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Trump Asks Judge To Dismiss Hush Money Case

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Trump lawyers called for an “immediate dismissal” of New York v. Trump on Wednesday, saying the American people’s choice to elect the former president to a second term “supersedes” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “political motivations.”

In a letter to Judge Juan Merchan on Wednesday, Trump defense attorney and now-nominee for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche demanded the case against the president-elect be tossed. 

“On November 5, 2024, the Nation’s People issued a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANY’s ‘People,’” Blanche wrote. “This case must be immediately dismissed.” 

Blanche said that “immediate dismissal of this case is mandated by the federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interests of justice, in order to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power following President Trump’s overwhelming victory in the 2024 Presidential Election.” 

Blanche’s pre-motion letter Wednesday was sent in order to request permission to file a motion to dismiss by Dec. 20, 2024 and to request a stay on all deadlines, which Bragg and New York prosecutors have agreed to. 

Blanche argued that Bragg “appears to not yet be ready to dismiss this politically-motivated and fatally flawed case, which is what is mandated by the law and will happen as justice takes its course.” Blanche pointed to Bragg’s own election campaign for another term as Manhattan DA. 

Blanche argued that “continuing with this case would be ‘uniquely destabilizing’ and threatens to ‘hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus, both in foreign and domestic affairs.’” 

“The Court must address these new issues and dismiss the case, prior to issuing a decision on the previously filed Presidential immunity motion,” Blanche explained. “Any other action would obviously violate the presidential immunity doctrine and the Supremacy Clause.” 

The letter comes after Bragg on Tuesday sent a letter to Merchan requesting a stay on the case until 2029. Bragg said he would oppose Trump’s motion to dismiss, but said he would be open to receiving the defense argument. 

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the years-long investigation related to alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Kamala Reveals If She Would Appoint Republican To Cabinet If Elected

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

A surprising turnaround…

Vice President Harris said Thursday she would consider appointing a Republican to a Cabinet position if she wins the presidency in November.

“I’ve got 68 days to go with this election, so I’m not putting the cart before the horse,” Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash. “But I would, I think. I think it’s really important.”

Harris, who sat down with CNN for her first taped interview since becoming President Biden ended his campaign, told Bash that having a GOP official in her Cabinet would help her fulfill her pledge to be a president for all Americans. She did not name any individuals she would consider.

“I think it’s important to have people at the table — when some of the most important decisions are being made — that have different views, different experiences,” Harris said. “And I think it would be to the benefit of the American public to have a member of my Cabinet who was a Republican.”

A number of GOP Trump critics spoke at the Democratic convention in Chicago earlier this month, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham.

Trump’s Grip On Georgia Faces Another Test As GOP Runoffs Reach The Finish Line

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President Donald Trump’s political muscle is being put to the test once again in Georgia, where a pair of high-stakes Republican runoff elections on Tuesday will determine not only the GOP’s nominees, but also whether Trump’s endorsements still carry the decisive weight they’ve wielded across much of the MAGA era.

In the state’s closely watched Senate runoff, Trump jumped into the race just 48 hours before voting ends, throwing his support behind Rep. Mike Collins over former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley.

“Mike Collins is a true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR, who has been with us from the very beginning, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be your next United States Senator,” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social.

The endorsement escalates an already intense proxy battle between Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who backed Dooley and deployed his powerful political operation behind the former football coach.

The race will determine which Republican takes on Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate contests. With Ossoff the only Democrat senator seeking reelection in a state Trump carried in 2024, Republicans view Georgia as one of their top pickup opportunities.

Collins, a trucking company owner and current congressman, finished first in last month’s primary with nearly 41% of the vote but fell short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Dooley captured roughly 30% and has presented himself as a political outsider who can appeal beyond the GOP base.

After Trump’s endorsement, Dooley responded diplomatically.

“I have great respect for President Trump,” he wrote on X, adding that “the most important endorsement is that of the Georgia people.”

Trump, meanwhile, contrasted the two candidates sharply.

“I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person,” the president wrote before praising Collins as a “very successful Businessman” who is “always fighting tirelessly for our America First Agenda.”

The clash highlights the lingering tension between Trump and Kemp, whose relationship fractured after the governor certified Georgia’s 2020 election results despite Trump’s objections.

