Donald Trump Announces 2016 White House Bid

B00Mer

Keep Calm and Carry On
Sep 6, 2008
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Rent Free in Your Head
www.getafteritmedia.com
Unless Trump is convicted of a crime, he can still run again as President..

You have to catch the teflon Don first.. they tried to impeach him twice and he got out of that..

Slippery little sucker 😉 Trump 2024 (If we even have a world in 2024)

….and really you need to get a grip with your Anti-Trump rhetoric.. he pegged Putin and NATO right on..

Besides many think Putin has gone mad..
 
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Reactions: Serryah

spaminator

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Trump wins CPAC conservative meeting's 2024 presidential straw poll
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Alexandra Ulmer
Publishing date:Feb 27, 2022 • 15 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at The Rosen Shingle Creek on Feb. 26, 2022 in Orlando, Fla.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at The Rosen Shingle Creek on Feb. 26, 2022 in Orlando, Fla. PHOTO BY JOE RAEDLE /Getty Images
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ORLANDO — Some 59% of attendees at the CPAC conservative conference in Florida want former Republican President Donald Trump to be the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, according to a straw poll released on Sunday.

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Underscoring the unparalleled sway Trump enjoys over the Republican base, his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, garnered 28% of votes at the Conservative Political Action Conference gathering in Orlando.

CPAC tends to draw from the more conservative wing of the Republican Party, and its polls are not necessarily a reliable predictor of the eventual nominee. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, for instance, beat out rivals in its 2016 straw poll but Trump ended up clinching the nomination.

Last year in Orlando, Trump reportedly garnered 55% of votes, more than twice as many as DeSantis, who was also a featured speaker. Trump then reportedly received 70% of votes at CPAC’s summer gathering in Dallas last July.

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Trump has yet to say whether he will run in 2024, although he has heavily hinted that he will and is already an important political force ahead of November’s congressional elections.

Still, he is facing multiple legal investigations that could complicate a potential presidential run.

In a straw poll question that omitted Trump, DeSantis garnered 61% of votes.

Many CPAC attendees said DeSantis, a 43-year old former lawyer with three young children and a wife who has been battling breast cancer, could easily wait and run for president in 2028.

“DeSantis, we’d like to keep him as governor here. I want Trump to run and win,” said CPAC attendee Tom Freeman, 66, who works at a retail company in Florida.
 

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Man claiming he's Donald Trump charged with killing father, beating mother
"This could be a situation where somebody is mentally ill," his appointed lawyer said

Author of the article:postmedia News
Publishing date:Mar 02, 2022 • 16 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Christopher Claerbout is facing numerous charges, including murder.
Christopher Claerbout is facing numerous charges, including murder. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /Hamilton County Jail
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An Indiana man accused of killing his father and beating his mother while threatening to take her to Florida told police he was Donald Trump and his parents were Bill and Hillary Clinton.

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Marcia Claerbout told Carmel Police she was at home on the morning of Feb. 21 getting ready for a class when her son arrived and parked in the garage, according to The Indianapolis Star.

She said Christopher Claerbout confronted her in the home and then pushed her down the stairs, according to an arrest affidavit. She was then bound with an extension cord and had her hands cuffed in front of her.

Marcia Claerbout also told police she was threatened with a knife, had her face beaten and her feet stomped on while her son ranted about her not being his mother and saying that he was the former U.S. president.

The abuse was nearing nine hours when Marcia’s husband, David Claerbout, arrived home around 6 p.m. and interrupted the assault. David was stabbed multiple times outside the home while Marcia yelled to a neighbour to call 911.

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Her son drove off in his father’s vehicle, but OnStar was contacted by police and located the Chevrolet Traverse and turned it off. Christopher ran into a wooded area but a K9 unit tracked him down and arrested him.

When police questioned him early the next morning, Christopher said he was Trump, and his parents were Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Mario Massillamany was appointed to represent Christopher Claerbout.

“Until we have all the facts, we shouldn’t make any rush to judgment,” Massillamany told WXIN Fox 59 in Indianapolis. “This could be a situation where somebody is mentally ill.”

The affidavit stated Christopher knew it would be difficult to get his mother to Florida because she has a lot of connections, but would do what he could to hold her under the War Crimes Act for crimes committed against him and the country.

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“I asked Mr. Claerbout at what point did he place his mother under arrest,” police wrote in the affidavit. “He stated that it was before she was getting ready to leave and that he felt that today was the day that he needed to get this done. He stated that the handcuffs were in front of her and that he used cord to try and make sure that she was not going to squirm around. He stated that she was prisoner of war and that she was going to go to Guantanamo Bay.”

