Bill Barr slaps down claims First Amendment will protect ex-president

Donald Trump campaign rally in South Carolina

Donald Trump’s former attorney general said the ex-president has no First Amendment protection in his latest criminal case – arguing the 77-year-old had freedom to speak his mind, but not freedom to conspire to overturn the 2020 election result.

Trump is set to appear in a Washington court today facing charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election result after his third indictment was unsealed.

According to Bill Barr, the indictment unsealed on Tuesday has presented a “legitimate case”. Barr, served as George H.W. Bush’s attorney general before holding down the same role for Trump.

He told told CNN: “As the indictment says, you know, they’re not attacking his First Amendment right. He can say whatever he wants. He can even lie. He can even tell people that the election was stolen when he knew better.

“But that does not protect you from entering into a conspiracy. All conspiracies involve speech, and all fraud involves speech.

“So, free speech doesn’t give you the right to engage in a fraudulent conspiracy.”

Trump, 77, is set to appear at a federal courthouse in Washington DC on Thursday at 4pm (EDT) and is expected to plead not guilty to charges, which he has already publicly condemned.

The indictment unsealed on Tuesday shows he faces four counts of conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.

READ MORE Trump’s prison sentence ‘could turn into life sentence’ if he’s found guilty[LATEST]

Trump heads to the federal court

Trump has embarked on his private jet, known as Trump Force One, for a trip from New Jersey to Washington DC.

The ex-president departed from his Bedminster estate earlier this afternoon.

Ring of steel erected around Washington DC as capital in lockdown ahead of Trump arrival

Police in Washington, DC have imposed a security clampdown on Thursday ahead of former president Donald Trump’s high-stakes court appearance for four federal charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The hearing will take place in a building that had a direct view of the violence that unfurled at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Police have set up barriers outside the federal court, a few blocks away from where Trump’s supporters stormed Congress in the deadly riot.

In addition, police officers and trained canines are patrolling the perimeter of the courthouse.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, said in a statement: “While the Secret Service does not comment on specific protective means or methods, we have the utmost confidence in the dedication and commitment to security shared by all of our law enforcement and government partners.”

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Trump leaves home in New Jersey headed for Washington

Donald Trump has left his house in New Jersey to head to his arraignment in Washington, DC.

He will first head to Newark, New Jersey before boarding a flight bound for DC.

Trump will fly by private plane to Washington, where he is expected to surrender to authorities and make his first appearance in federal court later Thursday in the case stemming from special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s efforts to cling to power after he lost to President Joe Biden.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and criticized the case – and two others he faces – as an effort to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign.

Joe Biden remains tight-lipped on latest Trump indictment

Joe Biden ignored questions shouted by reporters as he rode his bike in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Thursday morning.

The questions concerned Trump’s indictment and arraignment in Washington today.

The President’s campaign has also declined to comment on the indictment.

Donald Trump attacks GOP ‘clown’ rivals for ‘wasting millions of dollars’

Donald Trump has furiously branded rival Republican candidates as “clowns” and accused them of “wasting” millions of dollars they should be using to “build a massive vote-gathering operation” to take on Joe Biden.

The former president and GOP front-runner launched his latest outburst during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania over the weekend.

He raged: “Every dollar spent attacking me by Republicans is a dollar given straight to the Biden campaign.”

Trump said it was time for Florida governor and bitter rival Ron DeSantis, among others he branded as “clowns”, to clear the field for him in the presidential election 2024.

But the former president didn’t stop there, accusing them of “wasting hundreds of millions of dollars that Republicans should be using to build a massive vote-gathering operation” to take on Biden in the November 2024 election.

Trump lawyer hints at a First Amendment defense in the January 6 case but some experts are dubious

Donald Trump’s legal team is characterizing his indictment in the special counsel’s 2020 election interference investigation as an attack on the former president’s right to free speech.

But the case is not merely about Trump’s lies but also about the efforts he took to subvert the election, prosecutors say.

The early contours of a potential legal and political defense began to emerge in the hours after the charges were unsealed, with defense lawyer John Lauro accusing the Justice Department of having “criminalized” the First Amendment and asserting that his client had relied on the advice of attorneys around him in 2020.

He also indicated he would look to slow the case down despite prosecutors’ pledge of a speedy trial.

But experts say there’s little legal merit to Trump’s First Amendment claims, particularly given the breadth of steps taken by Trump and his allies that prosecutors say transformed mere speech into action in a failed bid to undo the election.

Those efforts, prosecutors wrote in the indictment, amounted to a disruption of a “bedrock function of the United States federal government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election.”

“If all that this was about was lies or the alleged lies of President Trump, then he’d have a pretty good legal defense based on the First Amendment,” said Floyd Abrams, a longtime First Amendment attorney.

He continued: “But the theory of the indictment is that the speech of the president and the falsehoods of the president were part of a general effort to steal the election.”

But they also said the conduct of Trump and six co-conspirators he’s alleged to have plotted with went far beyond speech.

“Saying a statement in isolation is one thing. But when you say it to another person and the two of you speak in a way and exchange information in a way that leads to action – that you want to take action to do something with that speech – then arguably it becomes unprotected,” said Mary Anne Franks, a law professor at George Washington University.

Good afternoon

Good afternoon from London. I’m Matthew Dooley and I’ll be bringing you the latest updates on former president Donald Trump’s court appearance later today.

