Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) wants answers from the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) and Manhattan District Attorney AlvinBragg‘s office regarding the circumstances of Michael Colangelo’s departure from the former and subsequent employment with the latter. The Texas Republican contends that Colangelo could be a go-between, facilitating the DOJ‘s oversight and control of Bragg’s prosecution of former President DonaldTrump.
“The politicized persecution of former President Trump and the collusion between the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Manhattan District Attorney (DA) General’s Office have raised several concerns among the public,” Rep. Gooden wrote to Biden‘s Attorney General MerrickGarland and Bragg earlier this week. He continued, zeroing in on Bragg’s hiring of Colangelo: “The fact that Colangelo stepped down from a senior DOJ role to join a prosecution team in a city DA office raises some pressing concerns.”
“To ensure transparency and accountability are upheld in this case, I request immediate access to all records and communication in relation to the Department of Justice and the Manhattan District Attorney General’s Office process of hiring Matthew Colangelo,” the TexasRepublican added.
Colangelo formerly served as the Acting Associate Attorney General in the BidenDOJ. This highly coveted position is viewed as a stepping stone to lucrative private sector jobs such as general counsel with a Fortune 500 company. However, as Gooden notes in his letter to Garland and Bragg, Colangelo effectively took a demotion in leaving the DOJ and joining Bragg’s team as senior counsel.
Gooden specifically asks both Garland and Bragg: “Was Mr. Colangelo asked to leave by the DOJ, or did he accept a position in a lower office voluntarily? ” He also asks both men for details regarding continued communication between Colangelo and his former DOJ colleagues.
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Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) wants answers from the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) and Manhattan District Attorney AlvinBragg's office regarding the circumstances of Michael Colangelo's departure from the former and subsequent employment with the latter. The Texas Republican contends that Colangelo could be a go-between, facilitating the DOJ's oversight and control of Bragg's prosecution of former President DonaldTrump.
The prosecutors behind the ‘hush money’ lawfare trial against former President Donald Trump are emphasizing an obscure term — “catch and kill” — in an attempt to sway the jury and portray Michael Cohen‘s payments to Stormy Daniels as some grand conspiratorial scheme orchestrated by Trump himself.
The corporate media continues to parrot the phrase as if it were some well-known tactic deployed by Trump and his allies to cover something up. That’s entirely the point of the repetition, especially in front of the jury. “Catch and kill” — sounds bad. Catch? Fine. Kill? Sounds illegal. It’s not, of course. But there are two sides to the “catch and kill” industry that emanates out of Hollywood and features several regular, unsavory characters who have made their names and fortunes off the practice, often at the expense of celebrity figures.
LEXICON.
Its first Wikipedia entry was only in 2018, when the original page appears to have been created to malign Donald Trump and farcically connect him with Harvey Weinstein. Part of the reason why a fair jury has been so impossible in New York is the long-standing tainting of the jury pool via internet artifacts like these, alongside the ongoing hoaxes peddled by the corporate media.
The term has almost no internet search history.
“Catch and kill” appears to have been introduced into the political lexicon by Trump opponents just as the 45th President was first taking office. The Wall Street Journal was the first major publication to mention it in 2016, followed almost immediately by the Washington Post. For two unrelated newspapers to repeat such a phrase in close succession suggests they were fed the line. Murdoch’s WSJuses anonymized sources under the euphemism “people familiar with the matter” a journalistically bizarre seven times in their 2016 story.
BETTER CALL… KEITH?
One regular character in the saga is Keith M. Davidson, a Beverly Hills lawyer and frequent Democrat donor. At the time, Davidson was representing Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal in their attempts to strong-arm Trump out of cash. Davidson has represented a number of unsavory characters in the same vein – portrayed by the Hollywood Smoking Gun blog as a Saul Goodman-style grifter who has been on the receiving end of numerous complaints from clients and critics alike, suggesting immoral behavior bordering on the unlawful.
The Smoking Gun noted of Davidson in a massive 2018 story that he is “the attorney to hire if you are seeking to monetize a celebrity sex tape or compromising information about public figures like Trump, Charlie Sheen, Tiger Woods, and Kanye West. Davidson specializes in extracting payments in exchange for the quashing of incriminating videos and/or details about sexual indiscretions, STDs, and all manner of regrettable behavior.”
In other words, “catch and kill” shakedowns appear to be the modus operandi, finding its way into the political press after representatives for Daniels and McDougal briefed D.C. and New York reporters.
