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Democrat Congressman Calls On New York Governor To Pardon Trump

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

An unexpected twist…

Members from both sides of the aisle have aired their opinions in the wake of former President Trump’s guilty verdict but Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) has shared an idea that’s unlikely to get much support from his colleagues: a pardon.

Following the verdict, Rep. Phillips said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) should seriously consider pardoning the former President “for the good of the country.”

Despite his call to let Trump walk free, the Democrat Congressman shared nothing but insults for the presumptive Republican nominee in a post on X.

Donald Trump is a serial liar, cheater and philanderer, a six-time declarer of corporate bankruptcy, an instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as a victim,” Phillips wrote on X. “@GovKathyHochul should pardon him for the good of the country.”

In a separate post, Rep. Phillips defended his proposal noting how the Trump campaign has already begun to capitalize on the shocking trial. (RELATED: Trump’s Conviction Turns Cash Cow: $200M Raised, Eric Tells Fox News)

On Friday, the Trump campaign announced a new record of $34.8 million raised in the hours after the verdict.

“You think pardoning him is stupid? Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are totally different.)” Phillips wrote in another post. “It’s energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.”

Hochul appeared to suggest that pardoning Trump is off the table as she made clear her support for the verdict in a statement released Thursday.

“TODAY’S VERDICT REAFFIRMS THAT NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. IN PREPARATION FOR A VERDICT IN THIS TRIAL, I DIRECTED MY ADMINISTRATION TO CLOSELY COORDINATE WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION. WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROTECTING THE SAFETY OF ALL NEW YORKERS AND THE INTEGRITY OF OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM,” THE STATEMENT SAID.

Phillips is not the only congressman calling for Hochul to pardon Trump. Republican New York Rep. Nick LaLota wrote on social media that “the best way to unwind” Trump’s conviction is for Hochul to “immediately announce her intention” to pardon the former president.

Earlier this year Phillips emerged as a long-shot “alternative” to President Joe Biden before suspending his campaign in March.

“I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again – because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options,” he wrote on X.

“But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be,” Phillips continued.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

Citizens Sue City Over Scheme To Pay Race Reparations

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Image via Pixabay free images

A group of Evanston, Illinois, residents are suing their city government over a $20 million scheme to give away $25,000 each to Black residents as “reparations” for wrongs experienced by past generations.

The nonprofit public interest law firm Judicial Watch announced it “filed a class action lawsuit against Evanston, Illinois, on behalf of six individuals over the city’s use of race as an eligibility requirement for a reparations program which makes $25,000 payments to black residents and descendants of black residents who lived in Evanston between the years 1919 and 1969.” (RELATED: San Francisco Debates $5 Million Per Person Reparations Proposal)

The New York Times photo archive, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“The Evanston, Illinois’ ‘reparations’ program is nothing more than a ploy to redistribute tax dollars to individuals based on race,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This scheme unconstitutionally discriminates against anyone who does not identify as Black or African American. This class action, civil rights lawsuit will be a historic defense of our color-blind Constitution.”

“Through a series of resolutions, the Evanston City Council created a program to provide $25,000 cash payments to residents who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969 and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,” JW reports, after filing a class action, civil rights lawsuit which challenges “on Equal Protection grounds Defendant City of Evanston’s use of race as an eligibility requirement for a program that makes $25,000 payments to residents and direct descendants of residents of the city five-plus decades if not more than a century ago. Plaintiffs seek a judgment declaring the Defendant’s use of race to be unconstitutional. Plaintiffs also seek an injunction enjoining Defendant from continuing to use race as a requirement for receiving payment under the program and request that the Court award them and all class members damages in the amount of $25,000 each.”

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

JW argues that “the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because:”

Remedying societal discrimination is not a compelling governmental interest.  Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., 488 U.S. 469, 505 (1989); see also Regents of Univ. of Cal. v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265, 307 ((1978) (opinion of Powell, J.) (describing “societal discrimination” as “an amorphous concept of injury that may be ageless in its reach into the past.”)  Remedying discrimination from 55 to 105 years ago or remedying discrimination experienced at any time by an individual’s parents, grandparents, or great grandparents has not been recognized as a compelling governmental interest…

Defendant also has not and cannot demonstrate that its use of a race as an eligibility requirement is narrowly tailored.  Among other shortcomings, Defendant’s use of race as a proxy for experiencing discrimination between 1919 and 1969 does not limit eligibility to persons who actually experienced discrimination during that relevant time period and therefore is overinclusive.   Defendant also failed to consider race-neutral alternatives, such as requiring prospective recipients show that they or their parents, grandparents, or great grandparents actually experienced housing discrimination during the relevant time period because of an Evanston ordinance, policy, or procedure, as Defendant requires for the third group of prospective recipients.  Nor did Defendant take into account race-neutral anti-discrimination remedies before adopting its race-based eligibility requirement.

