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Lara Trump Steps Down From RNC Amid Senate Rumors

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Image via gage Skidmore Flickr

Lara Trump has announced her plans to step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) after accomplishing her goals.

In an announcement on X, Trump’s stepdaughter said she reached her three main objectives after Donald Trump won a landslide re-election.

“With that big win, I kind of feel like my time is up,” she said. “What I intended to do has been done.”

Her sudden departure has prompted speculation the Trump family member is eyeing a potential run to replace Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), whom her father-in-law, President-elect Trump, picked to be Secretary of State.

“It is something I would seriously consider,” Lara has told outlets in reference to a run for Senate.

“If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what they would look like. And I certainly want to get all of the information possible if that is something that is real for me,” Trump added.

“But yeah, I would 100 percent consider it.”

Trump, who was elected to lead the RNC alongside fellow chair Michael Whatley in March added that Whatley will remain as RNC chair.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will choose Rubio’s replacement if the senator is confirmed to lead the State Department. That replacement would serve until 2026, when a special election will be held to determine who will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s term.

Lara Trump joined Fox News on Sunday and was asked about the vacant seat that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) left open after being tapped by her father-in-law to be secretary of State.

“Some may say it’s an asset, some may say it’s not an asset,” she said of her last name. “I think it depends how you look at it.”

Certainly, you know, we’ve all had the opportunity over the past nine years really to fully involve ourselves in politics, to understand the American people, what they want, and we’ve all been residents for the state of Florida now for over three years. If that’s something that’s put in front of me, it would be a true honor. But, yeah, look, I think probably my last name does heighten my political profile a little bit, but I’ve got a proven track record. I’ve been co-chair of the RNC during the most consequential election of our lifetime. We were so proud of what we did at the RNC making sure that there was election integrity, making sure we got the early vote on, making sure we turned out low propensity voters and raising huge amounts of money. So I would say that my track record speaks for itself. Maybe having the last name Trump is just a little bit extra. I’m always happy to have it.

Why 2 Media Pundits Want Biden To Pardon Trump

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Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Biden has an opportunity here…

Chris Cuomo and Stephen A. Smith joined together this week and suggested President Joe Biden give a pardon to President-elect Donald Trump after offering one to his son Hunter Biden over the weekend.

Smith joined Cuomo on Monday evening to break down the news. Biden’s decision to pardon his son has faced backlash in light of the fact that the president previously said he would not take such action.

Watch:

“You know what else Biden should do? And I know people are going to get upset about this, but just think about it before you go crazy on me — not you, everybody else,” Cuomo told Smith. “If I were he, I would pardon Trump. I would say, this has got to stop.”

Smith was in full agreement with Cuomo, telling Democrats it’s time to move on and focus on future elections.

“Chris, that’s exactly what I would do, that’s exactly what I would do. Enough’s enough,” the sports broadcaster said. “You know what? You’re the Democrats, you lost the election, you got your butt whipped, you could have prevented him from going back to the White House.”

Smith added it’s “time to move forward,” as any lingering investigations into Trump will die when he steps back into office.

“You want to get at Trump? Sit back and judge what he does,” he said. “Guess what? You’ve got a midterm election in two years. Are you going to be ready?”

Trump Reacts To Surprise Biden Pardon

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Biden’s sudden decision to pardon his troubled son Hunter has sent shockwaves across the nation.

Following the shocking news on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump reacted to Biden’s surprising decision.

“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote. “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”

The Trump transition team also reacted to the shocking news.

“The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Trump’s incoming White House communications chief Steven Cheung said in a statement to Fox News.

“That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”

On Sunday, Biden accused Republicans of unfair treatment and claimed Hunter was “treated differently” by prosecutors in a lengthy statement announcing the pardon. Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony firearm offenses in a Delaware trial earlier this year, and then pleaded guilty to multiple felony tax offenses in September. 

“From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the president’s statement read.

Biden had previously denied any intent to pardon his son after Hunter was convicted earlier this year.

“I am not going to do anything,” Biden said after the conviction. “I will abide by the jury’s decision.”

Trump previously told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin that, if elected, he “wouldn’t do anything that would be overt” regarding Hunter Biden’s cases, calling the first son’s legal woes “a sad situation.”

While Trump supporters’ negative reaction to the news was to be expected a number of Biden supporters have also attacked the decision and noted that the President likely traded his own legacy to protect his family’s reputation.

MSNBC contributor Charlie Sykes quoted a “smart person” that texted him, agreeing that Trump probably can’t “believe his own dumb fucking luck at this point.”

The Atlantic’s deputy executive editor Yoni Applebaum quoted an article by his publication’s newest addition, Jonathan Chait, who said Biden “chose to prioritize his own feelings over the defense of his country.”

Multiple House Democrats Report Bomb Threats On Thanksgiving

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On Thanksgiving Day, three House Democrats reported receiving bomb threats prompting law enforcement to investigate the concerning trend.

In each case, Reps. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Jim Himes (D-CT), and John Larson (D-CT) reported they were threatened with explosives early in the morning. After police got involved, each was deemed safe and the threats did not appear to be credible.

