Fani Willis Shows Up with Nathan Wade During Daughter’s Arrest Months After Pair Said They Split

Kinaya Willis

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who’s leading the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump, showed up with her supposed ex-boyfriend, former prosecutor Nathan Wade, at the scene of her daughter’s arrest last week, according to bodycam footage published Wednesday.

Willis and Wade separately testified that the affair ended in the summer last year.

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January 6 Defendant Receives First Reduced Sentence After Supreme Court Ruling

January Six Protest

A former Virginia police officer on Wednesday became the first January 6 defendant to receive a reduced sentence after the Supreme Court narrowed the scope of an obstruction charge used against Jan. 6 rioters.

The Supreme Court in June made it more difficult to charge the defendants with obstruction but charges can still be brought if prosecutors can prove that rioters were intentionally trying to stop the arrival of certificates used to certify electoral votes during the riot.

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Florida Sues over Violent Foreign Nationals Being Released from Prison into U.S.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody

The state of Florida is suing the Biden-Harris administration to obtain information on how many illegal foreign nationals convicted of violent crimes who served time in prison were released into the U.S. instead of being deported.

“Historically, when illegal aliens were brought to the U.S. to be prosecuted for their crimes, it was well understood that the aliens would be deported once they have served their sentence,” Florida’s lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Ashley Moody, states. “That was until the Biden-Harris Administration implemented their shockingly irresponsible immigration policy, pushing unknown numbers of dangerous criminals straight from federal prison into our communities and causing chaos, anarchy, and crime.”

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Legal Filing Shows Rep. Andy Ogles Not ‘Target’ of FBI as MAGA Republican Demands Cell Phone Back, Cites Speech and Debate Clause of Constitution

Andy Ogles

Legal filings obtained by The Tennessee Star on Wednesday confirm Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) is not a “target” of the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation, which prompted the FBI to seize his cell phone after serving a search warrant at his home just one day after he won the Republican Party’s nomination for reelection.

In an emergency motion seeking the return of his phone, attorneys representing Ogles revealed that federal prosecutors previously acknowledged Ogles is a “subject” of the investigation but not a “target” and said the DOJ’s receipt of his property violates the Speech and Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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Suspect Reportedly in Custody After Casualties Reported in Shooting at Georgia High School

Apalachee High School

Law enforcement reportedly arrested the person responsible for committing a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, which is part of Barrow County and about an hour away from downtown Atlanta.

Early police reports do not contain an estimate for the number of casualties from the shooting, nor do they reveal the identity of the shooter, but instead advise to avoid the area during the emergency response.

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Federal Judge Rejects Trump’s Bid to Transfer Case to Federal Court

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that former President Donald Trump cannot transfer his New York criminal case to federal court.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled against Trump’s argument of presidential immunity and ruled that the court did not have grounds to determine alleged bias. Trump was convicted in May of 34 accounts on falsifying business records, and Hellerstein ruled that “hush money” payments fall outside the scope of “executive authority.”

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Migrants Reportedly Make Up Roughly 75 Percent of Arrests in Midtown Manhattan

NYPD

Migrants reportedly make up roughly 75% of arrests in Midtown Manhattan and a large bulk of other New York City (NYC) neighborhoods, according to the New York Post.

Illegal migrants and other foreign nationals living in shelters are flooding New York City’s criminal justice system, according to law enforcement sources that spoke anonymously with the Post. These migrants are being arrested for robbery, assault, domestic violence and other crimes across NYC.

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Professor Paid $2.4 Million to Settle First Amendment Retaliation Suit Goes After HR Chief’s New Contract

Matthew Garrett

A month after Matthew Garrett secured a $2.4 million settlement from the Kern Community College District over termination proceedings for the “dishonesty” of disagreeing with colleagues on diversity issues and “unprofessional conduct” of questioning the data used to create a “racial climate task force,” the former Bakersfield College tenured history professor isn’t done yet. 

He has started a campaign to pressure the KCCD Board of Trustees to rescind a contract extension and pay boost for the human resources official who oversaw his proceedings, citing newly obtained sworn testimony of the colleague who he says sicced students on Garrett with racially charged complaints that were “ultimately found to be baseless” – and used class time to do it.

