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    Report: Bannon Told Epstein Trump Should Be Removed Via 25th Amendment

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    0
    Thor Brødreskift / Nordiske Mediedager, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    Newly released Epstein files include private messages from 2018 between Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein, revealing previously undisclosed political discussions involving President Donald Trump.

    According to reporting based on the documents, Bannon described Trump in late 2018 as “beyond borderline” and referenced the 25th Amendment, the constitutional mechanism for removing a president who is unable to perform the duties of the office.

    The remarks were made in private correspondence and were not public at the time. (RELATED: Report: Only Roughly 2% Of Epstein Files Public As DOJ Says ‘All’ Released)

    As Mediaite’s Isaac Shorr reports:

    Bannon has come under fire from a wide variety of critics — including conservatives — in recent days over his his relationship with Epstein.

    Documents released by the Department of Justice revealed that on the very day Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking in July 2019, he was texting with Bannon about the aforementioned documentary.

    A few months before that, Bannon advised Epstein: “First we need to push back on the lies ; then crush the pedo/trafficking narrative ; then rebuild your image as a philanthropist.”

    Another text exchange between the two men, dated Dec. 31, 2018, is under intense scrutiny.

    The conversation reads:

    EPSTEIN: Hell of. Year. Next will be biblicl

    BANNON: We either own 2019 or it will surely own us

    EPSTEIN: Im back in the f and b biz only

    BANNON: F and B director

    EPSTEIN: No it does not stand for fck and blw

    EPSTEIN: Spoke to my dems. This weekend. Boy are emotions running high

    BANNON: Going to blow him up right our of the box– WH has zero plan to punch back– Fort Apache with no cavalry enroute

    EPSTEIN: And no soldiers in the fort. He really is borderline. Not sure what he may do.

    BANNON: I think it’s beyond borderline — 25 amendment

    The records show the two men exchanged hundreds of messages about media coverage, legal matters, and political strategy. Some messages indicate Epstein offered advice on messaging and reputation management. (RELATED: New Documents Show Bannon Reached Out To Epstein During Vatican Fight)

    The communications also reference handling critical coverage following the Miami Herald’s 2018 investigative series on Epstein, which is widely credited with prompting renewed federal scrutiny and Epstein’s eventual 2019 arrest.

    The documents do not allege criminal conduct related to the exchanges.

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    Pro-Trump Impeachment Republican Eyes New Public Office

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    Former U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Republican who was ousted last year from her Southwest Washington congressional seat after voting to impeach then-President Donald Trump, plans to reignite her failed political career by running for state commissioner of public lands.

    The Seattle Times reports:

    Herrera Beutler announced her intentions at a meeting Monday morning with supporters of Future 42, a conservative political group, a meeting participant told The Seattle Times.

    “1,000% — she’s in,” the source said.

    Herrera Beutler was one of 10 House Republicans to cross party lines and vote to impeach Trump for allegedly inciting the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

    In an address on the House floor, Herrera Beutler called on her colleagues to embrace the moral clarity that comes with accepting the truth.

    “I rise today to stand against our enemy. And to clarify, our enemy isn’t the president, or the president-elect. Fear is our enemy. It tells us what we want to hear, it incites anger and violence and fire, but it also haunts us into silence and inaction. What are you afraid of?” she asked.

    “My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision. I am not choosing a side, I’m choosing truth. It’s the only way to defeat fear,” Herrera Beutler concluded, to a smattering of applause on the House floor.

    Obama Reveals The Small Issue That Will Keep Pete Buttigieg from the Presidency

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    A new book reveals why former President Barack Obama says former South Bend mayor-turned Biden cabinet member, Pete Buttigieg will not make it to the White House. The former commander in chief who still holds a celebrity-like presence among Democrats says Buttigieg’s height is a big problem.

