The Department of Justice on Friday filed a motion to keep classified documents that will be used at former President Donald Trump’s upcoming trial out of his hands.
The motion seeks to block Trump from releasing the documents, according to The Hill.
Trump has been charged with 37 counts in connection to his alleged mishandling of classified information.
On Friday, the Justice Department requested an order covering documents that “include information pertaining to ongoing investigations.”
The Justice Department indicated those could be used in other cases against other people.
The order wants to only allow Trump to see 31 documents when he is supervised.
“Defendants shall only have access to Discovery Materials under the direct supervision of Defense Counsel or a member of Defense Counsel’s staff. Defendants shall not retain copies of Discovery Material. Defendants may take notes regarding Discovery Materials, but such notes shall be stored securely by Defense Counsel,” the request for the order said.
The order also wants Trump prevented from sharing anything he sees.
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“The Discovery Materials, along with any information derived therefrom, shall not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States or approval of the Court,” the filing said.
The report indicated Trump would have access to other records taken from his Mar-a-Lago estate in August.
Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the August search, will review the request, according to the New York Daily News.
Of course they want a gag order on Trump.
That way the DOJ can leak everything they want the public to see so, even if Trump beats the charges, he'll be tried in the court of public opinion.
— They Call Me Ralph (@NewRandomGeek) June 17, 2023
At his arraignment Tuesday. Trump was barred from talking about the case with witnesses and with his aide, Walt Nauta, Trump’s co-defendant, according to USA Today.
However, the order might mean less than it seems, said attorney Mark Zaid, noting that Trump’s post-arraignment speech was “just one of any number of atypical circumstances that will plague this case.”
“Few defendants would have an opportunity to speak to a co-defendant or witness in a manner that Trump will have available,” he said.
He said the court will need to monitor Trump’s public speeches to determine if private, forbidden messages are being sent.
“Should Trump make comments at an event attended by Nauta, or perhaps through television or social media, and it appears that very clear messages, if not instructions, are being made that would be deemed inappropriate if the two were meeting privately, I would expect prosecutors to revisit this issue before the judge for further clarification or expansion of the scope of the gag order,” he said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
President Joe Biden was not amused Thursday when he was asked about allegations of his involvement in a bribery deal.
Biden held a White House meeting on so-called “junk fees,” which are fees added on to such things as concert tickets that represent a hidden cost to consumers, according to the Associated Press.
Biden made opening remarks at the event, during which he was asked by a reporter, “Why did the Ukraine and FBI informant file refer to you as the ‘Big Guy,’ President Biden? Why is that term continuously applied?”
“Why do you ask such a dumb question?” Biden replied.
REPORTER: “Why did the Ukraine and FBI informant file refer to you as the Big Guy?”
JOE BIDEN: “Why'd you ask such a dumb question?”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 15, 2023
Fox News noted that members of the media were escorted out of the room after Biden made the comment.
As noted by the New York Post, Biden was referred to as the “Big Guy” in a 2020 file that contained allegations made to the FBI by an informant who was relaying comments made about Biden from the time in which he was vice president. The file was in the possession of the FBI and was recently shared with congressional Republicans investigating the Biden family’s finances.
The phrase “big guy” was used in an apparent reference to Joe Biden in a May 2017 email found on the laptop computer of Hunter Biden. Two of Hunter Biden’s former business partners have also used the phrase in connection with Joe Biden.
Biden’s reply came two days after an interaction with a reporter on the same topic, according to the New York Post.
“Are there tapes that you accepted bribes, President Biden? Is that true?” Biden was asked then.
The Post’s characterization of the incident, which has been posted to Twitter, was that Biden “turned around with a smile on his face — then seemed to chuckle to himself and shook his head as he turned to walk away without saying a word.”
President Biden turned and grinned — without saying a word — tonight when I asked about @ChuckGrassley saying alleged Ukrainian bribe-giver claims to have tapes https://t.co/R2mhPKUt3Y pic.twitter.com/Z8JI7pENzq
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) June 13, 2023
Last week, Biden brushed off questions concerning allegations against him that were made to the FBI and reviewed by lawmakers.
“Where’s the money?” Biden replied, adding, “I’m joking, it’s a bunch of malarkey.”
On Monday, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa claimed that a Ukrainian energy company executive who told a confidential FBI source of having bribed Hunter Biden and his father during the years Joe Biden was vice president has audio proof of dealings with them.
Grassley said from the Senate floor the individual who paid the duo kept recordings of them -- 17 in total -- as an “insurance policy” in case they were needed in the future.