But the Senate race isn’t the only place Trump’s influence is being tested.

In Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial runoff, Trump has repeatedly endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, calling him “my good friend and your next Governor.”

Yet Jones faces a formidable challenge from billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who has poured more than $100 million of his own fortune into the race.

Adding another wrinkle, Trump’s son appeared to break from his father’s preferred candidate on the eve of the election.

Donald Trump Jr. stopped short of endorsing Jackson but issued a lengthy statement praising the businessman as a “patriot” and highlighting his investments in domestic manufacturing and energy infrastructure.

“Regardless of what happens in the Georgia Governor’s race tomorrow, we should celebrate the patriots building up MAGA and an America First economy like Rick Jackson has,” Trump Jr. wrote.

He later clarified: “This is not an endorsement of Rick and I think Burt Jones is a great guy too. My only point is that no matter who wins tomorrow, it’s a victory for MAGA.”

Jones has also received backing from Kemp, who argued Monday that Republicans must nominate candidates capable of winning in November.

“My mission is to make sure that we have the best folks at the top of the ticket that can win in November,” Kemp said. “That’s why I’m supporting Burt Jones for governor.”

Meanwhile, Jackson has assembled his own coalition of national conservatives. Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed him Friday and campaigned with him ahead of the runoff.

“Rick has an extraordinary record, an extraordinary life story,” Cruz told Fox News. “I also think he’s positioned to win. The stakes are too high. We can’t afford to lose Georgia.”

Cruz rejected suggestions that his support for Jackson represented a break with the president.

“The president and I agree on the vast majority of races,” Cruz said. “What I try to do in every race is endorse the strongest conservative who can win.”

The twin runoffs have become a measuring stick for the competing forces shaping the modern Republican Party: Trump’s personal endorsement power, Kemp’s entrenched state-level machine, and the growing influence of self-funded outsiders willing to spend enormous sums to bypass traditional political structures.

Intelligence Director Calls On Justice Department To Prosecute Obama Officials

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is pushing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute Obama administration officials linked to the debunked report alleging the 2016 Trump campaign engaged in Russian collusion.

More details are coming out concerning alleged efforts by former President Barack Obama and his team’s efforts to drum up intelligence to create a narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Sunday. (RELATED: Report: Obama Admin. ‘Manufactured’ Intelligence To Establish Russian Collusion Narrative)

Gabbard appeared on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, where she alleged a massive cover-up by intelligence officials in the Obama administration.

“There was direct intent to cover up the truth about what occurred and who was responsible, and the broad network of how this seditious conspiracy was concocted and who exactly was responsible for carrying it out,” Gabbard claimed.

“So at the end of the day, we need to look at Pam Bondi?” host Maria Bartiromo asked. “Is that the person who, at the end of the day, is gonna bring us accountability. Pam Bondi?”

Gabbard confirmed took the rare step of publicly calling on fellow administration officials to take action.

“Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel,” the director responded. “It is their responsibility to gather all of the evidence, both that we have released, the facts that have already been known previously, the information that will continue to come out, and move forward with this prosecution and these indictments.”

Gabbard told Bartiromo that her team released 100 documents on Friday.

They “provide evidence of how this treasonous conspiracy was directed by President Obama just weeks before he was due to leave office after President Trump had already gotten elected,” she noted. Gabbard also said they were referring all the records to the Department of Justice and FBI for a criminal referral.

“So the effect of what President Obama and his senior national security team did was subvert the will of the American people, undermining our democratic republic, and enacting what would be essentially a years-long coup against President Trump, who was duly elected by the American people,” Gabbard declared.

Pressed on whether she expects future indictments and prosecutions, Gabbard replied, “I’m not a lawyer. In my view, we have the evidence to be able to move forward and bring about justice, yes, to prosecute and indict those responsible.”

In a thread posted to X on Friday, Gabbard shared clips of documents and contended that Obama directed his top intelligence officials to “create” a new intelligence assessment in December 2016 that contradicted prior analyses, after which they “leaned on their allies in the media to advance their falsehoods” and push the narrative that Russia “intervened to hack the election in Trump’s favor.”

