald Trump to Russia.

Durham testified publicly for the first time before the House Judiciary Committee according to Fox News. His testimony comes just weeks after releasing a report that ruled the Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI erred in launching the Trump-Russia investigation.

When asked about his findings, Durham said the FBI failed to “sufficiently scrutinize information it received” and also noted the agency applied a double standard to the opposing political campaigns.

“The FBI was too willing to accept and use politically funded and uncorroborated opposition research, such as the Steele dossier,” Durham said. “The FBI relied on the dossier and FISA applications, knowing there was likely material originating from a political campaign or political opponent.”

He added that the FBI “did so even after the president of the United States, the FBI and CIA directors and others received briefings about intelligence suggesting that there was a Clinton campaign plan underway to stir up a scandal tying Trump to Russia.”

Durham’s report found the FBI “failed to act on what should have been — when combined with other incontrovertible facts — a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes during the 2016 presidential election.”

“Whether or not the Clinton plan intelligence was based on reliable or unreliable information, or was ultimately true or false it, it should have prompted FBI personnel to immediately undertake an analysis of the information and to act with far greater care and caution when receiving, analyzing, and relying upon materials of partisan origins, such as the Steele Reports, and the Alfa Bank allegations,” Durham’s report stated.

Durham’s public testimony was part of a lengthy House hearing in which he defended his years-long investigation into the matter.

Democrats largely used the hearing to attack Durham, with some lawmakers labeling him a “political hack” and warning that his reputation is “damaged” due to getting “involved with Donald Trump.”

Report: Judge Rules Over Trump Gag Order Violations

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

On Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan fined former President Donald Trump nearly $10,000 for violating his gag order.

Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office claim Trump has so far violated the order barring him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and the judge’s family 10 times. They asked the judge to fine Trump $1,000 for each violation.

The Hill reports:

“What happened here is precisely what this order was designed to prevent and this defendant doesn’t care,” Assistant District Attorney Chris Conroy said at last week’s hearing.

At one point, a hearing on the matter grew heated between the judge and Trump’s attorney, where at one point Merchan told Todd Blanche that he was “losing all credibility” with the court.

Trump regularly rails against his perceived foes in his legal entanglements, leading his hush money judge, at prosecutors’ request, to place restrictions on Trump’s speech as the case headed to trial.

Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

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

Ex-Trump Admin. Official Wins Race for Montana House Seat

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The GOP is inching closer to securing a majority in the House of Representatives as former Trump Administration official Ryan Zinke declares victory in Montana’s newly created 1st Congressional District.

Zinke, the former interior secretary during the Trump administration, beat Democrat opponent Monica Tranel the Associated Press reported on Thursday.

According to The Washington Examiner:

Prior to Tuesday’s election, Zinke’s and Tranel’s campaigns both focused on affordability, though Zinke also focused on inflation and spending, while Tranel focused on growth. To combat inflation, Zinke has suggested slowing federal spending and has advocated more action to lower energy costs, according to KTVH.

“The things that are hurting are inflation — energy costs too much, fertilizer’s too much,” he said during a debate in Bozeman last month.

Ahead of the election, Tranel highlighted her four-point affordability plan, which calls for investing in the American workforce and domestic manufacturing, as well as standing up against corporate consolidation. To fix the housing situation, Tranel said during last month’s debate that she wants to expand tax credits for affordable developments and put restrictions on corporations that have been purchasing homes for investment purposes.

Trump Files Series Of Motions In D.C. Election Interference Case

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former President Trump attempted to distance himself from the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol in a series of late-night legal motions.

Former President Trump’s legal team is asking a judge to toss his prosecution in his federal election interference case.

The Daily Beast reports that in one motion, Trump filed to dismiss his federal 2020 election subversion case, citing First Amendment rights surrounding Trump’s belief the election as stolen and claiming the indictment, “taken as true, violates this core principle.”

“The fact that the indictment alleges that the speech at issue was supposedly, according to the prosecution, ‘false’ makes no difference,” the defense wrote. “Under the First Amendment, each individual American participating in a free marketplace of ideas — not the federal Government — decides for him or herself what is true and false on great disputed social and political questions.”