"According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses 15 audio recordings of phone calls between him and Hunter Biden. According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses two audio recordings of phone calls between him and then-Vice President Joe Biden,” Grassley said, according to Fox News, referring to the FBI FD-1023 form that includes the unverified allegations about the deal.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
Millions of invasive and cannibalistic insects have descended on communities in northern Nevada, and their presence is forcing some people to remain inside their homes.
The invasion is so severe that USA Today reporter Natalie Alund called it a “nightmare of Biblical proportions."
For now, the bugs have set their sights on the town of Elko, Nevada:
Went to Elko, Nevada to cover the Mormon cricket infestation currently happening there. This was a regular occurrence. Constantly looking down as I felt giant bugs crawling on me. The bottom of my shoes are also covered with big guts. I should ask for a raise, right? pic.twitter.com/lUgiJUxiPh
— Lincoln Graves (@LincolnGraves) June 15, 2023
At the doctor for a kiddo appt. It's a mormon cricket invasion
🤢🤮 pic.twitter.com/XKtEskhRhF— Rebecca Mildren (@rebecca_mildren) June 7, 2023
The bugs are known as “Mormon crickets,” although according to the University of Nevada, Reno, they are not actually crickets.
"Mormon crickets are flightless, grounddwelling insects native to the western United States,” the school said.
In addition to eating one another without another food source, they feed on “grasses, shrubs, and cultivated forage crops.”
That has adverse effects on livestock, which rely on grazing.
The school added, “In large numbers, [Mormon cricket] feeding can contribute to soil erosion, poor water quality, nutrient depleted soils, and potentially cause damage to range and cropland ecosystems.”
The bugs are making life difficult for residents all across the region as they have descended on communities in the millions since they came out of a recent dormancy.
A rancher named Skye Krebs described dealing with an infestation in his community in 2017 -- one USA Today reported was the most severe since the 1940s.
Krebs called the invasion "truly biblical” and explained how the pests can be dangerous.
"On the highways, once you get them killed, then the rest of them come," Krebs said of the two-inch cannibals.
Their “greasy, gross” insides then make road conditions hazardous and have contributed to a number of car accidents.
In addition to being a potential safety hazard, the bugs are a nuisance that is making people seek refuge indoors.
One TikTok user named Colette Reynolds shared a video of her own personal siege.
@auntie_coolette♬ original sound - Colette Reynolds
She explained what happens when a Mormon cricket is killed.
"The living ones turn back around to devour their friends that got ran over.”
Until the Mormon crickets go dormant again, residents who are currently dealing with their presence, are encouraged to be patient.
During an interview with KSL-TV, Jeff Knight with the Nevada Department of Agriculture said the bugs will move on from their current locations within a few days.
“I do sympathize with people because it is overwhelming to have these kinds of population but will go away,” he said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
A 61-year-old man dashed in front of former President Donald Trump’s motorcade Tuesday, only to be dragged away by police as the motorcade plowed along.
Trump was arraigned Tuesday in a Miami courtroom on a federal indictment charging him with mishandling classified information. The confrontation came as Trump and his entourage were leaving Miami’s federal courthouse.
The U.K. Daily Mail identified the man as Dominic Santana, who was wearing a prison uniform and carrying a sign reading “lock him up.”
The video posted to YouTube showed Santana emerging from the crowd to stand alone in front of a black SUV, with sufficient time to lift his sign high before he was dragged away to the side of the road.
"The Miami Police Department might have to be reviewing their security protocols," Jamie Guirol of WTVJ said in a video posted to YouTube.
The motorcade never stopped, with police and security running alongside the vehicles to keep back photographers and others who lined the street.
The Daily Mail said Santana was led away in handcuffs.
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“The individual was removed swiftly from the roadway by officers from the Miami City Police Department,” Special Agent Steve Kopek said. “His actions had no impact on the security of the protective movement, and we thank Miami City Police for their continued partnership."
In an interview, Santana revealed the depths of his disdain for Trump.
“I’m here to see Donald Trump locked up once and for all,” he said prior to his dash and arrest.
“He’s got away with a lot. He should have been locked up long, long time ago,” he said.
Later, Santana called Trump “a con artist. He got away with it. And he became the president.”
The Miami crowd was packed with Trump's supporters, according to the Miami Herald.
Wally Goodnough of Sarasota came with a trailer bearing a photo of Trump standing outside a cell where President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton are jailed.
“Those guys in the back need to go to jail. Not Trump. Let Trump go. Leave him alone," he said.
Lazaro Encenarro noted that Trump's style might not suit everyone, but the charges were wrong.
