NationalWatch

Trump Endorses Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Husted Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks to a group of supporters. (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

By Eric Mack | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 07:57 PM EDT

Going all-in on one of the election's largest bellwether states, former President Donald Trump has endorsed incumbent GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, despite having been at odds, along with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted for reelection.

"Things are really starting to look good in Ohio for Republicans, probably because they've seen the alternative, and the alternative is not good," Trump wrote in a Save America PAC statement posted Wednesday.

"I won Ohio twice, in a landslide, and we may have to do it again!"

Trump has already boosted GOP Senate nominee J.D. Vance in Ohio, seeking to retain the Senate seat of retiring Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.

"With a heated Senate race where J.D. Vance is pulling ahead of a 'RINO Democrat,' Tim Ryan, who has tied himself to me rather than Biden, yet he's voted 100% for Biden's destructive economic policies, little has been said about the race for governor, where we have an outstanding person running, Mike DeWine, who quietly, but professionally and patriotically, goes about doing his job, and really well.

"Running alongside his very talented and loyal Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Ohio has been in strong hands with the economy 'roaring,' especially in the four years that I was president."

The endorsement of the incumbents comes just 10 days before Trump is headed for a Save America rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Saturday, Sept. 17, which will air live on Newsmax.

"This great team is running against a terrible person, and failed Mayor Nan Whaley, where crime rates in Dayton, under her leadership, have reached new highs," Trump continued. "I know very well who she is, and she would send Ohio back to the Stone Ages.

"Mike DeWine and Jon Husted truly deserve my complete and total endorsement, AND THEY'VE GOT IT — they will never let you down!"

Trump was not always effusive in praise for DeWine. He once slammed the Ohio governor at a spring Save America rally.

"We had this terrible governor that you had: Terrible, terrible guy, and he was fighting us," Trump told the crowd.

Trump has come around in Ohio before. He once trashed Vance for saying, "he's the guy that said some bad s**t about me," before ultimately endorsing him in the GOP Senate primary.

DeWine once suggested Trump "started a fire that threatened to burn down our democracy" Jan. 6, 2021, causing the rift that has since healed.

Original Article

AOC Worries About Marrying a White Man, Fears Trump Supporters Could Kill Her Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks on banning stock trades for members of Congress at a news conference. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

By Nicole Wells | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 07:33 PM EDT

In a wide-ranging conversation with GQ magazine, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., confessed to feeling shunned by her own party and said she worries about marrying a white man and being killed by Trump supporters.

The democratic socialist and "Squad" member is featured on the cover of the magazine's most recent edition in a navy-blue suit and black turtleneck with a bold red lip. The cover advertises a discussion on "masculinity, power, and politics in a post-Roe America," while a photo spread inside shows the congresswoman posing on the Capitol steps in a black dress.

"I hold two contradictory things at the same time," Ocasio-Cortez told GQ. "One is just the relentless belief that anything is possible. But at the same time, my experience here has given me a front-row seat to how deeply and unconsciously, as well as consciously, so many people in this country hate women. And they hate women of color."

Speaking about her short commute to work, which she walked prior to the Jan. 6 Capitol building breach, AOC said she is afraid she may be killed within the month because so many people hate women.

"People ask me questions about the future," she said. "And realistically, I can't even tell you if I'm going to be alive in September. And that weighs very heavily on me. And it's not just the right wing. Misogyny transcends political ideology: left, right, center."

Running for a third term in the House in November, the former bartender was called "the political voice of a generation" by GQ writer Wesley Lowery — "a cultural star whose power transcends politics."

In the profile, Ocasio-Cortez, who got engaged to Riley Roberts in April, shared her concerns about marrying a white man, namely that she wasn't sure an intercultural, interracial relationship would work for her.

"It is the presence of good men that has shown me what kind of men are possible in this world," she told GQ.

For all her fears of misogynists and Trump supporters, AOC said it was the Democrats' treatment of her that has been the most discouraging.

