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Watergate Prosecutor Says ‘Trump Is Toast’ In Fraud Trial 

By
Madeleine Jackson
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Slowking4, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman said former President Trump is “toast” in his New York civil fraud case.

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case accuses Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization, and top executives of falsely inflating the values of Trump’s real estate properties and other assets in order to get tax benefits and better loan terms.

James seeks around $250 million in damages, and she wants to bar Trump and his co-defendants from running another business in New York.

According to The Hill, Ackerman argued people are not only focused on the former president’s testimony but also his deposition with James’s lawyers last summer, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 400 times.

“Now what does it mean to take the Fifth Amendment? It means that you are refusing to answer a question, because a truthful answer would tend to be incriminating,” Ackerman said. “Then what did Donald Trump do last week? He went into court and said, ‘Oh, I didn’t do anything fraudulent, I wasn’t involved in a fraud.’ Which is just the opposite what in effect he was saying when he took the Fifth Amendment in his deposition.”

“So you’ve got contradictory testimony,” Ackerman continued. “You can use his assertion of the Fifth Amendment against him to basically find that he’s lying, that he’s manipulating the system when he goes in, refuses to answer questions, answers the questions in a half-baked manner.”

Earlier this week when Trump took the stand he fiercely defended his business practices and condemned those involved in the case as politically motivated “Trump haters.”

“I just don’t see how this judge at the end of the day is not going to find that, with respect to Donald Trump … ‘Liar, liar, pants on fire,’” Ackerman said.

Ackerman said that in his more than 40 years of civil law experience, he has never seen anyone “do such a stupid move as to suddenly start testifying” after they’ve taken the Fifth Amendment.

After Brutal Poll, Top Obama Advisor Suggests Biden Drop Out of Race

By
Paul Crespo
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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

ANALYSIS – Are Democrats wetting their beds about Joe Biden? As I wrote about earlier, even the New York Times (NYT) is admitting Biden is losing in the polls to Donald Trump in five key electoral states. 

And David Axelrod, chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, and a senior advisor to the former president Obama, is sending a message to the elderly Biden – “this is your last chance – get out now.”

This is one of Obama’s top advisors, so it seems like a veiled message from the ex-president himself to Biden that it’s time to quit. We will likely hear this chorus to grow among Democrat movers and shakers.

As reported by The Hill:

When questioned about his comments Monday, Axelrod told CNN that it’s a good time for Biden to check if he should keep up his campaign. Sunday marked one year before the election.

“As I’ve said for like a couple years now, the issue’s not — for him, is not political, it’s actuarial. You can see that in this poll and there’s just a lot of concern about the age issue, and that is something I think he needs to ponder. Just do a check and say, ‘Is this the right thing to do?’” Axelrod said.

“Is this the best path? I suspect that he will say yes, but time is fleeting here, and this is probably the last moment for him to do that check, and it’s probably good if he does,” the Obama alum added.

By ‘actuarial,’ Axelrod was referring to Biden’s age, calling it is “his biggest liability” and something he cannot change.

“Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction,” Axelrod wrote on X. Meaning, Biden is only going downhill from here.

The NYT poll found Biden being trounced by Trump in five out of six battleground states including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania by margins of 3 to 10 points.

The poll also found that 71 percent of registered voters said they agree to some degree that Biden is “just too old to be an effective president.” 62 percent of participants said Biden did not have the “mental sharpness to be an effective president.”

The Hill added: “Axelrod told CNN that he’s not reacting to one poll with his comments but has had conversations with people and finds 2024 a unique year considering the threat of Trump — who is leading the GOP primary race — on the other side of the aisle.”

The Hill continued:

“Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, [norms], laws and institutions or democracy should be disqualifying,” Axelrod wrote in a separate post. “But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore.”

I would add that maybe the growing GOP impeachment inquiry into the Biden family business – ‘influence peddling’ – and the tax fraud and gun indictments against Hunter Biden, are also worrying Democrats.

