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Yesterday — June 1st 2024U.S.

Maher: Bragg's Case Relied on Election Claim 'I Don't Know' Is True, Should Have Been Federal

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher stated that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump relied on claiming that Trump’s hush money payment “got him the election” and that’s

The post Maher: Bragg’s Case Relied on Election Claim ‘I Don’t Know’ Is True, Should Have Been Federal appeared first on Breitbart.

DeSantis: 'Trump Hasn't Lost His Voting Rights in Florida'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) clarified on Friday that former President Donald Trump still has the right to vote in Florida elections despite a Manhattan jury finding him guilty on 34 counts that District Attorney Alvin Bragg has asserted are felonies.

The post DeSantis: ‘Trump Hasn’t Lost His Voting Rights in Florida’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Before yesterdayU.S.

Lara Trump Posts Heartwarming Video of Trump Hugging His Grandchildren

Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, posted a heartwarming video of the former president hugging his grandchildren, a day after a jury in his business records trial found him guilty.

The post Lara Trump Posts Heartwarming Video of Trump Hugging His Grandchildren appeared first on Breitbart.

Matteo Salvini: Trump 'a Victim of Judicial Harassment' by Left's 'Weaponization of the Justice System'

Populist Deputy Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Salvini reacted to the guilty verdict of former President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying the 45th president is "a victim of judicial harassment" brought on by "the weaponization of the justice system by the left."

The post Matteo Salvini: Trump ‘a Victim of Judicial Harassment’ by Left’s ‘Weaponization of the Justice System’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Exclusive — Marsha Blackburn: America Will Speak on Donald Trump Verdict on November 5

Americans will speak on the Trump verdict on November 5, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily the day following the Manhattan jury finding Trump guilty on all 34 counts on his business records trail.

The post Exclusive — Marsha Blackburn: America Will Speak on Donald Trump Verdict on November 5 appeared first on Breitbart.

Donald Trump Vows to Fight: 'This Is Bigger than My Presidency'

Donald Trump said during a press conference on Friday that despite the political persecution, he was fighting for something beyond himself.

The post Donald Trump Vows to Fight: ‘This Is Bigger than My Presidency’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Democrats Want to 'Beat Trump in the Courtroom,' Not the Ballot Box

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decried the "Guilty" verdict against former President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying the Democrats want to beat him in court rather than at the ballot box.

The post Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Democrats Want to ‘Beat Trump in the Courtroom,’ Not the Ballot Box appeared first on Breitbart.

Legal Experts After Trump Guilty Verdict: Election Will Decide the Outcome

Following the "Guilty" verdict against former President Donald Trump in Manhattan on Thursday, legal experts have been weighing in, with some saying that the conviction will be overturned, while others have been saying the coming election in November will be the final arbiter.

The post Legal Experts After Trump Guilty Verdict: Election Will Decide the Outcome appeared first on Breitbart.

Biden Campaign Cheers Trump Verdict

The Biden campaign is cheering the guilty verdict of former President Donald Trump in New York today in his business records case, the merits of which have been widely questioned by legal scholars and experts.

The post Biden Campaign Cheers Trump Verdict appeared first on Breitbart.

Watch Live: DA Alvin Bragg Speaks After Donald Trump Convicted in NY Trial

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will hold a press conference after former President Donald Trump was convicted on all charges in his New York criminal trial on Thursday, May 30.

The post Watch Live: DA Alvin Bragg Speaks After Donald Trump Convicted in NY Trial appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump to Be Sentenced July 11, Four Days Before Republican Convention Starts July 15

President Donald Trump is to be sentenced in New York on July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention is set to begin on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where delegates are to cast their votes Trump as the presidential nominee.

The post Trump to Be Sentenced July 11, Four Days Before Republican Convention Starts July 15 appeared first on Breitbart.

Critics Blast Trump Trial Jury Rules that They Don’t Have to Agree on ‘Crime’

Jurors in the Trump business records trial do not have to agree on what crime former President Donald Trump allegedly committed in order to convict him, but would just have to agree that he falsified or caused someone else to falsify business records with the “intent of committing or hiding that crime.”

The post Critics Blast Trump Trial Jury Rules that They Don’t Have to Agree on ‘Crime’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump Attorney to FNC's Bream: How Can You Say Biden Admin Not Responsible for Trump Trial?

By: Pam Key · Pam Key

Trump lawyer Alina Habba said Wednesday on Fox News Channel's "The Story" that guest host Shannon Bream was incorrect on the source behind the business record trial against former President Trump.

The post Trump Attorney to FNC’s Bream: How Can You Say Biden Admin Not Responsible for Trump Trial? appeared first on Breitbart.