After her election to Congress in 2018, the New York Democrat said she was disregarded by her own party.

"It was open hostility, open hostility to my presence, my existence," Ocasio-Cortez said. "Since I got here, literally day one, even before day one, I've experienced a lot of targeting diminishment from my party. And the pervasiveness of that diminishment, it was all-encompassing at times. I feel a little more steady on my own two feet now."

In general, the Empire State representative said her experience in Washington is very different than what people may think.

"Others may see a person who is admired, but my everyday lived experience here is as a person who is despised," she told GQ. "Imagine working a job and your bosses don't like you and folks on your team are suspicious of you. And then the competing company is trying to kill you."

Original Article

Special Master to Newsmax: Executive Privilege Cases Come Up 'Once Every 50 Years' (Newsmax/"American Agenda")

By Nick Koutsobinas | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 05:52 PM EDT

Special Master David Cohen spoke with Newsmax to give his take on the uniqueness of Former President Donald Trump's call to appoint a special master as well as explain what someone in that position does.

Speaking with "American Agenda" on Wednesday, Cohen says that a special master "is kind of a fancy old term for judge's helper."

Cohen, who is not working on Trump's case, adds that "anytime a judge needs help, normally in a complex case, they will sometimes appoint a special master. Sometimes parties will ask the judge for appointment of a special master. Sometimes the judge will come to the parties and say, 'you know, this is a case that's very complicated. There is a lot of work here. I'm only one person, and I would like to appoint a special master.'"

From there, the special master works as an arbiter, deciding which information or documents, say during a period of discovery, are attorney-client privileged and which are not.

But as Cohen points out, Trump's case is unique. In most instances, "attorney-client privilege comes up every day." But "executive privilege seems to come up, maybe once every 50 years."

Because of that, Cohen speculates that a special master with top secret clearance would need to be appointed. Cohen says such a person would likely be a "retired federal judge."

Cohen illustrates the uniqueness of Trump's case by providing an example of his own "opioid" case.

"For example, in the opioid litigation, there are literally tens and hundreds of millions of documents, and many of those are potentially privileged. The court will appoint a special master to review the documents. The special master will receive those documents in camera — meaning in private; the other side doesn't get them yet — and will review them, and make sure that the claims of attorney-client privilege are valid."

"That is part of what's happening in this case," Cohen continues. "President Trump has said some of these documents are attorney-client privileged, and the FBI has agreed. The FBI said, 'yeah, you're right, about four or 500 of them, they are privileged. And we agree. We should not be able to use those.'"

For the special master, they would decide which documents are attorney-client privilege, or in Trump's case, possibly executive privilege. From there, they would write a "report and recommendation."
In such a case, "I sign it," Cohen says. "And it is my document that I send to the judge. And, of course, both parties get a copy of it. And I say 'here are the documents that I think are privileged. And here are the documents that I think are not privileged. And here are my reasons why.' And the parties then have an opportunity to object. They can file an objection and ask the court to review it. It's essentially an appeal to the court."

Original Article

Florida Gubernatorial Hopeful: 'So Damn Proud' of Biden's Anti-MAGA Speech Florida gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., gives a victory speech after defeating Nikki Fried in the state Democratic primary election in August. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

By Jay Clemons | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 05:27 PM EDT

Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., might be embracing the reputation of being a maverick candidate in Florida's gubernatorial election.

During a recent campaign speech, Crist — the Democrat challenger to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — said he is "so damn proud" of President Joe Biden for last week's controversial national address in Pennsylvania, amid an ominous backdrop, in which the commander-in-chief condemned "MAGA Republicans" as a threat to the republic.

Biden was essentially alienating half the American audience with his anti-MAGA/anti-Donald Trump rhetoric. But Crist didn't see it that way.

"How many of you saw Joe Biden speak [last Thursday] on national TV?" Crist asked his group of cheering supporters.