Echoing the growing talking points about Biden quitting while he still can, a separate Hill piece reported:

Arguing Biden is “justly proud of his accomplishments,” Axelrod said Biden’s poll numbers will “send tremors of doubt” through the Democratic Party.

“Not ‘bed-wetting,’” but legitimate concern, Axelrod wrote…

“Only @JoeBiden can make this decision,” he continued. “If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”

 I don’t know about you, but I sense there is a lot of Democrat bed-wetting about Biden going around right now.

Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

Minnesota Supreme Court Dismisses Challenge To Keep Trump Off 2024 Ballot

By
Madeleine Jackson
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The Minnesota Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to bar former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 primary ballot.

Left-wing group Free Speech For People argued that Trump violated the 14th Amendment during the Jan. 6th, 2020 Capitol riot.

The 14th Amendment disqualifies anyone from running for office who had previously taken an oath of office who then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

The Daily Wire has more:

“There is no state statute that prohibits a major political party from placing on the presidential nomination primary ballot, or sending delegates to the national convention supporting, a candidate who is ineligible to hold office,” Chief Justice Natalie Hudson ruled.

However, the court’s ruling only applies to the state’s primary ballot and left open the possibility that the plaintiffs could make another attempt to block Trump from appearing on the general election ballot in November 2024.

Trump celebrated the ruling in a series of Truth Social posts on Wednesday.

“Ridiculous 14th Amendment lawsuit just thrown out by Minnesota Supreme Court,” Trump said. “Congratulations to all who fought this HOAX!”

In response to the ruling, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in part: “Today’s decision in Minnesota, like New Hampshire before it, is further validation of the Trump Campaign’s consistent argument that the 14th Amendment ballot challenges are nothing more than strategic, un-Constitutional attempts to interfere with the election by desperate Democrats who see the writing on the wall: President Trump is dominating the polls and has never been in a stronger position to end the failed Biden presidency next November.”

House GOP Elects New Vice Chair

By
Madeleine Jackson
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2

On Wednesday, House Republicans elected a new vice chair of the House Republican conference after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rose up from the position to grasp the gavel.

House Republicans voted Utah Rep. Blake Moore to become the new vice chair of the GOP conference.

Speaking to the press after winning the position, Moore praised the House GOP’s “Commitment to America” platform from the 2022 midterm elections, and the passage of its H.R. 1 energy bill and H.R. 2 border and immigration bill earlier this year.

“It’s tough environment in Washington right now. It’s a split government type of thing, and we’re making — creating — as many ways as we possibly can as we move forward with this,” Moore said.

According to reports from The Hill, Moore beat out six other candidates for the spot.

The field included: Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.), Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Rep. Michelle Fishbach (R-Minn.), and Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas). Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) was in the running as well.

The election process took more than two hours as the House GOP cycled through multiple ballots, dropping the lowest vote-getter each time. Van Duyne had led in the ballots until Moore took the lead when the field was down to three candidates, with Alford coming in third place.

Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) formally nominated Moore for the vice chair position in the election on Wednesday.

Trump Reacts As Daughter Takes Stand In Fraud Trial

By
Madeleine Jackson
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4
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former President Trump is not happy that his oldest daughter, Ivanka, is being forced to take the stand in his business fraud trial.

The night before Ivanka was set to testify Trump fired off a number of Truth Social posts criticizing the move.

“Tomorrow my wonderful and beautiful daughter, Ivanka, is going to the Lower Manhattan Courthouse, at the direction of Letitia Peekaboo James, the Corrupt and Racist New York State Attorney General, who has allowed Murder and Violent Crime in New York to flourish, and a Trump Hating, out of control Clubhouse appointed Judge, Arthur Engoron, who viciously ruled against me before the trial even started, wouldn’t even consider a Jury, and said that Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, is worth $18,000,000 when, in fact, it is worth 50 to 100 times that amount,” the former president wrote on Truth Social.

