Jack Smith asks Supreme Court for decision on Donald Trump’s immunity
Special counsel Jack Smith wants the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election were protected by presidential immunity. Smith is moving forward on two fronts to have the matter in the Washington D.C. case decided before the March 4, 2024, trial date. “The United States recognizes that this is an extraordinary request,” prosecutors wrote in their request to the Supreme Court. “This is an extraordinary case.” Smith wants to fast-track Trump’s appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, but he wants the nation’s highest court to weigh in first. “This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin,” prosecutors wrote. Trump has argued that he has presidential immunity from D.C. charges, which accuse him of criminal conspiracies to subvert the 2020 election results. The Washington D.C. trial is set to start March 4. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team of federal prosecutors charged Trump with four federal counts related to contesting the 2020 election and the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. The charges include conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction, and conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted, according to the indictment. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. That trial starts the day before Super Tuesday on March 5, when 15 Republican primaries and caucuses are scheduled to take place. Trump has repeatedly said that the federal cases against him amount to election interference. The early GOP frontrunner has largely blamed Biden and Democrats for his legal troubles. Federal prosecutors have previously argued in court filings that Trump has been trying to delay federal criminal trials until after the 2024 election “at any cost.” On Monday, Trump posted poll numbers and criticism of other Republican candidates seeking the GOP nomination, especially former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, to his social media site, Truth Social. He did not reference Smith or the Supreme Court request. Download PDF Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Judge sets date for Donald Trump trial to begin the day before Alabama presidential primary
Alabama voters will go to vote for their choice for President of the United States on March 5. The leading Republican contender, former President Donald Trump, will be in court for his criminal trial that begins on March 4. The judge in former President Trump’s Jan. 6-related federal court case announced Monday that jury selection will begin on March 4. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan declared that a trial date “cannot and should not” depend on the timetable of a defendant’s work life. Special counsel Jack Smith had wanted the trial to begin in January. Trump’s defense team had asked that, under the circumstances, the trial should be postponed until 2026. Judge Chutkan rejected that request and instead set the March 4 date – the day before the Super Tuesday primaries, which will likely determine the nominees for both major parties. Trump accused Chukan of being a “biased Trump Hating judge” who set a trial date that was “just what our corrupt government wanted.” Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis had asked the Chutkan to set the trial to begin on that same date. Trump faces four separate trials for 99 different indictments. This trial in federal court has to deal with his actions on January 6, 2021. Did President Trump’s efforts to overturn the Electoral College results constitute an insurrection, and did he act illegally? The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution specifically bars persons who participated in an insurrection from serving in federal office. This has to do with former members of the Confederate States of America who had taken up arms against the U.S.A. Some scholars argue that January 6 did constitute an insurrection, and this provision would apply. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson made that argument during the first Republican Presidential Debate. Trump also faces a trial in Georgia where prosecutors claim that he and 18 associates were involved in an illegal conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s presidential election results. Trump also faces federal charges stemming from his alleged mishandling of classified documents found in his home in Mar-A-Lago, Florida. Classified documents were also found in Joe Biden’s Delaware home and Mike Pence’s home, and the issue of classified material by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. None of those people were ever charged with any crimes. Trump and his campaign are also charged with election fraud in New York City related to alleged payouts to former porn star Stormy Daniels and other women for silence about alleged illicit liaisons before Trump first ran in 2016. Trump is the first former President in the history of the United States to be indicted for a crime. At present, he faces the prospect of four separate criminal trials on up to 99 different individual counts. Additionally, he has codefendants who have been charged in each of these four rounds of indictments. Potentially, all four of these trials could take place at separate points during the coming election year. There is no evidence that all of the charges and allegations have hurt Trump in the polls. Trump remains extremely popular with Republican primary voters, but the legal jeopardy he faces have made some legal scholars question whether or not he can actually be the nominee. How the legal drama will influence voters is an unknown, given the nation has never experienced a presidential campaign like this. Many argue that some of these charges could have been brought before now. That prosecutors waited until Trump was a declared 2024 presidential candidate and then sought criminal trials amid the already established campaign calendar has led some Republicans to charge that Democrats have weaponized the courts against Trump. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Georgia prosecutor wants Donald Trump trial to begin the day before the Alabama presidential primary
Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis is requesting a March 4 start date in the trial of former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants over what prosecutors allege was a criminal plot to subvert Georgia’s 2020 election results and illegally keep Trump in power. Voters in Alabama, and over a dozen Super Tuesday states will be voting the very next day in presidential primaries. Attorneys from both sides are likely to still be making opening arguments on March 5 (assuming they are done with jury selection). At this point, voters in Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia will all be voting on March 5. Democrats have a very different primary and caucus schedule this time around than Republicans, so not every state will have both party primaries and caucuses on the same day, though most of the Super Tuesday states do. At this point, the Republicans will begin their presidential selection with the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 15, followed by the New Hampshire Primary sometime in January, the Nevada Caucus on Feb. 8, the South Carolina primary on Feb. 24, the Michigan Primary on Feb. 27, and the Idaho Caucus on March 2, then the North Dakota Caucus on March 4 ahead of Super Tuesday on March 5. The Democrats will begin their presidential selection with New Hampshire at some time in January, followed by the South Carolina primary on Feb. 3, the Nevada Caucus on Feb. 6, and the Michigan primary on Feb. 27 ahead of Super Tuesday on March 5. Willis has also proposed that their arraignments occur during the week of Sept. 5. “In light of Defendant Donald John Trump’s other criminal and civil matters pending in the courts of our sister sovereigns, the State of Georgia proposes certain deadlines that do not conflict with these other courts’ already-scheduled hearings and trial dates,” Willis wrote in the filing. The actual trial date will be decided by a judge, not the D.A. Trump faces more trials that will interfere with campaigning. Trump’s New York case is set for March 25. Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested a trial date of Jan. 2 for the federal trial in D.C. over Trump’s actions after losing the 2020 presidential election. “We do want to move this case along,” Willis said. It has been suggested that having numerous trials of the leading Republican contender for the presidency during an election year will lead to “chaos.” U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) said on Wednesday that the Georgia indictments were “pure politics.” “Where I come from, you beat your opponents by winning fair and square,” Tuberville said. “This witch hunt has gone on for long enough. Democrats are afraid of President Trump because they know he will expose their corruption. The American people deserve an equal justice system — not one that twists the law to fit their politics.” The former President was indicted on 13 charges along with 18 of his attorneys, campaign staff, and local Georgia affiliates. Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, one of those indicted, has already filed a motion that the case be moved to federal court. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
How the Georgia indictment against Donald Trump may be the biggest yet
The fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump may be the most sweeping yet. The sprawling, 98-page case unveiled late Monday night opens up fresh legal ground and exposes more than a dozen of Trump’s allies to new jeopardy. But it also raises familiar legal issues of whether the First Amendment allows a politician to try to overturn an election. Already, Trump and his supporters are alleging the indictment is the product of a politicized, corrupt process to hobble him as he competes for the GOP nomination to face President Joe Biden next year. Here are some takeaways from Monday’s indictment: THE BIG ONE This may be the last of the Trump indictments, but it was the big one. The indictment lists 18 defendants in addition to Trump, all joined together by Georgia’s unusual anti-racketeering, or RICO, law. Many of the defendants aren’t even based in Georgia. The better-known defendants include former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and attorney Sidney Powell, who appeared in numerous hearings and on television spreading false claims about unfounded incidents of purported election fraud. Giuliani and Powell were among the unnamed co-conspirators in the federal indictment against Trump for his push to overturn the election that was released earlier this month. Others, however, had to date escaped mention in charging documents, like Trump’s then-chief of staff Mark Meadows, who was on the call during which Trump urged Georgia election officials to “find” him the votes he needed to be declared winner of the state. Other defendants include Mike Roman, a Trump campaign official who the indictment alleges helped arrange slates of fake Trump electors whose votes Congress could count rather than those of the actual appointed ones for the winner of the election, President Joe Biden. Another person charged is Jenna Ellis, who has become a prominent conservative legal personality after working on the Trump campaign and helping spread Trump’s false allegations of widespread fraud. The charges also fall upon several Georgia players, including Ray Smith and Robert Cheeley, lawyers working for Trump in Georgia, and David Shafer, then the state GOP chairman, for serving as a fake Trump elector along with fellow co-defendants Shawn Still, then the state GOP finance chairman, and Cathleen Alston Latham. A WIDER APPROACH Critics may argue this is an overreach for a local prosecutor’s office. But the Georgia RICO statute gives Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office the ability to construct a wide-ranging narrative by citing and charging other players in the alleged wrongdoing, even those out of state. Some legal analysts think that Jack Smith, the federal prosecutor who filed the earlier charges against Trump for trying to overturn the election, didn’t charge people identified as co-conspirators in his case, like Giuliani, because he is aiming for a trial as quickly – and with as much time as possible before the 2024 presidential election — as feasible. Willis, on Monday night, said she hoped for a trial date in six months. But her office is taking a notably different, more sweeping approach from the more streamlined federal indictment. She vowed that she would seek to try all 19 defendants together. THE FIRST AMENDMENT ARGUMENT Trump is expected to employ a similar defense in both the earlier federal indictment and the Fulton County case. He and his supporters contend he’s being charged simply for speaking up against what he saw as an unfair election and practicing politics as usual. But it’s not clear that defense will work. Indeed, some of the 161 acts that prosecutors contend were part of the conspiracy to overturn may sound like protected political machinations in isolation – emails and texts about meetings of people contending to be Trump electors, tweets about alleged voter fraud, even the filing of a lawsuit in Georgia challenging the election outcome. But the indictment argues they were all steps in what it calls “a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.” For example, it alleges that those fake elector meetings were part of an attempt to convince Georgia state lawmakers to “unlawfully” appoint the phony Trump electors, rather than the Biden ones they were bound to by law. The indictment contends the tweets about phony voter fraud and even the lawsuit were part of a similar scheme. And, finally, it says some of the lies trying to persuade Georgia’s top election official, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Gov. Brian Kemp to declare Trump the victor could be considered another crime under state law, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer. DOCUMENT DRAMA A document briefly posted to the Fulton County Clerk’s Office website earlier Monday snagged the day’s proceedings and gave Trump a window to further disparage the case against him. People were still waiting to testify before the grand jury when Reuters reported on a document listing criminal charges to be brought against Trump, including state racketeering counts, conspiracy to commit false statements, and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer. Reuters, which later published a copy of the document, said the filing was taken down quickly. A spokesperson for Willis said the report of charges being filed was “inaccurate,” but declined to comment further. A statement subsequently released by the Fulton County courts clerk called the posted document “fictitious,” but failed to explain how it got on the court’s website. Trump and his allies immediately seized on the apparent error to claim that the process was rigged. Trump’s campaign aimed to fundraise off it, sending out an email with the since-deleted document embedded. “The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED — but it’s clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end,” Trump wrote in the email, which included links to give money to his campaign. “This is an absolute DISGRACE.” Trump’s legal team said it was not a “simple administrative mistake.” Rather, it was “emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception,” said lawyers Drew Findling, Jennifer Little, and Marissa Goldberg.
