The ruling comes as part of a lawsuit filed by conservative watchdog Judicial Watch following an open records request related to communications with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. At the time, Willis’ office initially claimed that no such records existed.
According to Mediaite, regardless of repeated assurances from the DA’s office, the court found that Willis had withheld crucial documents, including a letter she wrote to the Jan. 6 committee chair.
Under pressure from the court, Willis later acknowledged the existence of some documents but argued that they were exempt from disclosure. The court didn’t buy the explanation, emphasizing that her office failed to search for the records until forced by litigation.
Judge Robert McBurney criticized the DA’s office for its noncompliance, noting that the “Records Custodian’s own admission” proved the office had ignored the records request.
“No one searched until prodded by civil litigation,” he wrote in a scathing ruling.
In the court’s decision on January 3, Judge McBurney highlighted the severity of Willis’ repeated violations and ordered her office to pay Judicial Watch’s legal fees.
“Fani Willis flouted the law, and the court is right to slam her and require, at a minimum, the payment of nearly $22,000 to Judicial Watch,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “But in the end, Judicial Watch wants the full truth on what she was hiding — her office’s political collusion with the Pelosi January 6 committee to ‘get Trump.’”
The payment is due by Jan. 17th.
Last month, Willis was also disqualified from the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Trump over her inappropriate relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Pope Francis has named Cardinal Robert McElroy, a known advocate for migrants and outspoken critic of President-elect Donald Trump, as the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C. The decision underscores the pontiff’s preference for church leaders who align with his progressive vision, even as it risks further deepening ideological divisions within the millennia-old Catholic Church.
Cardinal McElroy, recognized as a strong supporter of LGBTQ inclusion and other liberal causes, has consistently aligned with Pope Francis on key social and theological issues. His appointment was announced two weeks before Inauguration Day, conspicuous timing that drew widespread attention given the cardinal’s history of publicly criticizing Trump’s policies on immigration and social justice. This is particularly notable in light of McElroy’s emphasis on synodality (dialogue with one another in the presence of the Spirit of God) and church reform, which have drawn both praise and criticism from Catholic observers.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
As Forbes’ Conor Murray reports, the move to elevate McElroy comes as a stark contrast to Trump’s nomination of Brian Burch as ambassador to Vatican City. Burch, a conservative Catholic activist and president of the right-leaning advocacy group CatholicVote, was instrumental in rallying Catholic support for Trump during the 2024 campaign. His organization has frequently clashed with the more progressive stances of Pope Francis and his allies:
McElroy has largely slammed Trump because of his views on immigration, including his promise to conduct mass deportations. McElroy was one of 12 Catholic bishops from California who co-authored a statement last month voicing support for “our migrant brothers and sisters,” acknowledging the “calls for mass deportations and raids on undocumented individuals” have created fear in migrant communities. After Trump’s first election victory in 2016, McElroy called it “unthinkable” that Catholics would “stand by while more than ten percent of our flock is ripped from our midst and deported.” He called Trump’s mass deportation plan an “act of injustice which would stain our national honor” and compared it to Japanese interment and Native American dispossession. McElroy criticized Trump’s plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy in 2017 for lacking any “shred of humanity,” stating Jesus Christ was “both a refugee and an immigrant during his journey.”
In a 2023 column for America magazine, McElroy urged greater welcoming of divorced and LGBTQ Catholics into the church, stating the church’s “disproportionate” focus on sexual activity as sin “does not lie at the heart” of a Christian’s relationship with God and “should change.” McElroy called it a “demonic mystery of the human soul why so many men and women have a profound and visceral animus toward members of the L.G.B.T. communities.” In a February 2024 speech, McElroy considered the lack of support among Catholics for blessing same-sex marriages to be the result of “enduring animus among far too many toward LGBT persons.” McElroy has also criticized abortion being considered a “de facto litmus test for determining whether a Catholic public official is a faithful Catholic.” McElroy, however, called Biden’s lack of support for anti-abortion legislation an “immense sadness” in a 2021 America magazine column, and called the overturning of Roe v. Wade a “day to give thanks and celebrate.”
Burch, founder and co-president of CatholicVote, was once a Trump skeptic but praised him in 2020 for making a “concerted effort to reach out to Catholics in a way that we haven’t seen in the past.” That year, he authored the pro-Trump book, “A New Catholic Moment: Donald Trump and the Politics of the Common Good.” Burch has slammed Francis for “progressive Catholic cheerleading” and accused him of creating “massive confusion” over his approval of blessing same-sex marriages in 2023.
Also on Monday, Francis appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun, to lead a Vatican office, making her the first woman to lead a major Vatican department. The department, the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, is responsible for religious orders. Francis has long voiced support for greater roles for women in the church, though he has ruled out ordaining women as deacons or priests.
