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Day: May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
Lawfare

Anti-Trump Grand Jury Went ‘Rogue’ with Aggressive Indictments, Lied to Witnesses.

An Arizona grand jury that indicted 18 individuals, including major Republican figures and Trump allies, allegedly went rogue, aggressively charging individuals who even prosecutors said were not under investigation. A 58-page indictment was handed down by the panel in late April, listing charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, constitutional law professor John Eastman, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, attorney Jenna Ellis, Trump campaign advisor Boris Epshteyn, and campaign attorney Christina Bobb. Former President Donald J. Trump was named as an unindicted co-conspirator.

Despite narrow instructions from prosecutors, the Arizona grand jury engaged in an aggressive level of independence, which could hamper the ability of the state’s Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes to secure convictions. State prosecutors told Bobb and Ellis that neither was under investigation prior to the grand jury indictment. Additionally, at least one witness who testified before the panel said a group of jurors engaged in intense questioning that went far beyond the scope outlined by the prosecution.

“The State Grand Jury was given leeway to conduct an independent investigation, as it is entitled to do by law,” Richie Taylor, a spokesman for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, said in a statement. He added: “I cannot confirm or deny the specifics of grand jury proceedings, and I will note that the investigation remains open and ongoing. I will have to decline to comment further.”

While grand juries can act independently of prosecutors, even broadening the scope of an investigation, it is unusual for them to indict individuals who have been told by the State that they are not under investigation. “It’s bad form and something I would never do as a prosecutor,” former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti told POLITICO in a recent interview.

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An Arizona grand jury that indicted 18 individuals, including major Republican figures and Trump allies, allegedly went rogue, aggressively charging individuals who even prosecutors said were not under investigation. A 58-page indictment was handed down by the panel in late April, listing charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, constitutional law professor John Eastman, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, attorney Jenna Ellis, Trump campaign advisor Boris Epshteyn, and campaign attorney Christina Bobb. Former President Donald J. Trump was named as an unindicted co-conspirator. show more
May 13, 2024
Ed Kozak
Corruption

Biden’s VA Gave $11M Bonuses to Execs Using Money Meant to Help Veterans.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials approved an estimated $11 million in bonuses for high-ranking executives instead of using the funds for their intended purpose, according to an inspector general report. Congress authorized this misused money to hire and retain “critical skill” specialists to manage veterans‘ benefits resulting from health complications related to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other hazardous substances. Instead, the fund was used to pay out bonuses to over 180 senior executives at the VA’s central office in Washington.

The report outlines that the misappropriated bonuses, which averaged over $55,000 and, in some cases, exceeded $100,000, resulted from breakdowns of control and leadership at multiple levels within the VA. The report recommends that the “Secretary of Veterans Affairs or his designee takes appropriate action to determine whether individuals involved in the decision-making process … had any actual or apparent conflicts of interest and develop a process to ensure all decision-makers are free from conflicts when awarding future incentives.”

Troublingly, despite VA Secretary Denis McDonough’s September directive to return the bonuses, 19 executives have contested the repayment of the fund. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, emphasized the need for accountability and transparency from VA. The Democratic senator, in a statement to ABC News, referred to the incident as “an unacceptable misuse of bonuses intended to improve health care and benefits for veterans.”

The Biden VA has been the subject of several controversies. In March, it expanded tax-payer-funded IVF treatments to unmarried individuals and homosexuals.

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Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials approved an estimated $11 million in bonuses for high-ranking executives instead of using the funds for their intended purpose, according to an inspector general report. Congress authorized this misused money to hire and retain "critical skill" specialists to manage veterans' benefits resulting from health complications related to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other hazardous substances. Instead, the fund was used to pay out bonuses to over 180 senior executives at the VA's central office in Washington. show more
May 13, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Crime
SCOTUS

Pelosi Attacker Faces 40 Years, While Kavanaugh’s Attempted Murderer May Get ZERO Jail Time.

Pretrial plea deal negotiations between prosecutors and lawyers for Nicholas Roske, accused of plotting the murder of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, are in progress. The approach to Roske, whose target was a conservative justice, contrasts sharply with the approach to Paul DePape, convicted of attacking Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer. Joe Biden’s Justice Department wants to imprison DePape, a Canadian in his mid-forties who has struggled with homelessness, drug abuse, and mental health issues, for 40 years.

Roske was arrested outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home after taking a cab there armed with a Glock 17 pistol, tactical knife, crowbar, pepper spray, hammer, and zip ties, among other equipment. Roske was reportedly motivated by a leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and return decisions over abortion to the states. He was also angered by a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and hoped eliminating Kavanaugh might forestall Supreme Court rulings upholding the Second Amendment.

Roske’s charges include the attempted murder of a U.S. Justice, to which he has entered a not-guilty plea. A judge has delayed a long-awaited trial as “discussions regarding a pretrial resolution are ongoing,” according to court filings.