He also claimed his “his parents passed him around for sex as child to lot of politicians. Mr. Claerbout advised that his mother admitted to knowing about him being molested as child and that she covered it up.”

Christopher Claerbout, 40, is charged with murder, criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, criminal confinement resulting in serious bodily injury, domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, intimidation, auto theft and two counts of theft.
 

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U.S. Capitol riot panel says Trump may have engaged in 'criminal conspiracy'
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jan Wolfe and Patricia Zengerle
Publishing date:Mar 02, 2022 • 8 hours ago • 1 minute read • 11 Comments
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 28, 2021.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 28, 2021. PHOTO BY OCTAVIO JONES /REUTERS
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WASHINGTON — The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday said former President Donald Trump may have engaged in criminal conduct in his bid to overturn his election defeat.

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“Evidence and information available to the Committee establishes a good-faith belief that Mr. Trump and others may have engaged in criminal and/or fraudulent acts,” the committee said in a court filing.

“The Select Committee also has a good-faith basis for concluding that the President and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States,” the filing said.

The court document was filed in federal court in Los Angeles as part of the U.S. House of Representative Select Committee’s dispute with John Eastman, a lawyer who advised Trump on a plan to invalidate election results in key battleground states.

Eastman sued the committee in December, seeking to block a congressional subpoena requesting that he turn over thousands of emails.

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The Select Committee’s members have said they will consider passing along evidence of criminal conduct by Trump to the U.S. Justice Department. Such a move, known as a criminal referral, would be largely symbolic but would increase political pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland to charge the former president.

Representatives of Eastman and Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The committee’s leaders said in a statement that “Eastman’s emails may show that he helped Donald Trump advance a corrupt scheme to obstruct the counting of electoral college ballots and a conspiracy to impede the transfer of power.”

Attorney regulators in California said Tuesday they have been investigating Eastman and whether he acted unethically in his work for Trump. The investigation could lead to disciplinary action against Eastman, such as suspension of his law license.
 

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Trump cannot countersue rape accuser to stop defamation case, judge rules
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jonathan Stempel
Publishing date:Mar 11, 2022 • 14 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 26, 2022.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 26, 2022. PHOTO BY OCTAVIO JONES /REUTERS
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NEW YORK — Donald Trump cannot sue E. Jean Carroll, a writer who says he raped her in the mid-1990s, on the grounds that her defamation lawsuit against him violated a New York state law intended to protect free speech, a federal judge ruled on Friday.

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U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan accused the former U.S. president of “bad faith” by needlessly delaying the former Elle magazine columnist’s lawsuit, which began in November 2019 and could have “long ago” been decided.

“The defendant’s litigation tactics, whatever their intent, have delayed the case to an extent that readily could have been far less,” Kaplan wrote.

Letting Trump countersue “would make a regrettable situation worse by opening new avenues for significant further delay,” he added. Kaplan also said it would be “futile” for Trump to prove that his counterclaim belonged in federal court.

Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump, said: “While we are disappointed with the court’s decision today, we eagerly look forward to litigating this action and proving at trial that the plaintiff’s claims have absolutely no basis in law or in fact.”

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Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll and not related to the judge, said she and her client “could not agree more” that the case should be over by now.

Carroll, 78, accused Trump in a June 2019 book excerpt of raping her in late 1995 or early 1996 in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in midtown Manhattan.

She said Trump defamed her when he told a reporter he did not know Carroll, accused her of concocting the rape claim to sell her book and said, “She’s not my type.”

‘FUTILE’ TO COUNTERSUE

In seeking a dismissal and damages, Trump invoked New York’s “anti-SLAPP” law, short for “strategic lawsuits against public participation.”

The November 2020 law had been meant to protect journalists and others from deep-pocketed companies and people who file frivolous lawsuits designed to silence critics.

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Trump said Carroll’s lawsuit also violated that law because it was meant to harass him for speaking out.

But the judge said Trump offered “no satisfactory justification” for waiting 14 months after the law took effect to invoke it.

Trump is awaiting a decision from the federal appeals court in Manhattan on whether he is immune from Carroll’s lawsuit under a law shielding federal employees from defamation claims, because he discussed her in his capacity as president.

Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration sided with Trump in that appeal, despite what it called the Republican’s “crude and offensive comments” over Carroll’s “very serious” accusations.

Carroll’s lawyers are hoping to compare Trump’s DNA with a dress Carroll said she wore during the alleged rape.

They also wanted to question Trump under oath, but citing Trump’s delays, said last month this was no longer necessary.

The case is Carroll v Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-07311.
 

