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Today β€” May 21st 2024Your RSS feeds

Blinken Open to Restoring Trump Sanctions on ICC That Biden Revoked

Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified Tuesday at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the administration would be open to returning to President Donald Trump's sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The post Blinken Open to Restoring Trump Sanctions on ICC That Biden Revoked appeared first on Breitbart.

ICC Prosecutor on GOP Threats of Sanctions, Ending Support: Those Are 'Hotheads', We've Had 'Positive' Work with Biden

During an interview aired on Monday’s edition of CNN International’s β€œAmanpour,” International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan reacted to threats from some Senate Republicans to end American support for the ICC, sanction the court’s employees and associates, and bar

The post ICC Prosecutor on GOP Threats of Sanctions, Ending Support: Those Are β€˜Hotheads’, We’ve Had β€˜Positive’ Work with Biden appeared first on Breitbart.

Biden at Odds with Hollywood Fundraisers George and Amal Clooney over ICC Warrant of Arrest for Israeli Leaders

George Clooney, and his wife, Amal Clooney are seemingly at odds with President Joe Biden after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) revealed he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders and Hamas terrorist leaders.

The post Biden at Odds with Hollywood Fundraisers George and Amal Clooney over ICC Warrant of Arrest for Israeli Leaders appeared first on Breitbart.

Yesterday β€” May 20th 2024Your RSS feeds

Bipartisan Bill Injects Progressive Quotas into Everyday Software

By: Neil Munro Β·Β Neil Munro

Congress is pushing forward with a data regulation bill that would trap Americans in a hidden tangle of quotas inside private software, says Stewart Baker, an influential lawyer in Washington, DC.

The post Bipartisan Bill Injects Progressive Quotas into Everyday Software appeared first on Breitbart.

Bush-era Law Authorizes U.S. to Free Netanyahu if Detained by ICC

A law signed by President George W. Bush in 2002 theΒ American Servicemembers’ Protection Act (ASPA), bars the United States from cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in pursuing warrants against Israel.

The post Bush-era Law Authorizes U.S. to Free Netanyahu if Detained by ICC appeared first on Breitbart.

Mike Pompeo: Biden Should Restore Trump's Sanctions on the ICC

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that President Joe Biden should restore President Donald Trump's 2020 sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), which Biden reversed soon after taking office in 2021.

The post Mike Pompeo: Biden Should Restore Trump’s Sanctions on the ICC appeared first on Breitbart.

Biden, After Revoking Trump's Order Against ICC, Claims Outrage at ICC Warrants Against Israel

President Joe Biden claimed Monday to be outraged at the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants against Israeli officials for the war in Gaza -- after Biden revoked President Donald Trump's executive order against the ICC.

The post Biden, After Revoking Trump’s Order Against ICC, Claims Outrage at ICC Warrants Against Israel appeared first on Breitbart.

George Clooney's Wife, Amal, Involved in ICC Warrant Against Netanyahu

Amal Clooney, the human rights lawyer married to Hollywood star George Clooney, was involved in helping to prepare the request for arrest warrants of Israeli leaders Monday by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The post George Clooney’s Wife, Amal, Involved in ICC Warrant Against Netanyahu appeared first on Breitbart.

ICC, Where Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith Worked, Now Targets Netanyahu

The International Criminal Court (ICC) that sought an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday is the former workplace of Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting former President Donald Trump.

The post ICC, Where Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith Worked, Now Targets Netanyahu appeared first on Breitbart.

Israeli Opposition Calls ICC Warrants 'a Crime of Historic Proportions'

Israel's opposition leaders attacked the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday for its decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the war against Hamas.

The post Israeli Opposition Calls ICC Warrants β€˜a Crime of Historic Proportions’ appeared first on Breitbart.

International Court Seeks Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas Leaders

Prosecutor Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court (ICC) formally requested arrest warrants on Monday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,Β Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and several leaders of the genocidal Hamas terrorist organization.

The post International Court Seeks Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas Leaders appeared first on Breitbart.

