RawStory

Jack Smith

Republicans trying to 'impose pain' on Americans to help Trump: Elizabeth Warren

Far-right House Republicans are knowingly steering the U.S. economy toward danger by pushing for a shutdown — and are completely fine with that out of a belief it will somehow help former President Donald Trump retake office in 2024.

That's the view of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who sounded the alarm on Thursday's edition of MSNBC's "The ReidOut."

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Pete Buttigieg just testified before Congress. It did not go well for Republicans

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday, where he was forced to educate Republicans on a wide variety of topics, from climate change to not needing passports to fly domestically, to subsidies for oil and gas companies.

In one heated back-and-forth, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), who has been fighting a subpoena from Special Counsel Jack Smith, blamed Secretary Buttigieg specifically for “killing” the auto industry by supporting electric vehicles.

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'Not what Trump said': Reporter catches Kevin McCarthy dodging when asked about demand to defund Jack Smith

Former President Donald Trump this week demanded that Republicans in the House of Representatives shut down the government until special counsel Jack Smith's office is completely defunded.

Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman on Thursday morning caught up with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who has been scrambling to avert a government shutdown, and asked him about Trump's demand to end Smith's investigations.

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White House mocks GOP with 'worst person you know' meme after Matt Gaetz puts blame on McCarthy

In a rare move the Biden White House on Wednesday mocked House Republicans with a popular internet meme to highlight remarks made by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz that show how the Florida Republican is blaming the impending, likely shutdown of the federal government on Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Congressman Gaetz specifically says “We cannot blame Joe Biden” and “We cannot blame House Democrats” for it.

Gaetz, who did not vote to hand McCarthy the gavel back in January, for weeks has increasingly been targeting the House Speaker. Last week he threatened he would get McCarthy removed as Speaker, going as far as to say he was “out of compliance.” On Tuesday a reporter found a resolution with links to Gaetz declaring the Office of the Speaker “vacant” on a baby changing table in a House restroom.

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Matt Gaetz wants Garland to tell the president not to allow Hunter Biden at state dinners

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) challenged the Attorney General of the United States on Wednesday, wanting to know if he has ever told the President of the United States to “knock it off” and stop allowing his son, Hunter Biden, to come to the White House and attend State Dinners. The Florida Republican made his remarks during a House Judiciary Committee on alleged politicization and weaponization of the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

“I guess I’m just wondering, Mr. Attorney General, has anyone at the Department told President Biden to knock it off? With Hunter?” Congressman Gaetz, a far-right Republican rumored to be weighing a run for governor of Florida, asked Merrick Garland.

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'Worst nightmare' Trump witness can prove he committed 'textbook obstruction': former defense lawyer

Caroline Polisi, a former white collar criminal defense lawyer and current lecturer at Columbia Law School, told CNN on Wednesday that she thinks former President Donald Trump will have a hard time beating the testimony of former aide Molly Michaels.

When asked about the importance of Michaels' testimony to special counsel Jack Smith's case, Polisi outlined why Trump's lawyers should be very nervous about what she has to say.

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'Our job is not to take orders': Merrick Garland denies political influence on prosecutions

US Attorney General Merrick Garland strongly denied Wednesday that politics steered his investigative decisions, pushing back on Republican allegations that he has "weaponized" the Justice Department against President Joe Biden's top rival Donald Trump.

With a Garland-appointed special counsel, Jack Smith, now pursuing two criminal prosecutions of Trump, the justice chief said in prepared testimony for a House hearing that he was neither Biden's attorney nor Congress's prosecutor.

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Jack Smith's latest witness is 'a very big deal' who puts Trump in grave peril: CNN's John Avlon

Donald Trump now has to contend with testimony from one of his own former aides -- and CNN's John Avlon argued on Wednesday that the former president will have a very hard time knocking down her claims.

Reacting to news that former Trump personal assistant Molly Michaels has become a key witness in special counsel Jack Smith's case surrounding the Mar-a-Lago documents, Avlon outlined why she will be tough for Trump's lawyers to impugn.

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'She has no bias': Jan. 6 investigator says Trump aide will be 'critical' for Jack Smith

The Donald Trump aide who recently broke ranks with the former president has provided some of the strongest evidence yet in connection with the Mar-a-Lao documents case, according to a January 6 investigator on CNN.

Temidayo Aganga-Williams, an attorney who served as an investigator for the House Jan. 6 committee, appeared on CNN Primetime Tuesday night, and was asked what to think about Trump's conduct in the case. Specifically, the host asked what Aganda-Williams thinks of Trump allegedly saying his aide, Molly Michaels, should pretend she doesn't know about the boxes.

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'Flat ridiculous': GOP and Dem White House ethics experts unite to condemn Trump's judge recusal effort

Donald Trump's attempt to force Judge Chutkan to recuse herself from the D.C. elections case is "flat ridiculous," according to ethics experts who served in administrations of both Republican and Democrat presidents.

The former president recently asked Chutkan to recuse herself from the federal criminal action, claiming that her comments in past Jan. 6 cases were disqualifying because they appeared to show bias against Trump. Prosecutor Jack Smith hit back with a defense of the judge's past comments.

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GOP staff terrified they’ll never work in politics again due to 'mafia'  boss Trump: J6 investigator

January 6 investigator Tim Heaphy said Tuesday Donald Trump is terrifying people who worked in the White House or elsewhere in government and who might become witnesses against him.

Speaking to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Tuesday, Heaphy revealed there are Republicans who live in fear that they'll lose their careers if they go up against the former president.

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Jack Smith's 'halfhearted' concern for Trump's First Amendment rights 'laughable': columnist

A former Wall Street Journal columnist finds special counsel Jack Smith's proposal to issue a "narrow" gag order for Donald Trump "laughable."

In a Washington Post column, conservative Jason Willick calls Smith's "halfhearted" concern for the former president's First Amendment rights as he requests the court control of Trump's outbursts as "laughable," saying the special prosecutor wants to shut down Trump's "ability to criticize the criminal case against him for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss."

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'Unbelievably stupid' Trump actions keep making Mar-a-Lago docs case 'more outrageous': Morning Joe panel

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough was astonished by reports that Donald Trump used classified documents to write to-do lists for one of his assistants.

Longtime aide Molly Michael told investigators the former president, on more than one occasion, gave her handwritten messages on notecards she later recognized as classified briefing materials, and the "Morning Joe" host was flabbergasted.

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