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Michael Cohen

Star Witness Cohen Predicts 'Surprises' In Trump Hush Money Trial

Donald Trump's first criminal trial may contain a few surprises, according to the former president's ex-lawyer, and star witness, Michael Cohen.

Ahead of the trial's jury selection — which began Monday, April 15, — Cohen shared with Politico that Americans may already know Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments — but that's not the whole story.

During his conversation with Cohen, Politico chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza mentioned that "credibility is one part of this trial," but, "The other c-word that comes up is 'corroboration.'


Lizza asked the former Trump attorney, "What can you tell us about that? Is this a stronger case when it comes to corroboration than people understand on the outside?"

Cohen insisted, "If it wasn’t, Alvin Bragg and his team of prosecutors would never have brought this case."

In fact, when Lizza asked Cohen whether he thinks the public will "be surprised" by the corroborating evidence, the star witness replied, "I do."

He emphasized, "In fact, most people don’t really know anything. They only know what the headlines have been. And as you know very, very well, headlines do not necessarily tell the story."

Lizza also noted one obstacle in the DA's case against the ex-president "seems to be how Bragg connects the misdemeanor of falsifying business records that recorded what were actually hush money payments — the payments to you to reimburse you for the payments to Stormy Daniels — to another crime that Trump was trying to commit, which then makes this a felony."

The Politico reporter asked, "Do you think Bragg has strong evidence on that portion of the case?"

Cohen replied, "Let me say it to you this way — it may not be satisfying to you, and I do certainly appreciate the attempts to drill down despite me telling you I cannot go into into this case: Alvin Bragg would not have brought this case — he would not have that as an element of this case — if he did not believe that he would be able to prove this at trial to a jury of 12."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Robert Hur

CNN Sues For Audiotape Of Biden In Classified Documents Probe

CNN filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice Thursday in order to obtain recordings of President Joe Biden's interview with investigators regarding the now defunct probe into his mishandling of classified documents, the news outlet reports.

This comes almost exactly two months after special counsel Robert Hur released a special report, announcing his decision not to charge Biden over the mishandling of documents, and one month after transcript of investigators' interview with the president was released.

Hur — who was appointed by ex-President Donald Trump as a US Attorney — said that "no criminal charges are warranted in this matter," but in the report he "described Biden as a 'sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory,'" which the White House and many legal experts deemed unnecessary.

White House spokesperson Ian Sams blasted Hur's comments, saying, "The inappropriate criticisms of the President’s memory are inaccurate, gratuitous, and wrong."

Per the report, "The filing from CNN on Thursday outlined how the news organization requested the Justice Department make public audio and any video tapes pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act days after Hur’s report became public. Nearly a dozen other news outlets also have sought access to the recordings and may join the lawsuit, CNN’s filing said."

Last month, CNN’s Manu Raju posted excerpts from the network’s report on the transcript of the five-hour interview, "including one noting that President Biden 'told jokes and unfurled lengthy detailed stories from his decades-long political career as he parried questions from special counsel Robert Hur and his investigators over two days last October."

While the transcript was released by the DOJ in February, CNN notes the department also has recordings.

"Without access to any of the interview records, the press and public initially could not form their own conclusions about Hur’s characterization of Biden. … Transcripts, however, are no substitute for recordings," CNN lawyers wrote in the filing.

The news outlet notes, "While Congress has prompted some transparency around the special counsel’s work, several other organizations are suing in federal court in Washington, DC, for access to records from Hur’s office. Those lawsuits are still in early stages."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Trump's Bond Benefactor 'Illegally' Seized Cars Of Service Members

Trump's Bond Benefactor 'Illegally' Seized Cars Of Service Members

Don Hankey, the billionaire who put up Donald Trump's $175 million bond last week for the MAGA hopeful's New York civil fraud trial judgment, was once sued by the former president's Department of Justice, according to an exclusiveDaily Beast report.

Hankey gained much of his $7.4 billion net worth, according to the report, by "targeting low-income customers with high-interest auto loans" through his company, Westlake Services.

MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin reported earlier this week that the billionaire is also "believed to be the largest shareholder in Axos Bank, which "refinanced Trump’s loans on Trump Tower and Doral in 2022."

Furthermore, because "Axos has loaned Trump $100 million in his refinancing of Trump Tower and another $125 million for Doral" Resort, Rubin noted, the ex-president was already indebted to Hankey prior to last week's $175 million bond.

