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GOP Interim Report Accuses Jan. 6 Committee Member Of ‘Witness Tampering’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    The newly released report by Republicans examining the “failures and politicization” of the now-disbanded House Jan. 6 committee also included a recommendation to open a criminal investigation into former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.

    The 128-page interim report focuses on complaints the Jan. 6 select committee was improperly constituted and unfairly pinned blame on President-elect Trump.

    “Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi’s multimillion-dollar Select Committee was a political weapon with a singular focus to deceive the public into blaming President Trump for the violence on January 6 and to tarnish the legacy of his first Presidency,” the report states.

    The House GOP subcommittee, chaired by Congressman Barry Loudermilk, has accused Cheney of improper coordination with key witness Cassidy Hutchinson, claiming she engaged in witness tampering by “colluding” on testimony.

    The interim report shows texts between Hutchinson and Alyssa Farah Griffin, another former White House aide, and accuses Farah Griffin of acting as a backchannel between the two women.

    It later notes that Hutchinson reached out to Cheney, with the lawmaker in her own book noting she advised the aide to seek an attorney as “every witness deserves an attorney who will represent their interests exclusively.”

    According to The Hill, Cheney would likely assert that any actions she took through her work on the panel are protected by the Speech or Debate Clause, which protects lawmakers from court action related to their work.

    Outlets noted that witness tampering could also be an uphill battle in court, as such charges typically relate to encouraging a witness to lie or shift their story.

    Cheney strongly rebuked the interim report’s findings in a lengthy statement:

    “January 6th showed Donald Trump for who is really is – a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave,” Cheney said in a statement noting the numerous Republican witnesses who testified before the panel.

    “Chairman [Barry] Loudermilk’s (R-Ga.) ‘Interim Report’ intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did. Their allegations do not reflect a review of the actual evidence, and are a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth. No reputable lawyer, legislator or judge would take this seriously.”

    On Truth Social early Wednesday, Trump hinted that Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble,” seizing on a development that has stunned Washington.

    Trump

    Report: House Panel Holds Secret Vote To Release Gaetz Ethics Findings

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6
    Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    The House Ethics Committee voted secretly to release the investigatory report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

    According to reports from CNN, the committee has voted to release the ethics report despite Gaetz’s resignation from Congress last month.

    CNN reports:

    The vote, which has not previously been reported, amounts to a stark reversal for the panel after it had voted along party lines in late November not to release the results of the investigation. The decision to release the report suggests that some Republicans ultimately decided to side with Democrats on the matter, and it is unclear if the committee will once again change course now that it has voted.

    When the committee voted last month to shelve the report, Gaetz was President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be attorney general. Since then, Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration for the Senate-confirmed post, though he maintains frosty relations with many in his party and is still active in GOP politics.

    It is exceedingly rare for an ethics report to be released after a member has left Congress, though it has happened on a couple of occasions in the past. The committee revisited the issue behind closed doors earlier this month after a feud over the report spilled into public view before Thanksgiving.

    The Ethics Committee’s report concludes a years-long probe into numerous allegations against Gaetz, including whether he engaged in sexual misconduct, used illicit drugs, “shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gifts,” according to an announcement by the panel last summer.

    Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.

    Gaetz, in a statement posted on the social platform X, pointed to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision not to charge him after investigating allegations of a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old, claiming he was “FULLY EXONERATED.” He did, however, admit to an “embarrassing” past.

    “In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated – even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18.  Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court – which is why no such claim was ever made in court,” Gaetz wrote. “My 30’s were an era of working very hard – and playing hard too. It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.  I live a different life now.”

    Speaker Mike Johnson has spoken out against releasing the report due to Gaetz’s sudden resignation once Trump announced him as his initial attorney general choice. Johnson has acknowledged he has no role on the operations of the panel, which has traditionally operated separately from leadership.

    Gaetz, who was reelected to the seat last month prior to his resignation, has said he has no plans of returning to Congress next year.

    “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” he told Charlie Kirk in an interview last month.

    Gaetz is also reportedly planning to join One America News Network (OANN) next month.

    Judge Rejects Trump Request To Toss Charges On Basis Of Presidential Immunity

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    Judge Juan Merchan rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s request to dismiss charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on the basis of presidential immunity.

    The ruling came after President-elect Trump and his team requested Merchan to overturn his guilty verdict in New York v. Trump, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that presidents have immunity for official acts. 

    Merchan ruled that the evidence presented in the trial was related “entirely to unofficial conduct and thus, receive no immunity protections.” 

    “Further, even if this Court were to deem all of the contested evidence, both preserved and unpreserved, as official conduct falling within the outer perimeter of Defendant’s Presidential authority, it would still find that the People’s use of these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the Executive Branch, a conclusion amply supported by non-motive-related evidence,” Merchan writes. 

