Trump Corruption

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Donald Trump plans to fire the entire team that worked with special counsel Jack Smith to pursue two federal prosecutions against the former president, including career attorneys typically protected from political retribution, according to two individuals close to Trump’s transition. Trump is also planning to assemble investigative teams within the Justice Department to hunt for …

Politico reports: Is it newsworthy that Donald Trump’s share of the 2024 presidential vote has fallen below 50 percent? You wouldn’t think it’s a big deal based on the relatively few headlines triggered by the milestone, which passed quietly last weekend as California and other states continued their glacially slow vote counts. Trump’s 49.9 percent (for now) is still more …

CNN reports: The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial has adjourned his sentencing, which was set for next week. Judge Juan Merchan also agreed to hold off on issuing his decision on presidential immunity until after he reviews the parties’ filings. Merchan granted Trump’s request to file a motion to dismiss the case – ordering them to submit …

The Huffington Post reports: A civil contempt hearing is now on the books in Washington, D.C., for Rudy Giuliani — just a day after two election workers he defamed, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, notified a judge that they believed the former New York City mayor has continued to smear them publicly. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered Giuliani on …

The New York Times reports: Donald J. Trump’s social media company is considering developing a cryptocurrency payment service, according to a trademark application filed this week, the latest sign of the president-elect’s embrace of the crypto industry. Trump Media & Technology Group filed an application on Monday for a service called TruthFi, which it described as a platform for crypto …

“I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States. Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. “Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop …

“I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will …

NBC News reports: Within hours of taking office as president, Donald Trump plans to roll out a flurry of executive actions aligned with his campaign promises, imposing more socially conservative health care policies on the U.S. military and setting in motion the large-scale deportation of people living in the country illegally. Trump is preparing on Day One to overturn specific …

The New York Times reports: Federal investigators established a trail of payments from Matt Gaetz to women including some who testified that Mr. Gaetz hired them for sex, according to a document obtained by The New York Times and a lawyer representing some of the women. The document is a chart that shows a web of thousands of dollars in …

Law & Crime reports: Trump has asked a federal judge in Pennsylvania to toss out the defamation lawsuit filed against him by members of the Central Park Five over comments he made about them during the presidential debate earlier this year. The filing asserts that the suit filed against Trump is nothing more than “an attempt to stifle constitutionally protected …

Rolling Stone reports: Donald Trump has sworn he will exact retribution on his political rivals and critics — and that includes members of the press. The president-elect is already demanding that Republicans in Congress kill bipartisan legislation that would protect American journalists from surveillance by the federal government, and help shield the confidential sources or whistleblowers who speak to journalists …

They’ll wring every last penny out of the cult: For those worried that there just isn’t enough Trump-branded merch on the market, fear not: Lara Trump is launching her own clothing line. “The LT Brand by Lara Trump Collection isn’t just activewear—it’s a celebration of strength, resilience, and patriotism,” the president-elect’s daughter-in-law wrote in a promotional Instagram post Tuesday. She …

“Yes, these are the ONLY guitars endorsed by President Donald J. Trump! American Eagle Acoustic Guitar: 1,300 were produced, with 1,275 being made available to the public. American Eagle Electric Guitar: 1,300 were produced, with 1,275 being made available to the public. “Each guitar is carefully packaged into a custom guitar box that has been specifically produced to withstand the …

From the Wall Street Journal editorial board: So far President-elect Trump is standing by his choice of Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary, despite the disclosure that Mr. Hegseth paid a woman in 2020 to settle an allegation of sexual assault in 2017. Press reports say the accusation took Mr. Trump’s transition team by “surprise,” which might be a lesson about …

Politico reports: Two former Georgia election workers are asking a federal judge to hold Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for repeating false claims that have already led to a $148 million defamation judgment against him. Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss say Giuliani repeated baseless claims on an episode of his podcast last week, saying that they counted fraudulent ballots …

ABC News reports: President-elect Donald Trump’s criminal hush money conviction in New York must be dismissed “to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power,” Trump’s defense attorneys argued Wednesday in a letter to the court. Defense attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove — both of whom Trump nominated last week to top DOJ posts in his new administration — sought …

CNN reports: Former Rep. Matt Gaetz is quietly urging GOP senators to give him a chance to prove himself suitable to be attorney general amid growing calls from top Republicans to access a House Ethics Committee report expected to detail allegations of sexual misconduct involving the ex-congressman. The pressure is all building ahead of a planned Wednesday meeting of the …

Vanity Fair reports: For now, Donald Trump is reportedly standing by Pete Hegseth, his embattled pick for defense secretary, but some Trump transition officials are beginning to doubt whether the Fox News host can survive the controversy. According to two Republicans close to Trump, the transition team is quietly preparing a list of alternative defense secretary candidates should Trump abandon …

CNN reports: Trump transition co-chair Linda McMahon is expected to be named as secretary of the Department of Education, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN. She is the board chair of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank that was formed in 2021 by McMahon, Larry Kudlow and other advisers from the first Trump administration. McMahon …

The Washington Post reports: A thousand miles from the austere buildings where Washington runs, Donald Trump’s transition team in his Mar-a-Lago resort has begun what a close ally calls a hostile takeover of the federal government. Since his victory, Trump has ignored many of the rules and practices intended to guide a seamless transfer of power and handover of the …