According to JW, the program works as follows:

The first group of persons eligible for the $25,000 payments are current Evanston residents who identify as Black or African American and were at least 18 years of age between 1919 and 1969. Evanston refers to this group as “ancestors.”

The second group are individuals who identify as Black or African American who are at least 18 years of age and have at least one parent, grandparent, or great grandparent who identifies (or identified) as Black or African American, lived in Evanston for any period between 1919 and 1969, and was at least 18 at the time. Evanston refers to this group as “direct descendants.” A “direct descendant” is not required to be a current resident of Evanston to receive the payment.

“At no point in the application process are persons in the first and second groups required to present evidence that they or their ancestors experienced housing discrimination or otherwise suffered harm because of an unlawful Evanston ordinance, policy, or procedure or some other unlawful act or series of acts by Evanston between 1919 and 1969,” Judicial Watch states in the laws.” “In effect, Evanston is using race as a proxy for having experienced discrimination during this time period.” (RELATED: Squad Member Introduces Proposal For $14 Trillion In Reparations)

Judicial Watch states in the lawsuit that “the six plaintiffs satisfy all eligibility requirements for participating in the program as ‘direct descendants’ other that the race requirement (the actual number of individuals who are potential class members is in the tens of thousands).”

Christine Svenson of Chalmers, Adams, Backer & Kaufman, LLC is assisting Judicial Watch in the lawsuit.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Great America News Desk. It first appeared in American Liberty News.

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50 Cent: Black Men Backing Trump Over Biden Post-Conviction

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Johnny Silvercloud, CC BY-SA 2.0

Rap icon 50 Cent confirmed after a bipartisan meet-and-greet on Capitol Hill that Black people, particularly men, are identifying with former President Donald Trump following his controversial conviction.

The Grammy Award-winning artist and savvy entrepreneur schmoozed with lawmakers from both parties while lobbying for Black entrepreneurs and business owners.

During the meeting, one reporter asked 50 Cent, given name Curtis Jackson, about the prevailing mood among Black men before the 2024 presidential election.

“I see them identifying with Trump,” he confidently responded.

The reporter followed up: “Why do you say that?”

According to the music mogul, it was because the government has filed “RICO charges” against Trump.

Per Breitbart:

In August 2023, Trump was indicted on a racketeering charge.

Under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which was passed in 1970, there are around 35 offenses that are defined as racketeering. Some examples of racketeering charges consist of gambling, murder, kidnapping, bribery, and drug dealing.

Most recently, Trump was found guilty of 34 charges of falsifying business records in the first degree related to payments made to adult entertainment star, Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.

This is not the first time that the famous rapper has seemingly come out in favor of Trump. In October 2020, 50 Cent criticized Biden’s proposed tax plan in a post on Instagram and seemed to endorse Trump for reelection, writing that people should vote for him.

In February of this year, 50 Cent suggested that “maybe Trump is the answer” after New York City Mayor Eric Adams proposed distributing pre-paid credit cards to migrants staying in the city.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

Report: Support For Convicted Felon As President Surges

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    An interesting twist…

    Nearly a week after a Manhattan jury found former President Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records the dust has started to settle.

    According to a recent YouGov poll, Republicans say that they are now okay with allowing convicted felons to be president a significant rise from a similar poll in April.

    YouGov conducted its first poll on the political support of felons on May 31, following the conviction of former President Donald Trump, and the sharp rise is both equally stunning and not at all surprising. 

    The Political Polls account shared the details on social media:

    Similarly, a focus group of undecided voters following former President Trump’s conviction last week revealed mixed reactions to the historic verdict

    According to The New York Times, a transcription of the focus group features 11 swing voters, all of whom have previously supported Trump and President Biden or Hillary Clinton at least once during 2016, 2020 and 2024.

    Undecided voters were asked to discuss the impact of Trump’s guilty verdict in his New York trial and how it will affect their likelihood to vote for him. Some respondents said they were still “torn” after the verdict. However, it wasn’t a decisive factor for many of them. 

    “Inflation, the economy, immigration and abortion were the things that they said would ultimately determine their votes,” the Times notes. 

    James, a 53-year-old from Iowa, commented, “They’ve been going after Trump since he was elected in 2016. Democracy is supposed to be about the will of the people. I don’t really think the majority of the people in this country wanted to see him prosecuted on these charges.” 

    When other participants expressed their hesitancy to vote for a convicted felon, Jonathan, a 37-year-old from Florida, interjected, “You have to remember why Trump is the choice of millions of people. Trump represents a shock to the system. His supporters don’t hold him to the same ethical standards. He’s the antihero, the Soprano, the ‘Breaking Bad,’ the guy who does bad things, who is a bad guy but does them on behalf of the people he represents.”

