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‘Trump Just Found Out the Hard Way’: Legal Experts Say ‘Big Win for DOJ’ in Case Surrounding Executive Privilege Claim

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A federal judge on Thursday, under seal, ruled a former top aide to Vice President Mike Pence cannot invoke executive privilege and must testify before a grand jury in a criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

“Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that former Pence chief of staff Marc Short probably possessed information important to the Justice Department’s criminal investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol that was not available from other sources,” The Washington Post reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

That sealed decision “could clear the way for other top Trump White House officials to answer questions before a grand jury,” without being able to claim executive privilege.

READ MORE: Critics Again Forced to Remind ‘Complete Sycophant’ Mike Pence Trump ‘Wanted to See You Hanged by a Violent Mob’

Marc Short reportedly testified on Thursday after the judge’s ruling, and was filmed later in the day leaving a federal courthouse.

Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti, commenting on the judge’s ruling, says, “Trump just found out the hard way that trying to delay grand jury proceedings is very difficult to do.”

“His privilege arguments were clear losers under existing law, so it’s not surprising that he lost quickly,” Mariotti added.

READ MORE: Pence Chief of Staff Made Decision on Masks That Paved the Way for Them to Be Politicized – Leading to Massive Death

“The path now appears clear for ⁦@TheJusticeDept to put former Trump White House aides in the grand jury and question them about matters on which they previously asserted Executive Privilege,” commented former federal prosecutor David Laufman, who once served as chief of the DOJ National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

“Big win for DOJ,” he added.

“Significant win for DOJ that could apply to other cases too,” says former assistant attorney general for New York state Tristan Snell, who successfully prosecuted the Trump University case.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Senate Run Just Became Much More Likely

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal and loyal allies, has for weeks been eyeing a Senate run aimed at unseating freshman Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff—one of the GOP’s top 2026 targets.

On Monday, that Senate run became far more viable for the Georgia GOP congresswoman, as the top potential Republican candidate, Governor Brian Kemp, reportedly has decided to not run.

The right-wing Daily Caller website had reported that Greene was “seriously considering a run for Senate in 2026,” and reportedly “believes she would ‘crush’ the GOP primary contest if the governor were to pass on the contest.”

Politico on Monday reported that Governor Kemp “will not run for Senate in 2026, according to three people familiar with his decision.”

And despite Greene being a “divisive” candidate, Politico noted that “Ossoff is still likely to face a difficult race in a historically conservative state that President Donald Trump carried last November.”

It appears Greene has wasted no time fundraising—and no time attacking Ossoff.

READ MORE: ‘Don’t Gaslight Families’: Backlash as GOP Defends ‘Shared Sacrifice’ of Christmas Shortages

In an email to supporters, Greene called the award-winning Senator Ossoff a “Radical Transgender Activist.” She has been attacking the transgender community for years.

She also attacked the “globalist billionaires.” As The Forward’s senior political reporter Jacob N. Kornbluh notes, Ossoff is Jewish.

Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill added that in addition to Greene, there are at least five other potential GOP candidates, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Earlier on Monday, Greene warned that Republicans are on track to “lose the midterms,” as Raw Story reported.

Punchbowl News’ Mica Soellner late Monday afternoon added that Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appears to see Greene as the GOP’s candidate to run against Ossoff.

“Why is the Republican Party stuck with Marjorie Taylor Greene as their candidate for the United States Senate seat in Georgia? … because Donald Trump and House Republicans are on the run,” he reportedly said.

See the social media post above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Maoist’ ‘Soviet’ ‘Communist’: As Trumpism 2.0 Takes Shape, Experts Endeavor to Define It

 

Image via Shutterstock

 

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‘Don’t Gaslight Families’: Backlash as GOP Defends ‘Shared Sacrifice’ of Christmas Shortages

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Many Republican members of Congress are now backing President Donald Trump’s reversal of his 2024 campaign promise to lower consumer prices “on day one,” embracing instead a new era of “shared sacrifice” as his global tariff war drives up costs and threatens the availability—and affordability—of goods.

U.S. Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) is facing criticism for going all-in on promoting Trump’s tariffs and the administration’s claim that “shared sacrifice” is necessary to move the U.S. economy to one centered on manufacturing.

“The president who had promised in his inaugural address that ‘the Golden Age of America begins right now’ was all of a sudden suggesting that ‘there will be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that,'” wrote Politico magazine‘s Jeff Greenfield last month. “Trump’s economic team also chimed in; his Treasury secretary said the economy might need a ‘detox’ period, while his billionaire Commerce secretary said a recession would be ‘worth it’ (and also that his mother-in-law would not mind missing her Social Security check).”

On Monday, Congressman Joyce told CNN (video below), “you know, look, anybody who’s ever chased the one of these dolls, the American Girl doll or the chubby ones that were a big one, in my —”

READ MORE: ‘Maoist’ ‘Soviet’ ‘Communist’: As Trumpism 2.0 Takes Shape, Experts Endeavor to Define It

“Cabbage Patch Kids,” Dana Bash offered.

“Yes, yes, thank you, Cabbage Patch—when my kids were little—know what an important Christmas event that is,” Joyce explained. “But obviously, you know, this doesn’t stop and start overnight. And so the idea that the Christmas trade is already starting to slow down the progress, and there might be less around, I get it. I think American people will understand that, because American people understand shared sacrifice.”

“But what needs to be explained to them is that China has been eating our lunch.”

“If you ever go back and look after World War II, they’ve slowly but surely stolen all of our steel industry by undercutting us. Spring wire, everything they’ve done, they’ve stolen our technology that’s gone over.”

