Category: fox-news/us/capitol-protests

The anti-Trump movement’s secret Zoom calls give their target ammo

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

At first glance, it might seem like inside baseball.

A bunch of former prosecutors and cable pundits talking to each other about how much they don’t like Donald Trump and how he’s in deep legal trouble? Doesn’t that happen every day in green rooms and the corner bar?

But this, as disclosed by Politico, is different. These are some of the most prominent commentators in the media universe, and they appear to be consulting/coordinating/conspiring about their main target.

DAVID PECKER CALMLY LINKS TRUMP, MICHAEL COHEN TO SUPPRESSING STORIES, PUSHING FAKE NEWS

Even if that’s not the case, it looks awful.

It plays into the hands of conservatives who back Trump that the media are part of the resistance, determined to bring him down at all costs.

They can now say that it is a cabal, confirming all their darkest suspicions about the press determined to bring him down.

Every Friday, these media hotshots join in a secret, off-the-record Zoom call.

In a high-road description, the piece says the goal is to "intellectually stress-test the arguments facing Trump on his journey through the American legal system." But a beat later it says, "most are united by their dislike of Trump."

The origins of the group are telling, beginning during the Jan. 6 hearings, when committee staffers began briefing legal commentators on their work. I can think of classified military matters that haven’t remained secret as long.

TRUMP BLASTS JUDGE AFTER BARRING HIM FROM ATTENDING IMMUNITY ARGUMENTS

Who’s doing the zooming? Norman Eisen, an Obama administration official who worked with House Democrats on Trump’s first impeachment and is a CNN legal analyst, is the founder. 

He’s joined by Bill Kristol, a leader of the anti-Trump conservatives; longtime Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe; Watergate figure John Dean; and George Conway, ex-husband of Kellyanne, co-founder of the Lincoln Project and a fixture on MSNBC. 

AT A TURNING POINT? COLUMBIA ARRESTS AND ANTI-JEWISH HARASSMENT SHUT DOWN CAMPUS

That’s just the beginning. There is MSNBC analyst Andrew Weissman, who investigated the fruitless Russian collusion accusations against Trump as a prosecutor for Bob Mueller; why would anyone doubt his objectivity?

There are CNN legal analysts Jeffrey Toobin, Elliott Williams and Karen Agnifilo, along with L.A. Times columnist Harry Litman. And there’s Mary McCord, a former DOJ official who co-hosts an MSNBC podcast. 

Sometimes there are guests, which is also revealing. After Trump was held liable in E. Jean Carroll’s first defamation and sexual assault suit, her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, addressed the group. And, says Politico, former conservative judge J. Michael Luttig, who spearheaded a campaign to kick Trump off state ballots under the 14th Amendment, was another guest. The Supreme Court rejected the anti-democratic move.

Despite efforts to rationalize this as a meeting-of-great-minds exercise, I’m not buying it. Even Politico concedes the calls could "breed groupthink" – what a shocking thought.

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And cable news drives plenty of other coverage, particularly when certain themes are constantly pounded.

All these folks are smart enough to think for themselves. Which makes it surprising that they lack the common sense to see how troubling the Zooming looks.

Trump to appear in federal court after being charged with crimes related to Jan 6

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in federal court in Washington, D.C., Thursday afternoon after being indicted on charges that stem from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump, the 2024 GOP front-runner, faces four federal charges, 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.

The former president is expected to travel from Bedminster, New Jersey, to Washington, D.C., on Thursday. He was ordered to appear in federal court for a 4 p.m. arraignment.

TRUMP INDICTED ON CHARGES OUT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE INTO JAN 6

This is the second federal indictment the former president faces out of Smith’s investigation. Trump, who leads the 2024 GOP presidential primary field, has already pleaded not guilty to 37 counts related to his alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency.

Those charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements. Trump was charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of that probe last week.

Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to face federal criminal charges. 

"The Defendant, Donald J. Trump, was the forty-fifth President of the United States and a candidate for re-election in 2020. The Defendant lost the 2020 presidential election," Smith’s indictment states. "Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power."

Smith alleged that "for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020" Trump "spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won." It lists various claims that Trump's team made during post-election state challenges in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

"These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false," Smith alleged. "But the Defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election."

Smith said Trump, between Nov. 14, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021, "did knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with co-conspirators, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to defraud the United States by using dishonest, fraud and deceit to impair, obstruct and defeat the lawful federal government function by which the results of the presidential election are collected, counted, and certified by the federal government."

SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH SAYS JAN 6 ‘FUELED BY LIES’ FROM TRUMP, PRAISES ‘HEROES’ WHO DEFENDED CAPITOL

There are six unnamed co-conspirators in the indictment.

