Trump Taps Keith Kellogg For Key Ukraine Peace Role
Trump lauded Kellogg for his “distinguished military and business career”
Jack Smith still has Trump's allies in legal crosshairs, despite dropping case against president-elect
President Joe Biden's Department of Justice is still targeting Donald Trump's co-defendants in the classified documents case despite ending its lawfare against the president-elect.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who has led two federal indictments against Trump, requested on Tuesday that the case be dismissed against "Trump only."
'Just because you can doesn't mean you should.'
The case out of Florida, which accused Trump of mishandling classified documents after the government led a raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate, was previously dismissed by Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida in the summer. Cannon ruled that Smith's appointment was unconstitutional because it circumvented Congress.
Smith then moved to appeal her ruling but pulled part of his request after Trump secured the presidency. Smith has continued to pursue an appeal in the case against Trump's co-defendants: longtime aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira.
Nauta faces eight criminal charges, while De Oliveira is charged with four counts. Before the case was dropped against Trump, the president-elect was charged with 38 counts.
"The appeal concerning the other two defendants will continue because, unlike defendant Trump, no principle of temporary immunity applies to them," Smith wrote in his motion to dismiss the appeal against Trump, citing the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity.
In a separate filing, Smith called Cannon's ruling to dismiss the case over his appointment a "flawed analysis."
"The Supreme Court held more than 50 years ago that Congress vested the Attorney General with the power to appoint special prosecutors like the Special Counsel," Smith claimed.
John Irving, De Oliveira's lawyer, told the New York Post that Smith's decision to pursue the charges against a Mar-a-Lago employee was "poor judgment."
"The special counsel's decision to proceed in this case even after dismissing it against President Trump is an unsurprising tribute to the poor judgment that led to the indictment against Mr. De Oliveira in the first place," Irving said. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should. If they prefer a slow acquittal, that's fine with us."
Nauta's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment from the Post.
Smith has reportedly already wasted at least $50 million in taxpayer funds to pursue the lawfare against Trump and his allies.
Trump pledged to fire Smith "within two seconds" of taking office. Sources also reportedly told the New York Times that Smith was planning to wrap up the cases and retire ahead of Inauguration Day.
In a statement to the Post, a spokesperson for Smith's office explained that upon the office's closure, its duties and ongoing matters can be transferred to "other components of the Department of Justice and the FBI."
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Biden admin's lawfare against Trump cost taxpayers over $50 million: Report
The Biden-Harris administration reportedly spent at least $50 million in taxpayer funds to go after President-elect Donald Trump in two federal criminal cases.
Fox News Digital reviewed Department of Justice expenditure reports, indicating that the Special Counsel Office, led by Jack Smith, incurred costs of $9.25 million from November 2022 to March 2023. A subsequent report showed an additional $14.66 million spent over the next six months. From October 2023 to March 2024, there was another $11.84 million in expenses. The expenditures from April 2024 to September 2024 have not yet been reported, but based on the average of the previous reported periods, it is estimated to be approximately $12 million.
'Empty and lawless.'
Therefore, since Smith's appointment in late 2022, the office has reportedly spent an estimated total of approximately $47.5 million.
The news outlet stated that the expenditures included both direct and indirect costs related to the two federal indictments overseen by Smith.
Newsweek reported earlier this month that the total is likely "well past" $50 million when including expenditures from September 30 onward.
Ultimately, the Biden administration's relentless lawfare against Trump came to a screeching halt following the outcome of the presidential election.
In the summer, Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida dismissed one of Smith's federal cases against Trump, where the president-elect was accused of mishandling classified documents. In her dismissal, Cannon ruled that Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional. Smith filed an appeal but moved to place that request on hold earlier this month.
On Monday, Smith requested to dismiss the other federal case against Trump, which alleged that he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Smith cited a longstanding DOJ policy that prevents the agency from filing criminal charges against a sitting president. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan approved Smith's motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, thereby allowing the option to reinstate the charges in the future.
However, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig explained on Tuesday why he believes the federal cases will not be revived after Trump's presidency despite being dismissed without prejudice.
"Yes, technically the cases were dismissed without prejudice, which means technically someone could come back in four years and reinstitute these charges," Honig said. "It's not mathematically eliminated. That's not gonna happen for a lot of reasons. First of all, four years from now is an eternity. Whoever the next president is in 2029, the next attorney general is gonna have no appetite in bringing this case back."
Honig also stated that "there are moves Donald Trump's DOJ could make" to eliminate that possibility.
"They can go back to the court and say, 'We want to switch this from without prejudice to with prejudice,' meaning it cannot be brought back. Who knows, Donald Trump may try to issue himself a pardon, something we've never seen before," he continued. "So I wouldn't hold out any expectation that this case ever gets charged in 2029."
Trump now faces only two state-level indictments, one in New York and the other in Georgia. However, the judge overseeing his New York criminal case, where he was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, has agreed to review the defense's request to dismiss the case. The Georgia case remains tied up in the courts, with some speculating it may also be thrown out over Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' potential disqualification.
On Monday, Trump posted a statement on Truth Social responding to the recent case dismissal.
"These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought. Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party's fight against their Political Opponent, ME. Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before," he wrote.
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Biden to launch ICE mobile app, further disrupting Trump's mass deportation plan: Report
The Biden-Harris administration is making significant policy changes ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in an apparent effort to obstruct the incoming administration's mass deportation plans.
The New York Post reported Thursday that President Joe Biden is in a rush to roll out new policies that would ease restrictions on illegal aliens, according to sources.
