Media

Docs reveal 'more red flags' from group 'funneling millions of dollars to conservative causes': report

A Republican donor group was the subject of a complaint filed last week by the Campaign Legal Center alleging that it's "a shell entity specifically created to pump big donors’ money into politics while masking their identities," according to The Daily Beast.

The news outlet reports that Ardleigh Impact Corporation — a "mysterious nonprofit registered with the state of Delaware" has been "funneling millions of dollars to conservative causes."

The Washington, DC group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics' Vice President for Research and Data, Robert Maguire, told the Beast, "Everything about how this corporation was organized seems fishy. Formed in Delaware, a state where people intentionally incorporate corporations because there is no disclosure requirement for… who is behind it, where the money might be coming from."

READ MORE: 'Huge loophole': Trump-appointed FEC officials make it easier for RNC to pay his legal fees

He added, "Then the fact that this corporation apparently, just months after incorporating, had enough money to pour millions into PACs, also raises more red flags. All while it has no apparent public facing materials or business operations. It really checks all the boxes when it comes to the kind of questionable shell companies we have seen in campaign finance data."

The Beast notes that "the only publicly available evidence of the nonprofit’s existence were the donations documented in FEC reports and its articles of incorporation, which it had unsurprisingly registered with the notoriously opaque state of Delaware."

Having obtained the incorporation documents, the Beast reports:

First, the incorporation records identify the group’s organizers as experienced political operatives, including, apparently, the professional strategist who ran Dr. Mehmet Oz’s failed Senate campaign in 2022. They also show that Ardleigh Impact Corp. is not organized as a private company, but a 501(c)(4) nonprofit—a 'dark money' group. However, additional business filings show that Ardleigh Impact Corp. has an apparent twin entity—a private limited liability corporation called 'Ardleigh Impact LLC,' also registered in Delaware.

The new information increases the likelihood that Ardleigh Impact Corp. is, as the complaint alleges, specifically designed to function at least in part as a vehicle for anonymously funding political activity. However, the fact that Ardleigh Impact Corp. is a dark money nonprofit—and therefore permitted to participate in limited election activity—would also seem to rule out claims that it is a 'shell company,' potentially deflating one of the complaint’s arguments while simultaneously introducing new questions about transparency.

Common Cause Director of Legislative Affairs Aaron Scherb said, "501(c)(4s) are social welfare organizations that increasingly have been misused to spend money for political purposes. Under the IRS tax code, they don't have to disclose their donors. And so that's why they've become a popular vehicle for people who are trying to use dark money to influence political outcomes.”

READ MORE: Trump’s hand-picked RNC bosses abruptly cancel plans to gut minority outreach after pushback

CLC's director of reform, Saurav Ghosh, told the news outlet "that Ardleigh’s nonprofit status 'does not change the fact that it appears to have been used as a straw donor to funnel over $2.5 million to multiple super PACs.'"

Ghosh emphasized, "As our complaint makes clear, there is no indication that Ardleigh engaged in any activity from which it could finance these contributions without others giving it money for that purpose. And the apparent involvement of a well-known political operative only further supports the conclusion that Ardleigh was unlawfully used to conceal the true contributors’ identities from required public disclosure."

The Beast notes: "Tax regulations do not require nonprofits like Ardleigh Impact Corp. to disclose their donors, making it highly unlikely that the public will ever learn who funds the entity. By extension, that means the public will also likely never know the ultimate source of the millions of dollars that Ardleigh has already poured into those GOP groups—hence the 'dark' in 'dark money.'"

READ MORE: GOP billionaires using dark money groups to 'distance themselves from their own extremism': report

The Daily Beast's full report is available at this link (subscription required).

Fox News has total meltdown over 'radical left-wing hacks' for 'deep state' hosting debates

Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden and presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump have agreed to two debates: the first hosted by CNN in Atlanta on June 27, the second by ABC News on September 10.

June 27 is early for a presidential debate, as the Republican National Convention won't be held until July 15-18 in Milwaukee — and its Democratic counterpart isn't until August 19-22 in Chicago. Biden's supporters view the June 27 debate as a golden opportunity for the president, as it will give him a chance to hammer Trump issue by issue and, they hope, improve his poll numbers. Many polls released in May have showed Biden narrowly trailing Trump by single digits in key swing states.

But some far-right pundits at Fox News are furious about the debates, including Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and Jesse Watters.

READ MORE:Biden 'heavily' investing in these 3 states that are 'key to the whole election': analysis

Ingraham complained that Biden needs a "game changer" performance and is hoping to get it "with the help of" CNN hosts Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.

Watters sarcastically commented, "Both moderators say Trump's Hitler, so the debate will be fair and balanced. Is Tapper going to cut the cameras away from Trump to fact-check him? We'll have to see."

Watters also attacked ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, saying that he "praised the deep state and said Trump's a threat to democracy" and adding, "I’m sure they'll be calling balls and strikes.”

READ MORE: Biden campaign hammers Trump over infamous COVID comment

Hannity slammed Tapper as a "radical left-wing partisan talk show host" who is "masquerading as a journalist" and claimed that CNN "is filled with left-wing hacks who we know hate" Trump.

The Daily Beast's William Vaillancourt observes, "It didn’t take long at all for some of Fox News' most-watched hosts to frame next month's debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, which was announced Wednesday morning, as unfair to the presumptive GOP nominee."

Although Fox News hosts have been attacking CNN and ABC News as too biased to be hosting the debates, they haven't had a lot to say about the controversy that surrounded the right-wing cable news channel's coverage of the last U.S. presidential election.

Fox News was sued by Dominion Voting Systems and its competitor Smartmatic after promoting the false, thoroughly debunked claim that their equipment was used to help Biden steal the 2020 presidential election from Trump. In 2023, Fox News agreed to a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion, although Smartmatic's $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News is ongoing.

READ MORE: How Fox News' Trump trial coverage became an exercise in 'unintended hilarity': columnist

In an op-ed published on May 16, the Daily Beast's David Rothkopf doesn't agree with far-right claims that CNN and ABC News are too biased to be hosting the presidential debates. But he does argue that the debates could be a golden opportunity for Biden, as Trump is "out of practice" when it comes to debating as well as "bad at it."

Moreover, Rothkopf argues, the debates give Biden a chance to hammer Trump on issue after issue.

"In the view of those close to Biden," Rothkopf writes, "Trump's got a serious problem on the issues. He's on the wrong side of the American public on many of the policy questions most important to them. For example, Trump keeps proclaiming he is the one responsible for the repeal of Roe v. Wade. "

Rothkopf adds, "Almost two-thirds of all women and over six out of ten men support legal abortion according to a recent Pew report.… (Trump) loves Vladimir Putin, for example. In a Pew poll last year, 91 percent of Americans indicated they have an unfavorable view of Russia, with 62 percent having views that are very unfavorable."

