Since Donald Trump left office in January 2021, he has been faced with a range of criminal and civil investigations as officials probe everything from his alleged mishandling of classified documents to his involvement in the Jan. 6 assault on our Nation’s Capital.

On Aug. 8, the FBI carried out an unprecedented lawful search warrant on the former President’s Mar-a-Lago beach front resort in Palm Springs Florida he calls home, to find classified documents believed to be taken by Trump from the White House when he left office.

On Aug. 26, the Justice Department released a highly redacted copy of the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant.
The affidavit states the federal government has launched a criminal investigation into the “improper removal and storage of classified information in an unauthorized space, as well as the unlawful concealment or removal of recruitment records” according to Time Magazine.

As stated in the affidavit the investigation began as a result of a tip from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in February informing the Justice Department that they had received 15 boxes of records on Jan. 18 from Trump’s office in Mar-a-Lago. The boxes that were reported by the NARA to contain “highly classified documents” per the affidavit.

The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation to determine how such documents were removed from the White House and ended up in storage at Mara-a-Lago.

The affidavit also stated that the Justice Department had “probable cause to believe” that additional classified documents were still being stored at Mar-a-Lago.

During the Aug. 8 search, the FBI removed 11 more sets of classified documents including some that were marked “Top Secret,” according to news reports.

The Washington Post had reported that documents describing a foreign government’s nuclear capability was found by federal officers as well as other documents detailing Top Secret U.S. operations so “closely guarded that many senior national security officials are kept in the dark about them.”

More than 10,000 documents without classifications markings were also recovered, according to unsealed documents.

Trump was issued a subpoena back in June to return any other government documents he was in possession of.

Two of Trump’s cracker jack lawyers signed an affidavit saying that there were no more government documents left at Mar-a-Lago, that they had all been returned to the NARA

Trump attorney Alina Habba went as far as to go on the Charlie Kirk show and said she personally “scoured” the former president’s Mara-a-Lago residence and personal office with explicit permission from Trump just days before the FBI raided the estate to recover more highly sensitive documents.

Habba claimed to have searched “all desks, drawers, nightstands, dressers, closets, etc.”

This could potentially open up Habba to her own legal problems if she knowingly lied to government authorities.
In July the Washington Post reported that the Justice Department had opened up a criminal investigation into Donald Trump for his actions surrounding the Jan. 6 riot.

Authorities are probing into whether Trump violated the law in his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election by not only pressuring former Vice President Mike Pence to send the votes back to the states he lost as well as an alleged effort made by Trump to submit an alternate slate of electors for the electoral college vote count to swing the election in his favor.

According to The Washington Post, federal prosecutors have questioned two top aides to former Vice President Pence before a grand jury and were asked questions about conversations with the former president and his legal counsel. On Sept. 13 the Justice Department issued over 30 more subpoenas to people within Trump’s orbit, including former White House Council Pat Cipiloni, to appear in front of the grand jury, according to CNN

A criminal investigation is also underway in Fulton County, Georgia, for another Trump alleged act to overturn the 2020 election.

The now famous phone call that Trump made to Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger on Jan. 2 urging him to find “11,780” votes in his state to win it. One more vote than President Joe Biden had received.

Trump did not see the phone call as corrupt. Trump took to his failing platform Truth Social to say that it was an ‘absolute perfect phone call to the Secretary of State.”

A House Select Committee is also conducting an ongoing investigation into the former president’s involvement in the Jan. 6 riot separate from the investigation by the DOJ.

The bipartisan committee has conducted thousands of interviews from witnesses.

The highly rated televised hearings have been able to paint a picture of what happened leading up to and on Jan. 6 and who was involved in the process.

Senator and committee member Adam Kinssinger (R-IL) stated that he believed the committee has uncovered that “various criminal acts” had been committed.

When Kissinger was asked if he thinks the Jan 6 committee will make a criminal referral to the DOJ, he responded that “We need to finish our investigation before we start doing that.”

These investigations all revolve around his time as President. These investigations do not include the legal trouble he is in in the State of New York.

Trump has taken to Truth Social to state that’s “The political persecution of President Donald J. Trump has been going on for years, with the now fully debunked Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax # 2, and so much more, it just never ends . It’s political targeting at its highest level.”