    READ:

    people-v.-djt-cpl-330.301-decDownload

    Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the yearslong investigation related to alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

    Merchan also argued that the Court said “if error occurred regarding the introduction of the challenged evidence, such error was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt.” 

    Merchan rejected Trump’s presidential immunity argument but has yet to rule on President-elect Trump’s formal motion to dismiss the case altogether.

    “Today’s decision by deeply conflicted, acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence,” Trump spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital. “This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed, as President Trump must be allowed to continue the Presidential Transition process, and execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this, or any other, Witch Hunt.” 

    Cheung added: “The sooner these hoaxes end, the sooner our country can unite behind President Trump for the betterment of all Americans.”

    State Reveals Plan To Purchase Auctioned Border Wall Materials To Store For Trump

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      CBP Photography, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

      Texas officials are stepping forward…

      Multiple elected officials in Texas expressed support over plans to buy and store border wall materials being auctioned off by the federal government and keep them in place until the Trump administration takes office next month.

      Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick reacted to reports of continued auctions of border wall materials that have been left near the border after the sudden stop of border wall construction in 2021. 

      “I will bid on all of that wall, and we will buy it in Texas, and we will give it to Donald Trump,” Patrick said on “The Ingraham Angle.”

      “I’ve got a billion dollars in my pocket to do it,” he said.

      His comments were supported by Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, who said she is “fully prepared” to help in the effort.

      “If you buy it, I have a place to store it — on state land! The [Texas General Land Office] is standing by to help!” she said, calling the auctioning off of border wall materials by the Biden administration “shameful.”

      The auctioning off of border wall parts began in 2023 with parts listed for sale on GovPlanet.com, an online auction marketplace. The Defense Department’s logistics agency told media outlets that the excess material had been turned over for disposition by the Army Corps of Engineers and was now for sale.

      However, the practice drew attention last week when The Daily Wire published video showing unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks in Arizona, even though the materials could be used in the next Trump administration. 

      Videos obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent show unused sections of the wall being hauled away on the back of flatbed trucks from a section of the border just south of Tucson, a hotspot for illegal crossings during the Biden administration.

      A defense official told Fox News that the Pentagon has been disposing of excess wall construction in accordance with the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which required the Defense secretary to submit a plan to use, transfer or donate all remaining wall material purchased with Pentagon funds. That plan was submitted in March.

      The official said that border states, including Texas, were given preference for materials. Both Texas and California requested and received border materials, they said.

      “Through our reutilization, transfer, and donation process, nearly 60% of those materials were transferred to authorized recipients, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the states of Texas and California,” the official said. “The remaining 40% was sold to GOVPLANET under a competitive sales contract process beginning in June 2024. The material currently being sold through GOVPLANET online auctions no longer belongs to the U.S. Government, and DoD has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of material it no longer owns.”

      Trump Sues Iowa Pollster Over Election Interference

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      0
      Gage Skidmore Flickr

      President-elect Donald Trump is suing the Des Moines Register and its top pollster J. Ann Selzer for “brazen election interference.”

      Trump’s lawsuit centers around Selzer’s final Iowa poll conducted before the 2024 election that reported Democrat candidate Kamala Harris leading by three points before Trump went on to carry the state by 13 points.

      The lawsuit was filed Monday night in Polk County, Iowa under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act and related provisions. It says it seeks “accountability for brazen election interference committed by” the Des Moines Register (DMR) and Selzer “in favor of now-defeated former Democrat candidate Kamala Harris through use of a leaked and manipulated Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted by Selzer and S&C and published by DMR and Gannett in the Des Moines Register on Nov. 2, 2024.” The lawsuit is also against the parent company of the Des Moines Register, Gannett, which also owns other publications, including USA Today.

      Selzer’s poll, though, had been hyped up by the media ahead of the elections, as her polling predictions in previous elections had been historically accurate. 

      Trump attorneys said Selzer had “prided herself on a mainstream reputation for accuracy despite several far less publicized egregious polling misses in favor of Democrats” and said she “would have the public believe it was merely a coincidence that one of the worst polling misses of her career came just days before the most consequential election in memory, was leaked and happened to go against the Republican candidate.” 

      “The Harris Poll was no ‘miss’ but rather an attempt to influence the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election,” the lawsuit states, adding that “defendants and their cohorts in the Democrat Party hoped that the Harris Poll would create a false narrative of inevitability for Harris in the final week of the 2024 Presidential Election.” 

      “Instead, the November 5 election was a monumental victory for President Trump in both the Electoral College and the Popular Vote, an overwhelming mandate for his America First principles, and the consignment of the radical socialist agenda to the dustbin of history.” 

      Trump’s attorneys noted that it’s not entirely uncommon for Democrat pollsters to attempt to influence electoral outcomes through manipulated data coupled with high error rates but Selzer’s large platform is cause for concern.