READ MORE: Mary Trump: Here's why Ivanka and Don Jr. haven't show up to their father’s 'tawdry' trial

Trump still knows how to fire up his hardcore supporters at MAGA rallies. But Rothkopf stresses that the debate format is problematic for Trump given his lack of self-discipline.

"Trump's defective character is so clear, and the danger he presents is so great, that the current president will have a hard time looking worse in comparison," Rothkopf writes. "The contrasts between the two men and their beliefs could not be starker."

Read the Daily Beast's full Fox News coverage at this link and David Rothkoph's Daily Beast op-ed here (subscription required).

READ MORE: Fox News suggests Trump 'force' court to throw him in jail — by quoting him

Kellyanne Conway 'privately encouraged Trump' to make Tim Scott his running mate: report

A group of about twenty one lawmakers, political pundits, and failed GOP candidates are in the running to become Donald Trump's running mate in his 2024 presidential campaign, according to a list published by The New York Times this week.

One of the failed GOP candidates vying for vice president — US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) — has "been getting help" from a prominent Republican who helped Trump take the White House in 2016, The Daily Beast exclusively reported Wednesday.

Per the Beast, GOP political consultant and pollster Kellyanne Conway, who served as the ex-president's Senior Counselor, has "privately encouraged Trump to partner with Scott."

READ MORE: How these 6 Republicans are debasing themselves to be 'authoritarian crook' Trump’s VP

Three sources familiar with the matter told the news outlet that Conway has confirmed her support of the South Carolina senator, and that Scott is "hoping that her advocacy can carry him across the line."

However, one source says Conway's influence may not mean much.

They told the "Beast that while Conway’s lobbying efforts on Scott’s behalf are authentic—as is her sway with Trump—Scott would be a flawed choice, and Conway’s influence may ultimately 'convince him to make a mistake.'"

The source emphasized, "Here’s the thing about Kellyanne: people dismiss her for a variety of reasons; she’s not particularly smart and doesn’t really come up with a lot of good ideas, she’s always chasing money and that’s what guides her decision making."

READ MORE: Potential Trump VP pick says 'if you’re a billionaire' you should vote for Trump

On the other hand, the source also noted that Conway "does have Trump figured out like no one else."

"If anyone can convince him to make a mistake—and later assign blame to someone else—it’s Kellyanne.”

The Beast reports that in addition to Scott, US Senator Marco Rubio's (R-FL) is also "at the top of Conway’s list to be Trump’s running mate."

READ MORE: Kellyanne Conway is acting like she hopes to be Trump’s running mate

The Daily Beast's full report is here (subscription required).

'Might use it to vote': Kudlow and Blackburn fearmonger Biden giving undocumented green cards

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Fox News Business host Larry Kudlow are promoting a false, fearmongering conspiracy theory President Joe Biden will be handing out green cards to undocumented immigrants in an effort to help them vote. Their remarks come as ex-president Donald Trump, running to retake the White House, has amped up his anti-immigrant focus.

Kudlow on Wednesday said he worries “a lot” that President Biden will be giving green cards to undocumented immigrants who will use them to vote. Senator Blackburn agreed, telling the former Trump National Economic Council Director, “they’re gonna try to vote.”

Green card holders are not U.S. citizens, and only U.S. citizens can vote, with a handful of exceptions in local jurisdictions, but only U.S, citizens can vote in federal elections. Presenting a green card as “proof” of citizenship in states that require it to vote would have the exact opposite effect, proving ineligibility.

Kudlow and Blackburn falsely suggested both undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers who are legally in the United States, may be voting using green cards, with Sen. Blackburn increasing the fearmongering by falsely implying all undocumented immigrants are dangerous.

READ MORE: ‘Long History of Playing Games’: Biden Campaign Shuts Down Trump’s Tantrum

“I mean, I don’t know, is Biden – he’s not going to address any of that,” Kudlow told Blackburn. “He’s not going to really reform asylum policy. He’s gonna give everybody [a] green card. That’s my biggest concern. As you probably know, ma’am, you know, you have a green card or some kind of temporary visa, you might use it to vote. You might use it to vote, even though you’re not a citizen. That worries me a lot.”

“Well, it should,” the Tennessee Republican who has a history of fear-mongering, and has been accused of promoting white Christian nationalism, told Kudlow.

“These are really bad people and your audience needs to think of this in terms of the population of a city of that size, of one and a half million people, and then you’re so right there,” Blackburn said. “This administration is saying we’re going to give you IDs this summer. We’re going to give you work permits if you’re a[n asylum] parolee, what are they gonna do, they’re gonna try to vote.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kudlow replied.

Watch below or at this link.

READ MORE: Johnson Promotes Making ‘Crime a Crime Again’ After Standing Up for Trump at Courthouse

George Conway speaking directly in camera to Trump: 'You are a wuss'

Conservative lawyer George Conway does not typically mince words when it comes to how he feels about Donald Trump.

During a Wednesday interview with MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace — speaking directly in the camera to the former president — Conway predicted that the MAGA hopeful will not testify in his ongoing New York hush money trial because he's a terrified "wuss."

"If I were his lawyer," the legal analyst told Wallace, "in a million years, I would never tell him to testify. I would tell him not to testify. And it reminds me of that passage towards the end of one of [veteran Washington Post journalist] Bob Woodward's books on the [Trump] administration, where Woodward quotes John Dowd — Trump's original personal lawyer — as saying, 'The reason why he couldn't testify is because he's an effing liar.' You can't let him testify. He would be torn to shreds in about three minutes."

READ MORE: 'Long history of playing games': Biden campaign shuts down Trump’s tantrum

Conway continued, "But that said — he never listens to his laywers. If he doesn't testify, it's not going to be because he all of a sudden decided to follow legal advice. He's causing his lawyers to do stupid things in court, like the cross-examination of Stormy, and the miscues the other day with the cross-examination with Michael Cohen. He doesn't listen to his lawyers."

"If he doesn't testify, it's because he's scared."

Speaking into the camera, the conservative lawyer said, "Donald, you are scared. You like to go out and stand out there in the hallway and say all because nobody gets to ask you questions. And if they ask questions, you walk away."

"You, Donald — and I hope you're listening to me — you are a wuss. You are scared of actually doing what Stormy Daniels had to do. and what Michael Cohen had to do and what every other person who is called -- you know, you can't call these people liars, Donald, unless you go on the stand and tell your truth. Let's hear it. Are you afraid, Donald? I think you are."

READ MORE: Legal experts lay out Trump lawyer’s flaws in 'scattershot and sub-optimal' Cohen cross exam

Watch the video below or at this link.

