Mark Meadows is demanding that his Georgia
election racketeering case be dismissed due to the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. Constitution, according to court records revealed by investigative reporter Zach Merchant. Meadows' attorneys requested Monday an evidentiary hearing to discuss his argument in the Fulton County court where he and former President
Donald Trump face multiple criminal charges linked to the 2020 presidential election, according to the Atlanta
NBC affiliate reporter's post . Trump's former
White House chief of staff previously asked that his case be moved to federal court but was turned down. His new argument claims the Constitution mandates state law not interfere with federal law. ALSO READ: No, Donald Trump, fraud is not protected by the First Amendment The filing begins by saying that the timeline for the
Supreme Court to take up his case hasn't yet expired, so it's still possible that the High Court could overrule the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals refusal to move Meadows' case to federal court. Merchant also noted that Meadows' filing goes on to claim that the same Supremacy Clause "makes him immune to the Fulton election interference charges." Meadows pleaded not guilty to two felony charges linked to his involvement in an alleged attempt to toss the 2020 election results in Georgia, court records show. His strategy continues to be pressing for his case to be removed to federal court due to his position, rebutting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' contention that he broke state laws. This argument does not pass muster with legal analyst Andrew Weissmann, who compared Meadows to a hypothetical federal employee accused of robbing a bank. Weissmann argued that employee would not be charged in federal court because they had effectively broken state law. ALSO READ: A criminologist explains why Judge Cannon must step away from Trump trial immediately Former President Donald Trump has said very little publicly about the Israel-Hamas War, and the little he has said — calling on Israel to "finish up your war" — could be interpreted a number of ways, either escalating or de-escalating hostilities in Gaza. But some pro-Israel conservatives, including some in Israel, are concerned that Trump might be signaling his support for their cause is wavering, the
New York Times reported Monday. "There is no getting around the division between Mr. Trump and congressional
Republicans, who seem to be competing to see who can more ostentatiously demonstrate support for Mr. Netanyahu’s government. They are flying to Israel to meet with Mr. Netanyahu, planning to invite him to address
Congress and generally urging Israel to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to annihilate Hamas," reported Jonathan Swan. "In contrast, Mr. Trump’s hedging commentary to Israel Hayom is only the latest in a long line of public statements he has made to undercut Mr. Netanyahu, whom he has still not forgiven for congratulating Mr. Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. In 2021, Mr. Trump told the Axios journalist Barak Ravid that he had concluded that Mr. Netanyahu 'never wanted peace' with the
Palestinians." For his part, Trump did previously say he was committed to Israel in the war, and his spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, rejected any interpretation Trump is urging withdrawal from
Gaza, saying he “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself and eliminate the terrorist threat.” But some Israelis are not convinced, according to the report. Right-wing settler Ariel Kahana reportedly said “Both U.S. presidential candidates, Biden and Trump, are turning their rhetorical backs on Israel," according to the Times report. When Trump was previously in office, his administration brokered a series of deals with Arab states known as the Abraham Accords, effectively settling various other diplomatic disputes in their favor in return for recognizing the
Israeli state despite the lack of resolution on Palestinian status — something many Arab countries had vowed never to do for decades. CONTINUE READING Show less The prosecutor in former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money case Monday demanded a stricter gag order to clamp down on his "dangerous, violent, and reprehensible rhetoric," court records show. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed his motion to
New York City Justice Juan Merchan, whose daughter has been the subject of repeated attacks from Trump on his
Social Media site Truth Social, according to court records . "[Trump's] dangerous, violent, and reprehensible rhetoric fundamentally threatens the integrity of these proceedings and is intended to intimidate witnesses and trial participants alike—including this Court," Bragg wrote. ALSO READ: No, Donald Trump, fraud is not protected by the First Amendment "This Court can and should clarify or extend the Order to protect family members of the Court on the record described below, and should warn defendant that any future disregard of the Order will result in
sanctions." Bragg's demand comes after Trump's attorneys argued Merchan's daughter was fair game for character attacks because she had engaged in political speech, noted reporter Adam Klasfield, among the first to spot the new filing. "But Bragg calls this a 'fig leaf' and a 'fiction,' rejected by a state judicial ethics committee last year," Klasfield wrote . Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, is slated to see his trial begin in mid-April, court records show. Bragg contends Trump illegally funneled cash to adult film star
Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. This is one of three criminal court cases Trump faces linked to charges of election interference, the other two pertaining to his actions between the 2020 presidential election and Jan. 6, 2021. On Monday, Bragg rebutted the former president's claim that his social media attacks were his constitutional right. ""Defendant’s claim of a constitutional right to levy personal attacks on family members is as disturbing as it is wrong," Bragg wrote. CONTINUE READING Show less Shares in former President Donald Trump's Truth Social plunged this Monday after news broke that the company behind the platform lost more than $58 million in 2023 while generating very little revenue — seemingly confirming warnings from experts who said the company's multibillion-dollar valuation didn't make sense. According to a report from
CNN , Truth Social's revenue dropped 39 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter to just $751,500 -- "not what investors want to see from any start-up, especially one valued at these levels." Unsurprisingly, Trump's critics on X jumped at the news. "This is what a 'bloodbath' looks like," wrote podcaster Matthew Sheffield, referring to Trump's controversial comments during a speech last week. Also read:
China spreads MAGA conspiracy theories on faked social media accounts: report "GREAT NEWS," wrote
Democratic influencer Jon Cooper. "The price of $DJT is plummeting faster than a rat down a drainpipe. I don’t feel the least bit sorry for the MAGAt suckers who bought Truth Social stock — how about you?" "It’s a sinkhole and a non-start of a startup," wrote journalist Kara Swisher. "And an obvious scheme to pump money to Trump ." According to Trump's niece Mary Trump, there is "no universe in which a company with annual revenue of $4.1 million in revenue and LOST $58 million in one year is worth $10 billion." "The Trump media merger with Digital World Acquisition was meant to be a massive infusion of cash to Donald--a gift masquerading as an investment," she wrote on X. In a post to X, journalist Bill Grueskin assured his followers that the drop in shares was not an April Fool's joke. "Never want to hear another word about how Donald Trump is a 'good businessman,'" wrote Biden delegate Victor Shi. "His Truth Social company lost $58 million in a year & its stock is now in complete free fall. He owes hundreds of millions because he’s a fraudster & cheater. Everything Trump touches dies." CONTINUE READING Show less