However, the Beast notes, Hankey's "past is important context for his loan to Trump, and his company’s choppy history with federal law enforcement—as well as the fact that his firm would be regulated under a potential second Trump administration—may cast the loan in a new light."

Westlake Services "had systematically violated the rights of military employees over a period of several years," according to the report, having "repossessed dozens of vehicles belonging to military employees without obtaining the necessary court orders required under the law."

Prosecutors said, "Westlake and Wilshire specifically target servicemembers, including junior enlisted servicemembers, as customers for their subprime and near-subprime loan products," while their "complaint noted that the unlawful repossessions were 'intentional, willful, and taken in disregard' for the members’ rights, citing the fact that Hankey’s firms had followed the proper procedures when it was in their interest—like when it came to approving service member requests for interest rate reductions."

Westlake "settled the suit by paying $700,000 to Westlake immediately settled, agreeing to pay $700,000 in damages to the affected service members, along with a roughly $61,000 fine to the federal government," according to the Beast.

The news outlet also notes, a couple of years prior to the Trump DOJ's lawsuit against Westlake "and its wholly-owned subsidiary Wilshire under the SCRA, those same two entities were nailed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for 'illegal debt collection tactics.'"

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Bob Good (R-VA)

As House Colleagues Seek His Ouster, Bob Good Endorses January 6 Rioter

Amid GOP House members' efforts to campaign against House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-VA), the far-right leader has officially endorsed a January 6 rioter for United States Congress, according to Axios.

Per the report, "Good said in a statement he is supporting former West Virginia legislator Derrick Evans, who was sentenced three months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 attack, over Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.)."

The GOP lawmaker said, "It is my privilege to endorse Derrick Evans for Congress in West Virginia's first congressional district. We cannot change Washington and save the country by electing the status quo."


Good's endorsement comes as the far-right leader has been ostracized by a group of fellow Republican House members campaigning for his primary opponent, State Senator John McGuire (R-VA).

Last month the hard-right legislator called that group of GOP leaders "RINOs" — Republicans in name only — via social media, and told CNN last week that he remains unmoved by their efforts.

Calling Good "embarrassing," McGuire told CNN in an interview, "I believe that my opponent wants to burn it all down, no solutions kind of guy I think that we need leaders that want to grow the party and unite our country. If you are helping the Democrat team take out the Republican team, who is the RINO?"

According to Axios "Good, the only member of Congress to endorse Evans, joins former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell – both known for their pro-Trump conspiracy theories."

Axios also notes, "Evans has run hard to Miller's right, saying in a statement: 'Either you stand with MAGA and the America First movement, or you're with Carol Miller and Bill Gates, abortion, killing coal, and funding transgender surgeries.'"

Axios' full report is available here.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Analysts Skeptical Of Trump's Polling Gains Among Black Voters

Analysts Skeptical Of Trump's Polling Gains Among Black Voters

In a Sunday, March 31 article published by New York magazine, political columnist Ed Kilgore points to the upward trend of Black and Latino voters' support for a second Donald Trump term — but argues "the shocking gains" still may not be enough to work in the MAGA hopeful's favor.

The political columnist writes, The reported young voter trend away from Biden is probably more understandable given how this group has been impacted by inflation-related reductions in real wages, high interest rates, unaffordable housing costs, and the failure to forgive student loans (though that was the Court’s doing, not Biden’s).

However, Kilgore notes, "among non-white voters, the polls keep showing shocking gains by Trump at Biden’s expense, as Ron Brownstein observes at CNN."

Kilgore writes:

There has been some talk about Trump’s gains among Black voters in the polls being attributable to a big movement among particular subgroups, particularly young Black men. But as Abramowitz notes from the authoritative American National Election Studies data, there were no major differences in the Biden-Trump numbers last time they met at the polls. In 2020, Biden won 93 percent of Black men along with 95 percent of Black women — and won 94 percent of non-college-educated Black voters along with 93 percent of their college-educated counterparts.

Still, he notes, "If, as Republicans hope, non-white voters (including Asian Americans, a smaller but growing group that is often not polled at all) turn out to be the crucial swing vote in 2024, it’s far from clear they will tilt toward the candidate whose vision of a restored American Greatness is so consistently exciting to white supremacists."

Furthermore, Kilgore adds that Brownstein suggests, "whatever level of support Trump has among Black or Latino voters could be driven down with some targeted messaging from the Biden campaign and the Democratic Party."

