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‘Outlandish and Feral’: Trump Plans to Turn DC Trial Into Conspiracy-Fueled Reality TV Show

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Donald Trump is planning to turn his federal 2020 election subversion case into a campaign-style conspiracy-theory-fueled reality TV show filled with falsehoods about the “deep state,” Nancy Pelosi, January 6, Antifa, the FBI, and even his former attorneys – and he’s demanding it be televised.

One person with knowledge of the plans called it a “MAGA freak show,” according to Rolling Stone‘s exclusive reporting. The items Trump and his attorneys have been discussing and planning include:

“Attempts to drag Nancy Pelosi into court to berate her on the stand and, hopefully, on live TV. Claims that the Jan. 6 Capitol attack was an FBI frame job, with an assist from Antifa. Conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was indeed ‘stolen,’ supposedly backed up by still-classified documents. Unhinged assertions that President Joe Biden is now secretly, personally orchestrating an unprecedented act of political persecution. Calls to publicly unmask the federal officials and lawyers investigating the former (and perhaps future) president of the United States. Efforts to blame any illegality on some of the ex-president’s closest confidants and former legal allies. Insinuations of election meddling by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.”

READ MORE: ‘Video Voyeurism’: Police Expand Investigation Into Embattled GOP Chair Accused of Rape

Rolling Stone calls the defense strategy, “outlandish and feral, even by Trumpland standards, to the point that it’s baffling some of the ex-president’s former lawyers and senior administration officials. One person with knowledge of these strategic and legal discussions bluntly describes the plans as a blueprint for staging a ‘MAGA freak show’ at Trump’s federal election subversion trial.”

The ex-president is facing four federal felony charges in the D.C. case, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights, which NPR reports “refers to Trump and his co-conspirators alleged attempts to ‘oppress, threaten and intimidate’ people in their right to vote in an election.”

Former top Trump attorney Tim Parlatore, who has represented far-right Christian nationalist GOP lawmaker and conspiracy theorist Doug Mastriano, spoke to Rolling Stone.

“From what I can tell — as an outside observer and former member of Donald Trump’s legal team — about how the trial strategy is taking shape, all I can say is: It is a terrible idea to try to use a criminal trial to stage a political campaign ad,” Parlatore said. “That would be incredibly detrimental to the client.”

“It is also a surefire way for you to quickly alienate jurors, particularly when you’re dealing with a jury pool like Washington, D.C.’s,” Parlatore added. “If I were still on the team, that is not how I would be doing it.”

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is also prosecuting the government’s case against Trump on his alleged unlawful removal and refusal to return classified and top secret documents, is opposed to televising the proceedings.

“Smith’s team has warned that Trump and his legal team are requesting camera access because they want ‘to create a carnival atmosphere from which he hopes to profit by distracting, like many fraud defendants try to do, from the charges against him.'”

READ MORE: ‘The People Closest to Him’: Republicans Question Trump’s Mental Health, Reporter Says

“It is clear the [former] president would like to turn the trial into a campaign ad as much as he can,” a source “who has legally advised Trump in recent years,” told Rolling Stone. “I mentioned to him that cameras in the courtroom is not what you’d want to do in a case like this. But he and his team see it very, very differently than I do, unfortunately… [Based on what I know], I think they’re going to make it feel like reality TV.”

Former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb told Rolling Stone, “It’s not gonna work.”

“Trump and his lawyers, I’m sure, would like to see [the trial] devolve into a chaotic circus, but I don’t think they’re even going to get that… The biggest problem Donald Trump and his lawyers have is that they have no evidence and they have no witnesses… I haven’t seen a single email or document that would be helpful to him… Even if Rudy Giuliani testified for Trump’s defense, Rudy could easily end up making the government’s case for them. So who can they call? They don’t have anybody!”

Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman, writing on the social media site Threads, calls the Trump defense strategy “batshit crazy.”

 

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Homeland Security Shares Christmas Message ‘We Are Blessed To Share a Nation and a Savior’

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While most government offices share generic and secular-leaning Christmas greetings, the Department of Homeland Security shared a video loaded with film clips, nostalgia and religious imagery.

“Merry Christmas, America. We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior,” the account posted on Christmas Eve morning to its X account.

The clip, opens with an on-screen caption reading “Remember the miracle of Christ’s birth,” which is then replaced by a caption reading “Celebrate our homeland.” The clip starts with an image of the U.S. flag, which then goes into children walking in the snow, a Christmas party on a yacht, and Christmas-themed tchotchkes. It then cuts to a montage appearing to be of home movies from the 1950s or 60s of families celebrating Christmas. The home movie footage progresses through the ages—including a ’90s kid wearing a Sub Pop Records “Loser” t-shirt.

READ MORE: ‘Draconian and Brutal’: Trump to Rescind Ban on ICE Arrests in Schools, Hospitals, Churches

From there, it progresses into a montage of pop culture clips and television broadcasts, including National Lampoon’s Christmas VacationA Charlie Brown Christmas and the Rankin-Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Past news clips of President Donald Trump are also shown, including a news story from the 80s identifying him as a real estate developer and his Home Alone 2 cameo. The entire thing ends with footage from the moon landing, and a message from the Apollo 8 astronauts wishing the world a Merry Christmas. The video adds a shadow of Santa and his reindeer flying across the Earth it’s safe to say was not in the original footage.

