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Trump’s ‘revenge’ meltdown plans leak for White House Correspondents’ Dinner: report



President Donald Trump is preparing to throw a scripted tantrum at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year, reported The Daily Beast on Wednesday.

"Donald Trump will launch a 'revenge' attack on the White House media when he confronts them in person at a Washington dinner on Saturday night — then flee before there can be revenge," said the report. "He is expected to target publications that he has accused of writing negatively about his administration and his war with Iran, in particular, according to sources."

This would track with his recent rants on Truth Social, where he has accused of the media of rigging reports about the Iran war to make it look like it's going worse than it actually is.

After he is done with his speech, said the report, he is skipping on the rest of the ceremony — in large part because he doesn't want to stick around for an award being given to a story that revealed his closeness to deceased financier and accused child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

"Trump will leave the White House Correspondents’ Association event after making his speech, so he will miss the presentation of press awards — one of which would be certain to embarrass him," said the report. "He has told aides he has no intention of still being in the International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton when the Wall Street Journal is honored with the Katherine Graham award for its scoop about a bawdy letter Trump allegedly wrote for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday card."

The president sued WSJ over that reporting, alleging that the birthday letter was not authentic. This month, a federal judge tossed out that suit.

‘Massive cover up’ fears raised as House panel splits on clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell



Ghislaine Maxwell's condition to testify under oath — but only under the condition of clemency — has split House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members over whether President Donald Trump should grant her that pardon, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) told Politico on Wednesday.

Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator, was deposed by the committee and invoked her Fifth Amendment right to decline to answer the group's questions. Trump is the only one with the power to pardon her, something he has not yet ruled out.

Comer told Politico that he did not favor a pardon for Maxwell, a former confidant to the late financier and convicted child sex offender. When asked whether striking a deal with Maxwell could provide useful testimony, Comer did not share who on the panel supported granting her clemency.

"A lot of people do," Comer said.

"My committee’s split on that," Comer said. "I don’t speak for my committee."

"I think it looks bad," he added. "Honestly, other than Epstein, the worst person in this whole investigation is Maxwell."

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said that Democrats on the committee collectively oppose a pardon for Maxwell.

"That would be a huge step backwards, and, quite frankly, so disrespectful to the survivors," he said in an interview. "She is a known abuser. She is a known liar."

"If the DOJ or Oversight Republicans are out there trying to negotiate some sort of pardon that is... not only a huge slap in the face to this investigation, to anyone, to the American public," Garcia said. "It’s a part of a massive cover up."

‘Wah, wah, wah:’ AOC scoffs at GOP whining over gerrymandering



WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, had strong words for Republicans complaining about the gerrymandering in Virginia that voters approved on Tuesday, with strong support from her party.

"Wah, wah, wah," Ocasio-Cortez told Raw Story on Wednesday, mimicking a whining baby and laughing in response to a question from reporter Matt Laslo. "Democrats have attempted and asked Republicans for 10 years to ban partisan gerrymandering, and for 10 years, Republicans have said, 'no.'"

Laslo was asking Ocasio-Cortez to respond to complaints from the GOP that it would be unconstitutional for Democrats to have a 10-1 congressional majority in Virginia, which the gerrymandering ballot measure would make possible. A Virginia circuit court judge blocked the vote-approved redistricting on Wednesday, however.

Still, Ocasio-Cortez saw no problem with Democrats supporting gerrymandering after years of opposing it when done on the Republican side. For AOC, the GOP "wanted to start this," and the Democrats are just fighting back.

"What they're mad at is they're accustomed to a Democrat Party that rolls over, doesn't fight and takes everything sitting down," Ocasio-Cortez said. "What they're mad at right now is that we are here in a new day."

She mentioned Republican gerrymandering in North Carolina and Texas, where Democrats lost seats. Trump's call for Texas Republicans to gerrymander arguably kicked off what's now seen as a redistricting arms race.

"We have been asking the Democratic Party to stand up and fight, and now they did," AOC continued. "Now the Republican Party doesn't like the fact that they are fighting against someone who actually will stand up for the American people."

Ocasio-Cortez said she would "welcome" working with the Republicans to pass a ban on partisan gerrymandering.

