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Department of Justice Publishes Affidavit Used for FBI Raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    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]

    The Justice Department has officially released the redacted affidavit used to obtain the search warrant used by the FBI in its recent raid of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence under the direction of U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart.

    A website where the federal judge in Florida is unsealing documents relating to the FBI’s raid is repeatedly crashing because of surging demand.

    “The government is conducting a criminal investigation concerning the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces, as well as the unlawful concealment or removal of government records,” the affidavit states. 

    Approximately 20 pages of the 38-page affidavit were either significantly or fully redacted.

    The FBI said it had “probable cause to believe” that records containing classified information, including National Defense Information, would be found within Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in addition to what he had previously turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration according to the document.

    Read the redacted affidavit below:

    Trump-raid-affidavitDownload

    Judge Bruce Reinhart gave the Justice Department until noon on Thursday to submit the redacted document after rejecting the Justice Department’s pressure to keep the record under seal.

    Fox News reports:

    Reinhart said that after reviewing the Justice Department’s redaction, the government “has met its burden of showing a compelling reason” and “good cause to seal portions of the Affidavit,” saying the disclosure would reveal “the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties,” the investigation’s “strategy, direction, scope, sources, and methods, and “grand jury information” protected by federal rules. 

    Reinhart said that after reviewing the affidavit with redactions, he has determined that the Justice Department “has met its burden of showing that its proposed redactions are narrowly tailored to serve the Government’s legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least onerous alternative to sealing the entire Affidavit.” 

    On Monday, Judge Reinhart wrote in a memo that he was inclined to make parts of the document public, saying it would “promote public understanding of historically significant events.” The DOJ pressured Reinhart to keep the document under wraps out of concern Trump supporters would retaliate against witnesses.

    Ahead of the affidavit’s release, Trump slammed the Justice Department’s “political hacks and thugs” in a statement shared to Truth Social.

    “The political hacks and thugs had no right under the Presidential Records Act to storm Mar-a-Lago and steal everything in sight including passports and privileged documents. They even broke into my safe with a safecracker – Can you believe?” Trump added. “This Act was created for a very good reason, and it works. We are right now living in a Lawless Country that just so happens to be, also, a Failing Nation!”

    When asked if national security could’ve been compromised by Trump’s handling of classified documents, Biden deferred to the ongoing investigation

    Trump has responded following the affidavit’s release calling for Judge Reinhart’s immediate recusal from the case.

    “Judge Bruce Reinhart should NEVER have allowed the Break-In of my home. He recused himself two months ago from one of my cases based on his animosity and hatred of your favorite President, me,” Trump wrote on his Truth social account. “What changed? Why hasn’t he recused himself on this case? Obama must be very proud of him right now!

    President Joe Biden dismissed claims from Trump that he broadly declassified the boxes of White House documents he took to Florida after leaving office.

    “I’ve declassified everything in the world. I’m president,” Biden said sarcastically, waving his hands in the air to reporters outside of the White House. “Come on.”

    Republican lawmakers have shared harsh reactions to the substantial redactions since the affidavit’s publication.

    Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs shared a screenshot of one of the heavily redacted pages and called for more transparency on this Twitter.

    North Carolina Congressman echoed calls for transparency in his own message.

    Conservative report Elijah Schafer shared a touch-and-cheek message about the redacted document as well.

    READ NEXT: President Biden Labels MAGA Supporters as a ‘Threat to Democracy’ >>

    President Biden Labels MAGA Supporters as a ‘Threat to Democracy’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    20
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    President Joe Biden labeled Republicans on the ballot in this year’s midterm elections as a “threat to democracy” while at a campaign event in Maryland Thursday evening. 

    Touching on former President Trump and his “Make America Great Again” slogan Biden accused Republicans of wanting to send the country “backward.”

    According to The Hill:

    “Now you need to vote to literally save democracy again,” Biden told a large crowd at the Democratic National Committee rally in Rockville, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C. “Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans have made their choice — to go backwards full of anger, violence, hate, and division. But we’ve chosen a different path forward, the future, unity, hope and optimism.”  

    “We choose to build a better America,” Biden said.  

    Throughout Biden’s speech, he also touched on accomplishments from his administration before circling back to Republicans. The President later attempted to separate what he labeled “MAGA Republicans” from “conservative Republicans” citing Maryland’s current Gov. Larry Hogan (R), as an example of the later. 

    “The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security. They’re a threat to our very democracy,” Biden said as he wrapped up his remarks. “They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace, embrace political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.” 

    “This is why in this moment, those of you that love this country — Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans — we must be stronger, more determined, and more committed to saving America than the MAGA Republicans are destroying America,” he said.  

