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Tag: Alvin bragg
April 26, 2024
William Upton
Lawfare

GOP Rep Sounds Alarm Over Biden DOJ Oversight of Trump Prosecution.

Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) wants answers from the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘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 Donald Trump.

“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 Merrick Garland 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 Texas Republican added.

Colangelo formerly served as the Acting Associate Attorney General in the Biden DOJ. 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 Alvin Bragg'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 Donald Trump.

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Trump on Trial Day 3
April 25, 2024
William Upton
Lawfare

Trump Trial Day 3: Trump Lauds ‘Breathtaking’ Pecker, Who Continues to Shaft Bragg.

The third day of the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump did not go well for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 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 Michael Cohen 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 2016 presidential 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 Donald Trump 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. 

Judge Juan Merchan 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 Donald Trump did not go well for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. David Pecker, the prosecution's lead-off witness, continued to poke holes in Bragg's case. show more
Michael Dreeben
April 25, 2024
William Upton
Lawfare

DID YOU NOTICE? Biden DOJ’s SCOTUS Attorney Was Also Robert Mueller’s Russiagate Lead.

The attorney representing special counsel Jack Smith before the United States Supreme Court‘s hearing over former President Donald Trump‘s presidential immunity claim was also a ringleader behind the Russia collusion hoax. 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 Alvin Bragg 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 Donald Trump's presidential immunity claim was also a ringleader behind the Russia collusion hoax. 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. show more

Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
But sure, the case definitely isn’t about “getting Trump,” right? Pah
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But sure, the case definitely isn’t about “getting Trump,” right? Pah show more
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Deep State Anti-Trump Calls
April 25, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Lawfare
Media

REVEALED: The Deep-State & Media Figures On Weekly Anti-Trump Strategy Calls.

A cabal of lawyers, legal analysts for the corporate media, and former Deep State officials is colluding on private Zoom calls every Friday to decide how to cover the various lawfare cases against Donald Trump. The existence of the off-the-record meetings was revealed by POLITICO, which described the participants as “united by their dislike of Trump.”

Norman Eisen, a CNN analyst who served as a special counsel and ambassador under Barack Obama, hosts the group. Eisen recently argued Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “hush money” prosecution of Trump is an “election interference” case.

Only some of his cabal’s regular participants were named:

The cabal has occasionally invited special guests to speak with them, including lawyers involved in lawfare efforts against Trump.

One was Roberta Kaplan, who spoke to the group for approximately 30 minutes about her efforts to sue Trump on behalf of E. Jean Carroll. The elderly advice columnist claims the former president raped her in the changing rooms of a busy department store in the 1990s.

The group also hosted J. Michael Luttig, who helped lead the failed campaign to bar Trump from running for the presidency again under the 14th Amendment. POLITICO notes the interaction with Luttig “spread dubious analysis,” with call participants arguing the 14th Amendment efforts had merit despite the fact they “never really had a chance.”

POLITICO notes the group also has strong misgivings about DA Bragg’s highly novel case against Trump in Manhattan. They discuss “whether it should have been brought in the first place” regularly.

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A cabal of lawyers, legal analysts for the corporate media, and former Deep State officials is colluding on private Zoom calls every Friday to decide how to cover the various lawfare cases against Donald Trump. The existence of the off-the-record meetings was revealed by POLITICO, which described the participants as "united by their dislike of Trump." show more
Trump on Trial Day 2
April 23, 2024
William Upton
Lawfare

Trump Trial Day 2 Summary: Pecker Pokes Holes In Prosecution’s Case.

Day two of the Manhattan-based hush money trial of former President Donald Trump saw abbreviated testimony from the former National Enquirer CEO, David Pecker. The National Pulse’s editor-in-chief, Raheem Kassam, noted on X (formerly Twitter) that the tabloid newsman’s recounting of events did not go well for District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution. After briefly taking the stand on Monday — before the court adjourned around 12:30 PM ET — Pecker continued his testimony on Tuesday, delving into the substantive nature of the accusations leveled by Bragg’s office.

PECKER SCHEMED WITH COHEN ALONE. 

While Bragg and his prosecution team have insisted that Michael Cohen‘s payments to smut star Stormy Daniels were at the direction of former President Donald Trump, David Pecker directly undermined this aspect of the case. Pecker testified that he was the one who told Trump that women might come forward with false accusations of affairs since the former President had been a sought-after bachelor connected with multiple beautiful women.

