Latest news with #MedalsofSacrifice
Economic Times
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Officials move to open inquiry on Trump's 'Russia hoax' grievance
NYT News Service FILE -- Attorney General Pam Bondi listens during an event unveiling the Medals of Sacrifice in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, May 19, 2025. The decision by Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the "Russia Hoax" comes at a time of increasing pressure on the Trump administration to produce more information about the FBI's files on Jeffrey Epstein. (Eric Lee/The New York Times) President Donald Trump has urged and browbeaten supporters to shift their obsession from the Jeffrey Epstein files to the investigation and potential prosecution of Democratic officials he accuses of persecuting him, a cardinal grievance that bonds him to his base. The Justice Department under Trump, reeling from the angry backlash over its handling of the Epstein case, is now taking its most concrete -- if still murky -- investigative steps against Trump targets, starting with officials he blames for what he sees as the plot against him: the investigation of his 2016 campaign's connections to Russia. Attorney General Pam Bondi this week authorized prosecutors to investigate the inquiry the president calls the "Russia hoax" and present a case to a grand jury in South Florida if the evidence warrants it, according to people briefed on the move who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing investigations. Details are scant, including whether prosecutors have taken action. But Trump appointees are reluctant to present evidence to a grand jury in the District of Columbia, where key decisions in the Russia investigation were made nearly a decade ago. They believe it would be nearly impossible to find sympathetic jurors in a courthouse overseen by a federal judge, James E. Boasberg, whom the Trump team regards as an enemy. Fox News reported Monday that Bondi had made the order, which comes after a referral from Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence. A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The decision to authorize a grand jury investigation, which could include subpoenas, into the statements and testimony by government officials surrounding the 2016 election suggests the Trump administration has begun turning its rhetoric of revenge into action. Still, there are a number of legal and practical hurdles that any such inquiry would have to overcome, chief among them the statute of limitations that would seemingly bar criminal charges based on conduct that is more than five years old. Such concerns, however significant, have been swept aside, at least for now, by the eagerness to appease an impatient president demanding to use the vast powers of federal law enforcement to exact vengeance -- and the political imperative of making the Epstein fiasco disappear. Even in the absence of a legal success, such as an indictment or conviction, the effort itself accomplishes political objectives in a department that considers investigations largely intended to name and shame a legitimate use of its authority. Many Trump advisers and allies also view the Russia investigation as a gross abuse of power, while some were personally affected by the inquiry and forced to hire lawyers to defend themselves. Trump has privately carped about the slow pace of Justice Department action to his political enemies, according to people in his orbit, and made it unmistakably known what he wanted. "Scum" was how Trump described those who investigated him during a speech in the department's Great Hall in March, as Bondi and Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, looked on. Trump has repeatedly urged his backers to drop a fierce pressure campaign to release undisclosed Epstein files and rally under the "weaponization" banner. On Tuesday, he told CNBC that he had "nothing" to do with Bondi's order -- then celebrated the move to investigate Obama administration national security officials, saying "they deserve it." The decision also comes as the Trump administration faces increasing pressure to produce more information about the FBI's files on Epstein, the financier who was awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges before he hanged himself in a jail cell in 2019. Last month, Blanche, a former Trump defense lawyer, interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's convicted co-conspirator. Law enforcement officials have privately talked about releasing at least some of the information she provided, although they are still discussing the extent of what they will disclose, according to several people familiar with the conversations. The emergence of the grand jury inquiry was unusual in several ways -- not least, because its existence was revealed to right-leaning media outlets like Fox News before any actual investigative steps had apparently been taken. Moreover, it remains unclear who the grand jury might investigate and for what, if any, crimes. Thus far, the Justice Department has moved more slowly to scrutinize Biden-era officials who participated in the two unsuccessful criminal prosecutions of Trump. Last week, an obscure agency that scrutinizes potential misconduct by or against federal employees, the Office of Special Counsel, took a step in that direction, confirming it was investigating Jack Smith, the former federal prosecutor who oversaw the criminal cases against Trump. The agency is trying to determine if Smith may have violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal workers from using their government jobs to promote political candidates. It is unclear how that investigation could result in any substantive consequences for Smith, given that the most severe punishment allowed under the Hatch Act is dismissal, and Smith resigned his government position many months ago. It is not clear whether Trump, who is marking his first six months in office, would have pushed quite so forcefully for the department to act against his perceived foes if the Epstein case was not still smoldering political fire. But it has certainly added to the urgency, administration officials