Special counsel got a search warrant for Twitter to turn over info on Donald Trump’s account, documents say
Special counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for missing the deadline to comply, according to court documents released Wednesday. The new details were included in a ruling from the federal appeals court in Washington over a legal battle surrounding the warrant that has played out under seal for months. The court rejected Twitter’s claim that it should not have been held in contempt or sanctioned. Smith’s team repeatedly mentioned Trump’s tweets in an indictment unsealed last week that charges the former president with conspiring to subvert the will of voters and cling to power after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump, a Republican, has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of Congress’ certification of Biden’s win. He posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday that the Justice Department “secretly attacked” his Twitter account, and he characterized the investigation as an attempt to “infringe” on his bid to reclaim the White House in 2024. It’s unclear what information Smith may have sought from Trump’s account. Possibilities include data about when and where the posts were written, their engagement, and the identities of other accounts that reposted Trump’s content. The search warrant underscores the breadth of the investigation and the lengths Smith has gone to obtain evidence to build his case. In a recent signal that Smith’s investigation is continuing, former New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik met Monday with investigators from special counsel Smith’s team. Prosecutors obtained the search warrant on Jan. 17 directing Twitter to produce information on Trump’s account after a court “found probable cause to search the account for evidence of criminal offenses,” according to the ruling. The government also obtained a nondisclosure agreement that had prohibited Twitter from disclosing the search warrant, the filing says. The court found that disclosing the warrant could risk that Trump could jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him “an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior” or notify his allies, the filing says. Twitter objected to the nondisclosure agreement, saying four days after the compliance deadline that it would not produce any of the account information, according to the ruling. The judges wrote that Twitter “did not question the validity of the search warrant” but argued that the nondisclosure agreement violated its First Amendment right to communicate with Trump. Twitter said if it had to turn over the records before the judge assessed the legality of the nondisclosure agreement, it would prevent Trump “from asserting executive privilege to shield communications made using his Twitter account,” the document says. The warrant ordered Twitter to provide the records by Jan. 27. A judge found Twitter to be in contempt after a court hearing on Feb. 7, but gave the company an opportunity to hand over the documents by 5 p.m. that evening. Twitter, however, only turned over some records that day. It didn’t fully comply with the order until Feb. 9, the ruling says. X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sent an automated reply to a request for comment, saying it would respond soon. In the broader case against Trump, his legal team has indicated it will argue that he was relying on the advice of lawyers in 2020 and had the right to challenge an election he believed was rigged. Trump used his Twitter account in the weeks leading up to his supporters’ attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to spread false statements about the election that prosecutors allege were designed to sow mistrust in the democratic process. The indictment details how Trump, over Twitter, encouraged his followers to come to Washington on Jan. 6, pressured his Vice President Mike Pence to reject the certification, and falsely suggested that the mob at the Capitol — which beat police officers and smashed windows — was peaceful. The warrant arrived at Twitter amid rapid changes instituted by Elon Musk, who purchased the platform last year. Since taking over, he’s transformed the influential site, laying off much of its staff, including workers dedicated to ferreting out misinformation and hate speech. He also eliminated Twitter’s policy on COVID-19 misinformation and welcomed back a long list of users who had been previously banned, including neo-Nazis, COVID deniers, and Trump, who was kicked off after the attack on the Capitol for glorifying violence. Trump has yet to post to the site since being allowed back on. As Trump once did, Musk has used the platform as a partisan megaphone. Last year Musk urged his many online followers to vote Republican in the midterm elections. This year he hosted Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis for a glitch-filled campaign kickoff. The election conspiracy case is the second case Smith has brought against Trump. The former president is also facing dozens of felony counts stemming from classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump’s legal team, in court papers Wednesday, urged the judge to allow for the reestablishment of a secure facility at Trump’s home where the former president can discuss classified evidence with his attorneys while they prepare for trial in that case. Prosecutors say Trump should only be to do so at sensitive compartmented information facilities — or SCIFs. But Trump’s lawyers say “immense practical and logistical hurdles and costs” would make traveling to government-approved locations difficult. He wants to recreate the same secure facility at Mar-a-Lago in which he was allowed to discuss classified materials as president. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Donald Trump’s lawyers say proposed protective order is too broad, urge judge to impose more limited rules
Donald Trump’s legal team on Monday urged the judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against the former president to reject prosecutors’ proposed protective order concerning evidence in the case, saying it is overly broad and restrictive of his First Amendment rights. Lawyers for the early 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner said the judge should impose a more limited protective order that would prevent the public disclosure of only materials deemed “sensitive” — such as grand jury documents — rather than all evidence handed over by the government in the case accusing Trump of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump’s lawyers, who have characterized the case as an attack on his right to free speech, told the judge that the need to protect sensitive information about the case “does not require a blanket gag order over all documents produced by the government.” “In a trial about First Amendment rights, the government seeks to restrict First Amendment rights,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “Worse, it does so against its administration’s primary political opponent, during an election season in which the administration, prominent party members, and media allies have