Feel free to get in touch if you have a story, tip or comment. Your feedback is always welcome!

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @_matthewdooley

Trump to have mugshot taken as former president ‘won’t get special treatment’, says Georgia Sheriff

Donald Trump will have his mugshot taken and won’t be given special treatment if he is indicted in Georgia later this year, the state’s Sheriff has said.

Trump, 77, has already been indicted three times in the space of six months, but has a fourth possible case looming over his head.

In Georgia, a county district attorney is also expected to announce charging decisions over efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state by pressuring officials to “find the votes”.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said that Trump will be fingerprinted and will have a mugshot will be taken if charged in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation.

He told Atlanta’s WSB-TV Channel 2: “Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mugshot ready for you.”

Trump has yet to have a mugshot taken following three indictments.

 

Trump could ‘pardon himself’ if convicted on charges labeled ‘political persecution’

Donald Trump could pardon himself of the federal cases if he is sworn into the White House in 2024 and also convicted, Daily Express US has heard.

The Republican frontrunner was indicted on Tuesday for the third time in the span of six months over his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

He already faces criminal charges linked to allegations of involvement in a hush-money case and over alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

If one of these cases does land the former president with a criminal conviction, political analyst Konrad Petraitis says the 77-year-old will likely be able to pardon himself if his White House bid proves successful.

He told Daily Express US: “He can dismiss the federal cases and essentially pardon himself.

Eric Trump blasts father’s indictment in furious rant

Donald Trump’s son Eric has unloaded a furious rant at the Department of Justice (DOJ) following his father’s third indictment.

Speaking to Fox News, Eric claimed “lie after lie after lie” has been made about his father.

He is one of the many Trump backers accusing the DOJ of a witch hunt against the former president, who has now been indicted three times.

Eric added: “They have slandered him from day one. They are desperate.”

Trump has been accused of conspiring to defraud the United States government.

He faces four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.

Trouble ahead? Judge in Trump indictment is severe punisher of January 6 rioters

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, a former assistant public defender who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, will oversee the case accusing Trump of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the two months leading up to the assault on the US Capitol by his supporters.

Chutkan has often has handed down prison sentences in January 6, 2021 riot cases that are harsher than Justice Department prosecutors recommended.

In November 2021, she refused his request to block the release of documents to the US House’s January 6 committee by asserting executive privilege.

She rejected his arguments that he could hold privilege over documents from his administration even after President Joe Biden had cleared the way for the National Archives to turn the papers over.

She wrote that Trump could not claim his privilege “exists in perpetuity”. In a memorable line from her ruling, Chutkan wrote, “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.”

Trump will make his first court appearance on Thursday before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya. Such judges handle initial matters in federal cases.

Trump’s new indictment ‘serious’ but no smoking gun as Jack Smith probe’s ‘limited’

Donald Trump’s latest indictment is “damning” but is effectively “limited” compared to other charges brought against the former president this year, an international politics expert has warned.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who indicted Trump in the election case, has also charged Trump in federal court with the illegal retention of top secret documents.

In New York, Trump faces criminal charges in a hush-money case and a civil trial over his business practices.

And in Georgia, a county district attorney is expected to announce charging decisions in August over efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

But despite the new indictment adding to Trump’s legal woes, the extent of the charges is not as dangerous to the former president, according to Prof. Inderjeet Parmar.

Odds still in Trump’s favor amid criminal charges

Donald Trump is still a popular bet for next year’s US Presidential election despite being charged on Tuesday with plotting to overturn his 2020 US Election defeat, according to the bookies.

Trump is now 7/4 (from 2/1 last week) with William Hill to return to the White House.

In June, the bookmaker priced the former Republican President at 9/4.

Biden remains a narrow 13/8 favorite to secure a second term in office, their odds suggest.

William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps, said: “Tuesday’s charges against Donald Trump are hardly surprising, but they seem to have only strengthened the conviction of many that the controversial US President will march back into the White House next year.

“At the moment, Joe Biden clings on to favoritism at 13/8 to win the 2024 US Election, but the momentum is firmly behind Trump who is now 7/4 from 2/1.”

 

‘The contest is already over…Trump just needs to choose this man for VP’ – FARAGE says

For Republican presidential hopeful candidates, all roads now lead to Milwaukee. It is there on August 23 that the first televised debate will take place between those who want to run against Joe Biden in November 2024. All except Donald Trump. As the leading candidate in the race, he has announced that he will not attend. Frankly, he is so far ahead in the polls, he doesn’t really need to show up at all. The truth is, this contest is all over bar the shouting.

I wonder, though, whether Trump will change his mind. I certainly wouldn’t bet against him turning up at the last minute. There is something in him that means he is unable to stay out of the limelight.

What seems to be baffling many seasoned observers is why his poll lead over his Republican rivals is growing as the number of indictments against him increases, the latest of which sees him charged with four counts over the 2020 election.

Frank Luntz, the veteran pollster, and soothsayer, is mystified by this phenomenon. But the fact is, Trump is a one-off, and different to the other candidates in every way. He always has been and always will be.

His supporters regard the ongoing legal obstacles being placed in his way as more proof of the politicization of the American judicial system, and this spurs them on to back him. They see Trump as a victim. They believe that if he was no longer running for President, the charges would simply melt away.

Good morning

Good morning. I’m Jacob Paul, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on Donald Trump’s third indictment. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @JacobPaul1997

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