"We have the bill right here to end this all today," she said, smiling. "But they don't want to because they like pursuing and continuing to enact an unfair electoral landscape."

Lindsey Graham hammered for leaping to defense of MAGA staffer who posted Nazi language



The Trump staffer responsible for posting an image of Trump using Nazi-inspired language about a "unified Reich" has now been identified. It was Natalie Harp, a former One America News anchor who first gained national attention when she falsely claimed at the 2020 GOP convention that Trump cured her cancer, and has become known as the "human printer" for following Trump around with a tiny printing device to feed him stories that make him feel good about himself.

The campaign, for its part, says it was an innocent mistake and Harp didn't see the Nazi language in the video before posting it. And Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of Trump's closest allies in Congress, went out of his way to proclaim he still had confidence in her.

"Natalie Harp is a professional, smart, talented individual who has proven herself to be an asset to President Trump," stated Graham in a post on X. "I have complete confidence in Natalie."

ALSO READ: What Trump's weird WWE Hall of Fame speech tells us about his presidential debate strategy

Commenters on social media were less than impressed — and many simply didn't buy the idea that Harp posted the language by accident in the first place.

"Talented at posting Nazi content?" wrote the account @jayacoop.

"Natalie Harp is a professional, smart, talented fascist who has proven herself to be an asset to the Unified Reich. I have complete confidence in devotion to the Project 2025 cause," wrote the account @DemocracyOn_X_, referring to the infamous plan by pro-Trump academics to remake the federal government into an army of Christian nationalists and MAGA loyalists.

"Only Lindsey Graham would take time to defend someone who is known as the 'human printer' to prove fealty to Trump for the 12,932nd time; while domestic & foreign affairs are in various forms of crisis & neglected by him," wrote former Senate staffer Howard Fineman. "Way to prioritize those taxpayer dollars, Lindsey!"

"Complete confidence as with the guy you accurately predicted would ruin the Republican Party?" wrote the account @kacang_tua, referencing Graham's infamous pre-2016 election tweet that nominating Trump would "destroy" the GOP — a sentiment he went back on as soon as Trump was elected.

"They used the word 'reich,' traitor," wrote the account @Staceyryn. "That’s not a mistake. This junior staffer may take the fall, but we all know you people mean it."

Republicans plan new criminal investigation into Hunter Biden



Republicans in the House are eyeing a new attack on President Joe Biden's son.

According to Fox's congressional reporter Chad Pergram, GOP members are saying Hunter Biden delivered "falsehoods" while giving a deposition to Congress during an impeachment hearing involving his father, and they are seeking a criminal referral to the Justice Department.

Read Also: Hunter Biden wants to testify openly — but Republicans won’t let him

According to the Fox report, House Ways and Means Committee chair Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) says Biden "mischaracterized" his role working for his own firm, Rosemont Seneca. Biden said that he didn't "control" the bank accounts for the company and they were not "affiliated with him."

The company was co-owned by Biden and associate Devon Archer. Both men were on the account, Archer claimed.

Since the testimony, Republican Reps. James Comer (KY) and Jim Jordan (OH) claimed Archer delivered damaging testimony that would be important to their impeachment efforts.

The Washington Post characterized Archer's testimony, saying, "Hunter Biden wanted to give the impression he could bend Joe Biden’s will but, in private conversation, he said he couldn’t."

“He was getting paid a lot of money,” Archer said, talking about Biden's connection with the Ukrainian company Burisma, which Biden was on the board of and which is at the center of Republicans' bribery allegations. “And I think, you know, he wanted to show value," Archer went on.

According to Smith, however, Burisma was depositing the pay for Hunter Biden's board membership into their business account.

Smith then claims that foreign wires were "allegedly" transferred from a Porsche dealer "through an entity' used to buy Hunter Biden's car. Under questioning, Hunter Biden was asked about a "corporate secretary," which he said he didn't know existed.

Smith makes it clear that he can't confirm the facts of the accusation. Smith then alleges that when buying the Porsche, Biden confirmed his employment by agreeing, "I, Robert Hunter Biden, hereby certify that I am the duly elected, qualified and acting Secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC."