    This is hardly the first time President Biden has attacked supporters of the former president and attempted to label them as dangers to society. In May, Biden called MAGA the “most extreme political organization in history” following the leak of a Supreme Court draft that signaled the end of Roe v. Wade.

    “What are the next things that are going to be attacked? Because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed in American history. In recent American history,” Biden told the crowd.

    On Friday, Biden’s White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre doubled down and defended the President’s comments calling Trump supporters fascists.

    Mike Pompeo Offers New Insight into Possible Presidential Run

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

    Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised eyebrows when he was recently asked if he plans to launch a presidential campaign in 2024, possibly teeing up a challenge against his old boss Donald Trump.

    During a “Faith and Freedom Barbecue” event in South Carolina hosted by Rep. Jeff Duncan, Pompeo stopped short of confirming his next political move but was clear to note he would not let any outside actors influence his decision to run for office. The event is known to attract political donors as well as presidential hopefuls, other high profile Republicans in attendance included Governor Henry McMaster and Senator Tim Scott, who has also been floated as a possible presidential contender.

    Mediaite reports:

    “We’re going to make our decision based on if we think this is the right place for us to serve,” Pompeo said. “If I come to believe I ought to become president, that I have something to offer the American people, I will run no matter who all decides to get in and who else decides not to get in the race.”

    The remark was a thinly-veiled shot at the former president who has not shied away from saying he’s seriously considering a third run for the White House. Trump’s repeated hints regarding his potential campaign have caused some conservatives to hold off on making their own decisions regarding the race.

    In April, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said she planned to support Trump in 2024 and would not launch her own campaign against him.

    “I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it. That’s something that we’ll have a conversation about, at some point, if that decision is something that has to be made,” she remarked.

    This is hardly the first hint Pompeo has dropped that he’s seriously considering a run for president. In June, Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked the ex-Secretary of State about his political ambitions.

    “Are you planning to run for president in ’24?” she asked.

    “Well, thanks for the compliment,” Pompeo deflected. “We need to build an American majority and an American coalition.”

    “I’m working on 2022 all across the country helping to get folks elected,” he added. “And Susan and I will work and pray and decide how we’re going to best serve America as we move forward.”

    Does Mike Pompeo have what it takes to take on Trump? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

    Report: Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn to Make ‘Unannounced’ Visit to Taiwan

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 . attraverso Wikimedia Commons

    On Thursday, sources revealed Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) will land in Taiwan for an unannounced visit.

    “I just arrived in Taiwan to send a message to Beijing – we will not accept bullying America will stand firm for freedom around the world and will not tolerate acts that harm our country and our allies,” Sen. Blackburn shared in a message on Twitter.

    Blackburn’s visit comes on the heels of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent trip to Taiwan which has infuriated the Chinese government.

    China, which has long claimed Taiwan as its own territory, argues the trips infringe on its sovereignty and violate America’s One China Policy which states that the U.S. acknowledges the Beijing government as the sole government of China.

    Fox News reports:

    The Indo-Pacific Region is the next frontier for the New Axis of Evil,” Blackburn said in a statement that did not mention her impending visit to Taiwan. “Meeting with leaders from Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea was an important step in showcasing America’s commitment to the region and expanding our strategic relationships.”

    “Continuing these long-established partnerships is important to the success of both East Asian nations and the United States. I am grateful for their leadership. We must stand against the Chinese Communist Party,” she added.

    China reacted to the previous August visits by launching multiple live-fire military exercises surrounding Taiwan in what many have described as a “dress rehearsal for an invasion.”

    According to Sen. Black burn’s office, she is the sole lawmaker on the visit. The Senator was already on her way home from a foreign trip visiting Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea this week.

    Trump Reignites Feud with McConnell Calling for His ‘Immediate’ Ouster

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      4
      Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer attend medal ceremony via Wikimedia Commons

      Donald Trump has reignited his feud with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) once again calling for Republicans to oust him from the leadership position.

      In a statement Wednesday, Trump described the Kentucky Republican as a “pawn” for Democrats and insisted Republicans should choose another lawmaker to lead.

      “Mitch McConnell is not an Opposition Leader, he is a pawn for the Democrats to get whatever they want,” Trump said in his statement. “He is afraid of them, and will not do what has to be done. A new Republican Leader in the Senate should be picked immediately!”

      The two Republicans previously enjoyed a friendly and professional relationship for much of Trump’s time in the White House however, the two broke ties after McConnell infamously turned on Trump following the Jan. 6th Capitol riot. Since then Trump has repeatedly attacked the Senator and called for his immediate ouster.

      Trump’s most recent attack on McConnell follows comments last week made by the Senate Minority Leader regarding the “quality” of some Republican Senate candidates- many of whom were personally chosen and endorsed by the former president.

      “I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different — they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome,” McConnell said.