“We may not like his attitude or his demeanor. But at the end of the day, he is an innocent man," he said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
Well, here's something you don't see every day: President Joe Biden managed to make a mistake and be completely accurate on accident.
As you well know, it's "pride" month. Corporate logos go rainbow all month -- unless customers start making a stink, then they get quietly reverted. Money is donated to LGBT-centric organizations. Media releases are full of stilted, meaningless jargon involving sexuality, gender, equality, equity, inclusion, safe spaces, values, etc., are churned out like ChatGPT was working overtime writing them.
And naturally, our somewhat-glitchier president -- who is indeed artificial, but lacking the intelligence -- got in on the action, holding a pride celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday.
"We’re gathered here today to honor the extraordinary -- and I’m not being solicitous -- the extraordinary courage and contributions of the LGBTQ community, to celebrate their legacy and their progress," Biden said, according to the White House transcript.
"And we welcome to the largest pride month celebration ever held at the White House. But just the beginning."
They say pride cometh before the fall. But this is the White House, so pride cometh before the gaffe. (The fall came during the president's appearance at the U.S. Air Force Academy's commencement ceremony, remember?)
BIDEN: "I was proud to have ended the ban on transjester Americans — transgender Americans — serving in the United States military" pic.twitter.com/GhVYmrAtxn
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 10, 2023
"As commander-in-chief, I was proud to have ended the ban on transjester Americans -- transgender Americans serving in the United States military," Biden said.
"I signed historic executive orders strengthening civil rights protections for --" Biden continued, before being distracted by something. "He’s running from me; I don’t know where he is going," the president said. "Do that again, man. You’re a sprinter. I can -- you can -- I don’t know if he’s running to something or from something. I don’t know."
It's unclear what that was all about, but apparently "pride" month is very important and urgent until the president sees a squirrel or something. Maybe a chipmunk. Further bulletins as events warrant.
It's worth noting that the White House's official transcript spelled the president's gaffe as "transgester." Social media users weren't so kind, but somewhat more accurate:
Watch: Biden accidentally coins legendary news phrase “Transjester”pic.twitter.com/LlNr6oY8XA
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) June 10, 2023
Not only that, they gave him attire to match:
BIDEN: “Transjester" https://t.co/Yqhikk1hAa pic.twitter.com/1E8TdB4RyZ
— NautPoso 🇮🇪☘️ (@NautPoso) June 10, 2023
“Transjester Americans.” pic.twitter.com/7WCBYRZV26
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 11, 2023
The transjester of the Oval Office pic.twitter.com/VydypZYERO
— Lady V 💃🏻🌹 (@V_Hawtmess1) June 10, 2023
So, is "transjester" a new pronoun? Will Biden put it on his social media profiles? "POTUS (transjester/gaffe-prone)." This is why the whole world is laughing at our leader.
[firefly_poll] It's funny, of course, because there's more than a kernel of truth in the error. Just like every corporation's clumsy attempt to pay fealty to the idea that anyone's gender is what they say it is, the White House has made a fool of itself in June -- and before this, for that matter.
Consider, after all, that Biden's Air Force celebrated "pride" month with a graphic showing a service member saluting not the American flag but the LGBT pride standard:
June is #PrideMonth! The Department of the Air Force proudly recognizes and celebrates generations of LGBTQI+ service members and their contributions to our #AirForce & #SpaceForce. pic.twitter.com/lQi9lH5sdr
— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) June 7, 2023
And then we have drag shows on military bases, drag "digital ambassadors" trying to recruit people into the Navy, and a ship named after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, who was discharged from the service because, at that time, homosexuality was against military regulations, among other performative sops to the LGBT community the White House has thrown via the military alone.
Today we christened the USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206)! This great ship honors #NavyDiver & #CivilRights activist Harvey Milk who was forced out of the service due to unfair policies. Because of him, today our #LGBTQ #Sailors & #Marines serve honorably as their genuine selves. pic.twitter.com/HvOgpmQAVL
— Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro (@SECNAV) November 6, 2021
No matter what you think about gays in the military, naming ships after sailors who received "other than honorable" discharges because they broke the rules as they were when they enlisted under their own volition -- yes, Milk wasn't drafted and he wasn't trying to pull a Corporal Klinger here -- isn't exactly setting a great precedent for the chain of command or respect for authority. But it's setting a great example for the rainbow hued keyboard warriors who don't care about military readiness or the long-term effects of puberty blockers or anything that contradicts their worldview.
To all those transjesters, the White House salutes you, if only accidentally. This is your month. Unless, of course, swing-state voters start noticing, then this is all going to turn down significantly. After all, you don't want Joe Biden joining that Bud Light VP behind the Mulvaney campaign on the unemployment lines, now, do you?