 

 

 

During the Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearing of Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sen. Josh Hawley accused Jackson of being soft on child pornography offenders. Court records show that Jackson did impose lighter sentences than federal guidelines suggested but also in line with sentences other judges have imposed for the same crime.

Hawley’s insinuation neglects critical context, including the fact that the senator himself has voted to confirm at least three federal judges who also engaged in the same practice, according to ABC News.
Republicans like Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene are loosely and repeatedly making assertions that Democrats are pro-pedophilia. Let’s look at some Republicans who have a shady past when it comes to being pro-pedophilia.

Let’s start off with former President Donald J Trump. At a 1997 Miss Teen USA Pageant, Donald Trump reportedly barged into the girls dressing room while girls as young as 15 were changing. Trump told the teens “Don’t worry Ladies, I’ve seen it all before,” according to CNN.

Trump’s campaign denied the accusations, but CNN unearthed a 2005 Howard Stern interview where Trump bragged about walking into the backstage dressing rooms at the pageants, according to CNN.

During the 2018 U.S. Senate race, Alabama Republican candidate Roy Moore was accused of preying on girls as young as 14. Six women accused Moore of pursuing sexual relationships with him when they were teenagers as young as 14 when he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s, according to The New York Times.

The newspaper reported that Moore’s habits of trying to pick up high school girls was so notorious that it got him banned from a local mall.

Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who was accused of covering up sexual misconduct while he was the wrestling coach at Ohio State University, according to CNN. Team Doctor Richard Strauss was accused of sexually abusing 177 male student athletes on the team.

Numerous former wrestlers told reporters that Jordan was personally aware of the abuse that happened during the early 1990’s but chose to turn a blind eye, CNN said. One victim has said that Jordan called him crying and begged to not let the story go public. Twenty-two coaches confirmed to an investigative team that they were aware of rumors/complaints about Strauss, dating back to the late 1970s. Strauss ended up committing suicide in 2005. Jordan denies any knowledge of the abuse, according to CNN.

Former GOP staffer and Republican National Committee aide, Ruben Verastigua, admitted to being part of a ring that traded child pornography that involved babies, according to Politico. He was sentenced to more than 12-and-a-half years in prison, according to Politico.

Former Republican U.S..Rep. Dennis Hastert, the longest ever serving Republican Speaker of the House, pleaded guilty of withdrawing $952,000 to use as hush money to hide the fact that he sexually abused teenage wrestlers that he coached from 1965 until 1981, according to The New York Times.

Republican Congressmen David Dreier, Porter Gross, John Doolittle, Thomas Ewing and former Republican House Majority Whip Tom Delay all wrote letters to the judge on Hastert’s case to “give him leniency where you can,” The New York Times. Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in prison and two years’ supervised probation. Judge Durkin said, “that to have to use the words ‘serial molester’ and Speaker of the House’ in the same sentence makes me sick” according to The New York Times.

Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz is currently the subject of a sex-trafficking investigation which is looking into whether Gaetz had sex with an underage 17-year-old girl and transported her over state lines for the purposes of sexual activities, among other allegations, according The Washington Post.

In 2017 Gaetz was the only member of Congress to vote against a law boosting the governments human trafficking investigating powers saying he was sent to congress to reduce the reach of government, according to The Washington Post

Tennessee Republican State Rep. David Byrd had been accused of sexual misconduct by three women who were underage at the time, according to The Washington Post. Christi Rice alleged that Byrd abused her over the course of her sophomore year of high school while he was her basketball coach.

Rice said that “he talked about it, he wanted to see me naked, he told me he spent more hours with me in a day that he did of his wife, that when he had sex with her he was thinking of me,” according to The Washington Post.

Republican talking head Tucker Carlson defended Warren Jess, the fundamentalist cult leader who is currently in prison for child rape. Carlson said that Jess was in prison for his “weird and unpopular beliefs,” like the forced marriage of underage girls.

Jess was convicted on two counts of felony child sexual assault. Carlson said the conviction “was unjustified,” according to Buzzfeed.

Former Republican Speaker of the House in Puerto Rico, Edison Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughters when they were between the ages of 9 and 17, according to the Guardian.

Former Republican Waterbury, Conn., Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year-old girls, according to the New Haven Register.

Former Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortage was sentenced to three years’ probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year-old girl, according to The Guardian.

Former Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl, according to The New York Times.

Former Republican U.S. Sen. Strom Thurman had sex with a 15-year-old which produced a child, according to The New York Times.