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The Tennessee Star Releases ‘Manifesto’ Left by Transgender Covenant School Killer Audrey Hale

Covenant Killer Journal released

The Tennessee Star and editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy released the full “manifesto” left by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale on Tuesday, making the killer’s journal entries available to the public for the first time.

This release contains the pages of Hale’s journal that were obtained by The Star from a source familiar with the investigation in June. The journal containing the pages was recovered from Hale’s vehicle by police after her March 27, 2023 attack on the Covenant School, where she claimed the lives  of three 9-year-old children and three adult staff members.

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Emergency Rule Change Temporarily Limits State Bar Complaints Against Attorneys in Arizona

Arizona State Bar

The Arizona Supreme Court, which oversees the State Bar of Arizona (SBA), is considering proposed changes to the SBA, and approved one temporary emergency rule change Friday. The SBA, whose leadership is dominated by progressives, has come under intense criticism in recent years for targeting conservative attorneys, especially election attorneys. The court adopted R-24-0046 as an emergency rule in order to allow it to go into effect temporarily before the 2024 general election. It limits the ability of those who have no connection to a matter to file a complaint against an attorney.

The justices are reviewing 70 total rule change petitions, and will decide whether to adopt, adopt with amendment, reject, or continue a change. Changes resulting from this process will then be referred to a study committee for further consideration. The rule change process began in January, with proposals offered to the public for comment. The justices are expected to make their decisions on all 70 rule change petitions within the next few days. Most rules that are adopted will go into effect in January.

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Teen Girl at Baseball Game Stabbed by Previously Deported Illegal Migrant, Police Allege

A teen girl at an Indiana baseball game was randomly stabbed over the weekend by a man local authorities say is a previously deported illegal immigrant. The 14-year-old girl was watching her brother’s baseball game in Lowell, Indiana, on Saturday when a man randomly stabbed her in the hand and fled the scene, according to NBC Chicago. Law enforcement arrested Dimas Gabriel Yanez, a 26-year-old Honduran national, following an extensive manhunt that ended on Sunday amid a foot pursuit in a Lake County cornfield.

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TikTok May Be Held Liable for Girl’s Death, Upending Three Decades of Tech Immunity

Montana TikTok Ruling

The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet” may not be as powerful as believed by the bipartisan chorus demanding reform of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

TikTok’s biggest immediate problem now may be its own users, their parents, and state attorneys general, rather than the state and federal lawmakers seeking to ban the Chinese-owned company and force ByteDance to sell it to an American entity, following a 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Aug. 27 that denies TikTok legal immunity for an algorithm choice.

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Nashville Man Charged in Shooting Judge’s Moving Vehicle Out on $125,000 Bond Ahead of Latest Arrest

Judge I'Ashea Myles, Divid Bush

The Nashville man arrested on Friday in relation to the shooting of a judge’s moving vehicle last September was out on bail for unrelated crimes at the time of his latest arrest, having previously been granted a $125,000 bond on attempted murder and reckless endangerment charges following a March arrest.

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed the arrest on Friday, writing that law enforcement identified 23-year-old David Bush as their suspect using “ballistic evidence and cell phone data” recovered from the time of the shooting.

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Federal Appeals Court: Illegal Aliens Do Not Have Second Amendment Rights

Second Amendment

On Tuesday, a federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled that illegal aliens do not have the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, due to the fact that they are not American citizens.

As reported by Fox News, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that federal law prohibiting illegal aliens from owning firearms is legal, as the Constitution does not apply to anyone who has entered the United States illegally.

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Bannon’s Lawyers Want a Hearing on Alleged Government Misconduct in Case, Judge Has Yet to Grant It

Months after the federal district court expressed concern about the government conduct during its investigation in Steve Bannon’s contempt of Congress case, the court has yet to hold a hearing on the claims that the prosecuting attorneys invaded the privacy of Bannon’s lawyer by subpoenaing his phone records and emails and potentially damaging the attorney-client relationship. 

The accusations against the prosecutors were detailed in several court filings over a year ago and Bannon had previously invoked them in a failed attempt to have the charges against him dismissed. According to the filings, defense attorneys argued prosecutors improperly obtained phone and email records and social media account information from Bannon’s then lawyer, Robert Costello.