campaigned on the indictment and proliferated its false allegations.” The defense filing was in response to a request Friday from special counsel Jack Smith’s team for a protective order, which would impose rules on what Trump and his defense team can do with evidence handed over by the government as they prepare for trial in the case unsealed last week. Prosecutors’ proposed protective order seeks to prevent Trump and his lawyers from disclosing materials provided by the government to anyone other than people on his legal team, possible witnesses, the witnesses’ lawyers, or others approved by the court. It would put stricter limits on “sensitive materials,” which would include grand jury witness testimony and materials obtained through sealed search warrants. Under the government’s proposal, Trump could only be shown “sensitive” documents, not get copies himself. Protective orders aren’t unusual in criminal cases, but prosecutors said it was especially important in this case because Trump routinely takes to social media to discuss the legal cases against him. Protective orders aren’t unusual in criminal cases, but prosecutors said it was especially important in this case because Trump routinely takes to social media to discuss the legal cases against him. Prosecutors included a screenshot in their filing of a post from Trump’s Truth Social platform on Friday in which Trump wrote, in all capital letters, “If you go after me, I’m coming after you!” Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the case as well as another federal case brought by Smith that accuses Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. A Trump spokesperson said the former president’s social media post “is the definition of political speech” and was made in response to “dishonest special interest groups and Super PACs.” Prosecutors said that they are ready to hand over a substantial amount of evidence to Trump’s legal team and that much of it includes sensitive and confidential information. Such information could include witness testimony from the grand jury that investigated the case, and those grand jury proceedings are secret. “If the defendant were to begin issuing public posts using details — or, for example, grand jury transcripts — obtained in discovery here, it could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case,” prosecutors wrote in their motion. Trump pleaded not guilty last week to four felony counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to obstruct Congress’ certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s electoral victory. The charges could lead to a lengthy prison sentence in the event of a conviction, with the most serious counts calling for up to 20 years. It’s the third criminal case brought this year against the early front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. But it’s the first case to try to hold him responsible for his efforts to remain in power during the chaotic weeks between his election loss and the attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Smith also charged Trump in June with dozens of felony counts alleging the former president illegally kept classified records after he left the White House and obstructed government efforts to get them back. A new indictment recently unsealed in that case accuses Trump of scheming with Mar-a-Lago staffers to try to delete security footage sought by investigators. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart imposed a similar protective order in June that prohibits Trump and his legal team from publicly disclosing evidence turned over to them by prosecutors without prior approval. Prosecutors are seeking another protective order in that case with more rules about the defense team’s handling of classified evidence. Trump has characterized all the cases against him as an effort to take down his 2024 campaign. His legal team has indicated that it will argue that he had relied on the advice of attorneys around him in 2020 and that the latest case is an attack on his right to free speech and his right to challenge an election that he believed had been stolen. Trump’s lawyers on Saturday asked for an extra three days to respond to prosecutors’ request for the protective order, saying they needed more time for discussion. But Judge Tanya Chutkan swiftly denied that request. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Donald Trump tells Alabama Republicans: “They are after me because they are after you!”
Former President Donald Trump spoke to the Alabama Republican Party at their annual Summer Dinner on Friday night in Montgomery. Trump’s speech was just a day after he appeared in court to plead not guilty to charges related to the January 6 protests at the Capitol and his effort to have the election results overturned by Congress. This was Trump’s first speech in the aftermath of the latest indictment, and his tone was angry but confident in his eventual acquittal and optimistic about his return to the White House. “Eight years ago, this month, we held one of the very first rallies of the 2016 campaign – right here in Alabama,” said Trump. “Together, we launched one of the greatest political movements in the history of our country, and we are going to do it again.” Trump won the Republican primary in Alabama by a wide margin in 2016. “We love Alabama. Won it by 45 points,” Trump said. “With Alabama patriots like you, we are going to do it again, but we are going to win it bigger and better than 2016.” ” This state has been right with us from the very beginning. Kay, I have to say right from the very beginning.” “We are going to do something that is so incredible. On election day 2023, we are going to evict crooked Joe Biden from the White House. We are going to evict the criminals and thugs from the halls of power in Washington D.C., and we are going to make America great again.” “The poll numbers are the highest we have ever had, and people are very upset out there about what is going on out there,” Trump said. Trump claimed that the charges against him were the work of “deranged government agents and rogue intelligence agents.” He called the charges against him. “fake” and argued that the latest indictments “could have been filed two and a half years ago.” Trump dismissed the cases against him as “election interference” by the Democrats and the Biden Justice Department. He called prosecutor Jack Smith “deranged.” “This is an absolute case of prosecutorial misconduct.” “It is not going to make any impact because every time they file an indictment, we go way up in the polls,” Trump said. “We need one more indictment to close out this election. One more indictment and this election is closed out. Nobody has even a chance. We’ve already defeated the Republicans.” “It’s not fair, and it is probably not legal what they are doing,” the former President said. “They want to interfere in my campaign, and they want to interfere in the election.” Trump said that this is the sort of thing that they do in third-world countries. “The fake charges they put forth in their sham indictments are an outrageous criminalization of political speech. That’s all it is,” said Trump. “They are trying to make it illegal to question the