JD Vance Calls for Federal Investigation into Judge Juan Merchan's 'Conduct' in Trump Trial

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) is calling for a federal investigation into Justice Juan Merchan, arguing he deprived former President Donald Trump of First Amendment rights in the Manhattan business records trial.

The post JD Vance Calls for Federal Investigation into Judge Juan Merchan’s ‘Conduct’ in Trump Trial appeared first on Breitbart.

Report: One Juror Appears Sympathetic to Donald Trump

One juror who listened for 6 weeks to the evidence presented in a courtroom against Donald Trump reportedly appears sympathetic towards him.

The post Report: One Juror Appears Sympathetic to Donald Trump appeared first on Breitbart.

Ty Cobb: Guilty Verdict in Trump New York Case Likely by Friday

By: Pam Key · Pam Key

Former Trump administration attorney Ty Cobb said Tuesday on CNN's "OutFront" that a guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump's New York business record trial by Friday was likely.

The post Ty Cobb: Guilty Verdict in Trump New York Case Likely by Friday appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump NY Trial: Closing Arguments Begin

Closing arguments will begin Tuesday in the Manhattan business records trial of former President Donald Trump.

The post Trump NY Trial: Closing Arguments Begin appeared first on Breitbart.

Stage Set for Closing Arguments, Deliberations in Trump Trial

Former President Donald Trump’s business records trial is in its final stages as closing arguments will commence on Tuesday, and deliberations will begin as soon as Wednesday.

The post Stage Set for Closing Arguments, Deliberations in Trump Trial appeared first on Breitbart.

Report: President Biden Plans to Comment on Anticipated Trump Trial Verdict

President Joe Biden is planning to make a public statement when a verdict is reached in the business records trial of former President Donald Trump, which could be as early as this week, according to a report.

The post Report: President Biden Plans to Comment on Anticipated Trump Trial Verdict appeared first on Breitbart.

Tim Scott: Alvin Bragg Is Guilty of 'Trying to Frame' Trump

By: Pam Key · Pam Key

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was guilty of trying to frame former President Donald Trump.

The post Tim Scott: Alvin Bragg Is Guilty of ‘Trying to Frame’ Trump appeared first on Breitbart.

AOC Admits NYC Trial Is Keeping Donald Trump Off the Campaign Trail

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) -- also known as AOC -- said the "quiet part out loud," in the eyes of former President Donald Trump and his supporters: that the business records trial sparked by Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case against him is keeping him off the campaign trail.

The post AOC Admits NYC Trial Is Keeping Donald Trump Off the Campaign Trail appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump Witness Merchan Silenced Speaks Out: Brad Smith Explains What He Would Have Told Jury

Brad Smith, the Trump witness who was essentially silenced by Judge Juan Merchan in former President Donald Trump's business records trial, revealed what he would have told the jury had he been able to testify.

The post Trump Witness Merchan Silenced Speaks Out: Brad Smith Explains What He Would Have Told Jury appeared first on Breitbart.

Carter Page Finds Trump Trial Eerily Familiar

Déjà vu.

That phrase captures Carter Page’s reaction as he walks through lower Manhattan. The Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, the Jacob Javits Federal Building, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office all remind the former Trump campaign adviser of various moments in his career—from intern for New York’s now-deceased Democratic U.S. senator to foreign-intelligence source to the victim of fraudulent FBI spying.

What Page finds most eerily familiar is the bookkeeping-entry trial of President Donald Trump, which he observed in person. Page considers the scene in Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom just the latest episode in the relentless persecution of the former president and his supporters.

This began virtually the day that the real-estate magnate declared his presidential candidacy.

“The [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] abuse/international spy scandal that prominent [Democratic National Committee] operatives and senior officials of the Obama-Biden administration designed to take out President Trump in his first political campaign remains largely unresolved,” Page tells me exclusively. “For more than seven years, we have continued to fight against the corrupt U.S. Department of Justice and the Democrat Party’s operatives who have largely dominated these continued dishonest attacks against President Trump, myself, and so many others.” 

Page recalls “the original witch hunt” that began in 2016. Left-wing pro-Hillary Clinton operatives at the CIA, DOJ, and throughout the Deep State—not least then-FBI officials James Comey, Andrew McCabe, and Peter Strzok—spied on Trump’s campaign, snooped on his advisers, raided their homes, sentenced some to prison, and locked up others.

“Believe it or not, people have families,” Page says. “Think of the impact that this has had on President Trump’s family, Gen. Michael Flynn’s family, my own, and so many others. All of this chaos tore families apart. But on the other hand, it also pulled families together. That’s why I was so very moved to see Eric Trump here to support his father.”

