Category: Legal

George Santos interview with CNN went way off the rails

Posted on by Walter Einenkel

Suspected pathological fraudster Rep. George Santos went on CNN to be interviewed by host Erin Burnett Tuesday evening. Santos started by saying he supported House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s announcement of an impeachment inquiry, which is based on no evidence, of President Joe Biden. Burnett then asked Santos questions about recent reports that he had entered into talks with prosecutors in his own fraud case. The fundamental issue with interviewing George Santos is that he is a well-documented liar. Santos quickly said none of the reports were true and that he wouldn’t and couldn’t talk about it—but it wasn’t true, so there.

Burnett asked Santos to speak to his plea deal in Brazil, which was reported on in May by multiple news outlets (including CNN). Facing fraud charges in Brazil, prosecutors allowed the embattled congressman to admit guilt and pay a pittance of restitution. Santos responded to Burnett’s question by opening up the gaslight machine and sending the interview off the rails: “I don't know where you're getting your information from, but I would challenge you to bring up receipts on that because that's not how it happened in Brazil.” Santos similarly denied knowing anything about accusations of fraud surrounding his work with rescue animals and of potentially defrauding a veteran, as well as about the complaints of misuse of campaign funds. 

After more combative lying from Santos, Burnett brought down the hammer in the form of an edited montage of Santos’ lying in his own words about his grandparents being Holocaust survivors, about his mother surviving 9/11, about various schools he did not attend and degrees he did not earn or receive. Santos’ response was to say CNN should have Biden on to be “grilled” like this. Burnett didn’t let this pass, responding that his answer was “completely irrelevant to the conversation,” adding, “and to be very clear, you and I spoke this afternoon and I said we would begin with impeachment and talk about many other things about you. You are well aware of that. So it would be unfair to claim anything otherwise.”

It was breathtaking.

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‘The Squad’s’ Rashida Tlaib Defends Saying Impeach The Motherf***er: ‘I Mean, I Was Right’

Posted on by John Hanson

On Tuesday, far-left Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib reacted to former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial lawyers using video of her calling on Congress to “impeach the motherf***er” in regards to Trump.

Tlaib’s comments were originally made in 2019 before the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. The ‘Squad’ member told MNSBC’s Chris Hayes she “was right” to make her comments.

Watch Tlaib’s interview below.

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Tlaib Doubles Down On ‘Impeach The Motherf***er’

“I mean, I was right,” Tlaib told Hayes on his MSNBC program “All In.”

“This is a person that’s been lawless,” Tlaib added. “Not only that,  it’s a crooked billionaire running his businesses out of the White House.”

Tlaib didn’t expand on her salacious claim that President Trump had done anything “crooked” regarding his businesses, and host Hayes didn’t ask.

“He was absolutely committing impeachable offenses,” she added.

Tlaib then turned her attention to the current impeachment trial.

“You know, this primary impeachment that you see before the Senate right now to convict him is for the violence on January 6, but for many of us, especially here in my district, we have saw [sic] that it was extremely corrupted that they were putting the Trump Organization first,” she said.

‘We Knew What He Was About, And We Called Him Out On It From Day One’

Tlaib continued, “They were putting the for-profit organization, his businesses, before the people’s business and making sure that, again, folks, we’re staying at the Trump Hotel to do all this.”

“And again, many of us didn’t wait for him to bribe a foreign government, nor did we wait in the 13th congressional district for a white supremacy attack on our capital,” the far left Democrat added.

“We knew what he was about, and we called him out on it from day one,” she insisted.

RELATED: CNN’s Don Lemon Tells Trump Supporters They Can’t Support Trump And Demand Respect For Police

Tlaib vowed Democrats are “not going to hold back” when it comes to Trump and would definitely hold the former president “accountable.”

“We need to use every resource possible and convict this president, again, for the violence that he caused,” Tlaib finished.

