<p>Trump’s Justice Department went after the independent journalist for covering an anti-ICE protest in St. Paul.</p>
Lydia O'Connor at HuffPost:
A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota has blocked the Justice Department’s attempt to bring charges against former CNN host Don Lemon for his coverage of an anti-ICE protest in St. Paul last weekend, CBS News and CNN reported Thursday.
“The Attorney General is enraged at the magistrate judge’s decision,” a person familiar with the matter told both outlets.
A lawyer for Lemon, who currently works as an independent journalist, praised the news of the judge’s decision.
“The magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s First Amendment protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter,” his attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement. “It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist.”
Lemon, he added, is prepared to dispute any charges that come his way.
“Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job,” he continued, “Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
A federal magistrate judge was right to block the DOJ’s insane attempt to charge Don Lemon for his role in the Cities Church protest.
See Also:
The Guardian: Judge declines to sign off on charges against former CNN anchor Don Lemon
Trump''s fails are starting to add up. He had several just on Thursday.
As Jen Psaki describes in the video above, a federal grand jury refused to indict New York Attorney General Letitia "Tish" James. Trump considers the NY AG to be one of his biggest political enemies. Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice have been taking time away from scrubbing Trump's name from the Epstein files in order to instigate trumped up charges against James.
This grand jury fail was not the only bad news for Trump.
The Republican majority Indiana State Senate refused to go along with a Trump MAGA gerrymander of the state's US House seats. Even a majority of Republicans in the chamber voted against it.
Senate Republicans reject Trump’s plea for gerrymandered maps
The Republican-dominated Indiana Senate spurned months of demands from President Donald Trump as it voted 31-19 on Thursday to reject a redrawing of the state’s congressional maps.
The final outcome remained uncertain until 21 Republicans joined all 10 Democratic senators in blocking the redistricting plan. The proposal didn’t even win support from a majority of the 40 Republican senators.
With that tally, Indiana became the first Republican-led state Legislature to vote down Trump’s wish to squeeze out more GOP-friendly congressional seats in hopes of improving the party’s chances of keeping its slim U.S. House majority after the 2026 midterm elections.
Proud of you, Hoosiers!
Speaking of the US House, a group of relatively moderate Republicans there have been signing on to discharge petitions to get around Trump toady Speaker Mike Johnson. It was a discharge petition which was responsible for bringing release of the Epstein files up for a vote.
Recent electoral defeats and large swings against GOP candidates have made some Republicans fear voters more than they fear Trump.
Republicans’ shaky grip on the House
Live discharge petitions — which effectively strip power from the GOP leadership — have become more common than ever in Johnson’s House. The sheer number of successful discharge petitions is stunning and shows just how poor the outlook is for Johnson and his top lieutenants. Remember what happened with the Jeffrey Epstein vote.
Consider this:
— Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) will get a vote today on a bill overturning Trump’s executive order barring federal workers from collective bargaining rights. Five Republicans signed onto the petition. The measure will pass the House, delivering a rebuke to Trump, although it won’t pass the Senate. But we’ll see it come up again during January’s government-funding fights.
— Luna is among a bipartisan group of members pushing a discharge petition to institute a stock trading ban for members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children. Johnson disagrees with the bill and doesn’t want it to pass. The petition only has 41 signatures, including 14 Republicans. But during the NDAA standoff, Luna was able to extract a promise from Johnson to put a stock trading ban on the floor.
— Frustrated with Johnson’s inaction, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) has a discharge petition to extend the enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies. Fitzpatrick, a swing-district centrist, has enough Republican signatories to win a floor vote. What Democrats do here remains to be seen, lending credence to the argument that the minority has major sway on the House floor.
— Five Republicans have already joined Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) on a different discharge petition for a bill that would extend the Obamacare subsidies for one year. That means this effort also has enough GOP backing to be successful if Democrats universally back it. The House Democratic leadership prefers this petition to Fitzpatrick’s.
This new petition or Fitzpatrick’s measure could feasibly reach 218 signatures, starving Johnson of his ability to set the party’s course on health care.
Johnson rightfully understands that the vast majority of House Republicans aren’t in favor of extending the Obamacare tax credits that have been at the heart of the House tumult over the last few months. But there are certainly enough House Republicans who could pair with Democrats to renew the subsidies at some point in the next few months.