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
A Missouri man is looking to meet an Ohio stranger he already knows quite a bit about -- from getting about as far down and dirty as you can get.
But this is not a saga of looking for love in some tawdry place.
Marc Johnson is a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and has found that someone connected with two Ohio communities has a strain of the coronavirus he has never seen before, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Beginning with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities in many communities began testing sewage to see what kinds of infections had been present. Through those kinds of tests, Johnson has determined there is a person with a unique strain of the virus with a distinct marker that has shown up in sewage from two places -- the state capital of Columbus and Washington Court House, Ohio, about an hour's drive south Columbus.
Johnson began the quest with a public appeal in a Twitter thread in April.
Help me solve a COVID cryptic lineage mystery.
Cryptic lineages are distinct SARS-CoV-2 lineages that we detect in wastewater, but do not know their source. We believe they are from patients with very long COVID infections.
Here is more backstory.https://t.co/n9MdSLnVkI
1/
— Marc Johnson (@SolidEvidence) April 24, 2023
"Help me solve a COVID cryptic lineage mystery," he wrote. "Cryptic lineages are distinct SARS-CoV-2 lineages that we detect in wastewater, but do not know their source. We believe they are from patients with very long COVID infections ...
"We recently discovered a cryptic lineage in Ohio. It appears to be derived from a person that was infected over 2 years ago," he wrote in another tweet.
John’s best guess is that the person lives in Columbus and routinely travels to Washington Court House, with a population of about 15,000 most likely for work.
"This person was shedding thousands of times more material than a normal person ever would," Johnson said in a Thursday interview, according to the Dispatch. "I think this person isn't well. … I'm guessing they have [gastrointestinal] issues."
In the language of science, the strain is called “cryptic.” It is also one of many that Johnson is tracking, including one in the Bronx section of New York City.
I've got another cryptic lineage mystery and this one is really specific (read to the end).
It's a lineage from the Bronx that have been appearing in Biobot's sequences off and on since last August. pic.twitter.com/5IpC09VMAd
— Marc Johnson (@SolidEvidence) May 24, 2023
Some mysteries are never solved. Johnson told the Dispatch that one strain of COVID-19 that appeared in Wisconsin for 17 months and had been traced to one specific place suddenly stopped showing up in wastewater.
He explained to WCMH-TV in Columbus how that project worked.
“We started from the main treatment plant of over 100,000 people, and sort of like checked all the lines. And all of them, only one of the lines had the lineage. And so we would just keep going — checking… all of the pieces of the web, figuring out– following it up, up the line until we got to a single manhole. That manhole actually only got waste from one place, which was a company (that) had about 30 employees,” he said.
The company offered free testing to its employees, the Dispatch reported, but all tests came back negative.
"We don't know if that person quit (their job at the company) or got better," he said.
As to the Ohio strain, he wrote in the Twitter thread that one infected individual is "the most likely explanation."
The lineage in just two sewersheds. The sequence drifts over time, but the sequence in the two sewersheds drift together. If it were multiple people the sequence would form distinct branches. We don't have proof it's one person, but it is the most likely explanation.
— Marc Johnson (@SolidEvidence) June 7, 2023
A statement from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Columbus Dispatch said the strain Johnson found "is not currently spreading or a public health threat," according to the newspaper.
"Unusual or 'cryptic' sequences identified in wastewater may represent viruses that can replicate in particular individuals, but not in the general population. This can be because of a compromised immune system. CDC and other institutions conduct studies in immunocompromised individuals to understand persistent infection and virus evolution,” the statement said.
Johnson told WCMH-TV that he analyzes the genetic material of the virus, which identifies which strains are where. Variants such as omicron or delta are well known, but there are also ones known as cryptics.
“(Cryptics) have certain patterns; there are certain mutations that they regularly accumulate that are not in circulating lineages,” Johnson said.
In his Twitter post, he wrote that the cooperation of the person suspected to be infected would be needed to obtain the necessary information.
If you know anyone that might be the source based on where they live and work, ask them to do this. The next time they go to the bathroom (#2), stick the swab from a COVID rapid antigen test into the dirty water and test it like normal.
I'd love to know if it is positive.
6/
— Marc Johnson (@SolidEvidence) April 24, 2023
He said studying this individual could provide important information about the virus.
9. There is no ‘manhunt’ to track this lineage through wastewater, but it would not be hard at all given the massive amount that is shed.
The question is whether that is the correct thing to do.
I think it is, but this decision can only be made by public health officials.