Tlaib Accuses Trump Of Trying To Disenfranchise Black Voters

Tlaib also doubled down on the Democrat strategy of portraying the violence at the Capitol as “white supremacy.” 

Commenting on statements made by impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, who had argued that democracy was personal, Tlaib agreed. 

“It is. Chris, from my district alone, they were intentionally trying to throw out black votes right here in Detroit. And so for us it was extremely personal, that they were trying to use white supremacist rhetoric, trying to use that racist tone, and these conspiracy theories that led to the violence of January 6th.”

Tlaib got no pushback from Hayes on her claim, without evidence, that the Trump campaign team was “intentionally trying to throw out black votes.” 

Watch the entire interview here:

The post ‘The Squad’s’ Rashida Tlaib Defends Saying Impeach The Motherf***er: ‘I Mean, I Was Right’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

Trump ‘Not Happy’ With His Legal Team’s First Appearance In Impeachment Trial

Posted on by John Hanson

According to a number of reports on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was very displeased with his legal team’s performance on the first day of his Senate impeachment trial.

Many members of Congress and pundits also criticized the Trump defense team’s showing, and particularly that of Bruce Castor.

Castor had once briefly served as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, and was the District Attorney for Montgomery County.

RELATED: PBS’ Yamiche Alcindor Defends Democrat Double Standard On Impeachment – ‘Wasn’t Storming Of The Capitol’ After Maxine Waters’ Speech

Source: ‘President Trump Was Not Happy’

For about 45 minutes, Castor delivered a rambling opening speech and seemed to have a difficult time making many salient points to this case.

Sources close to Trump’s defense team reportedly told both Politico and CNN that Trump was “not happy” with how he was being represented by his lawyers.

One source reportedly told Politico, “President Trump was not happy with the performance of his legal team in action.”

In the weeks leading up to the impeachment trial, Trump’s legal team had a rough few weeks. 

The former president’s previous team quit abruptly just three weeks before the trial reportedly because Trump insisted they make the argument that the election was stolen from him by the Democrats.

Dershowitz On Castor: ‘I Have No Idea What He Is Doing’

After that controversy, Castor and attorney David Schoen came in as Trump’s primary legal representatives.

The two lawyers had little more than two weeks to prepare for the trial.

Neither Schoen nor Castor have reportedly agreed to make the case that the 2020 election was stolen from their client.

Trump’s lawyer for his first impeachment trial, Alan Dershowitz, said Trump’s legal team’s performance on Tuesday was not good. 

Dershowitz said of Castor, “I have no idea what he is doing.”

Perhaps the most surprising comment from Castor, which many on the left were quick to pounce on, was his assertion that Trump lost the election fair and square – a big departure from Trump’s claim that the election was stolen: 

RELATED: Lindsey Graham Rips Impeachment – ‘We’re Doing A Lot Of Damage To The Country Because People Hate Trump’

Republican Sen. John Cornyn Was Not Impressed

“The American people are entitled to an argument,” Dershowitz told Newsmax. “But this, just, after all kinds of very strong presentations on the part of the House managers… it does not appear to me to be effective advocacy.”

Dershowitz wasn’t the only one unimpressed. One prominent member of Trump’s own party was not the least bit impressed with what he saw from Team Trump on Tuesday.

Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn reportedly said, “I’ve seen a lot of lawyers and a lot of arguments and that was, that was not one of the finest I’ve seen.” 

Another Republican, perhaps the biggest surprise among the GOP Senators who voted that the trial for a former president was constitutional, was Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. 

Speaking of the proceedings, Cassidy said, “Trump’s team was disorganized, they did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand. And when they talked about it, they kind of glided over it, almost as if they were embarrassed of their arguments.”

“Now if I’m an impartial juror and one side is doing a great job and the other side is doing a terrible job on the issue at hand, as an impartial juror, I’m going to vote for the side that did the good job,” he said.

The post Trump ‘Not Happy’ With His Legal Team’s First Appearance In Impeachment Trial appeared first on The Political Insider.