The former Florida governor (2007-11) then praised Biden for having the tenacity and "courage" to call out the Make America Great Again wing of the Republican base.

"God love him. God love him, and I do," said Crist of Biden. "And he's told it straight. Democracy is at stake. … Our freedoms are at stake. And the President laid it out, and he couldn't hold back, and I'm so damn proud of him for it."

Crist continued in the speech: "We have to have that kind of courage and just tell it like it is. I'm gonna be a happy guy. You know, I'm a nice fella. But don't ever confuse my kindness with weakness. We're gonna take it to them."

The upcoming Florida gubernatorial election will be a popular-vote format. But last week, Crist was seemingly in no mood to plead for Republican, independent, or even moderate Democrat votes, telling reporters, "Those who support DeSantis should stay with him and vote for him, and I don't want your vote. If you have that hate in your heart, keep it there."

Back in July, Governor DeSantis trumpeted Florida as having more registered Republicans than Democrats, seemingly making Crist's climb to a gubernatorial victory — minus GOP voter crossovers — more difficult.

DeSantis has also taken note of Crist's penchant for chastising conservative and independent voters.

Crist has "referred to conservative voters as the 'toothless set.' And so this is a guy that is — I think he realizes that this is the end of his career," DeSantis recently told conservative talk show host Mark Levin. "So, he's lashing out. He's attacking people. And this is just not a way to win an election."

Citing the last four Florida gubernatorial tracking polls from Five Thirty-Eight, covering Aug. 17, 29, 30, and Sept. 2, the incumbent DeSantis maintains an average lead of 3.8 percentage points over Crist.

However, the previous two polls from Five Thirty-Eight had DeSantis sporting an average lead of 7.5 percentage points.

Original Article

John Browne, Jeffrey Lord to Newsmax: WH 'Lies' Putting US Economy in Peril (Newsmax/"American Agenda")

By Jay Clemons | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 04:44 PM EDT

On Wednesday, Newsmax chronicled a recent CNBC interview where renowned economist Niall Ferguson said "the ingredients of the 1970s are already in place," in terms of financial shocks, political unrest, and low consumer confidence being pervasive in many corners of the world, including the United States.

In the same segment of "American Agenda," host Bob Sellers spoke to John Browne, the longtime chief executive at British Petroleum energy company (1995-2007) and former Trump White House adviser, and Jeffrey Lord, now a columnist for American Spectator, regarding the state of the U.S. under the Biden administration.

While Browne and Lord were being introduced for their dual interview, Newsmax displayed a graphic showing that 68% of Americans surveyed last month acknowledged they were experiencing either "severe" or "severe-to-moderate" financial hardships — up 13% from a similar poll from last November.

Ferguson's warning might have seemed dire on TV, but Browne says it was likely a conservative assessment of the financial and political troubles that potentially lie ahead.

"I think the situation is far, far worse than Niall Ferguson had stated," Browne told Sellers. "But of course, few people are aware of it, because the official figures have all been manipulated, and they're all wrapped in White House lies."

As one example, Brown estimates the July inflation rate of 8.5% was significantly higher than reported.

"The real rate is about 16" percent, says Browne. "And yet, [President] Joe Biden says it's at zero [percent]."

Also, Browne knocked the Biden administration for being untruthful about the chaos at the U.S.-Mexico border, the massive drug flow at the southern border, exorbitant gas prices, high prices for proteins at grocery stores, and the country being in "recession" territory, after posting back-to-back quarters of negative GDP growth.

"But what can you expect, when the president is in the pay of China, our largest challenger?" asked Browne. He then added, it's "no wonder the [American] people are unaware and increasingly vulnerable."

Lord agreed with Browne during the Newsmax interview, saying that "anybody who was around during the 1970s" has likely noticed the similarities between the respective administrations for President Biden and former President Jimmy Carter (1977-81).

"They say that 'history may not repeat itself,' but it certainly rhymes," says Lord. "And that's exactly what's going on" today.