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Ex-Proud Boys chairman Tarrio ordered detained pending trial in Capitol riots case
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Marco Bello and Sarah N. Lynch
Publishing date:Mar 15, 2022 • 22 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
In this file photo taken on July 16, 2021, Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, leader of The Proud Boys, holds an American flag during a protest showing support for Cubans demonstrating against their government in Miami, Fla.
In this file photo taken on July 16, 2021, Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, leader of The Proud Boys, holds an American flag during a protest showing support for Cubans demonstrating against their government in Miami, Fla. PHOTO BY EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI /AFP via Getty Images
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MIAMI — A U.S. magistrate judge in Miami on Tuesday ordered former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio be detained while he awaits trial on charges stemming from the riots at the U.S. Capitol, a Justice Department spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington, D.C. confirmed.

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The ruling came a day after federal prosecutors filed a motion asking the judge to detain Tarrio, saying he poses a flight risk and also a risk of obstructing justice in the case.

In a 21-page court filing on Monday, the Justice Department said it had damning encrypted messages between Tarrio and other Proud Boys who were invited to participate in a new chapter Tarrio created in December 2020 called the “Ministry of Self Defense” or “MOSD.”

Following the hearing, Tarrio’s attorney Nayib Hassan told reporters outside the courtroom that Tarrio left Washington, D.C. on Jan. 5, 2021 – a day before the attack on the Capitol.

“It’s our estimation as far as what we have reviewed right now that the evidence is weak,” Hassan said.

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Tarrio, 38, is among the most high-profile of more than 775 people criminally charged for their roles in the assault on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump in an effort to keep Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory.

Police arrested Tarrio on Jan. 4, 2021, for burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic African-American church in December 2020, a charge for which he later served four months in jail.

Prosecutors said Tarrio maintained an active leadership role behind the scenes on Jan. 6, forcefully telling his followers on social media not to leave the Capitol, and later, in the encrypted chat, telling them: “We did this.”

Hassan said more than nine Tarrio family members and friends were present at Tuesday’s detention hearing in Miami, which was held in-person, to show their support for his client, and they also offered to put up bond to have him released.
 

spaminator

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I don't post 10 to 20 posts from the same source every day like someone else On the forum!
thats a definite exaggeration. you are just looking for excuses to be fussy and miserable. since my threads and posts are so triggering please feel free to use the ignore feature. 💡
 

spaminator

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Trump lawyer urges court to block House from getting tax returns
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jan Wolfe
Publishing date:Mar 24, 2022 • 17 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives for his first 2020 election debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., September 29, 2020.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives for his first 2020 election debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., September 29, 2020. PHOTO BY CARLOS BARRIA /REUTERS
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WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers brought his years-long battle to keep his tax returns out of the public eye to a U.S. appeals court on Thursday, where a congressional committee argued it had the right to force their release.

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The tax-writing House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee asserted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that it has the power to obtain the former president’s tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service, part of the Treasury Department.

Senior Judge David Sentelle, a conservative jurist, expressed skepticism of Trump’s arguments during the hearing.

Trump lawyer Cameron Norris argued that there is no legitimate reason for the Ways and Means Committee to see the tax returns. Sentelle indicated he disagreed with that claim, saying it is possible the committee has both legitimate legislative reasons for wanting the tax returns and illegitimate political motivations.

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“You’re pleading may not carry the ball for you because there may be a legislative actor who has two purposes,” Sentelle said. “You allege they have one. And I’m asking you: why isn’t it possible they have two?”

A ruling for the committee could lead to Trump’s financial dealings being revealed ahead of the 2024 presidential election. It could be months before the intermediate appeals court issues a ruling, which would likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson questioned on Thursday whether the case should be sent back to a lower court so a legal different framework could be applied — a move that would further delay resolution of the case.

Trump is appealing a lower court decision from December 2021 that determined the Democratic-led committee chairman has broad authority to obtain a former president’s tax returns.

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Trump was the first president in 40 years not to release his tax returns as he aimed to keep secret the details of his wealth and the activities of his family company, the Trump Organization.

A federal law empowers the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee to request any person’s tax returns from the IRS.

Invoking that statute, the committee sued in 2019 to force disclosure of Trump’s tax returns.

House Democrats have said they need Trump’s tax returns to see if the IRS is properly auditing presidential returns and to assess whether new legislation is needed.

Trump’s lawyers have called that explanation “pretextual” and “disingenuous,” saying the real aim is to unearth politically damaging information about Trump.

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Norris said the Ways and Means Committee has not promised to keep Trump’s tax returns private if it obtains them.

“Instead we have alleged, plausibly, that the goal here is to immediately publicly expose and release President Trump’s tax returns,” Norris said during the hearing.

In 2019, while Trump was in office, the U.S. Justice Department issued a legal memo supporting his arguments.

But in July 2021, after Trump lost his reelection campaign, the Justice Department reversed course and said the House committee had offered “sufficient reasons” for seeing the tax returns.