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Will Democrats Pay a Price for Their Crumbling Lawfare Strategy Against Trump?

President Joe Biden, who wears bespoke sneakers to prevent embarrassing collapses and whose command of the English language rivals that of most kindergartners, is in bad political shape.Β 

It is unsurprising that Democrats have resorted to some of the slimiest tactics imaginable to derail President Donald Trump’s comeback bid and push their senile octogenarian across the November finish line. Properly skeptical of their chances to topple Trump in a fair mano-a-mano, the Democrat-lawfare complex in 2023 conjured up four separate criminal prosecutionsβ€”two federal probes and two state probesβ€”targeting the 45th president. After all, if you can’t beat him, then … prosecute and incarcerate him! All in the name of β€œour democracy,” naturally.

Suffice it to say that the Democrat-lawfare complex’s brazen, cynical attempt to subvert our constitutional order in the name of saving it has not gone according to plan.

In Washington, D.C., Special Counsel Jack Smith’s crown-jewel case against Trump, pertaining to the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 jamboree at the U.S. Capitol, has been interrupted by the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices stepped in to assess the thorny constitutional question of the scope of immunity from criminal prosecution for former presidents, and a decision is not expected until late June.

The most likely result is a mixed opinion that holds some β€œcore” Article II presidential functions are immune from post-presidency prosecution, but other acts are not. This would require a remand to the trial court for fact-finding to determine which legal category the acts in Smith’s indictment fall into. That trial court finding could then be appealed, too. There is virtually no chance Smith can wrap this all up before November.

In Florida, Smith’s other federal case has not been more successful. The Florida prosecution, pertaining to Trump’s post-presidency handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, had at least some potential on the legal merits. But Smith wildly overplayed his hand by charging Trump with violating the controversial World War I-era Espionage Act, and the proceedings have frequently been set back due to the strenuous demands of the Classified Information Procedures Actβ€”a 1980 statute first introduced in the Senate, ironically, by then-Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

Recently, Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed the trial start date, which had initially been scheduled for May 20. There is again little to no chance Smith can reach a jury before November.

The case in Fulton County, Georgia, which once seemed the most perilous of them all due to Georgia’s sprawling Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the far-left Atlanta jury pool, and the potential for high-profile prosecution witnesses, has gone totally off the rails. Ever since January, the only questions in the case have not been substantive legal issues such as whether Trump oversaw a grand conspiracy to β€œoverturn an election,” but tabloid fodder such as whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her illicit extramarital lover and appointed special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, are too compromised to bring the case.

The trial court’s finding that only one of them must recuse is now pending before a Georgia appellate court, and it is likely the Supreme Court of Georgia will weigh in, too. This case isn’t reaching a jury before November, either.

That leaves the ongoing drama in New York City, where a literal porn β€œstar” (Stormy Daniels) and a convicted felon (Michael Cohen) are aiding the George Soros-funded prosecutor’s case of … well, he hasn’t exactly told us what it is. We surmise the case entails alleged New York State fraudulent bookkeeping charges in furtherance of a federal campaign finance law violationβ€”which doesn’t even fall into the local district attorney’s jurisdiction.

The prosecution is about to rest its case, and we don’t even know for sure what the actual black-letter legal case is. On Thursday, the β€œstar witness” convicted felon’s testimony was so bad that far-left CNN anchor Anderson Cooper remarked: β€œI think if I was a juror in this case watching that, I would think this guy is making it up as he’s going along.”

Brutal.

The Democrats’ strategy is failing. But it is up to the American people to make them pay for it.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

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

The post Will Democrats Pay a Price for Their Crumbling Lawfare Strategy Against Trump? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Dulis: NYT Suggests, Without Evidence, Justice Samuel Alito Sent 'Stop the Steal' Message Outside His Home

By: Ezra Dulis Β·Β Ezra Dulis

It's a dream scoop for the New York Times: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito displayed a "Stop the Steal" symbol outside his house! Unfortunately for the Times and reporter Jodi Kantor, there isn't any real evidence for that headline -- only a heaping helping of BlueAnon fever-swamp paranoia.