— Marc Johnson (@SolidEvidence) June 8, 2023
“How many cases are there like this? What are their symptoms? Does this– is this related to long COVID?” Johnson said, according to WCMH.
“There are a lot of people who got COVID and never really got over it, and we don’t know why. It’s probable most of them are not chronic infections, but some of them might be, which would actually be good, because that’s theoretically treatable, and they actually get better,” he said
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Garth Brooks has thrown himself into the Bud Light-Dylan Mulvaney controversy this last week.
Brooks recently announced in an interview with Billboard that he will unapologetically be serving Bud Light as one of the beverages at his new bar opening up in Nashville, Tennessee, soon.
WhiskeyRiff covers the full interview here.
The Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk bar is ironically named as Brooks will apparently only consider you a friend if you support the moral depravity of transgenderism and companies like Anheuser-Busch who propagate it.
In the interview, he not only supported the decision to sell Bud Light but also referred to anyone boycotting the product as "a**holes" that should seek out other bars in the lower Broadway area.
The predictable backlash from former Brooks fans was swift as thousands took to Twitter to voice their outrage with the singer; many promising to dispose of his music and boycott any future concerts.
One wrote, "Now I delete every Garth Brooks song from my collection. NEVER AGAIN GARTH!"
WARNING: Some of the following tweets contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
These Elitists don’t learn.
Country music star @garthbrooks has no tolerance for Bud Light boycotters, calling them “assholes” and promising he will serve the beer brand in his new Nashville bar.
Now I delete every Garth Brooks song from my collection. NEVER AGAIN GARTH!… pic.twitter.com/GkNb8Z7bny
— CPT C for America First (@CornicelliforNY) June 10, 2023
Patriots I threw out my Garth Brooks music collection. And I will never attend another one of his concerts.#PatriotsAssemble pic.twitter.com/VLUgZ5q5a7
— HunterMAGA (@gunslinger2022) June 10, 2023
What an ass this guy is
Garth Brooks defends Bud Light, has nasty message for anyone who disagrees with him...https://t.co/eRRS5LryQP
— Amy Moreno (@VivaLaAmes11) June 9, 2023
🚨 My trash bin is full... I threw out everything that had Garth Brooks name on it 🚨 https://t.co/3s5kXozS17
— Chloe (@Chloe4Djt) June 10, 2023
#GarthBrooks defiantly sells #BudLight at his new Nashville bar and calls boycotters 'as*holes'#BoycottGarthBrooks pic.twitter.com/gYQ60vWd9P
— Giordano Bruno (@GioBruno1600) June 8, 2023
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz also took to Twitter to rightly point out the hypocritical hubris of Brooks who is a documented adulterer and philanderer who is now positioning himself as some sort of moral arbiter.
I’m sure glad we have Garth Brooks to tell us who is and isn’t an asshole.
Question, tho: Does it make someone an asshole if they cheat on their spouse, write a song about it with their paramour, and then publish the duet with THAT VERY paramour?
Or does that make for a good… https://t.co/Qjs5JGS5Oa pic.twitter.com/ELMoUCBCiL
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 10, 2023
Many other Twitter users shared the view that Brooks has "chosen a side" and to alienate his mostly conservative base in favor of the trans agenda which is being pushed heavily on American children.
AJ Steele of the "AJ Steel Show" acutely summarized how many feel about Brooks' betrayal.
Steel tweeted, "Fatso Garth Brooks who made millions from his conservative fans, said that folks who don't support transsexual groomers are 'a**holes' who are not welcome in his new bar. I hope there's enough deviants to fill up his joint, because when in Nashville, I'll be anywhere but there!"
WARNING: The following tweet contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
Fatso Garth Brooks who made millions from his conservative fans, said that folks who don't support transsexual groomers are "assholes" who are not welcome in his new bar.
I hope there's enough deviants to fill up his joint, because when in Nashville, I'll be anywhere but there! pic.twitter.com/WpXbl7kWao— AJ Steel Show (@ajsteelshow) June 10, 2023
Brooks' actions stand in stark contrast to other popular music stars like country star John Rich as well as Kid Rock who filmed himself shooting cases of Bud Light with a submachine gun earlier this year.
Rich owns the Nashville-based bar, Redneck Riviera Bar & BBQ and discussed from a practical standpoint that selling Bud Light after their Mulvaney stunt is severely frowned upon.
According to Fox News Digital, Rich stated, "I'm not going to stock it [Bud Light]. We've only got limited area. I've got a limited bar. It's like… I've got to put beer and whiskey and vodkas up here that people want to purchase and they want to support… And brother, I can tell you right now, it's a vicious attitude toward Bud Light."