“The Smoking Gun has revealed that the attorney–who has practiced since 2000–has also apparently engaged in the kind of activities that result in severe disciplinary sanctions, such as directing clients to lie, splitting legal fees with non-lawyers, defying a judicial injunction, and practicing law while under suspension.”
The Los Angeles Times had similar reporting in 2018, noting: “Most Beverly Hills lawyers are seldom accused of extortion. For Keith M. Davidson, however, it’s not so rare: He is fighting three civil suits by television personalities alleging extortion. Davidson is the attorney who negotiated payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal during the 2016 presidential race to keep them quiet about their alleged affairs with Donald Trump. Both wound up firing Davidson and hiring new lawyers to get their nondisclosure deals voided.”
A fairly scornful start to another story which shed some light on the Hollywood shakedown industry. The Times went on:
In 2012, Davidson was caught up in an FBI sting operation for trying to get Hulk Hogan to pay a client $300,000 for a secretly taped video of the wrestling star having sex, law enforcement records show. Davidson met Hogan in a Florida hotel room — unaware it was wired with recording devices monitored by FBI agents in an adjacent room.
As soon as Hogan’s lawyer, David Houston, handed Davidson the first installment, a phony check for $150,000, FBI agents stormed in and detained him, according to the law enforcement records.
“I was amazed that there was a lawyer actually making a living doing this,” Houston said.
…
Davidson’s law license was suspended for three months in 2010 after he admitted to professional misconduct — failing to keep a client informed of important matters in a medical malpractice case and not showing up for a court hearing, among other things.
“Catch and kill,” in fact, was not a phrase used by AMI, the National Enquirer, or “star” prosecution witness David Pecker, according to his own testimony on Thursday.
Instead, it’s a little-known Hollywood industry term further popularized by journalist Ronan Farrow’s 2019 book of the same name, which details his efforts to cover the allegations of sexual abuse and rape against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
“The first time you heard the phrase was from a prosecutor, correct?” asked Trump attorney Emil Bove.
“That’s right,” Pecker responded.
Pecker also mentioned he believed Michael Cohen was acting in a personal capacity — not on behalf of the Trump campaign — and implied that Trump was personally unaware of Cohen’s activities.
In other words – much like most of the hoaxes peddled against President Trump – almost all of it has happened without his involvement, knowledge, or even awareness of the fringe figures in his life attempting to make a quick buck off his name.
Ed Kozak, Will Upton, and Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.
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The prosecutors behind the 'hush money' lawfare trial against former President Donald Trump are emphasizing an obscure term — "catch and kill" — in an attempt to sway the jury and portray Michael Cohen's payments to Stormy Daniels as some grand conspiratorial scheme orchestrated by Trump himself.
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Several American luminaries in tech and finance are preparing bids to acquire TikTok, following recently introduced legislation mandating that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest from the app or see it banned in the U.S. Key figures involved in potential bids comprise Steven Mnuchin, former U.S. treasury secretary; Bobby Kotick, ex-CEO of Activision Blizzard, who is potentially partnering with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman; Bill Ackman, chief of Pershing Square hedge fund; and Kevin O’Leary, the well-known ‘Shark Tank’ investor.
The attempted acquisition of TikTok faces significant hurdles. ByteDance must still secure approval from the Chinese Commerce Ministry, which previously expressed strong opposition to a sale. Another challenge is the app’s core algorithm, which is unlikely to be part of the sale, meaning successful buyers would inherit just the brand and user base, necessitating a complete technological overhaul. ByteDance has reportedly said it would rather see the app banned than give up control due to concerns over its algorithm.
Based on analyst valuations, the potential purchasing party would also need to inject upwards of $100 billion into the deal. Furthermore, the acquisition must withstand regulatory scrutiny, predominantly from the Federal Trade Commission. Due to existing antitrust concerns, this effectively eliminates big tech players like Meta and Apple from the acquisition race.
On Wednesday, Joe Biden signed into law legislation mandating that ByteDance divest from TikTok within one year or else downloads and updates of the app will be banned in the U.S. TikTok also faces controversy in Europe, where regulators have launched an investigation into the app’s age-verification process and its “addictive features.”
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Several American luminaries in tech and finance are preparing bids to acquire TikTok, following recently introduced legislation mandating that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest from the app or see it banned in the U.S. Key figures involved in potential bids comprise Steven Mnuchin, former U.S. treasury secretary; Bobby Kotick, ex-CEO of Activision Blizzard, who is potentially partnering with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman; Bill Ackman, chief of Pershing Square hedge fund; and Kevin O’Leary, the well-known 'Shark Tank' investor.
