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Mike Pompeo's new PAC shares something big in common with a war criminal pardoned by Trump
June 15, 2021
Former Trump administration Secretary of State and potential 2024 presidential hopeful Mike Pompeo launched a new political action committee Tuesday aimed at helping Republicans flip a total of five precious congressional seats and hold onto occupied seats to emerge victorious from the 2022 midterms. But on Twitter, instead of the PAC drawing praise or recognition, it garnered endless ridicule due to the group's slogan calling on conservatives to become "pipehitters."
The organization coined "Champion American Values PAC" (CAVPAC) will seek to help "protect American values and to help Republicans take back majorities in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate as well as governorships and control of state legislatures all across America," according to its founder.
The former Trump official turned 2024 GOP presidential hopeful has launched the political action committee in light of a potential run for the White House - all while currently racing across the country speaking and courting voters in key election swing states, including Iowa.
"Today at home, our foundational ideas are under attack more than ever before, and I intend to stay in the fight," Pompeo continued in his statement. "We named the organization CAVPAC as a nod to my time in the U.S. Army Cavalry – the CAV in the PAC. My cavalry service taught me that America needs warriors who lead and are willing to ride first into the fight without fear. CAV also stands for Champion American Values – the values that we know have made our country exceptional."
The former Trump official then took to Twitter to call on fellow "pipehitter[s]" to join him on his mission. Notably, Pompeo, in an attached tweet from his newly formed group, defined the term "pipehitter" as: "Someone who is unapologetically American, someone who fights for our future, someone who never gives an inch, someone who is dedicated to stand against the radical Left's agenda."
But that's not the definition most Twitter users were thinking of....to wit:
Yikes:
Pipehitter is also the name of the foundation established by Eddie Gallagher, accused Afghanistan war criminal pardoned by Trump.
On Tuesday afternoon, Pompeo told right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt one of the key tenets of his new group's mission will be to prevent transgender athletes from participating in competitive sports. "We've got to make sure that our young people who, our young women don't have to compete against young men in sports," he stated. "We can't have our voices canceled."
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Allen Weisselberg could go down for tax fraud — and take Trump with him: Former federal prosecutor
June 15, 2021
On CNN Tuesday, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig walked through the implications of the new report showing Manhattan prosecutors are close to finishing their investigation of Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg — and may be prepared to bring charges against him.
"We're on the brink of two make-or-break decisions," said Honig. "First, prosecutors will need to sit down, assess all their evidence and decide, do we have enough evidence to indict Allen Weisselberg? If so, then the big decision is, does he flip? Whether he flips will mean everything for this investigation. He's the exact right person to target to try to flip. He's in the inner circle, the only person not named Trump who is in the inner circle of the Trump Org. If they flip him, he can open up a universe of evidence."
"What is this new reporting from The New York Times, what does it tell you about the types of charges Weisselberg could be facing, especially when you're getting into this issue of prison time?" asked anchor Erin Burnett.
"Prosecutors seem to be looking to make tax charges against Allen Weisselberg," said Honig. "The charge is that he was paid by the Trump Organization not with a paycheck, but in the Trump Organization paying for tuition, for cars, for apartments. That can be a lot of income. Normally that kind of income is taxable. If they were doing this to try to get around the taxes, to try to beat having to pay taxes, that could be a tax fraud charge."
"A lot is going to depend on the amount here," Honig added. "Tax fraud charges can be as minor as a misdemeanor under New York state law, meaning nobody is going to flip on a misdemeanor, you don't go to jail. Or they could be up to seven years per year of tax fraud. He could be looking at very little time or very serious time. That's going to be a huge factor when deciding whether to flip."
Watch below:
Elie Honig on potential Allen Weisselberg indictment www.youtube.com
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'If Weisselberg doesn't cooperate he's got to worry Trump may turn on him': Former White House lawyer
June 15, 2021
The New York Times revealed Tuesday that sources with knowledge of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's investigation into former President Donald Trump and his company the Trump Organization may indict the CFO Allen Weisselberg as soon as this summer.
Speaking to MSNBC host Joy Reid, former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal and ex-federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner warned Weisselberg that this is going to come down like a ton of bricks.
Kirschner explained that the evidence should concern Trump because it makes it more likely that Weisselberg could make a plea deal and hang Trump out to dry.
"But there's also a long game to be played here," Kirschner continued. "I've had defendants who were not exactly like Weisselberg, but they were people that I desperately needed to bring on board to build my case against the bigger criminal fish, and they wouldn't plead guilty. Allen Weisselberg may not plead guilty. So, here's how we play the long game as prosecutors. We indict him. We try him. We convict him. And we sit down with him again after a jury has said, guilty, but before a judge has sentenced him. And we say, 'What are you going to do now, chief? You still have an opportunity. We can still reduce your sentence somewhat, but guess what? You're not going to get as good a deal as if you had come on board and cooperated upfront when you should have.' So, there are still a lot of moving pieces to the Allen Weisselberg part of this equation."
Reid asked if it was possible for Trump to walk away from the case without consequences if he is able to successfully blame it all on Weisselberg. Katyal said he didn't think so.
"We'll have to study this new reporting by the New York Times, but to me, it looks like the first domino for Donald Trump is starting to fall," said Katyal. "And this has been an inexorable path since the Supreme Court, 9-0, said Trump Tax returns have to be turned over, so these financial records that you're seeking about Trump are now in the hands of prosecutors. We know that those New York prosecutors have convened a grand jury. They're going to sit for six months, three days a week."
He also explained that prosecutors sent a warning letter to the Trump Organization calling it a criminal investigation. All prosecutors must do is tell Weisselberg is what will happen if he doesn't cooperate.
"I think prosecutors here know one other thing, which is that Allen Weisselberg knows where all the keys to the kingdom are," Katyal continued. "He knows everything. So, most normal companies have a compliance office that deals with all these questions. Not the Trump Organization. The Trump Organization's compliance office was basically, like, a giant sharpie drawing of the presidential seal or something like that. So, it's really all up to Weisselberg. And so, if they can flip Weisselberg, and I suspect they can because of that dynamic that Michael Cohen was just revealing, this kind of prisoner's dilemma where if Weisselberg doesn't cooperate, he's got to worry that Trump may turn on him. Each of them has to worry about that and that becomes a race to get information and that's why I think ultimately bad news for Trump."
Watch the video below:
Weisselberg news www.youtube.com
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