Page waited in line to enter the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, along with scores of journalists eager to cover New York v. Trump. Page and other citizens sat beside the Fourth Estate and marveled at this unprecedented scenario.

“Although Fox News and a few other conservative media outlets maintain a limited presence in Courtroom 1530, the vast majority of enthusiastic attendees who fill the benches at 100 Centre Street are the same mainstream outlets that pushed the false Russia collusion hoax, from late in the 2016 election through the first three years of the first Trump administration,” Page says. “Just as the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was unsuccessfully used as an early prop to ‘get Trump,’ this court in lower Manhattan is the latest front line in this ongoing assault on American democracy.”

Trump’s defenders have questioned Merchan’s objectivity in this matter, given his political donations to President Joe Biden and a PAC called Stop Republicans, as well as his daughter’s management of a political consultancy that runs digital ads and raises money for Democratic candidates and causes.

Page, however, gives Merchan the benefit of the doubt. He believes that the jurist displayed common decency by excusing Trump to attend his son Barron’s graduation from Palm Beach’s Oxbridge Academy last Friday.

Like most Americans, Page is eager to see whether a jury from Manhattan—which voted 86.4% for Joe Biden—will “Get Trump,” no matter what, or whether District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s crumbling case will make them gag. If so, perhaps through gritted teeth, they just might acquit Trump of these so-far unproven charges.

Either way, Page, a Naval Academy alumnus and foreign-energy expert, understands the moral of this story.

“The main lesson is that we need to start fighting much more strongly,” Page says. “President Trump and each of us other crime victims have certainly learned this the hard way. Equally important, we must be ready to call out the Democrats’ continued election interference campaigns, especially now, as their assault on American democracy has reached new levels with this latest ongoing show trial.”

The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.

The post Carter Page Finds Trump Trial Eerily Familiar appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Prosecution Rests in Donald Trump Business Records Trial

Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team of prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump on Monday afternoon.

The post Prosecution Rests in Donald Trump Business Records Trial appeared first on Breitbart.

Donald Trump: Campaign Speech Canceled After Judge Decides to Start Trial Early on Monday 

Judge Juan Merchan began the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump earlier than scheduled on Monday, forcing the former president to cancel a campaign speech, Trump told reporters outside the courthouse.

The post Donald Trump: Campaign Speech Canceled After Judge Decides to Start Trial Early on Monday  appeared first on Breitbart.

WATCH: JD Vance Takes Center Stage in Veepstakes as Interview with Don Jr. Goes Viral

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), who is rumored to be in contention for former President Donald Trump's running mate, joined Donald Trump Jr. on his Triggered podcast for an interview Thursday.

The post WATCH: JD Vance Takes Center Stage in Veepstakes as Interview with Don Jr. Goes Viral appeared first on Breitbart.

Mark Levin: 'Bragg Should Be Disbarred' -- He Has Violated the Brady Rule

Thursday on FNC's "Hannity," conservative talker Mark Levin laid out why New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg may have knowingly violated former President Donald Trump's constitutional rights throughout and other established legal precedents during his office's prosecution of Trump.

The post Mark Levin: ‘Bragg Should Be Disbarred’ — He Has Violated the Brady Rule appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump Suggests 'Soros-Backed' Alvin Bragg Should Drop Case Against Him

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday evening suggested that Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should drop his business records case against him.

The post Trump Suggests ‘Soros-Backed’ Alvin Bragg Should Drop Case Against Him appeared first on Breitbart.

The End Is Near: Trump Trial Heads Toward Finish

Former President Donald Trump's business records trial is drawing to an end, with closing arguments possible on Tuesday.

The post The End Is Near: Trump Trial Heads Toward Finish appeared first on Breitbart.

Prosecution in Trouble as Trump Defense Traps Michael Cohen on Witness Stand

Defense attorneys for former President Donald Trump stunned observers in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday with a devastating cross-examination of the prosecution's star witness, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.

The post Prosecution in Trouble as Trump Defense Traps Michael Cohen on Witness Stand appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump Says Prosecution, Judge Merchan Are 'Rushing' the Trial to Hurt Him Before the Election

Former President Donald Trump slammed the pace of the trial in Manhattan for his falsifying business records case, saying the prosecution and Judge Juan Merchan were trying to rush it in order to hurt him before the election.