    According to The Washington Free Beacon:

    “Obama had actually been impressed by the brains, charisma, and chutzpah of the thirty-something mayor of a small midwestern city,” writes New York magazine correspondent Gabriel Debenedetti in The Long Alliance. “Obama just doubted it would all add up to viability in a presidential campaign where image and fame mattered immensely—he thought Buttigieg was too short and, as a former volunteer for Obama in 2008, seemed too young—and where such a large field would make breaking through that much harder.”

    Trump wasted no time calling attention to Mr. Buttigieg’s height during the 2020 election, spurring tons of memes and viral reactions on Twitter to the mayor’s short stature.

    Every single commander in chief since William McKinley (1897-1901) has been at least 5 foot 9 inches tall. It’s never going to happen, but height isn’t the only reason. Debenedetti also notes that Obama was rightfully “turned off by Buttigieg’s apparent inability to win over nonwhite voters” in the Democratic primary.

    Biden was similarly impressed by Buttigieg’s “gay Obama” schtick but “also thought everyone was kidding themselves” about his viability as a candidate. “The guy had gotten destroyed in the piddling race for DNC chair in 2017, so how was he going to be the party’s presidential nominee?” Debenedetti writes of Biden’s thinking at the time. The former VP was particularly annoyed when a bunch of former Obama staffers started lining up behind Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke, another candidate with no shot at winning. “You believe this shit?” Biden would often vent to aides and associates.

    Of course, Obama didn’t even want Biden to run in 2020 (or 2016). “You don’t have to do this, Joe, you really don’t,” he reportedly told his former vice president before Biden declared his candidacy. As the Democratic primary wore on, Obama tried to warn his fellow Democrats not to “underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up.”

    There have already been some rumors Buttigieg may seriously be considering making another run for president in the near future, however without the support of past presidents like Obama it’s doubtful he would be successful enough to gain the party’s nomination.

    Joe Manchin Reignites 2024 White House Speculation

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Joe Manchin via Wikimedia Commons

    A Democrat Senator isn’t ready to give up his presidential aspiration quite yet.

    West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin signaled that his interest in potentially launching his own presidential campaign has not been deterred by President Biden’s reported re-election plans.

    While speaking with Semafor’s Steve Clemmons, Sen. Manchin declined to rule out a bid for higher office. 

    “I don’t know what the next chapter will be, I don’t know [where] the future lies, I really don’t,” Manchin said when asked if he would run for president next year during a question-and-answer session hosted by Clemons.  

    “I can tell you one thing: I feel, like most Americans, we’ve got to come together. Americans want to be united, they want to be together and right now we’re going further apart,” he said.  

    He predicted that voters are going to be looking for “somebody” to bring the country together but didn’t say whether he would be the politician to do that as the next president.  

    “I’m not saying I have any aspirations” to run for the White House, he said, adding a caveat: “I’ve been [in Washington] 12 years. I don’t like what I see; I don’t the direction we’re going and I’m going to work and commit myself to try to get people who want to do the right thing to find the pathway forward, bringing the country back together.” 

    Manchin has recently criticized Democratic leaders for refusing to negotiate with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) over a package of fiscal reforms to attach to legislation raising the debt limit.

    “It’s unreasonable for any senator, any congressperson representing the United States government to say, ‘I’m not going to negotiate,’” he told reporters on Capitol Hill. “If you can’t communicate and you won’t talk to each other, you got a problem.”   

    Vince Fong Wins Special Election For McCarthy’s Seat

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    California state Assemblyman Vince Fong won the special election to serve out the remainder of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) term in the House.

    Fong defeated Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux (R) in Tuesday’s runoff election. The former House Speaker and California Congressman was a mentor to Fong and endorsed him early in the race to succeed him.

    Though Fong is now set to fill McCarthy’s seat for the rest of the term, he and Boudreaux will go up against each other again to win a full term representing California’s 20th congressional district this November after they both advanced from a regularly scheduled primary earlier this year. 

    McCarthy announced his exit from the lower chamber after a short tenure in the top House role ended with his historic removal from the Speakership. 

    Prior to McCarthy’s resignation, Fong also filed to run for reelection in the California State Assembly, where he represents the Bakersfield area.