As the above article from Thursday predicted, the House did vote to restore collective bargaining rights for federal workers. This was a nullification of Trump's executive orders from earlier this year.
These defeats add up. Eventually people will finally realize that Trump is just a corrupt lame duck with a big mouth. When people finally understand that full power no longer resides with Trump, that power will visibly shrink.
Rachel Maddow highlights the changes in public statements issued by Jared Kushner attorney Abbe Lowell, which appear to be an effort by Lowell to make sure he isn't thrown under the bus for his client's duplicity on how he got his security clearance.
Susan Monarez, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is refusing an attempt from the Trump administration to push her
Oliver Willis at Daily Kos:
Susan Monarez, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is refusing an attempt from the Trump administration to push her out of her job. Monarez opposes unscientific policies being pushed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a long history of promoting harmful junk science.
The Trump administration claimed on Wednesday that Monarez had been fired after she refused to resign. But her lawyer Mark Zaid said in a post that because she serves in a Senate-confirmed position, she can be removed only by President Donald Trump himself.
In an earlier post, Zaid and his legal partner, Abbe Lowell, said Monarez has been targeted by the Trump administration after refusing to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” The post also accused Kennedy and the department of “weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk.”
The refusal to bow to a purported firing echoes the stance of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, who on Monday refused Trump’s attempt to remove her, noting that he does not have the constitutional power to do so. Cook is now suing the administration.
Dr. Robert Steinbrook, health research group director at the advocacy group Public Citizen, told CNN, “Ousting the first Senate-confirmed CDC director weeks into the start of her tenure makes absolutely no sense and underscores the destructive chaos at RFK Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services.”
Following the administration’s statement on Monarez, at least three top CDC officials said they were quitting the agency. They include Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer, as well as Drs. Dan Jernigan and Demetre Daskalakis, both directors of agencies at the CDC.
Glad to see the wrongly terminated CDC director Susan Monarez fight back against the MAHA coup and the Trump Regime.
See Also:
NewsNation: CDC director Monarez ousted after COVID vaccine argument with RFK Jr.: Source
The Guardian: Fired CDC chief Susan Monarez refuses to step down, defying White House
AP, via HuffPost: CDC Director Susan Monarez Is Fired And Other Agency Leaders Resign
Cook’s attorney said the president has ‘no authority’ and ‘lacks any factual or legal basis’ to fire the Fed governor
Callum Jones at The Guardian:
The Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook will sue the Trump administration over its bid to fire her over unconfirmed allegations of mortgage fraud, her attorney has said.
Donald Trump announced he was firing Cook on Monday night, in an extraordinary move that marks the latest escalation in the US president’s attack on the central bank’s independence.
But Trump has “no authority” to remove her from the Fed’s board of governors, Abbe Lowell, Cook’s attorney, argued in a statement to reporters, saying: “His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis. We will be filing a lawsuit challenging this illegal action.”
In the meantime, she plans to stay put on the Fed’s powerful board of governors – and rate-setting policy committee.
In its own statement, the Fed said Cook had signaled that she would “seek a judicial decision that would confirm her ability to continue to fulfill her responsibilities as a Senate-confirmed member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,” adding: “As always, the Federal Reserve will abide by any court decision.”
Trump wrote to Cook, telling her that he was removing her from her position “effective immediately”, based on the allegation from one of his allies that she had obtained a mortgage on a second home she incorrectly described as her primary residence.
Cook responded several hours later through Lowell’s office, saying of Trump that “no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority” to remove her from the job to which she was appointed by Joe Biden in 2022.
She said: “I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy.”
Lowell said Trump’s “demands lacked any proper process, basis or legal authority”, adding: “We will take whatever actions are needed to prevent his attempted illegal action.”
Trump posted the full text of the letter on social media. In it, he said that he had found “sufficient cause” in the allegation against her to remove her from her position.
Cook’s exit would allow Trump to tap a replacement, helping him to exert more control over Fed policy. His demands for lower interest rates have so far fallen on closed ears.
Good on Lisa Cook for suing the rogue criminal regime’s lawless and racist decision to fire her from the Federal Reserve board.
The president’s son now faces prison in a case that strongly suggests President Joe Biden hasn’t “weaponized” the Justice Department against
Arthur Delaney at HuffPost:
A jury in Delaware has found the president’s son guilty of illegally owning a gun in 2018.
The government said Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs when he bought a pistol that October, and that he lied on a federal form when he checked a box saying he wasn’t an addict. Jurors agreed, and Biden now faces time behind bars.