George Conway speaks directly in camera to Donald Trump: 'You are a wuss'www.youtube.com


'Long history of playing games': Biden campaign shuts down Trump’s tantrum

The Biden campaign on Wednesday proposed a series of two debates with very specific rules, including shutting off the microphone of the candidate not answering a question, and Donald Trump quickly accepted the invitations, including the stipulations, before turning around and proposing an additional series of debates.

In a stinging response the Biden campaign rejected Trump’s proposal.

“Donald Trump has a long history of playing games with debates: complaining about the rules, breaking those rules, pulling out at the last minute, or not showing up at all – which he’s done repeatedly in all three cycles he’s run for president,” said Biden-Harris 2024 Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon in a statement received by NCRM. “He said he would debate President Biden anytime, anywhere, anyplace. In fact, he’s said and posted it dozens of times with varying degrees of comprehension and basic grammar. President Biden made his terms clear for two one-on-one debates, and Donald Trump accepted those terms. No more games. No more chaos, no more debate about debates. We’ll see Donald Trump on June 27th in Atlanta – if he shows up.”

Politico warned Wednesday afternoon the “agreement does not ensure that either of the debates will happen. In fact, shortly after the campaigns agreed to two debates, the Trump campaign proposed two more.”

READ MORE: Johnson Promotes Making ‘Crime a Crime Again’ After Standing Up for Trump at Courthouse

Early Wednesday morning President Joe Biden posted a video to social media, saying, “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice.”

Biden also ridiculed Trump’s schedule, which currently has him in court four days a week.

“I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” Biden mocked.

Barely hours later, Biden, keeping the same tone, posted to social media: “I’ve also received and accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by ABC on Tuesday, September 10th. Trump says he’ll arrange his own transportation. I’ll bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years.”

Trump on his social media website wrote, “It is my great honor to accept the CNN Debate against Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST PRESIDENT in the History of the United States and a true Threat to Democracy, on June 27th. Likewise, I accept the ABC News Debate against Crooked Joe on September 10th. Thank you, DJT!”

Also on his Truth Social page Wednesday, Trump had written, “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds – That’s only because he doesn’t get them. Just tell me when, I’ll be there. ‘Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!'”

CNN’s Kristin Holmes reported Wednesday afternoon the Trump campaign is “a little bit irked right now, the fact that Joe Biden somehow took over the debate narrative despite the fact that Donald Trump has been using this as a narrative at all his campaign rallies.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: Why Are One in Five GOP Voters Still Voting for Nikki Haley Over Donald Trump?

Jean-Pierre defies badgering Fox News reporter: 'I am not going to do political punditry from here'

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, as he often does during White House press briefings, attempted to push White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's buttons regarding her boss — President Joe Biden's — decision to debate Donald Trump on June 27.

Doocy said, "I know you don’t want to talk about campaign stuff…"

Jean-Pierre interrupted, saying, "I really don't. It's not even that I don't want to — I can’t."

READ MORE: 'Says you!' John Kirby smacks down Fox News’ Peter Doocy

Doocy continued, "Then how about your insight as the most prominent political communicator in the world, the White House press secretary..."

Jean-Pierre replied, "In the world?"

The Fox News reporter went on to ask, "Does a person generally want to debate when they are winning, or when they are losing?"

Jean-Pierre replied, "I am not going to do political punditry from here, my friend."

The Fox News correspondent also "poked" Pierre regarding Donald Trump's polling over President Joe Biden in some states, according to HuffPost, "asking how a 'criminal defendant' could be ahead" of Biden "in five battleground states."

The news outlet notes: "Doocy was referring to New York Times polls that showed former President Donald Trump, who’s on trial over concealing hush money payments, beating Biden in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. The incumbent won all of those swing states in 2020."

READ MORE: 'Excuse me?' Biden adviser shuts down Fox News reporter over loaded poll question

Doocy continued to push Jean-Pierre's buttons, asking, “So more broadly then, have you considered in the White House that some of President Biden’s recent policy positions could be a turnoff to the people that used to like him?"

The White House press secretary pointed to the fact that "combating student debt and Big Pharma have earned mass approval."

She told Doocy, "So what the president is actually doing is popular with what the majority of Americans want to do. Even in protecting reproductive rights, something that Republicans are not on the right side of history. You think about what extreme elected officials want to do. The president wants to protect and make sure that we actually are giving a woman a right to make really difficult decisions on their health care. So that part I certainly disagree with you on."

READ MORE: How Fox News is lying about Trump’s trial

Watch the video below or at this link.

GOP rep urges Trump to 'unify the party' by picking this candidate to be his running mate

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is still mulling over who to name as his 2024 running mate this November. One far-right member of the House of Representatives is suggesting Trump pick an especially unorthodox candidate.

According to CNN congressional reporter Manu Raju, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina), who is a member of the arch-conservative House Freedom Caucus, wants Trump to pick former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Raju tweeted that Norman confided to Trump that naming his former United Nations ambassador would be the best way to shore up the most Republican votes ahead of the November election.

"[Norman] urged Trump over the weekend to pick Haley as VP to help unify the party," Raju wrote. "He also said that Haley should endorse Trump."

READ MORE: 'Nikki Haley got trounced': Trump mocks his former UN ambassador after she ends campaign

While nearly all of Trump's 2024 Republican rivals have since fallen in line behind him and given their endorsement, Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie — who based his campaign around his opposition to Trump — remain the last holdouts of the GOP field. Haley suspended her campaign after the March 5 Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses, having won just one Republican nominating contest in Vermont. She has 89 total delegates who will be waving her banner at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this summer.

Trump hasn't rushed to court Haley's voters, however, convinced that they'll come on board in time for the general election. The 45th president of the United States even mocked her after she ended her campaign, bragging on his Truth Social platform that he "TROUNCED" his final primary opponent on Super Tuesday. President Joe Biden, on the other hand, has made numerous entreaties to Haley's base, telling them that "there is a place" for them in his campaign.

"It takes a lot of courage to run for president — that's especially true in today's Republican Party, where so few dare to speak the truth about Donald Trump," Biden stated in March. "Nikki Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin."

After she ended her campaign, Haley didn't appear to be in a hurry to endorse Trump, telling him that he would have to "earn" the support of her voters without her help. She also gave an interview to NBC News after dropping out of the 2024 race, telling Meet the Press host Kristen Welker that she wasn't sure if Trump would actually govern by the rules imposed by the U.S. Constitution if he won a second term in the White House.

READ MORE: Nikki Haley issues dire warning on Trump: 'I don't know' if he would abide by Constitution

Trump has so far not succeeded in winning over the small but considerable segment of the GOP that supported Haley. Tuesday's primaries in Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia found that roughly 20% of Republican voters still cast their ballots for Haley even though she's been out of the race for months.

This could be more worrisome for Trump in swing states that Biden narrowly won in 2020, like Georgia. The Peach State's Republican primary was the first nominating contest to take place after Haley suspended her campaign, and while tens of thousands of Haley's voters cast their ballots early prior to her dropping out, thousands more voted for her in-person.

