Timeline
Caught on Tape
The former President was recorded telling members of his staff about classified documents that he took after his term about a military offensive on Iran.
Trump just cannot seem to stop confessing to his crimes on tape. This conversation, which originally occurred in 2021, clearly lays out Trump's line of thinking and his obvious disregard for the law. In the tape, Trump confessed to not only knowingly taking the classified documents after the end of his term, but still deliberately showing "secret information" to staffers who didn't have the clearance. Then, he again brags about how he could have declassified it as president, but not anymore.
Supreme Hypocrisy
Republican leaders attack the FBI and DOJ for investigating Trump's crimes and ignore the obvious ethics violations of conservative Supreme Court justices.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas failed to disclose luxury gifts from GOP billionaire donors while Republican leaders make unsupported accusations against President Biden. The evidence Donald Trump committed crimes is overwhelming, but, instead, Republicans choose to investigate the FBI. Rep. George Santos is under multiple criminal indictments, but House Republicans vote to censure Rep. Adam Schiff in revenge for the House impeachment of Trump.
Trump Indictment Unsealed
“The purpose of the conspiracy was for Trump to keep classified documents he had taken with him from the White House and to hide and conceal them from a federal grand jury.”
Special Counsel Jack Smith, unsealed a detailed 49 page indictment that incriminates Trump using his own words from public statements, text messages, and voice recordings. The 38 count indictment is as follows:
Counts 1-31: Willful Retention of National Defense Information
Count 32: Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice
Count 33: Withholding a Document or Record
Count 34: Corruptly Concealing a Document or Record
Count 35: Concealing a Document in a Federal Investigation
Count 36: Scheme to Conceal
Counts 37: False Statements and Representations
Trump Indicted—Again!
Trump has been ordered to surrender to a Federal court on Tuesday to answer for illegally retaining more than 300 classified documents.
A federal grand jury in Florida has indicted Trump on seven charges, including the Espionage Act making false statements and conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding. The evidence against Trump is compelling, including federal agents discovering over 150 sensitive documents from his Florida home at Mar-a-Lago and a voice recording at Trump's club at Bedminster, N.J. where the former president knowingly shared classified documents and can be heard bragging that, “As president, I could have declassified them, now I can’t.”
Trump Flooded by Legal Problems
A suspicious flood at Mar-a-Lago is further evidence that Trump may be guilty of obstruction of justice.
Two months after the FBI seized classified documents from Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago, critical surveillance footage of moving classified documents was lost when an employee "suspiciously" flooded the server room. This convenient flood is further evidence that Trump, his employees, and even his lawyers may be guilty of obstructing the DOJ investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents. Especially in politics, the cover up can be worse than the crime.
Trump Caught on Tape—Again!
The DOJ special prosecutor has a recording of Trump bragging about keeping a classified military document about Iran.
Donald Trump has a habit of confessing his crimes on tape. This includes the Access Hollywood tape of Trump bragging about groping women. There is the recording of Trump pressuring Georgia's Secretary of State to "find 11,780 votes." On January 6, Trump told his supporters to march on the Capitol and "fight like hell." And in Trump's most recent confession caught on tape, he acknowledges that he illegally held onto a classified national security document.
GOP Attacks FBI to Protect Trump
Jim Jordan's Republican House Weaponization committee shamefully embraces right wing conspiracy theories on live TV.
To shield Donald Trump from criminal prosecution for attempting to overturn American democracy, the GOP Weaponization committee heard testimony from disgraced FBI agents that have embraced right wing domestic terrorists and deep state conspiracy theories. The January 6 Investigation is the largest in U.S. history with over a 1,000 people charged and members of right wing militias convicted of seditious conspiracy by three separate juries. Despite this, a significant number of Republicans still voted to object to the results of the 2020 elections after the Insurrection that day.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Right-wing billionaires and mega donors have spent millions to buy the Supreme Court, including undisclosed gifts to current Justices and their families.
The GOP's politicization and recently discovered undisclosed gifts to Supreme Court Justices has devastated the public's trust of what was once the most respected branch of government. On December 12, 2000 the United States Supreme Court blocked the recount of the 2000 Florida presidential election - handing the election to George Bush who lost the popular vote. Then in 2013 the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and later decisions have opened the floodgates for voter suppression, corporate money in campaigns, Gerrymandering, and the dismissal of the rights of millions of Americans.
The Not So Reluctant Witness
It took Mike Pence less than 24 hours to appear before the grand jury investigating Trump's criminal efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Mike Pence needs Trump's base to run for President, so the former vice-president has made a big show of resisting efforts to testify against his former boss. But after Trump lost an appeal to block his grand jury testimony, Mike Pence was testifying under oath the very next morning. Although we don't know what Pence revealed to the grand jury, the former vice-president did publish a book saying, "And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable."