As a possible remedy to what ails America, Browne and Lord agree the U.S. must regain its economic and political standing of the Trump years.

"The only solution I see is a sweeping majority for Republicans in the [November] midterms, and voting in Trump" as president in 2024, says Browne.

And even then, due to President Biden's ineffective policies, Browne says Trump "would have a huge mountain to climb."

Lord believes the support for Trump — as a potential 2024 presidential hopeful — might even more rabid than the previous two presidential cycles.

The American people "want to put an end to this," says Lord, who attended Trump's Labor Day weekend rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. "This [upcoming election] is a big deal, they get it, and they're looking to him for leadership."

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Original Article

This photo provided by Vandenberg Air Force Base shows an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launching during an operational test on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (Staff Sgt. Brittany Murphy/Vandenberg Air Force Base via AP)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:26 AM PT – Wednesday, September 7, 2022

The US military conducted another intercontinental ballistic missile test. A Pentagon spokesperson announced Tuesday, it would be launching an unarmed Minuteman III missile Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Pentagon called it a routine test to verify the readiness of the system, even though it comes less than one-month after the last test.

“As you may recall, the last test launch was August 4th, which had been delayed,” stated Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary. “So for those wondering about timing, the two launches moved closer together due to the delays from the August date sliding to the right. And again, tomorrow’s launch was scheduled far in advance.”

Minuteman III ICBM’s are located in underground silos in five western states. They have a range of more than 6,000 miles and can travel 15,000 miles per hour.

MORE NEWS: Former Trump White House Press Aide Runs For Granite State House Seat

Original Article Oann

Craig Shirley to Newsmax: 'One of the Few Bipartisan Ceremonies'

(Newsmax/"American Agenda")

By Theodore Bunker | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 04:09 PM EDT

Presidential historian Craig Shirley told Newsmax on Wednesday that the presidential portrait unveiling, which took place at the White House on Wednesday, is "one of the few bipartisan ceremonies" left in Washington, D.C.

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama visited the White House on Wednesday for the unveiling of their official portraits after a delay, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and partly, according to press reports, because former President Donald Trump refused to invite the Obamas back to the White House and broke with the tradition of unveiling his predecessor's portrait.

Shirley said on "American Agenda" that the portrait unveiling is "one of the few bipartisan ceremonies or events that actually happens anymore in Washington, very few of these events actually take place."

He also noted that "this is a fairly recent phenomenon … of the current president introducing the portrait of the former president; it only goes back … the last 20 or 30 years. I can assure you, [Dwight] Eisenhower, who despised Harry Truman, did not invite Truman for the unveiling of the Truman portrait."

Shirley said that each of the presidential portraits has "a little bit of history assigned to them, and that … makes it fun."

He also said that the Obamas saw their portraits before their unveiling, saying, "They wouldn't allow them to be seen unless they had already seen them and approved of them."

Shirley said that Obama's portrait has a "bright white background," which has "never been done before," but noted that "all presidential portraits are unique in their own way."

He noted that many presidential portraits have had delayed unveilings and said, "There’s no plan; it doesn't follow a distinct pattern" and is "the prerogative of the occupant of the Oval Office and of the man who he succeeded and when he gets around to getting his portrait taken."

Original Article

Craig Shirley to Newsmax: 'One of the Few Bipartisan Ceremonies' (Newsmax/"American Agenda")

By Theodore Bunker | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 04:23 PM EDT

Presidential historian Craig Shirley told Newsmax on Wednesday that the presidential portrait unveiling, which took place at the White House on Wednesday, is "one of the few bipartisan ceremonies" left in Washington, D.C.

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama visited the White House on Wednesday for the unveiling of their official portraits after a delay, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and partly, according to press reports, because former President Donald Trump refused to invite the Obamas back to the White House and broke with the tradition of unveiling his predecessor's portrait.

