Category: Justice Department

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Congress Crime Donald Trump GOP Justice Department

WATCH: Adam Schiff Destroys Jim Jordan For Serving As Trump’s ‘Criminal Defense Firm’

During a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee today that featured testimony from Attorney General Merrick Garland, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) took a verbal battering ram to the committee chair, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), accusing him of serving as little more than an attorney for failed former president Donald Trump.

Speaking to Garland, Schiff noted that Jordan was using the committee to obstruct justice for Trump.

“The chairman would abuse the power of this committee by trying to interfere in the prosecutions of Donald Trump by trying to use the committee’s power of subpoena to compel criminal discovery, in effect making the committee a kind of criminal defense firm for the former president.”

The California Democrat continued:

“Through Mr. Jordan’s actions, he would establish the principle that the rule of law should apply to almost everyone, just not to the leader of his party.”

Schiff concluded by warning such actions would result in a dictatorship.

“Mr. Jordan hopes to camouflage his assault on the rule of law by falsely claiming that Donald Trump is the victim of unequal justice,” said Schiff. “It is a claim that is as transparently political as it is devoid of any factual basis.”

Of course, Schiff is absolutely right. Jim Jordan and others in the GOP are only interested in trying to protect Donald Trump. Too bad they can’t all go to prison together.

 

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Crime Donald Trump Justice Department

Trump Strengthens Jack Smith’s Case By Bragging He Can Do ‘Whatever I Want’ With US Secrets

Attorneys for failed former president Donald Trump are probably wishing that a federal judge would indeed impose a gag order on their client, because once again he has strengthened the case against him that’s being prepared by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

During an interview with right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump went on a rant about how it was both illegal and unfair for him to be charged with keeping classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, telling the host:

“Like the records case, I come under the Presidential Records Act. I’m allowed to do it. Biden’s not allowed to do it, because he wasn’t president. It’s a special act that was passed in great detail in 1977, in tremendous detail. It tells you everything you’re allowed to do, and it’s not criminal. It has nothing to do with the criminal. It’s not a criminal act.”

That’s complete bullshit. Trump had left the White House and was no longer covered by the Presidential Records Act, which he’d know if he bothered to read the law. Provided, of course, he can actually read, which remains in doubt.

While he was at it, Trump also claimed that he would testify at his upcoming criminal trials, which is also a lie.

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday in an interview that he’d “absolutely” take the witness stand in his own defense if the criminal cases against him go to trial.

“Oh yes, absolutely. … That, I would do,” Trump said when asked by radio host Hugh Hewitt if he’d testify. “That, I look forward to.”

However, it was the comment about his handling of classified information that set off the most discussion on social media, where several legal experts noted the disgraced ex-president had just handed Smith a valuable weapon.

Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti said Trump’s words during the Hewitt interview are likely to become a key part of Smith’s case.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack Smith uses this statement against Trump at trial. Trump thinks he is ‘allowed to do whatever I want,” Mariotti said.

“The jury will receive instructions from the judge indicating that the law indicates otherwise.”

Conservative attorney George Conway concurred with Mariotti.

“This will make a terrific quote for the Government to use in the first paragraph of its sentencing memorandum.”

Trump is also facing criminal trials in Washington, DC and Georgia for his attempts to steal the 2020 election.

 

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Crime Donald Trump Justice Department

Jack Smith’s Next Move May Be Seizing Millions Of Dollars From Trump

Much as investigators did during the Watergate scandal that wound up bringing down the presidency of Richard Nixon, it appears that Special Counsel Jack Smith is following the money trail and has his eye on a political action committee former president Donald Trump has been using to fund his legal defense.

According to a report from Betsy Woodroof Swan and Kyle Cheney of Politico, a grand jury empaneled by the special counsel met recently in a Washington, D.C. federal courthouse and has been looking closely at the Trump-aligned Save America PAC and other fundraising efforts the disgraced ex-president is using to pay for his 2024 bid for the White House and mounting legal bills.

In a closed-door interview on Monday with Bernard Kerik, investigators asked multiple questions about the Save America PAC’s enormous fundraising haul in the weeks between Election Day and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to Kerik’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, who was present for the interview and shared details with POLITICO.

“It’s a laser focus from Election Day to Jan. 6,” Parlatore said.

The special counsel has long been thought to be scrutinizing whether Trump or his PAC violated federal laws by raising money off claims of voter fraud they knew were false. Last week’s indictment of Trump, on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election, did not include any allegations of financial crime.