said. Politicians and influencers on the right flank of the Republican Party -- who have demanded a full accounting of Epstein's interactions with wealthy and powerful friends -- are equally if not more enthusiastic about deploying the Justice Department, FBI and intelligence services to uncover what they claim to be a vast decade-long, Democratic-led conspiracy to destroy Trump. A few of Trump's key congressional allies and some of the most vocal members of his base have been beating the drums for arrests almost from the moment that the bureau and intelligence officials started releasing documents on the Russia investigation last month. On Monday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted a message on social media with a "scorecard" showing that no one had been arrested yet for popular MAGA-world bugbears like the "Russia Collusion Hoax," "Jan. 6" and the "2020 Election." "Don't talk about it if you aren't going to do it," Greene wrote. Among the most fervid Trump supporters calling for arrests are the rioters who were charged in connection with -- and then granted clemency for -- the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Many of them have demanded retribution against Trump's enemies, citing their own grievances as federally prosecuted defendants. "Dear God, has anyone been arrested yet?" wrote one pardoned rioter, Benjamin Martin, who was initially sentenced to 13 months in prison for holding open a door at the Capitol so that others could spray chemicals at the of those calling for the investigation have been as maximalist as Trump himself. He recently wrote on social media that President Barack Obama should be arrested as a traitor. In late July, Gabbard blindsided Bondi by referring the investigation of the Russian investigation to the Justice Department, claiming a cache of documents she released proved Obama administration officials engaged in a "treasonous conspiracy." In response, Bondi announced the creation of a multiagency "strike force" to investigate the charges. Her subsequent grand jury order was made as part of that process, according to an official briefed on the move. The claims by Trump supporters that Obama-era officials engaged in a far-reaching conspiracy to undermine his 2016 campaign have already been exhaustively investigated by a special counsel, John Durham, with little to show for it. Durham filed two criminal indictments based on that investigation: one against a private practice lawyer on charges of lying to the FBI, and another against a Russia analyst for essentially the same offense. Each case ended in acquittals. A new investigation would face a potentially steeper challenge, relying on the years-old statements and the recollection of senior intelligence and law enforcement officials about an election held nearly nine years ago. But not every investigation of Trump's perceived enemies has led to meaningful consequences. In November 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions tapped a U.S. attorney in Utah to review a number of issues related to Hillary Clinton, as well as the 2016 election. That effort lasted about two years before quietly ending with no substantive action or public findings.
New York Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Mayor Johnson warns Trump against deploying federal troops for immigration crackdown in Chicago
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson voiced concerns Monday about potential federal troop deployment to his city as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, warning the move could be unconstitutional and legally challenged. Speaking at a City Hall news conference, Johnson responded to reports of federal plans to escalate immigration enforcement in sanctuary cities like Chicago, calling the idea a threat to civil liberties and local governance. Advertisement 'It's just another example of his animus towards working people,' Johnson said. 'I think it's important that the president respects the Constitution. If you're asking me whether this president will work with city leaders, it's clear he's not interested in doing that.' Johnson's remarks came in response to a statement from a Trump administration official to Rolling Stone, saying, 'Chicago is next, if they go too far,' in reference to recent protests and the city's sanctuary policies. 3 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson warned against President Trump deploying troops to his city during a City Hall news conference. Advertisement 'The second they do, the president is prepared to prove that nobody is above the law,' the official added. The comments follow anti-ICE and anti-Trump protests in Chicago that echoed demonstrations nationwide, prompting federal officials to reportedly monitor the situation closely, especially after the Trump administration deployed National Guard forces to Los Angeles. 'We will continue to resist,' Johnson said. 3 President Donald Trump speaks at a ceremony before posthumously awarding Medals of Sacrifice to three fallen Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies in the Oval Office of the White House on May 19, 2025, in Washington, DC. Getty Images Advertisement 'Whether it's in the courts, in the streets, or through public policy, we're going to stand up for working people.' Mary Richardson-Lowry, the city's Corporation Counsel, emphasized the legal limitations of such a deployment. 'We believe it is a violation of the Constitution to deploy troops or National Guard absent authority under the Constitution,' she said. 3 Members of the California National Guard and US Marines guard the entrance outside the Wilshire Federal Building, ahead of Saturday's nationwide 'No Kings Day' protest, in Los Angeles, California, on June 13, 2025. AP Advertisement Last week, Johnson called for Chicagoans to 'rise up' against ICE and what he called immigration enforcement 'terrorism.' Chicago has received more than 51,000 migrants from the southern border since August 2022, many bussed from Texas under GOP Gov. Greg Abbott's relocation effort. The latest tensions come after Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker testified before Congress last week in defense of the state's sanctuary city policies. The mayor's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Newsweek
