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Report: Judge Dismisses Hunter Biden’s Misdemeanor Tax Charges

By
Madeleine Jackson
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3
President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

The federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s case in Delaware dismissed two misdemeanor tax charges against him.

In a Thursday filing, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika dismissed the charges after David Weiss, the federal prosecutor leading the case against Biden, moved to dismiss them last week in order to bring charges in Washington, D.C., or California according to The Hill. (RELATED: Attorney General Appoints Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Probe)

“On Tuesday of this week, Mr. Weiss advised me that in his judgment, his investigation had reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be so appointed,” Garland said in a statement on the appointment.

Weiss’s appointment came amidst an unwinding plea deal in the case, which Biden’s legal team said the government went back on and the Department of Justice said was not standing due to a nonapproval by a probation official. Many Republicans heavily criticized Weiss’s appointment, with 2024 GOP presidential candidate and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott claiming the newly-minted special counsel “cannot be trusted” in an interview on Fox News last week.

“Appointing David as a special counsel is like keeping the concept of a [Justice Department] protecting Democrats while hunting Republicans,” Scott said. “I can’t think of a more forceful sign that nothing has changed.”

DeSantis Dips to Lowest Level of Support in Quinnipiac 2024 Polling

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Ron DeSantis via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ popularity is waning…

    The popular governor slipped to its lowest level this year, according to a new Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday. 

    Eighteen percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said they supported the Florida governor, which is his lowest level of support in Quinnipiac’s polling of the GOP primary this year. Former President Trump, on the other hand, clocked in at a whopping 57 percent support among Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Quinnipiac noted that DeSantis was only 6 points behind the former president in February, but now he finds himself trailing Trump by 39 points. 

    Meanwhile, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy came in third place at 5 percent support, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence at 4 percent. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie each received 3 percent support. 

    The poll comes as DeSantis continues to struggle to gain traction in the polls. An Emerson College survey released earlier this week showed Christie surpassing DeSantis by 1 point in New Hampshire.

    Mark Levin Says Trump Could Pardon Himself If Elected President

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    Popular conservative radio host Mark Levin argued this week that if elected to the White House Donald Trump would have the authority to pardon himself from state charges, according to exiting Justice Dept. policy.

    Levin argues that unique circumstances allow a president to pardon himself.

    Breitbart reports:

    The argument has several components. First, Levin notes that the existing Department of Justice policy against indicting a sitting president is partly explained by the idea that mounting a criminal defense would prevent a president from performing his or her duties.

    Second, Levin argues that the same reasoning ought to apply to state indictments of a sitting president, because they could likewise distract the president — and because, in theory, they could be brought by any elected prosecutor in any jurisdiction. It cannot be, Levin argues, that the reasoning for the policy against indicting a sitting president in federal court would not also apply to a state court, where filing indictments is much easier in certain jurisdictions and is often driven by political considerations.

    Finally, Levin argues that since a president can arguably pardon himself from federal crimes — a somewhat controversial, but accepted, view — the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause should override state law on pardons as well, for the reasons above.

    Marjorie Taylor Greene Mulls Senate Run, Being Potential Trump VP Pick

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Marjorie Taylor Greene -Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons

    Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is considering some big career changes.

    The MAGA firebrand is openly considering a future run for Senate after being kicked off the conservative House Freedom Caucus after a heated disagreement with Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert.

    “I haven’t made up my mind whether I will do that or not. I have a lot of things to think about,” she said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published Wednesday.

    While Green has yet to make any final decisions, former President Donald Trump has also openly pushed for Greene to run for Senate

    “Marjorie Taylor Greene, you happen to be here. Would you like to run for the Senate? I will fight like hell for you, I tell you,” he said during a Texas rally in March.

    Greene later said she hadn’t thought about it, but told NBC News that “it was so nice of him to say.”

    However, the MAGA Congresswoman hinted that she has her eye on a higher office than the Senate.

    “Am I going to be a part of President Trump’s Cabinet if he wins? Is it possible that I’ll be VP?” she said in the AJC interview. If Trump asked her to be his running mate, Greene said she’d consider it “very, very heavily.”

