House Republicans’ efforts to demonstrate unwavering support for Donald Trump as he stands trial in his election subversion, business records falsification, and “hush money” trial are growing, with GOP lawmakers showing up at trial and reading speeches reportedly written or edited by him that may violate the indicted ex-president’s gag order, and even pausing a House hearing so members can travel to the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building to appear behind Trump, literally and figuratively.

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a self-professed “ultra-MAGA” lawmaker, came under fire Thursday after posting support for Trump in words that echo the ex-president’s direction to the far-right neo-fascist group the Proud Boys. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Proud Boys as an extremist hate group.

During the 2020 presidential debates, Donald Trump got into a heated exchange with moderator Chris Wallace and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Wallace asked Trump to condemn white supremacists, but the ask quickly became directed toward the Proud Boys, as this clip from Politico shows:

A big takeaway from the first presidential debate: Trump once again refused to condemn white supremacists. Watch his answer when asked directly to do it: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.”

Key moments: https://t.co/xHL6RIHwFL pic.twitter.com/iK5L6WtaNy

— POLITICO (@politico) September 30, 2020

“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,” quickly became a rallying cry for the Proud Boys, who went on to have leading roles in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Four Proud Boys leaders were later convicted of seditious conspiracy, as the U.S. Dept. of Justice announced.

READ MORE: ‘Chop Them Up, Distort Them’: White House Slams ‘Improper Threats’ as It Blocks Hur Tapes

On Thursday, Congressman Gaetz posted to his social media account a photo of him standing behind Trump at the courthouse, with these words: “Standing back and standing by, Mr. President.”

Standing back and standing by, Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/gGPeTLtWmv

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 16, 2024

“Just seeing here that Matt Gaetz [made] an overt allusion to Donald Trump’s Sept. 2020 command to the Proud Boys here (some of whom are now in prison for taking that comment as a call to action on Jan. 6),” noted Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney.

Reuters’ Nathan Layne, remarking on Gaetz’s post, wrote: “Last year former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison. He had been convicted of seditious conspiracy for orchestrating the attack on the Capitol.”

Critics expressed concern and outrage.

“They’re ready to start another insurrection,” warned national security attorney Brad Moss.

Condé Nast Legal Affairs Editor Luke Zaleski observed, “The insurrection is coming from inside The House.”

Attorney Robert J. DeNault remarked, “Lead Proud Boy Matt Gaetz reminds us all that he will work with Donald Trump to employ violence and crime to hold onto power.”

Watch the video and read Gaetz’s post above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Long History of Playing Games’: Biden Campaign Shuts Down Trump’s Tantrum

As House Republicans move to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to hand over the audio tapes of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Joe Biden, the White House Counsel has notified two House committee chairmen President Biden is invoking executive privilege on those tapes.

“The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal—to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes,” White House Counsel Edward Siskel wrote in his letter to Republican Chairmen Jim Comer and Jim Jordan, as Politico reported. “Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.”

Siskel also reminded the chairs that the Dept. of Justice has already provided them with the transcripts of the interviews, and noted “the Attorney General has warned that the disclosure of materials like these audio recordings risks harming future law enforcement investigations by making it less likely that witnesses in high-profile investigations will voluntarily cooperate.”

The White House Counsel also unleashed strong criticism of the House chairmen’s prior actions, as proof of what he says is their likely goal.

READ MORE: ‘Might Use it to Vote’: Kudlow and Blackburn Fearmonger Biden Giving Undocumented Green Cards

“Rather than demonstrating respect for the rule of law, this contempt proceeding is just the latest in the Committees’ damaging efforts to undermine the very independence and impartiality of the Department of Justice and criminal justice system that President Biden seeks to protect. Your subpoenas and contempt threats come in the wake of the Committees’ efforts to go after prosecutors you do not like, attack witnesses in cases you disapprove of, and demand information from ongoing investigations and prosecutions, despite longstanding norms that these law enforcement processes should be allowed to play out free from such political interference.”

House Republicans for the past week have taken rotating shifts to show support for indicted ex-president Donald Trump at the courthouse where his trial on 34 felony charges is being held. House and Senate Republicans, and even the Speaker of the House, at various times have attacked the judicial system, witnesses, the judge, his daughter, and the District Attorney.