When it comes to the question of whether Latino voters could help Trump secure a win, Kilgore writes:

Even as polls show Trump posting unprecedented Republican numbers among Hispanics, he is promising the largest deportation drive of undocumented migrants in American history, including the creation of detention camps and the use of the National Guard to participate in mass round ups; military action against Mexico, including a naval blockade, to combat drug cartels; the end of birthright citizenship; and the possible reinstitution of his policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border.

Similarly, what could also deter Black voters away from Trump, Kilgore notes, is:

Even as Trump is posting historic numbers among Blacks, he has proposed, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to prohibit school districts from discussing 'critical race theory' in classrooms, and to require local police departments to implement the 'stop and frisk' tactics that civil rights leaders say unfairly target young Black men.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Chuck Todd

'Impossible Situation': Chuck Todd Assails NBC Brass Over McDaniel Hire

Two days after NBC News' Friday, March 22 announcement that former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel had been hired by the network as a political analyst, NBC's Meet the Press host Kristen Welker interviewed the ex-GOP leader Sunday, grilling McDaniel about past statements she's made disregarding the 2020 presidential election results.

After years of pushing ex-President Donald Trump's Big Lie that the election was stolen from him by President Joe Biden and the Democrats, the former RNC chair told Welker. "The reality is Joe Biden won." CNN reports McDaniel has "has repeatedly attacked the network and its journalists, assailed the news media as 'fake news' and promoted false claims around the 2020 vote, as an on-air commentator ahead of the 2024 presidential election."

Following her conversation with McDaniel, Welker sat down with former Meet the Press host and NBC News veteran Chuck Todd, asking him to share his "takeaways" from the interview.

"Look, let me deal with the elephant in the room," Todd said, telling Welker, "I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation because I don't know what to believe. She is now a paid contributor by NBC News. I have no idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn't want to mess up her contract."

The former NBC host continued, "She wants us to believe she was speaking for the RNC, when the RNC was paying for her. So she has credibility issues that she still has to deal with. Is she speaking for herself or is she speaking on behalf of who is paying her? Once at the RNC she did say that, Hey I'm speaking for her party, I get that, that's part of the job. So, what about here?"

Todd added, "I will say this: I think your interview did a good job at exposing many of the contradictions. And look, there's a reason why a lot of journalists at NBC are uncomfortable with this because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination. So, that's where you begin here. And so, when NBC made the decision to give her NBC News' credibility, you gotta ask yourself what does she bring NBC News?"

"And when we make deals like this — and I've been at this company a long time — you're doing it for access. Access to audience. Sometimes it's access to an individual. And we can have a journalistic ethics debate about that. I'm willing to have that debate. If you told me we were hiring her as a technical adviser to the Republican convention, I think that would be certainly defensible. If you told me, 'we're talking to her, but let's see how she does in some interviews,' and maybe vet her with actual journalists inside the network.

Todd emphasized, "I do think, unfortunately this interview is always gonna be looked through the prism of, 'who is she speaking for?'" I think you did everything you could do," Todd told Welker. "You got put into an impossible situation. Booking this interview, and then all of a sudden the rug is pulled out from under you, and you find out she's being paid to show up?"

"It's unfortunate for this program, but I am glad that you did the best that you could," he added.

Watch the video below or at this link.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Democrats Vowing To Protect Johnson As Speaker -- On One Condition

Democrats Vowing To Protect Johnson As Speaker -- On One Condition

Just five months after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) succeeded ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) announced last week that she plans to file a motion to vacate the seat — once again — if Johnson agrees to bring the the bipartisan package, which includes Ukraine aid, to the House floor.

Axios reported Friday that Democratic lawmakers, like Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who don't agree with Johnson on policy, are still willing to help him keep the speakership if it means voting against Greene.

The Florida leader wrote via X/Twitter, "I do not support Speaker Johnson but I will never stand by and let MTG to[sic] take over the people’s House."

According to a Sunday, March 24 CNN report, several other Democratic lawmakers willing to assist Johnson with maintaining his position say they will only do so if the speaker agrees to move forward on the $95 billion aid package that the US Senate already approved last month.

The news outlet notes, "While the exact timing remains unclear, the first procedural vote to oust Johnson is expected to take the form of a 'motion to table' – or kill – fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resolution to vacate the speakership. Democrats are weighing whether to kill the resolution on the first procedural vote, but say they need to hear the speaker publicly outline his intentions on Ukraine aid."

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) told CNN if Johnson "does the responsible thing, which is allowing members of Congress to vote on a bill that will pass and that is in our national security interests, and subsequent to that a non-serious actor that doesn’t want to govern brings a motion to vacate, yes I would motion to table in that circumstance."