04-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Trump's Right. There Is a Judicial Coup—But It's a Counter-Coup
President Donald Trump and his minions continue to rage and blow as they lose one court case after another. In a case of Trumpian projection, the White House declared the recent decision at the U.S. Court of International Trade striking down most of his tariffs a "judicial coup." It was classic Trump. He always accuses his adversaries of committing whatever wrong he is trying to get away with—"lying," Hillary Clinton—"crooked" Joe Biden. But actually, Trump keeps losing in court because he is trying to overthrow law and order, and the courts are trying to stop him. With a steady and deadly stream of executive orders, Trump is mounting a coup against the checks and balances that have sustained democracy in America for over 200 years. The courts are the counter-coup—seeking to restore the established constitutional order. President Donald Trump answers reporters' questions after he posthumously awarded the new Medals of Sacrifice to fallen officers during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on May 19, 2025, in Washington,... President Donald Trump answers reporters' questions after he posthumously awarded the new Medals of Sacrifice to fallen officers during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on May 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C. MoreIn the case of the tariffs, the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to impose tariffs on goods entering the country. Yes, Congress passed a law allowing the president to impose tariffs targeted at emergencies, but Trump capriciously slapped them on the whole world without rhyme or reason. The tariff tsunami, like other Trump power grabs, was justified by a claim of an "emergency," but, wisely, the court would have none of it. The sham trade "emergency" wasn't as flashy as the "invasion" emergency Trump declared regarding the Tren de Aragua drug gang. But it was just as bogus. Courts correctly discerned that the United States wasn't being invaded. More importantly, they recognized that even enemy aliens in time of war have the right to challenge their arrests in court. Trump halting hearings and threatening habeas corpus is revolutionary stuff. It's the beginning of a road reminiscent of France's Reign of Terror where its glorious Declaration of the Rights of Man was pushed aside by men who confused their own impulses with righteousness. Trump can complain all he wants, but he is the insurgent, not the judges. The principal feature of the Trump coup is his attempt to use executive orders to seize Congress' law-making function. Trump and his people simply ignore that presidents don't announce laws, they carry them out as written by Congress. That's why presidents swear to "faithfully execute" the laws. In the case of the tariffs, the law limits Trump's power. It is no coup for courts to say Trump must obey these limits. In the case of his cuts to federal spending on everything from foreign aid to FEMA, the governing law is the budget passed by Congress. It says what the president must spend on, and the president doesn't have the option to rewrite the law so he can spend—or not spend—as he likes. Yet Trump has undone innumerable congressional spending decisions. Consider also Trump's attacks on major law firms and universities. His executive orders punishing people because he doesn't like who or what they stand for don't just seek to cancel acts of Congress, they seek to cancel the constitutional First Amendment guarantees of free speech and association. Was it judicial insurrection for the courts to say that Trump can't cancel the First Amendment? And is it mutiny for the courts to say that Trump can't use his office to punish his personal enemies like former FBI director Robert Mueller? The constitutional guarantee of equal protection of the law requires official action to be aimed at legitimate government purposes—not personal ones. Likewise, is it a revolt for the courts to insist on the "due process" of law guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments? This promise means that before the government deports people or bans lawyers from federal buildings, it must give them a chance to defend themselves. No. The courts aren't in revolt. What's revolting is the hubris that has inspired Trump to ignore the law as declared by Congress and the courts and associate law instead with his own personal will. The courts have no physical force to deploy against Trump's coup. To sustain the judicial counter-coup, the courts have only the moral force of memory that our nation became mighty, that it became the envy of the world, because it was founded on a government of laws, not men. Let's hope it's enough. Thomas G. Moukawsher is a former Connecticut complex litigation judge and a former co-chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Employee Benefits. He is the author of the new book, The Common Flaw: Needless Complexity in the Courts and 50 Ways to Reduce It. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lara Trump interviews families of Florida deputies killed in crash in Fox News episode