Siskel closes his letter with an apparent accusation of “improper threats.”

“The President will continue to protect the rule of law, and his Administration will continue to work in good faith to accommodate Congress’s legitimate interests, while standing up to improper threats to the independence of the nation’s justice system.”

READ MORE: Johnson Promotes Making ‘Crime a Crime Again’ After Standing Up for Trump at Courthouse

Attorney General Garland appointed Robert Hur, a former Trump-era U.S. Attorney, to become a special counsel and head the investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents when he was a Vice President. While Hur found no evidence of criminal conduct and declined to press charges, his highly-controversial and, according to Democrats, highly-politicized 345-page report, was fodder for the media and congressional Republicans for weeks.

At one point in the report Hur described President Biden as “a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” while, in a transcript of his interview with the President, the special counsel told him he appeared to have “photographic” recall. Those details were the subject of a tense exchange when Hur testified before Congress.

Swalwell: You said to President Biden, “you appear to have a photographic understanding and recall.” Did you say that?

Hur: Those words do appear in the transcript

Swalwell: Never appeared in your report

Hur: It does not appear in my report pic.twitter.com/jKJA6HCesd

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 12, 2024

CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen, a former U.S. Ambassador and a special counsel for ethics and government reform under President Barack Obama, says he supports President Biden’s move.

“I handled executive privilege assertions as Special Counsel in WH & for Congress,” Eisen writes on social media. “Witness interviews are some of the most sensitive materials & DOJ commonly protects.”

“I agree with Exec[utive] Priv[ilege] call here.”

He notes the “Hur investigation is done & dusted, with NO finding of criminality.”

“Special Counsel report was already subject of mischief.”

Watch the video above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Grave Danger’: Trump’s ‘Raw Display’ of Power at Court Alarms Conservative

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Fox News Business host Larry Kudlow are promoting a false, fearmongering conspiracy theory President Joe Biden will be handing out green cards to undocumented immigrants in an effort to help them vote. Their remarks come as ex-president Donald Trump, running to retake the White House, has amped up his anti-immigrant focus.

Kudlow on Wednesday said he worries “a lot” that President Biden will be giving green cards to undocumented immigrants who will use them to vote. Senator Blackburn agreed, telling the former Trump National Economic Council Director, “they’re gonna try to vote.”

Green card holders are not U.S. citizens, and only U.S. citizens can vote, with a handful of exceptions in local jurisdictions, but only U.S, citizens can vote in federal elections. Presenting a green card as “proof” of citizenship in states that require it to vote would have the exact opposite effect, proving ineligibility.

Kudlow and Blackburn falsely suggested both undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers who are legally in the United States, may be voting using green cards, with Sen. Blackburn increasing the fearmongering by falsely implying all undocumented immigrants are dangerous.

READ MORE: ‘Long History of Playing Games’: Biden Campaign Shuts Down Trump’s Tantrum

“I mean, I don’t know, is Biden – he’s not going to address any of that,” Kudlow told Blackburn. “He’s not going to really reform asylum policy. He’s gonna give everybody [a] green card. That’s my biggest concern. As you probably know, ma’am, you know, you have a green card or some kind of temporary visa, you might use it to vote. You might use it to vote, even though you’re not a citizen. That worries me a lot.”

“Well, it should,” the Tennessee Republican who has a history of fear-mongering, and has been accused of promoting white Christian nationalism, told Kudlow.

“These are really bad people and your audience needs to think of this in terms of the population of a city of that size, of one and a half million people, and then you’re so right there,” Blackburn said. “This administration is saying we’re going to give you IDs this summer. We’re going to give you work permits if you’re a[n asylum] parolee, what are they gonna do, they’re gonna try to vote.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kudlow replied.

Watch below or at this link.

Larry Kudlow says Biden will give migrants green cards: “You have a green card or some kind of temporary visa … you might use it to vote, even though you’re not a citizen. That worries me a lot.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn agrees.

Green card means you’re *not* a citizen, can’t vote. pic.twitter.com/HgoCwDfaQu

— Eric Kleefeld (@EricKleefeld) May 15, 2024

READ MORE: Johnson Promotes Making ‘Crime a Crime Again’ After Standing Up for Trump at Courthouse