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Report: Judge Considers 4 More Gag Order Violations Against Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The judge overseeing former President Trump’s hush money case will begin the trial Thursday by holding a hearing to consider four more potential violations of a gag order imposed on the former President.

    Trump was already found in contempt of the gag order on Tuesday, where the judge found him in violation for nine separate online posts attacking witnesses, potential jurors in the case. Judge Merchan fined the former President nearly $10,000.

    Prosecutors now say Trump violated his gag order an additional four times.

    Here are the four statements at issue:

    1 – Courthouse hallway statement

    The first statement at issue is one Trump gave to the cameras in the hallway outside the courtroom on April 22.

    “When are they going to look at all the lies that Cohen did in the last trial?,” Trump said, referring to his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, who is expected to be prosecutors’ star witness.

    “He got caught lying in the last trial. So he got caught lying, pure lying. And when are they going to look at that?”

    2 – Real America’s Voice interview

    After court concluded that day, Trump in the evening gave an interview to conservative channel Real America’s Voice and took aim at jurors.

    “That jury was picked so fast – 95% Democrats,” Trump said. “The area’s mostly all Democrat. You think of it as a – just a purely Democrat area. It’s a very unfair situation, that I can tell you.”

    3 – Local ABC station interview

    The next day, Trump conducted a roughly 12-minute interview with the local ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, when the former president went after Cohen and ex-National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker, who was testifying that day.

    Michael Cohen is a convicted liar and he’s got no credibility whatsoever,” Trump said of his ex-fixer.

    As for the other witness, Trump said moments later, “David Pecker, I don’t know exactly what he’s going to be testifying against but or about, but he’ll be testifying today.”

    4 – Surprise campaign event

    Before coming to court last Thursday, Trump stopped at a construction site in Manhattan, turning it into a campaign stop. He again was asked about Pecker, who hadn’t yet concluded his testimony:

    “He’s been very nice. I mean, he’s been – David’s been very nice. A nice guy,” Trump said.

    Ex-Trump Aide Says She Won’t Vote For Former President

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former Trump aide Sarah Matthews is turning her back on her old boss…

    On Monday, Matthews said she would not cast for Trump in November.

    “When we have a candidate on the ballot who will not uphold the Constitution, then I feel like I have to put policy aside” Matthews said on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”

    “And I wanna support the person who is best suited to defeat Donald Trump,” she added in the clip, highlighted by Mediaite.

    “I think it’s my duty to pick the person I think would do the least harm to the country,” Barr said on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom.” “And in my mind, that’s — I will vote the Republican ticket.”

    Matthews said she has talked with a lot of Republicans, including high-ranking elected officials, who “bash” Trump privately. But, she added, “many of them will not even say it publicly.” 

    “What they often say is that they’re supporting him because of the policies, that they want the conservative agenda. And where I get really frustrated is that they’re treating this like it’s a normal election, a normal Republican candidate and a normal Democratic candidate,” Matthews continued. “Well, this couldn’t be anything further from the case.”

    Biden Administration Sued Over Scheme To Revoke Trump Q Security Clearance

    By
    Donny Ferguson
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    President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

    The non-profit public interest law firm Judicial Watch reports they filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy for “records about the retroactive termination of former President Donald Trump’s security clearance and/or access to classified information.”

    Judicial Watch reports the lawsuit “cites Trump’s January 12, 2024, motion to compel discovery in his criminal prosecution in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, in which the former president asserts that DOE attempted to terminate his security clearance retroactively after his June 2023 indictment by Special Counsel Jack Smith.”

    “It looks like the Department of Energy is trying to manufacture a criminal case,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “What are they hiding?”

    Judicial Watch reports the lawsuit “points to the February 2024 response to Trump’s January 2024 motion in which Smith acknowledges the existence of a June 2023 memorandum prepared by an Energy Department official regarding the security clearance.”

    “The Special Counsel’s office describes the memorandum’s contents and asserts that it had produced the record to Trump,” Judicial Watch reports. “Smith also acknowledges requesting and receiving additional ‘responsive’ records from DOE, including ‘approximately 30 pages of records and eight emails.’ Smith asserts that he was ‘now producing’ the 30 pages to Trump and withholding the eight emails.”

    “Trump’s lawyers suggest in the January 2024 motion to compel discovery that Trump had a high-level security clearance as recently as 2023,” Judicial Watch notes.