According to Pecker, it was he and Cohen who planned the strategy of paying off accusers and having them sign non-disclosure agreements. The newsman insinuated that Trump himself was unaware of their scheme. Pecker’s testimony appears to represent a significant blow to Bragg’s prosecution, which is largely contingent on Trump having directed the payment scheme.

DID TRUMP VIOLATE THE GAG ORDER?

The only other significant courtroom action happened before Pecker’s testimony. Prosecutors and attorneys for the former President argued before Judge Juan Merchan as to whether Trump had violated a court-issued gag order. Bragg’s team told the judge that Trump had “willfully,” “flagrantly,” and “repeatedly” violated the order with both social media posts and comments made to the press outside the Manhattan courthouse. Todd Blanche, the lead attorney for Trump, fired back that the former President is “allowed to respond to political attacks.”

Democrat-aligned Judge Juan Merchan appeared frustrated with Blanche’s line of defense and repeatedly asked him to point to specific posts or comments by Michael Cohen or Stormy Daniels that constituted “political attacks.” Blanche offered a few examples and insisted that Trump has complied with Merchan’s gag order, which caused Merchan to become irate.

“You’re losing all credibility, I have to tell you right now,” the judge told Blanche, adding angrily:  “You’re losing all credibility with the court.” Despite his outburst, Merchant said he would not rule today on whether former President Trump had willfully violated the gag order.

You can read The National Pulse’s Day One trial coverage here, and if you find our work worthwhile, consider joining up as a supporter.

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Day two of the Manhattan-based hush money trial of former President Donald Trump saw abbreviated testimony from the former National Enquirer CEO, David Pecker. The National Pulse's editor-in-chief, Raheem Kassam, noted on X (formerly Twitter) that the tabloid newsman's recounting of events did not go well for District Attorney Alvin Bragg's prosecution. After briefly taking the stand on Monday — before the court adjourned around 12:30 PM ET — Pecker continued his testimony on Tuesday, delving into the substantive nature of the accusations leveled by Bragg's office. show more
April 22, 2024
William Upton
Lawfare

Trump Trial Day 1 Summary: Here’s What Happened in the Opening Arguments…

The Manhattan-based “hush money” prosecution of former President Donald Trump got off to an abbreviated start, with the court adjourning Monday at 12:30PM ET. A juror had previously notified the judge they would have to leave for a dentist appointment early. The National Pulse will provide a rundown of highlights and essential moments after the court adjourns each day of the trial.

THE DEFENSE’S OPENING ARGUMENTS.

Todd Blanche, one of the former President’s defense attorneys, kicked off the opening arguments. The defense attorney stressed to the jury that: “President Trump is innocent. President Trump did not commit any crimes.”

The defense indicated they will focus heavily on the weakness of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s case, which relies on an underlying federal crime for which Trump has not been charged.

Addressing the prosecution’s insistence that the case is about Trump’s attempt at ‘election interference,’ Blanche told the jury: “There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence the election… It’s called democracy.” The attorney, pivoting to the prosecution playing up the nondisclosure agreement with Stormy Daniels, argued: “There’s nothing wrong with a nondisclosure agreement.”

Prosecutors objected when Blanche likened Stormy Daniels’s attention-seeking behavior as akin to extortion. Judge Juan Merchan sustained the prosecution’s objection.

The defense attorney also worked to ensure the jurors knew the truth about the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen, calling the disgraced former attorney “a convicted felon,” “an admitted liar,” and “a convicted perjurer.”

THE PROSECUTION RESPONDS.

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, a former U.S. federal attorney who resigned his lucrative post to pursue the Trump prosecution, opted for painting a narrative of Donald Trump and Michael Cohen scheming with former National Enquirer CEO David Pecker.

Colangelo, mainly ignoring the facts of the case, told the jurors the three men “struck an agreement” during a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower in which they “conspired to influence the 2016 presidential election in three different ways.” He proceeded to content that the National Enquirer engaged in three catch-and-kill actions to head off stories that could damage the 2016 Trump presidential campaign.

The prosecution attempted to mitigate the reputational damage surrounding their star witness. Colangelo told jurors the reason why Trump’s legal team asked the court to reject Michael Cohen’s testimony was “precisely because it is so damning.”

FIRST WITNESS.

The first witness was David Pecker, the former CEO of the National Enquirer. His testimony only lasted about 20 minutes and comprised mostly biographical information before the court adjourned for the day. Pecker’s testimony will continue tomorrow.