The post Dulis: NYT Suggests, Without Evidence, Justice Samuel Alito Sent β€˜Stop the Steal’ Message Outside His Home appeared first on Breitbart.

Angie Harmon sues Instacart driver who allegedly shot and killed her dog

Angie Harmon sued the Instacart driver that allegedly shot and killed her dog, according to court documents filed on May 10. The actress is asking for a trial by jury.

β€˜SHAM’: House Speaker Johnson Condemns Trial of Trump as β€˜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 β€œsham” 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

β€” Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 14, 2024

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

Johnson said the American people are β€œlosing faith” in the U.S. justice system and our institutions because they see them being β€œabused.”

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 β€œpreviously reviewed, and no charges were filed. Why is that?” Johnson asked rhetorically.

β€œBecause 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 β€œit’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.

β€œWhat 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 β€œstar witness” in the Trump trial, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, is simply out for retribution.

Cohen is β€œclearly on a mission for personal revenge,” the Louisiana Republican said, adding that Cohen is known to be a witness who β€œhas had trouble with the truth.”

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

β€œThere’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, β€œbut I think everyone knows that he is not the bookkeeper of his company.”

The House speaker said Trump is β€œinnocent” in the case and that β€œanyone 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 β€œcover” for another.

β€œThe American people are not going to let this stand,” Johnson said. β€œElection 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 β€˜SHAM’: House Speaker Johnson Condemns Trial of Trump as β€˜Politically Motivated’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Could a Manhattan Jury Acquit Trump?

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

During two civil actions and one criminal case, my fellow jurorsΒ 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 needΒ 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.

β€œBut we’ve got to give her something,” one juror insisted.

Others instantlyΒ rebuked him.

β€œThat’s not how it works!” one said. β€œI feel sorry for her, too,” another admitted. β€œBut her lawyerΒ neverΒ madeΒ her case.”

So,Β we sent the plaintiff home without a penny.

Next, we deliberated intensely for almost three days before concluding that a Harlem drug counselorΒ neverΒ demonstrated his defamation-of-character claim against his employers. MyΒ sympatheticΒ pleas went unheeded, and he leftΒ empty-handed.

Finally, in her closing argument,Β a criminal prosecutorΒ displayedΒ a CD-ROM of a police dispatcher’s β€œBe on the lookout” announcement after an armed robbery. When we asked the judge toΒ playΒ that recording, heΒ told us that it was not in evidence.Β 

Disgusted by this prosecutorial deception, we instantly and angrilyΒ 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 ofΒ levelheadedΒ Manhattanites would appreciate these facts that verify the profound vacuity and fundamental unfairness of District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s β€œcase” against Trump:

  • An April 25, 2023, U.S. Justice Department Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Election Commission leaves BraggΒ powerlessΒ to prosecute thisΒ matter.Β β€œThe Department has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal enforcement of the federal campaign finance laws,” the memorandum states.

β€œThe Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over civil enforcement,” the memo says.

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

  • Bragg skirted theΒ statute of limitationsΒ by claiming that Trump falsified business records to commit aΒ secondΒ violation. After two weeks of this trial, that second crime remains aΒ mystery.
  • ProsecutorsΒ describedΒ a β€œcatch-and-kill scheme” through which theΒ National EnquirerΒ bought the rights to stories that might embarrass Trump and then buried them. Rather than a plot to influence the 2020 election, theΒ EnquirerΒ routinely caught and killed stories about Trumpβ€”and other newsmakers. More important, β€œcatch 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).Β 
  • 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 β€œlegal expenses.” Would Bragg prefer false descriptions like β€œplumbing supplies” or β€œmarble tiles”? Trump faces prison for reporting legal expenses as β€œlegal expenses,” which is legal.

With 48% of registered voters telling Reuters-Ipsos last month that Trump’s Kafkaesque cases are β€œexcessive 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, β€œI won’t vote for Trump. But I cannot convict him beyond a reasonable doubt in a shaky case about actions that areΒ lurid,Β 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 β€œlurid, but legal” reflects the opinions of 12 of my fellow Manhattanitesβ€”who tend to be tough, but fairβ€”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.