Trump Lawyer’s Demand Senate Impeachment Trial Be Dismissed, As Top Democrat Admits It’s Not Crazy To Argue It Is Unconstitutional

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

On the eve of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, lawyers for the former President are demanding a dismissal, while a top Democrat admits the process could reasonably be argued as unconstitutional.

A memorandum filed by Trump’s legal team Monday calls for an “immediate dismissal” of what they define as Democrat “political theater.”

“The Article of Impeachment presented by the House is unconstitutional for a variety of reasons, any of which alone would be grounds for immediate dismissal,” they write.

“Taken together, they demonstrate conclusively that indulging House Democrats’ hunger for this political theater is a danger to our Republic[an] democracy and the rights that we hold dear.”

RELATED: CNN’s Jake Tapper Called Out For Claiming Republicans Must Stop ‘Insane Lies’ That Have Led To ‘MAGA Terrorism’

The Impeachment of a Former President IS Unconstitutional

Meanwhile, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), during an interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, admitted it is not “ridiculous” for his GOP colleagues to argue the impeachment is unconstitutional.

“I will admit that this is, of course, a matter of first impression. And so I don’t think the case that Senator Paul is making here is a ridiculous one,” Murphy said.

Senator Rand Paul forced a procedure two weeks ago that prompted 45 Republicans to vote that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional.

In an op-ed column, Paul (R-KY) also referred to the impeachment process against the former President as a “farce” and said it should be dismissed.

“The Constitution says two things about impeachment — it is a tool to remove the officeholder, and it must be presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court,” he wrote.

Neither of those criteria has been met by the House impeachment effort.

RELATED: Dead On Arrival: 45 Republicans – Including McConnell – Vote That Trump’s Impeachment Trial Is Unconstitutional

Murphy Disagrees

While he does argue that Republicans could make a viable case, Senator Murphy disagrees that the impeachment is unconstitutional.

“I come to a different judgment … I think we have this responsibility,” he countered. “But I – listen, I admit that Senator Paul’s case is, you know, not from outer space.”

Paul, however, claims even Supreme Court Justice John Roberts recognized the impeachment trial as being troublesome.

“Justice Roberts said heck no, I’m not coming across the street because you’re not impeaching the president,” Paul said.

“This was a strong signal to all of us that this was going to be a partisan hearing with a Democrat in the chair, who’s already voted for impeachment.”

Paul went on to echo the sentiments of Trump’s lawyers regarding the impeachment trial, calling it a “partisan farce.”

The post Trump Lawyer’s Demand Senate Impeachment Trial Be Dismissed, As Top Democrat Admits It’s Not Crazy To Argue It Is Unconstitutional appeared first on The Political Insider.

Trump’s Lawyers Argue Impeachment Article Is Violation Of The Constitution

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Donald Trump’s lawyers argue that the House impeachment charge is unconstitutional and are calling on the Senate to acquit the former President.

In their first formal response, Trump’s lawyers “denied” that the former President “ever engaged in a violation of his oath of office,” and by contrast, he, “at all times acted to the best of his ability to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

They also assert that going through a process designed to remove somebody from office when he is no longer in the office is a violation of the Constitution.

The brief calls for dismissal of the article stating, “Incitement of Insurrection against him as moot, and thus in violation of the Constitution, because the Senate lacks jurisdiction to remove from office a man who does not hold office.”

45th President’s Answer… by Fox News

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House Impeachment Managers Say Overwhelming Evidence to Convict Trump

House impeachment managers earlier today filed a pre-trial brief which revealed what their plan of attack will be in the upcoming Senate trial.

“In a grievous betrayal of his Oath of Office, President Trump incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol during the Joint Session, thus impeding Congress’s confirmation of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. as the winner of the presidential election,” they argue.

The filing claims that the “facts are compelling and the evidence is overwhelming.”

The impeachment managers also counter the argument that the trial would be unconstitutional.

