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Senator Menendez Faces 12 New Federal Charges

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Senate Democrats, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

United States Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is facing one dozen new criminal charges in his alleged yearslong scheme with the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

Menendez and his wife, Nadine, face charges of obstruction of justice, among others.

As CNN reports:

The new charges come days after one of the New Jersey businessmen who was previously indicted alongside Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez, and two others agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the investigation.

Among the new charges in the superseding indictment are conspiracy, obstruction of justice, public official acting as a foreign agent, bribery, extortion and honest services wire fraud.

Menendez had faced four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.

The new charges add the underlying so-called substantive crimes to the conspiracy charges.

Menendez persists in his innocence and pledges to do whatever it takes to retain his Senate seat.

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

Sen. Sinema Announces Re-Election Plan

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America

Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) announced she will not run for re-election.

Sinema made the announcement in a video on social media.

“Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year,” she said.

The move by Sinema means the Arizona Senate race has largely been solidified as a matchup between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake.

The Arizona lawmakers changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Independent in 2022.

The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Sinema’s seat as “toss up.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacted to the news that broke during the daily briefing, noting that the White House has worked “closely” with Sinema on “key, important bills,” including the border security deal out of the Senate.

“She’s been a partner with us on many critical issues that matter to the American people and we think that’s important,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.

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

Michelle Obama Addresses White House Rumors

By
Madeleine Jackson
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FLOTUS at Fayetteville, N.C. -The Arts Center speech Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

There will not be another Obama in the White House any time soon…

Despite rumors that former First Lady Michelle Obama is eyeing her own bid for the Presidency, her office is quashing those claims once and for all.

“As former first Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president,” Crystal Carson, the director of communications for Obama’s office, said in a statement provided to ITK on Tuesday.

Obama “supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign,” Carson said.

The Hill has more:

The statement rejecting any chance of Obama attempting a return to the White House as president, first reported by NBC News, comes after Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, publicly floated the evidence-free idea that the former first lady could replace Biden on the ballot in November.

Commentators have also touted Obama as the “best chance” for Democrats to retain the White House in a potential matchup against former President Trump.

However, despite the Left’s calls for Obama to consider running for public office, she has adamantly tamped down the speculation.

In 2019, Obama said there was “zero chance” she would run for president.

“There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives,” Obama, who founded the voter registration and engagement organization When We All Vote in 2018, said at the time.

“But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me,” she said.

Report: FBI Searching For Iranian Spy Targeting Trump Admin. Officials

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Jsg2020, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The FBI Is currently searching for an Iranian intelligence operative who has been allegedly plotting to assassinate current and former U.S. government officials, especially those who served in the Trump administration.

According to The Daily Wire, the Bureau’s Miami field office issued a public alert as it sought information on Majid Dastjani Farahani, who is suspected of being a member of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, Semafor reported. The FBI warned of Farahani, 42, in a Most Wanted notice on Friday, saying that he speaks Farsi, French, Spanish, and English and will often move between Iran and Venezuela.

The Daily Wire has more:

According to the FBI, Farahani was recruiting “individuals for various operations in the United States, to include lethal targeting of current and former United States Government officials” as part of a revenge operation for the U.S. taking out Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in 2020 under Trump and Pompeo.

Semafor reported that U.S. officials said Pompeo and former special envoy for Iran Brian Hook were given 24-hour security after the FBI warned of Farahani. In 2022, the Department of Justice indicted members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for an alleged plot to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who also served under Trump.

Farahani is also accused of recruiting people to run “surveillance activities focused on religious sites, businesses, and other facilities in the United States.”

Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump in January 2020. Shortly after Soleimani’s death, the top Iranian general and other officials vowed that Iran would get revenge on the U.S.