The post Trump Says Prosecution, Judge Merchan Are ‘Rushing’ the Trial to Hurt Him Before the Election appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump Trial Becomes Prime Venue for Veep Contenders, Supporters

A dozen of former President Donald Trump's top supporters so far have shown up to Manhattan to support him, which not only likely engenders his gratitude, but also has become a high-profile speaking slot, with a crowd of reporters assigned to detail the trial's every development.

The post Trump Trial Becomes Prime Venue for Veep Contenders, Supporters appeared first on Breitbart.

Alvin Bragg Offers Plea Deals to Migrants Accused of Attacking NYC Cops as He Prosecutes Trump

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), the prosecutor linked to billionaire George Soros who is currently prosecuting former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, has offered plea deals to six of the nine migrants accused of attacking two New York Police Department (NYPD) officers in January.

The post Alvin Bragg Offers Plea Deals to Migrants Accused of Attacking NYC Cops as He Prosecutes Trump appeared first on Breitbart.

‘SHAM’: House Speaker Johnson Condemns Trial of Trump as ‘Politically Motivated’

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in New York on Tuesday, condemned the so-called hush-money criminal trial of former President Donald Trump.

Johnson blasted the trial as a “sham” and said that it’s being used to manipulate the 2024 presidential election.

I’m disgusted by what’s happening in the sham trial against President Trump.

The American people can see it’s politically motivated.

Their star witness, Michael Cohen, is a known liar who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge. pic.twitter.com/dub4dyu91s

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 14, 2024

“I’m an attorney. I’m a former litigator myself. I’m disgusted by what is happening here,” the Louisiana lawmaker said. “What is being done here is being done to our entire system of justice overall.”

Johnson said the American people are “losing faith” in the U.S. justice system and our institutions because they see them being “abused.”

The House speaker said the facts in Trump’s case are important, as they always are in a trial. The former president’s actions were “previously reviewed, and no charges were filed. Why is that?” Johnson asked rhetorically.

“Because there’s no crime here,” he said, answering his own question.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg started up this case eight years after the crime was allegedly committed, Johnson said, because “it’s painfully obvious, we’re six months out from an election day, and that’s the reason they brought these charges here and across the country.”

Johnson noted that the legal officials in this case are all partisan Democrats.

“What we’ve got here is a partisan Democrat district attorney. We have a [President Joe] Biden donor judge, and we have an [assistant district attorney] who was recently a top official at the Department of Justice, Biden’s DOJ, and recently received over $10,000 in payments from the Democratic National Committee,” he said.

Bragg, who brought the charges against Trump, also is a Democrat.

Johnson said the “star witness” in the Trump trial, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, is simply out for retribution.

Cohen is “clearly on a mission for personal revenge,” the Louisiana Republican said, adding that Cohen is known to be a witness who “has had trouble with the truth.”

Cohen admitted to lying to Congress in 2017, which was among the crimes that led to his disbarment.

“There’s nothing he presents here that should be given any weight at all by a jury and certainly not by this judge,” Johnson said.

The charge against Trump is falsification of business records, he said, “but I think everyone knows that he is not the bookkeeper of his company.”

The House speaker said Trump is “innocent” in the case and that “anyone with common sense can see what’s happening here.”

On top of everything else, Johnson said, the court has issued a gag order against Trump, which deprives the former president of his right to free speech during an election campaign. The whole trial represents a clear case where the judicial system has been weaponized against Trump, he said, and is punishing one presidential nominee while providing “cover” for another.

“The American people are not going to let this stand,” Johnson said. “Election Day cannot get here soon enough, and we will continue to shine a light on all of this in Congress because we have that constitutional responsibility.”

The post ‘SHAM’: House Speaker Johnson Condemns Trial of Trump as ‘Politically Motivated’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Court Rules Against Donald Trump's Gag Order Appeal

Former President Donald Trump will remain gagged during his criminal trial in Manhattan, a New York appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The post Court Rules Against Donald Trump’s Gag Order Appeal appeared first on Breitbart.

Could a Manhattan Jury Acquit Trump?

Having served on three Manhattan juries, I would not be surprised if the 12 men and women hearing New York v. Donald J. Trump acquit him of all charges.

During two civil actions and one criminal case, my fellow jurors were serious, professional, and movingly civic-minded. A quiet, solemn patriotism infused our deliberations. Several jurors said that we should respect the justice system because, someday, we might need it to respect us.

My first case was a medical-malpractice lawsuit involving a botched abortion. We empathized with a woman wounded by her doctors, but her lawyer did not prove negligence. So, we backed her physicians.

“But we’ve got to give her something,” one juror insisted.

Others instantly rebuked him.

“That’s not how it works!” one said. “I feel sorry for her, too,” another admitted. “But her lawyer never made her case.”