RADICALIZED.

The Joe Biden regime is accused of helping radicalize Roske. Prior to Roske’s arrival at Kavanaugh’s home, then-Press Secretary Jen Psaki — now an MSNBC host — initially refused to condemn activists posting justices’ addresses online and would not say whether Biden had “a view” on activists showing up at their houses. Later, she said Biden encouraged people to protest outside justices’ homes.

Nancy Pelosi, then still House Speaker, actively encouraged members of the public to pressure the justices over the Roe ruling. She also delayed legislation increasing justices’ security. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer also said he was comfortable with pro-abortion activists showing up at justices’ homes to pressure them.

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Pretrial plea deal negotiations between prosecutors and lawyers for Nicholas Roske, accused of plotting the murder of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, are in progress. The approach to Roske, whose target was a conservative justice, contrasts sharply with the approach to Paul DePape, convicted of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer. Joe Biden's Justice Department wants to imprison DePape, a Canadian in his mid-forties who has struggled with homelessness, drug abuse, and mental health issues, for 40 years. show more
trump new york judge
May 13, 2024
William Upton
Lawfare

Judge Merchan’s Daughter Worked With Anti-Trump, Democrat-Aligned Lawfare Group.

Authentic Campaigns, a Democrat-aligned digital media and fundraising firm where Judge Juan Merchan‘s daughter Loren serves as a partner, counts the Brennan Center for Justice among its clients. The Brennan Center is a group tied to the efforts to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 election ballot in Colorado. The Democrat-aligned lawfare group’s connection to Loren Merchan presumably bolsters Trump’s attorneys’ accusations that the hush money judge, through his family, is conflicted and should recuse himself from the ongoing trial.

Earlier this year, the Brennan Center for Justice filed an amicus brief before the United States Supreme Court, asking it to rule against former President Trump’s appeal of a Colorado State Supreme Court decision that would have removed him from the state’s presidential ballot. On March 4, 2024, The National Pulse reported that the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously sided with Trump and threw out the state court decision.

Authentic Campaigns describes their work for the Brennan Center as being focused on converting those who read the group’s legal work and writing into donors. The company’s website reads: “Authentic embarked on a meticulously crafted journey to not only identify and acquire new subscribers but also to galvanize them into becoming active, contributing donors to the Brennan Center’s mission.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and New York’s Attorney General Letitia James (D) — who are integrally involved in the Biden government’s lawfare campaign against former President Trump — are tied to Authentic Campaigns. Additionally, the Brennan Center has a long history of using lawsuits to hamper Republican policy efforts, including filing at least 14 lawsuits against then-President Trump and his government over immigration and census policy changes.

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Authentic Campaigns, a Democrat-aligned digital media and fundraising firm where Judge Juan Merchan's daughter Loren serves as a partner, counts the Brennan Center for Justice among its clients. The Brennan Center is a group tied to the efforts to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 election ballot in Colorado. The Democrat-aligned lawfare group's connection to Loren Merchan presumably bolsters Trump's attorneys' accusations that the hush money judge, through his family, is conflicted and should recuse himself from the ongoing trial. show more
May 13, 2024
News

Trump Leads in 5 Key Battlegrounds as Young, Nonwhites Abandon Biden.

A recent collection of polls by The New York Times, Siena College, and The Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that Donald J. Trump leads over President Biden in five major battleground states. The shifting political landscape likely stems from concerns over economic conditions and the situation in Gaza among younger, Black, and Hispanic voters, potentially disrupting the Democratic coalition that bolstered Biden in 2020.

The polls indicate that in a head-to-head scenario, more voters in Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and Pennsylvania would vote for Trump, with Biden leading only in Wisconsin among the six states surveyed. However, Biden’s margin increases slightly among likely voters, where he manages a slim lead over Mr. Trump in Michigan while reducing his deficit in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Despite winning all six states in 2020, the surveys suggest a considerably tighter race for President Biden’s reelection campaign, emphasizing the importance of victories in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, alongside maintaining his 2020 map elsewhere.

The minor-party candidates and independent contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received an average of 10 percent of the votes across the six states, drawing relatively equally from both major-party candidates. This reveals another variable to consider in the upcoming presidential race, possibly influencing the final outcomes in these crucial states.

Younger and minority voters are increasingly abandoning their support of Biden. This exodus is primarily driven by Biden’s performance on the economy and previous strong support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Although the Biden regime has lately reversed its position on Israel in an attempt to woo those voters, the recent polls suggest that the U-turn is not having its desired effect.