    Frank, a 65-year-old from Arizona, replied, “The more I see Trump dealing with this, the less confident I am in him. A president’s got to be a step apart from just a good person. And I have a problem with his integrity and ethics. I’m swinging toward probably Biden. And I don’t like Biden. I don’t like him… got no ethics, either.”

    Hunter Biden’s Wife Snaps On Former Trump Aide During Court Appearance

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    President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

    That was ugly…

    Melissa Cohen Biden, the wife of Hunter Biden, lashed out at a former Trump aide during her Tuesday appearance in court calling him a “Nazi.”

    Her vicious remarks were directed at Garrett Ziegler, who was sued by Hunter Biden last year for publishing the contents of his infamous laptop.

    Approaching Ziegler at the trial, Biden’s wife pointed her finger at him and said, “You have no right to be here, you Nazi piece of s—.”

    Ziegler confirmed the encounter, which was first reported by NBC News, and told the outlet, “It’s sad I’ve been sitting here the whole time and haven’t approached anyone.”

    “For the record, I’m not a Nazi, I’m a believer in the U.S. Constitution. I haven’t said one thing to them,” Ziegler added.

    In the lawsuit, the Bidens alleged that Ziegler had violated federal computer laws by hacking into the now-infamous laptop that was left in a Delaware repair shop in 2019.

    The lawsuit accuses Ziegler and his company, Marco Polo, and other associates of spreading “tens of thousands of emails, thousands of photos, and dozens of videos and recordings” that were considered “pornographic” on the laptop.

    Marco Polo referenced the encounter in a post on X.

    RNC Prepping For Possibility Trump is Jailed During Convention

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    Image via Pixabay

    Ready for anything…

    The Republican National Committee (RNC) is bracing for the possibility Donald Trump will be jailed during the convention.

    RNC Chair Michael Whatley stated that the RNC expects the former president to be officially nominated at the party’s mid-July convention in Milwaukee. 

    “We expect that Donald Trump is going to be in Milwaukee and he’s going to be able to accept that nomination and if not, we will make whatever contingency planning we need to make for it,” he said. “But the fact is, he’s going to be our nominee, and he’s going to be the 47th president of the United States.” 

    Whatley, who was elected as the chair of the committee in March, did not share more details about the plans but added that “everything is being thought about” regarding Trump’s options to still communicate to the base, regardless of if he is behind bars or not. 

    “We’ll cross that bridge but you sort of have to go into this stuff, as we certainly will be planning on it,” Whatley said on Tuesday. “We’ll be thinking about it, and we’re working on that right now. But what we want to do is we want to have a show that is going to roll out Donald Trump and his vision for America, which is going to set up this election cycle.”

    The North Carolina Republican added that the former president “will communicate directly with the American voters the way that he always does.” 

    On Thursday, the Manhattan jury found Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, guilty on all 34 charges.

    Before Trump, no sitting or former president ever faced criminal charges. This is the lowest level felony in New York, any potential sentence will more than likely be served after the 2024 election.

    Whatley stated that the RNC expects the former president to be officially nominated at the party’s mid-July convention in Milwaukee. 

    “We expect that Donald Trump is going to be in Milwaukee and he’s going to be able to accept that nomination and if not, we will make whatever contingency planning we need to make for it,” he said. “But the fact is, he’s going to be our nominee, and he’s going to be the 47th president of the United States.” 

    Whatley, who was elected as the chair of the committee in March, did not share more details about the plans, but added that “everything is being thought about” regarding Trump’s options to still communicate to the base, regardless if he is behind bars or not. 

    “We’ll cross that bridge but you sort of have to go into this stuff, as we certainly will be planning on it,” Whatley said on Tuesday. “We’ll be thinking about it, and we’re working on that right now. But what we want to do is we want to have a show that is going to roll out Donald Trump and his vision for America, which is going to set up this election cycle.”

    The North Carolina Republican added that the former president “will communicate directly with the American voters the way that he always does.” 

    RNC co-chair Lara Trump similarly mentioned on Sunday that the RNC needs to be “ready for anything” in regard to Trump.

    “But, yes, we have to make plans as they happen, and we’re going to have several contingency plans,” she added. “The truth is, it really doesn’t matter whether it’s from Trump Tower in Manhattan, whether it’s from Mar-a-Lago, whether it’s from our convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will nominate Donald Trump as our Republican nominee, and that’s what ultimately matters.”

    Judiciary Committee Republican Floated As Trump’s VP

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    President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

    The dream team?

    Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) signaled an openness to being former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick when asked over the weekend during a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet The Press” with guest host Peter Alexander.

    “You are reportedly on Donald Trump’s short list of possible running mates,” Alexander said. “Would you accept if Donald Trump asked you?”

    “Well, Peter, Donald Trump’s going to make this choice,” Cotton responded. “I suspect only he knows who’s on his short list.”