According to CNN, some GOP House members worry "that Greene’s move to oust Johnson could cost them the House in November, though some hardliners are weighing whether they would ultimately vote to remove him."

The news outlet reports House Homeland Security Chair Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) said, "I’m disappointed. … I think it’s a distraction. We need to just – unfortunately this bill passed, and we’ve got a lot of other stuff now to do, some articles to walk over… we don’t need anything that’s going to disrupt that." He added that he hopes "Greene will ultimately decide not to call up her resolution for a vote, saying, "I don’t think we’ll let that happen this time. I mean, we’ll see how it goes, but I don’t think that’s going to happen."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Far-Right Online Commentator Demands President Be 'Tried And Executed'

Far-Right Online Commentator Demands President Be 'Tried And Executed'

In October 2023, The Nation's Elie Mystal warned that "'promoting violence" is a major part of ex-President Donald Trump's plan if he manages to secure the presidency again.

Mystal wrote, "I cannot actually list all the people Donald Trump has wished to harm with physical violence. They include most of his political opponents, often along with their families; every prosecutor who has investigated or indicted him; nearly every judge who has presided over one of his cases, protesters; hecklers; former Vice President Mike Pence."

Building on Mystal's point, conservative journalist and author David French last month wrote a New York Times op-ed highlighting "how much the constant threat of violence, principally from MAGA sources, is now warping American politics."

French noted "he has been inundated with death threats because of his criticism of Trump and that countless judges, lawyers, prosecutors, journalists, election workers and politicians live with the threat of MAGA violence."

On Tuesday, Colorado's 9News journalist Kyle Clark reported that far-right activist and commentator Joe Oltmann called for President Joe Biden to be killed during the Friday, March 8 segment of his online show.

According to Clark, the DCF Guns co-owner "has long used violent political rhetoric," before responding to Biden's expression of "support for a ban on so-called assault weapons" during his Thursday, March 7 State of the Union speech.

"I have gun stores and ranges," Oltmann said "on his Conservative Daily political program, which streams online and on MyPillowGuy Mike Lindell’s far-right broadcast network, FrankSpeech," Clark reports. "I’m not taking one gun off the shelf," the far-right activist added.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Emails Reveal New Details Of 'Fake Electors' Plot To Overturn 2020 Election

Emails Reveal New Details Of 'Fake Electors' Plot To Overturn 2020 Election

Former President Donald Trump's Georgia co-defendant and former lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, according to a slew of text messages and email released Monday, continued to suggest ways to overturn the 2020 election after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, CNN reports.

Chesebro, along with former Trump attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, has since flipped on the ex-president by taking plea deals in the Fulton County case against them over their election interference efforts.

Per CNN, "The new materials were disclosed after Chesebro and former Trump lawyer Jim Troupis, who are both from Wisconsin, settled a lawsuit brought by Wisconsin’s real Democratic electors from 2020. These revelations build on what is known about Trump’s efforts to cling to power, which led to federal and state election subversion indictments. Chesebro pleaded guilty in Georgia and has been identified by CNN as one of the unindicted co-conspirators in the federal case. Trump has denied wrongdoing."

According to The New York Times, the former Trump lawyer wrote Troupis, "At minimum, with such a cloud of confusion, no votes from WI (and perhaps also MI and PA) should be counted, perhaps enough to throw the election to the House."The Times reports:

On the morning of Jan. 6, Mr. Chesebro said he had worked with Michael Roman, the director of the Trump campaign’s Election Day operations, and given documents for the false slates of electors a day earlier to an aide to Representative Mike Kelly, Republican of Pennsylvania. That aide took them to the Senate parliamentarian, he said.

'Excellent,' Mr. Troupis replied. 'Tomorrow let’s talk about SCOTUS strategy going forward. Enjoy the history you have made possible today.'

Mr. Chesebro later sent a photo of himself with the crowd at 12:26 p.m. on Jan. 6.

Mr. Troupis responded with an emoji of hands clapping.

The texts, according to CNN, also show that a Trump attorney "claimed to have sent a memo to the White House – 'the real decision makers' – about how to carry out the fake electors plot across the country."

Last month, Talking Points Memo's Josh Kovensky reported newly uncovered documents revealed the role lawyers played in Trump's plan to steal the election.