The Justice Department memo prompted Trump to file counterclaims against the Ways and Means Committee, seeking a judicial declaration that the committee had exceeded its constitutional authority.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, sided with Congress in December. McFadden said Trump was “wrong on the law” in seeking to block the Ways and Means Committee from obtaining his tax returns.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year cleared the way for a Manhattan prosecutor to obtain Trump’s tax returns from his accounting firm, but that ruling did not directly affect the Ways and Means Committee’s case.
 

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Nursing grievances over 2020, Trump returns to Georgia seeking allies
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Joseph Ax
Publishing date:Mar 26, 2022 • 3 hours ago • 3 minute read • 11 Comments
Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in a video endorsing former Republican U.S. Senator David Perdue, who is primarying incumbent Brian Kemp for Georgia governor, at a campaign event in Covington, Ga., Feb. 2, 2022.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in a video endorsing former Republican U.S. Senator David Perdue, who is primarying incumbent Brian Kemp for Georgia governor, at a campaign event in Covington, Ga., Feb. 2, 2022. PHOTO BY ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/FILE PHOTO /REUTERS
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In a test of his enduring influence over the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump returned to Georgia on Saturday to stump for allies who support his ongoing false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him – starting with Georgia.

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At a rally in Commerce, a small city northeast of Atlanta, Trump spent the first 20 minutes of his speech repeating falsehoods about the outcome, calling Governor Brian Kemp, a fellow Republican, a “turncoat” and “coward” for failing to reverse the results.

Trump has invested significant political capital in the state, endorsing a slate of statewide candidates in an effort to oust Kemp and his allies. The May 24 primary election will provide perhaps the clearest assessment yet of Trump’s ability to play kingmaker in the 2022 elections.

It will also offer an early measure of how Republican candidates attempt to strike a balance between Trump’s obsession with the 2020 election and national Republican leaders’ preference to focus on President Joe Biden’s record in office.

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“This is a really hard test for him – and a crucial one,” said Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta. “Trump is still well liked by Republican voters, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to base their choice in a primary on his endorsement.”

Polls have shown Kemp holding a comfortable lead over Trump’s preferred candidate, former U.S. Senator David Perdue, despite Trump’s frequent criticisms of the incumbent governor.

In addition to Perdue, Trump has endorsed U.S. Representative Jody Hice, who is challenging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Raffensperger rejected Trump’s demand that he alter the outcome and declared the 2020 election fair and accurate after a series of audits and reviews.

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Trump also endorsed down-ballot challengers for attorney general, lieutenant governor and even insurance commissioner, in each case siding with candidates taking on officials he blames for not fighting harder to substantiate his fraud claims.

Biden won Georgia by less than a quarter of a percentage point, becoming the first Democrat to win the state in nearly 30 years.

“What we’re starting to see is that his endorsement does not appear so far to be giving the type of automatic bump to candidates that we’ve seen in the past,” said Amy Steigerwalt, a political science professor at Georgia State University.

A spokesperson for Perdue said his support would only grow as more voters become aware of Trump’s endorsement. A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment.

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TRUMP STILL PUSHING ELECTION FALSEHOODS

Republicans worry that a split in the ranks could open the door for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, the voting rights activist who narrowly lost to Kemp in 2018, to win November’s rematch.

Some Republicans already believe Trump’s rhetoric following the November 2020 election helped cost the party twin Senate runoff elections in Georgia in January 2021, handing Democrats control of the chamber.

A spokesperson for Kemp’s campaign, Tate Mitchell, said, “Governor Kemp is focused on winning the endorsement of Georgia Republicans on May 24th and making sure Stacey Abrams is never our governor.”

Trump remains the party’s leading figure, and Republican candidates from across the country continue to seek his support. But he has made clear he expects his allies to commit to his false assertion that Biden’s victory in 2020 was illegitimate, a claim that has been repeatedly debunked by courts, vote audits and election officials.

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Earlier this week, Trump rescinded his endorsement of U.S. Representative Mo Brooks for a Senate race in Alabama after Brooks told voters it was time to move on from the 2020 election.

Perdue, who lost his Senate seat in 2020, echoed Trump’s claims during remarks at Saturday’s rally, telling the crowd that both their elections were “stolen” and vowing that those responsible would “go to jail.”

Some Republicans, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, have urged the party to put 2020 behind it and focus on Biden’s performance. Historically, the party that occupies the White House has lost seats in Congress during a president’s first midterm election.

Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, a Republican who is not running for reelection, founded a group, GOP 2.0, aimed at moving the party beyond Trump.

The organization released an advertisement this week attacking Trump and Perdue for preferring to talk about “conspiracy theories and past losses” rather than offering a vision for the future.
 

