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‘If I Leave They Win’: Santos Claims ‘Bullying’ at Off the Rails Press Conference

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U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who will face his third expulsion vote on Friday, stood outside the U.S. Capitol in 31 degree weather before cameras and microphones at a press conference he called to again declare he will not resign despite being indicted on 23 federal criminal charges and after an Ethics Committee report found “overwhelming evidence” he used campaign funds for luxury clothing, Botox, rent, and an OnlyFans account.

“I know you’ve been getting get this question a lot but if it’s really truly a distraction for the institution, why not just resign?” a reporter Thursday morning asked the embattled congressman as a garbage truck drove behind him.

“Because if I leave they win,” Santos replied, appearing to choke up.

“If I leave the bullies take place. This is bullying,” the freshman lawmaker declared, complaining that the Republican chair of the Ethics Committee filed a resolution to expel but gave him two weeks to resign before the resolution will be called and voted on.

RELATED: How Mike Johnson Spent the Day Protecting Mike Johnson

“The reality of it is it’s all theater, theater for the cameras and theater for the microphones. Theater for the American people at the expense of the American people because no real work’s getting done,” Santos lamented.

The New York congressman has sponsored a variety of bills, including the “Drain the Intelligence Community Swamp Act of 2023,” the “CCP Virus Reimbursement For States Act of 2023,” and a bill “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make alimony deductible.”

Rep. Santos was elected to Congress after fraudulently portraying his background to voters in Queens and Long Island, New York. He was indicted on charges including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, identity theft, and lying to Congress. On Thursday he implied the federal charges he is facing, supported and expanded upon by the extensive Ethics Committee report, are “mere allegations.” He pleaded not guilty and has denied the charges.

During his press conference Santos also vowed to file a resolution to expel U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman. The New York Democrat pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after pulling a fire alarm he said he thought would open a closed door he was trying to use so he could vote. Santos likened that action to the hundreds of people who have been arrested, charged, and pleaded guilty or were convicted for their actions at the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection.

RELATED: Johnson Suggests Santos May Resign – Will Indicted Congressman Try to Burn the House Down First?

He also warned if he is expelled, other members of Congress could face a similar fate. Santos recently accused unnamed members of Congress of infidelity, having sexual relationships with lobbyists, and voting under the influence.

Watch Santos’ remarks below or at this link.

 

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JD Vance Dismisses Taylor Swift’s Harris Endorsement: Voters Won’t Be Influenced by ‘Disconnected Billionaire’

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Senator JD Vance (R-OH) dismissed Taylor Swift’s endorsement of the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz campaign, saying that it wouldn’t sway voters because they wouldn’t be “influenced by a billionaire celebrity.”

Vance appeared Wednesday afternoon on Fox News’ The Story With Martha MacCallum. MacCallum brought up Swift’s endorsement in her interview with the vice presidential candidate.

But it was interesting last night, that Taylor Swift gave her endorsement of Harris and and Walz right after [the debate]. She has 283 million followers on Instagram, and I’m sure that someone brought your attention that she signed it ‘Childless Cat Lady.’ This is a phrase that you are going to hear in your in your dreams and your nightmares, probably for many years to come. How do you speak to women voters, who, obviously, care about what she thinks?,” MacCallum said.

READ MORE: Trump Refuses Debate ‘Rematch’, Says Harris ‘Was Beaten Badly’

“Well, look, we admire Taylor Swift’s music. But I don’t think most Americans—whether they like her music, are fans of hers or not—are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity, who, I think, is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans. Look, when grocery prices go up by 20%, it hurts most Americans. It doesn’t hurt Taylor Swift. When housing prices become unaffordable, it doesn’t affect Taylor Swift or any other billionaire. It does affect middle class Americans all over our country,” Vance replied.

Swift announced her endorsement of the Harris campaign last night shortly after the debate on Instagram. Alongside a photo by Inez & Vinoodh of her cuddling a fluffy cat, she urged fans to research the candidates. She also called out former President Donald Trump and his fans sharing AI-generated pictures appearing to show Swift endorsing him.

“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth,” Swift wrote.

“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades,” she continued.

She did indeed sign the caption “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady,” in reference to a comment Vance made in 2021 that the country was run by “childless cat ladies” like Harris who “want to make the rest of the country miserable too.” The quote was resurfaced shortly after Vance was named Trump’s running mate. Vance says the remark was “sarcastic” and “willfully misinterpreted” by Democrats, according to The Hill. Harris has two stepchildren.