results of a bad election.” Trump’s assertion that calling the 2020 election “stolen” and urging Vice President Mike Pence to reject the Electoral College results as fraudulent is political speech and thus protected by the Constitution was heavily debated on new talk shows over the weekend. CNN’s Dana Bash blasted Trump’s defense, “You can’t break the law, which is what this indictment alleges.” The country, as a whole, seemed largely unmoved by last week’s courtroom legal drama. If anyone in the room Friday night had any disagreement with his First Amendment defense, it was not apparent. Hours after his third round of indictments, Trump received the endorsements of most of Alabama’s elected Republican leaders. “If someone else was leading this banner, they would attack them as well,” Trump said. “I am being indicted for you – thanks a lot, thanks a lot.” “They want to take away my freedom because I won’t let them take away your freedom,” Trump told the crowd. “They want to silence me because I won’t let them silence you. In the end, they are after me because they are after you.” The crowd roared with approval and jumped to its feet numerous times with standing ovations. Trump was so popular in the Heart of Dixie during the last two elections that neither Hillary Clinton nor Joe Biden campaigned in the state after the primary season. Trump crushed both in the general election in Alabama – even though he lost the popular vote nationally in 2016 and 2020. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) introduced Trump at Friday’s event. “Traveled around the state this week,” Tuberville said. “Went to the Wiregrass. Went to Mobile, Birmingham, Rainsville, Montgomery. I spoke a lot with the farmers, but everywhere I went, I never realized how big a state this is for Trump. This is Trump country.” To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Ron DeSantis steps up dire warning to GOP about distraction from Joe Biden, amid Donald Trump’s latest indictment
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is increasingly urging Republicans to avoid the temptation to refight the 2020 election next year, even as former President Donald Trump remains the dominant favorite for the 2024 GOP nomination on a message of vindicating his defeat. Though DeSantis recently cast doubt on the false theories about the 2020 election at the heart of Trump’s federal indictment, DeSantis is saying in early-voting states that any focus except on defeating Democratic President Joe Biden would be dire for his party. “If that is the choice, we are going to win, and we are going to win across the country,” DeSantis told reporters Saturday after a campaign stop in northern Iowa. “If the election is a referendum on other things that are not forward-looking, then I’m afraid Republicans will lose.” DeSantis was on the second of a two-day trip across Iowa, pressing his recent record in Florida of conservative education, abortion, and gender policy, and an equally GOP crowd-pleasing agenda for the nation. He ignited applause at a Saturday morning event in Cedar Falls promoting a balanced budget amendment, term limits for Congress and promising his audience of about 100 that he would declare a national emergency and dispatch the military to the U.S.-Mexico border upon taking office. His labor to spur the party forward stood in sharp contrast to the Trump campaign’s release of an online ad attacking Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who led the investigation that culminated in an indictment charging Trump with four felony counts related to his effort to reverse his 2020 election loss. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. Likewise, he boasted at an Alabama Republican Party fundraising dinner Friday that the indictment was a political asset. “Any time they file an indictment, we go way up in the polls,” Trump told his audience in Montgomery, Alabama. “One more indictment, and this election is closed out. Nobody has even a chance.” On Saturday night in South Carolina, Trump kept up his false characterizations of the 2020 election while also maintaining the pressure on DeSantis, a distant runner-up that he said has “gotten so low in the polls we don’t watch him anymore.” Of the new federal charges against him, Trump continued to argue that his political enemies were bringing the charges in an effort to keep him from returning to power. “Only a party that cheats at elections would make it illegal to question those elections,” Trump told more than 1,000 attendees at the state Republican Party’s 56th annual Silver Elephant Gala. “They don’t go after the people that rigged the election — they go after the people that want to find out what the hell happened.” Still, DeSantis has gone marginally further in recent days in discussing Trump’s defeat, though more typically when talking to the media after campaign events than during events with voters, many of whom remain sympathetic to Trump. During Saturday morning campaign events, he blasted “weaponization” of federal agencies, a term that resonates with Republicans sympathetic to the belief that the Justice Department has persecuted Trump. But after a stop to meet voters at a small-town restaurant, DeSantis sidestepped when asked if he would have certified the 2020 Electoral College vote as former Vice President Mike Pence did the day the pro-Trump rioters attacked and breached the Capitol. DeSantis responded that Vice President Kamala Harris does not have the power to overturn the 2024 results, which Congress made explicit by passing an act after the 2020 election that says a vice president has no role in validating a presidential election results beyond acting as a figurehead who oversees the counting process. In January 2025, “the electoral votes will be submitted, and Kamala Harris will certify. She’s not going to have the opportunity to overrule what the American people say,” he said in a brief press conference. “I don’t think that Kamala Harris has that authority.” On Friday, DeSantis, who has often pivoted away from questions about whether the 2020 election was legitimate, went a little further when asked about it, suggesting Trump’s false claim that he actually beat Biden was “unsubstantiated.” But DeSantis minced no words to his audience packed into a meeting room at a Pizza Ranch restaurant in Grinnell. “The time for excuses for Republicans is over,” he said firmly. “It’s time to get the job done.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Donald Trump boasts at Alabama fundraiser that he needs ‘one more indictment to close out this election’