      In Wednesday’s statement, Trump accused McConnell of giving the “Radical Left the Trillions and Trillions of Dollars that they constantly DEMAND” and faulted him for failing to stop passage of the landmark tax, climate and healthcare law known as the Inflation Reduction Act.

      Fox News Host Sean Hannity Threatens Legal Action Against Democrat Senate Candidate

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        4
        The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

        A feud is brewing between Fox News veteran Sean Hannity and Pennsylvania Senate hopeful John Fetterman (D). Hannity is now threatening legal action against the Democrat politician over his fundraising messages.

        On Fox News, Hannity accused the Pennsylvania Senate candidate of deliberately lying about him in his fundraising texts. Fetterman claimed Hannity also spread lies about him during a recent interview with Republican Senate candidate, Mehmet Oz.

        Mediaite reports:

        “As of now, the Fetterman campaign is refusing to debate Doctor [Mehmet] Oz, also refusing my invitation to appear on the program — as he and his campaign have been lying about me, raising money off of my name, he apparently yet another fundraising text, attacking me, lying about me, calling me a liar,” Hannity said. “Every day he lies about me, I’ll continue to tell the truth about his radical, extreme positions.”

        Hannity then took it a step further by threatening legal action against Fetterman.

        “By the way, my trust fund brat friend, when you attack me, I will attack you back 10 to 100 times harder — because you’re a lying loser and raising money for your losing campaign,” Hannity said. “He may be hearing from my lawyers very shortly. He better hope that mommy and daddy have enough money to pay his legal bills.”

        “We don’t lie on the show,” Hannity said Monday. He added, “Instead of accusing me of lying, which we didn’t do, John needs to quit his whining, stop his crying, man up, put on his hoodie, defend his radical opinions.”

        Marjorie Taylor Greene Says Home Was ‘Swatted’

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

          Georgia Congresswoman and loyal Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene claims her home was “swatted” around 1 am Wednesday.

          The term swatting refers to a dangerous prank where someone calls in a false threat to authorities, saying they need to get to the intended target’s home right away. Police tend to arrive with a heavily armed response or a SWAT team. The dangerous trick has led to fatalities in the past.

          “Last night, I was swatted just after 1 am. I can’t express enough gratitude to my local law enforcement here in Rome, Floyd County. More details to come,” she tweeted.

          The conservative firebrand said more details of the incident are forthcoming.

          A spokesperson for Rep. Greene told The New York Post that the Congresswoman was the victim of a “political attack” but refrained from disclosing any more information.

          “Right now, Congresswoman Greene’s safety is our number one concern,” a spokesperson for the Congresswoman told The Post. “Late last night, she was a victim of a political attack on her family and home. Whoever who committed this violent crime will face the full extent of the law.”

          Rep. Greene received an outpouring of support and calls for those who made the call to immediately be held accountable following the incident.

          This story has been updated to reflect new information as it has become available.

          One day after, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s home was swatted once again, prompting an armed response to her residence.

          The National Pulse reports:

          “After we cleared the call and went back in service, Rome-Floyd 911 received a call from the suspect, claiming responsibility for the incident and explaining his/her motives,” the report stated. “It was a computer generated voice. They explained they were upset about Ms. Greene’s stance on ‘trans-gender youth’s rights,’ and stated they were trying to ‘swat’ her.”

          The report also stated caller said they are connected to a website, which police stated supports cyberstalking, and gave the police their user name on the site.

          “Right now, Congresswoman Greene’s safety is our number one concern,” Greene’s spokesperson Nick Dyer said Wednesday. “Late last night, she was a victim of a political attack on her family and home. Whoever committed this violent crime will face the full extent of the law.”

          Republican Governor Criticizes Trump Over Classified Records Retention, Urges DOJ to Finish Investigation

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
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            9
            The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

            Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) says it’s time for the Justice Department to conclude its months-long investigation into the classified documents Donald Trump reportedly took from the White House after leaving office. During an appearance with CNN Tonight, the Republican governor criticized Trump for holding the records at Mar-a-Lago, which eventually spurred the recent FBI raid, saying the move was “not appropriate.”

            Mediaite reports:

            Well, in the short term, you could almost give the attorney general the title of honorary campaign manager and fundraiser for Donald Trump. Clearly, that has resorted to his benefit in the short term.

            I think it’s important we keep the public interest in mind. The public interest is making sure that classified information, sensitive public documents, are returned to archives, to their protected environment. It’s not appropriate for these documents to be running loose at Mar-a-Lago. That’s not appropriate. That has to be returned and secure.

            And then this whole thing needs to be wrapped up. Unless there’s something that is totally oblivious to the facts that we know now, this is not something that I see leading to indictments. I don’t see that. It needs to be wrapped up. And I hope that can be accomplished in the future so we can get on with the business of the country and get the documents restored. And I think that was the motivation of the Department of Justice. But who knows whenever they have not spoken clearly about it?