"You know, the American public. We're never left alone anymore. We literally can't go anywhere without something divisive or political being thrown into our face."
"You've got people that have had brand loyalty to Bud Light forever, you know, since they've been drinking beer...that's what they drink. And they feel betrayed by it and they just can't believe that now when they're sitting down to relax and have a beer, at the end of the day, now it's in their face again. And I think they've just had enough of it," Rich continued.
Rich came off a bit lukewarm in his final statements in regard to not being personally offended by the affront to God that is Mulvaney being put on a Bud Light can, but he understands the financial ramifications of "going woke."
"I wasn't upset that they did it," he said, "but I thought, 'Wow, I don't think that's going to turn out like they thought.' And of course, now you look up and I think Bud, like this morning is approaching $7 billion in revenue lost already. I mean, it's pretty incredible."
I'm sure Rich also understands that Brooks' betrayal of his fanbase will drive even more business to his own bar once it finally opens in Nashville later this year.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
When Jack Smith was named special counsel to look into multiple cases against former President Donald Trump, he was painted by the media as an impartial man, "a war crimes prosecutor in The Hague who’d cut his teeth in New York prosecuting state and federal crimes, including the brutal beating of a Haitian immigrant by police."
He'd come to the top of the Department of Justice's public integrity unit in 2010 after then-Attorney General Eric Holder needed to clean house because of an embarrassing overturned conviction against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens in which it was revealed, according to The Associated Press, the public integrity section had withheld exculpatory evidence from the Republican lawmaker's legal team.
Since then, we've learned a great deal about Smith, his five year tenure at the head of the public integrity unit and what he's been up to since then -- including about the overturned guilty verdicts against Republican lawmakers he was responsible for prosecuting, his association with one infamous Obama-era figure, and his wife's association with Michelle Obama herself.
That glowing "war crimes prosecutor" copy was from the AP, reporting on Smith's appointment as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November of last year.
"Jack Smith told The Associated Press in an interview [in 2010] that he’d read about the Stevens case and couldn’t resist the chance to step in and run the section," the wire service reported.
“I had a dream job and I had no desire to leave it, but opportunities like this don’t come up very often,” Smith said. “I left the dream job for a better one.”
Well, now he has the dream indictment of any career Democrat: a 37-count indictment against Trump, including charges of willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements, according to Fox News.
But wait, isn't Smith supposed to be impartial? Even Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law scholar who has often sided with Trump in the past, called it "an extremely damning indictment" from "a serious prosecutor," which is a whole "different ball game" than the charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump, for his part, called Smith a "deranged lunatic" in a post on Truth Social. While that might be a bit much and Smith's charges are a "different ball game" from Bragg's farcical Manhattan case, just because Smith might be a "serious prosecutor" doesn't make him a politically neutral one.
Take, for instance, the biggest knock on Smith: his involvement with Obama-era Internal Revenue Service figure Lois Lerner and the scandal that led to her resignation.
Lerner, director of the Exempt Organizations Unit, slow-walked the approval of Tea Party-affiliated and other conservative groups before the 2012, blunting the impact they might have. As head of the Department of Justice's public integrity unit, the Washington Examiner noted, Smith was closely involved in targeting the Tea Party groups for extra scrutiny.
“Jack Smith was looking for ways to prosecute the innocent Americans that Lois Lerner targeted during the IRS scandal,” said Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, now the head of the House Judiciary Committee, in a statement to the Washington Examiner upon Smith's appointment as special counsel in November.
Both Jordan and GOP California Rep. Darrell Issa, who led the House Oversight Committee at the time, tried to get Smith to testify back in 2014 about his role in the targeting scandal.
“It is apparent that the Department’s leadership, including Public Integrity Section Chief Jack Smith, was closely involved in engaging with the IRS in wake of Citizens United and political pressure from prominent Democrats to address perceived problems with the decision," the representatives said in a media release at the time.
Citizens United v. FEC was a landmark Supreme Court case which held that prohibitions on independent expenditures by corporations or private groups in elections was an unconstitutional breach of the First Amendment's right to free expression. The IRS targeting scandal was, in large part, triggered by the lifting of those prohibitions, with Lerner telling an audience at Duke University the IRS was under pressure to "fix the problem" the decision created before the 2010 midterms.
Just days before the speech, Issa and Jordan said in the letter, “the Justice Department convened a meeting with former IRS official Lois Lerner in October 2010 to discuss how the IRS could assist in the criminal enforcement of campaign-finance laws against politically active nonprofits. This meeting was arranged at the direction of Public Integrity Section Chief Jack Smith.”