    District Judge Accused Elon Musk of Cozying Up to Trump by Resisting Search Warrant

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    Newly uncovered documents show that a U.S. district judge berated Twitter when the social media company, now known as X, resisted complying with Special Counsel Jack Smith’s search warrant for Donald Trump’s Twitter account.

    The search warrant showed that Twitter was fined $350,000 when the company delayed complying with it as it fought the nondisclosure order. (RELATED: Special Counsel Obtains Warrant for Trump’s Twitter Account)

    Politico’s Kyle Cheney reported on the unsealed filings describing the data Smith’s search warrant sought from the former president’s old account. This included Trump’s DMs, location information, draft tweets, and a list of all his liked, favorited, and retweeted tweets, including deleted ones.

    This was a recurring subject throughout the dispute as Howell called out Twitter’s attempts to defend Trump’s First Amendment rights after his lengthy suspension from the platform. This coincided with Howell asking Twitter attorney George Varghese “Is this to make Donald Trump feel like he is a particularly welcomed new renewed user?”

    The documents also show Howell and Twitter’s legal team deliberated on whether Trump’s DMs could fall under executive privilege. Howell also pressed Twitter’s lawyers on the concerns held by prosecutors that their investigation would be put at risk if Twitter disclosed the search warrant’s existence.

    Manhattan Judge Refuses To Recuse Himself from Case Despite Concerning Past Political Contributions

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    7
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The Manhattan judge overseeing the hush money case against former President Donald Trump has refused to step away from the case despite his past contributions to Democrats

    Merchan rejected the arguments and referenced findings from the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, which he consulted prior to Trump’s recusal request.

    Judge Juan Merchan affirmed his ability to be “fair and impartial” in an opinion rejecting arguments from Trump’s legal team stating that he should recuse himself, according to Fox News.

    “We see nothing in the inquiry to suggest that the outcome of the case could have any effect on the judge’s relative, the relative’s business, or any of their interests,” the advisory committee wrote.

    Regarding the allegations of personal bias, Merchan said Trump’s team had failed to make a substantive argument.

    “Defendant has failed to demonstrate that there exists concrete, or even realistic reasons for recusal to be appropriate, much less required on these grounds,” Merchan wrote. “The speculative and hypothetical scenarios offered by Defendant fall well short of the legal standard.”

    Merchan donated $15 to then-candidate Joe Biden’s campaign, $10 to the Progressive Turnout Project and $10 to Stop Republicans during the 2020 election cycle.

    Donald Trump Charged in Georgia 2020 Election Probe

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      0
      Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) has officially charged former President Donald Trump in the office’s yearslong investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn Georgia’s election results.

      On Monday night a grand jury voted to charge Trump on 13 charges ranging from making false statements and impersonating a public officer to conspiracy and racketeering — a charge generally reserved for organized crime. Eighteen Trump lawyers, advisers, and confidantes are charged alongside the leading GOP 2024 hopeful, including his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Each of them faces the racketeering charge, linking the multitude of alleged crimes together. 

      The 98-page document dropped shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday.

      The shared charge alleges the defendants participated in a “criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia — and elsewhere — to accomplish the illegal goal” of keeping Trump in office, Willis (D) said Monday.

      See the Trump allies charged in the Georgia Probe:

      • Mark Meadows
      • John Eastman
      • Kenneth Cheseboro
      • Jenna Ellis
      • Rudy Giuliani
      • Ray Smith
      • Jeffrey Clark
      • Robert Cheely
      • Michael Roman
      • Stephen Lee
      • Harrison Floyd
      • Trevian Kutti
      • Shawn Still
      • David Shafer
      • Sidney Powell
      • Cathy Latham
      • Misty Hampton
      • Scott Hall

      The investigation largely focused on a phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which the former president pressured the official to “find” enough votes to overturn the results.

      However, over the weekend an exclusive report from CNN revealed Georgia prosecutors also obtained documents connecting Trump’s team to a voting system breach in Coffee County in January 2021.

