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Cohen Wants Trump Sanctioned For ‘Sleaze-bag’ Remarks

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Michael Cohen, the ex-personal attorney of former President Trump, said his former boss should be sanctioned for violating his gag order in the hush money case.

    Trump’s hush money trial is set to begin Monday. Cohen sat down for an interview with Politico ahead of the April 15 start date, where he continued his criticisms of the former President.

    “I’m not the defendant in this case. The defendant in this case is the former president, Donald J. Trump. So, what does he do? He starts to attack. And despite the gag orders that have been put on by the judges, he nevertheless continues to do what he wants,” Cohen said.

    “He will say whatever he wants. He violates the gag order. And like a petulant child, there appears to be no repercussion. He legitimately just posted something calling me a sleazebag,” he continued. “And of course, he attacked Stormy Daniels, as well. It’s called witness intimidation and obstruction of justice.”

    Cohen was responding to a post from Trump on Wednesday, where he called Daniels and Cohen “two sleaze bags who have, with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our Country dearly!”

    Battleground State Sides With Trump In Latest Poll

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Former President Donald Trump is seeking to rewin North Carolina as he aims to retake the Oval Office.

    A new poll from Quinnipiac University is the latest survey to indicate Trump with a slight edge over Biden in the crucial southeastern battleground state.

    Fox News has more:

    Trump grabs the support of 48% of registered voters in the survey, with Biden two points back at 46%, in a head-to-head 2024 election rematch. 

    The survey, conducted April 4-8 and released on Wednesday, indicates Democrats overwhelmingly backing Biden (95%-2%) and Republicans supporting Trump by a similar margin (94%-3%), with the former president holding a 49%-41% lead over his White House successor among independents. 

    Trump also has the edge over Biden when the matchup is expanded to include independent and third party candidates. Trump stands at 41% in the poll, with Biden at 38%, independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 12%, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornell West each at 3%.

    While the poll suggests the presidential contest for North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes remains tight, it indicates that Democratic state attorney general Josh Stein holds an eight point (52%-44%) lead over Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the showdown for governor.

    ‘No Brainer’ Former ESPN Host Says 2024 Vote Is An Easy Decision

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Jeff Kern, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    Joe Biden’s incompetence should make the 2024 election an easy one…

    Former ESPN host Sage Steele told Fox News Digital that she is planning to vote for Trump in the next election, saying that she strictly focuses on policy not personality when casting her vote.

    “To me, Donald Trump is the obvious answer based on what he believes, what he can do, what he has shown that he can do starting with the defense of our country, our safety, etc. and nothing to do with the personal stuff. I don’t care anymore,” Steele said. “It’s about policy, not emotion. And that’s what I wish people could get over is that emotional stuff. It’s maddening.”

    Steele had a laundry list of reasons why she thought Biden has been so unpopular, which included inflation, the border crisis, how people feel less safe, as well as his “decline mentally.”

    “You can even go back to those Chinese balloons, you know, over our territory for over a week. And little things like that, that aren’t so little. If that’s happening, what else is happening?” Steele said. “So even people who don’t go deep and take deep dives on everyday politics and the goings-on across the country, you don’t need to take a deep dive to understand that we are in a dire situation. And to me, it really is now or never.”

    Steele also expressed her “fear” of the looming Biden-Trump rematch and how “we have seen the depths” to which Democrats have tried to keep the former president off the ballot. 

    “I’m nervous for him. Sometimes I get nervous for his safety. Honestly, like it’s crazy,” Steele said. “The 91 charges, and you know, all the lawsuits and awarding $83 million… What happened with the Fani Willis case. Like, I am blown away. Every time I think, ‘OL, this is a new low. It can’t go any lower.’ What happens?!”

    Potential McCarthy Replacement To Appear On Two Ballots

    By
    admin
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    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A California appellate court ruled Republican candidate Vince Fong can legally appear on both the state and federal congressional ballots this fall.

    Fong, a mentee and ex-staff member for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), is running for his boss’ vacant seat.

    Prior to McCarthy’s resignation, Fong also filed to run for reelection in the California State Assembly, where he represents the Bakersfield area.

    California Secretary of State Shirly Weber (D) attempted to keep Fong out of the Congressional race, since he’d already declared for the state-level position and California law bars candidates from appearing twice. But, a judge ruled in late December that Fong could run.

    The Hill has more:

    Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang ruled that Weber’s determination was “inapplicable” to Fong and said he could run in the 20th Congressional District. Chang noted that the law only applied to independent candidates for Congress, not partisan primaries.

    The 3rd Court of Appeals agreed Tuesday, ruling that since Fong was not “seeking to utilize the independent nomination process,” the statute did not apply to him.