Clinton: Supreme Court Doing 'Grave Disservice' by Not Deciding Trump Immunity

By: Pam Key Β·Β Pam Key

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saidΒ Thursday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that the Supreme Court is doing a "grave disservice" to the nation by delaying its ruling on former President Donald Trump's presidential immunity claim.

The post Clinton: Supreme Court Doing β€˜Grave Disservice’ by Not Deciding Trump Immunity appeared first on Breitbart.

House Passes Bill to Restore Citizenship Question to Census

Legislation adopted Wednesday by the House of Representatives would restore a question about U.S. citizenship to the 2030 census, potentially reshaping congressional representation and the Electoral College.

Lawmakers voted, 206-202, to pass the Equal Representation Act, a bill championed by Reps. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio. (See how your representative voted.) Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., introduced the Senate version, which Republicans overwhelmingly supported in a March vote.

With millions of illegal aliens residing in the United Statesβ€”a problem exacerbated by the Biden administration’s border policiesβ€”the legislation aims to protect Americans’ electoral power and congressional representation by ensuring foreign citizens aren’t counted in the census.

β€œIf you are an illegal immigrant, you should not be represented in the U.S. Congress,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told The Daily Signal. β€œIt’s a shame that House Democrats are allowing their open-borders agenda to get in the way of common sense.”

One of those Democrats openly acknowledged the benefits of counting illegal aliens. Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., admitted, β€œWe have a diaspora that can absorb a significant number of these migrants. … I need more people in my district just for redistricting purposes.”

Democrat Congresswoman Yvette Clarke on illegal immigrants in America:

"I need more people in my district just for redistricting purposes."

The end game: Dems are willing to destroy what it means to be an American citizen to help themselves politically. pic.twitter.com/3XmBDqYEsH

β€” Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 9, 2024

After being in all but one census from 1820 to 2000, the citizenship question was abandoned in the 2010 questionnaire during the Obama administration. The Trump administration attempted to restore the citizenship question for the 2020 census, but a divided Supreme Court ruled against its approach, and the idea was abandoned.

The Equal Representation Act would require the citizenship question on the 2030 census and each decennial census that follows.

The Trump administration attempted to restore the citizenship question for the 2020 census. A divided Supreme Court ruled against its approach, and the idea was abandoned. (Photo: Smith Collection/Getty Images)

Heritage Action, an independent partner of The Heritage Foundation, advocated for passage of the Equal Representation Act. The organization scored Wednesday’s vote on HR 7109. (The Heritage Foundation created The Daily Signal in 2014.)

Ryan Walker, Heritage Action’s executive vice president, faulted the Obama administration for undoing nearly 200 years of precedent. Walker said the consequences of inaction are significant, given the ongoing border crisis.

β€œIllegal immigrants and other noncitizens cannot vote, and should not be given the power to sway our elections or congressional mapsβ€”especially in light of Joe Biden’s border crisis that has brought more than 10 million people into our country,” Walker said. β€œThe Equal Representation Act puts electoral power back in the hands of those with the right to voteβ€”American citizensβ€”something every member of Congress must protect.”

The House version amassed 114 co-sponsors and was approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in April on a 22-20 vote.

Illegal aliens should have ZERO influence in our electoral process.

You don't get to come to our country, break our laws, and then be included in congressional apportionment.

That's why I cosponsored the Equal Representation Act, which the House will vote on tonight.

β€” Rep. Eric Burlison (@RepEricBurlison) May 8, 2024

β€œMembers of Congress represent U.S. citizens, not foreigners,” said Davidson, the bill’s co-sponsor. β€œUnder the Democrats’ open-border policies, sanctuary cities and states inflate their population with illegal aliens. Then they’re rewarded with more congressional representation by a census that counts illegals. The inflated count is then used to draw congressional maps, undermining fair representation for our citizens.”

Edwards stressed only American citizens can legally vote, β€œso, only American citizens should be counted when determining federal representation.”