"Chesebro, an appellate lawyer, provided a legal framework in which, he contended, Trump could still win — or at least cause enough confusion and chaos that the conservative Supreme Court would have to get involved in picking the president," Kovensky wrote. "His plan envisioned several gambits which have now become familiar building blocks of the legal portion of the coup attempt, and the basis for criminal charges across the country: creating slates of fake electors, having Mike Pence refuse to count Biden's electoral votes on January 6, and ultimately tossing the whole issue to the High Court."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

'Less Than Credible' GOP Witness Hits Hutchinson With $10M Libel Lawsuit

'Less Than Credible' GOP Witness Hits Hutchinson With $10M Libel Lawsuit

Former President Donald Trump's ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on Monday was sued by House Republican "star witness" Tony Bobulinksi for defamation, according to The Daily Beast.

Bobulinski — who's an ex-business partner of Hunter Biden's turned GOP impeachment witness — sued Hutchinson over allegations she included in her September memoir, Enough, saying that Bobulinski was "involved with some sort of shady business dealing."

The GOP witness' filing, according to the report, "contends he is being treated unfairly '[b]ecause [he] did not pledge blind loyalty to the Democrat Party and to the Biden family."

The Beast notes during "a Feb. 28 deposition by the House Oversight Committee, Hunter Biden said, 'Tony is a bitter, bitter man that did not get in on a deal that he wanted to get in on, because I thought that he was both incompetent and an idiot."

Highlighted in Bobulinski’s defamation claim are details of "a 2020 Trump campaign rally in Rome, Georgia, in which former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows handed 'a folded sheet of paper or a small envelope' to Bobulinski while Bobulinksi was wearing what Hutchinson called a 'ski mask.'"

According to her book, the report notes, "Hutchinson observed the two men huddling, with Bobulinski covering his face with a ski mask, 'through a gap in the vehicles,' she wrote. Meadows had asked Hutchinson to locate Bobulinski, then 'work with [the] Secret Service to find a hidden spot.'"

The Beastreports:

According to Bobulinski’s lawsuit, nothing 'nefarious' was going on, and the face-to-face was simply 'an exchange of pleasantries.' It says Bobulinski had become the target of death threats, and that Meadows 'asked to meet with him for the sole purpose of checking on his and his family’s health and safety due to the ongoing threats against them.'

Bobulinski insists in the suit that, under oath last month before the Jan. 6 Committee, he 'unequivocally rejected' the notion he was wearing a ski mask during the meeting with Meadows. He further complains about being mocked on social media about the mask, embedding a photo of himself in his dress whites, 'an actual photo of Plaintiff, a decorated Navy veteran,” to distinguish himself from a meme-ified cartoon showing a masked man smoking a cigarette.

The news outlet also notes, "in describing Hutchinson as a liar, Bobulinski cites a trio of far-right conspiracy theorists, one of whom was banned from Twitterand Facebook for spreading falsehoods about the 2020 election, as 'proof' of his assertions."

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) sent a February 12 letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY), saying Bobulinski "is a less-than-credible witness whose 'mysterious ties to the Trump campaign, his refusal to engage with the Committee’s Democratic staff, and his problematic personal finances, raise significant concerns about his truthfulness, credibility, and motivations.'

Reprinted with permission from Alternet


GOP Senate Candidate's 'Healer' Rhetoric May Backfire With MAGA Voters

GOP Senate Candidate's 'Healer' Rhetoric May Backfire With MAGA Voters

A multi-millionaire California bank owner aiming to oust US Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) this fall believes his campaign message of unity will win over voters, but according to a Daily Beast report, the feat may not be so easy for the GOP hedge fund manager.

Per the report, "despite all his calls for togetherness—and what some observers have deemed a 'meh' or 'weirdly lackluster' campaign kickoff—Hovde has long aligned himself with and donated to some of the most divisive and extreme Republicans."

Eric Hovde is set to be "a guest speaker alongside Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) at a Republican Party of Brown County dinner," next month, according to the Beast. "He already spoke at an event last fall with a Moms for Liberty activist and spent at least $8,000 as a sponsor of a conservative think-tank’s evening with Tucker Carlson, who used his air time to spout election fraud claims."

During his US Senate campaign launch last week, Hovde asked the audience gathered at one of his real estate company's properties, "Are you ready to be uniters and healers for your country? Are you ready to restore the American dream?"

In a similarly worded message via X (formerly Twitter), the 59-year-old wrote, "I don’t believe in the politics of destruction. That’s what has gotten us to where we are today. The worst problem facing our nation is the division. We are ripping apart our friendships and our families over politics. I’m in this fight to usher in a new brand of leadership and end politics as usual."

Supported by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Beast notes, Hovde will soon need "to kiss the Donald’s ring, especially at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee," University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee political science professor Kathleen Dolan told the news outlet.