Trump Arrested on 34 Felony Charges
Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."
Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush money scheme to silence claims that Trump had extramarital affairs with pornstar Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. Manhattan DA Bragg said that Trump “lied again and again”, and that “the trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New York’s basic and fundamental business laws.”
Trump Indicted!
A Manhattan grand jury has indicted Donald Trump, making him the first U.S. President to face criminal prosecution.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team were investigating crimes associated with hush money payments made by Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels. Cohen went to jail for tax evasion and campaign-finance violations. In 2019, Cohen testified before congress that he "pled guilty in federal court to felonies for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in coordination with ‘Individual 1. And for the record: ‘Individual 1’ is Donald J. Trump.”
Nothing to Hide But the Truth
It seems that almost everyone connected to Donald Trump is fighting attempts to tell the truth in court - and losing.
Multiple court rulings are rejecting attempts by Fox News, Mike Pence, and Trump's inner circle to avoid testifying under oath. The Courts have also rejected Trump's claims of executive privilege to block the testimony of Mike Pence and others in Trump's inner circle. Pence says he has "nothing to hide," but is fighting every attempt to get his testimony under oath.
Trump Can't Handle the Truth!
A Georgia grand jury has rejected Trump's lies of widespread election fraud and "believes that perjury may have been committed by one or more of the witnesses."
There is no law against a politician lying to their voters, but lying in court has severe consequences. That is why Trump, his inner circle, his attorneys, and even his former vice-president are desperately fighting multiple subpoenas to avoid telling the truth in court.
Pence's Thin Red Line
Mike Pence's presidential ambitions are threatened by a subpoena from the special prosecutor investigating the January 6 Insurrection.
Mike Pence wants to run for president, but he can't afford to alienate the MAGA Republican base that is still loyal to Donald Trump. Pence refused to testify for the January 6 Committee, but he may now be compelled to testify before the DOJ special prosecutor. Can Mike Pence walk the thin red line between the truth and his political ambitions?
The Talented Mr. Santos
Rep. George Santos has "volunteered" to step down from his committee assignments after Kevin McCarthy was unwilling to hold him accountable for lying to voters.
With a slim five vote majority, McCarthy cut a deal with rightwing extremists in the House who embrace lies and rightwing conspiracy theories. So it came as no surprise that McCarthy has publicly defended Rep. George Santos who was elected by lying about his entire biography, religion, and even his own mother's death.
Trump's No Good, Very Bad Day
Trump lost in court, is facing new criminal referrals, and suffered an embarrassing political defeat all in one day.
Tuesday was an especially bad day for Donald Trump. A New York jury convicted Trump owned organizations of 17 counts related to tax evasion and fraud. Chairman Thompson announced that the January 6 Committee will make criminal referrals for the attack on the Capitol and attempted coup. Trump's handpicked candidate, Herschel Walker lost to Georgia Senator Warnock, giving Democrats a 51 seat majority in the Senate.
McConnell and McCarthy: McCowards
The GOP leadership is silent as Trump calls for the "termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
MAGA Republicans love Trump for his unapologetic embrace of white supremacy, bigotry, antisemitism, and crazy conspiracy theories. Unfortunately for Republicans, Trump is toxic with everyone else. The Republican Catch 22 is that they can't win elections with Trump, but they also can't win elections without MAGA Republicans still loyal to Trump.
DOJ Appoints Special Counsel
Due to "extraordinary circumstances," the Trump investigations have been turned over to a special counsel with experience in prosecuting political corruption.
Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel is a sign that Trump may soon be facing criminal indictments for the January 6 Insurrection, obstruction of justice, and for stealing sensitive government documents. Attorney General Garland said that, "Jack Smith has built a reputation as an impartial and determined prosecutor who leads teams with energy and focus to follow the facts wherever they lead.”
The Art of the Steal
Two separate civil court cases have Trump in hot water for failing to provide evidence that Trump did not illegally take classified government documents and for stealing $250 million in a 10 year scheme to defraud investors and tax officials.
Judge Raymond Dearie called out Trump's legal team for failing to provide any evidence that Trump declassified top secret documents seized from his home saying, "My view is you can't have your cake and eat it too." Also in the news, New York State Attorney General Letitia James is suing Trump for defrauding lenders, insurance brokers and tax authorities saying that Trump, "violated a host of state criminal laws" and characterized lying about his net worth as, "the art of the steal.”
Phones Don't Lie - Republicans Do.
The thousands of phone records, text messages and emails seized by federal and state investigations has Trump World nervous about criminal prosecution.
Cell phones from Trump's inner circle may provide the hard evidence needed to prosecute Trump. Federal investigators have seized at least 9 cell phones from Trump's inner circle including election denier Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy. The January 6 Committee is expanding their investigation, with thousands of recently recovered Secret Service text messages and communications from the January 6 Insurrection.