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Trump likely committed crime with plan to obstruct Congress, U.S. judge rules
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jan Wolfe
Publishing date:Mar 28, 2022 • 14 hours ago • 2 minute read • 5 Comments
Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rally in Commerce, Georgia, U.S. March 26, 2022.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rally in Commerce, Georgia, U.S. March 26, 2022. PHOTO BY ALYSSA POINTER /REUTERS
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WASHINGTON — A U.S. judge ruled on Monday that former President Donald Trump “more likely than not” committed a felony by trying to pressure his vice president to obstruct Congress and overturn his election defeat on Jan. 6, 2021.

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The assertion was in a ruling that found the House of Representatives committee probing the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol has a right to see emails written to Trump by one of his then-lawyers, John Eastman.

U.S. District Judge David Carter in Los Angeles said that Republican Trump’s plan to overturn his November 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden amounted to a “coup.”

“The Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” Carter said in a written decision, adding: “The illegality of the plan was obvious.”

Representatives of Trump did not respond to requests for comment.

Carter’s findings marked a breakthrough for the Democratic-led Jan. 6 Select Committee, which earlier this month said it believed Trump might have committed multiple felonies.

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The panel is expected to make a formal request to the U.S. Justice Department that it consider charging Trump.

Both Carter and the committee lack the power to bring criminal charges against Trump. That decision would need to be made by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, for violations of federal law.

Eastman will comply with the court order even though he disagrees with it, Eastman’s lawyer Charles Burnham said.

Eastman has a professional duty to protect the confidences of his clients, Burnham said.

“Dr. Eastman’s case against the January 6 committee seeks to fulfill this responsibility,” Burnham said in a statement. “It is not an attempt to ‘hide’ documents or ‘obstruct’ congressional investigations, as the January 6th committee falsely claims.”

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A Justice Department spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

“While the evidence continues to mount that Trump and many around him attempted a self-coup, it’s still stunning to see a federal judge come to that conclusion in writing,” said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles not involved in the case.

The Capitol riot occurred as then-Vice President Mike Pence and members of both chambers of Congress were meeting to certify Biden as the election winner.

“Dr. Eastman and President Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history,” Carter wrote. “Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower – it was a coup in search of a legal theory.”

Before a mob of thousands stormed the Capitol, Trump gave a fiery speech in which he falsely claimed his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud, an assertion rejected by multiple courts, state election officials and members of his own administration.
 

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Two key tech execs quit Trump's Truth Social after troubled app launch
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Helen Coster and Julia Love
Publishing date:Apr 04, 2022 • 23 hours ago • 6 minute read • Join the conversation
The Truth Social network logo is seen on a smartphone in front of a display of former U.S. President Donald Trump in this picture illustration taken Feb. 21, 2022.
The Truth Social network logo is seen on a smartphone in front of a display of former U.S. President Donald Trump in this picture illustration taken Feb. 21, 2022. PHOTO BY DADO RUVIC/ILLUSTRATION/FILE PHOTO /Reuters
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The two Southern tech entrepreneurs had the two qualities that Donald Trump’s Truth Social startup needed: tech-industry expertise and a politically conservative worldview aligned with the former president, a rare combination in the liberal-leaning industry centred in San Francisco.

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Josh Adams and Billy Boozer – the company’s chiefs of technology and product development – joined the venture last year and quickly became central players in its bid to build a social-media empire, backed by Trump’s powerful brand, to counter what many conservatives deride as “cancel culture” censorship from the left.

Less than a year later, both have resigned their senior posts at a critical juncture for the company’s smartphone-app release plans, according to two sources familiar with the venture.

The departures followed the troubled launch of the company’s iPhone app on Feb. 20. Weeks later, many users remain on a waiting list, unable to access the platform. Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) Chief Executive Devin Nunes, a former Republican congressman, said publicly that the company aimed to make the app fully operational within the United States by the end of March.

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The company has an app for iPhones but no app for Android phones, which comprise more than 40% of the U.S. market, though the company has advertised seeking an engineer to build one.

Boozer declined to comment and Adams did not respond to a request. Representatives for TMTG and Trump did not respond to requests for comment.

This account is based on Reuters interviews with eight people with knowledge of Truth Social’s activities, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.

Truth Social is part of a growing sector of tech firms catering to conservatives and marketing themselves as free-speech champions. The platform promised to give Trump unfettered communication with the American public more than a year after he was kicked off Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for allegedly inciting or glorifying violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.

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The exit of two executives critical to the app-launch efforts could imperil the company’s progress as it tries to prove it can compete with mainstream platforms such as Twitter, said two people familiar with the company. Like Twitter, Trump’s platform offers users the chance to connect and share their thoughts.