Lost, but not forgotten: Six months after the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office lost three of their own, their memory lives on, thanks, in part, to the Trump family. On Nov. 21, 2024, three road-patrol officers — Cpl. Luis Paez and Deputies Ralph "Butch" Waller and Ignacio "Dan" Diaz — were killed in a crash along Southern Boulevard west of Wellington, Florida. An SUV trying to avoid hitting another vehicle overcorrected in traffic, driving onto the side of the road and hitting the officers as they stood waiting for help in restarting a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office motorcycle. Paez and Waller died at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach within hours of the crash. Diaz died there four days later. All three men were members of the sheriff's motorcycle patrol team. President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, dignitaries, law enforcement officers and thousands of others attended a memorial service honoring Paez, Waller and Diaz on Dec. 3, 2024. Maps show Trump's private club, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach — nicknamed the Southern White House or Winter White House because of the amount of time he has spent there during his administration — is about 32 miles from the site of the fatal traffic crash. Six months later, Paez, Waller and Diaz were posthumously awarded the first-ever Medals of Sacrifice, intended to recognize officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. The families traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept them. On May 19, during "police week," Trump presented Alexandria Diaz, daughter of Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy Ignacio 'Dan' Diaz, with the Medal of Sacrifice during an Oval Office ceremony. The awkward moment with Trump and the fallen deputy's daughter, as it was dubbed online, went viral on social. Eric Trump, son of Donald Trump, and his wife, Fox News host Lara Trump, also attended the Medals of Sacrifice ceremony. On May 24, an episode of Lara Trump's show, "My View with Lara Trump," spotlights Paez, Waller and Diaz and their extensive career as first responders. Lara Trump interviews Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida) and the family members of the late Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies. In the episode, Mast explains the idea behind the Medals of Sacrifice: "There's nothing like the Medal of Honor that goes from the president directly to the law enforcement that have given their lives, given the last breath in their lungs or the last beat of their heart." Mast, who represents St. Lucie County and Martin County of the Treasure Coast, said Donald Trump told him to "get it done, get that done." Lara Trump sat down with Cameron Paez and Denise Waller for the May 24 episode, and both shared their feelings about the medals. "It's everything. I mean, the first people that get this medal, we get invited to the Oval Office. It's an honor. I still can't believe it. To have us out here," Cameron Paez says in the interview. Denise Waller agreed: "Absolutely, huge honor. Very touching that he's honored our three guys. And this was police week here in (Washington) D.C. And I met a lot of people who are in the same place I am. And it just made me feel really good to know that moving forward, every single one of them, every single one will be recognized that way." "My View with Lara Trump," which made its debut in February 2025, airs at 9 p.m. ET Saturdays on Fox News. Contributing: Hannah Phillips, Julius Whigham and James Coleman of the Palm Beach Post Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lara Trump films Fox News episode about 3 fallen deputies from Florida
Wales Online
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
Donald Trump 'looks embarrassed' by woman's reaction at White House meeting
Donald Trump 'looks embarrassed' by woman's reaction at White House meeting A woman's non-response to Donald Trump during an event at the White House has been described as 'painful' to watch by social media users President Donald Trump was caught in an apparent awkward exchange in a viral video (Image: AP ) US President Donald Trump had an awkward encounter with a woman during an event at the White House. Trump was presenting the inaugural Medals of Sacrifice to the families of three Florida law enforcement officers who had died. These were given to Corporal Luis Paez Jr. , Deputy Sheriff Ralph 'Butch' Waller Jr., and Deputy Sheriff Ignacio 'Dan' Diaz. During the ceremony in the Oval Office, Alexandria Diaz, the daughter of Deputy Diaz, received her father's medal from the President. However, what caught the attention of many was Alexandria's reaction upon meeting Trump. Standing beside him with a stoic expression, she remained impassive as photographers snapped photos. Observers on social media were quick to notice her seemingly unimpressed demeanour. On X, user Jackie Singh shared a clip of the moment Trump handed Alexandria the medal, commenting: "Trump looks confused, shocked, and embarrassed about why this woman accepting a medal on her father's behalf refused to worship the ground he walks. Her dad was a law enforcement officer who died last year in the line of duty." The Mirror US reports in the video, Trump can be seen glancing at Alexandria's face as she holds up the medal, before turning back to the photographers. The X post has accumulated 2.7 million views, garnered 15,000 likes, and generated over 360 comments. Article continues below A user offered their views, saying: "She really doesn't seem all that impressed." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Another user chimed in, remarking: "He (Trump) can't believe she won't even look at him." A third individual expressed admiration stating: "She's not a phony. Good for her! Thank goodness he actually got to meet one human who didn't pretend to like him in front of cameras. I'm sorry for her loss." A fourth commenter weighed in, noting: "Great to see him looking embarrassed in front of all. Feel so bad for this woman being put through this." A fifth observer astutely pointed out: "The poor girl looks like she's in a hostage video. This must have been so painful for her." Yet another user didn't mince words, bluntly stating: "He's so gross. He can't just leave her be. He keeps touching her, whispering to her, prodding her to speak. I feel for her. Everything has to be about him." Notable attendees at the event included Congressmen Brian Mast and Byron Donalds of Florida, accompanied by Eric and Lara Trump. The gathering was held to pay tribute to the three law enforcement officers tragically killed in November 2024. They lost their lives when a driver struck them while they were working on a broken-down motorcycle on the side of the road, as reported by Scripps News. The publication reports, Trump reflected on the gravity of the incident, stating: "This was a terrible tragedy. It was, it shook the entire Palm Beach community like very, very few events I've ever seen." Article continues below