That led several legal experts to suggest that Smith may have his sights set on the hundreds of millions Save America PAC has collected since the 2020 election and be on the verge of seizing them as ill-gotten gains from a wire fraud scheme.

NBC News national security analyst Frank Figliuzzi noted on Twitter, “This isn’t over yet. When you raise millions based on a fraudulent claim, you’ve committed a crime. And, you just might have to give those millions back.”

Andrew Weissmann, who worked as general counsel for the FBI and is now an MSNBC legal analyst, suggested what to expect next from Smith and the Justice Department:

“Keep your eyes peeled for a criminal case about the Trump PAC and forfeiture allegations/seizures. Case wd [would] not need to go all the way up to Trump before Jack charges folks and seizes assets.”

Law professor Jennifer Taub was even more succinct: “Wire fraud? Delicious.”

How much money are we talking about that Trump might suddenly see disappear from the accounts that fund his campaign and pay his attorneys? According to NPR, as much as $250 million:

“The Trump campaign took $250 million in donations from supporters that it said would go to an election defense fund to pay for legal fees to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. But the fund was never actually created, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., one of the committee members, said … in the panel’s second public hearing.”

Follow the money and you find the crimes.

 

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Crime Donald Trump January 6 Justice Department

Trump Launches Disgusting New Attack On Jack Smith’s Wife As He’s Arraigned For Jan. 6 Crimes

Shortly before he appeared before a federal magistrate at the E. Barrett Prettyman courthouse in Washington, D.C. today, failed one-term, thrice-indicted former president Donald Trump thought it’d be a swell idea to attack the wife of Special Counsel Jack Smith, suggesting that she’s a Democratic political operative and that her husband shouldn’t be allowed to prosecute the disgraced ex-president.

In a multi-page statement issued by Trump’s 2024 campaign team and posted on Twitter by his spokesperson, Liz Harrington, Smith was smeared as leading “a dirty, politically-motivated investigation.” 

Smith served under Obama’s “wingman” Eric Holder Overturned unanimously by the Supreme Court in his political targeting of VA Gov Bob McDonnell Instrumental in IRS targeting conservatives scandal

Then came the attack on Smith’s wife.

Jack Smith’s wife is a Biden donor and produced fawning Michelle Obama documentary Deputy AG Lisa Monaco is also Obama loyalist and Russiagate Architect which tried to frame President Trump for Russia “collusion” Smith worked at the corrupt International Criminal Court

While Trump can claim that he didn’t issue the statements, he could still be in big trouble with the judge overseeing his latest case connected to January 6. That judge, Tanya Chutkan, will see Trump on August 28 in her courtroom for preliminary hearings and to schedule the criminal trial, though she could also demand that he appear prior to that and demand that he stop issuing inflammatory statements about Smith.

For now, social media laid the immediate smackdown on the Trump team for their attack on the special counsel.

 

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Crime Donald Trump Impeachment Justice Department WTF?!

Trump Claims Jack Smith ‘Can’t Bring A Case’ Because Senate Acquitted Him During Impeachment

According to failed one-term, twice-impeached and multiply indicted former president Donald Trump, Special Counsel Jack Smith “can’t bring a case” against him in federal court because he was already acquitted by the U.S. Senate during his impeachment trials in 2019 and 2021.

Clearly expecting to be indicted yet again by Smith for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, disgraced ex-president went on his failing Truth Social site and made the following post:

“How can Deranged Jack Smith bring a case on January 6th., as ridiculous as it is anyway, when I have already won such a case, and been fully acquitted, in the U.S. Senate? In other words, I was Impeached on this, and WON!!! ELECTION INTERFERENCE & PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, all rolled up as one. We are truly a Nation In Decline!”

Of course, anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the U.S. Constitution knows that impeachment and criminal indictment are in no way connected.

Here are the basic differences between the two:

Indictment is a formal accusation that someone has committed a crime. It is typically issued by a grand jury and serves as the basis for a criminal trial. In other words, when someone is indicted, they are formally charged with a crime and must stand trial to prove their innocence.

Impeachment, on the other hand, is the process by which a government official is charged with misconduct or abuse of power. This can include charges of bribery, treason, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Impeachment is a political process that is used to hold elected officials accountable for their actions while in office.

One is a legal process. The other is a political process.

It’s no surprise that Trump is confusing the two processes. After all, he’s easily the most ignorant person ever elected to the presidency.