Former President Donald Trump, fresh off his third appearance in court as a criminal defendant, delivered a speech full of defiance and bluster on Friday night, insulting prosecutors and declaring that the charges he faces only help his 2024 presidential campaign. “Any time they file an indictment, we go way up in the polls,” Trump said at a Republican Party dinner in Alabama. “We need one more indictment to close out this election. One more indictment and this election is closed out. Nobody has even a chance.” Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to crimes related to his efforts to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss. Although it’s his third criminal indictment this year, this case is the most serious, with the federal government he once ran charging him with orchestrating a scheme to block the peaceful transfer of power. But Trump was characteristically unapologetic as he took the stage Friday night to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” flashing a thumbs-up at the crowd, raising his fist, and taking in a standing ovation of nearly three minutes. “We’re gonna be here for a little while,” he joked, asking the crowd to take a seat. The latest set of charges focuses on the two months between his November 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Trump has denied wrongdoing and has wedded his 2024 presidential campaign to his legal defense and his false claims of 2020 election fraud. In a sign of that defiance, his campaign released an online ad Friday attacking Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who led the investigation that resulted in Trump’s latest charges and a separate case where he’s charged with mishandling classified documents. The ad, which is expected to start airing on television next week, also attacks Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has charged Trump in a hush-money case, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is believed to be close to filing charges in her investigation into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. A Trump aide said the ad will start airing Monday and Tuesday in Washington, D.C., New York, Atlanta, and on national cable. The ad was also shown to the crowd at the Alabama dinner Friday night. Trump has continued to receive endorsements from GOP elected officials throughout the investigations and criminal cases, including on Friday from all six of the state’s Republican U.S. House members. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who is waging an unprecedented campaign to try to change Pentagon abortion policy by holding up hundreds of military nominations and promotions, introduced Trump at the dinner on Friday night. “He’s had a tough week. We need to stand behind him,” Tuberville said. “He needs encouragement. They’re after him.” Repeating Trump’s frequent refrain, he added, “They’re after you.” Among the opening acts of the dinner were Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips, who produced the movie “2000 Mules,” which made various debunked claims about mail ballots, drop boxes, and ballot collection in the 2020 presidential election. Trump praised the pair in his remarks and said: “Get ready. Get those votes ready. Just get them ready. Keep those tapes handy because you’re going to need them.” The crowd of 2,700 began arriving several hours early for the dinner, a $250-per-ticket fundraiser for the Alabama Republican Party. “They are excited,” Alabama Republican Party Chair John Wahl said. “There is so much passion from Trump supporters and voters across the state.” Trump’s mounting legal troubles do not seem to be dampening his support in the Deep South state that is among more than a dozen that will hold primary contests on Super Tuesday. The March 5 slate of elections is increasingly seen as one of the last chances for any other GOP presidential candidate to try to make inroads in Trump’s front-runner status. Trump’s closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been making a play for Super Tuesday states. In Alabama, though, one gauge of interest doesn’t bode well for the governor: The state GOP sold about 1,000 fewer tickets for a similar dinner in March when DeSantis spoke. Robin Rowan, the owner of a financial company, wore a button and sash with Trump’s image and “NOT GUILTY” emblazoned in sequins as she waited Friday to hear Trump speak. Rowan, who does not believe the criminal accusations against Trump, said the charges have galvanized support for Trump rather than making voters doubt him. “We know the truth. They are trying to wear us down. They are not going to wear us down,” Rowan said. Rich Foster, a retired police officer wearing a black “Bikers for Trump” T-shirt, said he believes some crimes were committed on Jan. 6, such as the attacks on police officers defending the Capitol, but does not consider Trump responsible for the violence that happened. “I don’t think Trump committed a crime that day,” Foster said. He said he believed that Trump, as president, had a right to speak out about the election. Trump has not been charged with inciting the attack, but prosecutors accused him of exploiting the violence and chaos at the Capitol to continue making false claims of election fraud and trying to halt the certification of the election results. Foster said he and other Trump supporters viewed the charges as an attempt to keep Trump from winning in 2024. He said he would write in the former president’s name if he had to. “If they get him off the ballot somehow,” he said, “I know how to write Donald J. Trump on the ballot.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Donald Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss, answering for the first time to federal charges that accuse him of orchestrating a brazen and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power. The former president appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington’s federal courthouse two days after being indicted by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. Of the three criminal cases he’s facing, the most recent charges are especially historic since they focus on Trump’s efforts as president to subvert the will of voters and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. His refusal to accept defeat and his lies about widespread election fraud helped fuel the violent riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Trump, who is now the early front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, sat stern-faced with his hands folded, shaking his head at times as he conferred with an attorney and occasionally glancing around the courtroom as his court appearance began. He stood up to enter his “not guilty” plea, answered perfunctory questions from the judge, and thanked her at the conclusion of the arraignment. His appearance Thursday unfolded — as will the rest of the case — in a downtown courthouse between the Capitol and the White House and in a building where more than 1,000 of the Capitol rioters have been charged by the Justice Department, which last November appointed Smith to lead a probe into the role of Trump and his allies in the events of that day. The indictment charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo his presidential election loss, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a lengthy prison sentence in the event of a conviction, with the most serious counts calling for up to 20 years. Smith himself attended the arraignment, sitting in the courtroom’s front row behind the prosecutors handling the case and about 20 feet away from Trump. He looked at times in Trump’s direction, though neither appeared to gesture at or talk to each other. U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya set the next court date for Aug. 28, when a tentative trial date will be set, and directed