“Now they are trying to bring Ivanka into the case, despite the Court of Appeals ruling that she cannot be charged. Sad!” he added.

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case accuses Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization, and top executives of falsely inflating the values of Trump’s real estate properties and other assets in order to get tax benefits and better loan terms.

James seeks around $250 million in damages, and she wants to bar Trump and his co-defendants from running another business in New York.

Ivanka was dismissed from the case in June, however, the judge ruled that the dismissal did not prevent her from testifying. Ivanka appealed the decision, but an appeals court denied her request.

In emails to her counsel, the attorney general’s office said Ivanka’s household staffing, credit cards, taxes, and New York housing were still being paid for or managed by the Trump Organization.

“Ms. Trump, even after her formal resignation, has remained intertwined with the Trump Organization and we believe that she is still amenable to service through that enterprise,” Assistant Attorney General Sherief Gaber wrote in a Sept. 26 email.

“Ms. Trump has clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York,” Engoron said while handing down his decision.

Poll: Third-Party Candidate Leading In 6 Battleground States

By
Madeleine Jackson
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1
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

This is unexpected…

The poll from The New York Times and Siena College shows Robert F. Kennedy Jr. beating both Trump and Biden among voters under 45 in six swing states.

Mediaite reports:

The polling shows that in an average of data gathered from Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin, Kennedy has 34 percent support base with voters aged between 18-29, and he also has 31 percent with 30-44 year old voters. Trump’s numbers stand at 29 percent with 18-29 year olds, and 30 percent with 30-44 year olds. Biden stands at 30 percent in both categories.

And in some states, Kennedy is winning younger voters by enormous margins. In Arizona,  Kennedy has 39 percent of the 18-29-year-old vote to Trump’s 26 — and in Georgia, Kennedy leads Trump 35 to 28 in the same demographic. Biden still has some sway with younger voters in several states — pulling in 37 percent of the 18-29 year old vote in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Kennedy originally entered the 2024 contest as a Democratic primary challenger to Biden, but it was about a month ago when he dropped that bid and reinvented his campaign as a third party independent run. Much of the media focus on Kennedy’s run has focused on his numerous bizarre and misinformation statements, though recent polls have shown that his independent bid could be cutting into Trump’s base more than Biden’s.

Iowa Governor Reveals Reasoning Behind Unexpected Endorsement

By
Madeleine Jackson
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1
Photo via Gage Skidmore

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is explaining why she broke tradition and decided to endorse Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during the 2024 Republican presidential primaries.

The popular Republican governor told NBC News’ Dasha Burns that she broke with Iowa’s tradition of governors remaining neutral through the primaries because the country has “too much at stake.”

“I just felt like I couldn’t sit on the sidelines any longer,” she said. “We have too much at stake. I truly believe that he is the right person to get this country back on track.”

NBC News noted that the endorsement was the “biggest endorsement of the primary” season so far and that it was a significant boost for the DeSantis campaign.

When asked why she endorsed DeSantis, who is in second place in the race, she said: “I don’t base my decision on polls. I take a look at who I believe is the right person for the right job. I believe that Ron is the right person for the right job. And I believe he’s going to win.”

Burns later asked about her relationship with former President Donald Trump who has fired off repeated attacks against Reynolds, often accusing her of being disloyal to the former President.

When asked when the last time she spoke to Trump, she said, “Probably the last time he called to ask if I would endorse him, and I said I wasn’t at this point.”

5 Republican State Legislators Switch Endorsements

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Ron DeSantis via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Five Florida legislators flipped their endorsements from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to former President Donald Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. 

    The five who flipped from DeSantis to Trump include State Reps. Jessica Baker, Webster Barnaby, Alina Garcia, Kevin Steele, and State Sen. Debbie Mayfield.