So, we sent the plaintiff home without a penny.

Next, we deliberated intensely for almost three days before concluding that a Harlem drug counselor never demonstrated his defamation-of-character claim against his employers. My sympathetic pleas went unheeded, and he left empty-handed.

Finally, in her closing argument, a criminal prosecutor displayed a CD-ROM of a police dispatcher’s “Be on the lookout” announcement after an armed robbery. When we asked the judge to play that recording, he told us that it was not in evidence. 

Disgusted by this prosecutorial deception, we instantly and angrily acquitted the defendants. Minutes later, as foreman, I proudly announced our verdict in court.

These three cases confirm that Manhattan juries are sober and perfectly capable of fairness.

That is good news for Trump.

A jury of levelheaded Manhattanites would appreciate these facts that verify the profound vacuity and fundamental unfairness of District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “case” against Trump:

  • An April 25, 2023, U.S. Justice Department Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Election Commission leaves Bragg powerless to prosecute this matter. “The Department has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal enforcement of the federal campaign finance laws,” the memorandum states.

“The Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over civil enforcement,” the memo says.

Nowhere does this federal rule grant local prosecutors authority to enforce federal election laws. Thus, Bragg’s case is a shack built atop a cloud of helium. 

  • Bragg skirted the statute of limitations by claiming that Trump falsified business records to commit a second violation. After two weeks of this trial, that second crime remains a mystery.
  • Prosecutors described a “catch-and-kill scheme” through which the National Enquirer bought the rights to stories that might embarrass Trump and then buried them. Rather than a plot to influence the 2020 election, the Enquirer routinely caught and killed stories about Trump—and other newsmakers. More important, “catch and kill” might be dodgy, but it is not illegal.
  • Former nude thespian Stormy Daniels signed a nondisclosure agreement promising quietude about consensual sex that Trump and, at various times, Daniels herself deny ever sharing. NDAs are perfectly legal. I have signed at least three (while dressed), and nondisclosure language has appeared in numerous contracts I have endorsed. Confidential out-of-court settlements operate similarly and legally.
  • Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid Daniels to clam up about her alleged intimacy with Trump. Again, sex or no sex, it is legal to pay people to ignore journalists (although buying silence before law enforcement is obstruction of justice). 
  • Trump’s checks allegedly reimbursed Cohen for payments to Daniels. It is perfectly legal for a client to repay his attorney funds advanced in a lawful transaction.
  • Bragg claims that Trump should have paid for this private matter with campaign cash. That would have been illegal. Instead, Trump legally used his own money.
  • Trump faces 34 counts of alleged falsification of business records because his bookkeepers posted ledger entries for checks to Cohen as “legal expenses.” Would Bragg prefer false descriptions like “plumbing supplies” or “marble tiles”? Trump faces prison for reporting legal expenses as “legal expenses,” which is legal.

With 48% of registered voters telling Reuters-Ipsos last month that Trump’s Kafkaesque cases are “excessive and politically motivated” (41% disagree) even a Manhattan jury could scrap Bragg’s contraption.

My memories of jury duty, including within the Stalinesque building in which Trump is being persecuted, tell me that deliberating jurors could think, “I won’t vote for Trump. But I cannot convict him beyond a reasonable doubt in a shaky case about actions that are lurid, but legal.”

If just one juror agrees, this case will end with a hung jury. A second trial would be unlikely before Election Day.

And if “lurid, but legal” reflects the opinions of 12 of my fellow Manhattanites—who tend to be tough, but fair—then Trump will be acquitted on all charges and go back to where he belongs: The campaign trail.

The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.

The post Could a Manhattan Jury Acquit Trump? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Bragg's Paralegal Admits Call Records Deleted from Trump Case Files

Some records of phone calls related to the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump were deleted from case files, Manhattan District Attorney Office paralegal Jaden Jarmel-Schneider admitted during the trial.

The post Bragg’s Paralegal Admits Call Records Deleted from Trump Case Files appeared first on Breitbart.

CNN’s Zakaria: NYC 'Prosecutors Are Politically Motivated' Against Trump

By: Pam Key · Pam Key

CNN host Fareed Zakaria said on this week's broadcast of "GPS Sunday" that the criminal charges brought against former President Donald Trump in New York City were politically motivated.

The post CNN’s Zakaria: NYC ‘Prosecutors Are Politically Motivated’ Against Trump appeared first on Breitbart.

Defense Paints Picture That Stormy Daniels Tried to Get Rich Off Trump

Former President Donald Trump’s defense on Thursday seemingly worked to paint the picture that porn actress Stormy Daniels attempted to financially benefit from his wealth and fame, according to reports.