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The U.S. birthrate and fertility rate continue to decline significantly, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2023, the number of births decreased by two percent to about 3.6 million, while the general fertility rate saw a three percent drop to 54.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44.
The data reveals that the 2o23 birth rate is even lower than that recorded in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sharpest decline in births occurred among women in their 20s. Conversely, women over 40 were the only demographic to experience an increase in births, albeit at a low rate of 12.6 percent.
These declining rates coincide with data showing that new mothers continue to get older — a trend linked to higher educational achievements, increased workforce participation, and delayed marriages. Moreover, cesarean deliveries represented nearly a third of all births in 2023, even becoming more prevalent in low-risk births.
The trend of declining birthrates in the U.S. mirrors similar patterns in other affluent nations worldwide, potentially due to factors like economic instability, ongoing pandemic uncertainties, rising healthcare costs, and the influence of radical, anti-family feminism. Extremist proponents of ‘overpopulation theory’ have praised declining birthrates in Western nations. Last year it was reported that not a single EU nation has “self-sustaining birthrates.”
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The U.S. birthrate and fertility rate continue to decline significantly, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2023, the number of births decreased by two percent to about 3.6 million, while the general fertility rate saw a three percent drop to 54.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44.
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A majority of Americans — as well as four in 10 Democrats, Latinos, and blacks and over a third of Gen Z — support the mass deportation of illegal aliens, a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll for Axios revealed. The striking admission by the pro-mass migration Axios lays bare a growing shift in public opinion regarding immigration and indicates widespread support for the strict policies of former President Donald Trump.
The poll revealed that 51 percent of the general public supports mass deportations of illegal aliens. Although Axios did not disclose the poll’s comprehensive data, denying the public insight into the precise extent of support for mass deportations, the results they did publish suggest significant support for mass deportation across every major American demographic.
Among white Americans, support for mass deportations of illegals is at 56 percent. Forty percent of blacks favor mass deportations, as do nearly half of Latinos — 45 percent. The poll also found that 68 percent of Republicans support mass deportations of illegals, as do 46 percent of independents and 42 percent of Democrats.
Significant support for mass deportations of illegal aliens also spans generations. Sixty percent of those in the boomer generation or older support the mass deportation of illegals, as do 53 percent of Gen X and nearly half — 48 percent — of Millennials. Perhaps most surprisingly, over a third — 35 percent — of Gen Z also supports mass deportations.
“I was surprised at the public support for large-scale deportations,” Mark Penn, chairman of The Harris Poll and a former pollster for Bill Clinton, told Axios. Penn said the results are a warning to Joe Biden that “efforts to shift responsibility for the issue to Trump are not going to work.”
In an event in Iowa in September of last year, Trump declared that “a vote for President Trump means Joe Biden’s horror show at the southern border ends at high noon on Inauguration Day, 2025” and vowed to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American History.”
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A majority of Americans — as well as four in 10 Democrats, Latinos, and blacks and over a third of Gen Z — support the mass deportation of illegal aliens, a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll for Axios revealed. The striking admission by the pro-mass migration Axios lays bare a growing shift in public opinion regarding immigration and indicates widespread support for the strict policies of former President Donald Trump.
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The third day of the hush money trial of former President DonaldTrump did not go well for Manhattan District Attorney AlvinBragg. David Pecker, the prosecution’s lead-off witness, continued to poke holes in Bragg’s case.
While the former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid testified that he believed the “catch and kill” scheme coordinated by attorney MichaelCohen was “for the campaign,” Pecker also insisted that, at the time, he did not believe Trump was aware of Cohen’s activities.
Pecker indicated to prosecutor Joshua Steinglass that Trump may have only become aware of Cohen‘s scheme after the 2016presidential election. He said several post-election interactions, including a dinner at the White House, may have been a “thank you” for his efforts.
A WEAK WITNESS.
Despite the prosecution’s best efforts to insinuate former President Trump‘s involvement in—or even knowledge of—the “catch and kill” scheme, Pecker’s testimony continues to fall short of any direct implication. The prosecution frequently used the “catch and kill” term as well as referring to Cohen and Pecker’s activities as a “scheme,” hoping to convince the jury of illegal activity when, in fact, there appears to be none.
