Donald Trump is purportedly using flattery to help pave the way to freedom. On Thursday, former President
Donald Trump played U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's ardent defender, calling her "highly respected" after she came under criticism by Special Counsel Jack Smith. "Deranged 'Special' Counsel Jack Smith, who has a long record of failure as a prosecutor, including a unanimous decision against him in the U.S.
Supreme Court , should be sanctioned or censured for the way he is attacking a highly respected Judge, Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over his FAKE Documents Hoax case in
Florida," the former president wrote in a post on his
Social Media platform, Truth Social . ALSO READ: 'Outlooks mediocre or worse': Trump Media investors warned off in alarming Forbes analysis Smith's court filing earlier this week beat back Cannon's move to postpone a decision until a jury is impaneled to "rest on an unstated and fundamentally flawed legal premise." Cannon has faced questions of favoritism after she has decided that Trump's motion for dismissal based on a widely panned theory that he had autonomy under the Presidential Records Act (PRA) holds or sinks after a trial begins, thereby nixing any chance for the government to seek remedies because it would create a double-jeopardy situation. Trump, who is the
Republican presumptive nominee in the upcoming
election, is facing three dozen charges involving the mishandling of classified documents that he took with him from the
White House to Mar-a-Lago and for obstruction the government's effort to recover them. He has pleaded not guilty. While appearing on CNN's "Out Front" Alyssa Farah Griffin, who's served as White House Communications Director under President Donald Trump, peeled back Trumpworld's curtain to say that his genuflecting is intentional. "He wants to prejudice the public or his supporters against judges he doesn't like and he wants to make them favorable to the ones that he does [like]," she said. "But also it's a nod to the judge." "I mean, it's very similar to one of his attorneys referring to
Brett Kavanaugh when he's going to be ruling on immunity, saying Trump appointed him so we think he'll be with us." In fact, Griffin said that it's a common move to cozy up to wishful allies. "This is something that they do and kinda put out there publicly in hopes of swaying the judges in their favor," she said. "Now of course, judges should be unbiased; that shouldn't affect them — but that's what he's thinking and saying this." Watch below or click the link here.
New York Attorney General Letitia James wants answers on how former President Donald Trump's bond in the civil fraud case is structured — and she is strategizing multiple avenues to get the information she needs, wrote legal expert Lisa Rubin on X. "Earlier today, the New York Attorney General filed a motion seeking more information about Trump's $175 million bond in their case," wrote Rubin. "But they're also apparently going at the issue sideways as well through a letter sent to Judge Arthur Engoron tonight." "Specifically, that letter asks Engoron to modify his post-trial order concerning the powers and duties of the independent monitor in two ways. One of the AG's requests is that Engoron clarify that the monitor can communicate with any of the parties ex parte -- meaning, without all sides present," wrote Rubin, posting a copy of James' proposed order. ALSO READ: 'Outlooks mediocre or worse': Trump Media investors warned off in alarming Forbes analysis What makes this so significant, Rubin noted, is that the monitor, retired federal judge Barbara Jones, has information about the bond "that is not yet public." "Given that provision, the AG's team could be hedging its bets. Either they'll get information on how the bond is collateralized through their motion for justification of the surety - -or, if Engoron expands the monitor's ability to speak to either party ex parte , they can just ask her for it," Rubin concluded. Trump is on the hook for over $450 million after Judge Engoron found he and his adult sons systematically falsified property valuations in order to manipulate tax liabilities and the terms of loans — but he is appealing it. A state appellate court lowered the bond he had to post to $175 million, after which he managed to get the bond secured by Don Hankey, a billionaire who made his fortune in subprime car loans and was previously investigated by Trump's own administration . CONTINUE READING Show less The No. 3 Democrat in the
Colorado Senate is reportedly seeking treatment for substance abuse related to alcoholism. Assistant Senate Majority Leader Faith Winter made the announcement after she appeared intoxicated this Wednesday during a community hearing, slurring her speech and seeming confused, according to the Colorado Sun . “I deeply regret my behavior last night,” Winter said in a written statement. “I made a mistake and I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience or discomfort I caused. I take full responsibility for my actions and I am committed to making things right. I especially apologize to the city of Northglenn and the citizens that came out — I deeply care about your thoughts and community. I am now under the care of medical professionals and receiving treatment for my substance abuse disorder.” ALSO READ: 'Outlooks mediocre or worse': Trump Media investors warned off in alarming Forbes analysis According to reports, concerned colleagues have tried to confront Winter about her drinking and have encouraged her to seek treatment. Winter said she's taking a break from her role as chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee “in order to focus on my health.” “I apologize to anyone who was affected by my actions and I appreciate your understanding,” she said. “Thank you for respecting me and my family’s privacy at this time.” Winter was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease which she said “led to the development of pulmonary hypertension and put incredible stress on my heart.” In September, she suffered a serious head injury and had to undergo surgery after an accident while riding her bike. In a post to her X account, she said she crashed into a curb while trying to “avoid being hit by a large truck.” With about a month left to go in Colorado’s 2024 legislative session, it's not clear how her treatment will conflict with her duties as a lawmaker. CONTINUE READING Show less Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is reportedly scrambling to hold off a formidable challenge for his seat from the left. The politician appeared on
Fox News "Hannity" on Wednesday, pleading for financial reinforcements after claiming that he's being outpaced in fundraising to notch a third term. "The
Democrats are coming after me, they are gonna spend more than $100 million this year, George Soros is already spending millions of dollars in the state of Texas,” he told the host
Sean Hannity, and first reported by Rolling Stone . “My opponent, a liberal Democrat named Colin Allred, is out raising Beto O’Rourke, my last opponent, 3 to 1. They are flooding millions of dollars into
Texas — and the reason is simple. You remember my last reelection, it was a 3-point race. I won by 2.6 percent.” READ ALSO: No, Donald Trump, fraud is not protected by the First Amendment Texas has notoriously remained red ever since 1976, when Jimmy Carter won a single term . Cruz's bid for staying in D.C. is going to have to best former
NFL player and current U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), who breezed to victory last month in Texas’
Democratic Senate primary. After claiming victory, Allred took a shot at his Republican rival. "The fundamental reason that democracy works is that people elect leaders to represent them and their interests, try to fix things for them, not look out for themselves," he said . "We've had enough of that with Ted Cruz." The senator was already trying to tamp down controversy involving iHeartMedia doling a $630,850 payment to the Cruz-affiliated super PAC, Truth and Courage . The substantial offering raised ethics questions as to whether it was an "unlawful contribution" since it's possible that Cruz solicited donations of over $5,000 to his PAC, which would be illegal. A spokesperson for Cruz responded to the accusations, telling The Houston Chronicle that Cruz appears on his podcast multiple "times a week for free." Watch the video below or click the link. CONTINUE READING Show less