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A recent collection of polls by The New York Times, Siena College, and The Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that Donald J. Trump leads over President Biden in five major battleground states. The shifting political landscape likely stems from concerns over economic conditions and the situation in Gaza among younger, Black, and Hispanic voters, potentially disrupting the Democratic coalition that bolstered Biden in 2020. show more
May 13, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Culture
Education

We’re So Back: Confederate Leaders’ Names Restored in Schools.

A Virginia school board has voted to restore the names of Confederate military leaders to a high school and an elementary school. Following a 5-1 vote, the Shenandoah County school board will restore Mountain View High School’s former name, Stonewall Jackson High School, and Honey Run Elementary’s former name, Ashby Lee Elementary.

The decision overturns the previous school board’s 2020 decision to remove Confederate names amid the violent Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and riots that saw many references to American and especially Southern heritage erased to appease far-left activists.

Senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, Rivka Maizlish, complained they had never before seen school authorities reinstate Confederate-linked names after their erasure by leftist activists. The SPLC keeps a database tracking over 2,000 Confederate memorials nationwide.

Those on the school board who voted for the change have stated that the 2020 vote to overhaul the school names was conducted without sufficient consideration of public opinion or due process. The school board underwent a drastic change after the 2023 elections, instituting the “first 100 percent conservative board since anyone can remember.”

The school board states that private donations will fund the costs of the name restorations.

However, the Joe Biden regime is continuing to drive the BLM agenda elsewhere in Virginia. In December 2023, the 98-year-old Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy statue was pulled down in Jacksonville, Florida. The Biden Pentagon toppled the Confederate Memorial, intended to represent reconciliation between North and South, in Arlington National Cemetery the same month.

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A Virginia school board has voted to restore the names of Confederate military leaders to a high school and an elementary school. Following a 5-1 vote, the Shenandoah County school board will restore Mountain View High School's former name, Stonewall Jackson High School, and Honey Run Elementary's former name, Ashby Lee Elementary. show more
May 13, 2024
Jack Montgomery
News

PSYWAR: U.S. Army Drops Fiery Recruitment Ad Featuring Baphomet Statue and ‘Invisible Hands.’

The U.S. Army has released a recruitment video for PSYOP Soldiers titled “GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE 2,” attempting to lure new members with dark imagery and a suggestion that “invisible hands” move every choice people make.

“The most powerful weapon in the hand of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed,” the video declares. “Behind every idea, a belief; behind every choice, invisible hands; behind every emotion, fire,” it continues.

The video contains disturbing imagery, including a human-like mannequin burning, a silhouette of a Baphomet-like figure with the head of an animal surrounded by flames, and a ticking watch with ‘PSYWAR’ written on its face.

Eventually, the video links to the U.S. Army Special Operations Recruiting website GoArmySOF.army.mil, with the page for Psychological Operations front and center.

“Someone who watches it and thinks, wow, that was effective, how was it constructed — that’s the kind of creative mindset we’re looking for,” said the 8th Psychological Operations Group major who created the video.

“We’re all nerds,“ he said of PSYOP Soldiers. Recruits are “writers, they’re great thinkers. They’re idea people,” he added.

While it is technically unlawful for PSYOP Soldiers to use psychological warfare against the American public directly, the Army website notes they can, “when called upon by the President, provide civil authority information support.”

Presently, the government uses its resources to influence or “correct” public opinion, sometimes through third parties. A U.S. government private-public partnership organization called the Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) tracks Americans with certain political beliefs. During the coronavirus pandemic, the government pressured social media firms to censor Americans and alter the public discourse around the virus and vaccinations.

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The U.S. Army has released a recruitment video for PSYOP Soldiers titled "GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE 2," attempting to lure new members with dark imagery and a suggestion that "invisible hands" move every choice people make. show more
Biden Border
May 13, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Economy
Immigration

What’s Keeping Inflation & Interest Rates So High? Biden’s Great Replacement Policies.

Joe Biden’s high-volume immigration policy is driving the rising housing inflation linked to surges in interest and mortgage rates, concedes the Wall Street Journal. Chief economics correspondent Nick Timiraos says one “key reason market rents have moderated is that the industry is adding a record amount of new apartment supply.” However, industry executives advise that “supply is being quickly absorbed because of increased immigration,” among other factors.

The Federal Reserve has been trying to get inflation down to two percent, but an expected slowdown in the cost of housing has not materialized.

“Fed officials, Wall Street investors, and private-sector economists have expected housing inflation to slow since late 2022,” the WSJ reports, adding, “Housing inflation has indeed slowed from a peak of 8.2 percent one year ago – but only to 5.6 percent in March.”

Jay Parsons, Texas-based apartment owner Madera Residential’s head of residential strategy, says this is “a much slower pace than pretty much anybody anticipated.”

The Biden regime had planned on being able to count on a general improvement in the inflation situation and the economy generally heading into the November elections. However, the situation is poorer than expected, with inflation figures worse than projected and job growth shaky. Research suggests the “American Dream” has become unaffordable to anyone earning less than $100,000 nationwide and, in many states, less than $150,000.