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Former Phoenix New Times Co-Owner Sentenced to Five Years in Prison Related to Prostitution, Sex Trafficking of Minors

Michael Lacey

The former co-owner of the tabloid Phoenix New Times, Michael Lacey, was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday for laundering money from Backpage.com, a site he founded and ran that was accused of prostitution and sex trafficking of minors. His co-owner Jim Larkin killed himself a few days before the second trial was to begin in 2023 (the first trial ended in a mistrial). The New Times is known for regularly running articles attacking conservatives in politics that are strategically placed next to articles about pedophiles and murderers. 

Scott Spear and John “Jed” Brunst, former executives with Backpage, were sentenced to 10 years each for numerous crimes. “The defendants and their conspirators obtained more than $500 million from operating an online forum that facilitated the sexual exploitation of countless victims,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in a press release. “The defendants thought they could hide their illicit proceeds by laundering the funds through shell companies in foreign countries. But they were wrong.” 

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Knoxville Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for ‘Heave-Ho’ on January 6

A Knoxville man who was sentenced to four months in prison and two years of supervised release, including, the first four months in the form of home detention, “heave-ho’d’ his way to prison, according to the United State’s District Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USADC). 

The sentence was levied against Michael Asbury, 44, of Knoxville, after he pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstruction of justice during a civil disorder, an obscure federal charge that has been levied against many people who attended the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. 

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Judge Declines to Dismiss Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against Leftist Group Media Matters

Elon Musk

A federal judge declined Thursday to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against Media Matters by Elon Musk’s X.

District Court Judge Reed O’Connor, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote in an order that Musk’s X had “properly pled its claim,” rejecting Media Matter’s effort to have the case tossed. The platform filed its lawsuit in November, alleging that the left-wing watchdog group “knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers’ posts” beside content made by white nationalists and neo-Nazis.

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Commentary: Amid School Sex-Abuse Impunity, a Suspect Ensnared by an Alleged Victim

Brent McGee

Brent and Donna McGee were the “First Couple” of Wetumka, Oklahoma. He was athletic director and football coach at the high school who had once served as mayor; she was superintendent of the school system. 

And as if all those levers of local power weren’t enough, they also owned the Dairy Queen, the prime hangout in this small rural town and a key source of high school jobs.

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Nashville Police Confirm Covenant School Shooting Investigation Remains Ongoing Despite Predicted July Finish

Audrey Hale

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Friday was unable to provide The Tennessee Star with an estimated time of completion for its investigation into the Covenant School attack, but spokesman Don Aaron stated the case “remains open and is largely in a documentation phase where the lead detective is writing his and the department’s actions, findings, etc.”

Police began investigating the attack on March 27, 2023, when Audrey Elizabeth Hale claimed the lives three 6-year-old students and three adult staff members at the Covenant School in Nashville.

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State Bar of Arizona Disciplinary Panel Dismisses Complaint Against Kari Lake’s Two Attorneys over Voting Machine Tabulator Lawsuit

Margaret Downie

A disciplinary panel for the State Bar of Arizona (SBA) dismissed complaints filed against two of Kari Lake’s attorneys that were brought over their work representing Kari Lake in a 2022 lawsuit, Lake v. Hobbs, challenging the use of voting machine tabulators in elections. The panel of three, led by Presiding Disciplinary Judge Margaret Downie, found that the SBA did not prove by clear and convincing evidence that Kurt Olsen — who represented himself and isn’t a licensed member of the SBA — and Andrew Parker violated any ethics rules. The decision cited a recent opinion from the Arizona Supreme Court, Ariz. Republican Party v. Richer, which held that attorneys should not be sanctioned for bringing election lawsuits. 

U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi, who was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama, ordered sanctions of $122,200 against Olsen, Parker, and attorney Alan Dershowitz over a year ago for bringing the lawsuit. The sanctions were requested by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, who were represented by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. The Maricopa County Republican Committee censured Mitchell over the representation.

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Trump Lawyers Request Federal Court Intervene in Hush Money Case

Former President Donald Trump’s legal team asked a federal court late Thursday night to intervene in his hush money case, as he attempts to get his conviction overturned.