Shirley said on "American Agenda" that the portrait unveiling is "one of the few bipartisan ceremonies or events that actually happens anymore in Washington, very few of these events actually take place."

He also noted that "this is a fairly recent phenomenon … of the current president introducing the portrait of the former president; it only goes back … the last 20 or 30 years. I can assure you, [Dwight] Eisenhower, who despised Harry Truman, did not invite Truman for the unveiling of the Truman portrait."

Shirley said that each of the presidential portraits has "a little bit of history assigned to them, and that … makes it fun."

He also said that the Obamas saw their portraits before their unveiling, saying, "They wouldn't allow them to be seen unless they had already seen them and approved of them."

Shirley said that Obama's portrait has a "bright white background," which has "never been done before," but noted that "all presidential portraits are unique in their own way."

He noted that many presidential portraits have had delayed unveilings and said, "There's no plan; it doesn't follow a distinct pattern" and is "the prerogative of the occupant of the Oval Office and of the man who he succeeded and when he gets around to getting his portrait taken."

Original Article

'Astonishingly False': Hillary Claim of 'Zero' Classified Emails Fact-Checked Hillary Clinton (Getty Images)

Wednesday, 07 September 2022 03:44 PM EDT

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drew mockery and ridicule after claiming she had "zero" classified information on a private email server, even as she attempted to criticize former President Donald Trump over his clash with the Justice Department regarding material seized from his home.

Judicial Watch's Tom Fitton and other conservatives called her assertions "astonishingly false," a "verifiable lie," and gaslighting with more 2016 "stolen-election" allegations.

The barrage of posts on Twitter came after Clinton took to the social media website to suggest she had no classified material on the non-government computer server that was the subject of an FBI investigation in 2016.

"I can't believe we're still talking about this, but my emails," Clinton tweeted Tuesday. "As Trump's problems continue to mount, the right is trying to make this about me again. There's even a 'Clinton Standard.' The fact is that I had zero emails that were classified."

Clinton added claims of exoneration by fired FBI Director James Comey and even State Department members held over in the Trump administration.

"Comey admitted he was wrong after he claimed I had classified emails," Clinton added via Twitter. "Trump's own State Department, under two different secretaries, found I had no classified emails.

"That's right: ZERO," she repeated.

The Washington Times' Tim Young shot back, "Don't wait up for this complete lie to be fact checked."

Fitton, however, obliged.

"Fact check: Astonishingly false," he tweeted.

The Justice Department inspector general report in June 2018, reviewing the FBI's 2016 presidential election actions, provided clarity for the Clinton claim, saying the emails were not marked classified, but contained classified material and should have been marked as such. Also, there were classified emails missing and not turned over by Clinton's lawyers.

The DOJ IG report explained:

"'81 email chains containing approximately 193 individual emails that were classified from the CONFIDENTIAL to TOP SECRET levels at the time the emails were drafted on UNCLASSIFIED systems and sent to or from Clinton's personal server.' In other words, the USIC agencies determined that these 81 email chains, although not marked classified, contained information classified at the time the emails were sent and should have been so marked. Twelve of the 81 classified email chains were not among the 30,490 that Clinton's lawyers had produced to the State Department, and these were all classified at the Secret or Confidential levels."

Clinton complained she was tired of the investigation into her handling of classified materials but still insisted the Justice Department continue its investigation of Trump's handling of information, which he maintains he declassified when he was president.

"By contrast, Trump has hundreds of documents clearly marked classified, and the investigation just started," Clinton tweeted, concluding, "I'm more tired of talking about this than anyone, but here we are."

The Spectator's Stephen Miller suggested the latest pursuit of Trump seems to go back to the start of the left's painting of him as the political enemy.

"We're never escaping 2016. Ever. As long as you know this and are prepared," Miller tweeted.

Clinton's reference to the "Clinton Standard" is a direct reference to the analysis of Newsmax contributor and former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, who has said he voted for Clinton in 2016 and is a liberal Democrat friendly with the Clintons.