Maine Sec. Of State Withdraws Trump Ballot Ban

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously sided with Donald Trump, Maine’s Secretary of State withdrew her determination that former President Trump should be blocked from the state’s ballot under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that individual states lack authority to enforce Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment with respect to federal offices,” Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows wrote in a modified ruling, obtained by The Hill. “Consistent with my oath and obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and pursuant to the Anderson decision, I hereby withdraw my determination that Mr. Trump’s primary petition is invalid.”

“As a result of the modified ruling, votes cast for Mr. Trump in the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election will be counted,” Bellows continued.

In December, Maine became the second state to block Trump from its primary ballots.

The decision made Bellows (D) the first state official to remove a presidential candidate via the 14th Amendment, as the Colorado decision was made by a court.

“I do not reach this conclusion lightly. Democracy is sacred,” Bellows said at the time.

“I am mindful that no Secretary of State has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment,” she wrote. “I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection.”

Bellows wrote in a 34-page decision at the time that Trump “was aware of the tinder laid by his multi-month effort to delegitimize a democratic election, and then chose to light a match.”

Ex-Trump Organization CFO Pleads Guilty To Perjury Charges

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

On Monday, former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court to plead guilty to charges related to Donald Trump’s civil fraud case.

Weisselberg pleaded guilty to perjury charges stemming from his testimony in former President Trump’s civil fraud trial. 

The top executive was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million, plus interest.

The Hill reports:

Weisselberg’s charges stem from his testimony in October during the civil fraud trial, where he testified that he “never focused on” Trump’s Manhattan triplex that was listed on the former president’s financial statements as 30,000 square feet in size – despite actually being less than 11,000 square feet.  

But after Weisselberg testified, Forbes published an article accusing him of lying under oath, citing years old correspondence between the magazine and Trump Organization executive. 

“A review of old emails and notes, some of which the attorney general’s office does not possess, show that Weisselberg absolutely thought about Trump’s apartment—and played a key role in trying to convince Forbes over the course of several years that it was worth more than it really was,” Forbes wrote in its Oct. 12 article.  

When confronted by state lawyers about the Forbes article, Weisselberg conceded that the triplex in the former president’s 5th Avenue Trump Tower was only 10,996 square feet. 

Weisselberg is among several top executives at the Trump organization who were barred last month from operating their business in New York for a range of two to three years. That ruling came from Judge Aurthur Engoron, who also banned Trump and his children from operating the business. 

A New York Appeals Court allowed Trump and his sons to maintain control of the company temporarily while they attempt to appeal Engoron’s decision.

Engoron also “permanently” barred defendants Weisselberg and former corporate controller Jeffrey McConney from “serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State” and as a director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for three years.

“There was never an option to choose a jury trial,” a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital last month. “It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sued Trump in 2022, alleging he falsely altered his net worth on key financial statements to receive tax and insurance benefits. The documents, which detailed the value of the Trump Organization’s various assets, were sent to banks and insurers to secure loans and deals, which the state purports is evidence of fraud.  

Supreme Court Rules On Trump’s Eligibility

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Colorado cannot disqualify former President Trump from the ballot under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection ban. A significant victory for Trump as he seeks another term in the White House.

    “Former President Trump challenges that decision on several grounds. Because the Constitution makes Congress, rather than the States, responsible for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates, we reverse,” reads the unsigned opinion from the court. 

    Trump celebrated the Supreme Court ruling to restore him to the ballot in Colorado a “BIG WIN FOR AMERICA.”

    “A great win for America. Very, very important!” Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Monday morning. 

    “Equally important for our country will be the decision that they will soon make on immunity for a president — without which, the presidency would be relegated to nothing more than a ceremonial position, which is far from what the founders intended,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No president would be able to properly and effectively function without complete and total immunity.” 

    He added, “Our country would be put at great risk.” 

    Read the unsigned ruling below:

    SCOTUStrumpDownload

    The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in December that Trump is disqualified from being president again and ineligible for the state’s primary

    The state’s highest court was the first to invoke Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, a post-Civil War constitutional provision aimed at preventing those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office. Until now, the Supreme Court has never ruled on the provision.