A board secretary is not the same as a corporate secretary.

The third statement Republicans allege Biden lied about was when he said the phrase, "I’d never pick up the phone and call anybody for a visa."

Smith said that there was an email they "obtained" between Archer, Biden and a Ukrainian associate about Burisma's CEO having his visa revoked and other limitations on his foreign travel.

The email from Archer reads: "Considering we are having dinner with the Foreign Minister Thursday night, we think we might have a good shot of smoothing things out. As follow up please sent Hunter an email with all [his] passport and visa documents and evidence and copy me. We'll take it from there."

Smith says that Archer and Biden passing off the information was the same as "picking up the phone" to "call anybody for a visa."

Finally, Smith claims that Biden lied about WhatsApp messages to a Chinese business associate, Raymond Zhao, saying that he had messaged the wrong Zhao when he sent it. Smith claims Biden is lying because there is no other Zhao in Biden's phone.

See the full report here.

‘Republican civil war’: Details surface of GOP lawmaker’s massive retaliation campaign



The Texas Republican Party is in the middle of a purge of its own membership, at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott — and out-of-state donors, according to a new report.

The Texas Republican governor, after a group of state legislators defied him over private school voucher funding, is mounting a campaign of retaliation that sets a new political precedent, Politico reported Wednesday.

"[Abbot] helped knock off seven incumbents in the Republican primary in March and is targeting a handful more contests at the end of the month by handpicking conservative challengers and collecting millions of dollars from donors in Texas and beyond," the report states.

"Another two anti-voucher incumbents lost even though they weren’t specifically blacklisted by Abbott."

Politico reports this turmoil is taking place as "enormous amount of money" pours into Texas Republican primaries from "national pro-school-choice groups."

"Abbott’s targeting of former allies has escalated a Republican civil war that is defining Texas politics today, all in pursuit of enacting a voucher law that stands to remake K-12 education in the nation’s second biggest state," the report states.

ALSO READ: 'Oh, come on!' Tommy Tuberville dismisses Trump connection to 'unified Reich' video

All of this is going on at the same time that scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton is separately targeting lawmakers who voted for his impeachment — including House Speaker Dade Phelan, who has been forced into a runoff to keep his job.

A number of familiar names have contributed to the effort to bump off disloyal GOP lawmakers, noted the report:

"Backed by deep-pocketed conservative figures like former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, the school-choice movement has leveraged Republican majorities in state legislatures across the country to pass laws that provide families with lump sums to spend on private school tuition. The efforts, according to supporters, are meant to bolster parental rights by giving families the financial freedom to choose a different option for schooling their children."

ALSO READ: Delay, delay: Lauren Boebert keeping personal finances secret until after GOP primary

In reality, voucher programs similar to the one proposed in Texas, which have their historical roots in attempts to maintain racial segregation, have broadly failed to improve student outcomes in other states, while worsening inequality and funding issues across the education system.

‘It was to screw me’: Giuliani whines about being hit with 10K bond amid bankruptcy



Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani complained Tuesday after being ordered to put up collateral for a $10,000 secured bond in an Arizona case about "fake electors."

Soon after appearing remotely before a judge in Maricopa County, Giuliani spoke on his podcast about the requirement for a bond as he faces bankruptcy proceedings. Arizona officials alleged Giuliani participated in a scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election with fake electors.

"You don't bring a case like this if you're not crooked," he said of the prosecution. "You got to show I'm a, I'll cheat for Biden too. I mean, you did a pretty damn good job on the election of cheating and the next election too."

"The judge set a $10,000 bail for me because I'm going to run away," he told his audience. "No, it was to screw me because I made it difficult for them to find me."

ALSO READ: Trump campaign allegedly took ‘excessive’ contributions by the nickel and dime

Giuliani disputed the notion that he was challenging to find.

"Now think about the idiocy of it," he said. "I have been prosecuted in Atlanta, I've shown up every time. I'm sued by all kinds of people; I showed up for my trial, where the verdict took place. There's no history of any kind of bail risk."

"So they had to have a $10,000 bail just for punitive reasons," he added. "This, again, proof that this is a completely political prosecution."