Himes said in a statement:

This morning, I was notified of a bomb threat targeting my home where I was celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. Thankfully, after a swift and thorough response from the United States Capitol Police, the Greenwich Police Department, and the Stamford Police Department, no evidence of a bomb was found. Mary, Emma, Linley, and I extend our utmost gratitude to our local law enforcement officers for their immediate action to ensure our safety. There is no place for political violence in this country, and I hope that we may all continue through the holiday season with peace and civility.

Hayes also released the following statement:

At 7:47am I was notified by Chief Edward Stephens of the Wolcott Police Department that they received a threatening email stating a pipe bomb had been placed in the mailbox at my home. State police, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Sergeant at Arms were immediately notified. The Wolcott Police Department and State Police responded and no bomb or explosive materials were discovered and the scene was cleared.

At this time the investigation is ongoing. I thank law enforcement for their swift attention to this matter, their actions demonstrate there is no place in our country for political violence. On this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my family and loved ones. I plan to spend the day with them and hope you all do the same. May you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Larson said in a statement he was visited early Thursday at his home by officers in East Hartford.

“The police determined no bomb was present at the property and the Larson family is safe,” the congressman said. “I would like to thank the East Hartford Police Department for their swift and professional response in ensuring the safety of my family. I am grateful that my colleagues in the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, who received similar threats, are also safe. Thanks again to law enforcement at every level, from local, to state, to federal.”

The trio of threats comes days after incoming White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reported that multiple Trump Cabinet nominees have also received death threats.

Nearly a dozen of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and other appointees tapped for the incoming administration were targeted Tuesday night with “violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” prompting a “swift” law enforcement response.

The “attacks ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting,’” according to Karoline Leavitt.

“[Tuesday] night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” she told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “In response, law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.” 

Trump Calls On New York Times To Issue Apology

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Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Trump is going to have to keep waiting for this apology…

President-elect Donald Trump called on The New York Times to “apologize” on Tuesday and said the outlet got “years” of coverage about him “so wrong.”

“Will the failing New York Times apologize to its readers for getting years of ‘Trump’ coverage so wrong. They write such phony ‘junk,’ knowing full well how incorrect it is, only meaning to demean,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

He also appeared to call out Maggie Haberman, a senior political correspondent at the New York Times, who has focused much of her reporting on the president-elect. 

“They do no fact checking, because facts don’t matter to them. I don’t believe I’ve had a legitimately good story in the NYT for years, AND YET I WON, IN RECORD FASHION, THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN DECADES. WHERE IS THE APOLOGY?” Trump continued.

The Times responded in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“As an independent news organization The New York Times doesn’t produce stories that are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, only reporting that is true. Maggie Haberman and her colleagues have an unrivaled record of providing deeply-reported and authoritative coverage. Every president has complaints about coverage but this work has been widely recognized as fair, accurate and unflinching,” the spokesperson said.

Denver Mayor Could Face Removal, Jail Time Over Deportation Stance

Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

Democrat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently said he was prepared to break with President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation plans and Republicans are warning he will absolutely suffer the consequences.

Johnston said during a recent interview that he was prepared to protest against anything he believes is “illegal or immoral or un-American” in the city – including the use of military force.

During a Sunday morning interview on Face The Nation, Paul told anchor Margaret Brennan that Johnston’s plan is a “form of insurrection” that could see him removed from office.

BRENNAN: The stated Trump plan is to use the military or military assets, deputize the National Guard, and have them act as immigration agents. Do you believe that is lawful?

PAUL: You know, I’m 100% supportive of going after the 15,000 murderers, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapist, all of these people. Let’s send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison. So I would say all points bulletin all in. But you don’t do it with the army because it’s illegal. And we’ve we’ve had a distrust of putting the army into our streets because the police have a difficult job. But the police understand the Fourth Amendment. They have to go to judges. They have to get warrants. It has to be specific. And so I’m for removing these people. But I would do it through the normal process of domestic policing.

Now, I would say that the mayor of Denver, if he’s going to resist federal law, which there’s a long standing, standing history of the supremacy of federal law, he’s going to resist that. It will go all the way to the Supreme Court. And I would suspect that he would be removed from office. I don’t know whether or not that would be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law. But he will lose. And people need to realize that what he is offering is a form of insurrection where the states resist the federal government. Most people objected to that and rejected that long ago. So I think the mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history and really, I think will face legal ramifications if he doesn’t obey the federal law.

The president-elect’s pick to be the next border czar responded that he’s willing to put the Denver Mayor in jail for outright flouting Trump’s policies.

“You are absolutely breaking the law,” Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” designate, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “All he has to do is look at Arizona v. U.S. and he would see he’s breaking the law. But, look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing. He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail.”

Homan pointed to a statute that says it’s a “felony if you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from immigration authorities.”

Homan said they have to secure this country and save lives. 

“President Trump has been clear, we want to concentrate on public safety threats and national security threats. I find it hard to believe that any governor would say they don’t want public safety threats removed from their neighborhoods,” he said.