    “If the Legislature wants to prohibit candidates from running for more than one office at the same election, it is free to do so,” the judges wrote. “Unless and until it does so, however, we must take section 8003 as we find it and enforce it as written.”

    If Fong wins both elections, he would resign from the Assembly and head to Congress. A special election would be held to fill the Assembly vacancy in 2025, Fong spokesperson Ryan Gardiner told the Los Angeles Times.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

    Top Democrat Senate Recruit in Free-fall After Being Caught Using Racist Slur

    By
    Donny Ferguson
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    Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    A top Democrat recruit for United States Senate has fallen behind his Republican opponent and is backing out of a Democrat debate after he used a racist slur in a congressional hearing.

    A planned April 23 debate between two Maryland Democrat candidates, Congressman David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, was canceled after Trone “refused to commit” in the wake of the incident.

    During a March 21 House Budget Committee hearing, Trone asked  about tax policy with Shalanda Young, who is both White House Director of the Office of Budget and Management, and black, “So this Republican j-gaboo that, it’s the tax rate that’s stopping business investment, it’s just completely faulty by people who have never run a business.”

    Trone says he meant to say “bugaboo,” but instead used a racial slur for black people when speaking to the black official.

    The incident could derail Trone, who is leading Alsobrooks in polls ahead of the May 21 primary to see who will succeed retiring three-term Democrat Senator Ben Cardin as the Democrat nominee.  Not only is Trone white and Alsobrooks black, in a state whose Democrat primary sees large black turnout.

    Trone, a millionaire businessman, has flooded TV with ads featuring black women supporting him. 

    Trone is still considered the favorite to win the Democrat nomination in the heavily Democrat state.

    But Trone’s expected easy win to claim the seat in November was upended when popular Republican former governor Larry Hogan jumped into the race.

    Hogan leads Trone by an average of 4.4% in polls of a hypothetical November matchup.

    Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk. Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

    Report: Trump’s Shortlist For Treasury Secretary

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      Donald Trump has eyes set on the future.

      According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump is eyeing a number of high-profile Wall Street and Washington veterans as candidates for Treasury secretary if he wins another term in the White House.

      WSJ continues:

      The April 6 event in Palm Beach, Fla., is being hosted by billionaire hedge-fund manager John Paulson and co-chaired by investor Scott Bessent, both of whom have caught Trump’s eye as he weighs who he will nominate for key cabinet positions, according to people familiar with the matter.

      Other people Trump’s allies have discussed for Treasury secretary include: Robert Lighthizer, the former president’s top trade adviser; former Trump administration Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton; and JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon.

      The Trump campaign is also courting Blackstone CEO and former Trump donor Steve Schwarzman, who in 2022 broke with the former president, saying he planned to back “a new generation” of Republican leaders. Schwarzman hasn’t made a final decision but is considering supporting Trump’s re-election effort, according to people close to him. Some Trump advisers have also mentioned Schwarzman as a potential Treasury secretary.

      Former Trump Organization CFO Sentenced To Prison

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      2
      Image via Pixabay

      Former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg has been sentenced to five months in prison for perjury stemming from former President Trump’s civil fraud case.  

      Weisselberg pleaded guilty to two counts of felony perjury last month as part of a plea deal with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. 

      The charges stemmed from a 2020 deposition with the New York attorney general’s office as it built its civil fraud case against the Trump Organization.

      The Hill has more:

      In his July 17, 2020, deposition with the attorney general’s office, state lawyers questioned Weisselberg over the size of Trump’s Manhattan triplex apartment in Trump Tower. The property was listed on the former president’s financial statements as 30,000 square feet in size but is actually less than 11,000 square feet.  

      Weisselberg told state lawyers he “didn’t find out about the error” in the triplex’s listed size until Forbes reported it and that he was never present when Trump described the size of the property. He has now admitted that both remarks were untrue. 

      The inquiry into Weisselberg’s perjury was spurred by his October testimony in the civil fraud trial, in which he was also a defendant. Without pleading guilty to a specific charge, he admitted as part of his plea deal that he falsely testified he “never focused” on the triplex throughout the course of his work for the Trump Organization. 

      Prosecutors with the district attorney’s office said in charging documents that the Trump Tower triplex’s size was “material” to the attorney general’s investigation. 

      The civil fraud trial ended earlier this year with a New York judge ruling that Trump and top executives, including Weisselberg, conspired to alter the former president’s net worth for tax and insurance benefits.  

      Weisselberg was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million, plus interest, and barred for three years from serving in top leadership positions in any New York corporation or business entity. He was also barred for life from serving “in the financial control function” of any New York business. 

      Trump was ordered to pay $454 million, plus interest, and faced similar business-related penalties.