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The Manhattan-based "hush money" prosecution of former President Donald Trump got off to an abbreviated start, with the court adjourning Monday at 12:30PM ET. A juror had previously notified the judge they would have to leave for a dentist appointment early. The National Pulse will provide a rundown of highlights and essential moments after the court adjourns each day of the trial. show more
Michael Cohen Meidas Touch
April 22, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Lawfare
Media

Michael Cohen, Disgraced ‘Star Witness,’ is Now Part of The Epstein-Linked MeidasTouch Network Described as Biden’s ‘Front Lines.’

Michael Cohen, the disbarred former lawyer to Donald Trump expected to serve as a star witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s election interference prosecution of the former president, is now a contributor to MeidasTouch. The far-left news network responsible for the “bloodbath” hoax has been described as the “front line” of the anti-Trump campaign by Joe Biden’s White House.

Cohen, an admitted perjuror and felon, is prominent among MeidasTouch’s list of contributors, directly below its Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs-linked co-founder Ben Meiselas.

Among several articles the disgraced lawyer has penned for MeidasTouch is one titled ‘My Testimony,’ in which he brags about having “accused Trump of a wide range of wrongdoings, including racism, tax fraud, and obstruction of justice” at seven congressional hearings.

The article argues witnesses like Cohen “must be protected when testifying against dangerous individuals like Donald Trump.” Among the dangers Cohen lists are “public scrutiny,” which he complains is “stressful and can damage [your] reputation.”

One such episode of damaging “scrutiny” was revealed in December 2023, when unsealed court filings showed he supplied his lawyer with fake legal citations made up by Google Bard and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program similar to ChatGPT.

Cohen blamed his lawyer, David Schwartz, for the fiasco, insisting it was up to Schwartz to check that the fake cases he supplied actually existed before placing them before a judge.

Prosecutors are aware of Cohen’s dubious character, having listed him as one of several witnesses in the case with “bad issues” in comments to prospective jurors.

ROGUE’S GALLERY.

Cohen is not the only controversial figure associated with MeidasTouch. The network, which began as a Democrat political action committee (PAC), received thousands of dollars from Democrat megadonor Reid Hoffman, a visitor to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, in 2020.

Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, has also bankrolled Nimarata ‘Nikki’ Haley‘s primary challenge against Trump, E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against the former president, and legal defense of Russia hoaxers Fusion GPS.

Another early funder of MeidasTouch is the Lincoln Project, a Republican-in-name-only organization founded to oppose Donald Trump. Lincoln Project co-founder John Weaver had to exit politics after over 20 young males, including a minor, accused him of harassing or grooming them.

Contributors besides Cohen include ‘Coach D’ – who believes America’s founders were all white supremacists, rapists, and pedophiles – as well as Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who worked for five years with Trump prosecutor Jack Smith.

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Michael Cohen, the disbarred former lawyer to Donald Trump expected to serve as a star witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's election interference prosecution of the former president, is now a contributor to MeidasTouch. The far-left news network responsible for the "bloodbath" hoax has been described as the "front line" of the anti-Trump campaign by Joe Biden's White House. show more
David Pecker Witness Trump Trial
April 22, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Lawfare

National Enquirer Chief David Pecker Likely First Trump Trial Witness.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is set to call upon David Pecker, former chairman of American Media Inc., as its initial witness against Donald Trump. As head of American Media Inc., responsible for publishing the National Enquirer, Pecker is accused of involvement in multiple “catch-and-kill” operations in which potentially damaging stories were acquired and then suppressed.

Pecker, however, presided over an organization that had to settle numerous lawsuits for its fabrications and fantasies, including the 2014 case involving the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, the 2003 case of Rep. Gary Condit, the 2017 case featuring Judge Judy, as well as stories featuring Kate Hudson, and others.

Prosecutors are expected to call on Pecker following completion of opening statements.

Pecker also stands accused of “extortion and blackmail” – words used by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after the Enquirer acquired correspondence belonging to Bezos and his then-lover Lauren Sanchez.

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is set to call upon David Pecker, former chairman of American Media Inc., as its initial witness against Donald Trump. As head of American Media Inc., responsible for publishing the National Enquirer, Pecker is accused of involvement in multiple "catch-and-kill" operations in which potentially damaging stories were acquired and then suppressed. show more
Jurors Removed
April 19, 2024
Wake Up Right
Lawfare

All 12 Trump Jurors Have Been Picked. Here’s Who They Are…

All twelve jurors have been selected to serve on the jury in former President Donald Trump’s non-disclosure agreement trial in New York City.