“President Trump’s opinion on the subject was just that — an opinion formed based on his view of the available information. Virtually every American, including the cited public officials, had similar access to much of this same information, including a mountain of publicly reported facts and opinions, which were the subject of wall-to-wall media coverage throughout the post-election period and beyond,” they wrote.

“Each official thus had every opportunity to form his or her own conclusions, just like President Trump.”

The second motion seeks dismissal on statutory grounds, arguing, “The prosecution does not explain how President Trump violated these statutes, beyond simply saying he has while regurgitating the statutory language.”

The third motion asks Judge Chutkan to remove “repeated references to the actions of independent actors at the Capitol on January 6, 2021” from his indictment, claiming Trump was not charged “with responsibility for the actions at the Capitol” and therefore the “allegations related to these actions are not relevant and are prejudicial and inflammatory.”

“Because the Government has not charged President Trump with responsibility for the actions at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, allegations related to these actions are not relevant and are prejudicial and inflammatory. Therefore, the Court should strike these allegations from the Indictment,” his attorneys wrote in a motion to strike “inflammatory allegations” from Trump’s indictment. 

The fourth saw Trump request dismissal “on the basis of selective and vindictive prosecution.”

“These demands place an unacceptable burden on President Trump to foreshadow a possible formal defense,” they wrote.

Federal Judge Grants Trump’s Special Master Request, Rejects DOJ’s Demands

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

Thursday evening, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon officially appointed a special master to review the thousands of pages of materials seized by the FBI during its August raid of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

Judge Cannon also rejected the Justice Department’s demand she permits federal investigators continue their own probe into the records marked classified, according to POLITICO. In her ruling, Cannon rejected the DOJ’s claims that records they are trying to review as part of an ongoing criminal investigation remain highly classified or contain extraordinarily sensitive defense information that could damage national security if released.

“The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Government’s conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion,” Cannon, a Trump appointee, wrote in her 10-page ruling denying the Justice Department’s request to essentially exclude about 100 documents marked classified from the special master process.

Judge Cannon selected Raymond Dearie a former federal judge in New York, to lead the independent investigation. Earlier this week, Trump’s legal team named Dearie as one of its proposed judges to oversee the case. In a separate filing, the Justice Department also named Dearie as one of its pre-approved candidates. (Related: DOJ Signals Support for Trump-selected Special Master Candidate)

Dearie is a former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York who also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. He was also among the FISA judges who signed an order approving electronic surveillance of Carter Page, a former Trump aide, as part of the FBI’s investigation into whether the 2016 Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

Dearie accepted the role in a signed filing Thursday night.

Judge Cannon pressed him to complete the review by Nov. 30th, over a month after the Oct. 17 deadline the Justice Department had most recently asked Cannon to set. Cannon also requested the special master “prioritize review of the approximately 100 documents marked as classified (and papers physically attached thereto).”

However, the Justice Department was able to secure two wins over the former president. In Judge Cannon’s ruling, she ordered Trump to shoulder the full cost of Dearie’s review, as well as that for any staff or associates he hires.

The judge also offered clarification on how the DOJ might continue its criminal investigation while the documents are reviewed by the special master, such as “questioning witnesses and obtaining other information about the movement and storage of seized materials, including documents marked as classified, without discussion of their contents.”

“The Government’s submissions, read collectively, do not firmly maintain that the described processes are inextricably intertwined, and instead rely heavily on hypothetical scenarios and generalized explanations that do not establish irreparable injury,” she wrote.

“There has been no actual suggestion by the Government of any identifiable emergency or imminent disclosure of classified information arising from Plaintiff’s allegedly unlawful retention of the seized property,” Cannon wrote. “Instead, and unfortunately, the unwarranted disclosures that float in the background have been leaks to the media after the underlying seizure.”

Mike Pence Lands New Job

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Mike Pence via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former vice president Mike Pence has landed a new gig.

Pence will be teaching a course at Grove City College, the school announced Thursday. Grove City College is a conservative Christian school located in Grove City, Pennsylvania.

“It was an honor to be on campus today and see President Paul McNulty and so many wonderful students!” Pence tweeted Thursday, with photos of him addressing the annual conference held by The Institute for Faith & Freedom.