He described China as “the enemy.”

Critics are blasting Ohio Republican.

“Shared sacrifice?” asked investment banker Evaristus Odinikaeze. “Trump hoards luxury golf clubs while telling kids they don’t need dolls. This isn’t wartime rationing, it’s economic mismanagement and manufactured austerity dressed up as discipline. Don’t gaslight families struggling to afford basic joys. This is unconscionable!”

“WE AREN’T AT WAR!” declared veteran activist and podcaster Fred Wellman. “This is all self inflicted.”

READ MORE: ‘What Drunk on Power Looks Like’: Trump Goes on Attack in Wild Rants

Entrepreneur and community activist Ann Yarko Orner wrote: “I was told for years that the government telling us what we could and could not have was tyranny by the Republican Party. One of the reasons, I joined the party. Now Republicans sound like Communists. Reagan would be appalled.”

Dawn Smart, CEO of Doré Designs, wrote: “When the bread lines start (Russia during 70’s and 80’s) they will be telling us it’s shared sacrifice again. Never let MAGA call the Dems communists again because what we have happening right now is communism. Unless we act soon, our lives will be very different.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Absolutely No Clue’: Trump Roasted Over Unique Declaration of Independence Interpretation

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‘What Drunk on Power Looks Like’: Trump Goes on Attack in Wild Rants

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President Donald Trump continued his efforts to concentrate and consolidate power, launching attacks on Harvard University, The Federal Reserve Bank, and on “The Democrats,” including Democratic U.S. representatives who have called for the House to impeach him. Critics, including legal experts, are once again sounding alarms.

In a largely false missive, President Trump attempted to pressure the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, once again threatening the independence of the 112-year-old institution that sets and implements monetary policy.

The President also declared he is removing the tax exempt status from Harvard University, established 389 years ago, making it the oldest higher education institution in the country. Trump’s reason: “It’s what they deserve!

And, in another, lengthy broadside, Trump lashed out at his political opponents, declaring Democrats “are really out of control,” and claiming they “have lost everything, especially their minds!”

READ MORE: Democrats Call for Hegseth’s Ouster After Trump Demotes National Security Advisor

Trump alleged that Democrats have “two ‘No Name,’ little respected Congressmen, total Whackjobs both, throwing the ‘Impeachment’ of DONALD J. TRUMP around, for about the 20th time, even though they have no idea for what I would be Impeached.”

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) introduced seven articles of impeachment that, he said in a statement include “a sweeping abuse of power, flagrant violations of the Constitution, and acts of tyranny that undermine American democracy and threaten the rule of law.”

Among other criticisms, Trump falsely alleged he had to clean up, as he described, “the Highest Inflation in our Country’s History.” Under President Biden, the highest inflation was 9.1%, less than half the highest inflation in recorded U.S. history, and far lower than at other times the U.S. has experienced.

Trump ended that complaint with this threatening statement about Democrats:

“These are total LOWLIFES, who hate our Country, and everything it stands for. Perhaps we should start playing this game on them, and expel Democrats for the many crimes that they have committed — And these are REAL crimes. Remember, ‘Shifty’ Adam Schiff demanded a Pardon, and they had to use the power of the Auto Pen, and a Full Pardon, for him and the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, to save them from Expulsion, and probably worse!”

In calling for the Fed to lower interest rates, Trump made this claim:

“Gasoline just broke $1.98 a Gallon, lowest in years, groceries (and eggs!) down, energy down, mortgage rates down, employment strong, and much more good news, as Billions of Dollars pour in from Tariffs. Just like I said, and we’re only in a TRANSITION STAGE, just getting started!!! Consumers have been waiting for years to see pricing come down. NO INFLATION, THE FED SHOULD LOWER ITS RATE!!! DJT”

READ MORE: ‘Absolutely No Clue’: Trump Roasted Over Unique Declaration of Independence Interpretation

According to AAA, which published the national average price of gas daily, Friday’s average is $3.18. The price of groceries overall has risen since Trump took office, egg prices at the retail level remain high. Trump repeatedly promised to lower the cost of “groceries” on “day one.” More than 100 days later, he still has not.

Mortgage rates have dropped over the past two weeks, according to the Associated Press, and employment remains strong, but a CBS News fact check published this week refutes most of the claims Trump made.

Political and legal experts sharply criticized President Trump, with many singling out his attack on Harvard as especially egregious.

“That’s blatantly illegal,” wrote New York Times columnist David French, a conservative, about Trump’s attack on Harvard. “Every American who cares about free speech should find this revolting. Is this a power we want to give presidents?”

“This is the President using the IRS to punish people for free speech,” noted former Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer, also responding to Trump’s Harvard attack.

“This is what fascist do,” added The Atlantic’s Dr. Norman Ornstein, the well-known political scientist.

“Trump’s directive to the IRS to revoke Harvard’s tax exempt nonprofit status is clearly unlawful,” wrote U.S, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). “It can’t be done without legitimate cause and the courts will not allow it to happen. But it goes directly to Trump’s attempt to crush dissent and his war against free speech and academic freedom. Any institution of higher learning who he disagrees with and who refuses to bow down to his views he will try to destroy. That is un-American and undemocratic and we must not allow it to happen.”

Professor of Law and former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance, the well-known MSNBC legal analyst, responding to Trump’s Harvard threat, added: “This is what drunk on power looks like. It’s why we don’t have kings. (Also, he’ll lose in court if he follows through).”

READ MORE: ‘Out of Order!’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Triggers Shouting Match Between Comer and Top Dem

 

Image via Reuters

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