    “Lawyers for Trump say a government document from June 2023 still listed him with a “Q” clearance from the DOE. The document was dated a few weeks after prosecutors indicted Trump in the classified documents case,” Judicial Watch reports. “A ‘Q’ clearance refers to a type of security clearance handled by the Department of Energy, which holds classified information focused largely on nuclear secrets.”

    Judicial Watch reports it “filed the lawsuit after the Energy Department failed to comply with a January 18, 2024, FOIA request for its records and communications concerning retroactively terminating Trump’s security clearance and/or access to classified information.”

    Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

    Trump Responds To Presidential Debate Commission Rejection

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Donald Trump and Joe Biden are jumping at the chance to debate one another but the Commission on Presidential Debates is pumping the brakes.

    Trump’s campaign blasted the Commission on Presidential Debates this week after the organization said that they are sticking to kicking off debates in early September despite calls for the schedule to be moved up.

    Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles released a statement in response to the CPB saying they will not apply their “criteria” or send invitations to “qualified” candidates until the fall by extending an invitation to every television network that may be interested in setting up their own event.

    Read the full statement below:

    “The Presidential Debate Commission’s schedule does not begin until after millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots. This is unacceptable, and by refusing to move up the debates, they are doing a grave disservice to the American public who deserve to hear from both candidates before voting begins. President Trump has stated he will debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, anyplace, and Joe Biden himself just agreed to debate. 

    “We are committed to making this happen with or without the Presidential Debate Commission. We extend an invitation to every television network in America that wishes to host a debate, and we once again call on Joe Biden’s team to work with us to set one up as soon as possible. The American people deserve it.”

    — Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles

    The requests for a schedule change follow President Biden recently telling SiriusXM’s Howard Stern that he’s “happy” to debate his likely November opponent.

    “I don’t know when. I’m happy to debate him,” the president said.

    Trump responded to Biden’s interview by taking to Truth Social, saying he wanted a debate “ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE.”

    Obama Claims New Yorkers ‘Don’t Take Trump Seriously’

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

    During a podcast interview, former President Barack Obama swiped at Donald Trump claiming the former President is not taken “seriously” in the city he called home for years, New York City.

    Obama appeared alongside Bill Clinton and President Biden in the newest episode of the “SmartLess” podcast. 

    Obama was asked on the “SmartLess” podcast by co-host Jason Bateman whether he was surprised how quickly the “protection and passion for democracy was diluted” in recent years. Obama responded by noting the trend began during former President Clinton’s time in the White House before accelerating during his presidency.

    “I have been surprised that there haven’t been guardrails inside the Republican Party. Trump didn’t surprise me,” he said, before taking aim at Trump.

    “I mean, he comes from New York. There’s nobody in New York who does business with him or lend him money. He’s not considered a serious guy here,” Obama added.

    Obama went on to explain how he thought more Republicans would say some of Trump’s behavior went too far.

    “But, so I was surprised he was elected, but I wasn’t surprised in terms of his behavior. I did expect, and I suspect Bill and Joe, you’d agree with this, that there would be some folks in the Republican Party who would say, no, you can’t go that far. You can’t start praising Putin and saying that his intelligence is better than the US intelligence agencies,” he said.

    Trump is currently on trial in New York for falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

    Judge Grants Trump Permission To Attend Son’s Graduation

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      1
      Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      Former President Donald Trump will be able to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation in May, according to Judge Juan Merchan.

      Merchan, who is presiding over the New York hush Money trial, said Tuesday that Trump would be permitted to attend the May 17 ceremony in lieu of court proceedings. The judge had previously delayed his decision earlier this month on whether Trump would be able to attend the graduation.

      The Hill has more:

      Trump had previously railed against Merchan for delaying the decision, slamming the judge for potentially barring him from attending the event. Under New York state law, Trump is required to attend the entirety of his trial unless he gets special permission from the judge to skip.

      “I was looking forward to that graduation with his mother and father there,” Trump told reporters at the time. “It looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam. It’s a scam trial.”

      Other Republicans and Trump allies also criticized Merchan after he delayed the decision. Another of Trump’s sons, Eric Trump, said earlier this month that the judge “is truly heartless in not letting a father attend his son’s graduation.”


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

      On Tuesday, Judge Merchan also fined the former President nearly $10,000 for repeatedly violating the gag order barring him from targeting witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and the judge’s family.

      Report: Judge Rules Over Trump Gag Order Violations

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      3
      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.

      728068518-Read-judge-s-rulingDownload

      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.

