donald trump
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Donald Trump has been officially indicted by the Department of Justice on seven charges relating to the mishandling of classified government documents.
On Thursday evening (June 8th), news broke that Trump would be the first American president ever to be indicted by a grand jury on federal charges related to his mishandling of classified documents and attempts to block their retrieval. Observers had noted that an indictment was forthcoming after his legal team met with Special Counsel Jack Smith and other Department of Justice officials on Monday (June 5th) in Miami, Florida.
The exact details of the charges have not been disclosed as the indictment is still sealed, but a lawyer for Trump has said that they include obstruction of justice, destruction or falsification of records, conspiracy, and false statements. The lawyer, Jim Trusty, did say that one of those charges is filed under the Espionage Act. Trump is expected to appear in federal court in Miami next Tuesday.
News reports have also detailed how Jack Smith has led an aggressive and highly intricate probe into Trump’s actions, with two grand juries in Miami and Washington, D.C. being convened as well as receiving testimony from former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. A CNN report of a possible attempt to damage classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate by draining a swimming pool has also weighed heavily in the case.
The former president is currently facing 30 counts of business fraud in New York related to improper payments meant to cover up an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. He is also under investigation in the state of Georgia due to allegations of his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election by attempting to coerce state officials to award him the electoral college results.
Trump shared the news with followers on his TruthSocial social media platform. “I have been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM,” he wrote. “I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election. I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!”
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will announce his intent to run for president of the United States in a conversation with Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk.
On Monday (May 22nd), it was announced that the Republican politician and Musk would host an event on Twitter Spaces, the platform’s audio chat area. The event will take place on Wednesday (May 24th) at 6 P.M. ET. Former PayPal product leader and tech investor David Sacks will moderate the conversation, where it is expected that DeSantis will announce his presidential bid. A DeSantis spokesperson, Lindsey Curnutte, confirmed the event to the press on Tuesday while a confirmation request email to Twitter was met with a poop emoji as a reply.
According to sources, the campaign will release a launch video shortly after the event and there will be visits to several states planned for after Memorial Day. The event comes after weeks of planning between DeSantis’ camp and Musk’s team, with one person close to the negotiations stating that they feel Musk isn’t confident about former President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the White House. “He’s interested in the future, and he’s interested in winning again,” the source confided.
When asked about his participation in the Twitter Spaces and a potential endorsement at a convention held by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday (May 23rd), Musk stated that he wasn’t going to endorse any candidate as of yet. “I think it’s quite groundbreaking that there be a major announcement of this type on social media,” he said. Musk and DeSantis were first acquainted with each other after meeting at a party in Austin, Texas. There is also speculation that Musk’s agreement to take part in this event could be a boost to his SpaceX company finding a home in Florida, which has seen some turbulence after its Starship launch explosion leading to a lawsuit against it and the Federal Aviation Administration by environmental groups.
The news comes as DeSantis has been shown lagging in polling behind former President Donald Trump, nabbing only 20% among GOP primary voters which is 15% behind where he was last December. Republicans have become more enamored of Twitter since Musk’s takeover of the platform last October. Since becoming CEO, Musk reinstated Trump’s account which was suspended after the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol, and has been openly courting conservatives and far-right figures including Tucker Carlson who has been sharing more content on the platform.
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Republican Senator Tim Scott has officially announced that he will run for president in 2024 in front of constituents in his home state.
Scott made the announcement on Monday (May 22nd) in his hometown of North Charleston, South Carolina. He positioned himself as a true conservative candidate who values “freedom and hope and opportunity.” In his 40-minute speech, he spoke about coming up from poverty and being raised by a single mother to his current position as the only Black Republican member of the Senate.
“We have to have a compassion for people who don’t agree with us,” he said. “We have to believe that our ideas are so strong and so powerful and so persuasive that we can actually take it to the highest points in the world and be successful but we also have to be able to take it all the way down to places that today are hopeless and prove that who we are works for all Americans.” He’d go on to state that America is not a racist country.
Scott would also bash the Biden administration repeatedly in his speech while declaring his willingness to enter the culture wars concerning schools raging across the nation. “I will lead a revolution for excellence in our schools. Less C-R-T and more ABCs,” he said. Notably, he didn’t mention any other GOP presidential candidates which include fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump. In a post on his Truth Social account, wished him “good luck” before going on to bash Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to also enter the race soon.