Because Biden won Georgia by less than 12,000 votes in the last election, this suggests that the Democratic incumbent has a path to victory by peeling off a portion of Haley's base in battleground states where every ballot could make a crucial difference. Other states that Trump won in 2016 that Biden managed to swing blue in 2020 — like Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — also had considerable numbers of Republican primary voters who backed Haley over Trump.

Haley is unlikely to be named as Trump's running mate, however. Some of the leading candidates on the shortlist include Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Florida) and Elise Stefanik (R-New York), Sens. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (R) also potentially up for consideration.

READ MORE: Trump's win in Georgia's primary exposed what may be his fatal flaw in the must-win state

Cable news refused to report Trump’s bombshell quid pro quo offer to Big Oil execs

Major cable news networks Fox News Channel, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBCall failed to cover former President Donald Trump's promise to Big Oil executives that he would reverse President Joe Biden's climate regulations if they donated $1 billion to his campaign, according to an analysis published by Media Matters for America late Tuesday.

When the news first broke, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch wrote, "You won't read a more important story today." Yet, in the four days after the story broke, it only received 48 minutes of cable airtime—all on MSNBC.

"The most under-covered Trump story is his complete selling-out of the American people on issues they care about most," Jesse Lee, a former Biden communications adviser, posted on social media in response to the report. "If gas prices go up soon, these same networks that ignored Trump's $1 billion oil bribe will cover it constantly—and crucify Biden."

"He is basically saying he's going to destroy the planet that our children... are growing up on just if these guys will write him a check."

The story of Trump's quid pro quo offer to fossil fuel executives was first reported by The Washington Post on May 9. It detailed a dinner the former president hosted at Mar-a-Lago in April attended by leaders of oil and gas firms including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Occidental Petroleum. During the dinner, Trump told the executives that a $1 billion donation would be a "deal" for the industry "because of the taxation and regulation they would avoid thanks to him."

To assess how cable covered—or didn't cover—the story, Media Matters for America looked at the transcripts from May 9 to May 12 for CNN; Fox News Channel; MSNBC; ABC's "Good Morning America," "World News Tonight," and "This Week;" CBS' "Mornings," "Evening News," and "Face the Nation;" and NBC's "Today," "Nightly News," and "Meet the Press." They searched the transcripts for the words "Trump," "former president," or "Mar-a-Lago" close to the words "oil," "donor," "executive," "billion," "industry," "fossil," or "fuel," as well as any version of the words "environment" or "CEO."

Only the MSNBC transcripts turned up any results. These included:

  1. Just over 18 minutes—or nearly 40% of the total—on "Velshi" on May 11, featuring interviews with climate activist Bill McKibben, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington president Noah Bookbinder, and The Atlantic's David A. Graham.
  2. A discussion on the May 9 edition of "Alex Wagner Tonight" between host Wagner and guests former Obama Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes and former Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
  3. An interview on the May 10 edition of "All in With Chris Hayes" withNew York Times climate reporter Lisa Friedman.
  4. An exchange on the May 11 edition of "Alex Witt Reports" between host Witt and New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker.
  5. An interview on the May 12 edition of "Ayman" with Princeton University sociology professor Kim Lane Scheppele and New York Times columnist and analyst Michelle Goldberg.
  6. Mentions on "The ReidOut" and "The Weekend."

Several of the MSNBC interviews did highlight the importance of the story—which has prompted an investigation by a top House Democrat.

McKibben told Ali Velshi that "in a very real sense this is the most important climate election ever."

Others focused on the blatant corruption of the exchange. Graham noted that it was particularly brazen.

"He is making it clear what the quid pro quo is without any kind of pretense. It's just right here, 'You give me money; I'll do what you want me to do,'" Graham told Velshi.

Rhodes called it "basic pay-to-play corruption," adding, "He is basically saying he's going to destroy the planet that our children... are growing up on just if these guys will write him a check."

There were also comments on what the news said about the fossil fuel executives themselves.

"These are the same executives who, in the wake of January 6, said, 'We're not going to support people who undermined our democracy,'" Bookbinder pointed out. "And there they are, these couple of years later, meeting with Donald Trump, courting his support, hearing his offer—his demands—that they give a billion dollars to his campaign."

Baker told Witt: "I think it's going to confirm for a lot of people who are already suspicious of the fossil fuel industry that they have, over the years, bought off Washington writ large. That's been a longtime conviction on the part of people who think that the energy industry has too much power."

"It's going to cause a lot of cynicism, obviously, especially if Donald Trump were to win and then to try to roll back some of these climate initiatives," Baker continued. "People will make the assumption—and it will have some obvious evidence to back it up—that he is doing so in exchange for large contributions from an industry that's affected by it."

They will, that is, if they caught the 48 minutes of reporting the story received.

Johnson promotes making 'crime a crime again' after standing up for Trump at courthouse

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, promoting a California sheriff who was once a member of a far-right extremist antigovernment group that has been called “instrumental” in the January 6 insurrection, on Wednesday demanded making “crimes criminal again” just one day after traveling to the Criminal Courts Building in lower Manhattan to stand up for Donald Trump. The indicted ex-president faces 34 felony charges in his election subversion, business records falsification, and “hush money” trial.

“We’ve got to make crimes criminal again,” Speaker Johnson told reporters at a “Back the Blue” Police Week news conference Wednesday, paraphrasing Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. “I mean, it’s just common sense. And I think everybody in the country who looks at this objectively understands that anybody who’s not involved in the radical woke progressive left understands clearly that you gotta maintain the peace.”

Sheriff Bianco had been invited to speak at the House GOP event. In 2021, NPRreported he “defended” his membership in the Oath Keepers extremist group, which he insisted stands “for protecting the Constitution.”

READ MORE: Johnson Would Contest 2024 Election Results Under the Same ‘Circumstances’

“If you love America, if you’re proud to be an American and you support the Constitution, you are labeled as an extremist,” Bianco said.

Speaking at the House GOP Back the Blue event Wednesday, Bianco launched an attack on the left.

“Over the past decade or so, the rule of law has been severely eroded by a sick and twisted progressive social experiment, fraudulently called criminal justice reform. In this alternate universe, law enforcement officers are the bad guys, criminals are somehow victims of society. We cannot have a country without respect for law enforcement and adherence to the law and order of our country. There must be consequences for criminal behavior. It is time to make crime a crime again.”

The Speaker on Wednesday also slammed Attorney General Merrick Garland, declaring, “the Department of Justice has clearly been politicized. Some of us consider this actually to be a weaponized DOJ and Merrick Garland is in charge. He is the Attorney General at the top, and I think that they have, they have used our system of justice against political opponents, of course, the most prominent of which is Donald J. Trump. I was with him yesterday in Manhattan, and many in the press have asked, ‘Why did you go there?’ Because I’m a former litigator, I’m a I’m an attorney. This is an egregious violation. a travesty of justice. They are using the judicial system for political purposes and this is something that framers warned us against.”