Lerner would apologize and resign, but Smith would never testify on the matter.
Smith inserted the DOJ into what would become the Lois Lerner IRS scandal targeting conservative nonprofit groups during the Obama years.
— Francis Brennan (@FrancisBrennan) June 9, 2023
“The witness said the conversation detailed "how the IRS could assist in the criminal enforcement of campaign-finance laws against politically active nonprofits."https://t.co/4k4bVXdkON
— Francis Brennan (@FrancisBrennan) June 9, 2023
And then there's the case of Virginia GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell, who was convicted on corruption counts in 2014 after being prosecuted by Smith; the government argued that McDonnell took improper gifts from a political donor.
However, as Politico noted, the conviction was overturned by a unanimous 8-0 Supreme Court decision in June of 2016. (The case came after Justice Antonin Scalia had died and while President Obama was trying to get a certain Merrick Garland appointed to the court -- unsuccessfully, thank heavens.)
In the decision, Chief Justice John Roberts blasted the prosecution for relying on a "boundless" definition of what could constitute corruption.
Smith convicted former Republican Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, which was later UNANIMOUSLY overturned by the Supreme Court.
— Francis Brennan (@FrancisBrennan) June 9, 2023
"The decision from the eight-justice court could make it tougher for prosecutors to prove corruption cases against politicians in cases where there is no proof of an explicit agreement linking a campaign donation or gift to a contract, grant or vote," Politico's Josh Gerstein wrote. "The court’s opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, rejected the government’s position that simply agreeing to meet with someone on account of such largesse could be enough to constitute an official act that could trigger a corruption conviction."
“There is no doubt that this case is distasteful; it may be worse than that. But our concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes, and ball gowns. It is instead with the broader legal implications of the Government’s boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute,” Roberts wrote in his decision.
“A more limited interpretation of the term ‘official act’ leaves ample room for prosecuting corruption, while comporting with the text of the statute and the precedent of this Court.”
And just in case you wanted to know where the Smith family stands, the special counsel's wife produced this hagiography of Michelle Obama for Netflix:
As the New York Post noted: "Katy Chevigny is credited as a producer on 'Becoming,' a 2020 documentary about Obama, and Federal Election Commission records show that she donated $2,000 in support of Biden’s presidential run that same year."
The special counsel's wife, the Post reported, "also worked on the 2018 documentary titled 'Dark Money.' The film is described as a 'political thriller' that 'takes viewers to Montana – a front line in the fight to preserve fair elections nationwide – to follow an intrepid local journalist working to expose the real-life impact of the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.'”
Completely neutral.
To what extent Smith's political leanings affected his judgment in this case remains to be seen. Both the current president and the woman who wished to become president in Trump's stead, Hillary Clinton, have had their own run-ins with classified document issues and there were no special prosecutors or charges there.
In this case, one might assume Attorney General Garland knew exactly the right man for the job -- and he was hardly going to be independent. After Trump, one can only guess who he goes after next.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
A Syrian refugee went on a stabbing rampage Thursday at a playground in Annecy, France, injuring four toddlers and two adults, according to news reports.
Three of the victims, including two preschool-age children, were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
"A video of the attack, taken by a bystander and verified by Reuters, showed the assailant jump a low wall into a children's playground and repeatedly lunge at a child in a stroller, pushing aside a woman who tries to fend him off," Reuters reported.
Many Twitter users attempted to share the video of the attack but complained that Twitter appeared to be censoring the posts almost as soon as they went up.
Why does Twitter keep deleting the videos of France getting enriched by migrants?
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 8, 2023
"He clearly targeted the babies,” a witness identified only as Ferdinand told BFM-TV, according to Reuters.
Another witness identified only as George said, "Mothers were crying, everybody was running."
The site of the attacks was LePaquier Park, a lakeside park in the picturesque town nestled in the French Alps.
One of the injured children is British, and another is Dutch, officials said.
A 31-year-old Syrian man was taken into custody on an attempted murder charge, according to Reuters.
At a news conference after the incident, local prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis said, "There was no apparent terrorist motive," the BBC reported.
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne called the event a "terrible thing" and said, "We are all terrifically shocked by this.”
Officials said the suspect, whose name was not released, recently entered France legally and applied for asylum there after living as a refugee in Sweden for 10 years. He left a wife and a 3-year-old daughter in Sweden.
"In an application last year for refugee status in France, he said he was a Syrian Christian," the BBC reported. "During the incident, the attacker invoked the name of Jesus Christ."