"For him to generate interest, and for him to help generate that turnout, I think he’s got to be more of what the Republican voters here are going to expect," Dolan said. "He doesn’t want Trump to think that he isn’t as loyal as he can be. He doesn’t want Trump to question him at all. His best chance of getting elected is to ride on Trump’s coattails and ride on any Republican wave here in Wisconsin if it appears, and he can’t do that as successfully by taking this middle road."

Dolan also raised the question, "Is it just about his own sort of self-aggrandizement, or does he really want to be Senator from Wisconsin?" Noting that Hovde "'isn’t a visible person' and has the 'carpetbagger problem,' so Democrats will be working hard to shape his introduction to potential voters."

The Beast reports Hovde first launched his bid to enter Wisconsin politics in 2012, campaigning on the message of repealing "former President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. He also shared his support for overturning Roe v. Wade, saying he was 'totally opposed' to legalized abortion. His former campaign website declared, 'We must defend and protect all human life from conception to natural death.' (The site also announced he believes 'that marriage is between one man and one woman.')"

His Senate campaign over a decade later, according to the report, notes that the multi-millionaire changed his abortion stance to "saying he supports exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the mother’s life."

Despite his efforts, Democratic Party of Wisconsin rapid response director Arik Wolk told the news outlet, "Eric Hovde will push a divisive out-of-touch agenda that bans abortion nationwide and repeals the Affordable Care Act. From bankrolling anti-choice politicians to standing with extremist figures like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene, Wisconsinites know Hovde is out of step with Wisconsin values."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Will Lara Trump Turn GOP Into 'GoFundMe' For Trump Defense Costs?

Will Lara Trump Turn GOP Into 'GoFundMe' For Trump Defense Costs?

As discussions around Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel's ouster circulate among the party, former President Donald Trump has floated the idea of replacing the GOP leader with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump — who's already starting to call the shots, according to a Thursday NBC News interview.

During the interview, Lara Trump insisted MAGA voters wouldn't mind if their donations helped to fund the former president's piling legal bills amid his ongoing criminal cases.

"It appears Lara Trump is already laying the groundwork for her family's next big grift," MSNBC's Deadline: White House guest host Alicia Menendez said, speaking with former Bush administration official Miles Taylor. "Last week on Newsmax she said all funds the organization raised would go straight to his re-election efforts. And those efforts could include his legal bills. The cash-low candidate, who just this year, has racked up financial penalties against him of over $400 million, is poised to spend 2024 trying to finance running for president, and staying out of prison for the 91 felony charges he currently faces."

Menendez asked Taylor whether he thinks Lara Trump is right in saying Republican donors are fine with funding Trump's legal bills.

"Here's the thing, Alicia. I would like to say the answer is no, and that most people will see through this and turn them off towards Donald Trump and this will mark the end of his reign over the GOP," the ex-Department of Homeland Security chief of staff said. "But I know better than that, and I actually think Lara Trump probably knows better than we do, which is that they've so fooled the GOP base that their future and the future of the country is tied to Donald Trump that they seem willing to do almost anything to support him.

Taylor continued, "I think we all remember a few years ago the RNC solicitation that went out to help buy Donald Trump a new airplane. I mean it's that level of absurdity that they're tapping into in terms of the cult mentality around Donald Trump. But there's a couple things here that are significant about it. If the GOP turns into a GoFundMe for Donald Trump, it's likely to bankrupt candidates that are further down the ticket, that will probably result in those candidates losing their elections and bigger losses for the GOP. The thing that worries me, though, is it will, of course, help enable Donald Trump to continue his quixotic odyssey to run America. And I think that's the big concern, is that slush fund — that piggy bank, will increase his odds of winning back the White House, which is the danger."

Watch the video below or at this link.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Matt Schlapp

'Eye-Popping' Court Filings Reveal CPAC Sex Harassment Coverup

In January 2023, The Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger exclusively reported that a former staffer for failed Georgia Senate GOP candidate Herschel Walker alleged that he'd been sexually harassed by Matt Schlapp, right-wing activist and head of the prominent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Just over one year later — although the conservative leader adamantly denies any wrongdoing — it became clear during kick-off for the organization's 50th annual conference on Wednesday, February 21, that Carlton Huffman's accusations continue to haunt Schlapp and CPAC.

On the conference's opening day, according to Sollenberger's February 22 report, "the Alexandria City Courthouse posted a batch of eye-popping new filings in the sexual battery and defamation lawsuit against Schlapp—including a subpoena to a CPAC official alleged to have overseen document destruction days after the accusations were first publicly reported."