As for Swift’s net worth, she is indeed a billionaire with $1.1 billion, according to Forbes. The same outlet places Trump’s net worth at $7.5 billion. The majority of that is due to Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social. However, Trump Media has been losing money recently, causing Trump to fall off Bloomberg’s list of the top 500 wealthiest people.

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Asif Merchant Faces Additional Terrorism Charge In Hitman Plot to Kill Politicians

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asif merchant

Asif Merchant faces additional terrorism charges over a plan to hire hitmen to kill government officials or politicians, according to a new indictment filed Tuesday.

Merchant was initially arrested in July for the assassination plot. Originally, Merchant was only charged with murder for hire. The new indictment keeps the murder for hire charge, and adds one count of attempt to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Merchant is from Pakistan, but has ties to Iran, the Department of Justice says.

“The Justice Department will not tolerate Iran’s efforts to target our country’s public officials and endanger our national security,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.  “As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against Americans.”

The Department of Justice says that he flew from Iran to America in April, and reached out to someone he thought could help him find someone to kill either politicians or government officials. That person reported him to law enforcement.

In June, he allegedly met up with the person again to discuss the plot, and confirmed he intended to orchestrate a chain of assassinations in the United States. Merchant asked the person to put him in contact with potential hitmen who would also be tasked with stealing information from targets, planning protests at political events and, ultimately committing the assassination at the end of summer, the DOJ says.

READ MORE: Leaders of White Supremacist Group Terrorgram Charged, Face Up to 220 Years in Prison

Merchant was put into contact with undercover FBI agents posing as criminals. He paid them $5,000 in cash on June 21, and when one of the undercover agents said “Now we know we’re going forward. We’re doing this,” Merchant replied in the affirmative.

Merchant stayed in the U.S. for another three weeks, booking a July 12 flight out of the country. The day he was scheduled to leave, he was arrested.

The complaint doesn’t mention any names of potential targets, but a senior law enforcement official told NBC News in August that former President Donald Trump was a potential target. Iran was said to be plotting to kill Trump in revenge for the assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, NBC reported.

Merchant faces a life sentence if he’s convicted of the charges. The case is being heard in the Eastern District of New York.

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Trump Media Stock Price Hits Lowest Point Since Last November Following Debate

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The stock price for former President Donald Trump’s company Trump Media has fallen to its lowest point in nearly a year the day following his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

As of Wednesday morning at 11:00 eastern time, shares of Trump Media were trading at $15.96, according to CNBC. The last time the stock was that low was on November 14, when shares traded at $15.925 at close of business. The stock price has been declining since July 17’s high of $37.38.

That high is not quite half of the stock’s peak price this year on March 26, when the stock hit a high of $66.22 per share. That day had the highest stock price since less than a month after the launch of the company, when shares hit an all-time high of $97.54 at close on March 6, 2022. Trump Media & Technology Group was founded on February 8 of that year.

READ MORE: Parallels Between Trump Media Loans and Infamous Trump Tower Meeting Drawn by Reporter

Trump Media’s biggest asset is the social media platform Truth Social. Since the beginning of the company, it has promised to have a television streaming service, TMTG+, however it’s yet to materialize. Promises of some form of Trump TV network have circled since 2016, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was expected to win the presidential election, according to NBC News.

Given the company’s small portfolio, many have seen the stock like buying stock in Trump personally, according to CNN. The NASDAQ ticker symbol is even DJT after his initials, rather than TMTG, the initials of the company’s full name. And some stock experts have pinned its success on Trump’s own success in November’s election.

“I think if he loses, he has to sell and DJT goes to $1. If he wins, he doesn’t sell and DJT can make a run for it,” Tuttle Capital Management CEO Matthew Tuttle told CNN.

Trump has $2.3 billion in Trump Media stock, however, he’s been unable to sell it, due to a lock-up period. But that period will expire in two weeks, according to CNN. But if he sells off his shares, it could cause the stock to fall even further.

“It would be all but impossible for Trump to liquidate his whole stake or even a third of it without completely tanking the stock price,” Michael Ohlrogge, associate professor of law at the New York University School of Law, told CNN.

This year has been particularly tough for Trump Media. This April, the stock’s woes led to Trump falling off Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index of the richest 500 people in the world, according to Fortune. The company has also faced lawsuits from the company’s co-founders, Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss, according to the Washington Post, who were in turn sued by Trump, NBC News reported.

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