Regardless, Dershowitz said any investigation and/or indictment of Trump should have to meet the former President Richard Nixon or Hillary Clinton standards.

"No. 1, it has to beat the Nixon standard: So egregious, so serious, that even Republicans would agree," Dershowitz told "American Agenda." "No. 2, it has to meet the Hillary Clinton standard. Why is this different than Hillary Clinton? What's the justification for doing to Trump what was not done to Hillary Clinton?

"I don't think those two standards were met in the unredacted portions of the affidavit," Dershowitz continued, referring to the document that justified the warrant obtained by the Justice Department authorizing the FBI’s Aug. 8 raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

"Maybe they were met by the redacted portions, but I haven't seen it," Dershowitz said.

Original Article

NARA Letter May Refute WH Claims of Not Knowing About Trump Raid Mar-a-Lago (AP)

By Jay Clemons | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 02:34 PM EDT

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) reportedly refuted a White House claim that President Joe Biden had no advance knowledge of the FBI's Aug. 8 raid of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted the Trump team's request for a special master in the legal dispute between Trump and the Justice Department.

During the course of that ruling, Judge Cannon also identified a springtime letter from the National Archives to Trump's legal team, with the conclusion reading: "NARA will provide the FBI access to the records in question, as requested by the incumbent President, beginning as early as Thursday, May 12, 2022."

The "incumbent" president being Biden.

The significance here: In the weeks after the FBI visit to Trump's Florida home, White House officials have denied any prior knowledge of the raid on a former U.S. president — and someone who's also the current favorite to secure the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

"No. The president was not briefed … was not aware of it. No. No one at the White House was given a heads up," White House press secretary Jean-Pierre said on Aug. 9, a day after the FBI raid. "We learned about this just like the public, just as you all were reporting it, through the public reports."

NARA's acting archivist Debra Wall might have also played a role in the Biden administration knowing about the Mar-a-Lago raid well in advance.

According to reports, Wall alerted the White House sometime that an initial review of the records sent to NARA from Mar-a-Lago included "identified items marked as classified national security information."

In her follow-up letter, Wall wrote: "NARA informed the Department of Justice about that discovery, which prompted the Department to ask the President to request that NARA provide the FBI with access to the boxes at issue so that the FBI and others in the Intelligence Community could examine them. On April 11, 2022, the White House Counsel's Office — affirming a request from the Department of Justice supported by an FBI letterhead memorandum — formally transmitted a request that NARA provide the FBI access to the 15 boxes for its review within seven days."

A day later, according to reports, a DOJ-obtained grand jury subpoena allowed for investigators to visit Mar-a-Lago in June — with the raid taking place in August.

Last month, after word broke of the FBI raid on Trump's Florida estate, Attorney General Merrick Garland revealed he "personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter."

Biden has yet to formally answer a question about when he personally learned of the FBI raid involving Trump, although Biden recently mocked his White House predecessor by saying, "I just want you to know I've declassified everything in the world. I'm president, I can do — come on."

While appearing on Newsmax last week, Trump attorney Alina Habba told "Spicer & Co." the ongoing circus involving Trump's stored documents has become absurd.

Habba said the Presidential Records Act gives Trump — and every other U.S. president, past and present — the authority to declassify documents while holding office.

And by all accounts, Habba said Trump's team of Florida attorneys had been fully cooperating with NARA officials.

"So, it was a bit of surprise, you can imagine, when the [FBI] raid happened," says Habba.

Original Article

Archives Letter Seems to Contradict WH Claims Biden Didn't Know of Trump Raid Mar-a-Lago (AP)

By Jay Clemons | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 03:40 PM EDT

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) reportedly contradicted a White House claim that President Joe Biden had no advance knowledge of the FBI's Aug. 8 raid at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted the Trump team's request for a special master in the legal dispute between Trump and the Justice Department.