The Associated Press on Tuesday reported Speaker Johnson had become “the highest-ranking Republican to show up at court, embrace the former president’s claims of political persecution and attack the U.S. system of justice.”

READ MORE: ‘Grave Danger’: Trump’s ‘Raw Display’ of Power at Court Alarms Conservative

“It was a remarkable moment in modern American politics: The House speaker amplifying Trump’s defense and turning the Republican Party against the federal and state legal systems that are foundational to the U.S. government and a cornerstone of democracy,” the AP continued. “Johnson, who is second in line for the presidency, called the court system ‘corrupt.'”

“The speaker is leading a growing list of Republican lawmakers who are criticizing the American judicial system as they rally to Trump’s side, appearing at the courthouse to defend the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. Trump is accused of having arranged secret payments to a porn actress to hide negative stories during his successful 2016 campaign for president.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

'Stormy opened the door': Daniels’ husband reveals 'biggest heartbreak' of New York trial

Although adult film actress Stormy Daniels' cross-examination in Donald Trump's New York hush money trial is over — the hate she continues to receive in the process is not — according to her husband, Barrett Blade.

The former president was charged with 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to suppress a $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels in an effort to benefit his 2016 campaign.

Blade spoke with CNN's Erin Burnett Tuesday about his thoughts on the trial and his wife's involvement.

READ MORE: 'May be their downfall': Ex-prosecutor details Trump lawyers’ 'baffling missteps' at trial

"Have you discussed what happens — when you talk about getting on with your life [at the trial's conclusion] — if Trump is found not guilty?" Burnett asked.

"If Trump is found not guilty, either way, I don't think it gets better for her," Blade said. "I think if it's not guilty we got to decide what to do. It's a good chance we'll probably vacate this country. If he is found guilty, then she's still got to deal with all the hate, and I feel like she's the reason that he's guilty from all of his followers. So I don't see it as a win situation either way.

He emphasized, "I know that we would like to get on with our lives. I know that she wants to move past this. We just want we just want to do what normal people get to do, in some aspects, but I don't know if that ever will be. And it breaks my heart, some of the things that she has to go through that people don't realize.

"For example," Blade continued, "I don't see people fighting back for her. For instance, [veteran journalist] E. Jean Carroll — although we're super happy that everything that happened for happened — Stormy opened the door, but Stormy got sued for the exact same two comments, and she ended up getting legal fees she's got to pay for, but no one wants to help her with that."

READ MORE: 'Painful and salacious': GOP lawmakers worry trial is 'troubling sign for Trump'

"Or the women's groups; She fights for women's groups all day long, and I don't see anyone doing GoFundMe's to try to help with her legal fees and to help her out," he added. "[Disgraced celebrity attorney] Michael Avenatti — he did a GoFundMe to try to help her — but he ended up stealing all her money. There's a list that goes on and on and on."

"No one comes back and helps her out," Blade emphasized. "So that's the biggest heartbreak I think out of everything that's going on right now is that she's fighting for everybody and no one's fighting for her. And that's what makes me the most upset about all of the situation."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'Stormy opened the door': Daniels’ husband discusses 'biggest heartbreak' of New York trialwww.youtube.com

'Did Trump ask you?' CNN host puts Trump ally on spot as he attacks judge’s daughter

Donald Trump ally and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum was put on the spot Tuesday as he appeared to violate a judge’s gag order while being interviewed by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Burgum, who accompanied Trump to his hush money trial, was speaking as the trial resumed after a lunch break.

While repeating many of Trump’s talking points about the trial being a political witchhunt, he claimed the judge and his daughter were politically biased.

He also attacked the witness currently giving testimony, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.

“[People] see right through this thing when you've got a judge that donated to Joe Biden, when you've got prosecutors that supported Joe Biden, when you've got the judge's family members that are benefiting financially as Democrat operatives and then when you've got, as you just said, the lead in this whole trial rests on the credibility of someone who spent three hours this morning describing in great detail how he lied to a grand jury, how he lied to Congress, and how he lost in in court cases.

“And so this is it's just a tough thing. The prosecution's got a tough job to try to build their case on someone who's a serial perjurer.”

ALSO READ: Marjorie Taylor Greene delays financial disclosure day after motion-to-vacate debacle

A gag order put in place by Judge Juan Merchan forbids Trump from talking about witnesses, jurors, court staff or their families. Trump has already been found to have violated it 10 times

But the order will also be violated if Trump asks somebody else to talk about them.

Collins jumped on that fact.

‘I believe [the Joe Biden donation] was to the tune of $35,” she said.

“And then you also mentioned his daughter and her political work, that was something also that the former president heatedly attacked him for, attacked her for on social media until his gag order that he's under right now was expanded to include members of the judge's family and also members of the prosecution's family.

“Did Donald Trump ask you to come out and criticize the judge's daughter?”

“No, not whatsoever,” replied Bergum.

“I'm here completely as a volunteer.”

Trump is facing 34 charges of business fraud involving hush money payments allegedly paid to an adult movie actress to silence her claims she had a sexual relationship with him.

Watch the video below or at this link.

CNN 05 14 2024 14 19 30www.youtube.com

Jon Stewart blasts 'dumbest thing' about 'cartoonishly corrupt' senator’s alleged crimes

As Donald Trump's hush money trial continued in Manhattan Monday, Daily Show host Jon Stewart pointed out that another "government official" — US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) — also found himself inside a courtroom.

According to ABC News, the Democratic lawmaker allegedly accepted "cash, gold bars, luxury wristwatches and other perks from New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official favors to benefit the businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar," and, "He is the first sitting member of Congress to be charged with conspiracy by a public official to act as a foreign agent."

The Daily Show's X (formerly Twitter) account shared a clip from Monday night's episode, writing, "Jon Stewart can't believe Sen. Robert Menendez is on trial for being so cartoonishly corrupt when he could've done his corruption legally. Ya know, like Congress does."

READ MORE: Sen. Menendez may throw his wife under the bus in bribery scandal: report

"What you might not know is it is not the only salacious, high level government official trial going on today, because right across the street, New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez faced his first day of reckoning," Stewart told viewers.

"In what other country in the world can a Cuban American senator work hand in hand with an Egyptian born businessman to corner the Halal meat market?" the longtime host asked.

The Associated Press notes:

Menendez, 70, is on trial with two of the businessmen who allegedly paid him bribes — real estate developer Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. All three have pleaded not guilty. A third businessman has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. The senator’s wife is also charged, but her trial is delayed until at least July.