“If Josh has left… all bets are off,” one of those sources said of tech chief Adams, calling him the “brains” behind Truth Social’s technology.

Another source familiar with the venture said that Boozer also had a major leadership role as product chief, running management across technology infrastructure, design and development teams.

Reuters could not determine the specific circumstances behind the executives’ resignations, or whether they have been replaced or their duties reassigned. It also remains unclear whether Adams and Boozer still work on the venture in a different capacity after quitting their executive posts.

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Their resignations came before their key roles in the closely watched company were even publicly known outside of Truth Social’s secretive culture.

Adams and Boozer worked at a level just below Wes Moss and Andy Litinsky, both former castmates on “The Apprentice,” Trump’s hit reality TV show, according to a source familiar with the venture.

Moss and Litinsky have been the “senior, day-to-day leadership” running the company since it started last summer, the source said. The two men had pitched Trump on the social-media venture in January of 2021, according to a person familiar with the company’s founding.

Reuters could not determine the specific job titles or responsibilities of Moss and Litinsky, neither of whom responded to requests for comment. TMTG has released little information about its executive leadership team outside of CEO Nunes, who joined in December.

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Another open question is how TMTG is funding its current growth. The company is planning to go public through a merger with blank-check firm Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC) . The deal is under scrutiny by the Securities and Exchange Commission and is likely months away from being finalized.

DWAC disclosed in a regulatory filing last December that the SEC was probing the deal. The SEC has not addressed the nature of the inquiry and did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Investors have pledged $1 billion to TMTG but they won’t hand over that money until the DWAC deal closes.

Trump’s level of involvement with his namesake company and the Truth Social platform also remains unclear. The former president so far has written only one post – or “truth” – on the platform, writing on Feb. 14: “Get Ready! Your favorite President will see you soon!”

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Downloads of the Truth Social app have declined precipitously, from 866,000 installations the week of its launch to 60,000 the week of March 14, according to estimates from data analytics firm Sensor Tower. The firm estimates the Truth Social app has been downloaded 1.2 million times in all, trailing far behind rival conservative apps Parler and Gettr at 11.3 million and 6.8 million installations, respectively.

TARGETING BIG TECH

When they joined the company last year, Adams and Boozer embraced the vision for a social-media company with an “anti-cancel culture” mission, according to one of the sources familiar with the venture. The executives believed deeply in creating an “open platform, where as long as you don’t say anything that is criminal,” the person said, “you can be entitled to your own opinion.”

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Reuters could not determine the exact date the two executives joined the firm, but they were working on the Truth Social app by the fall, according to two sources familiar with the venture.

As the company sought engineers that had both the requisite skills and compatible politics, Adams and Boozer fit the bill, another person familiar with the company said. To gauge whether potential recruits were a good fit, hiring managers explored candidates’ political ideology, in at least one case by scanning their social media profiles and listening to their appearances on podcasts, that person said.

The company’s political bent limited its hiring pool. At least one candidate rebuffed a recruitment overture, saying he couldn’t stomach working for Trump, the person familiar with the company said. Others who rejected the company’s outreach said they were concerned about job security and feared the company and its employees might be prime targets for hackers, according to two people with knowledge of the firm’s recruiting efforts.

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Adams joined Trump’s company after building a career as a software developer from his native Alabama. He co-founded Daring Bit Assembly, a product and software development consultancy whose clients have included the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and e-commerce startup Shipt, according to Daring Bit Assembly’s website.

Adams is a “constitutionalist” who believes in strict interpretation of the authors’ original intent for the foundational U.S. document, said one of the people familiar with company operations. In May 2021, Adams filed a lawsuit in federal court in Alabama against the state’s governor, a Republican, and its health officer, alleging that the state’s mask mandate during the coronavirus pandemic violated the U.S. and Alabama Constitutions. The case was dismissed in June 2021.

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Boozer, also a political conservative who previously lived in Alabama, had collaborated frequently with Adams before joining Truth Social, according to the source. With Adams in place to steer the back-end infrastructure of the app, Boozer brought a strong command of the front-end technology that touches users, according to that source.

The pair kept a low profile despite holding high-ranking positions at the closely watched venture.

Neither Adams nor Boozer disclosed their work at Truth Social on their LinkedIn profiles, which list numerous other jobs and ventures from their past. The company did not publicly announce their hiring.

Adams’ and Boozer’s roles were listed in a November investor presentation as the TMTG technology team’s chief technology officer and chief product officer – but without their last names. When Truth Social launched, they posted frequently on the platform, but again presenting themselves to the public only as “Josh A.” and “Billy B.”
 