    California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) attempted to keep Fong out of the Congressional race, since he’d already declared for the state-level position and California law bars candidates from appearing twice. But, a judge ruled in late December that Fong could run.

    A Done Deal: West Virginia Poised To Turn Dark Red

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Governor Jim Justice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Former President Donald Trump is poised to win West Virginia, according to Fox News.

    Republican Jim Justice is also projected to flip the 2024 West Virginia Senate seat, according to Fox News.

    With Democrat Senator Joe Manchin opting not to seek reelection, the race left a critical seat open in a state that has shifted dramatically to the right in recent years. This Senate seat was a major target for Republicans, who view West Virginia as a strong pickup opportunity as they aim to regain control of the U.S. Senate.

    The Republican Frontrunner: Jim Justice

    Governor Jim Justice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Jim Justice, who has served as West Virginia’s governor since 2017, was widely seen as the frontrunner in the race to replace Joe Manchin. Initially elected as a Democrat, Justice switched to the Republican Party in 2017 during a rally with then-President Donald Trump, a move that aligned him with the state’s increasingly conservative electorate. Since then, Justice has solidified his position as one of the most prominent and popular figures in West Virginia politics, with consistently high approval ratings and strong support from rural voters.

    Justice’s campaign for the Senate centered on his track record as governor, during which he has focused on job creation, economic development, and coal industry revitalization—key issues in a state that has been economically dependent on coal mining for generations. He also made a point of emphasizing his ties to former President Trump, who remains extremely popular in West Virginia.

    The Democrat: Glenn Elliott

    Attorney and Wheeling city councilman Glenn Elliott is hoping to succeed Joe Manchin. Elliott has emphasized his work as a city councilman in Wheeling, where he has focused on economic development, affordable housing, and revitalizing downtown areas. His campaign has argued that the state needs new leadership to address its economic challenges and improve the quality of life for working-class families.

    Endorsements

    Here are five key endorsements for Jim Justice in the 2024 West Virginia Senate race:

    1. Donald Trump: The former president endorsed Jim Justice early in his campaign, cementing Justice’s status as the frontrunner in a state that overwhelmingly supported Trump in both 2016 and 2020.

    “Big Jim will be a Great UNITED STATES SENATOR, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!!!” Trump wrote.

    Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
    1. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): Senator Blackburn endorsed Justice, praising his leadership and effectiveness as West Virginia’s governor, reinforcing his national Republican support.

    “Governor Jim Justice is a proven effective leader, and I am honored to endorse him for Senate in West Virginia,” said Senator Blackburn. “He has shown himself to make decisions that are best for the people of West Virginia with honor, integrity, and patriotism. I am confident that Governor Justice is the best person to protect West Virginia values and the principles our country was founded upon. Now more than ever we need true conservative leaders to take back the Senate Majority and reverse the damage caused by the Biden Administration.

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

    YouTube Influencer Jake Paul Endorses Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Thursday told his more than 20 million subscribers that he supports former President Trump in the 2024 election. 

    “Democrats have been in power for 12 of the last 16 years, so if we aren’t happy about the current political state, economic state, environmental state, then who is to blame?” Paul said in an 18 minute video posted to YouTube.

    “Do I think Donald Trump is a perfect human being? No. I don’t think anybody on this planet is a perfect human being, myself included,” the influencer said. “Don’t judge people off of a character that the media has portrayed them to be, because Democrats control 90% of the U.S. media.” 

    Paul argued that Trump is a better candidate on the issues than Harris, who he noted has been in office for the past four years. He said the media has mischaracterized Trump’s position on abortion, asking, “what rights as a woman were taken away from you” in Trump’s first term in office. 

    “If you really cared about women and their opportunities, and their lives, I think it would be better to have a president that doesn’t want biological men competing in women’s sports,” said Paul. 

    “As a future father, you will find me dead before I send my daughter to a school where men can go into her bathroom and where men can compete against her in sports. It’s bull—- that is taking away women’s rights.” 