            On Monday, Trump’s legal team filed a motion seeking an order to appoint a special master to review the records obtained during the search. If granted, the motion would block the further review of seized materials until a special master is appointed and will require the Justice Department to provide a more detailed receipt for property and the prompt return of any item seized that was not within the scope of the search warrant.

            “ALL documents have been previously declassified,” Trump said in a statement. “We are demanding the appointment of a SPECIAL MASTER to oversee the handling of the materials taken in the raid. We are further demanding that the DOJ be forced to turn over a REAL, without ‘plants,’ inventory of my property that was taken and disclose where that property is now located.”

            “The wrongful, overbroad warrant was signed by a Magistrate Judge who recused himself just two months ago, from a MAJOR civil suit that I filed, because of his bias and animus toward me,” he continued. “This Mar-a-Lago Break-In, Search, and Seizure was illegal and unconstitutional, and we are taking all actions necessary to get the documents back, which we would have given to them without the necessity of the despicable raid of my home, so that I can give them to the National Archives until they are required for the future Donald J. Trump Presidential Library and Museum.”

            Last month, Gov. Hutchinson stirred the pot by officially declaring he would not support Trump’s next campaign, despite having voted for him in the past telling CBS Mornings that he believed the president’s actions regarding Jan. 6th constituted a “threat to democracy.”

            “As you can see from the testimony on Jan. 6, then and subsequent to the election where he was challenging the legality of it, the lawful transfer of [power] — yes, that was a threat to our democracy. That was a threat to our institutions of government,” the governor said. “And that’s not the behavior we want to see in a responsible president.”

            “I would not be supporting him for 2024″ he continued. “He acted irresponsibly. During that time, he was a risk to the nation, absolutely.” 

            Hutchinson, a known critic of the former president, has also floated the possibility of running for president in 2024, possibly teeing up an intense battle between the two Republicans. The Arkansas governor is likely to be succeeded by former Trump White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

            Judge Criticizes DOJ and FBI as He Rejects Argument to Keep Affidavit Under Wraps

            By
            admin
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            5
            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]

            A federal judge criticized the FBI and DOJ as he rejected a DOJ argument to keep the affidavit for the search warrant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago under wraps.

            U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart said the DOJ did not meet the government’s required burden of proof to keep the document sealed, The Daily Caller reports.

            Reinhart wrote in his ruling that the government had a to show if it has a compelling governmental interest and the denial of access is “narrowly tailored to serve that interest.” 

            The DOJ argued that the unsealing “would jeopardize the integrity of its ongoing criminal investigation,” and that there were privacy concerns with unsealing it.

            In response, unsealing the document would “unsealing the Affidavit would promote public understanding of historically significant events. This factor weighs in favor of disclosure.”

            However, Reinhart has the government did show a compelling interest in not unsealing the whole affidavit but that there was an alternative between unsealing the whole thing or not unsealing anything.

            Reinhart has given the agency until August 25th to propose the redactions of the document they would like.

            [READ NEXT: Trump Makes Fun of Failed CNN Host and Liz Cheney]

            Trump Finds Time to Make Fun of Stelter Amid FBI Probe

            By
            admin
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            3
            From the session "The War at Home: Trump and the Mainstream Media". [Photo Credit: nrkbeta, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

            Despite emotions running high over an FBI probe into documents President Trump has in his possession the former president found time to make fun of his biggest critic at CNN, Brian Stelter.

            Stelter was recently fired from the network amid declining ratings and a realization that he is no longer relevant.

            The network is also attempting to make a move to become more neutral and Stelter, who was the media critic, chose to consistently criticize conservative media.

            Mediaite reports:

            “Brian Stelter of Fake News CNN got fired because he lied, and lied, and lied – ABOUT ME. May he REST IN PEACE!” Trump wrote, ironically misstating the circumstances of Stelter’s departure from the network.

            “CNN will end its Reliable Sources program on Sunday, August 21st. As a result Brian Stelter will leave the company. We appreciate his contributions to the network and wish him well as he embarks on new endeavors,” a CNN spokesperson told Mediaite in a statement this week.

            Next, Stelter earned a place of honor beside January 6 Committee Vice-Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, because they have roughly equivalent roles in Trump’s life.

            “Trivia question: Who’s got less charisma, Brian Stelter or Liz Cheney. I say Liz Cheney, because Stelter could have gotten more votes than she did the other night in Wyoming – She lost by 40!” Trump wrote.

            Despite Trump being in a battle with the FBI and other legal battles, the classic Trump always shines through.

            We’ expect nothing less from one of the best verbal sparers ever to do it.

            [READ NEXT: DOJ ADMITS Trump was Right]

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