No One Should Listen To The New York Times When It Declares Trump ‘Unfit’ For The Presidency
NYT isn't denouncing Trump because he's a radical outlier. The media would vilify any Republican who threatened the left's grip on power.NYT isn't denouncing Trump because he's a radical outlier. The media would vilify any Republican who threatened the left's grip on power.Trump trial jurors to answer 42 questions, including whether they're in QAnon or Antifa and what news outlets they watch
Prospective jurors in the case against former President Donald Trump will be required to state out loud whether they are part of QAnon, Proud Boys, or Antifa, the New York Post reported.
Before the jury selection begins on April 15, the potential jurors must answer 42 questions. While the Manhattan residents will not be directly asked about their political affiliations, they will be asked a number of questions that could reveal which way they lean.
An order issued Monday by Acting Justice Juan Merchan revealed that prospective jurors will be asked what news outlets they watch or read, as well as whether they have ever attended a Trump campaign, event, or rally. Additionally, they must share whether they follow any pro-Trump or "anti-Trump" groups on social media, the Post reported.
Potential jurors will be required to state whether they "have any strong opinions or firmly held beliefs about former President Donald Trump" that could hinder their ability to make a "fair and impartial" judgment in the case.
Merchan acknowledged that would-be jurors' political party affiliation "may easily be gleaned from the responses to the other questions." However, neither Trump's legal team nor Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office may boot jurors based solely on their political views. According to Merchan, attorneys on either side will have unlimited opportunities to remove jurors based on "cause" or if they have a "state of mind that is likely to preclude them from rendering an impartial verdict based upon the evidence."
Additionally, attorneys on both sides will be allotted a certain number of "peremptory challenges," which allows them to remove jurors without providing a specific reason.
In April 2023, Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in what prosecutors allege was an attempt to cover up payments made ahead of the 2016 election to stop porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking publicly about an extramarital affair. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which carry a maximum of four years in prison.
Last week, Trump's legal team requested Merchan's recusal, arguing that his daughter's political activities demonstrate "actual conflict" and an "unacceptable appearance of impropriety." A New York appeals court rejected the bid. Merchan previously placed a gag order against Trump, preventing the former president from making statements about any individuals involved in the case, including the judge's daughter.
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J6ers Get Domestic Terrorist Treatment From Two-Tiered Justice System After ‘Summer of Love’ Terrorists Get Slapped On The Wrist
A federal judge began handing down sentences for 'Proud Boy' defendants convicted in the turmoil of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.Proud Boys defense attorney claims at least 40 undercover government agents and informants at Capitol riot, 'some appear to have played roles of instigators' on Jan. 6
The defense attorney for a member of the Proud Boys claimed that there were at least 40 undercover government agents and informants operating at the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Currently standing trial in Washington, D.C., are Proud Boys members Dominic Pezzola, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Enrique Tarrio – the group's former leader.
Pezzola’s lawyer Roger Roots filed a motion requesting the government "reveal all informants, undercover operatives and other Confidential Human Sources (CHSs) relating to the events of January 6."
"The federal prosecutors in this case are refusing to disclose information regarding these non-FBI informants," Roots claims in the filing. "The existence, and likely conduct of these CHSs is almost certainly exculpatory for Pezzola."
"Pezzola has become aware that the largest numbers of undercover CHSs on Jan. 6 belonged to agencies other than the FBI," the filing reads. "At least two law enforcement agencies each outnumbered the FBI in terms of running undercover agents, informants, and CHSs on Jan. 6."
"First, the D.C. Metro Police had at least 13 undercover plain-clothes agents among the Proud Boys and other patriots on Jan. 6," the filing continues. "Next, there appear to have been some 19 CHSs on Jan. 6 belonging to an agency called HSI (Homeland Security Investigations)."
The filing states, "When added to the 8 FBI CHSs now acknowledged by the prosecutors, this means that there were at least forty (40) undercover informants or agents doing surveillance among defendants on January 6."