There are more than 300 accusations or convictions that could still be written about.

If conservatives are going to smear Democrats as “groomer” and “pro-pedophilia” and pose as the nation’s protector of children, it’s certainly fair to bring up this history in retort.

It is also entirely valid to note how weak the GOP’s response has been to recent scandals in its own rank and file.

In late February, former U.S. President Donald Trump had nothing but praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia was preparing to invade and declare war on its neighbor state Ukraine, as NATO scrambled to formulate a defense of Ukraine.

At a fundraiser in Florida Feb. 23, the former president had all compliments for the Russian dictator, stating that Putin was “very smart” adding that, “he has taken over a country for $2 worth of sanctions,” according to Yahoo News. He added “taking over a country – really a vast, vast location, a great piece of land a with a lot of people – just walking right in” as if it were simply one of Trump’s real estate deals.

Trump has stated that “the real problem is not that Putin is smart, the real problem is that out leaders are dumb” according to Yahoo News.

Trump has long expressed his admiration for Putin. In February Trump described Putin’s war strategy as “wonderful” and “genius,” according to news reports.

Historians were appalled at unprecedented remarks of a former U.S. president praising Putin.

Maureen Perry, of Bradford, a NECC alumni, was not surprised by Trump’s remarks and believes that Trump has been undermining Ukraine ever since he won the presidency in 2016.

“Once Trump was in office, he did everything he could to undermine NATO,” Perry continued. “Putin thought he could get away with whatever he wanted to because, he did not think Ukraine was strong enough, and NATO was not united enough.

“Surprise, much like Trump, Putin has let his ego get in the way,” she added.

After Russia has officially invaded Ukraine from land, air, and sea Trump has changed his tune on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine calling it an “atrocity.”

Trump blamed current U.S. President Joe Biden and the “not so smart” North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations.

Trump went on to say “the attack on Ukraine is appalling, an outrage and atrocity that never should have been allowed to occur. We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all,” according to CNN.

Trump was not the only right-wing influencer who has had warm feelings for Putin.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson has also been pro-Putin. Carlson said on his show recently “it’s not ‘un-American’ to support Putin” adding that “Democrats will find you guilty of treason if you don’t hate Putin,” according to Vanity Fair.

Carlson was looking at the Russian invasion of Ukraine as just a “border dispute” and that Ukraine “is not a democracy,” according to Vanity Fair. One of the more absurd things that Carlson had said is that “unless Vladimir Putin has personally had you or a member of your family murdered, you really don’t have a right to criticize the guy” according to The New York Times.
Feb. 23, just hours before Putin ordered the attack on Ukraine to begin, two excerpts from Carlson’s most recent programs were featured on Russian state television during their 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. news broadcasts, according to The Intercept.

Carlson’s comments had been welcomed in Moscow. Carlson’s words had been used as a literal tool for Russian propaganda, according to Yahoo News.

On Feb. 24, like Trump, Carlson back peddled his statements regarding his fondness for Putin as he said he came to the realization that this is a “big deal” after war broke out and that Russia’s activities were wrong after the shelling of a kindergarten, according to Vanity Fair.

Carlson’s change of heart noted “It’s a tragedy because war is always a tragedy and the closer you get to it, the more horrifying it seems,” he told his viewers. Russian president “Vladimir Putin started this war, so whatever context of the decision that he made, he did it. He fired the first shot. He is to blame for what we are seeing in Ukraine right now,” Carlson stated on his show.

Former Secretary of State and CIA chief under the Trump administration, Mike Pompeo appeared to fall in line with the former president and Carlson at first saying that Putin was “an elegant, sophisticated counterpart” and that Putin was “very shrewd,” according to the Seattle Times. As the Russians were moving their tanks into Ukraine, and civilian casualties were rising, P

Pompeo changed his views on Putin and called him “evil” and that he “should be crushed” he told the Des Moines Register on a visit to Iowa last Wednesday.

Some conservative congressional leaders on Feb. 24 also repudiated the Putin friendly views that the former president had before he condemned Putin.

Senate Minority Leader from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell denounced Putin at length and was urging President Joe Biden’s administration to provide more aid to the Ukraine to help the Ukrainians fight back against Russia’s invasion, according to news reports.

Some of those who will fight for their country are civilians with no military training but are willing to put their lives on the line for the love of their country. When McConnell was asked at a news conference in Louisville about how he felt about the former president’s original response to Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, the senator responded with silence, according to The New York Times.