Under cross-examination by Trump‘s attorney Emil Bove, Pecker even admitted he’d never heard the term “catch and kill” before the prosecution used it. Bove asked Pecker if “it was always your intention, dating back to the early days of this friendship, not to publish negative stories about President Trump?” The tabloid newsman responded, “Yes.”
ItiPecker also acknowledged he has held back negative stories about other notable public figures, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, businessman Ronald Perelman, and Obama Chief of Staff-turned-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Further undermining the prosecution’s case, he added that it was his understanding that Cohen was acting in a personal capacity for Trump, not on behalf of the presidential campaign.
TRUMP LAUDS ‘BREATHTAKING’ PECKER.
After the court adjourned for the day, former President DonaldTrump addressed the media, stating that what happened in the courtroom on Thursday was “breathtaking.” The former President called Pecker’s testimony “amazing.”
“You saw it, what went on. It was breathtaking. Amazing testimony,” Trump said. He added: “Open your eyes, we can’t continue to let this happen to our country.” The former President also addressed the United States Supreme Court hearing regarding his presidential immunity claim, which occurred earlier on Thursday, calling it a “monumental hearing.”
GAG ORDER DRAMA CONTINUES.
JudgeJuanMerchan still has not ruled on the District Attorney’s office’s accusations that former President Trump violated a court-issued gag order. Before the trial began on Thursday, prosecutors filed additional claims that the order had been violated. Those accusations will be addressed in a hearing scheduled for next Wednesday.
You can read The National Pulse’s Day Two trial coverage here, and if you find our work worthwhile, consider joining up as a supporter.
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The third day of the hush money trial of former President DonaldTrump did not go well for Manhattan District Attorney AlvinBragg. David Pecker, the prosecution's lead-off witness, continued to poke holes in Bragg's case.
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Christina Bobb, who currently runs the Republican National Committee (RNC) ‘s election integrity unit, was indicted Wednesday night for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) announced that Bobb and 17 others are being charged with felony crimes, including fraud, forgery, and conspiracy.
Bobb previously worked as a lawyer for former President DonaldTrump and a reporter for One America News Network (OAN) before her appointment to the RNC. Despite the indictment, Bobb expressed her honor in joining the RNC and reiterated her commitment to restoring confidence in the electoral process. “I’m honored to join the RNC and thrilled the new leadership is focused on election integrity. I look forward to working to secure our elections and restore confidence in the process,” Bobb said at the time of her appointment.
TRUMP NAMED UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATOR.
Former President DonaldTrump is listed as “Unindicted Co-conspirator 1” in the charging document. However, the Arizona Attorney General has not charged him with any crime.
Responding to the indictment, Trumpcampaign spokesman Steven Cheung said: “Another example of Democrats’ weaponization of the legal system. Christina Bobb is a former Marine Corps officer, who served our nation and the President with distinction. The Democrat platform for 2024: if you can’t beat them, try to throw them in jail.”
A FELONY TWITTER POST?
The indictment of Bobb appears to center around a single post she made on X (formerly Twitter) directed at then-Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers. “Sounds like he needs an excuse to give his angry constituents about why he’s refusing to call a session and examine the fraud in his state. First time it’s been closed the whole pandemic,” Bobb’s post reads.
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Christina Bobb, who currently runs the Republican National Committee (RNC) 's election integrity unit, was indicted Wednesday night for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) announced that Bobb and 17 others are being charged with felony crimes, including fraud, forgery, and conspiracy.
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A high courtjudge in London ordered actor and right-wing activist Laurence Fox to pay £180,000 (~$224,748) in damages to two people whom he called ‘pedophile’ [sic] online. Fox — founder of the right-wing populist Reclaim party — was the subject of a libel case for referring to Simon Blake, an ex-trustee of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, and a drag performer named Colin Seymour as “pedophiles,” after the two accused him of being a “racist” on X (formerly Twitter).
In October 2020, Fox announced he was boycotting UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s for its support of black history month. Fox’s announcement was met with accusations of racism by Blake and Seymour, as well as broadcaster Nicola Thorp. Fox responded to the allegations by calling his three detractors pedophiles. In response, Blake and Seymour sued Fox for libel.
The order to pay the two men £90,000 (~$112,374) each follows Fox’s losing his court bottle in January. Fox had counter-sued Blake and Seymour, claiming the pair’s allegations of racism were “reputation-destroying” and “career-ending.” He claimed they resulted in a “significant decline” in work.