Pence will serve as the Distinguished Visiting Fellow for Faith & Public Life for the school’s new Center for Faith & Public Life, which will “explore and support the presence of Christian faith in public institutions,” the school said.

In a separate statement, Pence said he was honored to be a visiting fellow for the college.

“It is my great honor to serve as a visiting fellow to Grove City College’s new Center for Faith & Public Life,” Pence said. “Faith and engaging in public life are not mutually exclusive, nor should they ever be. History shows that Christians steadily working toward the common good have changed the world, and Grove City College opening a center shows they are committed to continuing this work.”

The former vice president and governor of Indiana continued: “Grove City College has been a pivotal institution in helping students grow in their faith and in understanding God’s calling for their life through a rigorous education and a faith-based community. Grove City works to send out young men and women into the world to be beacons of light and truth in a world that needs leaders of integrity and principle.”

Grove City College President Paul J. McNulty emphasized the role of faith in society and praised Pence as the “perfect choice” for the position.

“No one has pursued this calling more sincerely than the former vice president,” the president continued. “He is an extraordinary role model for what it looks like to lead with wisdom and winsomeness in public life, and he will be a leading source of thought leadership and an impactful voice of the Center.”

Trump’s Truth Social Sues The Washington Post for Defamation

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The gloves are coming off…

Donald Trump’s social media company Truth Social is suing Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post for defamation. The nearly $3 billion lawsuit alleges The Post published an article that harmed Trump’s company’s reputation and caused “enormous loss.”

The suit alleges that the Washington Post article, “Trust linked to porn-friendly bank could gain a stake in Trump’s Truth Social” includes a series of “materially false” statements that accused the Trump-owned company of fraud and other wrongdoing.

“WaPo’s false criminal charges exposed TMTG to public ridicule, contempt and distrust, and injured TMTG’s business and reputation,” the complaint states, while accusing The Washington Post of waging a years-long crusade against the Truth Social owner.

The complaint further states that “WaPo’s latest defamation creates an existential threat for TMTG, causing enormous loss.”

The lawsuit was filed by Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), which owns the social media platform Truth Social, on May 20 in Florida state court in Sarasota County.

The lawsuit alleges that The Washington Post made nine false statements about TMTG in the May 13 article. The false claims are as follows:

“An obscure financial entity … would gain a sizable stake in former president Donald Trump’s media company if its merger deal proceeds”;

“[T]he role ES Family Trust would assume in Trump Media and Technology Group has never been officially disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission [“SEC”] or to shareholders in Digital World Acquisition [“DWAC”], the special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that has proposed merging with Trump’s company”;

“The companies also have not disclosed to shareholders or the SEC that Trump Media paid a $240,000 finder’s fee for helping to arrange the $8 million loan deal with ES Family Trust”;

“…the recipient of that fee was an outside brokerage associated with Patrick Orlando, then Digital World’s CEO”;

“Orlando’s finder’s fee could affect the value of the shares”;

“Trump’s media company took out an $8 million loan in exchange for stock, but no one told the SEC”;

“Trump Media: this time they borrowed money from a bank best known for servicing the adult entertainment, pledged a stake in the company for the loan and didn’t tell the SEC”;

“A Russian banker connected to the porn industry could have gained a stake in Trump’s Truth Social according to documents”;

“The Guardian reported in March that federal prosecutors in New York have been investigating whether the Trump Media loans violated money laundering statutes.”

Manhattan Grand Jury Shares New Announcement -Delaying Potential Trump Indictment

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

The Manhattan grand jury weighing an indictment against former President Donald Trump will reportedly not meet again until late April, delaying any potential charges.

A source close to the matter told POLITICO that the grand jury investigating the alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels isn’t expected to hear evidence in the case for the next month largely due to a previously scheduled hiatus.

However, District Attorney Alvin Bragg can adjust the schedule and ask the grand jury to reconvene if prosecutors want the panel to meet during previously planned breaks.

POLITICO reports:

The grand jury, which heard testimony in the Trump case on Monday, isn’t meeting Wednesday and is expected to examine evidence in a separate matter Thursday, the person said. The grand jury, which typically meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, is scheduled to consider another case next week on Monday and Wednesday, the person said, and isn’t expected to meet Thursday due to the Passover holiday.