The post Defense Paints Picture That Stormy Daniels Tried to Get Rich Off Trump appeared first on Breitbart.

How the Left Tried to Use Stormy Daniels to Impeach Trump

Years before the prosecution called the former porn star to testify Tuesday in Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial in Manhattan, Democrats viewed Stormy Daniels as an avenue for impeaching Trump when he was president. 

My 2020 book “Abuse of Power” details the origins of Left’s lawfare against Trump, which began immediately after his 2016 election to the presidency.  

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat, led the first criminal case against Trump, followed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia and two federal prosecutions by special counsel Jack Smith.

Indicted in four separate criminal cases for a total of 91 counts, Trump got some good news Tuesday when a federal judge in Florida postponed indefinitely his trial in the classified documents case, one of Smith’s.

Below is an adapted excerpt from “Abuse of Power”:

It’s funny how “legal experts” who would pop up working for Democrats were talking and writing about Trump’s demise for other reasons months earlier. 

Two lawyers whom the House Judiciary Committee hired for impeachment, Norman Eisen and Barry Berke, wrote a New York Times opinion piece along with Noah Bookbinder, also a lawyer, with the headline: “Is This the Beginning of the End for Trump?” 

The lawyers suggested Trump could be taken down for a possible campaign finance violation tied to alleged flings with former porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. 

Or, as the lawyers characterized it in their Times piece, federal prosecutors determined that “Mr. Trump, the Trump Organization, and the campaign were all directly involved in an illegal scheme to silence two women who claimed they had affairs with Mr. Trump.” 

The lawyers’ op-ed in the Times further says Trump “could be named as an unindicted co-conspirator” or “charged if he leaves office before the statute of limitations runs out (most likely in 2022).”

Still, regarding the hush money [for Daniels and McDougal], even House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi had said after the news of  Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen’s planned guilty plea that it wasn’t grounds for impeachment, even as some of her members were pushing for that. 

“Impeachment has to spring from something else. If and when the information emerges about that, we’ll see,” Pelosi said in 2018. “It’s not a priority on the agenda going forward unless something else comes forward.”

But impeachment was a priority for members of the House Democratic Caucus, which she led. 

In December 2018, when Cohen pleaded guilty to a campaign finance violation for paying hush money to Daniels, the plea agreement referred to “Individual 1” as directing him to do so. It was clear that this individual was Trump. 

Cohen also pleaded guilty to tax evasion and other financial crimes and was sentenced to three years in prison. He later pleaded guilty to lying to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In late 2019, with Democrats in control of the House, many of the hardliners in Pelosi’s caucus were pushing the speaker to go beyond Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as grounds for impeachment.

Democrats in the House Progressive Caucus wanted to include the ambiguous obstruction arguments from special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the discredited Trump-Russia claims, the campaign finance allegation in the Stormy Daniels case, the emoluments clause of the Constitution, and potentially other matters. By this point, the House had launched 12 separate investigations into Trump. 

But after initial resistance, Pelosi had already caved once to the members demanding Trump’s impeachment on the Ukrainian phone call. The other matters would only prolong the process. 

Trump admitted he and Zelenskyy talked about Joe Biden. Now, Democrats just had to turn it into an impeachable case. 

Nevertheless, keeping swing district House Democrats in the loop was one reason why, early in the process, leadership had considered progressives’ demands for a “kitchen sink” impeachment involving Russia, Stormy Daniels, emoluments, and anything else they could think of. 

This would allow moderate Democrats to go home and say they had voted against some articles of impeachment while still voting to oust Trump in order to appease the base and avoid a potential primary challenger from the left. In the age of MAGA and #Resistance voters, primary challenges are a forefront concern for incumbents on both sides.

During the impeachment hearing, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee called former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch to testify. 

As with other witnesses, Yovanovitch’s legal counsel was steeped in Democratic politics. Lawrence S. Robbins represented both Republican and Democrat clients. 

But in a December 2018 op-ed for Politico, Robbins called for either impeaching or prosecuting Trump for campaign finance violation regarding the Daniels hush money.

Robbins wrote: “The Department of Justice’s description of the role of Individual 1—the president himself—leaves no doubt that career Justice Department prosecutors regard Trump as a full blown co-conspirator. And most serious-minded criminal lawyers agree that, if these allegations are true, the president, but for his day job, would have been sitting in the dock with his long-time fixer.” 

Robbins further wrote that Trump would use his office as president to shield himself from prosecution, so “Congress would surely have no choice but to hold him accountable in the way prescribed by the Constitution.”

That way, of course, was impeachment.