'They're going to try to put up as many roadblocks and obstacles and throw as many grenades as they can on their way out.'
The Biden administration is reportedly gearing up to launch an Immigration and Customs Enforcement mobile application in New York City in early December. The ICE Portal is designed to allow illegal immigrants to check in remotely through the mobile app rather than appearing in person at their local ICE office.
According to the Post, Homeland Security sources are concerned that the "glitchy and unreliable" mobile app will allow illegal aliens to evade federal authorities. Sources claimed that the administration is pushing forward with the expedited launch despite "extreme issues" with the portal during pilot program testing.
During in-person check-ins, ICE agents review an individual's past arrests and check for outstanding warrants, a process that the administration's mobile app will not replicate. Also, during those appearances, illegal aliens are required to provide proof of their current address.
Further, the app is reportedly not compatible with Android phones. When accessed by computer, the portal does not collect GPS location information. While accessing via phone does collect location data, that information is gathered for only seven days.
A source told the Post, "We need that information that if these people don't go to court, they have absconded, they have a final order of removal. We need that data … to go start looking for people."
The initial rollout of the program will reportedly be extended to up to 100,000 illegal aliens.
In another move to undermine Trump's immigration crackdown, the Biden administration is also aiming to allow illegal immigrants to dispute federal government orders for electronic tracking. Location monitoring devices, such as ankle bracelets, are provided to individuals through the agency's Alternatives to Detention Program while they are awaiting immigration hearings.
"It gives the alien the ability to get off the program entirely," a source told the Post.
Another source stated, "What it is doing is creating a lot of burdensome administrative paperwork justifying what they're doing now. I can tell you a lot of employees would just look at this [as] this is too much work. Most cases, they'll just terminate them from the program and not have to go through the appeal process."
The news outlet reported that experts are concerned that Trump's attempts to revert these last-minute Biden initiatives could be delayed due to procedural obstacles and could potentially face legal challenges.
Former acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan called the Biden administration's moves "an obstructionist transition" and "the opposite of a peaceful transition of power" previously promised to Trump.
"What they're trying to do in the last final day, they're going to try to put up as many roadblocks and obstacles and throw as many grenades as they can on their way out," Morgan told the Post.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment from the Post.
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Biden trips over words, stares vacantly during WH briefing that erupts into mayhem — Jean-Pierre steps in to rescue
President Joe Biden made a surprise White House press briefing appearance on Friday afternoon that quickly exploded into disorder.
Biden kicked off the briefing by bragging about the administration's supposedly thriving economy. After his speech, the president agreed to take a couple of questions, requesting that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre call on the reporters for him.
'I mean, he came today, and you got to see him. And you were here.'
Though reporters had several opportunities to pose questions to the president, not one asked about Hurricane Helene or the government's response to the disaster. Instead, many of the inquiries regarded Israel and its potential planned reaction to Iran's attacks.
One journalist asked Biden, "There have obviously been a number of crises that the country has been facing over the past several days with the hurricane, with the port strike, with the situation in the Middle East. Can you talk about how your vice president, who is running for the presidency, has worked on these crises and what role she has played over the past several days?"
Biden fumbled through his response, stating, "Well, she's— I'm in constant contact with her. She's aware of where we're all— we're singing from the same song sheet. We uh— she helped pass all the laws that are being employed now. She was a major player in everything we've done, including passage of legislation, which we were told we could never pass. And so she's been— and her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we're doing."
Immediately after Biden concluded his response, the room spiraled into disorder as many reporters shouted out their questions, attempting to get more answers from the president while they still had the short opportunity to do so.
Biden responded by cracking a smile and appearing to stare vacantly into the crowd of reporters as White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre attempted to regain control of the room.
"I didn't call on you, sir," Jean-Pierre shouted at one reporter.
On Biden's way out the door, a journalist asked Biden whether he would reconsider dropping out of the presidential race.
Biden turned around and jokingly replied, "I'm back in."
The room roared with laughter.
Jean-Pierre then proceeded with the press briefing, opening up her remarks by stating, "This week, the United States has faced a number of competing challenges, from tensions in the Middle East to a port strike that threatened our nation's supply chains to a historic hurricane that washed away entire communities. Moments like these underscore the importance of American leadership and resolve, and they show what is possible when we come together."
Meanwhile, those on the ground in the areas impacted by the disaster have repeatedly slammed the administration for its lackluster response, claiming it has failed almost entirely to assist those in need.
Jean-Pierre contended that "a wide range of bipartisan officials, including the governors of every affected state, are working together with us and have praised the federal response."
However, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R), whose state was impacted by the hurricane, criticized the administration last week, stating, "We called the White House. We spoke to the president's chief of staff, the FEMA administrator, and said, 'Look, you're sending the signal that you're not paying attention to some of these rural communities.'"
Jean-Pierre reiterated that the government needs additional funding for disaster relief. She denied claims that FEMA funds were redirected to support illegal aliens.
A reporter started to ask Jean-Pierre, "This was President Biden's first time, correct, to the press briefing room since he—"
"Yeah," Jean-Pierre replied. "And you're welcome. You're welcome. I know where this question's gonna go. It's gonna be great."
"It's gonna be great," she repeated with a laugh.
"Why didn't he come in the three and a half years before?" the reporter questioned.
Jean-Pierre threw up her hand and said, "I mean, he came today, and you got to see him. And you were here."
"Oh, man. Come on, come on. He was here. He took your questions," she said.
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