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Judge Rules Trump Hush Money Case Will Head To Trial

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

Bad news for Donald Trump…

On Thursday, a judge rejected Trump’s attempt to have his hush-money case tossed. Instead, the case is scheduled to begin next month.

Judge Juan Merchan said “at this point” he will move ahead with jury selection beginning on March 25 as scheduled, a timeline that would enable a jury to return a verdict well in advance of July’s Republican National Convention and November’s general election.

Trump’s lawyers then began insisting the trial be delayed, noting Trump’s other cases, quickly turning the hearing into a fiery back-and-forth.

“We have been faced with extremely compressed and expedited schedules in each and every one of those trials,” said Trump attorney Todd Blanche.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) charged Trump in the case with 34 counts of falsifying business records last spring over reimbursements Trump made to his then-fixer, Michael Cohen.

Cohen had paid porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair she alleged to have had with Trump. The indictment accuses Trump of improperly deeming the reimbursements a legal retainer to conceal damaging information from the public ahead of the 2016 presidential election. 

Trump, who denies the affair, pleaded not guilty.

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

Impeachment Republican Announces Retirement

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On Thursday, House Homeland Security Chair, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) announced Wednesday he will not run for re-election.

“At the start of the 118th Congress, I promised my constituents to pass legislation to secure our borders and to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable. Today, with the House having passed H.R. 2 and Secretary Mayorkas impeached, it is time for me to return home,” Green said in a statement. “In the last few months, in reading the writings of our Framers, I was reminded of their intent for representatives to be citizen-legislators, to serve for a season and then return home. Our country – and our Congress – is broken beyond most means of repair. I have come to realize our fight is not here within Washington, our fight is with Washington.”

“As I have done my entire life, I will continue serving this country – but in a new capacity,” Green continued Wednesday, not disclosing if he will run again for governor in 2026, where the seat will up for grabs because Republican Gov. Bill Lee is prohibited from running under Tennessee’s gubernatorial term limits.

“I am grateful to my wife, Camie, and my family, for standing beside me and for their service to our nation,” he continued, announcing his retirement. 

“During my time in the Army, they sacrificed dad and husband to multiple deployments – and as I have served here in Congress, they have supported me as I’ve been away most weeks,” he said. “I also want to thank the constituents of Tennessee’s 7th District for the unbelievable honor to serve them in Congress – whose vote of confidence was not only evident in the wide margins in each election, but also without ever having a single primary opponent in my three elections. And finally, I want to thank my staff, whose unmatched hard work, dedication, and talent have resulted in our many victories and one of the lowest turnover rates in Congress.”

Green is the fifth Republican committee chair to forgo re-election. 

As chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Green spearheaded a months-long investigation of Mayorkas, his policies and his management of the department, ultimately concluding Tuesday that his conduct in office amounted to “high crimes and misdemeanors” worthy of impeachment. 

After a bid failed, a second impeachment attempt succeeded Tuesday, making Mayorkas the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached since 1876.

RNC Candidate Doubles Down On Trump Support After Announcing Campaign

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Image via gage Skidmore Flickr

Lara Trump is all in on a second Trump presidency.

The current Republican presidential frontrunner’s daughter-in-law vowed Tuesday to spend “every single penny” of Republican National Committee (RNC) funds to reelect him to the White House. 

Asked by Newsmax host Rob Schmitt what needs to change to make the RNC more competitive, Lara Trump said Tuesday: “The RNC needs to be the leanest, most lethal political fighting machine we’ve ever seen in American history.” 

“That is the goal over the next nine-and-a-half months. If I am elected to this position, I can assure you, there will not be any more $70,000 — or whatever exorbitant amount of money it was — spent on flowers,” she continued. “Every single penny will go to the No. 1 and the only job of the RNC — that is elected Donald J. Trump as president of the United States and saving this country.” 

Earlier this week, Trump announced he is endorsing North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, and campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita to lead the Republican National Committee (RNC).

“Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for,” the former president said. “She has told me she wants to accept this challenge and would be GREAT!”

The current RNC chair, Ronna McDaniel, is likely to step down after the South Carolina primary Feb. 24.

House Votes To Impeach Alejandro Mayorkas

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    NEW YORK CITY (September 11, 2022) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas lays flowers for USSS Master Special Officer Craig Miller and participates in the September 11th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony at Ground Zero in New York City, NY. (DHS photo by Sydney Phoenix)

    The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to impeach Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday evening.