“Mr. Fox’s labeling of Mr. Blake and Mr. Seymour as pedophiles was, on the evidence… seriously harmful, defamatory and baseless,” said Justice Collins Rice. “The law affords few defenses to defamation of this sort. Mr Fox did not attempt to show these allegations were true, and he was not able to bring himself on the facts within the terms of any other defense recognized in law.” The judge also said that the tweets calling Fox ‘racist’ were unlikely to harm his reputation.
During the trial, Fox maintained he was a victim of racism. “There’s huge quantities of anti-right white racism in the world. It’s the only acceptable form of racism there is left.”
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A high court judge in London ordered actor and right-wing activist Laurence Fox to pay £180,000 (~$224,748) in damages to two people whom he called 'pedophile' [sic] online. Fox — founder of the right-wing populist Reclaim party — was the subject of a libel case for referring to Simon Blake, an ex-trustee of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, and a drag performer named Colin Seymour as "pedophiles," after the two accused him of being a "racist" on X (formerly Twitter).
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Gateway Pundit, a well-known right-wing news website, has declared that its parent company, TGP Communications, is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida. This comes in response to what the site’s founder, Jim Hoft, describes as a series of “lawfare attacks” allegedly initiated by “the radical left.” Hoft detailed the issue in a post on Wednesday.
“TGP Communications, the parent company of The Gateway Pundit, recently made the decision to seek protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the Southern District of Florida as a result of the progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet,” Hoft wrote.
‘This is not an admission of fault or culpability. This is a common tool for reorganization and to consolidate litigation when attacks are coming from all sides. It allows TGP to consolidate this lawfare in one court for ultimate resolution,” he continued.
“Despite the radical left’s efforts to silence The Gateway Pundit through censorship, de-platforming, de-banking, cut-off from advertisers, and other financial strategies, we will not be deterred from our mission of remaining fearless and being one of the most trusted independent media outlets in America today.”
The company currently faces multiple lawsuits, many of which stem from the information published by Gateway Pundit regarding the 2020 electoral process. Dominion Voting Systems, a controversial firm that played a key role in vote tabulation during the 2020 presidential elections, has leveled defamation charges against the organization.
Two ex-election workers from Georgia have also initiated lawsuits against Gateway Pundit. Posts from the media outlet suggested these workers were involved in election fraud, an accusation the workers firmly deny.
Gateway Pundit, a well-known right-wing news website, has declared that its parent company, TGP Communications, is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida. This comes in response to what the site's founder, Jim Hoft, describes as a series of "lawfare attacks" allegedly initiated by "the radical left." Hoft detailed the issue in a post on Wednesday.
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Editor’s Notes
Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.
The attorney representing special counsel Jack Smith before the United States Supreme Court‘s hearing over former President DonaldTrump‘s presidential immunity claim was also a ringleader behind the Russiacollusionhoax. Michael Dreeben, a federal attorney with the Department of Justice (DOJ), was revealed in 2018 as the primary legal mind behind special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into allegations that Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
Dreeben has a long track record of partisan lawfare. Prior to his tenure at the DOJ, he served as a staffer to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). It was Dreeben who, despite the Mueller team knowing that the Russian collusion accusations were false, engineered the legal strategy of pursuing Trump over “obstruction of justice” for opposing the Democrats‘ witch hunt.
In addition to his stint on the Mueller team, Dreeben advised former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on his “get Trump” operation. Interestingly, Mark Pomerantz was also working with Cyrus Vance at the time and would have likely interacted with Dreeben. Pomerantz likely pushed current Manhattan District Attorney AlvinBragg into pursuing the hush money charges against Trump, which are currently being heard at trial.
The DOJ attorney has argued over 100 cases before the Supreme Court while working in the U.S. Solicitor General’s office. Late last year, conservative commentator Molly Hemmingway — regarding Dreeeben — noted, “That the elite attorney is helping Democrats with their 2024 campaign strategy of lawfare is significant and showcases how much coordination between key Democrat operatives is behind this Soviet-style attempt to imprison President Joe Biden’s political opponents.”
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The attorney representing special counsel Jack Smith before the United States Supreme Court's hearing over former President DonaldTrump's presidential immunity claim was also a ringleader behind the Russiacollusionhoax. Michael Dreeben, a federal attorney with the Department of Justice (DOJ), was revealed in 2018 as the primary legal mind behind special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into allegations that Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
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Editor’s Notes
Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.
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