Trump cultists

The Associated Press reports: Republican J.R. Majewski insisted today that he would stay in the race for a competitive northwest Ohio congressional seat after The Associated Press reported earlier this week that he misrepresented key elements of his Air Force service. The comments came amid growing fallout for Majewski, who repeatedly said he deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, …

Law & Crime reports: An alleged group of “Oath Keepers” charged with storming the U.S. Capitol Complex on Jan. 6, 2021, want an upcoming trial moved away from Washington, D.C. due to “prejudgment bias” among a local jury venire, according to their attorneys. Defendants Thomas Caldwell, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson and Jessica Watkins, and Stewart Rhodes filed a joint motion …

From the Justice Department: An Iowa man was found guilty in the District of Columbia today of felony and misdemeanor charges for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election. Douglas …

From the Justice Department: A Colorado man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His and others’ actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election. Thomas Patrick Hamner, 49, of Peyton, …

The Associated Press reports: Despite nearly 900 arrests and hundreds of convictions in the riot, Stewart Rhodes and four Oath Keeper associates — Kelly Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell — are the first to stand trial on the rare and difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that the insurrection for the Oath Keepers …

The Daily Beast reports: Security personnel at Donald Trump’s rally on Friday night in Wilmington, North Carolina, attempted to get MAGA-loving supporters to lower their raised arms and single finger, which signifies their allegiance to the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon. The rally controversy follows Trump sharing a video post on Truth Social late Thursday night “filled with references” to QAnon. …

The Hill reports: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) announced on Friday that the state will replace voting machines in Coffee County after a forensics team linked to former President Trump handled the equipment last year. “To allay the fears being stoked by perennial election deniers and conspiracy theorists, we’re replacing Coffee County’s election machines,” Raffensperger said in a …

New York City’s NBC affiliate reports: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani skipped out on a court hearing in Manhattan Friday where a judge ordered the 78-year-old to pay his ex-wife over $225,000 as part of a divorce settlement, or he could wind up in jail. Judge Michael Katz said Giuliani is in contempt of court and has until …

NBC News reports: A federal judge in Arizona ruled Thursday that the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol can see the phone records of Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward and her husband. U.S. District Court Judge Diane J. Humetewa rejected the Wards’ arguments in a February lawsuit that the congressional panel should be …

The Daily Beast reports: After the Associated Press reported that Ohio Republican congressional hopeful J.R. Majewski had wildly exaggerated his military and professional background, Majewski held a press conference Friday to insist that his full military records are “classified.” Despite frequently boasting about being a “combat veteran” who fought in Afghanistan after 9/11, military records published by AP showed that …

The Guardian reports: Fossil fuel giant Koch Industries has poured over $1 million into backing – directly and indirectly – dozens of House and Senate candidates who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s win on 6 January 2021. Koch, which is controlled by multibillionaire Charles Koch, boasts a corporate Pac that has donated $607,000 to the campaigns or leadership Pacs of …

The Washington Post reports: Career prosecutors have recommended against charging Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) in a long-running sex-trafficking investigation — telling Justice Department superiors that a conviction is unlikely in part because of credibility questions with the two central witnesses, according to people familiar with the matter. Senior department officials have not made a final decision on whether to charge …

CNN reports: The Republican candidate aiming to run Nevada’s elections has called to end mail voting by falsely claiming the voting method is rife with fraud. But public voting records reviewed by CNN’s KFile show he voted by mail multiple times, including while living in one state and voting in another. Jim Marchant, the GOP nominee for secretary of state, …

ABC News reports: The plan, dubbed the “Commitment to America,” marks McCarthy’s most concrete attempt to outline a policy agenda to try to persuade voters ahead of November’s races, in which the GOP is favored — but not guaranteed — to flip the House. The proposal seeks to replicate former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America,” an agenda …

The Hill reports: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is giving the confrontational right flank of the GOP conference a seat at the table as he aims to shore up their support for Speaker if Republicans take the chamber next year. Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) will be at a rollout event outside Pittsburgh on Friday for McCarthy’s Commitment …

The New York Times reports: A jury in a federal civil case on Thursday found that Project Veritas, a conservative group known for its deceptive tactics, had violated wiretapping laws and fraudulently misrepresented itself as part of a lengthy sting operation against Democratic political consultants. The jury awarded the consulting firm, Democracy Partners, $120,000. The decision amounted to a sharp …

Law & Crime reports: A federal judge in Minnesota appointed by Donald Trump on Thursday rejected a motion for a temporary restraining order which was filed by local counsel and self-described constitutional consultant Alan Dershowitz on behalf of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Like the Trump case, the judge noted, plaintiff Lindell is seeking return of property as DOJ conducts an …

Mediaite reports: CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski revealed on Wednesday evening that the GOP nominee for a Michigan House seat, John Gibbs, once ran a think tank called The Society for the Critique of Feminism that advocated against the right for women to vote, work and be in government. Gibbs received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in his successful bid to unseat …

“The crime is that Donald Trump is successful. And now you’re just looking for evidence. This is not how law enforcement is supposed to function. You should be impeached. You should be impeached on federal charges. |And you should be taken, quite frankly — removed from your position and then you should have your law license stripped from you. “This …

The New Jersey Advance reports: Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, the former Naval base employee and Army reservist from Monmouth County convicted of rioting in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to four years in federal prison Thursday. Multiple reporters present at the sentencing in Washington, D.C. reported the sentence via Twitter. Prosecutors argued for 78 months, or 6 1/2 …