The following two weeks are set to be a hiatus that was scheduled when the grand jury was first convened in January, the person said.

The unprecedented indictment hanging over Trump’s head stems from a $130,000 hush money payment he allegedly made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Prosecutors are expected to charge Trump with a felony by arguing that the alleged crime was committed to hide an illegal campaign contribution. The potential problem for Trump centers around how his company reimbursed former attorney Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to related charges and served time in prison.

The payment to Daniels was listed as a legal expense and Trump’s company cited a retainer agreement with Cohen. The retainer agreement did not exist and the reimbursement was not related to any legal services from Cohen, thus setting up a potential misdemeanor criminal charge of falsifying business records. A report by NBC News said that Trump personally signed several of the checks to Cohen while he was serving as president.

Prosecutors can elevate the misdemeanor to a felony if they can prove that Trump’s “‘intent to defraud’ included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime.”

Prosecutors argue that the second crime is that the $130,000 hush payment was an improper donation to the Trump campaign because the money was used to stop a story to benefit his presidential campaign.

Report: Tucker Carlson Mulling New GOP Debate Forum With Trump

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Tucker Carlson via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Is Tucker Carlson already eyeing his way back into the spotlight?

Nearly two weeks since Carlson’s sudden exit from Fox News and new reports indicate what the primetime star’s next move could be.

According to a report from The Washington Post, Carlson has been speaking with former President Donald Trump about moderating a forum for 2024 Republican presidential candidates.

From the report:

Carlson and his team have discussed the possibility of moderating a candidate forum outside of the traditional protocols surrounding the GOP primary debate system, according to two people familiar with the considerations. These people said the setup — as well as Carlson’s availability to take on that kind of role, given the noncompete constraints of his contract with Fox — remain unclear. But Carlson has personally expressed enthusiasm about the idea, according to people familiar with his comments. At least one major candidate — Trump — has told Carlson he’s interested, according to a person familiar with the exchange.

The former Fox host’s interest in a debate is said to stem in part from its potential to loosen the Republican National Committee’s grip on the process, as well as to challenge the role traditionally played by the major television networks. “He could go straight to the candidates, stream it live, invite the networks but maintain control over the process,” said one person familiar with the discussions.

The Post notes that Carlson’s Fox contract was originally supposed to run until the end of 2024, potentially limiting his options for establishing a new media presence if he intends to collect the millions the network is still legally obligated to pay him.

However, sources told the Post that Carlson could be willing to forfeit millions if it means he’ll be able to publicly re-establish himself.

Carlson has reportedly spoken with Trump because one of his biggest ideas is to moderate his own Republican primary debate outside the bounds put in place by the Republican National Committee.

Last month, Trump indicated he plans to boycott any debates during the primaries. (RELATED: Trump Signals He Won’t Participate In Any Republican Debates)

“I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them,” Trump said to his Truth Social account. “When you’re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the “questions,” why subject yourself to being libeled and abused? Also, the Second Debate is being held at the Reagan Library, the Chairman of which is, amazingly, Fred Ryan, Publisher of The Washington Post. NO!”

Trump Sues Over Efforts To Boot Him Off Michigan Ballot

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Donald Trump is pushing back against efforts to keep him off the 2024 ballot in some states.

On Monday, Trump’s legal team filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson from refusing to put him on the ballot for the state’s 2024 presidential primary and general elections.

The Hill reports that the lawsuit asks the court to affirm that Benson (D) lacks the authority to decide whether Trump can be disqualified from the ballot under an interpretation of the 14th Amendment. The lawsuit asks the court to enter an injunction stopping her from barring Trump from the ballot.

The suit cites several national and state polls where Trump is the leading Republican candidate for the upcoming presidential election.

“Despite President Trump’s tremendous popularity, there are people who want to deny Michigan voters the opportunity to express their choice by voting for him,” the lawsuit said.

Trump’s attorneys said court intervention is necessary so Trump can “ensure he is included” on the upcoming ballots.

“There is an actual controversy, the outcome of which will determine how President Trump and his campaign allocate their resources both in Michigan and around the country,” the lawsuit said.

Polling from August shows Biden and Trump neck and neck in Michigan, each earning 44 percent support from voters.

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