      Weisselberg’s 5-month sentence marks his second stint in prison after the former CFO pleaded guilty in 2022 to evading nearly $2 million in taxes. He was sentenced to five months at the Rikers Island jail for tax evasion.

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

      Notorious Criminal Speaks Out Ahead Of Trump Hush Money Trial

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        1

        On Tuesday, MSNBC’s Ari Melber interviewed incarcerated convicted felon Michael Avenatti to get his thoughts on former President Donald Trump’s fast-approaching New York criminal hush money trial.

        Avenatti, a disbarred attorney, is currently serving 19 years for extortion, fraud, obstruction, and identity theft. Some of those charges stem from his theft of proceeds from a book by his former client, Stormy Daniels. 

        The former president faces 34 charges linked to hush money payments made by his ex-fixer to porn actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

        Trump is scheduled to head to trial in his New York criminal case on April 15.

        Mediaite has more:

        “Michael, have you been in touch with D.A. Bragg’s office?” Melber asked. “And what specifically in evidence or logic do you think is wrong with this case?”

        “I’m going to decline to answer as to whether I’ve been in touch with either the defense or the D.A.s office,” Avenatti replied. “But let me say this in response to the second part of your question. You know, I think the case has a lot of problems. Now that– I don’t mean to suggest that means that Trump will not be convicted because I think he will be convicted because number one, he’s a criminal defendant in our society. I don’t believe criminal defendants generally get a fair shake.”

        Avenatti then echoed attorneys for Trump, who have unsuccessfully attempted to secure a change of venue. He said:

        I don’t think that he can get a fair trial in New York. And to the people who claim that in fact, he can get a fair trial in New York with a New York jury, I would ask them, if they were to go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow and find out that the case had been moved to Mississippi or Alabama, would they still think the trial was going to be fair?

        And I think if they were being honest, they would answer no. So, I don’t think he can get a fair trial in New York.

        On Monday, a judge in New York denied a request for a delay in his hush money trial. Trump’s attorneys argued for the trial to be relocated from Manhattan and postponed as they pursue the matter. 

        Trump’s attorneys argued for the trial to be relocated from Manhattan and postponed as they pursue the matter. His attorneys argued that Manhattan, a well-known liberal bastion, was not an appropriate location for the Republican president’s case. They requested a change of venue to Staten Island, the only borough in New York City that Trump won in both 2016 and 2020.

        Prominent Foreign Politician Meets With Trump

        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]

        On Monday, Former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron met with former President Donald Trump in a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago.

        Cameron serves as the U.K. foreign secretary and is in the U.S. to urge lawmakers to back additional funding to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

        A spokesperson for the British government’s Foreign Office described the Mar-A-Lago meeting as “standard practice” to meet with an opposition candidate, with Trump being the presumptive Republican nominee for this year’s presidential election.

        It is unclear how the meeting went or what exactly was discussed. Trump has previously stated that he would end the war within 24 hours should he be reelected while he has also touted converting the cost of weapons transfers to Ukraine into a loan.

        Fox News has more:

        Cameron will meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday to discuss the $60 billion military aid package which he has held up for months, while the pair will also discuss the Israel-Gaza war.

        Last week, Cameron called on Western leaders to put pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans in Congress to approve the additional aid for Ukraine, as Britain and the European Union have already done.

        “Speaker Johnson can make it happen in Congress,” Cameron said in a video posted on social media platform X. “I’m going to go and see him next week and say, ‘Ukraine needs that money. It is American security, it’s European security, it’s Britain’s security that’s on the line in Ukraine, and they need our help.’”

        Judge Rejects Trump’s Request To Delay Hush Money Trial

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        5
        Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

        On Tuesday the New York Appeals Court denied Donald Trump’s effort to delay his hush money criminal trial while he argues against a gag order the judge overseeing the case imposed. 

        Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order bars Trump from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and the judge’s family.

        The Hill has more:

        During an emergency hearing Tuesday before Justice Cynthia Kern, Trump’s lawyers argued that banning public statements about those individuals is an unconstitutional prior restraint on his right to free speech while running for president and mounting his defense. 

        “The First Amendment harms arising from this gag order right now are irreparable,” said Trump lawyer Emil Bove, according to the Associated Press. 

        State prosecutors countered that Trump’s remarks threaten the “public interest in protecting the integrity of the trial.”

        “This is not political debate. These are insults,” Steven Wu, appellate chief for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, said of Trump’s statements, according to the AP.

        Trump is scheduled to head to trial in his New York criminal case on April 15.

        The former president faces 34 charges linked to hush money payments made by his ex-fixer to porn actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

        On Monday, a judge in New York denied a separate request for a delay in his hush money trial. Trump’s attorneys argued for the trial to be relocated from Manhattan and postponed as they pursue the matter. 

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

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