    “As instability grows around the world and economic uncertainty takes root here at home, folks across my district tell me constantly they want to see President Donald Trump back in the White House and Gov. Ron DeSantis back on the job here in Florida, finishing the work he promised to do less than a year ago,” Baker said in a statement to The Messenger, the news outlet that first reported the endorsements. 

    DeSantis’s team said his detractors didn’t mean much in the race and touted his endorsements in Iowa. 

    “Ron DeSantis is dominating the field — including the former president — in supportive state legislative endorsements from across the country,” spokesman Bryan Griffin told The Messenger. “In Iowa, DeSantis holds a historic count of 41 state legislative endorsements, which far surpasses Trump … And, in Florida, DeSantis has nearly 100 state legislators endorsing his run for president. That, too, is a number that significantly outpaces Trump.”

    The seven endorsements follow another DeSantis defector, State Rep. Randy Fine, who endorsed Trump two weeks ago. 

    Trump also has the support of the majority of Florida’s congressional delegation, including Reps. Byron Donalds, Matt Gaetz, and Anna Paulina Luna. Fourteen of Florida’s Republican congress members have endorsed the former president, while one has endorsed DeSantis, according to The Messenger. 

    Impeachment Republican Launches Longshot Senate Bid

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    Former Michigan Congressman Peter Meijer (R) announced his campaign for U.S. Senate on Monday.

    “We are in dark and uncertain times, but we have made it through worse,” he said in a statement, posted on X. “The challenges are great, but so is our country. If we are to see another great American century, we need leaders who aren’t afraid to be bold, will do the work, and can’t be bought.”

    Meijer lost his House seat last cycle after a Trump-backed candidate defeated him in the Republican primary — a challenge brought on after Meijer joined nine other House Republicans in voting to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

    The Michigan Republican already faces a challenge to win the seat left open by Se. Debbie Stabenow (D) as former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who was sought after by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig are among some of the names seeking the GOP endorsement. 

    The nonpartisan election prognosticator Cook Political Report rates Stabenow’s seat as “lean Democrat.” 

    Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) is the most prominent Democrat running for the position.

    Former Obama Adviser Suggests Biden Drop Out Of 2024 Race

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Political strategist David Axelrod joined Friends of the LBJ Library members to speak about his memoir, "Believer: My Forty Years in Politics," at the LBJ Presidential Library on February 25, 2015. The discussion was moderated by director Mark Updegrove and introduced by Elizabeth Christian. Photo by Lauren Gerson.

    Maybe it’s time for Joe Biden to turn his hearing aids up…

    Former Obama adviser David Axelrod suggested it may be “wise” for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race after a recent poll found Trump leading Biden in multiple battleground states. A New York Times and Siena College poll published Sunday found Trump leading Biden by 10 points in Nevada, six points in Georgia, five points in both Arizona and Michigan, and four points in Pennsylvania. In Wisconsin, Biden held a two point lead over Trump. The poll’s results are especially concerning for Democrats as Biden won all six states in the 2020 election.

    Arguing Biden is “justly proud of his accomplishments,” Axelrod said Biden’s poll numbers will “send tremors of doubt” through the Democrat Party.

    “Not ‘bed-wetting,’” but legitimate concern, Axelrod wrote.

    “Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, [norms], laws and institutions or democracy should be disqualifying,” Axelrod wrote in a separate post. “But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore.”

    “Only @JoeBiden can make this decision,” he continued. “If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”

    Biden’s reelection campaign has faced concerns from voters within his own party over his age and policy actions on various issues, especially the economy.

    Axelrod called Biden’s age “his biggest liability” and something he cannot change.

    “Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction,” Axelrod wrote.

    The former Obama adviser is hardly the first to encourage Biden to pause his reelection campaign in hopes a younger candidate will take on Donald Trump, the current frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

    Recently, Congressman Dean Phillips (D) officially kicked off his own presidential campaign, teeing up a primary challenge against the President.

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