McElroy’s appointment also highlights Pope Francis’ broader engagement with U.S. politics. In 2024, the pontiff made headlines when he urged voters to carefully consider their choices, describing the act of voting as a moral responsibility. During a press conference aboard the papal plane, Francis remarked on the complexities of American politics, advising voters to choose “the lesser evil” when faced with challenging decisions.
While the pope has criticized Trump’s hardline immigration policies, he has also expressed concern over Vice President Kamala Harris‘ unwavering support for abortion rights. Both stances, Francis noted, conflict with the Church’s teachings on the sanctity of life. “One must choose the lesser of two evils,” the pope reiterated. “Who is the lesser of two evils? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know. Everyone with a conscience should think on this and do it.”
Despite the pontiff’s cultural influence, his impact on American politics was negligible. In the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump secured a notable share of the Catholic vote, surpassing his performance in previous campaigns. According to exit polls conducted by The Washington Post, Trump won the national Catholic vote by a 15-point margin, with 56% supporting him compared to 41% for Vice President Kamala Harris.
This represents a notable shift compared to the 2020 election, where the Catholic electorate was nearly evenly split, with 50% supporting Trump and 49% favoring Joe Biden, a lifelong Catholic.
The 2024 election also saw variations within the Catholic demographic. Trump’s support among white Catholics increased, with 59% backing him compared to Harris’s 39%, a 20-point margin. This was an improvement over his 15-point lead in 2020.
Marburg79, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Among Latino Catholics, there was a significant shift toward Trump. In 2020, Biden led this group by a substantial margin, but in 2024, Trump’s support increased notably, contributing to his overall gains among Catholic voters.
The appointment of McElroy is likely to spark further debate within the Church, where a widening schism between liberal and conservative leaders continue to grow. However, it also reflects Francis’ commitment to shaping the Church’s leadership in a way that emphasizes his vision for pastoral care and inclusivity, even at the expense of unity.
Yet, in the United States, voting trends strongly suggest that Trump’s campaign strategies—including selecting Senator JD Vance, a Catholic, as his running mate, and making explicit appeals to Catholic voters—resonated with this demographic, contributing to increased GOP support in the 2024 election and possibly beyond.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is reportedly using his own money to write a $1 million check to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee.
Axios reported that only Cook is expected to give to the fund — not the company.
Cook “believes the inauguration is a great American tradition, and is donating to the inauguration in the spirit of unity,” the report said, citing sources close to Cook. He “has made it clear over the years that he believes in participation, not sitting on the sidelines, and engaging with policymakers from both sides of the aisle.”
The report noted that Apple is America’s and the world’s largest taxpayer.
Trump has secured $1 million donations from other top business leaders and companies including from Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg — whose company owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was also reportedly planning to donate $1 million to the fund, telling The New York Times: “President Trump will lead our country into the age of A.I., and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead.”
Major automakers General Motors, Ford, and Toyota have all promised to donate $1 million each toward the fund.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is facing an uphill battle for confirmation.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, signaled he plans to meet again with Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii).
Fox News’s Chad Pergram summed up the Virginia Democrat’s remarks, quoting, “This is an extraordinarily serious job that requires maintaining the independence of the intelligence community. It also means maintaining the cooperation of our allies. We’ve got a lot of our intelligence from our allies on a sharing basis, and if those that information is not kept secure, it raises huge concern. So..we’ve got a number of questions out for her. This is the beginning of a process.”
Top Dem on Senate Intel Cmte Warner on mtg w/DNI nominee Gabbard: I went in with a lot of questions. I've still got a lot of questions. This is an extraordinarily serious job that requires maintaining the independence of the intelligence community. It also means maintaining the…
Axios reported on Tuesday that Warner and other Senate Democrats have moved to delay Gabbard’s hearing.
“Warner has pointed out that the committee has not yet received Gabbard’s FBI background check, ethics disclosure or a pre-hearing questionnaire, a source familiar with the matter told us. Committee rules require the background check a week in advance of a hearing,” reported Axios.
Intel Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told the outlet in a statement he “intends to hold these hearings before Inauguration Day. The Intelligence Committee, the nominees, and the transition are diligently working toward that goal.”
“After the terrorist attacks on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, it’s sad to see Sen. Warner and Democrats playing politics with Americans’ safety and our national security,” Trump transition spokesperson Alexa Henning also told Axios.
Attorney General Merrick Garland will release Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Trump.
“The Attorney General determined that he will not make a public release of Volume Two while defendants’ cases remain pending. That should be the end of the matter,” prosecutors wrote.
The Department of Justice told the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Wednesday that Garland intends to release Volume One of Smith’s report to Congress, which covers the allegations that Trump attempted to illegally undo the results of the 2020 presidential election.
However, Garland will not release Volume Two, which covers the classified documents case against Trump, as two defendants in that case still face criminal proceedings.
Federal prosecutors made Garland’s plans clear in a Wednesday morning filing urging an appeals court to reject a bid from Trump valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira to bar the attorney general from releasing the report in its entirety, per reports from The Hill.
The filing says the top members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees will be able to review the Mar-a-Lago report at the DOJ.