“[T]he text and structure of the Constitution, as well as its original meaning and prior interpretations by Congress, overwhelmingly demonstrate that a former official remains subject to trial and conviction for abuses committed in office,” the brief reads.

“Any other rule would make little sense.”

RELATED: Biden Considering Revoking Trump’s Right To Access Classified Briefings

Democrats Still Have an Uphill Battle

An impeachment conviction requires a two-thirds vote, which in the Senate would require 17 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats in voting to convict Trump.

Senator Rand Paul already set the stage by forcing a vote on the constitutionality of the impeachment of the former President.

45 Republicans – including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – voted that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional.

“45 Senators agreed that this sham of a ‘trial’ is unconstitutional,” he tweeted. “That is more than will be needed to acquit and to eventually end this partisan impeachment process.”

“This ‘trial’ is dead on arrival in the Senate,” he wrote.

“The Constitution says two things about impeachment — it is a tool to remove the officeholder, and it must be presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court,” Paul wrote in an op-ed column.

Neither of those elements exists in this case, as President Trump is no longer in office and Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to preside over the trial.

Trump’s lawyers and the House impeachment managers will submit another round of briefs next Monday, and the trial is scheduled to begin on February 9th.

The post Trump’s Lawyers Argue Impeachment Article Is Violation Of The Constitution appeared first on The Political Insider.

Trump Lawyer to Schiff’s Team: You’re Conducting ‘Massive Election Interference’ And Americans Will Make You Pay

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

White House counsel for the impeachment trial, Pat Cipollone, accused Adam Schiff and the impeachment management team of partaking in “massive election interference,” predicting the American people will not respond kindly to their actions.

In fact, he suggested the one thing Democrats truly do not want to see – the American people deciding their party’s fate at the ballot box.

Cipollone’s remarks came Thursday afternoon at the Senate impeachment trial.

“We’ve never been in a situation where we have the impeachment of a President in an election year, with the goal of removing the president from the ballot,” Cipollone said.

“As I’ve said before, that is the most massive election interference we’ve ever witnessed. It’s domestic election interference, it’s political election interference, and it’s wrong.”

The truth must be thoroughly painful for Schiff and his impeachment clown show to hear.

RELATED: GOP Trial Defense Team Wraps Up, Scores Big

Americans Will Make Them Pay

Cipollone proceeded to explain that the House impeachment scam will come back to bite Democrats when the American people vote.

“If you’re going to say that the votes of the American people are going to be disallowed, that all of the ballots need to be torn up … then at the very least you need to be accountable to your own district for that decision and now they are,” he said. “And now they are.”

Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee Chairman, admitted he and his colleagues forced impeachment because the threat of President Trump’s winning re-election is too great.

They will lose and they know it. Cipollone even suggests they could be thrown out of office for their disgraceful tactics.

“If the American people decide. If they are allowed to vote. If the American people decide, that they don’t like what’s happened here, that they don’t like the constitutional violations that have happened, that they don’t like the attack on a successful president, for purely partisan political purposes,” Cipollone railed. “Then they can do something and they can throw them out.”

RELATED: Dem Impeachment Manager Echoes Adam Schiff – This is About the Election

It’s a Threat

Cipollone’s prediction sounds similar to something President Trump said earlier in the week – that Schiff may eventually pay a hefty price for his actions.

“Shifty Adam Schiff is a CORRUPT POLITICIAN, and probably a very sick man,” Trump tweeted. “He has not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!”

He also echoed that we were witnessing “a massive election interference the likes of which has never been seen before.”

Schiff whined that Trump was making a threat against him. The President’s lawyer revealed just what that price would be.

And it is, indeed, a threat. It’s a threat that if you continue this ‘resistance’ farce and multiple ‘coup’ attempts against the President of the United States, the voters will make you pay a political price.

They must be held accountable.

The post Trump Lawyer to Schiff’s Team: You’re Conducting ‘Massive Election Interference’ And Americans Will Make You Pay appeared first on The Political Insider.