Back up: Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a non-disclosure agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump calls the trial “political persecution.”

The details: Juan Merchan, the controversial judge with a clear bias against Trump, declared, “We have our jury” after the 12th juror was selected Thursday. Here’s what we know about the jurors:

  • Juror 1 is a NYC resident with no children who enjoys the outdoors. They get their news from The New York Times, The Daily Mail, Fox News, and MSNBC.
  • Juror 2 says he follows Trump’s former lawyer turned-hater Michael Cohen on X and other right-wing accounts but will “try to keep an open mind.”
  • Juror 3 is an attorney who grew up in Oregon and gets his news from The New York Times and Google.
  • Juror 4 is originally from California and has been a security engineer for 25 years. He’s married with three kids, and his wife is a teacher. He enjoys metal and wood working.
  • Juror 5 is a single young woman. She’s a New York native who has taught English for eight years. She gets her news from Google and TikTok. She says she appreciated Trump’s candor.
  • Juror 6 is a young woman who lives in Manhattan and works as a software engineer.
  • Juror 7 is originally from North Carolina and works as a civil litigator. He’s married with two kids and gets his news from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and The Washington Post.
  • Juror 8 information is not available yet.
  • Juror 9 is a single woman from New York who lives in Manhattan and works as a speech therapist. She has e-mail subscriptions to CNN and The New York Times. She says she has opinions of Trump but believes she can put them aside.
  • Juror 10 is a single man originally from Ohio who lives in Manhattan and works for a large commerce company. He says he doesn’t watch the news but listens to podcasts about behavioral psychology.
  • Juror 11 information is not available yet.
  • Juror 12 information is not available yet.
Dismissals: Yesterday, two jurors were dropped.
  • One juror [originally Juror #2] told the court she did not believe she could be impartial, as friends and family contacted her based on news reports, suspecting she was one of the jurors.
  • Another juror [originally Juror #4], was kicked off the trial after Trump’s lawyers discovered he had previously been arrested for tearing down right-leaning political advertisements.

Today the court will select backup jurors.

Do you think Trump can get a fair jury pool in Manhattan?

This article is adapted from the free ‘Wake Up Right’ newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
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All twelve jurors have been selected to serve on the jury in former President Donald Trump's non-disclosure agreement trial in New York City. show more

Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
If you ain’t yet subbed to the Wake Up Right newsletter, I can’t commend it enough to you
for exclusive members-only insights
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Trump Hush Money Trial
April 18, 2024
William Upton
Election 2024
Lawfare

Biden Cheers On His Government’s Lawfare Campaign Against Trump.

Joe Biden cheered his government’s lawfare campaign against former President Donald Trump while campaigning in Pennsylvania on Thursday. The 81-year-old Democrat incumbent made the remarks while speaking at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh.

“Under my predecessor, who’s a little busy right now, Pennsylvania lost 275,000 jobs,” Bided said, referring to Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee currently confined to a Manhattan courtroom. The reference to Trump’s ongoing hush money trial brought by Biden-ally and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg may come as a surprise to the President’s campaign advisors. Thursday morning, POLITICO reported that the Biden campaign and national Democrats planned to say as little as possible about the ongoing lawfare campaign aimed to interfere with Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

During a press call on Monday, the Biden campaign communications director, Michael Tyler, hinted they and their surrogates would remain relatively quiet on Trump’s trial. “Look, Donald Trump and his team are going to have to speak to his legal issues,” Tyler said. He added: “No matter where Donald Trump is, whether it’s in Mar-a-Lago or a courtroom or anywhere else — he will be focused on himself, his toxic agenda, his campaign of revenge and retribution.”

Judge Juan Merchan, whose daughter has deep ties to national Democrats, ordered that Trump be present at court every day his trial is in session. If the former President skips a date to campaign — or even attend his son Barron’s high school graduation — Merchan informed Trump he would be arrested.

The National Pulse reported earlier this week that CNN legal analyst and globalist hatchet man Norman Eisen said the quiet part out loud, albeit unintentionally, insisting that the corporate media shouldn’t refer to Bragg’s prosecution as a “hush money” trial but rather an “‘election interference’” trial.

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Joe Biden cheered his government's lawfare campaign against former President Donald Trump while campaigning in Pennsylvania on Thursday. The 81-year-old Democrat incumbent made the remarks while speaking at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh. show more