      Stefanik Files Ethics Complaint Against Special Counsel Jack Smith

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        1
        Elise Stefanik with Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons

        On Tuesday, House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) filed an ethics complaint against special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday, accusing the prosecutor overseeing the federal investigations into former President Trump of trying to “unlawfully interfere with the 2024 presidential election.”

        The New York Congresswoman filed the complaint with the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, arguing that Smith is trying to “rush” Trump’s federal election subversion case.

        “It’s obvious to any reasonable observer that Jack Smith is trying to interfere with the 2024 election and stop the American people from electing Donald Trump,” Stefanik said in a statement. “At every turn, he has sought to accelerate his illegal prosecution of President Trump for the clear (if unstated) purpose of trying him before the November election.”

        Smith should be censured for violating the Justice Department’s manual, she argues, citing a section that says attorneys may “never select the timing of any action…for the purpose of affecting any election.”

        “Smith’s conduct has brought disrepute to the Department of Justice and the entire federal government, and the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility should impose the discipline that such conduct warrants,” Stefanik said in her statement.

        The complaint is unlikely to prompt any action from the Justice Department, however, as Smith’s case kicked off with an August 2023 indictment, some 15 months ahead of the presidential election.

        Though an unwritten policy, the Justice Department encourages prosecutors to follow the “60-day rule” — avoiding any action that might influence an election.

        In November, Stefanik filed an ethics complaint against Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the former president’s civil fraud trial, accusing him of “inappropriate bias and judicial intemperance.” 

        GOP Senator Predicts SCOTUS Will Punt Trump Immunity Case

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

          On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court will send former President Trump’s immunity case back to the lower courts.

          “Well, I think the court’s gonna find that presidential immunity exists for President Trump like every other president, but you got to be within the scope of being president. I think they’ll send it back to the lower courts to find out exactly what actions fall within presidential immunity and what are considered personal. I think that’s the way this will end — there will be some immunity for some of the actions,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

          The Supreme Court heard arguments last week over whether Trump could have presidential immunity from criminal prosecution in the federal Jan. 6 case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. 

          Graham said the question of immunity may be “decided partially” for the former president.

          “There’s no absolute immunity in the Constitution. It will be a legal analysis, you know, the president needs to be protected. You know, we don’t become a banana republic here. We prosecute, you know, our political opponents, which is going on really in many jurisdictions,” he said. “But I think the immunity question will be decided partially for Trump and some legal, some factual analysis as to when and where it applies.”

          Graham then went on to slam all of the cases being brought against Trump as “political” and “selective prosecution.”

          “So I think most Americans are not going to decide how to vote based on Trump’s legal troubles, but their troubles they face — inflation, crime or broken border — your poll tells me everything I need to know about these legal problems for Trump. People looking at their problems, not Trump’s legal problems,” Graham said.

          Report: Trump Wants This candidate To Hit The Campaign Trail

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          0
          Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

          Presumed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has reportedly gotten tired of Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake spending so much time at Mar-a-lago.

          According to a recent Washington Post report, Trump is concerned Lake has focused too much on networking with the Republican elite and not enough on campaigning for a crucial win in the contentious state.

          “At one point last year, after grumbling for months that she was at his Mar-a-Lago Club too often, Trump gently suggested to Lake that she should leave the club and hit the campaign trail in Arizona, according to a person with direct knowledge of his comments,” the Post reporters wrote. “Trump has also asked others if she can really win in Arizona and if she might drag down his own poll numbers as he seeks the presidency again in 2024, advisers said.”

          Trump also privately thinks Lake’s 2022 election fraud claims are full of hot air, according to the report.

          “She didn’t win,” Trump bluntly told a political ally at a Mar-a-Lago dinner earlier this year, according to the Post.

          One other notable Lake moment got the attention of Trump and his inner circle: the incident in which a Lake ally released a tape of former Arizona GOP chair Jeff DeWit appearing to show Lake being offered a bribe to not run for Senate in 2024. The Post reporters described Trump’s reaction to the incident as “more surprised than angry” when he learned about it on the night of the New Hampshire primary in January.

          “She tapes everything?” Trump reportedly asked. “That’s good to know.”

          In a statement sent to the Post defended the MAGA Republican “Kari Lake is a Smart and Fearless Leader who will WIN in Arizona, and help us flip the Senate to Republican control. Kari’s Opponent, Ruben Gallego, is an Open Borders RADICAL, who is BAD on Inflation and SOFT on Terrorists and Crime.”

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