    Watch:

    Trump Hints At ‘Little Secret’ During MSG Rally, Speaker Johnson Just Revealed What It Is

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Democrats can breathe a sigh of relief…

    House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday told voters in Pennsylvania that the “little secret” former President Trump mentioned at his Madison Square Garden rally is a get-out-the-vote strategy.

    Democrats have been in panic since Trump teased Sunday that his “little secret” with Johnson would help Republicans keep the House of Representatives come Election Day. A New York Times article suggested that in the worst case scenario, Democrats theorized Johnson would work with Trump to steal the election and stop the certification of results on Jan. 6. 2025, if Vice President Harris won.

    “It’s nothing scandalous, but we’re having a ball with this. The media, their heads are exploding. ‘What is the secret?’” Johnson said Monday at an event for GOP congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie, according to The Hill. 

    “It’s a thing we have about — it’s a get-out-the-vote. It’s one of our tactics on get-out-the-vote,” Johnson said in response to a voter’s question about Trump’s comment.

    “But they are convinced,” the speaker added, jokingly rubbing his hands together like he had an evil plan. 

    On Sunday, Trump said his “little secret” with Johnson would help Republicans win congressional elections, but he otherwise kept tight-lipped about it. 

    “I think with our little secret we’re going to do really well with the House, right?” Trump said, directing his remarks at Johnson. “Our little secret is having a big impact. He and I have a little secret — we will tell you what it is when the race is over.”

    His comments, delivered with a chuckle, set off a reported wave of fear and panic among Democrats who speculated that Trump could have been referring to attempts to steal the election.

    In comments to The Hill, Johnson called the rampant speculation that he and Trump were planning to break the law after the election “absolute, utter nonsense.” 

    “I’m a lifelong constitutional law attorney. We’re going to respect the law. We’re going to follow the constitution to a T,” Johnson told the outlet. “I’ve proven that over and over and over. So all this conjecture is actually hilarious to us, that people are apoplectic about this. It’s a — it’s one of our get out the vote strategies. That’s what we’re talking about. And it’s almost a tongue-in-cheek thing.”

    Reached for comment, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital, “President Trump has done countless telerallies reaching millions of Americans across the country in key regions that also helps bolster Republicans in congressional races.” 

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    Florida Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Eliminate Democrat Party

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    14

    A Republican lawmaker is trying to change the political landscape of the Sunshine State.

    Following Democrats’ widespread losses in Florida during the 2020 midterms, Republican state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia has filed a bill to eliminate the party entirely.

    According to The Hill, “The Ultimate Cancel Act” (SB 1248), sponsored by Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill), would cancel the filings of any political party that supported slavery during the Civil War.

    “The Democrat party adopted pro-slavery stances in their party platforms and this bill says that if you have done that in the past, then the Secretary of State shall de-certify and get rid of the party,” Ingoglia said. 

    Any “canceled” party would have the opportunity to register again, however, the name of the organization must be substantially different from the name of any other party that was previously registered with the department.

    The proposal is expectedly drawing widespread criticism from Democrats.

    “Shame on the Republican Party for initiating legislation of this magnitude. This is what a dictator does,” newly elected Florida Democrat Party chair Nikki Fried said. 

     “It’s a complete and absolute abuse, and it’s unconstitutional. This bill will go nowhere. It is meritless. It deserves zero airtime and frankly, it’s a distraction from the Republicans’ failed policies,” House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said.

    Ingoglia said he has not spoken to the governor or legislative leaders about the bill.

    The governor’s office has not commented on the bill. Legislative leaders in the House and Senate have also yet to express interest in taking up the bill during the upcoming session. If this were to become law, it would take effect in July 2023.

    “Florida Democrats are lucky I’m not asking them to return all the political contributions that they got in years past for their Jefferson Jackson dinners since they want to cancel everything. They were raising money based upon two people that, by their own admission, should have been canceled,” Ingoglia said.