Garland’s decision essentially assures the public will never see Smith’s report reviewing Trump’s mishandling of classified records at his Palm Beach home.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
President-elect Donald Trump filed an emergency petition to the United States Supreme Court Wednesday morning in an effort to block his impending sentencing in New York v. Trump.
Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing in New York v. Trump for Jan. 10 after a jury found the now-president-elect guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree.
“President Trump’s legal team filed an emergency petition with the United States Supreme Court, asking the Court to correct the unjust actions by New York courts and stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt,” Trump spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital.
“The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the Constitution, and established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.”
Cheung said the “American People elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate that demands an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and all of the remaining Witch Hunts.”
He added, “We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again.”
The filing to the United States Supreme Court comes after a judge in New York on Tuesday denied Trump’s motion to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing, which is currently set for Friday, Jan. 10 at 9:30 a.m.
Merchan set the sentencing date last week but said he will not sentence the president-elect to prison.
Merchan wrote in his decision that he is not likely to “impose any sentence of incarceration,” but rather a sentence of an “unconditional discharge,” which means there would be no punishment imposed.
On Tuesday, Florida Judge Aileen Cannon temporarily blocked the Justice Department from releasing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Trump’s two prosecutions.
The ruling from Cannon comes after Trump’s two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago documents case asked her to bar the release of both sections of Smith’s report, including that dealing with Trump’s election interference case.
It’s not clear the extent of Cannon’s purview over the case, as a prior ruling from her tossing the case has been appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Cannon said her ruling blocking any transmittance of the report would remain in effect until three days after any appeals court ruling “unless the 11th Circuit rules otherwise.”
The Florida-based federal judge said the ruling would “preserve the status quo” and “prevent irreparable harm.”
Smith’s office declined to comment, but in earlier court filings said they would respond to the substance of Trump’s request by 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Attached to the filings is a letter from Trump’s legal team to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to fire Smith and leave the decision of whether to release the report to a Trump-appointed attorney general.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
President-elect Trump repeated his warnings that “all hell will break loose” in the Middle East if hostages kidnapped from Israel and held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are not released before his inauguration.
“It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” Trump said during a press conference at his residence in Florida, Mar-A-Lago. “All hell will break out. I don’t have to say anymore, but that’s what it is.”
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said at the same press conference that there’s been a lot of progress on efforts to release about 100 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, saying he’s hopeful a deal is achieved ahead of the inauguration.
Witkoff said he had just returned from discussions in Doha, Qatar on the hostage release deal and was planning to head back to the region on Wednesday or Thursday.
“I believe we’ve been on the verge of it. I don’t want to discuss sort of what’s delayed it,” he said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken had earlier said he hoped the Biden administration could conclude a hostage release and ceasefire deal before the end of President Biden’s term
Chuck Kennedy for The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President-elect Trump and his two co-defendants in the classified documents case are working to block special counsel Jack Smith from releasing his final report.
The motion filed late Monday, the fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol asks Judge Aileen Cannon to bar Smith from his plans to release his two-volume report.
An accompanying letter from Trump’s legal team to Attorney General Merrick Garland reveals they have already reviewed a draft of the report, asking Garland to fire Smith and leave the decision of whether to release the report to the president-elect’s incoming attorney general.
Trump has nominated Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the role.
While Smith was responsible for the report, Attorney General Garland makes the final decision to release it to the public.
Attorneys for Trump’s two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago case, valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira, rely on a ruling from Cannon that found Smith was unlawfully appointed in asking her to block the report’s release.
Smith’s team responded with an early Tuesday morning filing.
“The Department can commit that the Attorney General will not release that volume to the public, if he does at all, before Friday, January 10, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.,” Smith’s team wrote, the same day Trump is set to be sentenced in his New York hush money case.
“The Draft Report violates fundamental norms regarding the presumption of innocence, including with respect to third parties unnecessarily impugned by Smith’s false claims. Releasing the report to the public without significant redactions (that would render its release meaningless) would violate prohibitions on extrajudicial statements by prosecutors,” Trump’s team wrote in the letter to Garland.
“This is particularly problematic with respect to ongoing proceedings relating to Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, as well as others who Smith and his staff falsely characterize as co-conspirators in the Draft Report,” they added.
The letter to Garland reveals a few details about Smith’s report, including that it contains information about “anticipated members of President Trump’s incoming administration,” something Trump’s team complains could hinder their confirmation process.
It otherwise appears to mirror language already included in Smith’s indictments of Trump.
“Volume I of the Draft Report falsely asserts, without any jury determination, that President Trump and others ‘engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort,’ was ‘the head of the criminal conspiracies,’ and harbored a ‘criminal design,’” Trump’s legal team wrote in the letter. “Likewise, Volume II asserts, without any supporting verdict, ‘that Mr. Trump violated multiple federal criminal laws,’ and that he and others engaged in ‘criminal conduct.’”