Judge Cannon also identified a springtime letter from the National Archives to Trump's legal team, with the conclusion reading, "NARA will provide the FBI access to the records in question, as requested by the incumbent President, beginning as early as Thursday, May 12, 2022."

In the weeks after the FBI visit to Trump's Florida home, White House officials have denied any prior knowledge of the raid on a former U.S. president.

The issue of foreknowledge comes into play because Trump and his allies have alleged that political animosity led to the raid. Trump is widely seen as a frontrunner in the early jockeying for position in the 2024 presidential campaign, and has said political enemies are trying to derail his plans to again seek the high office by generating scandal.

"No. The president was not briefed … was not aware of it. No. No one at the White House was given a heads up," White House press secretary Jean-Pierre said on Aug. 9, a day after the FBI raid. "We learned about this just like the public, just as you all were reporting it, through the public reports."

NARA's acting archivist Debra Steidel Wall might have also played a role in the Biden administration perhaps knowing about the Mar-a-Lago raid well in advance.

According to reports, Steidel Wall alerted the White House that an initial review of the records sent to NARA from Mar-a-Lago included "identified items marked as classified national security information."

In her follow-up letter, Steidel Wall wrote: "NARA informed the Department of Justice about that discovery, which prompted the Department to ask the President to request that NARA provide the FBI with access to the boxes at issue so that the FBI and others in the Intelligence Community could examine them. On April 11, 2022, the White House Counsel's Office — affirming a request from the Department of Justice supported by an FBI letterhead memorandum — formally transmitted a request that NARA provide the FBI access to the 15 boxes for its review within seven days."

A day later, according to reports, a DOJ-obtained grand jury subpoena allowed for investigators to visit Mar-a-Lago in June — with the raid taking place in August.

Last month, after word broke of the FBI raid on Trump's Florida estate, Attorney General Merrick Garland said he "personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter."

While appearing on Newsmax last week, Trump attorney Alina Habba told "Spicer & Co." the ongoing circus involving Trump's stored documents has become absurd.

Habba said the Presidential Records Act gives Trump — and every other U.S. president, past and present — the authority to declassify documents while holding office.

And by all accounts, Habba said Trump's team of Florida attorneys had been fully cooperating with NARA officials.

"So, it was a bit of surprise, you can imagine, when the [FBI] raid happened," says Habba.

Original Article

Rep. Comer to Newsmax: White House 'Hypocrisy' Shown By Press Secretary

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. (Getty Images)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 02:10 PM EDT

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, by answering a question about if she believes the 2016 election was stolen as being "ridiculous," showed a "perfect example of the hypocrisy of the Biden administration," Rep. James Comer said on Newsmax on Wednesday.

"They are so arrogant," the Kentucky Republican told Newsmax's "National Report." "They believe whatever they say is the rule. That is the law. That is the way it's supposed to be and if you disagree with them, then you're wrong. If you look like me and you disagree, then you're a white supremacist; you're a radical. You're 'ultra-MAGA,' and I think the American people are starting to see through this."

During Tuesday's press briefing, Fox News' Peter Doocy asked Jean-Pierre if she thinks the 2016 election was stolen, referring to tweets she posted around the time when former President Donald Trump won his election, reports The Hill.

Her tweets also suggested that the 2018 Georgia governor's race wasn't held fairly.

"Let's be clear that that comparison that you made is just ridiculous," she told Doocy. "I was talking specifically at that time of what was happening with voting rights and what was [endangering] voting rights.”

Comer noted that there were Democrats who voted to object to Trump's win, but said "all they talk about are the 140 or so Republicans that voted to object in the last presidential election. … I see their hypocrisy every day, and it's only getting worse."

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, in his "very offensive speech" at Independence Hall last week, shows he's a divider, not an uniter, despite his presidential campaign promises, Comer said.