    Members voted 214-213 to approve a resolution that made Mayorkas the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached since 1876.

    In response to his impeachment, leftist DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg released a statement that made political attacks against House Republicans.

    “House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border,” the statement claimed. “While Secretary Mayorkas was helping a group of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security and get needed resources for enforcement, House Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment.”

    “House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country,” she claimed.

    House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) opened an investigation into Mayorkas last year as the country has grappled with an explosion in illegal aliens flooding into the U.S. and Mexican drug cartels fueling deaths across the U.S. with fentanyl.

    Democrats have largely panned the impeachment proceedings as a “political stunt.”

    Supreme Court Hands Special Counsel New Deadline In Trump Immunity Case

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      Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

      On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court imposed a deadline for Special Counsel Jack Smith to respond to former President Trump’s request to keep his federal Jan. 6 trial on hold as he appeals his immunity claims.

      In a brief order, the high court ordered Smith to respond by Tuesday, Feb. 20.

      According to The Hill, Trump filed an emergency motion Monday urging the justices to block a lower ruling that he doesn’t have presidential immunity from the indictment, an argument that has enabled Trump to delay his trial date as the appeals process proceeds.

      The Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision on Trump’s motion is poised to have outsized influence on whether the former president’s trial will take place before this year’s elections. The trial was originally scheduled for March 4 but was shelved as Trump appealed the immunity issue.

      Smith has aimed to take Trump to trial quickly to avoid the possibility of Trump first returning to the White House and then pardoning himself or ordering his Justice Department to drop the case.

      By next Tuesday, the special counsel will now have to respond to Trump’s latest tactic: requesting his trial be kept on hold until he can ask the full District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to review his immunity claims, and then, if needed, the Supreme Court.

      Trump is charged in the case with four federal felonies that accuse him of conspiring to subvert the 2020 election results. It is one of four criminal cases he faces. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

      Trump Endorses New RNC Chair, Announces Family Member’s Campaign For VP

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      Ronna McDaniel via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      On Monday evening, former President Donald Trump announced he is endorsing North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, and campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita to lead the Republican National Committee (RNC).

      “Michael has been with me from the beginning, has done a great job in his home state of North Carolina, and is committed to election integrity, which we must have to keep fraud out of our election, so it can’t be stolen,” Trump said.

      Whatley has served as the North Carolina GOP chair since 2019. Whatley also serves as the general counsel for the Republican National Committee. 

      The rival Democratic National Committee reacted to the news with an email statement titled “Donald Trump Endorses Extreme Election Denier To Lead the RNC.”

      Along with endorsing Whatley for the top leadership position in the committee, Trump announced plans for his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to run as co-chair of the RNC.

      “Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for,” the former president said. “She has told me she wants to accept this challenge and would be GREAT!”

      Trump also revealed that he had asked his senior adviser Chris LaCivita “to assume the role of, in effect, Chief Operating Officer” of the RNC, and that LaCivita would “manage the RNC’s day-to-day operations.”

      “This group of three is highly talented, battle-tested, and smart. They have my complete and total endorsement to lead the Republican National Committee,” concluded Trump. “Every penny will be used properly. New Day.”

      The former president also said the three individuals are “highly talented, battle-tested, and smart,” adding they have his “complete and total endorsement” to lead the RNC.

      Nikki Haley Commits To Taking Mental Competency Test

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      Nikki Haley is putting her money where her mouth is.

      The former South Carolina Governor and Republican presidential contender committed to taking a mental competency test over the weekend.

      Haley, who is polling far behind Trump in the Republican Party presidential primary, made the remarks during a Sunday interview with CBS News’s “Face The Nation.”

      “So, Ambassador, you have made mental acuity a signature issue for your campaign for the better part of the past year,” Brennan said. “You’re handing out paper copies now of a cognitive assessment.”

      “When do you plan to take it?” Brennan asked. “And are you at all concerned that you might turn off some older voters?”

      Haley responded, “I have no problem taking it. And what I have said is, we need to have mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75. I don’t care if we do it for 50 and up. But what happened with Joe Biden this week and what we’ve seen with Donald Trump is another example of why.”

      Haley also took aim at Trump for going on an “unhinged rant” after the New Hampshire primary.