      “While Selzer is not the only pollster to engage in this corrupt practice, she had a huge platform and following and, thus, a significant and impactful opportunity to deceive voters,” the lawsuit states. “As Selzer knows, this type of manipulation creates a narrative of inevitability for Democrat candidates, increases enthusiasm among Democrats, compels Republicans to divert campaign time and money to areas in which they are ahead, and deceives the public into believing that Democrat candidates are performing better than they really are.” 

      According to Fox News, Trump is demanding actual damages upon trial of the case; statutory damages three times the actual damages suffered; an order enjoining defendants’ “ongoing deceptive and misleading acts and practices relating to the Harris Poll and compelling defendants to disclose all information upon which they relied to engage in the deceptive and misleading acts relating to the Harris Poll; attorneys’ fees and costs associated with the case; and any other relief as deemed just and proper by the court. 

      The lawsuit Monday night comes just hours after the president-elect said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago that he planned to sue the Des Moines Register and Selzer. 

      Following the 2024 election Selzer also announced her retirement after more than 35 years.

      ABC News Settles Trump Defamation Suit, Issues Statement of ‘Regret’

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      0

      Another win for Trump…

      ABC News and its top anchor George Stephanopoulos have reached a $15 million settlement with Donald Trump in his defamation suit.

      The settlement was publicly filed on Saturday, revealing that the two parties have come to an agreement and avoided a trial.

      According to the settlement, ABC News will pay $15 million as a charitable contribution to a “Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for Plaintiff, as Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past.” Additionally, the network will pay $1 million in Trump’s attorney fees.  

      Stephanopoulos and ABC News also had to issue statements of “regret” as an editor’s note at the bottom of a March 10, 2024, online article, about comments made earlier this year that prompted Trump to file the defamation lawsuit. The note reads, “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.”

      file_1722Download

      ABC News said the network was “pleased” to have concluded the case.

      “We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing,” an ABC News spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

      Trump filed a defamation suit against Stephanopoulos after he asserted that Trump was found “liable for rape” in a civil case during a contentious interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) last March.

      After playing a clip of Mace discussing being a victim of rape, Stephanopoulos asked her, “How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” 

      “You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos said, alluding to the legal victory by Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll. 

      Stephanopoulos repeated that claim ten times during his spat with Mace, despite the fact that a jury actually determined Trump was liable for “sexual abuse,” which has a distinct definition under New York law.

      Liberals across social media have criticized ABC News for “bending the knee” to the incoming President.

      Marc E. Elias, a Democratic election lawyer, accused ABC News of bending the knee and kissing the ring by settling. 

      “Knee bent. Ring kissed. Another legacy news outlet chooses obedience,” he wrote on X.

      “I got to think that the ABC boardroom was involved in this decision somehow,” LA Times legal columnist Harry Litman said during the MSNBC appearance on Saturday. “And my big worry to put a finer point on what Barb is saying is it is somehow caught up in the fact he will be president soon.”

      Trump Aide Faints On Stage During Republican Gala

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      1
      Photo via Pixabay images

      An adviser to President-elect Trump’s campaign, Alex Bruesewitz, passed out and collapsed as he was speaking onstage during a New York Young Republican Club gala Sunday night.

      Alex Bruesewitz, 27, was introducing incoming White House senior aide Dan Scavino inside a venue in Manhattan when he began stumbling over his words and fainted, video on social media shows.

      Watch:

      Several people quickly rushed to help after his collapse. It was not immediately clear what caused him to faint.

      “I talked to our friend Alex Bruesewitz and you know what he said to me? He goes ‘Did I at least look cool?’ I said Alex, you used gravity like I’ve seen nobody use gravity before in their lives,” Kassam said. “But he’s recuperating back there, so give him a big cheer so he’ll hear you.”

      Trump also said following the collapse that he believes Bruesewitz will be fine, according to the New York Post.

      “I know that Alex is going to be fine because he’s a tough son of a gun,” Trump said. “There’s no doubt about that. So I want to say hello to Alex, because he’s a very special guy.”

      Bruesewitz is the CEO of consultancy firm X Strategies LLC, which states its mission to help elect “America First” candidates. Its website says he is “a prominent political consultant and strategist known for his unwavering support of President Donald Trump and the America First agenda.”

      Before his collapse, Bruesewitz commended the New York Republican Club for backing Trump’s campaign. He also gave shout-outs to several supporters of the incoming president who were at the event, including former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who recently resigned from his U.S. House seat.

      Canada Threatens To Retaliate Against U.S. If Trump Admin. Imposes Sweeping Tariff

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      6

      The premier of a critical region in Canada is threatening to cut off energy and critical oil exports to the U.S. if President-elect Donald Trump implements a tariff on all Canadian products. 