Hagerty forced a vote on the Equal Representation Act in March. It ultimately failed, 51-45, although only one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted against it. Three other Republicans didn’t vote.

The post House Passes Bill to Restore Citizenship Question to Census appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Shakira scores big win in tax evasion battle days after Met Gala debut

Shakira's second tax evasion investigation could be dismissed after Spanish prosecutors recommended a judge shelve the probe. The singer allegedly owed $7.2 million.

Trump’s NY Prosecution Is a Bogus Case by a Bogus Prosecutor

There are many reasons why legal experts are questioning the legitimacy of the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump. But the major reason is that the main claim in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s caseβ€”that Trump’s $130,000 settlement payment of a potential claim by Stormy Daniels was a campaign-related expenseβ€”is totally bogus.Β 

Here’s a quick tutorial on why Bragg doesn’t have a legal leg to stand onβ€”call it β€œFederal Campaign Finance Law for Dummies 101”—an apropos title, given what’s going on.

Daniels claims that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, fully 10 years before the 2016 presidential election, which Trump denies. For the payment, Daniels agreed to sign a nondisclosure agreement, which is a standard provision in many settlement agreements of personal injury cases and other claims.

Bragg contends that Trump falsified business records, a misdemeanor, when this payment was listed as legal expenses instead of a campaign expense.

Supposedly, according to Bragg, that converted the misdemeanors into felonies because Trump was concealing another crime. That other crime, according to prosecutors, is a violation of Section 17-152 of New York law, which makes it a misdemeanor to β€œpromote … the election of any person to public office by unlawful means.”

Besides the fact that it’s very strange to allege that the commission of a misdemeanor for the purpose of covering up the commission of another misdemeanor is enough to allege a felony, the only plausible theory that Bragg is pushing for the alleged β€œunlawful means” was a violation of federal law by concealing a campaign-related payment.Β 

With me so far?Β 

But Trump was running for president. The raising and spending of money for campaigns for president and Congress is governed by federal law, the Federal Election Campaign Act, not state law. Any wrongdoing related to federal campaign financing falls under the enforcement authority of federal officials, not a local prosecutor like Bragg.Β 

In fact, the Federal Election Commission, on which I served as a commissioner, has civil enforcement authority and the U.S. Department of Justice has criminal enforcement authority over violations of this law.

For the nuisance-value settlement payment to Daniels to fit within Bragg’s rickety legal structure, it would have to be a crime under federal law. In other words, it would have to be considered a campaign-related expense that was falsely reported under the Federal Election Campaign Act.Β 

If you want an example of such a violation, just look at the $113,000 civil penalty the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee agreed to pay in 2022. They listed the payments for the opposition research that formed the basis for the infamous Steele dossier, which fabricated the entire Trump-Russia collusion hoax, as legal expenses instead of opposition research.

But opposition research on the opposing candidate is obviously a campaign-related expense under applicable federal law, so the FEC had authority to investigate and enforce the law against this deception.

That’s not the case with the Daniels’ payment. For starters, the incident in question that led to the payment is alleged to have happened 10 years before the 2016 campaign. More importantly, the payment fails the test the FEC applies to determine whether an expense is campaign-related.

Under federal law and corresponding regulations, the FEC applies the β€œirrespective test” to β€œdifferentiate legitimate campaign and officeholder expenses from personal expenses.” As the FEC explains on its website, under the irrespective test, β€œpersonal use is any use of funds … to fulfill a commitment, obligation, or expense of any person that would exist, irrespective of the candidates’ campaign.” 

In other words, if the expense would exist even if the individual were not a candidate, then it’s personal and not a campaign expense.

The payment to Daniels clearly fails that test. Trump was a celebrity long before he ran for office, and celebrities get these kinds of nuisance claims all the time. In fact, the prosecution’s first witness in the New York case, David Pecker, said he had helped settle similar claims to avoid legal costs and embarrassment by suppressing stories for numerous other celebrities, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tiger Woods.Β  Β 

The easiest way to understand this test is to take the example of a personal injury claim.