Senator Scott enters the 2024 campaign with a sizable war chest of $22 million and a firm fundraising background. But he faces a challenge as the GOP primary field grows, and even finds himself running behind Trump in his home state despite polls showing some support nationally. Scott also has to counter a reputation built on questionable panderings, such as his failure to support the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, voting against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and being the face of a racially stereotypical outreach to Black voters for the Trump Tax Bill in 2017 which bore the hashtag #KeepYoMoney.
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A former aide to Rudy Giuliani has filed a lawsuit alleging that he forced her into sexual acts while working for him, among other disturbing claims involving former President Donald Trump.
On Monday (May 15), former employee Noelle Dunphy filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against the former attorney to Donald Trump for sexual assault, wage theft and other misconduct including “alcohol-drenched rants that included sexist, racist, and antisemitic remarks,” according to the filing.
Dunphy went to work for Giuliani as director of business development with the former New York City mayor “abusing Ms. Dunphy almost immediately after she started” working with him in 2019 when he was still in service as a lawyer to the former President. “He made clear that satisfying his sexual demands-which came virtually anytime, anywhere-was an absolute requirement of her employment and of his legal representation,” the lawsuit states. The suit describes how Giuliani allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him soon after she began working for him.
The filing discloses further lurid details, such as requiring Dunphy to record her interactions with Giuliani “anytime, anywhere, as well as Giuliani’s interactions with others,” in addition to his failure to pay her a salary of $1 million that he had to defer because he was in the midst of a turbulent divorce from his ex-wife. The 70-page suit also alleges that Giuliani often demanded that she work naked, in short shorts emblazoned with the American flag or in a bikini. Dunphy states she was fired in January 2021.
Another shocking detail from the lawsuit alleges that Giuliani claimed that he had “immunity,” going on to tell “her that he was selling pardons for $2 million, which he and President Trump would split.” He also allegedly told her to funnel pardon requests outside of the Office of the Pardon Attorney so they wouldn’t be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. That conversation wasn’t recorded, but Dunphy’s attorney Justin Kelton noted that another Giuliani associate, Lev Parnas, could corroborate the details as he was present for it.
Giuliani denied the claims in the lawsuit, with his spokesman Ted Goodman releasing a statement: “Mayor Rudy Giuliani unequivocally denies the allegations raised by Ms. Dunphy. Mayor Giuliani’s lifetime of public service speaks for itself and he will pursue all available remedies and counterclaims.”
Disco legends Village People sent a cease-and-desist letter to Donald Trump on Monday threatening legal action over a costume-clad tribute band at his Mar-a-Lago resort that’s allegedly been performing “Macho Man” and other hit songs without permission.
In the letter, Karen Willis (wife of Village People lead singer Victor Willis) warned Trump’s lawyers that such performances potentially violate federal trademark law by confusing consumers into thinking the real band was playing at the former president’s resort.
Since a video of the Mar-a-Lago performance was posted on Twitter last week, Willis said the band had been “inundated” with social media posts from people who thought it was the real Village People.
“The performance has and continues to cause public confusion as to why Village People would even engage in such a performance. We did not,” Willis wrote in the letter, obtained by Billboard. “Though my husband has tolerated your client’s use of his Village People music, we cannot allow such use by him to cause public confusion as to endorsement.”
In a statement to Billboard on Monday, Trump attorney Joseph Tacopina said: “I will only deal with the attorney of the Village People, if they have one, not the wife of one of the members. But they should be thankful that President Trump allowed them to get their name back in the press. I haven’t heard their name in decades. Glad to hear they are still around.”
Top artists have long chafed at the use of their music by politicians, particularly conservatives. Foo Fighters and John Mellencamp blasted John McCain for using their music during the 2008 presidential election, and Neil Young, Guns N’ Roses, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna and the estate of Tom Petty have all spoken out about their music being used at campaign events for Trump.
Willis has even already complained about it once. In June 2020, angered by Trump’s use of police force to clear protesters from Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., Willis took to social media to request that the president stop playing his music at events.