"It shocked me watching him speak from the very red podium and the message that he gave to at least half of America," said Comer. "This guy has a 40% approval rating, yet he's lecturing the 60% that disapprove of his job performance and the 50% that voted against him, and he's saying that you know you're a threat to American democracy. Give me a break. You know this Biden administration, the level of arrogance and hypocrisy grows on a daily basis."

Comer also spoke out about the way suspicious activity reports concerning Biden's son, Hunter Biden, continue to be suppressed, even though until Biden took office, any member of Congress could get them from the Treasury Department.

"Two things Joe Biden did on the first day he took office, number one, he stopped members of Congress from having access to this suspicious activity report," said Comer. "Number two, he hired Nicholas McQuaid to be the head of the FBI criminal division. We've learned he is a law partner of Chris Clark, who is Hunter Biden's attorney."

But still, Comer said as the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, he continues to be blocked from the bank records, but that could change in November if Republicans take back the House.

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Rep. Tom Tiffany to Newsmax: Dems Trying Trump by Leak (Newsmax/"National Report")

By Brian Freeman | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 02:06 PM EDT

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., slammed leaking contents of the items seized during the FBI raid of President Donald Trump's private Mar a Lago residence.

"It seems to be adjudication by leak," Tiffany told Wednesday's "National Report" on Newsmax, adding, "they are trying President Trump by leak at this point."

"Lets be real clear what is going on: Democrats want Trump very much to be the face of this election to serve as a smoke screen, instead of talking about a number of problematic issues – such as inflation, energy, border security, crime and all the other problems that Americans care about."

Tiffany also commented on the remarks made Tuesday by Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House's COVID-19 coordinator. He promoted ongoing regular shots against the coronavirus, saying, "I really believe this is why God gave us two arms, one for the flu shot and the other one for the COVID shot."

Tiffany criticized this paternal mindset, stressing the federal government should not "push to dictate to people how their health should be treated."

Instead, Tiffany insisted, "the first thing that the federal government health agencies should do is put all the information out there that has been garnered over the past two years, including different ways in which to be able to be treated for COVID."

He added, whether the issue is the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago or coronavirus policy, "the federal government should be giving the America people all the information that is available; let them make the decision rather than stifling the information."

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• Find NEWSMAX in over 100 million U.S. homes via cable/streaming – More Info Here
• Watch NEWSMAX TV online – See It Here
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Rep. Tom Tiffany to Newsmax: Dems Trying Trump by Leak (Newsmax/"National Report")

By Brian Freeman | Wednesday, 07 September 2022 02:06 PM EDT

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., slammed leaking contents of the items seized during the FBI raid of President Donald Trump's private Mar a Lago residence.

"It seems to be adjudication by leak," Tiffany told Wednesday's "National Report" on Newsmax, adding, "they are trying President Trump by leak at this point."

"Lets be real clear what is going on: Democrats want Trump very much to be the face of this election to serve as a smoke screen, instead of talking about a number of problematic issues – such as inflation, energy, border security, crime and all the other problems that Americans care about."

Tiffany also commented on the remarks made Tuesday by Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House's COVID-19 coordinator. He promoted ongoing regular shots against the coronavirus, saying, "I really believe this is why God gave us two arms, one for the flu shot and the other one for the COVID shot."

Tiffany criticized this paternal mindset, stressing the federal government should not "push to dictate to people how their health should be treated."

Instead, Tiffany insisted, "the first thing that the federal government health agencies should do is put all the information out there that has been garnered over the past two years, including different ways in which to be able to be treated for COVID."

He added, whether the issue is the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago or coronavirus policy, "the federal government should be giving the America people all the information that is available; let them make the decision rather than stifling the information."

About NEWSMAX TV:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!

• Find NEWSMAX in over 100 million U.S. homes via cable/streaming – More Info Here
• Watch NEWSMAX TV online – See It Here
• Download the FREE NEWSMAX App on Your Smartphone to Watch Now!

Original Article