    On Wednesday, the Florida Democrat Party issued the following statement:

    “Presenting a bill that would disenfranchise 5 million voters is both unconstitutional and unserious. Under Ron DeSantis, Senator Ingoglia is using his office to push bills that are nothing more than publicity stunts instead of focusing on the issues that matter most to Floridians, such as reforming property insurance, addressing housing affordability and combating climate change.

    “The sooner DeSantis and his puppets in the legislature learn that Florida is a Democratic Republic and not a Banana Republic, the better it will be for all Floridians.”

    Stacey Abrams’ Group Gave Millions to Law Firm Run by Her Campaign Chair

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Office of U.S. House Speaker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is in hot water once again.

    New reports indicate Abrams’ voting rights group Fair Fight Action has funneled millions of dollars to a law firm led by the chairwoman for Abrams’s gubernatorial campaign.

    According to The Washington Examiner, Fair Fight Action spent $9.4 million in 2019 and 2020 with Lawrence & Bundy, a boutique Atlanta law firm that counts Abrams’s campaign Chairwoman Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, a close friend of the candidate, as one of its two partners, according to the nonprofit group’s 2019 and 2020 IRS tax filings.

    There are no definitive reports to show how much Lawrence-Hardy’s firm has received from Fair Fight Action in 2021 and 2022. The organization has been involved in a legal fight against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) for the past years. Fair Fight Action filed the lawsuit after Abrams lost her 2018 gubernatorial bid to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whom she is currently running against, claiming the secretary of state engaged in voter suppression. In September, U.S. district judge Steve Jones ruled against Abrams and found no evidence of voter suppression.

    “This is a win for all Georgia election officials who dedicate their lives to safe, secure and accessible elections,” Raffensperger said at the time. “Stolen election and voter suppression claims by Stacey Abrams were nothing but poll-tested rhetoric not supported by facts and evidence.”

    “Judge Jones’ ruling exposes this legal effort for what it really is: a tool wielded by a politician hoping to wrongfully weaponize the legal system to further her own political goals,” Kemp said in a statement celebrating the ruling.

    The $9.4 million that Lawrence & Bundy received accounts for over 37% of the roughly $25 million in legal fees that Fair Fight Action has racked up in the past two years, according to Politico, which first reported on the payments to Lawrence-Hardy’s law firm.

    Fair Fight Action raised over $61 million in 2019 and 2020 after being founded in 2018. At least one-third of that money has gone toward the lawsuit against Raffensperger, while $20 million has been put in cash reserves, tax records show. While there are eight separate law firms that worked on the case against the secretary of state, Lawrence & Bundy has earned the most in fees.

    Abrams and Lawrence-Hardy were classmates together at Georgia’s Spelman College, and Abrams graduated from Yale Law School three years after Lawrence-Hardy.

    Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for the left-wing think tank Public Citizen, says that Abrams’s years-long friendship with Lawrence-Hardy represents a clear conflict of interest.

    Despite Abrams’s accusations of rampant voter suppression in the Peach State early voting data reports Georgians to have already broken records for early turnout. According to The Hill, Saturday’s turnout surpassed the 2020 election’s sixth day of early voting by 20 percent.

    The 79,682 voters who cast ballots on Saturday also marked a 159 percent increase from the first Saturday of early voting in the 2018 midterm elections, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s office.

    Georgia also smashed early voting on the first day polls opened last week, when 131,318 ballots were cast in-person, far above the 70,849 reported in 2018 and close to the 136,739 mark in 2020.

    “Early Voting is strong because Georgia’s voter registration system is strong,” said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a statement. “Every eligible Georgian who wants to be registered to vote is registered to vote.”

    However, despite the record-breaking data Abrams is still claiming voter suppression is underway in Georgia.

    “In 2018, we had record turnout,” Abrams said in a press conference Monday. “We had record turnout that shattered records for Democrats among communities of color and in that same election … we know that 85,000 Georgians were denied their right to vote due to voter suppression tactics that shut down their precincts. We know that 50,000 voters had their right to vote held hostage by the exact match process which was proven to be voter suppression tactics. We know that thousands of people stood in lines for hours because of voter suppression tactics.”

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