Candidate A has a car accident several years before he runs for Congress that injures another driver. After the campaign has started, the candidate decides to settle the personal injury claim made by the other driver by paying that driver $130,000 in exchange for a nondisclosure agreement.Β 

Settling and paying the claim may help the candidate in his campaign by avoiding personal embarrassment. But that doesn’t make it a campaign expense. It’s a claim that would exist even if the candidate were not running for office and is thus considered a personal expense under federal law.Β 

Daniels’ claim is also a personal claim that existed long before Trump ran for the presidency and, given his celebrity status, would have continued to exist even if he never ran for president.

That’s no doubt why neither the FEC nor the Justice Department ever filed an enforcement action against the Trump campaign or Trump personally over the payment; specifically, because it was not a campaign-related expense.Β 

You know what would have led to enforcement actions? If Trump had actually claimed this was a campaign-related expense and had used campaign funds to make the payment, I have no doubt he would have been prosecuted by the feds for the illegal use of campaign funds to pay a personal expense.

That’s what former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., went to prison for after he pleaded guilty in 2013 to spending $750,000 on personal expenses.

Keep in mind that Bragg’s entire manufactured case of 34 counts of falsifying business records depends entirely on the legitimacy of his contention that the settlement payment should have been listed as a campaign-related expense.

It shouldn’t because it wasn’t.Β 

And all of the other testimony from the prosecution’s witnesses about this payment and other settlement payments that are obviously intended to blacken the character of the former president and prejudice the jury doesn’t change the fact that none of these payments were campaign-related expenses. Period. End of storyβ€”or at least it should be.

The post Trump’s NY Prosecution Is a Bogus Case by a Bogus Prosecutor appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Netanyahu Blasts ICC, Vows to Destroy Hamas -- Deal or No Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would reject any attempt by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to indict Israeli officials over the war in Gaza -- and that it would destroy Hamas regardless.

The post Netanyahu Blasts ICC, Vows to Destroy Hamas β€” Deal or No Deal appeared first on Breitbart.

Appeals Court Says States Must Fund Transgender Surgeries

By: Neil Munro Β·Β Neil Munro

Eight Democrat-nominated judges shoved transgender surgery closer to becoming a constitutional right via their decision Monday in a federal appeals court.

The post Appeals Court Says States Must Fund Transgender Surgeries appeared first on Breitbart.

Arabella Network’s Leftist β€˜Dark Money’ Influence Expanding, Author Reveals

The left-wing Arabella Advisors network has raked in more money than either of the two major political parties and affects almost every element of public policy and elections, argues Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center, a Washington-based investigative think tank.Β 

Walter’s new book β€œArabella: The Dark Money Network of Leftist Billionaires Secretly Transforming America” shows that in the 2020 election cycle, Arabella Advisors’ nonprofits took in $2.4 billion. That’s $1 billion more than the combined fundraising of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee.

That amount rose to $3 billion in the 2022 election cycle, Walter says. Moreover, he adds, nothing on the Right comes close to competing.Β 

β€œArabella does not discriminate. It is working on arcane regulatory issues … but it also isΒ running Facebook ads, attacking certain congressional candidates and boosting others. It plays in environmental issues. It plays in abortion issues. It plays in election policy,” Walter says on β€œThe Daily Signal Podcast.”

Walter is set to testify Tuesday before the House Natural Resources Committee about what he calls β€œleft-wing dark money [used] to influence environmental policy.”

β€œArabella also continues to be very active in the environmental policy area in all sorts of ways,” he adds.

Arabella-backed organizations have been involved in battles over abortion and Supreme Court nominations and advocated that biological males compete in women’s sports.Β 

Walter’s book details how two Arabella-aligned groups, the Center for Secure and Modern Elections and the Institute for Responsive Government, are involved in shaping election policy at the local level.Β 

He notes that an Arabella-sponsored group funded by billionaire financier George Soros helped formulate the Biden administration’s recent change in Title IX policy to make it easier for biological males to compete in girls’ scholastic sports.Β 

β€œThat was plotted through a highly secretive group in the Arabella network, funded entirely with Soros money,” Walter said. β€œGoverning for Impact, which they started in 2019, two years before the Biden administration was even sworn in. And they worked with Harvard Law School folks to do very sophisticated legal strategy memos of how to overturn dozens of regulations in the federal government, the most famous being Title IX.”