A Manhattan jury convicted Trump on 34 felony charges related to the falsification of business records to hide a hush money payment he made to former porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair. 

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13-Year-Old Arrested, Charged After Threatening to Carry Out Shooting at Knoxville School

Ridgedale School

A 13-year-old male was arrested and charged on Wednesday for the threat of mass violence after he had allegedly “threatened to bring a gun to Ridgedale School and shoot someone,” according to the Knoxville Police Department (KPD).

According to KPD, the 13-year-old was identified and located after allegedly making the threat through a collaborative investigation by KPD Field Operations officers and Investigations Bureau detectives, Knox County School Security, Tennessee Department of Homeland Security investigators, and the Knox County District Attorney’s Office.

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Commentary: Law Enforcement Collapse Masks Rising Crime Rates

Criminals smashing a window

Law enforcement in the United States has collapsed. Americans in many parts of the country see that products at CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart stores are behind plexiglass, that you must call a clerk to unlock the glass and then wait while you read and examine the different packages. People know these companies have no choice. Americans know that crime is rising, but the true collapse in law enforcement, particularly in large cities, is without precedent.

A Gallup survey last November showed that 92 percent of Republicans and even 58 percent of Democrats believed that crime was rising. In a series of surveys from March 2023 to April 2024, Rasmussen Reports finds a remarkably constant percentage of Americans who believe that violent crime is getting worse – 60 percent to 61 percent. Roughly four times as many people think violent crime is rising rather than getting better.

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Trial Date Set for Arizona ‘Fake Electors’ as Defendants Claim Political Persecution

A hearing regarding Arizona “fake electors” wrapped up Wednesday in Phoenix after three days of statements being heard from the defendants’ lawyers and the attorney general’s office.

In April, a grand jury indicted 11 Arizona Republicans and seven other individuals that were aides to former President Donald Trump of allegedly forging a document denying the 2020 presidential election results, claiming that Trump had won Arizona, when in fact he lost to President Joe Biden by 10,457 votes, and sent the statement to the National Archives.

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Justice Jackson Says ‘Prepared as Anyone Can Be’ for Supreme Court to Respond to 2024 Election

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says she is prepared “as anyone can be” for this year’s presidential election ending up before the high court .

In an interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell aired on Tuesday, the Biden-appointed judge was asked whether she is prepared for this election to end up before the Supreme Court.

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Tennessee State Sen. Brent Taylor Vows Complaint over Social Media Posts Won’t ‘Intimidate,’ ‘Influence’ Effort to Remove D.A. Steve Mulroy

Brent Taylor and Steve Mulroy

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor on Wednesday said the recent request for an investigation over his posts to social media will neither “intimidate” nor “influence” him against his plan to file a resolution in order to oust Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy.

Taylor released his statement after a request for an investigation was submitted to the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) by District 28 Attorney General Fred Agee, who Tennessee Lookout reported asked both agencies whether Taylor committed a Class B misdemeanor in his posts.

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‘Totally Failed:’ Pelosi Admitted in Secret Video She Should Have Sought National Guard for January 6

Nancy Pelosi in front of January 6 protesters (composite image)

As she fled the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made clear she did not want to evacuate the building and expressed regret that the National Guard had not been pre-positioned to protect Congress ahead of the contentious certification of the 2020 election results, according to video footage turned over this week to House Republican investigators and obtained by Just the News.

“We’re calling the National Guard now?  They should have been here to start out,” Pelosi can be heard saying as she flees through a tunnel under the Capitol on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, as her daughter Alexandra videotaped her for an eventual HBO movie.

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Arizona Auditor General Details $39 Million Santa Cruz Embezzlement Case

Santa Cruz County Courthouse

The Arizona Auditor General confirmed that over $39 million was allegedly stolen from Santa Cruz County by its ex-treasurer who resigned in April.

“As part of their responsibility to prevent and detect fraud, Santa Cruz County (County) officials took appropriate action by reporting to us and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alleged financial misconduct by the former County Treasurer (Treasurer),” the auditor general’s office stated.