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Leader of campaign to fund Trump border wall to plead guilty to conspiracy, tax charges
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jonathan Stempel
Publishing date:Apr 06, 2022 • 17 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
United States Air Force Senior Airman Brian Kolfage Jr., a triple amputee who lost both his legs and an arm while serving his second deployment in Iraq in 2004, attends the Veterans Day parade on 5th Avenue in New York, Nov. 11, 2014.
United States Air Force Senior Airman Brian Kolfage Jr., a triple amputee who lost both his legs and an arm while serving his second deployment in Iraq in 2004, attends the Veterans Day parade on 5th Avenue in New York, Nov. 11, 2014. PHOTO BY MIKE SEGAR /REUTERS / FILES
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NEW YORK — A decorated U.S. Air Force veteran accused of defrauding donors in a fundraising campaign to help former President Donald Trump build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and three tax charges.

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The U.S. Department of Justice revealed their plea agreement with Brian Kolfage, who led the “We Build the Wall” campaign, in a filing on Wednesday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Kolfage is expected to formally enter his plea on April 21 before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres. His lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The government had in August 2020 charged Kolfage, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and two other defendants over We Build the Wall.

Kolfage, of Miramar Beach, Florida, created the private campaign in December 2018, 14 years after losing his legs and his right hand in a rocket attack in Iraq. He became steeped in conservative politics after returning from that country.

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Prosecutors said Kolfage told prospective donors he would “not take a penny” as he raised more than $25 million, yet took more than $350,000 and spent money on a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry and cosmetic surgery, among other expenses.

The wire fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum 20-year prison term. The tax charges, originally filed in Florida, include filing false tax returns and wire fraud.

A separate money laundering conspiracy charge is not part of Kolfage’s plea agreement, according to Wednesday’s letter.

Torres dismissed the indictment against Bannon last May, after Bannon received a presidential pardon in the final hours of Trump’s presidency.

Kolfage’s co-defendant Andrew Badolato is also expected to enter a guilty plea on April 21, court records show.

The final defendant, Timothy Shea, had agreed in principle to also plead guilty but changed his mind, prosecutors said last week.

“Mr. Shea is exercising his constitutional right to a fair trial,” his lawyer John Meringolo said in an email on Wednesday.

The cases are U.S. v Kolfage et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-cr-00412; and U.S. v Kolfage in the same court, No. 22-cr-00201.
 

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Former Trump aides held in contempt in Capitol attack probe
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Patricia Zengerle
Publishing date:Apr 06, 2022 • 11 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Former White House advisor Peter Navarro leaves the West Wing carrying a poster board displaying claims of voting irregularity at the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 15, 2021.
Former White House advisor Peter Navarro leaves the West Wing carrying a poster board displaying claims of voting irregularity at the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 15, 2021. PHOTO BY ERIN SCOTT//FILE PHOTO /REUTERS
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives recommended contempt of Congress charges on Wednesday for Peter Navarro and Daniel Scavino, former aides to Donald Trump, for failing to cooperate with a House probe into the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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Navarro, who was a top trade adviser to the Republican former president, and Scavino, who was a deputy chief of staff, did not comply with subpoenas to appear before the House Select Committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

The Democratic-controlled House backed the charges against the two men by a vote of 220-203, which refers the matter to the Department of Justice for a decision on whether to press criminal charges.

Only two Republicans, Jan. 6 Select Committee members Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, joined Democrats in voting in favour.

The nine-member Select Committee had voted unanimously in favour of the contempt charges last week.

Scavino and Navarro have argued that their communications are protected by executive privilege, although many legal experts have said that principle does not apply to former presidents. President Joe Biden’s administration has denied executive privilege to the former Trump aides.

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The two men have not responded to requests for comment on the matter.

Contempt of Congress bears a penalty of up to a year’s imprisonment and a fine up to $100,000.

Republicans lined up to object before the vote, accusing Democrats of waging a political war. “Democrats are using the power of the federal government to jail their political opponents,” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said.

Supporters of the charge said the two former aides have a legal and moral obligation to comply with subpoenas.

“In America, no one is above the law. Neither Mr. Trump nor Mr. Scavino nor Mr. Navarro is some form of royalty,” Cheney said before the vote.

TESTIMONY BY TRUMP RELATIVES

Representative Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the Select Committee, questioned the two men’s insistence that their communications with Trump were protected by noting that Trump’s daughter Ivanka had agreed to be interviewed by the committee.

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Ivanka Trump, who was a senior adviser to Trump when he was president, along with her husband, Jared Kushner, was interviewed by the panel for about eight hours on Tuesday. Kushner spoke to the panel on March 31.

Navarro and Scavino are the third and fourth associates of the former Republican president to face a House contempt vote.