What’s differentiates Arabella from other major donors on the Left is the level of secrecy, Walter says. The network is more secretive than most nonprofits financed by Soros and his family, he says.Β 

β€œWe have tracked the institutional donors, and we can tell you that for almost all of the Arabella nonprofits, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, which provides donor-advised funds to wealthy people, is the largest,” Walter said. He added, β€œOther really big donors to the Arabella network have [included Microsoft co-founder] Bill Gates. He is one of the largest, mostly through his foundation. [Facebook founder] Mark Zuckerberg has given tens of millions, mostly for criminal justice reformβ€”quote unquoteβ€”[that results in] letting criminals back on the streets.”

A spokesperson for Arabella Advisors didn’t respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment for this report. Β 

Listen to Walter outline Arabella’s reach in a discussion of his book in the podcast below:Β 

The post Arabella Network’s Leftist β€˜Dark Money’ Influence Expanding, Author Reveals appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Luttig: Supreme Court Fiddling While Trump Is an 'Existential Threat to America's Democracy'

By: Pam Key Β·Β Pam Key

Retired Federal Judge J. Michael Luttig saidΒ Sunday on MSNBC's "Velshi" that the Supreme Court was fiddling as former President Donald Trump's immunity claims are an "existential threat to America's democracy."

The post Luttig: Supreme Court Fiddling While Trump Is an β€˜Existential Threat to America’s Democracy’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Brazile: Supreme Court Close to Election Interference, 'Justice Delayed Is Democracy Denied'

By: Pam Key Β·Β Pam Key

Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that after listening to oral arguments, the Supreme Court was close to "election interference" with their consideration of former President Donald Trump's immunity claim.

The post Brazile: Supreme Court Close to Election Interference, β€˜Justice Delayed Is Democracy Denied’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Raskin: Supreme Court Should Be Moved 'Over to the RNC Headquarters'

By: Pam Key Β·Β Pam Key

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) saidΒ Thursday on MSNBC's "The ReidOut" that the Supreme Court should be moved to the Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters after their questions during the oralΒ arguments on immunity for former President Donald Trump.

The post Raskin: Supreme Court Should Be Moved β€˜Over to the RNC Headquarters’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Tribe: Shameful Supreme Court 'Has Gone Along with the Trump Strategy of Delay, Delay Delay'

By: Pam Key Β·Β Pam Key

Harvard Law professor emeritus Laurence Tribe said Friday on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" that he believes theΒ Supreme Court is following former President Donald Trump's "strategy of delay, delay."

The post Tribe: Shameful Supreme Court β€˜Has Gone Along with the Trump Strategy of Delay, Delay Delay’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Justice Samuel Alito Questions if Criminal Prosecution of Former President 'Destabilizes the Functioning of Our Country'

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Thursday questioned if the criminal prosecution of an incumbent β€” who narrowly lost an election β€” could lead to the destabilization of the country as a whole as opposed to the incumbent knowing he could leave office peacefully.

The post Justice Samuel Alito Questions if Criminal Prosecution of Former President β€˜Destabilizes the Functioning of Our Country’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Glaude on Trump Immunity Case: 'This Is Really American Democracy in the Balance'

By: Pam Key Β·Β Pam Key

Princeton professor Eddie Glaude Jr. said Thursday on MSNBC's "JosΓ© DΓ­az-Balart Reports" that the Supreme Court considering arguments in Donald Trump's presidential immunity case was "really American democracy in the balance."

The post Glaude on Trump Immunity Case: β€˜This Is Really American Democracy in the Balance’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Dem Rep. Lofgren: Supreme Court Looked Like 'Partisan Hacks' During Trump Immunity Argument

By: Pam Key Β·Β Pam Key

Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said Thursday on CNN's "The Lead" that the Supreme Court acted like "partisan hacks" during the oral arguments on Donald Trump's claim that he is immune from prosecution.