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.

Veteran Announces Bid For Gaetz Congressional Seat

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Fighter pilot and decorated combat veteran Jeff Witt announced Monday he is entering the race to fill former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seat representing Florida’s 1st congressional district.

Witt is currently serving as a policy advisor on the Trump-Vance Presidential Transition Team. 

“I have served my country in uniform for 14 years, and my dedication to service extends to the community in which my family and I live,” Witt told Fox News Digital. “I am excited to meet voters from all across the district in this campaign, and prove to them that they can trust me to be a leader in Congress who represents them with conviction, hard work, and integrity.” 

Witt told Fox News Digital that he will “fight to get inflation under control, secure our borders, and strengthen our military.” 

“I will listen to the needs of my constituents, and I will work on their behalf to make Florida’s 1st District the finest place in America for veterans, businesses, and families,” he said. 

Witt attended Harvard University for his undergraduate studies and was a Harvard football quarterback. He also received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. 

A 2024 Club for Growth fellow, Witt has already been endorsed by top former Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie. 

“Jeff Witt is a patriot and a staunch supporter of President Trump and his America First agenda,” Wilkie told Fox News Digital. “As the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Trump, I know that Jeff’s mission will always be to put warriors first. I am honored to give Jeff my full endorsement.” 

Wilkie told Fox News Digital that Witt “stands for the right things—family and freedom.”  

Gaetz had represented Florida’s 1st congressional district from January 2017 until earlier this month, when he resigned from his post upon receiving the nomination for attorney general.

President-elect Donald Trump also urged Florida state Sen. Randy Fine to run for Congress, pledging to endorse the Sunshine State lawmaker if he opts to throw his hat into the ring.

“I am hearing that America First Patriot Randy Fine is considering launching his Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 6th Congressional District!” Trump said in a Truth Social post. 

“Should he decide to enter this Race, Randy Fine has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, RANDY, RUN!” Trump urged.

Report: Jan. 6 Rioter Convicted In Plot To Kill Federal Agents

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Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

A convicted Jan. 6 rioter has now been found guilty of planning to kill federal agents who were investigating his role in the Capitol attack.

Edward Kelley, 35, was convicted Wednesday by a jury of conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing a federal official by threat following a three-day trial per The Hill.

Federal prosecutors said Kelley developed a “kill list” of FBI agents and others who participated in the investigation into his conduct on Jan. 6, hatching a plan to murder them while awaiting trial in his Capitol attack case. 

A defendant who pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors testified that he and Kelley plotted attacks on the FBI field office in Knoxville, Tenn., using car bombs and explosives attached to drones, according to the Justice Department. They also discussed assassinating FBI employees in their homes or public places, like movie theatres.

Prosecutors showed a recording at trial of Kelley stating “every hit has to hurt.”

In his Capitol riot case, Kelley was convicted of 11 counts following a two-day bench trial, including obstructing law enforcement officers during a civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or ground.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison at sentencing in May.

Republican Senator Calls Trump’s Migration Plan A ‘Huge Mistake’

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Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R) thinks President-elect Donald Trump should reconsider his deportation plan.

On Monday, Trump responded to a Truth Social post by Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, who said that Trump is reportedly “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”

“TRUE!!” Trump posted.

Trump made a historic mass deportation campaign a cornerstone of his 2024 campaign, and his top officials have repeated that promise since he was elected this month.

In an appearance on Newsmax, on Tuesday, Paul expressed his opposition to such a plan.

Watch:

“I think what I would do if I were in charge of the immigration situation would be to first to go after those who have committed crimes. You know, the big news right before the election was that there were 15,000 people in our country who have committed murder, there are about 13,000 that have committed sex crimes, violent sex crimes. That’s 28,000 people. Why don’t we start with that 28,000?” began Paul. “I’m not in favor of sending the army in uniforms into our cities to collect people. I think it’s a terrible image. And that’s not what we use our military for, we never have. And it’s actually been illegal for over 100 years to bring the army into our cities. Army and our military are trained to shoot the enemy. They’re not trained to get a warrant to do what they’re doing. The police have a difficult job, but the people removing people from our country need to be a police enforcement domestic agency, not the military. So while I’m all for ‘Remain in Mexico,’ I will not support an emergency to put the army into our cities. I think that’s a huge mistake.”

“Do you think that’s what what Trump is intending to do?” asked host Rob Schmitt.

“Well, that’s what he said yesterday or his spokesman said, the stories all said he would declare an emergency to use the military to remove people. I’m not for that. I’m not for really most presidential emergencies because they smack of martial rule. They smack of of no congressional approval. They smack of no checks and balances,” replied the senator. “So, look, I’m supportive of President Trump. I’m supportive of removing people illegally here, particularly people who have committed crimes. But I’m not for the Army marching up and down our streets. I think it’s a terrible image to send the world. It’s a terrible image for us as citizens. And so I hope he will think twice about trying to use an emergency edict to have the army patrolling our country.”