"Some of these undercover Metro officers marched with the Proud Boy march," the motion notes. "And some appear to have played roles of instigators, in that they are seen on body-worn videos chanting 'Go! Go!,' 'Stop the Steal!,' and 'Whose house? Our house!' on Jan. 6. Others generally followed demonstrators toward the Capitol."
Pezzola's lawyer asserts that the entire defense in this trial "would have been different, and much more aggressive, if the defense counsel had known of the scope and scale of undercover government operations on Jan. 6."
Roots also calls for Capitol riot instigator Ray Epps to be subpoenaed and says, "Defendants contend Mr. Epps is being suspiciously protected from prosecution by the government."
\u201cNEW bombshell filing in Proud Boys trial.\n\nDefense writes that DOJ just recently disclosed involvement of undercover officers/informants from other agencies aside from FBI--DC Metro police and DHS.\n\n"At least 40 undercover informants..."\u201d— Julie Kelly \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Julie Kelly \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1680781283
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., told Newsweek attorneys plan to respond to these issues in court.
Last month, the trial involving members of the Proud Boys was suspended after it was revealed that a witness expected to testify was previously a government informant.
According to court documents filed by defendant Zachary Rehl, an unnamed female FBI informant was "in contact via telephone, text messaging, and other electronic means, with one or more of the counsel for the defense and at least one defendant" between April 2022 and January 2023.
Prosecutors conceded that the witness had previously been paid by the FBI as a confidential informant.
Last month, an FBI informant embedded within the Proud Boys testified that the group had no plans to breach the Capitol. The man named "Aaron" also told his FBI handler on Jan. 6 that the Proud Boys members did not knock down police barriers.
A report from September 2021 alleged that the FBI had a secret informant embedded with members of the Proud Boys. However, the informant admitted that the group "had no plans to engage in violence" on Jan. 6, and there were no preplanned discussions of storming the U.S. Capitol building.
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AG Letitia James' 'Drag Queen Story Hour' controversy erupts as supporters, protesters clash
Supporters and protesters clashed outside a "Drag Queen Story Hour Read-a-Thon" hosted by New York's Attorney General Letitia James Sunday, multiple outlets reported.
"I don't know a lot of children harmed by drag read-a-thon. But I know a lot of children harmed by guns, so why don't you focus on that?" James said during the controversial event.
James was flanked by city council members who brought along their sergeant at arms security squad, the New York Post reported.
"The council security team goes to all these events where the council members go and there’s a chance of someone being hurt," Councilman Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan) told the outlet.
Outside the event at the LGBTQ community center venue in Greenwich Village, protesters, supporters, and people dressed in Proud Boys clothing clashed.
One person was reportedly arrested as the rowdy crowds faced off from opposite sides of the street. In one of the videos shared online, a person dressed in Proud Boys gear is led away from the event as protesters chant obscenities.
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"Drag Story Hour is a fun opportunity to get our kids excited about reading! Thank you to all the families who came out today for our incredible read-a-thon," New York's attorney general tweeted.
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The AG included a photo of the event featuring her on a platform alongside a drag queen reading a book. The colorfully costumed individual's T-shirt read, "I don't want to look or be cis."
The performers at the event read stories about gender identity and similar topics to the families in the audience.
"I am proud to have been joined by my colleagues in advocacy and government today in celebration of the love, joy, and family fun that Drag Story Hour brings to our communities. Hate has no home in New York, and I will always fight to ensure our LGBTQ+ siblings’ rights are upheld and defended," James said in a press release Sunday.
A second children's book event meant to counter "Drag Queen Story Hour Read-a-Thon" was canceled amid "threats of potentially unsafe and inappropriate behavior, Chaya Raichik, who runs the @LibsOfTikTok account, had planned to hold a story hour sponsored by the New York Young Republican Club, but her publisher, Brave Books, recommended canceling it due to safety concerns.
Watch WABC's coverage of the "Drag Queen Story Hour Read-a-Thon" below.
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