Reacting to the charges, a Trump campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement that "this is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election, in which President Trump is the undisputed front-runner, and leading by substantial margins."

"But why did they wait two and a half years to bring these fake charges, right in the middle of President Trump’s winning campaign for 2024? Why was it announced the day after the big Crooked Joe Biden scandal broke out from the Halls of Congress?" the spokesperson wrote.

"The answer is, election interference!" the spokesperson continued. "The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes."

"President Trump has always followed the law and the Constitution, with advice from many highly accomplished attorneys," the spokesperson added.

The indictment comes after Trump had announced that he received a target letter from the Justice Department, which also asked that he report to the federal grand jury. Trump said he anticipated "an arrest and indictment."

Smith was investigating whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

On Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College results in favor of President Biden.

The House of Representatives drafted articles of impeachment against him again and ultimately voted to impeach him on a charge of inciting an insurrection for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — making him the first and only president in history to be impeached, and ultimately acquitted, twice.

The Senate voted to acquit but, had Trump been convicted, the Senate would have moved to bar the 45th president from holding federal office ever again, preventing a 2024 White House run.

Trump has also pleaded not guilty to 34 counts in New York in April stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation. Trump is accused of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign.

Elsewhere, prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, are looking to wrap up their criminal investigation into Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Trump indicted on charges out of Special Counsel probe into Jan. 6

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Trump was indicted Tuesday on charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump was indicted on four federal charges out of the probe, 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.

This is the second federal indictment the former president faces out of Smith’s investigation. Trump, who leads the 2024 GOP presidential primary field, has already pleaded not guilty to 37 counts related to his alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency.

Those charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. Trump was charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of that probe last week.

This is the second time in U.S. history that a former president has faced federal criminal charges.

"The Defendant, Donald J. Trump, was the forty-fifth President of the United States and a candidate for re-election in 2020. The Defendant lost the 2020 presidential election," Smith’s indictment states. "Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power."

Smith alleged that "for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020," Trump "spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won."

"These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false," Smith alleged. "But the Defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election."

Smith alleged that Trump, between Nov. 14, 2020 and Jan. 20, 2021, "did knowingly combine conspire, confederate, and agree with co-conspirators, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to defraud the United States by using dishonest, fraud and deceit to impair, obstruct and defeat the lawful federal government function by which the results of the presidential election are collected, counted, and certified by the federal government."

There are six unnamed co-conspirators in the indictment.

Reacing to the charges, a Trump campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "this is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election, in which President Trump is the undisputed frontrunner, and leading by substantial margins."

TRUMP SAYS HE IS DOJ JAN. 6 GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION TARGET

"But why did they wait two and a half years to bring these fake charges, right in the middle of President Trump’s winning campaign for 2024? Why was it announced the day after the big Crooked Joe Biden scandal broke out from the Halls of Congress?" the spokesperson asked.

"The answer is, election interference!" the spokesperson continued. "The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes."

"President Trump has always followed the law and the Constitution, with advice from many highly accomplished attorneys," the spokesperson said. "These un-American witch hunts will fail and President Trump will be re-elected to the White House so he can save our Country from the abuse, incompetence, and corruption that is running through the veins of our Country at levels never seen before."

The spokesperson added: "Three years ago we had strong borders, energy independence, no inflation, and a great economy. Today, we are a nation in decline. President Trump will not be deterred by disgraceful and unprecedented political targeting!"

The indictment comes after Trump had announced he received a target letter from the Justice Department, which also asked that he report to the federal grand jury. Trump said he anticipated "an arrest and indictment."

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 37 FEDERAL FELONY CHARGES IN CLASSIFIED RECORDS CASE

Smith was investigating whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

On Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College results in favor of President Biden.

The House of Representatives drafted articles of impeachment against him again and ultimately voted to impeach him on a charge of inciting an insurrection for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — making him the first and only president in history to be impeached, and ultimately acquitted, twice.

The Senate voted to acquit, but had Trump been convicted, the Senate would have moved to bar the 45th president from holding federal office ever again, preventing a 2024 White House run.

Trump has also pleaded not guilty to 34 counts in New York in April stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation. Trump is accused of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign.

DURHAM FINDS DOJ, FBI 'FAILED TO UPHOLD' MISSION OF 'STRICT FIDELITY TO THE LAW' IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE

Elsewhere, prosecutors in Fulton County, Ga. are looking to wrap up their criminal investigation into Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

A special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, released portions of a report detailing findings from the investigation earlier this year, which indicated a majority of the grand jury believes one or more witnesses may have committed perjury in their testimony and recommends that prosecutors pursue indictments against them, if the district attorney finds the evidence compelling.