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Stephen Richer Ordered to Pay $25k to Merissa Hamilton for over 100,000 Documents He Required Her to Produce in Kari Lake Defamation Lawsuit

Stephen Richer

A trial court judge ordered Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer earlier this month to pay grassroots activist Merissa Hamilton $25,345.50 for the costs of over 100,000 documents she produced in response to a subpoena from him.

Richer sued Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake for defamation last year over remarks she made accusing him of intentionally inserting 300,000 ballots into the 2022 election. As part of the lawsuit, he subpoenaed documents from Hamilton and others. The ballots in question lacked a chain of custody, which is a class 2 misdemeanor.

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Tennessee AG Applauds Texas U.S. District Judge’s Ruling to Halt DHS’ ‘Parole in Place’ Program

TN AG Skrmetti

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti celebrated U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker’s ruling on Monday to halt the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new program allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who are the spouse or stepchild of a U.S. citizen to “parole in place” from taking effect.

Barker’s ruling comes just three days after 16 state attorneys general and America First Legal filed a 56-page complaint challenging DHS’ “Keeping Families Together” program, which began accepting applications last week.

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Satanic Temple Vows to ‘Raise Hell’ over Florida Law Allowing Chaplains in Schools

Chaplain in School

The Satanic Temple (TST) is threatening to “raise hell” over a Florida law that allows school chaplain programs, according to local outlet WOKV.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law in April, allowing schools to “authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide support, services, and programs to students” so long as they have parental consent. TST took to social media days after Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz published model policies for the program, with the group asking members to “stand” with them.

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Judge Halts Biden-Harris Plan to Give Spouses of Illegal Immigrants Pathway to Citizenship

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

A federal judge on Monday temporarily paused a Biden administration program that would grant a path to citizenship for the spouses of American citizens.

District Court Judge J. Campbell Barker paused the new Biden administration effort until a final ruling is made. The program in questions allows illegal immigrants who have married an American citizen to avoid deportation and start the path to citizenship.

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Progressive Knight Foundation Training Journalists on How to Write About Likely 2024 Election Lawsuits

Heather Gerkin, Bob Bauer, Ben Ginsberg

The progressive Knight Foundation (KF) is providing training to journalists ahead of the 2024 general election on election related legal issues. KF announced in July that the organization would fund election news coverage “primarily in swing states.” It will also provide journalists with “explainers and training …from The Associated Press.”

“One local news organization in each swing state will also receive a grant to serve as an ‘anchor,’ bolstering the distribution of election-related coverage with editorial partners in their state.” So far, most of KF’s grants in Arizona have gone to Arizona State University.

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Man Charged with Sexual Battery of Six-Year-Old Now Held on ICE Immigration Detainer in Nashville

Wilmer Alvarez Garcia in front of Nashville Sheriff's Department Downtown Detention Center (composite image)

A man held in a Nashville jail since August 7 over charges which allege he had inappropriate contact with a minor is now being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.

Davidson County Criminal Court records reveal 50-year-old Wilmer Garcia was arrested on August 7 and charged with multiple counts of sexual and aggravated sexual battery and solicitation of a minor for crimes that police say occurred between November 2023 and March 2024.

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Pennsylvania Counter Sniper Claims Secret Service Denied Encrypted Radios Prior to Trump Assassination Attempt

Ben Shaffer

A counter sniper with Pennsylvania law enforcement told members of the U.S. House on Monday that the U.S. Secret Service declined the encrypted radios offered by local law enforcement ahead of the July 13 rally where former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt.

The claim was made during a J13 Forum attended by U.S. Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), Cory Mills (R-FL-07), Chip Roy (R-TX-21) and streamed to social media by Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01).

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Trump Asks Georgia Appeals Court to Toss Election Case in ‘Death Knell’ for D.A. Fani Willis

Donald Trump and Fani Willis in a courtroom (composite image)

The attorney representing former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asked a Georgia appeals court, which is currently considering whether Willis should be disqualified due to her affair with former special counsel Nathan Wade, asked the court to toss the case with a new legal filing he argues contains the “death knell” for the prosecution.

Trump attorney Steve Sadow on Monday submitted a 22-page filing which asks the Georgia Court of Appeals to toss Willis’ case against Trump because the former president was “aggrieved” by Willis’ “letter to God” speech from the pulpit of a Baptist church in Atlanta.

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