      “All he did was talk about revenge. And then you look, he said anyone that supported me was barred permanently from MAGA. Then he pushed the RNC to name him the presumptive nominee. Then he lost his court case and he went on a rant again,” she said. “The problem with all of that is at no point is he ever talking about the American people. He’s never talking about the fact that we have wasteful spending and we’re $34 trillion in debt. He’s not talking about the fact that only 31 percent of eighth-graders in our country are proficient in reading. He’s not talking about an open border, where all it takes is one to have a 9/11 moment. He’s not talking about the lawlessness in our cities. And he’s not talking about anything about the wars that are happening around the world. That’s the problem. That’s what we’re facing when this decision comes down in the election.”

      Watch: DeSantis Calls To Remove Biden From Power After Shocking Report

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        Ron DeSantis via Gage Skidmore Flickr

        Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) slammed President Joe Biden’s response to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on the President’s handling of classified materials.

        DeSantis made the remarks during an interview with Mark Levin after Hur’s report at the conclusion of his criminal investigation into Biden said that Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen” but that prosecutors “conclude that no criminal charges are warranted,” adding that they “also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury…as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

        The Florida Republican suggested Biden be removed from office under the 25th Amendment, arguing Biden is “too senile” to be trusted with national security matters.

        “This was willful retention of documents over many decades, this was like a pattern and practice when he was a U.S. senator, when he was vice president, when he got out of office,” DeSantis said. “And I think back to the Hillary Clinton case which you and I both thought merited prosecution at the time. But Hillary, she set up that server, it wasn’t about classified, she just didn’t want her communications to be subjected to FOIA because of whatever she was doing, Clinton Foundation, who knows. So she was willing to risk exposure of classified by having this private server.”

        “Biden, I think was even more willful because he was doing this for a pattern of practice,” he continued, noting that the special counsel “clearly had the goods” if he wanted to go forward and charge Biden.

        “But they are hanging their hat on the fact that this guy is effectively not mentally competent to stand trial,” he said. “How pathetic is that for our country that this is the guy with the nuclear codes?”

        “If you had a Republican president or even a candidate who had the same level of mental acuity, same level of dementia as Joe Biden did, it would be a nonstop feeding frenzy by the corporate media,” DeSantis said. “The media has very much run cover and interference for Biden.”

        “I think the question is, is he went out on the press conference the other night, it was a disaster,” he continued. “Did his staff not want him to do that or did they want him to do that knowing maybe this ends up causing the Democrat Party to look elsewhere come convention time? Because I can tell you as bad as Biden’s policies are, which is the main reason I’ve opposed him from the start, if you ask the average American voter, the thing they like least about him is the fact that he’s lost so much on his fastball and that he’s just not up to the job. That’s not something you can cure.”

        McCarthy Responds To RNC Endorsement

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        Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

        Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appears to be in no rush to dive back right back into Republican politics…

        Days after multiple outlets reported Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna McDaniel likely plans to step down after the South Carolina primary McCarthy is responding to speculation he may consider filling the role.

        “No, no, no,” McCarthy told reporters Thursday night, waving his hand, when asked about the possible role by NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard.

        Trump has said he will make “recommendations” for the future of the RNC after the South Carolina GOP primary later this month.

        In a statement to The Hill, RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper said, “Nothing has changed. This will be decided after South Carolina.”

        Earlier this week, Florida Republican Matt Gaetz endorsed McCarthy for the role, noting the organization does not make any policy decisions. (RELATED: Former House Speaker Gets Unexpected Endorsement Amid RNC Shakeup)

        “I fully endorse Kevin McCarthy for RNC Chair. Kevin is well organized and a very high-revenue fundraiser. He will also be well-liked by the RNC Committee,” argued Gaetz. “The RNC Chair doesn’t make any policy decisions, set any agenda, or negotiate against Democrats, ever. Kevin would be terrific.”

        This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. Republished with permission.

        Larry Hogan Announces Senate Campaign

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          Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

          On Friday, anti-Trump Republican Larry Hogan announced he’s running to fill Maryland’s empty Senate seat.

          The Maryland Republican’s decision to run for outgoing Sen. Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) seat was unexpected given that he’d previously hinted at launching a White House campaign to take on Donald Trump.

          According to The Hill, Hogan is likely to be the heavy favorite on the Republican side while Democrats are likely to choose between Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D).  

          The decision came after intense lobbying from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its Chair Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.). Hogan had also spoken to Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) in recent months.