Sollenberger reports, "Three sources familiar with the situation told The Daily Beast that the recently subpoenaed CPAC official—manager of strategic initiatives, Lynne Rasmussen—directly oversaw interns shredding documents in or near her office shortly after The Daily Beast published Huffman’s allegations."

He also notes:

The new complaint charged CPAC with negligent retention of an official and conspiracy. Huffman seeks a combined judgment of more than $13.5 million, with a parallel federal defamation suit against Jan. 6 fundraiser and far-right gadfly Caroline Wren. (Wren has denied any wrongdoing.)

The alleged CPAC document destruction took place soon after the first public reports of Huffman’s accusation, according to three people familiar with the matter and communications reviewed by The Daily Beast. The communications—coming from a person in the CPAC office, and written the day of the event—even provide an exact date: Jan. 11, 2023, five days after the allegations were first publicly reported.

Sollenberger adds,The court records show subpoenas to other key witnesses, as well, including CPAC officials and other alleged victims. Two young men who previously reported unwanted physical advances from Schlapp have been deposed, including in connection with an alleged incident where the conservative icon, drunk and stripped to his underwear, rubbed his crotch on a young man at a fundraising event months before the alleged assault at the center of the lawsuit."

In August, Sollenberger reported Schlapp "made an offer in March to settle the multimillion-dollar sexual battery and defamation lawsuit against him, but the proposal was rejected, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the matter."

Following several reports on the incident by Sollenberger, the CPAC leader's wife, Mercedes Schlapp, took to X (formerly Twitter) to write, "The Daily Beast is Satan’s publication to persecute Christians and their families."

Huffman followed up on the allegations "with a multimillion-dollar sexual battery and defamation lawsuit against Schlapp," his wife, and against the organization, which is set for jury trial in June, according to the Beast.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Mike Johnson

Speaker Johnson Delivers 'Horrible' Sermon At House GOP Retreat

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has not shied away from sharing his far-right, evangelical Christian faith during his nearly eight years in Congress.

Earlier this week, Religious News Service reported members of the Congressional Forethought Caucus sent a letter to Johnson on Thursday, February 15, expressing their concerns "about Jack Hibbs — the extreme right Christian nationalist Johnson chose to lead the House's opening prayer on January 30."

Last weekend, Politico reports, the Speaker used his presentation during a Republican retreat as an opportunity to focus "on declining church membership and the nation’s shrinking religious identity, according to" two people who were in the room.

Johnson's speech "took on a surprisingly religious tone," according to the report, as, "Rather than outlining a specific plan to hold and grow the majority, these people said, Johnson effectively delivered a sermon."

Furthermore, Politico notes, "The speaker contended that when one doesn’t have God in their life, the government or 'state' will become their guide, referring back to Bible verses, both people said. They added that the approach fell flat among some in the room."

Calling Johnson's presentation "horrible," one person present told the news outlet, "I'm not in church."

They added, "I think what he was trying to do, but failed on the execution of it, was try to bring us together. The sermon was so long he couldn't bring it back to make the point."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Fox Media Critic Slams Network Over Discredited Impeachment Witness

Fox Media Critic Slams Network Over Discredited Impeachment Witness

Fox News host Howard Kurtz suggested his network had not provided enough coverage after an impeachment witness, former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, was found to be lying about President Joe Biden.

On his Sunday Media Buzz program, Kurtz noted that Smirnov had been charged with making false statements about Biden and his son, Hunter.

"This is a star witness for Jim Comer, often cited by Fox and other outlets," Kurtz said. "And I think the story deserves even more coverage."

Washington Examiner editor Sarah Bedford agreed.

"Some of the allegations against the Biden family were built on lies," Bedford explained. "I don't think, though, that the impeachment inquiry here is necessarily completely undermined by this one fact, because so much additional evidence has been gathered. But certainly this is the blow to the credibility of the allegations against the Biden family."

Kurtz asked White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich if the indictment was a "big problem" for Republicans.

"Huge problem," Heinrich observed. "I think [Rep. James Comer (R-KY)] is going to have to lay out all of the evidence outside of this claim that makes the impeachment inquiry still valid."

"I mean, they threatened to hold the FBI director in contempt to get a hold of this 1023 form in which this witness makes his allegation," she continued. "So with this guy now having his credibility shot, a lot of onus on House Republicans to say that the impeachment inquiry is still warranted."

Watch the video below from Fox News or at the link.