      Trump recently threatened a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican exports in an effort to stop the flow of illegal immigration and drugs coming into the U.S.

      Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, said that he would consider retaliatory measures against the U.S. if the incoming president acted on his promise.

      “We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy – going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin,” Ford, who represents a region known for its crude oil production, told reporters. 

      The premier added that other officials in the country are reportedly identifying ways they can hurt U.S. exports if Trump enacts a tariff.

      “Some premiers proactively identified products that their provinces produce and export to the United States and which the U.S. relies on, and which should be considered as part of the Canadian response. This included some critical minerals and metals,” Ford said.

      “Canadians get hurt, but I can assure you one thing: the Americans are going to feel the pain as well, and isn’t that unfortunate?” Ford said.

      Trump has responded to the threats, saying “that’s okay if he does that.”

      “The United States is subsidizing Canada, and we shouldn’t have to do that,” Trump told CNBC at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. “And we have a great relationship. I have so many friends in Canada, but we shouldn’t have to subsidize a country.”

      However, a Canadian political science professor noted Ford might not be able to unilaterally cut off the province’s energy supply to the U.S.

      “I do not believe Ontario could unilaterally stop electricity exports to the U.S. without Ottawa’s approval. Similarly, Michigan cannot unilaterally stop the flow of western Canadian natural gas to eastern Canada without Washington’s approval,” University of Toronto political science Professor Nelson Wiseman told Now Toronto in response to Ford’s retaliatory threat.

      State Lawmaker Arrested For Making Terroristic Threats Against Entire GOP Delegation

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      4

      A West Virginia state delegate-elect was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill multiple lawmakers, reportedly after being informed he might be dropped from his GOP caucus position.

      Del-elect Joseph de Soto, a medical doctor from Gerrardstown which is located approximately 100 miles west of Washington, D.C. allegedly threatened several other delegates, including the Speaker of the House after being told to step down.

      De Soto was listed in state jail records for Berkeley County as having been booked as a “pretrial felon” for making terroristic threats. 

      Fox News Digital reported that De Soto was advised of a vote removing him from a position for “undisclosed reasons,” and that “he was upset” after hearing the news. 

      De Soto had threatened to kill several fellow lawmakers as well as House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay.

      “I am focused on four people who are evil … not angry, but at peace what I need to do,” De Soto said, according to the criminal complaint. When an individual tried to stop de Soto from threatening people, his response was “I did say I am going to kill people. I said I am going (sic) what is necessary to put them (sic) from office.”

      De Soto said he had a vision from the Mormon Angel of Moroni to “destroy” Wayne Clark, R-Charles Town, and Dels. Michael Hite, Joe Funkhouser and Charles Horst, all R-Martinsburg. He also claimed to have been told by God to kill another lawmaker from Weirton.

      “They play stupid games, they are getting stupid awards,” de Soto wrote in an email to a person who complained to police, according to a law enforcement report obtained by Fox News Digital. 

      “I am upset only with the Eastern Panhandle delegates. I have only begun… and won’t stop,” he said in an email to another individual according to the complaint, which ends with: “they can all go to Hell. I will send them there as commanded,”

      De Soto had been elected as a Republican in the 91st District, however, he reportedly filed to change his affiliation to Democrat shortly before his arrest.

      The filing sets up a potential partisan or legal fight as to how he is replaced, a West Virginia provides that if a delegate vacancy exists, the outgoing lawmaker’s party’s county committee “shall appoint a member of the party” to the seat.

      The West Virginia State House is currently 89-11 Republican.

      In a statement, WVGOP Chairman Matt Herridge said the party is aware of the allegations and facts of the case, “as well as the steps the House GOP Caucus has taken toward [de Soto’s] expulsion.”

      “Our elected officials sacrifice a lot to serve their communities, and it is a travesty for anyone to face the additional burden of threats made against themselves and their families. The West Virginia Republican Party supports our House leadership and their expulsion efforts.”

      “We disavow and condemn the behavior of the former Republican Delegate-elect and continue to thank all those who are willing to serve their communities and state, in spite of the serious challenges it too often poses.”

      Report: Nancy Pelosi Hospitalized

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      10
      Photo via Pixabay images

      Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was hospitalized in Luxembourg, according to her spokesperson.

      It remains unclear what type of injury Pelosi, 84, sustained during the trip with a congressional delegation.

      Her spokesperson said the California Democrat is “currently receiving excellent treatment from doctors and medical professionals.”

      “While traveling with a bipartisan Congressional delegation in Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation,” the spokesperson, Ian Krager, said in a statement.

      “She continues to work and regrets that she is unable to attend the remainder of the CODEL engagements to honor the courage of our servicemembers during one of the greatest acts of American heroism in our nation’s history,” he added.

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

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