Owing to the complex thicket of blanket licenses that govern the public performance of music, it’s actually more complicated than you might expect for artists to prevent politicians from playing their music at rallies. Many times, artists lack a clear route to take formal legal action, and instead are left to complain in the court of public opinion.
But in the letter this week, Willis says that a live performance by a tribute band dressed to look like Village People — a construction worker, a cowboy, a policeman and so on — crossed the line into a clearer violation of the law by suggesting that the band had endorsed him.
“Your client is hereby on notice that U.S. trademark law protects against the unauthorized use of the Village People image and trade dress,” Willis wrote. “To be certain, the use of the group’s image and likeness at Mar-A-Lago was unauthorized.”
If such performances don’t stop, Willis made a clear threat of legal action: “We shall be forced to bring suit preventing further use, not only of the Village People trademarked image and trade dress, but of the music as well (and we’d hate to have to do that) but such combined use causes public confusion and is suggestive of endorsement.”
The letter gave Trump 10 days to respond.
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In a striking moment, former President Donald Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a case brought against him by a Manhattan jury.
The civil case came to a historic conclusion on Tuesday (May 9th) in a Manhattan courtroom as the jury composed of six men and three women found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming former magazine writer E. Jean Carroll. The decision meant that Carroll had sufficiently proven her allegations that Trump had committed the abuse upon her over 30 years ago in a dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store.
While the jury did not find that the former president raped Carroll per her claims, they did award her $5 million in damages. “I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back,” Carroll said in a statement after the verdict. “Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.” Judge Lewis Kaplan informed jurors that they could identify themselves, but advised them not to. “My advice to you is not to identify yourselves. Not now and not for a long time,” he said in his instructions.
In a post made to his Truth Social account after the 3 P.M. verdict, Trump defiantly wrote: “I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace — a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!” His lawyer, Joseph Tacopina said to reporters that they plan to appeal the verdict. He also complained about the jury’s anonymity with their identity kept hidden even from the lawyers, claiming a “bias displayed by the court.” Trump did not testify, but the jury did see the deposition he recorded for the case. He faces no criminal
The decision has left the Republican Party with a quandary regarding their support of Trump for his 2024 presidential aspirations, with some still standing with the twice-impeached president. “That jury is a joke, the whole case is a joke,” said Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio. Others like Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska felt the verdict was just. “I think he showed a lot of disrespect for the jury and the court… The way he treated them, he got what he deserved,” he said afterward.
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Donald Trump will not go away quietly in the night, especially if major news networks continue to give him a platform to tout his MAGA philosophies at will. The former Swindler-In-Chief will appear in a town hall hosted by CNN, and the timing looks just a little curious.
As pointed out by the homies Crooks and Liars, CNN announced that the network will open its channels to host the town hall that puts Donald Trump back into the national spotlight. Despite the fact that the business mogul is embroiled in several legal tie-ups, Trump still holds sway over the Republican Party and the rabid MAGA base who want to see him returned to power.
More from CNN:
“CNN This Morning” anchor Kaitlan Collins will moderate the event at St. Anselm College, which will air at 9 p.m. ET on May 10 and will feature the former president taking questions from New Hampshire Republicans and undeclared voters who plan to vote in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.
This will be Trump’s first appearance on CNN since the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump is positioning himself to become the Republican Party nominee for the 2024 presidential race and seems to be the frontrunner according to some analysts. If successful, the race could be a repeat of 2020 as President Joe Biden announced plans to run for reelection.
The timing of this town hall might ring curious to some as CNN just fired anchor Don Lemon, a known critic of Donald Trump. Looks a little funny in the light if you ask us.
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Fox News managed to avoid further embarrassment in a defamation trial by reaching a historic settlement with Dominion Voting Systems before it got underway.
The right-wing media network came to terms on a settlement with the company on Tuesday (April 18) after a reportedly racially diverse jury selection in the defamation trial held in Delaware related to false claims made about Dominion’s role in the 2020 presidential elections by former President Donald Trump was completed. Judge Eric M. Davis informed the court of the settlement, which was later revealed to be $787.5 million. Dominion was originally seeking $1.6 billion in damages.