Trump not to communicate directly about the facts of case with any individual known to be a witness. Three police officers who defended the Capitol that day were also seen entering the courthouse. One of them, Aquilino Gonell, who retired from the Capitol Police after suffering injuries, took stock of the location’s symbolism, noting that it was “the same court in which hundreds of rioters have been sentenced. It’s the same court former President Trump is being arraigned in today for his alleged involvement before, during, and after the siege.” Trump has said he is innocent. His legal team has characterized the latest case as an attack on his right to free speech and his right to challenge an election that he believed had been stolen. He addressed the proceedings in a brief statement on a drizzly tarmac at Washington’s Reagan National Airport before he boarded his plane back to New Jersey. “This is the persecution of the person that’s leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot,” he said. “So if you can’t beat ‘em, you persecute ‘em, or you prosecute ’em. We can’t let this happen in America.” One early point of contention emerged Thursday when defense lawyers bristled at the idea that a trial could be rapidly scheduled. Prosecutors said they would move quickly to provide Trump’s lawyers with the information they’d need to prepare a defense, but defense attorney John Lauro said it was “somewhat absurd” that the case could be ready for trial anytime soon. “These are weighty issues. Obviously, the U.S. has had three years to investigate this matter,” Lauro said. The election theft case is part of escalating legal troubles for the ex-president, coming nearly two months after Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal felony counts accusing him of hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them. That case is set for trial next May. He also was charged in New York with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign, a case scheduled for trial next March. And prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, are expected in the coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state. Thursday’s arraignment was part of a now-familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual for Trump, requiring him to hit pause on his presidential campaign and play the role of criminal defendant. He was flown by private plane from New Jersey to Washington, where his motorcade with lights and sirens made its way through the nation’s capital — a journey documented in wall-to-wall cable coverage once again. His appearance represented a relatively rare return to Washington since he left the White House. After a trip that took him through a highway tunnel and District streets, Trump lamented what he called the “filth and the decay” of the city, which he claimed was worse than when he ended his term. But that overlooks the fact that when he left office, some businesses were boarded up, and military presence in the city was ramped up in the aftermath of the insurrection sparked by his own election lies. Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed. The courtroom Thursday filled with spectators who included several federal judges, including Chief District Court Judge James Boasberg — presumably there to observe the momentous event. The indictment chronicles how Trump and his Republican allies, in what Smith described as an attack on a “bedrock
Donald Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges that he illegally kept classified documents at Florida estate
Donald Trump became the first former president to face a judge on federal charges as he pleaded not guilty in a Miami courtroom Tuesday to dozens of felony counts that he hoarded classified documents and refused government demands to give them back. The history-making arraignment, centering on charges that Trump mishandled government secrets that, as commander-in-chief, he was entrusted to protect, kickstarts a legal process that will unfold at the height of the 2024 presidential campaign and carry profound consequences not only for his political future but also for his own personal liberty. Trump approached his arraignment with characteristic bravado, posting social media broadsides against the prosecution from inside his motorcade and insisting as he has through years of legal woes that he has done nothing wrong and was being persecuted for political purposes. But he sat scowling inside the courtroom with his arms crossed as a lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf in a brief arraignment that ended without him having to surrender his passport or otherwise restrict his travel. But the gravity of the moment was unmistakable as he answered to 37 felony counts that accuse him of willfully retaining classified records that prosecutors say could have jeopardized national security if exposed, and the trying to hide them from investigators who demanded them back. The case is loaded with political implications for the 76-year-old Trump, who currently holds the dominant spot in the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Beyond that, it carries the prospect of a years-long prison sentence. Even for a defendant whose post-presidential life has been dominated by investigations, the documents probe has stood out for both the apparent volume of evidence amassed by prosecutors and the severity of the allegations. It’s also a watershed moment for a Justice Department that until last week had never before brought charges against a former president. Attorney General Merrick Garland, an appointee of President Joe Biden, sought to insulate the department from political attacks by handing ownership of the case to a special counsel, Jack Smith, who on Friday declared, “We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone.” The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, is the latest in an unprecedented public reckoning this year for Trump, who faces charges in New York arising from hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign as well as ongoing investigations in Washington and Atlanta into efforts to undo the results of the 2020 race. He’s sought to project confidence in the face of unmistakable legal peril, attacking Smith as “a Trump hater,” pledging to remain in the race and scheduling a speech and fundraiser for Tuesday night at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club. “They’re using this because they can’t win the election fairly and squarely,” Trump said Monday in an interview with Americano Media. The court appearance is also unfolding against the backdrop of potential protests. Some high-profile backers have used barbed rhetoric to voice support. Trump himself has encouraged supporters to join a planned protest Tuesday at the courthouse. Some Trump supporters headed to Miami by bus from other parts of Florida, raising concerns for law enforcement officials preparing for possible unrest around the courthouse. Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales said downtown could see anywhere from a few thousand up to 50,000 protesters. But heading into the court appearance, there were no reports of major chaos. Among those present were the father-son duo of Florencio and Kevin Rodriguez, who came to the U.S. fifteen years ago as asylum seekers fleeing dictatorship in Cuba. Wearing a shirt that reads “Jesus is my savior, Trump my president,” the younger Rodriguez, Kevin, said it was possible Trump was guilty of illegally retaining classified documents. But he questioned the fairness of the proceedings in light of other classified information probes concerning Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden. Clinton was not charged for sending classified information on a private email server after FBI investigators concluded that she had not intended to break the law. The Biden investigation remains open, but no evidence has emerged to suggest he acted willfully — a core claim in the Trump indictment. “We never abandon our amigos — those who love this country and our liberty,” Rodriguez added, highlighting Trump’s staunch opposition to Cuba’s communist government. The crowd also included far-right internet personality Anthime Gionet, who served a two-month prison sentence for streaming live video while he stormed the U.S. Capitol. Gionet, better known as “Baked Alaska,” was livestreaming video of his interactions with other people as they waited for Trump to arrive. Unlike in the New York case, where photographers produced images of a somber-faced Trump at the defense table, the public’s view inside the room will be limited. Cameras are generally not permitted in federal courts, and a judge Monday night barred reporters from having phones inside the building. A federal grand jury in Washington had heard testimony for months in the documents case, but the Justice Department filed it in Florida, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is located and where many of the alleged acts of obstruction occurred. Though Trump is set to appear Tuesday before a federal magistrate, the case has been assigned to a District Court judge he appointed, Aileen Cannon, who ruled in his favor last year in a dispute over whether an outside special master could be appointed to review the seized classified documents. A federal appeals panel ultimately overturned her ruling. It’s unclear what defenses Trump is likely to invoke as the case moves forward. Two of his lead lawyers announced their resignation the morning after his indictment, and the notes and recollections of another attorney, M. Evan Corcoran, are cited repeatedly throughout the 49-page charging document, suggesting prosecutors envision him as a potential key witness. Trump has said he’s looking to add to his legal team though no announcements were made Monday. He was expected to be represented at his arraignment by Todd Blanche, an attorney also defending him in the New York case, and Florida lawyer Chris Kise, who joined Trump’s
Donald Trump indicted in classified documents case, headed to Alabama in August
Former President Donald Trump was indicted Thursday in a case involving his handling of classified documents. Trump was already the President in American history to be impeached twice. These indictments also make him the first former U.S. president to face federal criminal charges. Despite that scandal, it was also announced this week that Trump, who is seeking to be the Republican nominee for President for a third consecutive time, will be the guest speaker for the Alabama Republican Party’s annual summer dinner fundraiser. The Biden Department of Justice unsealed the indictment Friday, ahead of Trump’s expected appearance in court next Tuesday. Trump has been indicted on 37 charges of mishandling classified documents. Throughout Trump’s presidency, newspaper clippings, press clippings, notes, letters, pictures, etc., were stored in cardboard boxes. Among those materials were hundreds of classified documents. The boxes were then shipped to the President’s resort at Mar-O-Lago, Florida which is a violation of existing federal law. The documents include information on the defense capabilities of the United States and other nations, the U.S. nuclear program, the military weaknesses of the United States military and those of our allies as well as what the U.S. response would be to an attack or an attack on our allies. The bulk of the 37 charges in the 49-page indictment, unsealed Friday afternoon, relate to willful retention of national defense information — a violation of the Espionage Act. The charges also include conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in an investigation, scheming to conceal, and false statements. Trump aide Walt Nauta also was indicted. “Our laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States, and they must be enforced,” special counsel Jack Smith said. The special counsel alleges that the classified documents were spilled out on the floor at the Mar-A-Lago resort. The Trump defense team maintains that the documents were at Mar-O-Lago, which is secured by the U.S. Secret Service, and had not been published or made available to outside entities. Trump has vigorously denied any wrongdoing. U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, Aileen Cannon, has initially been tapped to oversee the case against Trump. Cannon is a Trump appointee. Also on Friday, Trump attorneys, Jim Trusty and John Rowley, announced that they were exiting the case, saying that the indictment on Friday, were a logical exit point. “Now that the case has been filed in Miami, this is a logical moment for us to step aside and let others carry the cases through to completion,” the attorneys wrote in a joint statement. “I want to thank Jim Trusty and John Rowley for their work, but they were up against a very dishonest, corrupt, evil, and ‘sick’ group of people, the likes of which has not been seen before,” Trump wrote. “We will be announcing additional lawyers in the coming days. When will Joe Biden be Indicted for his many crimes against our Nation? MAGA!” Despite the legal crowds encircling Trump, he is still going to be welcomed by the Alabama GOP in August. Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl said on Facebook, “We are so excited that President Donald J. Trump has agreed to come back to Alabama for the Alabama Republican Party! We are still finalizing details, so be sure to sign up for updates so you’ll know when tickets go on sale.” The Summer Dinner is tentatively scheduled for August 4, 2023, in Montgomery. Trump still has solid support in Alabama, which he won in a landslide in both 2016 and 2020. Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02) said on Facebook Thursday night, “Tonight’s news is another alarming chapter in the complete weaponization of our government. Biden’s corrupt Justice Department has gone after parents, Catholic parishioners, pro-life Christians, and now his top political opponent. America’s political battles belong at the ballot box, not in the hands of Biden’s DOJ.” Trump’s chief GOP rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, was hosted by the Alabama GOP in Hoover last March. Trump is also facing indictments brought by the New York District Attorney in an unrelated case. There is also a federal investigation into his role in the alleged attempt to overthrow the 2020 election results. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