The post How the Left Tried to Use Stormy Daniels to Impeach Trump appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Stormy Daniels’ Ex-Lawyer Michael Avenatti Accuses Porn Star of Falsifying Business Records in Blow to Prosecutors in Trump Trial

Former Stormy Daniels attorney and convicted felon Michael Avenatti on Tuesday accused the porn star of engaging in “falsification of business records, wire fraud, and fraudulent transfers” to defraud former President Donald Trump out of money she allegedly received from a documentary.

The post Stormy Daniels’ Ex-Lawyer Michael Avenatti Accuses Porn Star of Falsifying Business Records in Blow to Prosecutors in Trump Trial appeared first on Breitbart.

Former Biden DOJ Official Prosecuting Trump Received Thousands of Dollars From DNC

The lead prosecutor for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “hush money” case against former President Donald Trump received thousands of dollars from the Democratic National Committee in 2018, Federal Election Commission records show.

Matthew Colangelo, who was President Joe Biden’s acting associate attorney general and spent two years in the current president’s Justice Department, joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as senior counsel in December 2022.

dailycallerlogo

The lawyer received $12,000 from the Democratic National Committee for “political consulting” in two payments of $6,000 on Jan. 31, 2018, FEC records show.

Fox News Digital first reported the payments to Colangelo from the DNC.

Reports say Matthew Colangelo received $12,000 from the DNC for "political consulting" in 2018.

Colangelo delivered the opening statement for the prosecution in the Trump hush money case.

Yet Trump can't talk about this due to his unconstitutional gag order.

— Daniel Baldwin (@baldwin_daniel_) May 6, 2024

Trump is not supposed to speak about Colangelo because Judge Juan Merchan imposed a gag order that prevents the former president from speaking about prosecutors on the case besides Bragg.

Colangelo was appointed in 2022, while Bragg was still investigating Trump in relation to a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her silent regarding an alleged affair. Colangelo delivered opening statements for the prosecution in April, arguing that Trump falsified business documents about the payment as part of a broader initiative to “corrupt the 2016 election.”

“It was election fraud, pure and simple,” Colangelo said.

Trump consistently has characterized the case as “election interference,” referring to it as a “Biden witch hunt” and the “Biden case.”

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding Colangelo, requesting documents and communications from his tenure at the Justice Department. Jordan demanded personnel files pertaining to Colangelo’s hiring, employment, and termination there, as well as records and correspondences related to Trump or his organization.

“Bragg is engaged in one such politicized prosecution, which is being led in part by Matthew B. Colangelo, a former senior Justice Department official,” Jordan wrote. “Accordingly, given the perception that the Justice Department is assisting in Bragg’s politicized prosecution, we write to request information and documents related to Mr. Colangelo’s employment.”

While at the New York State Attorney General’s Office before Biden became president, Colangelo led the probe into the Trump Foundation, which resulted in its dissolution. He also led the investigation that eventually became Trump’s civil fraud case, according to The New York Times.

Neither Bragg nor the Democratic National Committee immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation

The post Former Biden DOJ Official Prosecuting Trump Received Thousands of Dollars From DNC appeared first on The Daily Signal.

New York Judge Juan Merchan Calls Trump 'Possibly the Next President'

Judge Juan Merchan admitted in court Monday that former President Donald Trump could become "the next president" -- a tacit acknowledgement that his business records trial is occurring in the middle of a presidential election with direct bearing on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

The post New York Judge Juan Merchan Calls Trump ‘Possibly the Next President’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Ex-Biden Official Prosecuting Trump Paid $12K by DNC for Political Consulting in 2018

Matthew Colangelo, an ex-Biden Justice Department official who delivered the prosecution’s opening statement for former President Donald Trump's business records trial in New York, was paid by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for political consulting in 2018, raising further eyebrows regarding the integrity of Democrat District Attorney Alvin Bragg's entire case.

The post Ex-Biden Official Prosecuting Trump Paid $12K by DNC for Political Consulting in 2018 appeared first on Breitbart.

Judge Juan Merchan Holds Donald Trump in Contempt Again for Violating Gag Order

New York County Judge Juan Merchan ruled Monday for a second time former President Donald Trump violated his gag order during the trial, holding him in criminal contempt and threatening him with jail time for any further infractions.

The post Judge Juan Merchan Holds Donald Trump in Contempt Again for Violating Gag Order appeared first on Breitbart.

Poll: Potential Trump Conviction Would Not Lift Biden's Lagging Support

President Joe Biden's historically low polling numbers would not receive a boost if former President Donald Trump is potentially found guilty in any legal case against him, a poll shows.