U.S. Congresswoman Alexandrea Ocasio-Cortez (D–NY 14th District) made a bold statement on her dress at the star-studded Met Gala last month. Ocasio-Cortez wore a white off the shoulder gown by Brothers Veillies with the words “Tax the Rich” in bold red letters emblazoned on the back of the stunning gown. Ocasio-Cortez was advocating for President Joe Bidens $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act, otherwise known as the Reconciliation Bill.

President Biden’s proposal in the Build Back Better Act should create new opportunities to boost education system, infrastructure, and increase accessibility to a higher education.  The Build Back Better Act will invest $111 billion to lower the cost of a higher education for students.  One way to do that is to increase taxes from 37% to 39.6% on anyone who makes over $400,000 annually and raise corporate income tax  from 21% to up to 28% (which is still lower than the Obama administrations corporate tax rate, which was 35%). Raising taxes on those individual and corporations will help pay for more accessible social programs such as two free years of a higher education at a community college or trade school.

The Build Back Better Act is a once in a generation investment that refers to the historical challenges that face the country and our young people.  The “millennials” are the most under educated generation in recent history in terms of lack of qualified teachers and overcrowded classrooms.  The Build Back Better Act will ensure that postsecondary education is affordable and accessible to high school graduates.  A recent survey of high school students found that the likelihood of attending a four-year college sank nearly 20% in the last eight months, down to 53% from 76% according to ECMC group, a non-profit aiming to help young borrowers.

Affordability, for post-secondary education in the United States, should be defined by what is reasonable to expect students and their families to contribute financially toward their post-secondary education.  This information should be publicly available and shared with both the students and their families in a clear, predictable manner.  College can seem like an unattainable goal for countless low- middle class, and lower-class students.  The thought of owing tens of thousands of dollars can be stress inducing, cause anxiety and make you second guess wanting to pursue a post-secondary education.  Ocasio-Cortez and the progressive movement are simply trying to make higher education affordable and attainable for all Americans who have a dream. According to a recent CNBC poll, students from lower socioeconomic households are eight times less likely to earn a four-year degree when compared to the top socioeconomic households (7.4% to 60%).

The significant increase in the cost of college has outpaced both inflation, but more importantly, families’ incomes over recent decades. The Build Back Better Act will be an investment that will also expand the value of the Pell Grant.  Pell Grants have not kept up with the increase in cost of education.  The Build Back Better Act will expand the Pell Grant by nearly $1,500 which would go on top of the $6,495 maximum currently to help lower income students pay for a two- or four-year degree, bringing the grand total to $7,995 per scholastic year.

The Build Back Better Act plan invests in evidence-based strategies to strengthen completion and retention rates at community colleges and institutions that serve their students from our most disadvantage communities.  President Biden understands that 15 years of school is no longer enough to attain higher paying jobs without a degree.  Between 2010 and 2016, majority of high school graduates needed education beyond high school, to earn a living wage income.  In 2021 there is a great need for skills development opportunities for high quality jobs.

The Build Back Better Act will help bring families out of poverty.  President Biden wants a more equitable, stable system to support our youth.  The Build Back Better Act gives lower income students a fair shot at success in life that otherwise might not be afforded to them.  If the Build Back Better Act becomes law in its current state, educators will see a boost to digital and online learning that has already grown dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Senate needs every Democrat to vote for the bills passage.  Democratic Senators Joe Manchin (West Virginia) and Krysta Sinema (Arizona) are the hold outs for this bill.  Senator Manchin has stated the price tag would have to come down somewhere between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion for him to consider voting yes on the bill.  Senator Manchin has at least put out the notion that his vote could be swayed to yes if certain changes are made to the bill, the same can not be said for Senator Sinema.  The freshman senator from Arizona was recently welcomed home with demonstrators at the airport.  Her constituents want the Build Back Better Act signed into law.  They want answers as to why she is unwilling to vote yes on the 3.5 trillion-dollar reconciliation bill (Build Back Better Act) that would benefit all Americans with better paying wages to help lift people out of poverty.  Senator Sinema has tweeted in the past that she thought we should provide two years of post-educational education in community colleges or a trade school to all Americans.  Time will tell if Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema will do the right thing by their constituents and vote according to the will of the people rather corporate donors.