"Perhaps the dumbest thing about this entire, not quite believable Real Housewives episode, is how unnecessary it all is," Stewart continued. "You, sir, are an elected official in America's most respected legislative body. It's like a license to print money. You don't need to break the law so cartoonishly when the legal corruption in the Senate is so f—kin lucrative."

READ MORE: 'Bribe payments': Sen. Bob Menendez indicted again — this time for obstruction of justice

"Which brings us to our new segment: Senator Robert Menendez— how dumb is you?"

Watch the video below or at this link.

Jon Stewart Gives Sen. Menendez a Lesson in Legal Corruption | The Daily Showwww.youtube.com

'Is board member Paul Ryan alive?' Conservative slams Fox News host suggesting Dems will rig election

Since losing to President Joe Biden in 2020, former President Donald Trump has claimed he was robbed of a second presidency — even as he faces two criminal trials related to his attempt to overturn the election.

Fox News' role in perpetuating the lies pushed by Trump and MAGAworld resulted in a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, which was settled last year.

In April of 2023, the right-wing network agreed to a nearly $800 million settlement to avoid trial. Former host Tucker Carlson even said he believes his firing — which occurred soon after the settlement — was a part of it.

READ MORE: Newsmax wants longtime Trump ally to take a hit in its $1.6 billion election lies suit: report

According to a video shared by conservative writer and MSNBC analyst Tim Miller Monday night, the right-wing network has yet to stop alleging voter fraud.

Miller shared a clip of Fox News host Greg Gutfeld alleging that Democrats will likely rig the November election, writing, "Didn’t Fox pay a gazillion dollar settlement for airing unfounded claims of voter fraud recently? How is this still happening? Is board member Paul Ryan alive?"

"When you see these Trump polls, and these rallies, I'm worried about what we don't see," Gutfield said. "What are the Democrats cooking up with the votes? Legal or illegal? Judging by your eyes or your eyes, this election should not even be close."

He continued, "So the Dems have two options. One, accept the outcome, be comforted by the fact that you got one Biden term — a deal with the dementia-ridden devil, or resort to electoral dirty tricks."

READ MORE: Conservative slams 'propaganda princess' Maria Bartiromo for fawning over Trump’s election lies

"And that's why we need the utmost transparency, because I fear the Dems will go the second right. Although I have very little evidence of that, but that hasn't stopped me before."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'Do words not mean anything?' CNN analysts spar over key witness Michael Cohen’s testimony claim

Former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's took the stand during the New York hush money trial Monday, where he was "calm and collected," according to The Washington Post, amid recalling his former boss directing him to make payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels to benefit Trump's 2016 campaign.

ABC News reports the former Trump lawyer "recalled then-Trump Organization CFO [Alan] Weisselberg saying the monthly payments to reimburse him for the Stormy Daniels nondisclosure payment would be recorded 'as a legal service render since I was going to be given the title as personal attorney to the president.'"

New York criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala, speaking with CNN's Abby Phillips, Anderson Cooper, Laura Coates, Kaitlan Collins, and former prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin, played devil's advocate by arguing that the reimbursements could be considered legal fees.

READ MORE: 'Docs were falsified': Ex-judge explains how Cohen links 'the pieces' of Trump’s criminal intent

Phillips asked, "Is there a defense in Trump attorney saying, 'Well, he was advised by Allen Weisselberg, but this is the best way to do it, and he agreed."

Aidala replied, "That's definitely a piece of it. And also, it's not that a veterinarian laid out the money, and he's giving it to Michael Cohen and legal fee and then Michael Cohen is going to give him. His lawyer did lay out the money. The money is going to Michael Cohen. Michael Cohen is his lawyer. So writing 'legal fee' down is not so far-fetched. If I'm doing the closing argument, I would say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the jury, do you think when Donald trump had construction done on one of his buildings, and he wrote a check to the construction firm, do you think he broke it down like, 'Well, this much was for concrete, this much was for rebar, and this much is for window,' or do you say, 'Here's the big check; you deal with it from here. Here Michael Cohen, here's the big check. If some of it is money that you earn, it's yours. If some of it is money you laid out, it's yours. But in my mind, it all goes under legal fees."

Coates replied, "The prosecution has different information, right? That's why they have book excerpts that talk about how meticulously he managed his money. He knew where his money was going."

Cooper added, "He was telling Michael Cohen to pay $0.20 on the dollar."

READ MORE: 'Painful and salacious': GOP lawmakers worry trial is 'troubling sign for Trump'

Coates said, "Exactly, part of his testimony today was about Michael Cohen's job being to renegotiate invoices that he didn't like."

Aidala replied, "The argument isn't he's not a paying Michael Cohen. The argument you make as defending Donald Trump is, it's money going to his lawyer."

Coates replied, "Not for legal services. That's the point."

Aidala said, "I think you could argue to a jury that this is minutia, and it is a political hit job on this guy because that guy sitting in the front row, Alvin Bragg, who is not sitting in a murder trial right now, who's not sitting in a robbery trial right now. He's sitting here because he doesn't want him to be president of the United States. It's called selective prosecutions, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and your justice in this courtroom, and justice dictates that you walk him right out."

READ MORE: Michael Cohen warns of bombshell evidence during Trump trial: report

Coates replied, As a trial attorney, "I would then say, think about us sitting in different rooms. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the president of the United States is in the Oval Office, not managing the free world. He wasn't talking about diplomacy, he wasn't talking about congressional action. He was thinking about writing checks to Michael Cohen because of Stormy Daniels. So you want to talk about the rooms that we're in, and why we're there and how long we stay there, are you telling me that the person who is now the president of the United States was doing this?"

Phillips then said, "But do words not mean anything? I mean, they weren't legal services. That's a fact."

Former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin chimed in, saying, "What you're leaving out, Arthur, understandably, because you're making the case for the defense, is this is not an ordinary legal fee because, as Donald Trump knows, this lawyer laid out $130,000 of his own money for the campaign.

That's what he did well, today is i think he made it clear that this if you believe is thesauri that nothing to do with Melania, there's nothing to do with his family. This had everything to do with the campaign.

READ MORE: 'He wasn’t thinking about Melania': Cohen reveals Trump’s real fears in 'hush money' testimony

Cooper emphasized, "That was one of the most brutal moments of Michael Cohen's testimony."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'Do words not mean anything?' CNN analysts spar over key witness Michael Cohen's testimony claimwww.youtube.com

George Conway: Trump’s New York trial is proving to be 'the perfect case'

While there's uncertainty around whether three Donald Trump trials will begin before the November election — the former president's first criminal trial could present serious consequences.

Trump's New York hush money trial on his 34 felony counts for falsifying business documents in efforts to cover up payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels is not looking good for the MAGA hopeful, to conservative lawyer George C. Conway's surprise.