The post Poll: Potential Trump Conviction Would Not Lift Biden’s Lagging Support appeared first on Breitbart.

Judge Merchan Holds Donald Trump in Criminal Contempt for Gag Order Violations, Threatens Jail Time

New York County Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that former President Donald Trump violated a gag order during his trial, holding him in criminal contempt and threatening him with jail time for any further infractions.

The post Judge Merchan Holds Donald Trump in Criminal Contempt for Gag Order Violations, Threatens Jail Time appeared first on Breitbart.

Laying It On Thick: Trump Charged With 34 Felonies

Laying It On Thick: Trump Charged With 34 Felonies
From PJ Media, a piece that was written before Trump’s court appearance Tuesday: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has apparently decided that as long as he is going to drive us into banana republic territory, he might as well put the pedal to the metal: he is reportedly planning to charge Donald Trump with not one, but […]

Shut Up, Donald: Federal Judge to Place Gag Order on Trump Ahead of Arrest

Shut Up, Donald: Federal Judge to Place Gag Order on Trump Ahead of Arrest
New in PJ Media: Ever since the news broke about his indictment, Donald Trump has been rising in the polls and getting a big boost in campaign donations, demonstrating that the whole banana-republic endeavor is backfiring spectacularly on the Leftist establishment that is determined to find something, anything, it can use to destroy Trump. So […]

This Is Alvin Bragg: Charges Man With Attempted Murder for Shooting Back at Thief Who Shot Him

This Is Alvin Bragg: Charges Man With Attempted Murder for Shooting Back at Thief Who Shot Him
New in PJ Media: With his indictment of Donald Trump, Alvin Bragg has secured his place in history. He could end up being remembered as the rogue, rabidly partisan prosecutor who administered the coup de grace to America’s staggering republic by indicting the chief opponent of the ruling regime on the flimsiest of charges. Even if he […]

Trump Speaks Out on Indictment: The Democrats ‘Have Done the Unthinkable’

Trump Speaks Out on Indictment: The Democrats ‘Have Done the Unthinkable’
New in PJ Media: When he’s right, he’s right. Donald Trump issued a statement on Thursday evening after the United States of America completed its descent to banana-republic status, saying: “This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history.” He then recalled some of the Left’s earlier attempts to frame and destroy […]

New York City: Muslim cleric gets 18 years of prison dawah for encouraging violent jihad activity

New York City: Muslim cleric gets 18 years of prison dawah for encouraging violent jihad activity
Now that we know that Alvin Bragg is desperately corrupt and has politicized his office, this prosecution cannot be taken at face value. This is shaky enough in itself: “Mr. Faisal was not accused of planning violence in New York City and had not set foot there during the period covered by his indictment. But […]

Leftists Enraged at CNN’s Van Jones for Telling Alvin Bragg to Back Off of Trump

Leftists Enraged at CNN’s Van Jones for Telling Alvin Bragg to Back Off of Trump
New in PJ Media: While most Leftists are hanging streamers, putting the champagne on ice, and handing out the party hats in anticipation of watching Donald Trump marched in handcuffs into the Manhattan district attorney’s office, CNN host Van Jones is not quite ready to join the festivities. And the Party of Groupthink is as enraged […]

Surprise Grand Jury Witness May Have Destroyed the Whole Case Against Trump

Surprise Grand Jury Witness May Have Destroyed the Whole Case Against Trump
New in PJ Media: As Matt Margolis noted on Sunday, “Rudy Giuliani lawyer Robert Costello, a former legal advisor to Michael Cohen,” was set to appear on Monday before the grand jury that is currently persecuting and railroading Donald Trump, “with the sole intention of undermining Cohen’s credibility.” That he did. Costello offered testimony that should explode […]

It’s On: NYPD Is Putting Up Barricades, Expecting Riots When Trump Is Arrested

It’s On: NYPD Is Putting Up Barricades, Expecting Riots When Trump Is Arrested
New in PJ Media: America’s descent to banana republic status, with the ruling regime having its principal opponent arrested on bogus charges, may not happen on Tuesday, but it very much looks as if it is going to happen this week. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) was busy on Monday setting up steel barriers outside the […]

Trump Calls for Protests Over His Arrest

Trump Calls for Protests Over His Arrest
New in PJ Media: On Saturday morning, Donald Trump acknowledged that he will indeed be arrested, saying that the fateful day will be this coming Tuesday. Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social: OUR NATION IS NOW THIRD WORLD & DYING. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS DEAD! THE RADICAL LEFT ANARCHISTS HAVE STOLLEN [sic] OUR PRESIDENTIAL […]
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