“Money is accountability and we got that today from Fox,” said Dominion attorney Stephen Shackleford in a statement outside of Delaware Superior Court after the trial’s dismissal. “The truth matters. Lies have consequences,” said Justin Nelson, another attorney for the voting system manufacturer. Dominion Voting Systems also has pending lawsuits against Newsmax and OANN as well as Trump supporters Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell, and Sidney Powell.
Other details of the settlement weren’t disclosed, but the most striking element was that Fox News was not required to issue an apology on air. In its vague statement issued afterward, it conceded being found at fault: “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.” The settlement also means that Fox’s top personalities such as Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham and founder Rupert Murdoch would not have to take the stand and testify.
Judge Davis had previously ruled that Fox had aired false claims in 20 broadcasts on its network concerning Dominion’s role in the presidential election, with implicit “no contest” pleas for several pretrial findings in the case. Many observers noted that while Dominion had a high bar to prove defamation in the trial, the volumes of damning information it had from Fox News stars reluctant to amplify Trump’s false claims and being sanctioned for withholding evidence placed the network at a serious disadvantage.
The settlement doesn’t mean Fox News is safe. Another election tech company, Smartmatic, has a lawsuit against the network. In a statement to Semafor political reporter Ben Smith published on Twitter, their lawyer Erik Connolly stated: “Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest.” The case is still in the discovery phase.
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Stephen A. Smith is one of the most notable sports pundits in modern times but he largely isn’t thought of as someone who offers opinions on politicians. However, the veteran ESPN host made a statement that he doesn’t think Donald Trump is racist but says he’d stop short of voting for him should he become a presidential candidate again.
Stephen A. Smith recently appeared at the Semafor Media Summit on Monday (April 10) and spoke about a variety of topics during the chat. Smith shared that he and Trump used to have a friendship that involved the pair talking about sports before the business mogul’s presidency. However, Smith says that while he no longer speaks with Trump, he doesn’t believe his old associate has racist tendencies.
“I think he’s changed, but I will tell you this: I think when people call him racist and stuff like that, I’ve never thought of Trump that way. He’s not against black people, he’s against all things not named Trump,” Smith said.
Smith went on to add that while he shares conservative political views and isn’t above voting for a Republican Party candidate, he would withhold his vote from Trump.
Check out a portion of Stephen A. Smith speaking at the Semafor Media Summit below.
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The legal representation for Donald Trump rang a familiar tone for Meek Mill, who pointed out that they share the same lawyer online.
As the former president was present in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday afternoon (April 4), the Expensive Pain artist shared a photo from the arraignment on his Instagram Story featuring Trump seated with his lawyers in the courtroom. With a headline in bold letters across it, Meek Mill’s caption read, “Trump graduated from the streets…sharing criminal lawyers [with us]…Joe Tactical.”
“Joe Tactical” is the rapper’s moniker for Joe Tacopina, who is representing the former president in this case. Meek Mill would then post another photo, this time of himself standing next to Tacopina after a court hearing. The picture stems from the rapper’s 2017 case where he sought to overturn a prison sentence he received for violating probation on a decade-old gun and drug case.
Tacopina and the rest of the legal team would prove that Judge Genece Brinkley’s initial ruling was “unjust.” The ruling led to Meek Mill being released by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after serving five months. The case would go on to be a bellwether that highlighted the racial disparities seen in the probation process and the criminal justice system overall. Meek Mill has since become a strong advocate for criminal justice reform.
Tacopina has made a name for himself as a tough and steely litigator who was formerly a criminal prosecutor in Brooklyn. He’s been a fixture on television since being retained by Trump, insisting that the former president hasn’t broken any laws and calling the indictment “political persecution.” Tacopina has not shied away from representing high-profile figures. He represented A Bronx Tale actor Lillo Brancato on murder/weapons charges, actress Taryn Manning on assault charges, rapper YG on suspicion of robbery and former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez during his steroid scandal and suspension in 2014.
There are some who view Tacopina in a bad light, one of them being former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik. A firm supporter of Trump, Kerik declined to comment when asked about Tacopina’s hiring. “I am not going to get into it,” he said. Records show that Kerik had requested the state disciplinary committee to disbar Tacopina, whom he accused of cooperating againstjoe tacopina him in secret during a federal investigation that would see the former cop serve a 48-month prison sentence.