Giuliani has said that he is not guilty of any crimes.

"These charges are essentially a cut and paste version of what they're attempting to use to interfere with the 2024 Election and to take down President Trump and anyone willing to take on the permanent Washington political class," Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman said in a statement. "Joe Biden and his allies continue to weaponize the criminal justice system in their quest to take down President Trump and hold on to power. Mayor Rudy Giuliani—the most effective federal prosecutor in U.S. history—looks forward to full vindication soon."

Watch the video below from The Rudy Giuliani Show or click here.

‘Crimes on top of crimes’: Internet erupts over classified docs found in Trump’s bedroom



Former President Donald Trump had even more classified documents hidden away in his bedroom — four months after the FBI executed their search at Mar-a-Lago.

The revelation, spelled out in newly-released court filings, caused an eruption from observers on social media.

"Crimes on top of crimes," wrote music producer Shawn Patterson.

"In my observation, not even the anti-anti-Trumpers defend the 'documents case.' (The outright Trumpers, sure. With them, the Fifth Avenue Principle applies.)" wrote Jay Nordlinger, an editor for the conservative National Review.

"Utter disregard shown for US security," wrote Doug Thompson of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

ALSO READ: Trump campaign allegedly took ‘excessive’ contributions by the nickel and dime

Other commenters took aim specifically at U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the jurist overseeing the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case against the former president.

A Trump-appointee, Cannon caused outrage when she punted the case indefinitely, beyond the election, citing the large number of unresolved issues to rule on — many of which critics say she sat on for months without action.

Cannon in a recent filing also expressed her "disappointment" in special counsel Jack Smith for asking for redactions to protect witnesses and grand jurors.

"Reminder that the MAL docs case was and will always have been the cleanest, most straightforward criminal prosecution of the four against the former president," wrote national security lawyer Bradley Moss. "That the public won't see it brought to fruition before they go to the voting booth is a stain on the judicial system."

"Trump was still keeping classified documents in his bedroom AFTER the Mar-a-Lago search but according to Judge Cannon, what they were, why he had them & what he did with them are simply not questions the American people should have answers to before casting our votes in November," wrote political commentator @JoJoFromJerz.

"Cannon is a f---ing accomplice and you can't convince me otherwise," wrote former Ohio Democratic congressional candidate Aaron Paul Godfrey.

‘He’s probably tired’: Ex-Trump lawyer’s excuse for why he didn’t testify



Donald Trump did not testify Tuesday before his defense rested in the Manhattan hush money trial, despite him vowing to take the stand to clear his name of the 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money scheme that he's accused of.

One of his former lawyers suggested it could be due to exhaustion.

Trump has spent much of the trial falling asleep or closing his eyes during proceedings. But several times he's said that he wants to defend himself and pledged to testify.

Critics have accused him of cowardice for reneging on that promise.

Even when speaking to the press outside the courtroom Tuesday, Trump claimed he might still speak out — despite his chance to take the stand now having passed.

ALSO READ: Trump’s Manhattan trial could determine whether rule of law survives: criminologist

"Why would I take the chance? But we do want to defend our Constitution. So, at some point, maybe I will take a chance," Trump told the reporters.

It sent MSNBC hosts to ask former Trump lawyer William Brennan why he declined to address the jury.

"I mean, number one, he doesn't have to. That's what the constitutional protections are all about," he said.

But the anchors were curious not about why he refused to testify, but why he wouldn't give a reason when the press asked.

"I mean, it's easy to come up with bombast before the trial," Brennan said. "But when you're in the midst of — this was a fairly long trial for misdemeanors and possibly a felony. He's probably tired at this point and he just doesn't have to is the short answer."

Trump has frequently made fun of President Joe Biden, calling him "sleepy Joe" and implying that he is too old to be in office. Comedians and pundits rushed to mock Trump as he fell asleep in his own criminal trial.

See the comments below or at the link here.


'He's probably tired': Ex-Trump lawyer comes up with excuse why he didn't testify www.youtube.com

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Trump’s ‘revenge’ meltdown plans leak for White House Correspondents’ Dinner: report



President Donald Trump is preparing to throw a scripted tantrum at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year, reported The Daily Beast on Wednesday.