    Cotton said that he has not been in direct contact with the Trump campaign about who the presumed candidate will pick as his vice presidential running mate or about any position in his administration.

    When asked if he would accept the job if offered it, Cotton responded: “Peter, any great patriot, if offered a chance to serve our country by the president, would have to consider it seriously. But what I’m focused on, like the president, is making sure that we win this election in November, and I want to help him govern successfully to restore the peace and prosperity that he brought to America for four years that Joe Biden has destroyed.”

    Watch Sen. Cotton:

    Sen. Cotton’s committees include the Judiciary Committee, where he serves as the Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, the Intelligence Committee, and the Armed Services Committee, where he serves as the Ranking Member of the Air Land Power Subcommittee.

    The Arkansas Senator served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne and in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team.

    Robert De Niro Has Award Revoked Over Anti-Trump Outburst

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    Liberal actor Robert De Niro will no longer receive a coveted National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) award after going off on an anti-Trump tirade outside the Manhattan courthouse last week.

    The NAB was set to honor De Niro with its prestigious NAB Leadership Foundation’s Service to America Award next week according to Fox News.

    “This event is proudly bipartisan, uniting those from across the political spectrum to celebrate the impactful work of local broadcasters and our partners,” an NAB spokesperson told The Hill. 

    “While we strongly support the right of every American to exercise free speech and participate in civic engagement, it is clear that Mr. De Niro’s recent high-profile activities will create a distraction from the philanthropic work that we were hoping to recognize,” the spokesperson continued. “To maintain the focus on service of the award winners, Mr. De Niro will no longer be attending the event.”

    De Niro wished the NAB well after learning he wouldn’t receive the award.

    “I support the work of the NAB Leadership Foundation and would like to express my appreciation and gratitude for what the Foundation has done and will continue to do for the good of us all, and I wish them well for their continued good work,” De Niro told The Hill

    Last week, the actor argued that Trump does not “belong” in New York City during a Biden-Harris campaign event.

    “I hope this new ad campaign reaches outside the bubble to remind supporters of what a danger he is to our lives. This is not a threat. This is our reality. And that’s why I’ve joined the Biden-Harris campaign, because the only way to preserve our freedoms and hold on to our humanity is to vote for Joe Biden for president,” De Niro said of Trump on Tuesday. 

    “I owe this city a lot. And that’s why it’s so weird that Donald Trump is just across the street because he doesn’t belong in my city. I don’t know where he belongs, but he certainly doesn’t belong here,” De Niro continued. “We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot.”

    After the remarks wrapped up, the situation soon descended into chaos as De Niro was heckled by Trump supporters as he was leaving the podium. 

    On Thursday, the Manhattan jury found Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, guilty on all 34 charges.

    Mike Pence Responds To Trump’s Guilty Conviction

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      Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      Former Vice President Mike Pence shared a harsh message following Donald Trump’s guilty conviction in New York.

      Despite Pence’s rocky relationship with the presumed Republican candidate, he slammed the conviction as a “disservice to the nation.”

      “The conviction of former President Trump on politically motivated charges is an outrage and disservice to the nation,” Pence told Fox News Digital. 

      “No one is above the law, but our courts must not become a tool to be used against political opponents,” Pence continued. “To millions of Americans, this was nothing more than a political prosecution driven by a Manhattan DA who ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president and this conviction undermines confidence in our system of justice.”

      “This conviction also sends a terrible message to the wider world about the American justice system and only further divides us at a time when the American people are struggling under the failed policies of the Biden administration at home and abroad,” he added.

      Pence continued, “Having been convicted in a court of law, the former president has every right to appeal this conviction and I trust it will be overturned on appeal in a manner that will restore public confidence in our system of justice and equal treatment under the law.”

      Last week, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.

      Following the guilty verdict, the Trump campaign announced a new fundraising record totaling $34.8 million.

      “From just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support, and despite temporary delays online because of the amount of traffic, President Trump raised $34.8 million dollars from small dollar donors. Not only was the amount historic, but 29.7% of yesterday’s donor’s were brand new donors to the WinRed platform. President Trump and our campaign are immensely grateful from this outpouring of support from patriots across our country. President Trump is fighting to save our nation and November 5th is the day Americans will deliver the real verdict.” – Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump Campaign Senior Advisors

      Trump is expected to appeal the verdict.

      Ivanka Trump Shares Sweet Message After Guilty Verdict

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        Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

        The Trump family is sticking together…

        On Thursday, Trump became the first-ever U.S. President to be charged and convicted of criminal charges.

        The former first daughter shared a photo of a young Donald Trump holding her as a kid on his lap to Instagram Stories with the caption “I love you dad” and a heart emoji.

        The short and sweet message were the first public remarks Ivanka, 42, has made after her dad became the first former US president to be criminally convicted.

        The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.

        This is the lowest level felony in New York, any potential sentence will more than likely be served after the 2024 election.