The special grand jury spent about seven months hearing testimony from witnesses, including high-profile Trump allies, such as attorney Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and high-ranking Georgia officials, including Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Judge denies Jan. 6 defendant’s trial delay sought after McCarthy’s release of Capitol riot footage: report

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A judge denied a request from a Jan. 6 defendant to push back the start of her trial to allow time to review about 44,000 hours of Capitol riot footage from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg acknowledged that the ask from defendant Sara Carpenter is "certainly not a frivolous request by any means," but said the defense failed to clarify why any additional footage would be exculpatory, Politico reported. Carpenter, a retired NYPD officer, is facing two felony charges over the Capitol riot.

Boasberg, who is soon to become Washington D.C.’s chief district court judge, also argued that delaying trials for Carpenter and other Jan. 6 defendants to allow time to review the Capitol and police surveillance footage from McCarthy's office could "derail dozens of trials that are set in the next few months." 

Prosecutors say they already provided Carpenter with an "overwhelming" amount of CCTV footage documenting her 34 minutes inside the Capitol building, leaving only "a matter of seconds" unaccounted for.

PROUD BOYS' DEFENSE PLANS TO SUBPOENA TRUMP TO TESTIFY IN JAN. 6 SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY TRIAL 

They say they've been left in the dark as to what McCarthy's footage might add. 

"We don’t have what the speaker has," Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Cook said during Friday's hearing, according to Politico. "In any case, there’s always the possibility some information may be out there."

In 2021, Capitol police already shared some 14,000 hours of footage – including the hours of noon to 8 p.m. on Jan. 6 – to Trum House impeachment managers and two House committees investigating the riot that interrupted Congress certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory. 

In requesting a 60-day delay in the trial, Carpenter’s attorneys argued some of McCarthy's footage might help fill the "gaps" and provide more context to the defendant's actions inside the Capitol. 

WRAY RESPONDS TO FBI CRITIQUES OVER HUNTER LAPTOP, TRUMP RAID, JAN 6: WE'RE ‘ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’S SIDE'

Prosecutors are required to provide defendants with any potentially exculpatory evidence they might bring in the case, but limits exist when dealing with another agency, such as Capitol Police, which is an arm of Congress, or if the court deems the government has acted in good faith in turning over as much material as possible. 

The Justice Department, in bringing cases against more than 950 defendants in connection to Jan. 6, 2021, has already cited a massive cache of video evidence including from Capitol security cameras, police body cameras, journalists and demonstrators themselves, who recorded hundreds of hours worth of footage. 

The DOJ reportedly has not indicated whether it will attempt to review the footage from McCarthy's office.

Other Jan. 6 defendants, including Proud Boys on trial for seditious conspiracy, have questioned how the tens of thousands of hours of footage will affect their cases. 

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, the Republican chairman of the House Administration Committee’s oversight subpanel, has reportedly said the footage from McCarthy's office would also be made available to Jan. 6 defendants on a case-by-case basis to ensure they're afforded due process. 

House Dems tap Trump impeachment officials for panel on Biden admin’s ‘weaponization’ of FBI

Posted on by Danielle Wallace
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries tapped former President Donald Trump impeachment officials for the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

Last pro-impeachment Republican faces almost certain defeat. How did the others fare in GOP primaries?

Posted on by Thomas Phippen
Ten GOP House members voted to impeach former President Trump, and many have lost their Republican primaries, with Rep. Liz Cheney facing voters Tuesday.

Last pro-impeachment Republican faces almost certain defeat. How did the others fare in GOP primaries?

Posted on by Thomas Phippen
Ten GOP House members voted to impeach former President Trump, and many have lost their Republican primaries, with Rep. Liz Cheney facing voters Tuesday.

Facing Trump-backed primary challenge over his impeachment vote, Rice says he ‘upheld…oath’ to Constitution

Posted on by Paul Steinhauser
Republican Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina is facing a primary challenge from Donald Trump-backed state lawmaker Russell Fry. At issue - Rice's vote for impeachment.

Trump returns to campaign trail to target GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who voted for impeachment

Posted on by Caitlin McFall
Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail in Ohio on Saturday night to throw his support behind Republican congressional candidate Max Miller in an attempt to oust Rep. Anthony Gonzalez.

Swalwell files lawsuit against Trump over Capitol riots

Posted on by Marisa Schultz
Rep. Eric Swalwell, one of the House impeachment managers, filed a lawsuit against former President Trump saying he must be held financially responsible for destruction on Jan. 6 when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol.