Former White House lawyer says Trump will not use DOJ ‘for political purposes,’ but to implement ‘his agenda’
Former White House attorney Mark Paoletta took to social media Thursday to say that President-elect Donald Trump “will not use the DOJ for political purposes” but rather for “implementing his agenda.” Paoletta, who previously served as counsel to former Vice President Mike Pence and general counsel for the Office of Management & Budget in the executive office during the Trump administration, was responding to a CNN reporter stating that the Department of Justice has “operated historically as an independent entity.” “Constitution vests our ELECTED President with ALL executive power, including DOJ. He has the duty to supervise DOJ, including, if necessary, on specific cases. Our system does not permit an unaccountable agency,” Paoletta wrote on X. WHERE DO TRUMP’S LEGAL CASES STAND AFTER MASSIVE ELECTION WIN? Paoletta cited Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion in Trump v. United States, wherein the Court held that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts. In the majority opinion, Roberts wrote “the Constitution vests the entirety of the executive power in the President.” He went on to say, “The President has a duty to supervise the types of cases DOJ should focus on and can intervene to direct DOJ on specific cases. He is the duly elected chief executive and he has every right to make sure the executive branch, including the DOJ, is implementing his agenda.” Paoletta then gave examples as to how Trump could use the DOJ during his next term, including directing the “DOJ to significantly increase resources to prosecute criminals at the highest charging level and to seek maximum sentences” and extending resources towards deportation efforts and “against sanctuary cities who defy and obstruct federal law enforcement efforts.” TRUMP LAWYERS MOVE TO DISMISS JACK SMITH 2020 ELECTION CHARGES, CLAIM HE WAS UNLAWFULLY APPOINTED Paoletta clarified, however, that despite such actions, Trump will not use the DOJ “for political purposes.” “Just because you are a political opponent” does not mean one gets “a free pass if you have violated the law,” Paoletta wrote. Paoletta then said Democrats, in contrast, “went after President Trump solely to punish him because he was a political opponent,” stating that they “invented crimes, twisted statutes, abused their offices and power, all to stop him and destroy him.” FLORIDA SUES DOJ FOR BLOCKING PROBE OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: FRUSTRATED ‘AT EVERY TURN’ “The President should supervise and direct the DOJ to implement his agenda, which was voted on and supported by a landslide majority of the American people on November 5th,” Paoletta wrote. The DOJ announced on Wednesday it was seeking to wind down two federal criminal cases against Trump ahead of his second term. Justice Department officials cited a memo from the Office of Legal Counsel filed in 2000, which upholds a Watergate-era argument that asserts it is a violation of the separation of powers doctrine for the Justice Department to investigate a sitting president. Trump was also prosecuted at the state level after his first term in office, aside from the two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Trump pleaded not guilty in all of his cases. Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Trump’s former Education secretary says she is ‘very open’ to discussion about returning to previous post
Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos revealed she is open to the prospect of returning to her former post in 2025 under the new Trump administration. After being elected to a second, non-consecutive term in the White House, President-elect Donald Trump is tasked with filling his administration with people who will help shape his agenda over the next four years – including who will lead the Education Department. “I have been really clear about what I think needs to be the agenda, which is to get the federal tax credit passed and to de-power the Department of Education. If President-elect Trump wanted to talk to me, I would be very open to talking,” DeVos told Education Week newspaper on Thursday. DeVos was appointed by Trump as education secretary in 2017. “But I think there’s also a lot of folks [who could do the job well],” she added, detailing what an ideal candidate for the position might look like. HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION “I think about an ideal secretary of education, what their experience might be. A governor who’s led in their state on education reform issues. That would be a very good profile. Someone who could do the things that need to be done, could come in and hit the ground running,” she said. “The federal Department of Education is a labyrinth, a maze, and I think someone who has accomplished real reforms on a state level would be really fit and suitable for that position.” UNIVERSITIES COME UNDER FIRE FOR CANCELING CLASSES, PROVIDING SAFE SPACES TO STUDENTS UPSET BY TRUMP’S VICTORY DeVos served as Education secretary for nearly Trump’s entire term, but she resigned the day after Jan. 6. “I think President Trump in his second term is going to do a great service and great things to focus on families and students,” DeVos said when asked about her sudden resignation. “If you recall, my resignation was specifically out of concern for putting myself in the seat of young kids and families.” In April, the Department of Education finalized its changes to Title IX aimed to prohibit discrimination based on sex and gender identity in federally funded institutions. Republican critics have slammed the rule change, saying it will enable biological male athletes in schools to compete on women’s sports teams. “The second Trump administration needs to clarify these issues promptly and put an end to allowing this invasion into women’s sports,” DeVos said. Trump has suggested that he is going to close the Department of Education when he takes office, but DeVos said it would not be that simple. “Let’s just say, four decades of data show us that all this federal intervention does not work, has not worked,” she said. “I think more and more folks today are realizing that than they did [when Trump took office], and I think it’s ripe for discussion about how that happens and how the Department of Education is de-powered.” “The federal Department of Education has not worked for students. It’s worked for political interests, but it has not worked for students,” DeVos added. While on the campaign trail, Trump suggested former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy or former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin could be contenders for the top education position. Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
Capital city Democratic mayor, prosecutor indicted in undercover bribery sting
The Democratic mayor of Mississippi’s capital and its top county prosecutor were indicted Thursday amid an FBI sting operation regarding allegations that city officials were accepting payments in order to sweeten future real estate deals. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens II and Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks were hit with charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, honest services wire fraud and money laundering, according to the Department of Justice. Lumumba, son of the late Republic of New Afrika leader Chokwe Lumumba, released a video statement denying ever accepting a bribe and calling the indictment a “political prosecution” intended to “destroy [his] . . . reputation.” “Jackson residents, it is with great disappointment that I come before you. My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have, in fact, indicted me on bribery and related charges,” he said. FLASHBACK: DOBBS LEAK AN ‘EGREGIOUS ACT’: MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL “There is no coincidence, and its timing being just before the upcoming mayoral race. My legal team will vigorously defend me against these charges. Again, while I am disappointed, I am not deterred, so I ask for your patience and your prayers during this process. Thank you.” DOJ criminal division chief Nicole Argentieri said following the indictment that public officials who abuse their positions of power to “enrich themselves undermine public confidence in government.” “The Justice Department is committed to restoring that confidence by working with its law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute public corruption.” The indictment alleges that between October 2023 and May 2024, Owens facilitated monetary bribes to Jackson officials on behalf of two people posing as Tennessee developers who were in fact FBI undercover agents. “Owens instructed the developers that, for their project to succeed, they needed to secure the support of certain public officials in Jackson through bribery,” the Department of Justice said in a statement. He was later accused of making false statements to an FBI agent. Banks, the councilman, allegedly solicited a $50,000 bribe, including an initial $10,000 cash payment, for future votes supporting the development in the Mississippi capital. MISSISSIPPI 2024 ELECTION RESULTS The three officials were in a bugged room on a yacht in Broward County, Florida, negotiating what they believed to be the developers’ payments when they were caught, according to the local Mississippi Clarion-Ledger. Prior to heading south, Owens reportedly told the mayor that he had done background checks on the “developers” and said, “they’re not FBI, by the way.” One undercover agent reportedly asked the officials to move forward a deadline for an “SOQ,” or statement of qualifications, required for the planned hotel development, and Lumumba reportedly went ahead and made a phone call. Another agent then handed the mayor five checks worth $50,000 total. After returning to Mississippi, the funds were reportedly deposited in the mayor’s campaign account, according to the paper. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I am not guilty, and so I will not proceed as a guilty man,” Lumumba later told supporters at a public appearance, according to NBC News. Owens said the indictment is a “horrible example of a flawed FBI investigation.” “We think the truth has to come out that cherry-picked statements of drunken locker room banter is not a crime,” he said after pleading not guilty.
Jordan demands Smith retain all records related to Trump prosecutions as special counsel’s office winds down
FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is concerned that special counsel Jack Smith and prosecutors involved in the investigations of now President-elect Donald Trump will “purge” records to skirt oversight and is demanding they produce to Congress all documents related to the probes before the end of the month, Fox News Digital has learned. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., penned a letter to Smith on Friday, obtained by Fox News Digital. TRUMP VOWS TO LEAD ‘GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA’ IN VICTORY SPEECH: ’FIX EVERYTHING’ “The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing its oversight of the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Counsel. According to recent public reports, prosecutors in your office have been ‘gaming out legal options’ in the event that President Donald Trump won the election,” they wrote. “With President Trump’s decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records, communications, and documents responsive to our numerous requests for information.” Jordan and Loudermilk warned that the Office of Special Counsel “is not immune from transparency or above accountability for its actions.” “We reiterate our requests, which are itemized in the attached appendix and incorporated herein, and ask that you produce the entirety of the requested material as soon as possible but no later than November 22, 2024,” they wrote. Jordan and Loudermilk are demanding Smith turn over information about the use of FBI personnel on his team — a request first made in June 2023 — and whether any of those FBI employees “previously worked on any other matters concerning President Trump.” They also renewed their request from August 2023, demanding records relating to Smith and prosecutor Jay Bratt visiting the White House or Executive Office of the President; a request from September 2023 for records related to lawyer Stanley Woodward—who represented Trump aide Walt Nauta; a request from December 2023 for communications between Attorney General Merrick Garland and the special counsel’s team; and more. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LOOKING TO WIND DOWN TRUMP CRIMINAL CASES AHEAD OF INAUGURATION The Justice Department is looking to wind down two federal criminal cases against President-elect Trump as he prepares to be sworn in for a second term in the White House — a decision that upholds a long-standing policy that prevents Justice Department attorneys from prosecuting a sitting president. DOJ officials have cited a memo from the Office of Legal Counsel filed in 2000, which upholds a Watergate-era argument that asserts it is a violation of the separation of powers doctrine for the Justice Department to investigate a sitting president. It further notes that such proceedings would “unduly interfere in a direct or formal sense with the conduct of the Presidency.” “In light of the effect that an indictment would have on the operations of the executive branch, ‘an impeachment proceeding is the only appropriate way to deal with a President while in office,’” the memo said in conclusion. Smith was leading an investigation into the alleged retention of classified records. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from that probe. The case was eventually tossed completely by a federal judge in Florida, who ruled that Smith was improperly and unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Smith also took over an investigation into alleged 2020 election interference. Trump also pleaded not guilty, but his attorneys took the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court to argue on the basis of presidential immunity. The high court ruled that Trump was immune from prosecution for official presidential acts, forcing Smith to file a new indictment. Trump pleaded not guilty to those new charges as well. Trump attorneys are now seeking to have the election interference charges dropped in Washington, D.C., similarly alleging that Smith was appointed unlawfully.
‘Failed experiment’: Experts reveal why Soros-backed policies took beating in deep blue state
The progressive crime agenda, largely pushed by liberal mega donor George Soros, suffered a major defeat in deep blue California this week after voters soundly rejected progressive prosecutors and policies, which experts tell Fox News Digital represents a major sea change. “I think that this is broader than just a message from people who care about crime,” Cully Stimson, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation and co-author of the book “Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers Are Destroying America’s Communities,” told Fox News Digital. “This is a massive mandate and cry for help from the general population that we want our state back. We want our counties back, and we want our cities back and that our failed social experiments have had enough time, and they’re an absolute, abysmal failure.” California voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of Prop 36 on Tuesday, which rolled back key provisions of Proposition 47 which was advertised by Democrats in the state as progressive crime reforms that would make the state safer. NEW PRISON DATA BLOWS UP NARRATIVE THAT LOW-LEVEL DRUG OFFENDERS ARE FILLING UP US PRISONS: EXPERTS But in the last several years, retail chains and mom-and-pop shops have been hit hard by theft, smash-and-grab robberies and organized retail crime gangs, while cities like San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles have been ravaged by rises in property crime and retail theft. “For too long, Gavin Newsom, George Gascón and Democrat leaders have been trying to tell voters not to believe what they were seeing when it comes to crime,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told Fox News Digital. “They wanted to gaslight the public into thinking that our eyes have been lying to us. Well, the people have spoken in an overwhelming fashion. The results in the LA DA race and the Prop 36 race make it clear that Californians are done with the Democrats’ soft-on-crime experiments that put our communities’ safety at risk.” When Proposition 47 passed in 2014, it downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen was under $950, “unless the defendant had prior convictions of murder, rape, certain sex offenses, or certain gun crimes.” LOS ANGELES DA GEORGE GASCON DEFENDS RECORD ON CRIME: ‘I KNOW HOW TO KEEP COMMUNITIES SAFE’ Every single county in the state voted in favor of Prop 36, which won by an overall margin of 70.4% to 29.6% with 54% of the votes on Thursday. “You see all of these Walgreens, the first In N Out Burger to close, all these CVS in downtown San Francisco and L.A closing, these mom-and-pop shops closing because you’re literally telling people you can steal up to $950, and nothing’s going to happen to you,” Stimson told Fox News Digital. “Nobody with an ounce of common sense, left or right, thinks that that is a good idea. That is not reimagining criminal justice. That is a cancer unleashed on society under the fig leaf of reform.” Progressives suffered another major loss in the city of Los Angeles, where District Attorney George Gascón, backed by Soros, was defeated by former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman as crime was seen as a top issue of the election cycle. CALIFORNIA CRIME CRISIS: DOZENS OF CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS HANDED ‘GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD’ ON TECHNICALITY‘ Stimson told Fox News Digital that Gascón’s policies were essentially a “middle finger” to victims and that the “Achilles heel” of the progressive prosecutor movement continues to be the “invalidity and lack of common sense” that leads “directly to rising crime rates.” “That’s why Gascón is going to go down as the worst DA in the history of the county, maybe the country,” Stimson said. After losing his re-election campaign, Gascón suggested that it was part of a “rightward shift across America” that he called “heartbreaking.” “Democrats have a long road ahead, but the work is more vital than ever, and our commitment will not waver,” Gascóon said. “Nevertheless, I have called Mr. Hochman and wish him the best as Los Angeles County’s next district attorney. I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past four years and grateful to the communities who have been and will always be the heart of criminal justice reform.” Gascón, who was a co-author of Prop 47, was ushered into office in 2020 amid a reckoning over police misconduct and national calls for criminal justice reform. His directives – such as the elimination of cash bail, not seeking the death penalty and refusing to try underage defendants charged with violent crimes as adults – were panned by critics as being too soft on crime. CALIFORNIA CITY EXPERIENCING ‘PERFECT STORM’ OF CRIME AND SCANDAL: ‘VACUUM OF LEADERSHIP’ In another loss for Soros-backed prosecutors in the Golden State, Alameda County, California, District Attorney Pamela Price was recalled early Wednesday, less than two years after taking office, following backlash for her alleged soft-on-crime approach. Oakland Democratic Mayor Sheng Thao, who faced heat from her constituents amid rising crime, grand theft auto street muggings, was also ousted from office after her recall effort passed with 65% of the vote. In San Francisco, where crime has been a major concern with voters, Democratic Mayor London Breed lost her re-election campaign. “I don’t think this has really cabined to people who cared about crime,” Stimson said. “This is just we want our beautiful state back. We want our beautiful cities back. And your cancerous failed social experiment, your social pandemic that you’ve unleashed on us is gone. We’re done. We’re done with this. And that’s what’s happening.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “So, Pamela Price, losing, getting recalled. That’s a no-brainer. George Gascón losing 2 to 1. That’s a no-brainer. Prop 36 passing, that’s a no-brainer because it was the epitome of stupid and a hard thing for people to acknowledge is that Trump didn’t win because Black men are misogynists and Hispanic men are misogynists. Gascón didn’t lose because Black men are misogynist and Hispanics are misogynists. Price wasn’t recalled because of that. Prop 36
Trump says mass deportations ‘not a question of a price tag’