      CNN reports:

      Together, the text messages and other court documents show how Trump lawyers and a group of hired operatives sought to access Coffee County’s voting systems in the days before January 6, 2021, as the former president’s allies continued a desperate hunt for any evidence of widespread fraud they could use to delay certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

       Last year, a former Trump official testified under oath to the House January 6 select committee that plans to access voting systems in Georgia were discussed in meetings at the White House, including during an Oval Office meeting on December 18, 2020,  that included Trump. 

      Six days before pro-Trump operatives gained unauthorized access to voting systems, the local elections official who allegedly helped facilitate the breach sent a “written invitation” to attorneys working for Trump, according to text messages obtained by CNN.

      Read the full indictment below:

      23SC188947-CRIMINAL-INDICTMENT-1Download

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

      Georgia Judge Rules Cameras Will Be Allowed in Courtroom if Trump Indicted

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      6

      This is big…

      A judge in Fulton County, Georgia – where a grand jury is contemplating indicting former President Trump – ruled Monday morning to allow cameras in the courtroom if and when such an indictment occurs.

      Monday morning, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched the presentation of her case to a grand jury regarding Trump and several “co-conspirators'” efforts to overturn the election in Georgia.

      Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney is in court this week to preside over both Willis’ grand jury proceedings and other routine court matters. Monday morning, he instructed reporters and curious members of the public who were present in his courtroom about what to expect.

      “If a grand jury presents an indictment, that’s usually in the afternoon, and you can film and photograph that,” said McBurney.

      According to a report by The Messenger, “at least part” of the indictment “may be televised.”

      If the grand jury votes to indict, be it on Monday or Tuesday, the indictment will be walked over from Willis’ office to the county courthouse by a representative of the clerk’s office, the Fulton County sheriff’s office and the grand jury.

      It will be presented to McBurney to sign and be made public. The names of jurors will also be made public at that time.

      If an indictment happens on Monday or Tuesday, expect it to be in the afternoon, and the media’s cameras in the courtroom will be allowed to film the moment it is made public, McBurney said.

      There will not, however, be an out loud reading of the documents, he said.

      “There’s no reading of anything.” There’s also no heads up for the judge of whether that indictment is coming until it’s presented to him.

      According to Mediate, during his New York indictment, a photographer was permitted in the courtroom to capture a few still photos, but no video was allowed. Federal courts have long resisted allowing any sort of photography or video in their proceedings, although the unique historical nature of a former president’s indictments have increased calls for that policy to change, at least for Trump’s cases.

      Attorney General Appoints Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Probe

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        5
        President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

        On Friday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of special counsel David Weiss in the Hunter Biden probe.

        “I’m here today to announce the appointment of David Weiss as a special counsel consistent with the Department of Justice regulations governing such matters. In keeping with those regulations, I have today notified the designated members of each House of Congress of the appointment,” Garland said. 

        Weiss is the federal prosecutor who has investigated the business dealings of President Biden’s son and brought charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware. 

        Garland said on Tuesday that Weiss told him that “in his judgment, his investigation has reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be appointed.”

        “Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Garland said.

        Judge Sides With Trump Over 2020 Election Case Protective Order

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          6
          Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          On Friday, Trump’s lawyers attended a Washington, D.C. hearing before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged election meddling.

          In court filings, prosecutors had argued for broad rules baring Trump’s lawyers from sharing “sensitive” materials with the former president, including witness testimony to the grand jury and recordings and transcripts of Trump associates who spoke to prosecutors. Trump’s attorneys argued that the government’s request was too broad and infringed on Trump’s First Amendment rights. 

          Judge Chutkan said she was not persuaded that the government has shown all information gathered in the case would fall under the protective order. She ruled that only information designated as “sensitive” should be protected.

           “The defendant has the right to free speech, but that right is not absolute,” Chutkan said at the onset of the hearing. “Without a protective order, a party could release that info to the jury pool.” 

          Federal prosecutor Thomas Windom said Friday the restrictions were necessary to prevent the “improper dissemination of materials … including to the public.” 

          “The defendant has set forth an intention to set forth any information that they deem informative,” Windom told the judge. 

          “Defense has broadcast their strategy, and that is not to try this case in this courtroom, and your honor should address that,” he said. 

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