Some 800 people, including many White House aides, have been interviewed in the committee’s investigation, as the panel prepares for public hearings expected in May.

The House backed contempt of Congress charges last year for Steve Bannon, a Trump adviser. He was charged in a case set to go to trial in July.

The chamber also voted in December in favour of a contempt charge for Mark Meadows, a former House member who became Trump’s chief of staff. There has been no word from the Justice Department on whether charges will be filed.

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The Democratic-led Select Committee has been investigating events leading to the assault on the seat of the U.S. government by thousands of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, when Vice-President Mike Pence and lawmakers gathered to certify Democrat Biden’s victory in the November 2020 presidential election.

After Trump repeated his false claims at a raucous rally that his defeat was the result of fraud, mobs rampaged through the Capitol, injuring police officers and sending Pence, lawmakers, staff and journalists fleeing for safety.

Four people died on the day of the attack, and one Capitol Police officer who fought with rioters died the next day. Four officers have since taken their own lives.
 

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Trump endorses Dr. Oz for U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Moira Warburton and Jan Wolfe
Publishing date:Apr 09, 2022 • 11 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks to a crowd at Rexall Place, in Edmonton, June 5, 2014.
Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks to a crowd at Rexall Place, in Edmonton, June 5, 2014. PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM /Edmonton Sun / Files
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WASHINGTON — Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he is endorsing celebrity surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is running as a Republican in a closely watched U.S. Senate contest in Pennsylvania.

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“Dr. Oz is smart, tough, and will never let you down, therefore, he has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump said in a statement.

The Senate race in Pennsylvania could determine control of the Senate and the fate of Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda. A crowded field of candidates are vying to replace the retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey.

Trump “knows how critical it is to change the kinds of people we send to Washington. I’m ready to fight,” Oz said in a statement. “I thank him for that, and I am proud to receive his endorsement.”

The top Republicans in the race are Oz and David McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO. Recent polls had Oz and McCormick neck and neck in the Republican primary contest to be held on May 17.

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On the Democratic side, Pennsylvania’s progressive lieutenant governor, John Fetterman, is locked in a race against Congressman Conor Lamb, a moderate representing the northwestern suburbs of Pittsburgh.

Toomey was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in February 2021 following Trump’s impeachment on a charge that he incited last year’s attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters. The Senate vote of 57-43 fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Trump.

Oz, known for the syndicated “The Dr. Oz Show,” brings substantial name recognition to the wide-open Nov. 8, 2022, contest.

Oz rose to fame shocking audiences with show-and-tell displays of decaying lungs and rotting livers, telling viewers they should take care of themselves.

His public image took a blow in 2014, however, when he told lawmakers probing bogus diet product ads that some of the products promoted on his show lacked “scientific muster.” Senators at the hearing focused on green coffee bean extract, a dietary supplement Oz touted in 2012 as a “miracle.”

Trump in September 2021 endorsed Sean Parnell for the open Pennsylvania seat Oz is vying for. But Parnell suspended his campaign in November 2021 after his estranged wife alleged physical abuse and he lost a battle over the custody of his three children.
 

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Trump says he 'probably' wouldn't return to 'boring' Twitter if Musk reinstated his account
Former U.S. president says he "probably wouldn't have any interest" in returning to the "boring" platform

Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
James Oliphant
Publishing date:Apr 14, 2022 • 15 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. PHOTO BY OCTAVIO JONES /REUTERS
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WASHINGTON — Elon Musk’s takeover bid for Twitter has prompted speculation that he would restore Donald Trump’s account if he succeeds in purchasing the social-media platform. But the former U.S. president says he “probably” would not go back.

In an interview with Sirius XM’s Americano Media on Wednesday, before Musk’s announcement, Trump said he “probably wouldn’t have any interest” in returning to the platform, where he had almost 90 million followers.

“You know, Twitter has become very boring. They’ve gotten rid of a lot of their good voices … a lot of their conservative voices,” Trump said.

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Musk, the Tesla CEO and billionaire entrepreneur, said he hopes to take Twitter private with the intent of making it a platform for free speech.

Trump was permanently suspended by Twitter following the assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. The platform cited the risk of “further incitement of violence.”

The attack on Congress followed a speech by Trump in which he reiterated false claims that his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden was because of widespread fraud, an assertion rejected by multiple courts and state election officials.

Twitter’s decision was criticized by Trump’s Republican Party and others as an attempt to stifle conservative voices and an attack on free speech.

Trump has since launched his own social media platform, Truth Social, which has been plagued by technical issues and long waiting times to sign up.

In the interview, Trump said he would wait until after the U.S congressional elections in November to announce whether he will run for another presidential term. But, he said, “I think a lot of people are going to be very happy,” about his decision.