President-elect Donald Trump, who plans to carry out mass deportations once he returns to the Oval Office, told NBC News that the effort is “not a question of a price tag.” “It’s not a question of a price tag. It’s not — really, we have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here. There is no price tag,” Trump said when questioned about his plan’s cost, according to the outlet. Prior to winning the election, Trump promised to initiate the “largest mass deportation” in U.S. history. Immigration was the second-most important issue to voters, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis, and Trump won 88% of voters who ranked it as their top issue. ‘LIBERATION DAY’: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ON BORDER SECURITY, IMMIGRATION Now that he has secured a decisive victory in the 2024 White House contest, he will have the opportunity to fulfill his pledge after taking office next year. Trump earned an Electoral College blowout, shellacking Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, winning states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan that he previously won in 2016 but then lost in 2020. The president-elect has announced that his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, will serve as his chief of staff. NEW YORK DEM WARNS ‘VILIFYING VOTERS OF COLOR AS WHITE SUPREMACISTS’ PUSHES ‘THEM FURTHER INTO TRUMP’S CAMP’ “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected,” he said in a statement. “It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history,” Trump noted. Trump has spoken to various world leaders since winning earlier this week. TRUMP NAMES SUSIE WILES AS FIRST FEMALE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF IN HISTORY He has also spoken to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bengaluru-Chennai expressway to slash travel time to 3 hours: 71-km stretch to open on…
The official noted that a temple near Hoskote at Jinnagara Cross had previously slowed down progress due to the need for relocation.
J-K: Police recover bodies of two village defence guards killed in Kishtwar terror attack
Earlier on Thursday, terrorists killed two VDG members identified as Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar, both residents of the Kuntwara area in Kishtwar.
Judge strikes down Biden administration program shielding immigrant spouses from deportation
A Tyler-based federal judge ruled the administration overstepped its authority with the “Keeping Families Together” program. Texas and other states sued to halt it.
Stefanik in contention for Trump administration job
House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is in contention for a role in the new Trump administration, Fox News Digital is told. Stefanik became the first congressional leader to back President-elect Trump’s third White House campaign when she endorsed him in November 2022. She is now being discussed as a potential candidate for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, two people familiar with such discussions told Fox News Digital. One said Stefanik was “high on the list” of potential candidates. HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION But for Stefanik and other House lawmakers in contention for Trump administration roles, their chances will depend heavily on where the majority falls in their chamber. Republicans are bullish about keeping the House majority after victories in the Senate and White House on election night. But the outcome will likely come down to a handful of close races in California, Arizona, Alaska and Oregon – and both sides anticipate the margin being close. Replacing a House member, even one from a district that heavily favors one party or the other, generally takes at least several weeks. And Republican leaders have already signaled they would not want to waste any time in utilizing their majorities in Congress to forward Trump’s agenda. It’s not immediately clear who else is in contention for the UN ambassador role. HOUSE LEADERS MOVE QUICKLY TO CONSOLIDATE POWER IN SHOW OF CONFIDENCE FOR REPUBLICAN MAJORITY Stefanik would have familiarity with foreign affairs as a senior member of the House permanent select committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee. The New York Republican has been a vocal supporter of Israel since the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas. She’s also one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, having headlined multiple “Women for Trump” rallies and other events for him on the campaign trail. Stefanik announced to House colleagues on Thursday that she is running for her current leadership role as chair of the House GOP conference again. Stefanik’s office did not return a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Notably one of Trump’s prior UN ambassadors was Nikki Haley, who challenged the president-elect for the 2024 Republican nomination before dropping out and eventually endorsing him. Fox News Digital was also told that another House member, retired Green Beret Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., is in consideration for a Trump administration role. Waltz is being looked at as a potential candidate for Defense Secretary, though Trump is also considering options from the private sector and others, Fox News Digital was told. SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE In addition to serving in the military before coming to Congress, Waltz was an advisor for Defense Secretaries Robert Gates and Donald Rumsfeld, and spent time in the private sector as CEO of defense contractor Metis Solutions. He’s currently on the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees with Stefanik, in addition to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Waltz’s office did not respond to an email requesting comment. Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked for comment about the possible appointments, “President-Elect Trump will begin making decisions on who will serve in his second Administration soon. Those decisions will be announced when they are made.”