Tag: Donald Trump

Weapon arguments made during hearing for former Rocky Mount officer charged in Jan. 6 riot

The federal hearing for a former Rocky Mount police officer accused of violating the conditions of his bond ended Wednesday morning without a ruling from the judge.

Thomas “T.J.” Robertson and another former Rocky Mount officer, Jacob Fracker, face federal charges for participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. On June 30, prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Robertson’s bond after a search of his Ferrum home found firearms and explosive devices. Prosecutors contend Robertson violated the conditions of his release.

Wednesday’s hearing took place in Washington, D.C., with Robertson appearing in person. Robertson’s attorney, Mark Rollins, said the former police officer is being held in Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange County because he personally knows most of the police in Southwest Virginia. Continue reading.

‘Always whispering devilish ideas in the king’s ear’: Gen. Milley had a low opinion of Stephen Miller, new book says

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Gen. Mark Milley appears to not have been a fan of former Trump White House advisor Stephen Miller and thought of him as “a Rasputin character, always whispering devilish ideas in the king’s ear,” according to an excerpt from a new book documenting Trump’s last days in office. 

According to Business Insider, the highlighted excerpt comes from the new book “I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year.”Authored by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Phillip Rucker, the book sheds light on some of Milley’s concerns, and based on the writers’ reporting, the top-ranking general had shared his concerns about Miller with his aides.

Per the publication:

“Milley likened Miller to the villainous Grigori Rasputin, an influential Russian political figure also called the “Mad Monk,” who held significant influence over the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. The self-professed holy man was later murdered by aristocrats.” Continue reading.

Jim Jordan actually tries to blame Democrats for the Jan. 6 attack

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U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) attacked nearly half of American adults Wednesday, falsely claiming Democrats “normalized anarchy,” after Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to allow him on the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

Jordan suggested because Democrats supported the Black Lives Matter protests against police killing of unarmed Black people, Trump supporters had every right to break federal laws, damage federal property, attempt to overturn an election, and threaten the lives of duly-elected House and Senate representatives, and the vice president of the United States.

Jordan insisted the “fundamental question” the January 6 Select Committee should investigate is not who lied to the American people, who incited the insurrection, and the attempted coup — but “why wasn’t there a proper, proper security presence at the capitol that day.” Continue reading.

‘Helmet boy’ Capitol insurrectionist demands plea deal in ‘off the rails’ hearing: ‘Can I get an offer?’

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The Capitol insurrectionist who became known as “helmet boy” — after being captured on video using a riot helmet to smash a window to the Speaker’s Lobby during the Jan. 6 riot — demanded a plea bargain from prosecutors during an “off the rails” court appearance on Wednesday.

Zach AZach Alam, who remains in jail, spoke over his attorney and demanded to represent himself, at one point directly asking a federal prosecutor assigned to the case, “Can I get a deal?” according to a live report from Scott MacFarlane, an investigative reporter for Washington, D.C.’s NBC affiliate.

Alam said he was making an “offer” — for prosecutors to drop all charges — before demanding, “Make me a counteroffer.” Continue reading.

McCarthy yanks all GOP picks from Jan. 6 committee

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has decided not to participate in the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol, yanking all of his GOP picks in protest of Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s (D-Calif.) decision to reject two top Republicans.

“Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republican nominees, Republicans will not be party to their sham process and will instead pursue our own investigation of the facts,” he said in a statement.

A Pelosi spokesman quickly shot down the possibility that Pelosi might reverse course. Continue reading.

Mike Lindell offers $5 million election ‘bounty’ in desperate attempt to hype ‘cyber symposium’

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MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell claimed on Wednesday that he will pay $5 million to anyone who attends his cyber symposium and can prove that data in his possession did not come from the 2020 election.

During an appearance on Real America’s Voice, Lindell presented strict rules for winning the $5 million bounty. He said that participants would need to be invited to his August “cyber symposium” in Sioux Falls to be qualified.

“I want it to be the most-watched event ever,” he told host Steve Bannon. Continue reading.

Pelosi rejects Jordan, Banks for Jan. 6 committee

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday rejected two of the Republican picks — Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Jim Banks (Ind.) — for the Jan. 6 select committee.

Both GOP lawmakers are staunch allies of former President Trump, and both had voted in January against certifying President Biden‘s election victory.

In a statement, Pelosi said Democrats in her caucus had raised specific objections to Jordan and Banks “and the impact their appointments may have on the integrity of the investigation.” Continue reading.

How Thomas Barrack’s alleged illegal lobbying shaped Trump’s policies in the Gulf

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Writing in Fortune magazine two weeks before the 2016 election, Donald Trump’s old friend and fundraiser, Thomas J. Barrack, outlined a new U.S. policy for the Middle East. The “best hope” for America and the Arab world, he said, was U.S. support for the new, “brilliant young leaders” in places such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Barrack, who would soon become head of the president-elect’s inaugural committee, was already acting on behalf of one of those leaders, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, according to a federal indictment unsealed against him in California on Tuesday.

Charged with failing to register as a foreign agent and lying to the FBI, Barrack allegedly used his close relationship with Trump to push UAE-sought actions on both the campaign and during the first two years of the administration. The Fortune op-ed was the product of direct input from Emirati officials, the indictment alleges. Continue reading.

Lawmakers spend more on personal security in wake of insurrection

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In the months after she voted to impeach former President Trump for his role in inspiring the Jan. 6 insurrection against Congress, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) went to Costco to buy a security system. 

Rep. Richard Hudson (N.C.), one of the majority of Republicans who voted against impeaching Trump, also purchased a security system for his home.  

Herrera Beutler and Hudson did not respond to requests for comment. But they were hardly alone: A review of campaign finance reports made with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) last week shows an unprecedented rise in spending on security for members of Congress.   Continue reading.

Milley to Trump: “I don’t expect you to understand”

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The new book by The Wall Street Journal’s Michael Bender — “Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost” — pinpoints the moment that the relationship between former President Trump and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley began to disintegrate.

  • It came last year during a fiery Oval Office confrontation over Milley’s public apology for appearing in a photo op with Trump at St. John’s Church:

“Why did you apologize?” Trump asked him. “That’s weak.”

“Not where I come from,” Milley said. “It had nothing to do with you. It had to do with me and the uniform and the apolitical tradition of the United States military.”

Continue reading.