"Donald Trump will launch a 'revenge' attack on the White House media when he confronts them in person at a Washington dinner on Saturday night — then flee before there can be revenge," said the report. "He is expected to target publications that he has accused of writing negatively about his administration and his war with Iran, in particular, according to sources."

This would track with his recent rants on Truth Social, where he has accused of the media of rigging reports about the Iran war to make it look like it's going worse than it actually is.

After he is done with his speech, said the report, he is skipping on the rest of the ceremony — in large part because he doesn't want to stick around for an award being given to a story that revealed his closeness to deceased financier and accused child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

"Trump will leave the White House Correspondents’ Association event after making his speech, so he will miss the presentation of press awards — one of which would be certain to embarrass him," said the report. "He has told aides he has no intention of still being in the International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton when the Wall Street Journal is honored with the Katherine Graham award for its scoop about a bawdy letter Trump allegedly wrote for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday card."

The president sued WSJ over that reporting, alleging that the birthday letter was not authentic. This month, a federal judge tossed out that suit.

‘Massive cover up’ fears raised as House panel splits on clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell



Ghislaine Maxwell's condition to testify under oath — but only under the condition of clemency — has split House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members over whether President Donald Trump should grant her that pardon, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) told Politico on Wednesday.

Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator, was deposed by the committee and invoked her Fifth Amendment right to decline to answer the group's questions. Trump is the only one with the power to pardon her, something he has not yet ruled out.

Comer told Politico that he did not favor a pardon for Maxwell, a former confidant to the late financier and convicted child sex offender. When asked whether striking a deal with Maxwell could provide useful testimony, Comer did not share who on the panel supported granting her clemency.

"A lot of people do," Comer said.

"My committee’s split on that," Comer said. "I don’t speak for my committee."

"I think it looks bad," he added. "Honestly, other than Epstein, the worst person in this whole investigation is Maxwell."

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said that Democrats on the committee collectively oppose a pardon for Maxwell.

"That would be a huge step backwards, and, quite frankly, so disrespectful to the survivors," he said in an interview. "She is a known abuser. She is a known liar."

"If the DOJ or Oversight Republicans are out there trying to negotiate some sort of pardon that is... not only a huge slap in the face to this investigation, to anyone, to the American public," Garcia said. "It’s a part of a massive cover up."

‘Wah, wah, wah:’ AOC scoffs at GOP whining over gerrymandering



WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, had strong words for Republicans complaining about the gerrymandering in Virginia that voters approved on Tuesday, with strong support from her party.

"Wah, wah, wah," Ocasio-Cortez told Raw Story on Wednesday, mimicking a whining baby and laughing in response to a question from reporter Matt Laslo. "Democrats have attempted and asked Republicans for 10 years to ban partisan gerrymandering, and for 10 years, Republicans have said, 'no.'"

Laslo was asking Ocasio-Cortez to respond to complaints from the GOP that it would be unconstitutional for Democrats to have a 10-1 congressional majority in Virginia, which the gerrymandering ballot measure would make possible. A Virginia circuit court judge blocked the vote-approved redistricting on Wednesday, however.

Still, Ocasio-Cortez saw no problem with Democrats supporting gerrymandering after years of opposing it when done on the Republican side. For AOC, the GOP "wanted to start this," and the Democrats are just fighting back.

"What they're mad at is they're accustomed to a Democrat Party that rolls over, doesn't fight and takes everything sitting down," Ocasio-Cortez said. "What they're mad at right now is that we are here in a new day."

She mentioned Republican gerrymandering in North Carolina and Texas, where Democrats lost seats. Trump's call for Texas Republicans to gerrymander arguably kicked off what's now seen as a redistricting arms race.

"We have been asking the Democratic Party to stand up and fight, and now they did," AOC continued. "Now the Republican Party doesn't like the fact that they are fighting against someone who actually will stand up for the American people."

Ocasio-Cortez said she would "welcome" working with the Republicans to pass a ban on partisan gerrymandering.

"We have the bill right here to end this all today," she said, smiling. "But they don't want to because they like pursuing and continuing to enact an unfair electoral landscape."

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