Oddly, despite the call to “celebrate our homeland,” not all the media included is American. A clip of the Mr. Bean Christmas episode from the United Kingdom appears, and it’s all set to a 2003 English-language remix of “Christmas Eve” by Tatsuro Yamashita, a Japanese musician known as the King of City Pop. The original version of “Christmas Eve” was a massive hit in 1983, and continued appearing on the Japanese charts for the next 35 years.

As Homeland Security and ICE face accusations of racism and racial profiling, it seems worth mentioning that nearly everyone featured in the video—especially in the nostalgic home movies—is white. There are exceptions: Nat King Cole and a Black woman carrying packages appear as well.

The Homeland Security message stands in contrast to other Christmas wishes from governmental accounts. The White House shared a clip from Christmas Vacation, edited so when Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase) turns on his holiday light display, a large “MAGA” appears on the front of the house. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared an AI-generated video titled “Make Santa Healthy Again,” featuring St. Nick working out, and the Department of War plugged the yearly tracking of Santa’s journey by NORAD.

Image via Shutterstock

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Arizona State Senator Proposes Health Study Looking Into ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’

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President Donald Trump and his allies have long accused critics of suffering from the imaginary ailment Trump Derangement Syndrome. Now, an Arizona state senator wants the local health department to conduct a study on the made-up disease.

State Sen. Janae Shamp introduced Senate Bill 1070 on Monday, asking Arizona’s Department of Health Services to “conduct or support research” on TDS, “including its origins, manifestations and long-term effects on individuals, communities and public discourse.” If the bill were passed into law, the department would have a year to submit a report on its findings.

READ MORE: ‘Monstrous’: Trump Blasted for Blaming Rob Reiner’s Death on ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’

Shamp’s bill defines Trump Derangement Syndrome as “a behavioral or psychological phenomenon that is characterized by intense emotional or psychological reactions to Donald J. Trump, his actions or his public presence as observed in individuals or groups.” From there, the bill lays out its reasoning—mainly a laundry list of Trump’s accomplishments, including reducing the corporate tax rate by 14%, eliminating “22 regulations for every new one in 2017”, and “affirming biological truth in federal policy to protect family values.”

“Despite these contributions to America’s prosperity, security 26 and values, ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ (TDS) has emerged since his 2016 campaign,” Shamp wrote.

“TDS has led to significant social harm, with Americans who 33 support President Trump or his policies reporting discrimination, 34 intimidation or ostracism in professional, academic and social settings, 35 further eroding community cohesion,” she added.

The bill borrows heavily from a House bill proposed by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), according to Tucson.com. It is unknown what chances Shamp’s bill has of passing the Arizona Senate; Davidson’s bill died in committee. But even should it pass, it is unlikely to be signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.

When asked if Hobbs would sign the bill, her spokesperson laughed and told a KTVK-TV reporter “You can quote me on that.”

Image via Reuters

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Blue States Join Forces to Sue Health Department Over Anti-Trans Declaration

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Nineteen states, along with the District of Columbia, have joined a lawsuit directed at the Department of Health and Human Services intending to block a recent declaration by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that would stop gender-affirming care for trans youth.

The health department’s declaration came out on December 18, would block puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender affirmation surgery for people under 18, calling them unsafe. The lawsuit is led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who vowed last week to protect transgender youth against Trump administration policies.

“Secretary Kennedy cannot unilaterally change medical standards by posting a document online, and no one should lose access to medically necessary health care because their federal government tried to interfere in decisions that belong in doctors’ offices,” James said Tuesday.

READ MORE: ‘Crazy’: RFK Jr. Is a Top Global Public Health ‘Expert’ Claims Miller, Sparking Mockery

The suit says the HHS is required to solicit public comment before enacting a policy change. While there is a public comment period that ends on February 17, according to the Baltimore Sun, the suit accuses the HHS of using the declaration to enact the new policy immediately.

“Healthcare decisions should be made by doctors and patients — not by politicians in Washington threatening to destroy providers’ careers and spreading fear among transgender youth and their families,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said in a statement. “This isn’t just about following the law — though HHS is clearly violating it. This is about protecting vulnerable young people who deserve the same dignity, respect, and access to medical care as anyone else.”

The eighteen state attorneys general are from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington. They have been joined by the attorney general from the District of Columbia and the governor of Pennsylvania.

The declaration also mentions that the Food and Drug Administration warned the manufacturers of chest binders that it is illegal to market them to children for treating dysphoria. This move has come under fire from said manufacturers who point out that while binders can be used for patients who have had a mastectomy, blocking them from being used for dysphoria is”clearly discrimination.”

Despite leading the HHS, Kennedy has no medical background. Rather, he was an anti-vaccine activist who shared the widely debunked conspiracy theory that the combined mumps, measles and rubella vaccine caused autism. There is no link between the MMR vaccine—or any other vaccine—and autism. Kennedy has also urged the CDC to stop an ad campaign encouraging people to get the flu shot. Under his tenure, a measles outbreak happened in the southwestern U.S., as well as the first measles-related death in a decade. Measles can be prevented by vaccination.

Image via Reuters

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