The case has major political significance, coming as former President Donald Trump and the entire Republican Party mount an all-out assault on the U.S. justice system over its supposed “weaponization” by President Joe Biden against Trump, who faces federal charges for hoarding classified documents and trying to steal the 2020 election.
The Department of Justice has thrown the book at Hunter Biden, hitting him with illegal gun ownership charges that are rarely prosecuted as a standalone case without some other misconduct related to the firearm. The weeklong trial humiliated the first family, the guilty verdict could send the president’s son to prison, and he still faces another trial this fall for allegedly failing to pay his taxes on time.
During closing arguments on Monday, prosecutor Leo Wise reportedly gestured toward first lady Jill Biden and other members of the Biden family in the court gallery, saying: “Respectfully, none of that matters.”
Hunter Biden had originally struck a plea deal with prosecutors last year, but the agreement fell apart under questioning by District Judge Maryellen Noreika, which revealed a disagreement between Biden’s legal team and prosecutors about whether the government would still pursue other charges against Biden related to his international business deals.
So Biden pleaded not guilty, even though he didn’t deny buying the gun and he admitted in his 2021 memoir that he was constantly smoking crack cocaine around the time of the purchase. The government used the memoir to make its case, and also called to the stand Biden’s ex-wife, an ex-girlfriend, and his late brother’s widow, Hallie Biden, with whom he had a disastrous affair.
[...]
The jury found Biden guilty on three counts: lying about his drug use on a federal form used in firearm sales that he was not addicted to a controlled substance, making that same lie to a federally licensed gun dealer, and illegally possessing a firearm even though he was an addict. Biden faces a maximum possible sentence of 25 years in prison, though it’s likely he would receive a lighter sentence, and he could appeal the case.
Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that they would “continue to vigorously pursue all the legal challenges available to Hunter.”
In a statement, Joe Biden said he loved his son and would respect the judicial process.
“I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal,” he said. “Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.”
Hunter Biden thanked his family and friends in a statement after the verdict.
“I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome,” he said. “Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time.”
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has been found guilty on all three counts of illegally owning a gun.
President Biden has said that he won't pardon him.
A big difference between Democrats and the MAGA cult is that we accept the fact Hunter Biden has been charged in a court of law by a jury of his peers, while the MAGA cult (and the GOP at large) whine about Donald Trump being held accountable in a court of law.
Another big difference is that President Biden didn't interfere with the Hunter Biden trial process, unlike Trump, who did everything he could to obstruct his trial.
See Also:
MMFA: MAGA propagandists juggle conspiracy theories following Hunter Biden verdict
The Guardian: Hunter Biden found guilty on all three charges in federal gun case
Daily Kos: Hunter Biden is convicted, but the GOP is still big mad
Hunter Biden has volunteered to testify publicly, but he's refused the private deposition that Republicans demanded.
Arthur Delaney at HuffPost:
WASHINGTON ― Republicans will begin contempt of Congress proceedings against the president’s son if he refuses to testify in a closed deposition, House oversight committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said Wednesday.
“If Mr. Biden does not appear for his deposition on December 13, 2023, the Committees will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings,” Comer wrote in a letter to Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell.
Comer sent Biden a subpoena for his testimony last month, demanding a private interview about his foreign business deals as Republicans weigh whether to draft articles of impeachment against his father, President Joe Biden.
Lowell has said that his client would be willing to talk to lawmakers, but only in a public hearing ― an offer Lowell had reiterated earlier on Wednesday in a letter to Comer.
“He is making this choice because the Committee has demonstrated time and again it uses closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort, the facts and misinform the American public,” Lowell wrote. “A hearing would ensure transparency and truth in these proceedings.”
Republicans have claimed that the president participated in and did official favors for his son’s business. But they’ve struggled mightily to prove it.
[...]
If the House approves a contempt resolution against Hunter Biden, then the citation would be referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution. But the department can simply decline to prosecute, so it’s not clear how much of a threat contempt proceedings would be to Hunter.
Still, if the president’s son refuses to testify, Comer would certainly add it to his list of grievances against the Biden administration, potentially bolstering his impeachment case to his Republican colleagues.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) continues his partisan crusade against the Bidens by threatening Contempt of Congress charges against Hunter Biden to bolster their phony case for impeaching President Biden.