Watch:

Kevin McCarthy Warns That MTG Is Likely Just the First of Many House Republicans to Quit

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) may not be the only Republican planning to leave Washington soon, according to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. During an appearance Monday night on Jesse Watters Primetime on Fox News, McCarthy said Greene’s resignation could signal broader unrest within the House GOP conference.

“She’s almost like a canary in a coal mine,” McCarthy told Watters. “And this is something inside Congress — they better wake up, because they’re going to get a lot of people retiring, and they’ve got to focus.”

McCarthy did not name any specific lawmakers he believes are considering departures, nor did he detail what is motivating them. But he warned Republicans to recognize the significance of Greene’s decision and to make better use of their time holding the House majority.

“I think keeping members out of Congress, you only get two years to be in the majority,” he said. “And if the Democrats get you not to work every day for two months, that’s losing two months of the majority.”

McCarthy also remarked on Greene’s national profile, saying she fits his belief that “if you’re known by three initials, you must be effective at what you do.” He added that he does not view her departure as “the end” of her political visibility and expects she will remain active after leaving office in January 2026.

Context on Greene’s Resignation

Greene announced her planned resignation on Nov. 21, a move that stunned many in the Republican Party. She attributed her decision to her increasingly public split with former President Donald Trump, whom she had long supported as a prominent “day one” MAGA loyalist.

“I have too much self-respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and do not want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the President we all fought for, only to fight and win my election while Republicans will likely lose the midterms,” she said. “And in turn, be expected to defend the President against impeachment after he hatefully dumped tens of millions of dollars against me and tried to destroy me.”

Her break with Trump escalated after she pushed for releasing additional documents related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — an effort Trump reportedly opposed. Tensions rose in the weeks before her announcement, culminating in Trump calling her “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene” and describing her as a “ranting lunatic” on Truth Social while withdrawing his endorsement.

Greene’s exit removes one of the GOP’s most recognizable firebrands from Congress and highlights the deepening internal divisions within the Republican Party heading into the 2026 midterm cycle

NYC Mayor ‘Welcomes’ Possible Trump Support After Corruption Indictment

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams is looking for support anywhere he can get it.

Adams said he would “welcome support from every American” in response to a question from the Washington Examiner about whether he would accept former President Donald Trump’s favor.

Trump recently said he had predicted Adams would be “indicted within a year” as the mayor called for federal government funds to deal with the city’s migrant crisis.

“Listen, I welcome support from every American,” Adams said Tuesday at a press conference. “No matter where they are and who they are, I welcome support from every American. Those who know me and know how I am, and those who are just reading up on this. So every American in this great country, I welcome support from.”

Trump’s comments last week suggested that he sympathized with the mayor.

“I watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us, and we shouldn’t have to take them,” the former president said. “And I said, ‘You know what? He’ll be indicted within a year,’ and I was exactly right.”

Watch:

An Adams spokesman believes press coverage of Adams’s remarks has been misguided.

“This is a distortion of what the mayor said today,” Fabien Levy, Adams’s deputy mayor for communications, said in a social media post. “He never said he was looking for Trump’s support. Mayor Adams has said multiple times that he supports Kamala Harris for president. In fact, the mayor traveled to Chicago to support her historic nomination in August.”

Adams was recently indicted on five corruption charges, including bribery and wire fraud, for his actions allegedly soliciting benefits from foreign nationals, namely Turkish government officials, in exchange for favors.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams could be facing a bevy of new charges after being indicted last week in a federal corruption case. On Wednesday, prosecutors said that further counts are “quite likely” and that more defendants may be implicated.

Florida Republican Moves to Expel Adam Schiff from Congress

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Photo via Gage Skidmoer Flickr

A Florida freshman representative is taking drastic measures since the release of the Durham report.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fl.) has filed a motion to have Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) expelled from Congress.

“He used his position on House Intelligence to push a lie that cost American taxpayers millions of dollars and abused the trust placed in him as Chairman,” Luna said in a statement Wednesday. “The Durham Report makes clear that the Russian Collusion was a lie from day one and Schiff knowingly used his position in an attempt to divide our country.”

Schiff, who was the top lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats the House majority, has repeatedly claimed that Trump and his campaign colluded with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. 

While the Durham report did not recommend any new charges it did offer a blistering review of how the FBI launched and carried out the investigation. It caps a four-year investigation by Durham.