Illegal immigration, in particular, has been extremely high under Biden, with a majority of voters suspecting the Democrat incumbent is allowing it for partisan advantage.

News that immigration is helping keep housing costs, interest rates, and mortgage rates high in the U.S. comes as a report in the United Kingdom confirms record-breaking mass migration has exacerbated housing shortages and is driving rents and house prices upwards.

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Joe Biden's high-volume immigration policy is driving the rising housing inflation linked to surges in interest and mortgage rates, concedes the Wall Street Journal. Chief economics correspondent Nick Timiraos says one "key reason market rents have moderated is that the industry is adding a record amount of new apartment supply." However, industry executives advise that "supply is being quickly absorbed because of increased immigration," among other factors. show more
May 13, 2024
William Upton
Lawfare

Michael Cohen’s ‘Perverse’ History Of ‘Serial Perjury.’

Disgraced lawyer Michael Cohen, who takes the stand today in former President Donald J. Trump‘s Manhattan-based hush money trial, is not the ideal witness for District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s prosecutors. Cohen has a sordid legal history and served a prison stint for fraud, tax evasion, and lying to Congress.

COHEN THE FRAUDSTER.

In late 2018, following what appears to have been a nearly year-long investigation into tax evasion campaign finance fraud allegations, Cohen surrendered himself to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He pleaded guilty to eight federal charges, including tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971, and making an excessive contribution on behalf of a candidate. The last charge stems from the alleged $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

After his conviction, Cohen began speaking to the press through his attorney, Lanny Davis, a long-time Clinton confidant. This, arguably, marked the start of the events that would culminate in the ongoing hush money trial brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. In what appeared to be a ploy to avoid any serious jail time, Cohen sat for over 50 hours of interviews with the Mueller Investigation — with little coming of his testimony. In December 2018, a federal judge sentenced Cohen to three years in prison. The disgraced lawyer was also hit with a $50,000 fine, ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution, and made to forfeit an additional $500,000.

‘PERVERSE’ AND A ‘SERIAL PERJUROR.’

At the same time, in November 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress. The disgraced lawyer admitted he misled the Senate and House Intelligence Committee during his 2017 testimony. Cohen was ordered to serve a two-month prison sentence. In 2019, Cohen was disbarred as an attorney in the State of New York.

In March of this year, Cohen asked a federal judge to lift the conditions of his early release from prison, citing his ongoing testimony against former President Trump. The judge denied the request by Cohen, calling it the ethics of reasoning “perverse.” In addition, the judge noted that Cohen was a serial perjurer.

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Disgraced lawyer Michael Cohen, who takes the stand today in former President Donald J. Trump's Manhattan-based hush money trial, is not the ideal witness for District Attorney Alvin Bragg's prosecutors. Cohen has a sordid legal history and served a prison stint for fraud, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
It feels weird to me that no one ever mentions that Michael Cohen’s lawyer is literally Bill Clinton’s lawyer
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It feels weird to me that no one ever mentions that Michael Cohen’s lawyer is literally Bill Clinton’s lawyer show more
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May 13, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Corruption

Jury Selection in Democrat Bob Menendez Corruption Trial Begins.

Jury selection begins on Monday in the second federal corruption trial of New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez. Menendez and his wife, Nadine, are charged with accepting bribes from three affluent businessmen. The businessmen were charged alongside the Democrat, although one of them, Jose Uribe, had already pleaded guilty. He will testify against Menendez and the other two businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana.

Prosecutors say Menendez meddled in criminal investigations to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar. He is alleged to have used his influence to lobby the U.S. government and interfere in criminal investigations on behalf of Uribe, Daibes, Hana, and the foreign governments and interests tied to them.

Menendez was previously indicted for bribery, fraud, and other offenses in 2015, related to claims he used his position to lobby the Dominican government on behalf of a donor. Jurors failed to agree on any of the charges, resulting in a mistrial, though the Democrat was still found to have “violated Senate Rules, federal law, and applicable standards of conduct” by the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics.

Nevertheless, the Democratic Party did not expel him, and he retained the chairmanship of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He lost this after the latest round of indictments but remains a committee member. He bragged in November that his intelligence clearance had not been revoked despite the fact he is being tried as a foreign agent.

Menendez has said he will not run for reelection as a Democrat in November — although he may run as an independent, endangering the party’s slim Senate majority.

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Jury selection begins on Monday in the second federal corruption trial of New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez. Menendez and his wife, Nadine, are charged with accepting bribes from three affluent businessmen. The businessmen were charged alongside the Democrat, although one of them, Jose Uribe, had already pleaded guilty. He will testify against Menendez and the other two businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. show more