Fox News host slams network over impeachment witness

via Fox News

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Evangelical 'Christians' Parrot Trump's False And Vindictive Rhetoric

Evangelical 'Christians' Parrot Trump's False And Vindictive Rhetoric

Despite facing four indictments, one demographic's support for Donald Trump has increased over the last eight years — right-wing evangelical Christians.

According to NBC News, "In 2016, Trump garnered just 22 percent of Iowa’s evangelical vote, according to caucus entrance polling. In the latest NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll, 51 percent of likely Iowa evangelical caucusgoers said that they are backing Trump for the GOP’s 2024 nomination."

In a Wednesday, January 10 report, NBC News' Dan Gallo, Vaughn Hillyard, and Jake Traylor note that many evangelical ministers are displaying their staunch support for Trump through the form of prayer.

"The invocations have become their own political call to action, sometimes punctuated with applause lines and partisan language, invoking the same falsehoods and vindictiveness that Trump himself spreads," they write.

Gallo, Hillyard and Traylor note:

Celebrity pastors, such as Paula White and Kenneth Copeland, who preach the 'prosperity gospel,' have long stood by Trump’s side, giving him early credibility in their corner of Christianity. Now, the pastors taking the political stage across the country are most often local pastors with more immediate followings — further proof that Trump’s reach goes well beyond the television megachurches and into local congregations that were once more skeptical of a somewhat vulgar New York real estate tycoon and casino owner.

Reverend Joel Tenney of Coralville, Iowa, told "several hundred supporters" at a December rally, “We have witnessed a sitting president weaponize the entire legal system to try and steal an election and imprison his leading opponent, Donald Trump, despite committing no crime. We have witnessed a sitting president weaponize the entire legal system to try and steal an election and imprison his leading opponent, Donald Trump, despite committing no crime."

The Iowa pastor, praying that God "would help us to re-elect President Donald Trump," said the 2024 presidential election "'is part of a spiritual battle' with 'demonic forces at play.'"

According to NBC, Iowa Pastor Barney Bornhoft "prayed at the beginning of an Ankeny, Iowa, rally in December for 'a hedge of protection' around Trump, while offering something of a midprayer commentary: 'I don’t believe we have any idea the pressure that he’s under,' calling the cases against the former president 'ridiculous.'"

Bornhoft told the news outlet, on one hand, "it is awkward for a minister to take the same podium as Trump, but added: 'Part of who he is on stage kept us out of war years ago, kept us with a border that was closed.'"

He added, "There’s been a lot of presidents behind the scenes who curse, who do a lot of different things. I hate to say it this way, but the office at times requires it."

Tenney emphasized to his audience, "When Donald Trump becomes the 47th President of the United States, there will be retribution against all those who have promoted evil in this country."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Lauren Boebert

Police Probe Boebert's Latest 'Physical' Confrontation With Ex-Husband

A Colorado police department is actively investigating "an alleged physical altercation" between US Representative Lauren Boebert and her ex-husband, Jayson Boebert, that occurred Saturday night, The Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger exclusively reports.

A Boebert aide told Sollenberger, "Jayson Boebert had called the police to the Miner's Claim restaurant in Silt, claiming that he was a 'victim of domestic violence.' The aide emphasized that Lauren Boebert denies any allegation of domestic violence on her part, and that the events as depicted in social media posts on Saturday were not accurate."

The aide also confirmed "police did come" but no one was arrested, and "a friend drove Boebert home."

When Jayson Boebert spoke to the Beast about the incident, he said, "I don’t know what to say."

According to the report, the incident occurred when Jayson Boebert apologized to the GOP congresswoman following a prior incident, and asked to meet. Rep. Boebert agreed, but only if the meeting could take place in public — which led the former couple to "Miner's Claim, a restaurant in Boebert's small hometown of Silt."

The senior political reporter notes:

Inside, at the table, Jayson Boebert apparently started 'being disrespectful,' 'being an a**hole,' and getting 'lewd,' the aide relayed. The alleged behavior revolted Lauren Boebert, but that seemed to make her ex more aggressive, the aide said. There was then apparently a physical altercation of indeterminate severity.

Jayson Boebert 'made a motion' towards his ex-wife, 'to grab her.' It was 'an aggressive move, not romantic,' the aide relayed.

As Lauren Boebert described it, the aide said, she tried again to keep him back and in the process 'put her hand in his face, put her hand on his nose.' (The Muckrackers’ post describes a violent confrontation, with the congresswoman landing two punches on her ex’s nose. The aide said that Boebert maintains she didn’t punch him.)

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.