    The 14th Amendment, Section 3 of the Constitution states, “No person shall… hold any office… under the United States… who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States… to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

    The former president faces more than 90 criminal charges in four prosecutions. Of those, the only one with a trial date is his state case in New York in which he’s charged with falsifying business records in connection with hush-money payments to a porn actor. That case is set for trial on March 25, and the judge has signaled his determination to press ahead.

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

    Haley Defeats Trump In DC Republican Primary

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley has secured her first victory in the Washington, D.C. Republican presidential primary contest

    Haley garnered 1,274 votes to former President Trump’s 676 with all precincts reporting, according to Decision Desk HQ.

    The win for the former United Nations ambassador breaks a streak of more than a half dozen victories for Trump to start out the GOP contests for the nomination. 

    Despite trailing behind former President Trump throughout the race Haley has pledged to remain in the race at least until Super Tuesday when more than a dozen states will vote.

    the win in the winner-take-all D.C. primary will give her all of its 19 delegates. Voting in the District took place across three days from Friday to Sunday. 

    Candidates need at least 1,215 delegates to mathematically clinch the Republican nomination. 

    Biden Torches Fox News In Letter Over Recent Hunter Coverage

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      3
      Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      President Joe Biden is not happy…

      In the wake of the federal indictment of informant Alexander Smirnov President Biden is demanding Fox News issue retractions regarding its coverage of “bribery” allegations against President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

      Smirnov, who was originally a key informant behind Republicans’ recent investigation into the Bidens, was recently indicted for lying to the FBI. (RELATED: FBI Informant Indicted Over Hunter Biden)

      In a letter to Fox News Chief Executive Suzanne Scott, President Jay Wallace, and Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton this week, White House spokesperson for investigations Ian Sams demanded the network make immediate changes:

      We feel strongly that all Fox News Digital articles on this topic should at a minimum be updated with editor’s notes informing readers that the source of this allegation has been federally indicted for making it up. We also feel strongly that Fox News Channel television personalities like Hannity and Watters, among others, should inform their viewers on air that they have been sharing a discredited allegation from a source who has been federally indicted for making it up.

      A Fox spokesperson told Mediaite “FOX News Media has reported on all key developments since the announcement that Alexander Smirnov was charged with lying to the FBI, featuring the story prominently. We will continue to report on developments in all aspects of the ongoing investigations, hearings, and trials.”

      Read the official letter with links and citations below.

      Biden-WH-Torpedoes-Fox-News-Hunter-Biden-Bribery-Coverage-In-Blistering-Demand-For-Retractions-—-Read-FULL-LetterDownload

      This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. Republished with permission.

      Supreme Court Takes Up Trump Immunity Claim

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        1
        Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

        On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will take up the issue of whether former President Donald Trump can invoke presidential immunity to shield himself from federal prosecution.

        The high court scheduled an oral argument for the week of April 22, 2024.

        The high Court’s decision comes after a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit panel ruled against the immunity claim in the 2020 election case against Trump brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

        The Daily Wire has more:

        Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor who worked in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia inquiry into Trump, said, “The SCOTUS stays DC case and expedites hearing the Trump appeal on immunity. But every day of delay operates as granting Trump de facto immunity.”

        The Supreme Court denied a bid by Smith in December to fast-track consideration of the immunity claim while Trump’s lawyers argued the question should be considered in a “cautious, deliberative manner.”

        Trump has pleaded not guilty in the federal case in which he is accused of unlawfully plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. His lawyers filed to dismiss the case in October by arguing that Trump’s actions were “within the heartland” of his “official duties.”

        U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, rejected Trump’s immunity claim, saying that the defendant’s “four-year service as Commander in Chief did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens.”

        Trump is facing three other criminal cases, including another one led by Smith over the former president’s handling of classified documents.

        Trump recently cited presidential immunity in a request to get the documents case dismissed.

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