The legal analyst writes in a Monday op-ed published by The Atlantic: "Not all that long ago, I thought that the trial currently being held in The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump would be the last one I’d want to see as the first one tried against the former president. It seemed the least serious of the cases against him."

READ MORE: 'Painful and salacious': GOP lawmakers worry trial is 'troubling sign for Trump'

The Trump critic emphasizes, "I feel the need to admit error. The truth is, I’ve come around to the view that People v. Trump is, in at least some ways, the perfect case to put Trump in the dock for the first time, and—I hope, but we’ll see—perhaps prison."

Conway asserts that "this case really captures" the former president.

"What the case is really about is Trump’s modus operandi—lying," the Republican lawyer writes. "He’s a matryoshka doll of mendacity. He lies, usually lies some more, and then often lies about the lies he’s previously told."

He continues, "To be sure, his other criminal cases involve lies—lies about the 2016 election, lies about the military secrets he stole. But the alleged lies in People v. Trump strike at the core of his moral putrescence—and Trump knows it."

READ MORE: 'Docs were falsified': Ex-judge explains how Cohen links 'the pieces' of Trump’s criminal intent

"The case truly embodies Donald Trump. And for that reason, I think, it deeply disturbs him."

Conway's full op-ed is available at this link (subscription required).


Elie Mystal exposes the 'incredibly well-funded' GOP group 'lying' about states’ rights

On its website, the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) says the organization "elects and re-elects Republican attorneys general nationally to promote and protect the Constitution, freedom, and opportunity for future generations."

In a Monday, May 13 op-ed published by The Nation, justice correspondent Elie Mystal sheds light on the "critical role" of Republican AGs.

"They are the people who, under their own authority, can bend the law to their will and weaponize it against vulnerable communities," Mystal writes.

READ MORE: Group that created Tea Party dissolves over split between 'MAGA and Never Trump factions'

Noting that Republicans often "justify nearly every one of their awful policies with a call to states’ rights," the Nation columnist writes, "Republicans will say, for instance, that their intention is not to take away abortion rights but merely to let the states decide when a person can be forced to give birth against their will."

"They are lying, of course," Mystal emphasizes. "Put simply, whichever rights the Supreme Court does not succeed in obliterating, Republican-controlled state courts and Republican attorneys general eagerly chisel away, state by state," he adds.

"Republicans realized long ago that state AGs represent the steel gauntlet inside the velvet glove of states’ rights," Mystal continues. "They also realized that they needed an organization to help them make that vision real, so in 1999 they created" RAGA.

"There are currently 27 of them," Mystal writes, "and they include future Newsmax hosts like Kansas AG Kris Kobach, who finds his joy in suing to stop Joe Biden’s student debt relief program; Florida AG Ashley Moody, who spends her days fighting whatever 'wokeness' conspiracy exists in her head at any given moment; and Texas AG Ken Paxton, who has effectively decided to make up his own immigration laws and enforce them at the point of a gun."

READ MORE: GOP lawmaker refuses apology after 'avalanche of hate' hits him for calling teens 'ripe'

Mystal notes that the organization "is incredibly well-funded," by "Federalist Society Svengali Leonard Leo," as well as "the usual GOP donor-class supervillains, including Koch Industries, the National Rifle Association, the American Petroleum Institute, and a bunch of corporations, from ExxonMobil to CVS."

The justice correspondent notes that the attorneys general "are elected officials (many with ambitions for higher office), so when they menace a vulnerable community, they want you to know about it."

However, Mystal emphasizes, "This also means that they can be defeated. Most of these AGs are not appointed to their post or protected by lifetime tenure, as Supreme Court justices are; they are exposed to the will of the people. So if people would just pay attention to what they’re doing, they can be removed from power."

Mystal's full column is available at this link.

Trump wails his judge was appointed by 'Democrat politicians' – that’s false

During one of several rants outside the courtroom Monday during his New York trial for alleged criminal business records falsification, election interference, and “hush money,” Donald Trump repeatedly complained falsely that the judge overseeing the case was appointed by “Democrat politicians.”

Trump is well-acquainted with New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.

Merchan was the judge who presided over the trial of Trump’s former Chief Financial Officer, Allan Weisselberg, who was convicted. He also presided over the fraud and money-laundering trial of former Trump 2016 campaign CEO and senior White House counselor Steve Bannon.

“We have a corrupt judge, and we have a judge who’s highly-conflicted,” Trump, nearly yelling, told reporters Monday afternoon. “And he’s keeping me from campaigning. He’s an appointed, New York judge, he’s appointed.”

READ MORE: ‘He Wasn’t Thinking About Melania’: Cohen Reveals Trump’s Fears in ‘Hush Money’ Testimony

“You know who appointed him? Democrat politicians. He’s appointed.”

Trump repeated his baseless claims Merchan is “corrupt” and “conflicted,” adding, “he ought to let us go out and campaign and get rid of this scam.”

Trump is incorrect about Judge Merchan’s background: he was not appointed by “Democrat politicians.”

In 2006, Republican New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Merchan to his first judicial post, to the New York City Family Court. In 2009, Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau appointed Merchan as Acting Justice to the Supreme Court of New York. Pfau was appointed to her first judicial post by Republican New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

READ MORE: Johnson Would Contest 2024 Election Results Under the Same ‘Circumstances’

Trump also appeared to suggest appointed judges are somehow suspect – despite frequently bragging that he himself appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, not to mention 234 judges in total he appointed to the federal bench.

Some legal experts believe a system where judges are appointed rather than elected serves justice better.

“The quality of justice suffers when politics invades the judicial sphere, casting doubt on the impartiality of case outcomes and eroding public confidence in our nation’s system of justice,” an article at the American Bar Association reads.

Watch Trump below or at this link.

'Docs were falsified': Ex-judge explains how Cohen links 'the pieces' of Trump’s criminal intent

Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen — who's considered a key witness in the New York hush money trial against the ex-president — took the stand Monday at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

CNN's Jake Tapper spoke to legal analyst Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell about the potential impact of Cohen's testimony, how she believes the jurors will respond and whether or not she thinks the former president will also take the stand in the coming days.

"This was one of the biggest days of the trial so far," Tapper noted, emphasizing that it "seemed to make Mr. Trump the angriest."

The Lead with Jake Tapper host asked Cordell, "What does it feel like as a judge when you see a big witness on upon whom the entire case might hinge take the stand. What is that like as a judge?"

READ MORE: 'He wasn’t thinking about Melania': Cohen reveals Trump’s real fears in 'hush money' testimony

The former Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Stanford Law School replied, "I chuckle when I hear various pundits weighing in about how various witnesses like Michael Cohen are likely to be perceived by the jurors. I presided over many criminal jury trials, some of them high-profile, and I stopped trying to second-guessed jurors. You just can't do it. So Michael Cohen testified today, and this is one half of the case, meaning it's the prosecution’s side. We don't know how he will hold up in cross-examination."