The post Dem Rep. Lofgren: Supreme Court Looked Like β€˜Partisan Hacks’ During Trump Immunity Argument appeared first on Breitbart.

Brinkley: Justice Alito's 'Irresponsible' SEAL Team 6 Comments 'Mocking Our Military'

By: Pam Key Β·Β Pam Key

Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said Thursday on MSNBC's "The Beat" thatΒ Justice Samuel Alito's comments about SEAL Team 6 were "mocking our military" duringΒ the Supreme Court oral arguments on former President Donald Trump's claim that he is immune from prosecution.

The post Brinkley: Justice Alito’s β€˜Irresponsible’ SEAL Team 6 Comments β€˜Mocking Our Military’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump says it was 'made clear' that a president 'has to have immunity,' during 'monumental' SCOTUS arguments

Former President Trump reacted to the β€œmonumental" hearing on presidential immunity at the Supreme Court Thursday, saying he thinks it was β€œmade clear" that a president β€œhas to have immunity."

Trump Faces 34 Felonies at Trial. But Was There a Crime?

I can’t tell you how many people I know who do not like former President Donald Trump yet nonetheless smell prosecutorial overreach in Manhattan.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged the former president with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

The case began with Michael Cohen, Trump’s onetime fixer, making a β€œhush money” payment to the former adult film actress known as Stormy Daniels to keep her from revealing information about an alleged sexual relationship with Trump in 2006. Bragg used the fact that Cohen paid $130,000 to Daniels in 2016, when Trump was running for president, as a pretext to turn a moldy misdemeanor offense into a felony.

But is it even illegal? This trial showcases something rich men and big corporations have been doing for yearsβ€”paying off mistresses or wronged staffers with cash settlements with little public scrutiny, thanks to nondisclosure agreements.

I don’t like it, but it’s not a crime.

On Tuesday, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified that during a 2015 meeting in Trump Tower, he told Trump, Cohen, and campaign stalwart Hope Hicks that he wanted to help the Trump campaign, if behind the scenes.

What followed was β€œcatch and kill,” the term for the scheme of paying to get dirt on a public figure, then killing the story, as happened with another alleged Trump gal pal, Karen McDougal. The National Enquirer paid her $150,000 for a story that never ran.

Trump has denied that anything extramarital occurred with McDougal and Daniels. But as Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told CNN, β€œYou don’t pay someone $130,000 not to have sex with you.”

Back to Cohen. He’s a flawed witness to be sure, who in 2018 pleaded guilty to charges that included tax evasion and lying to Congress when he testified about Trump, his former master. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison.

Then, last year, Cohen claimed that he lied when he admitted to tax evasion. A more careful prosecutor would not hang a case on an accomplished liar.

Given his capacity for self-pity and self-sabotage, it’s no surprise that Trump told reporters after the second day of trial, β€œI’m not allowed to defend myself.”

Trump also continued to throw shade at Judge Juan Merchan, whose gag order, Trump maintained, robbed him of his β€œright to free speech.” Trump also offered that Merchan β€œshould recuse himself.”

Pecker testified that he was glad to help by running β€œpositive stories about Mr. Trump,” as well as negative stories about his campaign rivals. I’m guessing many Big Media hotshots feel the same wayβ€”about President Joe Biden.

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The post Trump Faces 34 Felonies at Trial. But Was There a Crime? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Supreme Court to hear arguments in Trump presidential immunity case

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on whether former President Trump is immune from prosecution in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case.

Trump says NY Judge Merchan 'thinks he is above the Supreme Court' after barring him from immunity arguments

EXCLUSIVE:Β Former President Trump blasted New York Judge Juan Merchan for β€œprohibiting" him from attending arguments Thursday at the U.S. Supreme Court on presidential immunity, while telling Fox News Digital it is β€œthe most important case in many years" before the high court.

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