At the news conference, Borne said, "This person has no criminal record and neither does he have any kind of psychiatric record," CBS News reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted remarks on Twitter calling the incident an "attack of absolute cowardice."
Attaque d’une lâcheté absolue ce matin dans un parc à Annecy. Des enfants et un adulte sont entre la vie et la mort. La Nation est sous le choc. Nos pensées les accompagnent ainsi que leurs familles et les secours mobilisés.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 8, 2023
"The Nation is in shock," he added in the translated post. "Our thoughts are with them as well as their families and the emergency services mobilized."
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
It might be breaking hearts on "The View," but the Republican primary field is turning out to be for actual Republicans -- and the co-hosts can't understand why.
Less than two weeks ago, the ladies were being wowed -- and wooed -- by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who teased his own potential candidacy while winning the hearts of Whoopi & Co. with manly reassurances that former President Donald Trump can't possibly win a general election.
On Tuesday, a day after Sununu announced he would not be running for the Republican nomination, "The View" discussion was on the somber side -- but still chock full of advice for how Republicans could revamp their party to suit the ladies' tastes. Because isn't "The View" primary what every Republican is looking to win?
Check it here, as Goldberg read the news from a cue card on the air. For pure amusement value, it's hard to beat the idea of serious conservatives taking advice from women who range from the simply duplicitous left ("Republican" Alyssa Farah Griffin), to the insane far-left (Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin), to demonically possessed, head-spinning, puking-on-the-priest inanity (Joy Behar).
Griffin, the former Trump White House staffer turned-turncoat for "The View," attempted to put an adult-in-the-room spin on the debate by declaring there's a "battle for the soul of the Republican Party." (Pro tip: An alleged Republican echoing one of Joe Biden's tropes might make "The View" audience feel clued-in, but it's a bad way to start giving advice to the GOP.)
"Are we going to be a right-wing, populist party where it's all culture wars and going after drag queens? Or are we a conservative party that believes in a different approach of limited government, free speech, free markets, free minds?" Griffin said.
"Sadly, the Trump side is winning right now, but I'm so excited that Chris Sununu, Larry Hogan, some of these ... Chris Christie are going to come in and fight for the Republican Party I've believed in and been a member of my whole life."
If she thinks former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is the soul of the Republican Party, she must think former Ohio Gov. John Kasich is the brains. (He's not. And He's not.)
Maybe Ms. Farah didn't notice, but a party of limited government, free speech and free minds is pretty much what all Republicans believe in -- and no Democrats do. Her crack about culture wars and drag queens also misses the point about which side exactly started these culture wars.
Here's a hint: It wasn't conservatives who woke up yesterday morning and decided drag queens and sexual perversion belonged in the same room as 7-year-olds. The idea that choosing a gender is like choosing a pair of shoes didn't come from the party of Reagan. Using every weapon from high-technology abuses to government police forces to brute thug tactics in the streets to shut down political opponents also didn't come from the right.
A generation ago -- before the Clintons and their particular form of leftist poison entered the political bloodstream -- it was a "culture war." Now, it's a war for the Constitution.
Sununu's vanished-before-you-saw-him departure from the presidential race didn't keep "The View" fans in suspense long, though, as the harpies seem to have landed on a new favorite GOP candidate fairly quickly: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Christie announced his candidacy on Friday and is basically viewed as a kamikaze pilot heading straight for an aircraft carrier called the USS Donald Trump.
"He's the most interesting one in the party right now," Behar said.
"But can he win?" co-host Sarah Haines interjected.
"He can't and he knows it," Behar answered.
"He's on a mission to take out Donald Trump," Griffin said.
The rest was inaudible as she and Haines talked over each other, but it get a round of applause from the GOP-hating audience anyway. And it said everything there was to say about "The View" and Republicans.
"The View" panelists want what every liberal, progressive and leftist wants -- a Republican who can damage Donald Trump so badly in the primaries that he will be too bloodied for the general election, or a Republican who can actually defeat Trump in the primaries but alienate so many Trump supporters in the process that the general election with be a cakewalk for Democrats.
What Republicans want is considerably different and Griffin said it herself: Limited government, free speech, free markets, free minds.
Toss in a strong national defense, restored security to the border, and a candidate committed to ending the subversive terror of a deep state that considers itself a kind of covert college of cardinals that selects presidents instead of popes, and we've got a winner.
And it will be up to Republican primary voters -- not "The View," or the establishment media or the Democratic Party -- to decide who that is.
That isn't what progressives, Democrats or "The View" shrews want, but if the soul of the country really is at stake, it's where the fight needs to be.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