“I’m convinced when this dark chapter of our history is written, it will reflect that those Republican members who lacked the courage to stand up to the most unethical president in U.S. history, Donald Trump, consoled themselves by attacking those who did,” Schiff said in an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday.

The California Democrat also knocked the conclusions of the Durham report, fighting back against the idea that it proved that his claims of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia were a lie.

“Durham spends four years trying to prove this deep state conspiracy theory that Trump kept telling his base was going to be proven,” Schiff said. “The whole thing, of course, was a big bust.”

Florida CFO To Run For Matt Gaetz’s Former House Seat

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis plans to run for U.S. Congress, he indicated in a resignation letter.

In the letter to Sunshine State Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Secretary of State Cory Byrd, Patronis said, “… this letter is to give you notice of my resignation from the role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the State of Florida in order to become a candidate in the 2025 Special Election for Florida’s First Congressional District.

“Because the primary election for CD 1 is currently scheduled for January 28, 2025, with the general election scheduled for April 1, 2025, I hereby irrevocably resign as CFO effective March 31, 2025.”

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, President-elect Donald Trump urged Patronis to run for the House seat.

“I hear that Jimmy is now considering launching a Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District!” Trump said in the post. 

“Should he decide to enter this Race, Jimmy Patronis has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JIMMY, RUN!” Trump declared.

Patronis shared a screenshot of Trump’s post and wrote in a post on X, “Put me to work, Mr. President! @realDonaldTrump I am here to serve.”

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz won re-election to the House seat earlier this month but resigned shortly after Trump tapped him for attorney general. 

Last week, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the Cabinet position after the President-elect reportedly informed him her did not have the required Senate support for confirmation.

Former Trump Adviser Sued by Biden’s Justice Department

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[Photo Cred: Office of the President of the United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump’s trade adviser, Peter Navarro.

The lawsuit alleges Navarro used personal email accounts to conduct official White House business, “constituting presidential records.” The DOJ also accused the former Trump adviser of violating federal record-keeping laws when he didn’t copy the emails into an official government account or respond to the National Archives requests for the messages.

“Mr. Navarro is wrongfully retaining Presidential records that are the property of the United States, and which constitute part of the permanent historical record of the prior administration,” the lawsuit states. “Mr. Navarro’s wrongful retention of Presidential records violates District of Columbia law, federal common law, and the [Presidential Records Act].”

The Justice Department said officials initially approached Navarro about handing over the missing emails, but he refused “absent a grant of immunity for the act of returning such documents.”

Navarro’s attorneys, John Irving and John Rowley denied withholding the messages.

“As detailed in our recent letter to the Archives, Mr. Navarro instructed his lawyers to preserve all such records, and he expects the government to follow standard processes in good faith to allow him to produce records,” Navarro’s lawyers told POLITICO. “Instead, the government chose to file its lawsuit today.”

The civil lawsuit was assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton.

The lawsuit marks the latest in a string of public battles between the former Trump adviser and the U.S. government. In June, Navarro was charged with contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with the January 6th panel’s subpoena requests.

Trump Holds 39-point Lead Over DeSantis In Florida Poll

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Ron DeSantis via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Trump is still the reigning favorite in the Sunshine State.

The most recent University of North Florida (UNF) poll sided with Trump, compared to just 21 percent for DeSantis and 6 percent for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. In a head-to-head poll, Trump leads DeSantis 59-29.

The Hill has more:

“Despite historically high approval in the polls, Governor DeSantis losing steam in his home state doesn’t bode well for his national campaign,” UNF professor Michael Binder said in a statement. “Even if you wipe out the rest of the competition in a head-to-head, Trump leads DeSantis by 20 points.”

DeSantis has struggled in Florida, losing key endorsements to Trump despite his leadershhip. A majority of Florida’s congressional delegation has supported Trump, including Sen. Rick Scott (R), who made his Trump endorsement clear last week.

“I am optimistic that we can return America to its rightful position of economic and military strength and the undisputed moral leader of the free world, but only with strong leadership in the White House,” Scott said in a Newsweek op-ed last week.

“That is why I support my friend President Donald J. Trump to be the 47th President of the United States and encourage every Republican to unite behind his efforts to win back the White House,” he added.