Cordell continued, "My guess is that he will be well prepared. He's no dummy. He knows the questions that are likely to be asked of him. And that's why the prosecution went to some extent — maybe they should have done a little bit more — talking about the bad stuff about Michael Cohen. That he was the fixer, and he considered himself 'Trump's thug,' those kinds of things. So that it won't hit the jurors brand new when the defense steps up. But you mustn't lose sight of why people are there in the courtroom. They're there in a courtroom because a crime or crimes are being alleged. And in this case, it's about the intent. So if they've established — and they will — that documents were falsified, I think they will do that."

"Then the issue, and part of the crime is, did Trump, with knowledge of these falsified documents, do it with the intent to commit another crime, or to aid or conceal the commission of the crime?" the retired judge asked. "That's the issue here — the intent."

"How do you prove intent, Jake? You can't unless you get inside somebody's head at the time," Cordell emphasized. "So if can't do it that way, then it's proved by circumstantial evidence. And in a trial court, circumstantial evidence is given the same weight as direct evidence. So that's really what this case is about. And Michael Cohen now is kind of pulling all the pieces together. So it's a fascinating story. It's very sad that these kinds of things were going on. But we've only heard part of it. The other part is going to come from the cross-examination of Mr. Cohen, and whether or not any defense is put on at all."

READ MORE: Hush money judge’s ruling nixes testimony from Trump’s convicted accountant

Tapper noted, "Michael Cohen might be the last prosecution witness," asking Cordell, "Do you think it's smart to end the case and the presentation of a case on the testimony of somebody who does have a record, a convicted record of being lot of lying and perjuring?"

Cordell replied, "I think it's fine. And the jurors, they're not naive people. I'm sure there have been other people who have testified in courts who don't have great backgrounds. That's really, in my view, not going to have an impact on the jurors. I do want to add, though, that with regard to the defense side, Donald Trump's latest rant just a few minutes ago in front of everyone is exactly the reason why he won't be testifying. He is a loose cannon."

She emphasized, "And another point about that rant: He said that there was no crime. He did not deny anything. He didn't deny the payment. He didn't deny the affair. He just said, ‘What I did was not a crime.' I think it's just proof that he is definitely not going to be testifying, because he can't be controlled once he starts talking."

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Michael Cohen warns of bombshell evidence during Trump trial: report

'Unflappable': Legal expert advises Michael Cohen to be like Stormy Daniels on the stand

Former Donald Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is expected to testify in the ex-president's New York hush money trial Monday.

In a Sunday morning CNN interview, former prosecutor Joey Jackson predicted that the best case scenario for Cohen — who's likely the final key witness — is that he'll able to establish the alleged conspiracy that Trump falsified business documents to cover up hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in order to boost his chance in the 2016 election; and that he's able "to establish Trump's guilt."

In order to do that, former FBI counsel and MSNBC legal analyst Andrew Weissmann told MSNBC host Jen Psaki that Cohen will have to "contain his cool" on the stand.

READ MORE: Corporations avoiding politics during 'most toxic presidential campaign in modern history'

"He needs to not be thin-skinned," Weissmann continued. "He does have some areas he really does have to worry about in terms of answering questions. You mentioned one, which is, his having lied — he says he lied to a federal judge when he pleaded guilty [in 2016] and he has to own that. And that, by the way is not something he did because of Donald Trump.

"That was something he chose to do. He's also going to have to answer why he tape-recorded some conversations, but not other conversations. That's an effective line of cross-examination," he added.

"And he just needs to be, frankly, like Stormy Daniels, which is smart, careful, and unflappable. She got better on cross-examination. She was humanized, and you saw just how effective she was. But she was unflappable, and that's not a characteristic people usually associate with Michael Cohen."

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: 'Juicy set of' bank documents shed major light on Trump hush money trial: FOIA release

'Smart': Legal expert advises Michael Cohen be like Stormy Daniels on the standwww.youtube.com


'Trump Theory of Electoral Savings': Columnist lays out 'a cheapskate’s plot to destroy faith in democracy'

Even as Donald Trump faces four two trials related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the former president continues to feed his MAGA base the false claims that President Joe Biden and the Democrats coordinated a fraud schemes across the country in order to win.

The Associated Press reported in August, "There is evidence that his lies are resonating: New polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 57% of Republicans believe Democrat Joe Biden was not legitimately elected as president."

In a Sunday, May 12 op-ed, MSNBC's Hayes Brown points to the fact that while Trump seeks to run a campaign rooted in those same lies — local and state GOP candidates may suffer.

READ MORE: Trump’s 'substantial legal bills' catch up with him as trial drags on: experts

Brown writes:

Trump 'has told people in charge of the RNC [Republican National Committee] to focus on election security more than field programs, because he believes he will be able to personally motivate his voters to the polls in the fall,' The Washington Post reported Friday. The emphasis on election security is troubling on its own, given the utter lack of evidence to support Trump’s claims that voter fraud marred the 2020 election. As I’ve argued before, the problem the GOP faces when it comes to winning races isn’t 'election security,' it’s Trump himself.

He also notes that a Friday Washington Post article reports that the Trump-allied RNC — betting on "election security" to help secure a November victory — "has 'decided not to hire separate political, communications and research operations at the campaign and the national party."

"That sounds like a potentially prudent cost-saving measure — that also raises the question of whether down-ballot races will be a priority compared to the Trump operation," Brown adds.

The MSNBC columnist emphasizes: "It’s a genuine worry, because the RNC has traditionally concerned itself with candidates up and down state ballots across the country. So even more eyebrow-raising is the decision to scrap the committee’s earlier plan to ramp up nationwide for the general election."

READ MORE: Barron Trump backs out of being delegate for his dad at 2024 RNC citing 'prior commitments'

Brown suggests that while Trump is "begging big-spending billionaires to fill the quickly draining coffers," and assuring MAGA fans that he's bound to win in the absence of voter fraud, the former president "is siphoning off money that should be spent on GOP election efforts to pay his legal fees so he can keep from having to shell out that money himself."

"What we’re seeing play out is a cheapskate’s plot to destroy faith in democracy for no better reason than to save a few bucks (although, in fairness, it’s not just a few)," Brown adds.

He emphasizes:

Call it the Trump Theory of Electoral Savings. Trump supporters recently told NBC News 'they weren’t prepared to accept a Biden victory as legitimate, potentially setting up another presidential election — and potentially a volatile aftermath — in which a large part of the public refuses to believe the results.' It’s a particularly dangerous situation for the country when you consider that Trump is setting up expectations for success while at the same time refusing to devote resources to Republicans winning.

READ MORE: 'Warning sign': GOP still lags behind Dems in fundraising despite billionaire support

Brown's full op-ed is available here.

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