Free Republic

Donald J. Trump plans to return next week to the New York courtroom where his civil fraud trial is slowly proceeding, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, a reappearance that is likely to bring him face-to-face with his former fixer Michael D. Cohen. Mr. Trump attended the first three days of the trial that stems from a lawsuit brought by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, and used the camera-lined courthouse hallway as an impromptu campaign stop. *** Mr. Trump’s return, first reported by The Messenger, is likely to coincide with the appearance of the most...

Former President Donald Trump stubbornly rejected his legal team’s efforts last year to settle the classified documents case — and prevent him from being indicted by a federal grand jury, according to a bombshell report. Christopher Kise, one of Trump’s attorneys in the fall of 2022, wanted to quietly approach the Justice Department to negotiate a deal with Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Washington Post reported, citing seven insiders. Kise told others he hoped his overture would “take the temperature down” by promising a professional approach and the return of all the materials from the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate. But...

A JPMorgan executive kept Jeffrey Epstein's account open for years despite his pedophilia conviction and suspicious activity, saying that she thought it was not her job to remove him as a client. Mary Erdoes, who has worked for the bank since 1996, revealed during a nine-hour deposition that she allowed Epstein, who died in 2019, to stay on as a client, despite the bank becoming aware of his suspicious withdrawals as early as 2006. In a 2011 email, Mary replied: 'Oh boy,' to another executive after learning Epstein had been affirmed a sex offender. The email had been at least...

Back in December, Twitter censored and suspended a Twitter account that was following the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell and providing detailed coverage. Apparently, liberals working behind closed doors at the tech giant weren’t happy about this activity on the social platform. One person said, “It is also ‘interesting’ that the account tracking the ’s trial got banned when it gained traction. Lovely people indeed.” Billionaire Elon Musk chimed in and called for the list of Epstein clients to be released. It’s widely speculated that influential people are working to keep Epstein’s client list hidden who allegedly had sexual relations with...

(Reuters) - Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against U.S. President Donald Trump, has been sued by a paraplegic client who accused him of siphoning away a $4 million settlement he had won. Geoffrey Johnson is seeking at least $9.5 million of compensatory damages, plus punitive damages, from Avenatti and several other defendants in his complaint filed with the Orange County Superior Court in California. His law firm is expected to discuss the case at a press conference on Thursday.

Special master Barbara Jordan ruled Thursday that nearly two-thirds of the documents that Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for President Donald Trump, has said were covered by attorney-client privilege should remain private and should not go to the government. Cohen’s lawyers claimed earlier this year that 4,085 of the 887,000 documents that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized from his office and residence involved communications with President Trump and  were protected by attorney-client privilege. Jordan agreed with 2,633 of those claims — some 64.4%. The other documents — 14,52 in all — will go to the FBI. According to lawandcrime.com, Cohen’s...

Prosecutors Monday released video of a Stillwater bail agent fatally shooting one of her clients last year at her office. Chasity Dawn Carey was charged with first-degree murder after the shooting. On Friday, Payne County jurors acquitted Carey, 42, of Drumright, in the Aug. 9 shooting. At trial, Carey testified she shot the client, Brandon James Williams, 38, of Stillwater, in self-defense. She and her 19-year-old son, Justin Henderson, were attempting to take Williams, who was free on bail, back into custody at the time. Carey testified Williams attempted to grab her gun before fleeing out her office window. She...

Manufacturer in Nuremberg sends anti-Semitic mail to owner of Tel Aviv toy store after business deal turns sour. Eti Doron wanted to buy toys from a company in Germany for her store in Tel Aviv, but when the deal fell through she started receiving anti-Semitic letters. Doron provided The Jerusalem Post with emails in which Walter Adler, who identifies as the founder of Hoff-Interieur, a manufacturer based in Nuremberg, calls Jews a disease and praises German poet Günther Grass for saying Israel is a danger to world peace. “We see that you have decided to be a real Jew, not...

A defense lawyer is calling for calm after death threats have been made against teenagers charged in the death of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide after she was allegedly bullied by schoolmates. "Not to minimize what happened to Phoebe Prince in any way, but translating this into death threats and public harassment has got to stop," says Colin Keefe, who represents Sharon Chanon Velazquez, accused of tormenting Prince, who hanged herself on Jan. 14. "It's gotten way out of control," adds Keefe, who says Velazquez has been driven temporarily from her home.

Why don't we start a letter writing campaign to the court to encourage them to give solid, real sentences to these monsters and not give them a slap on the wrist? By doing that we'll ensure that justice is done.

The attorney for one of six South Hadley High School students accused of bullying Phoebe Prince in the months leading up to her suicide is asking for highly personal information about her, a move decried by a former prosecutor and victims advocates as “unconscionable.” In a six-page motion filed in Northampton Superior Court, Terrence M. Dunphy, the lawyer for Austin Renaud, asks for the names of any physicians, psychologists or rape counselors Prince saw; any medical and psychological records viewed by the prosecutor; details of any prior allegations of rape or abuse by Prince; and a statement as to whether...

Eliot Spitzer, who stepped down from the governor's office amid scandal, is now strongly considering a run for state comptroller.... Spitzer has in recent weeks had discussions with some Democratic donors and insiders about the position currently held by Tom DiNapoli.... A Democrat who spoke with Spitzer said, "He's seriously thinking about it." "He wants to run if he can," said another source. "He's still talking about it." Gov. Paterson backed the idea.

At the urging of a prominent San Jose lawyer and campaign contributor, Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr personally intervened on behalf of one of his clients, calling the prosecutor in charge and persuading him to reduce the client's charges. Carr says she was just "responding" to attorney James McManis as she would to anyone who called, even a stranger. "That's what public servants do," she said. At the time, she'd received $2,500 from McManis, his wife and his law firm — the maximum allowable before her 2006 election under campaign finance laws. Since then, McManis et al has...

GENEVA (AFP) – Banking details of eight American clients of Switzerland's largest bank have been sent to US authorities, despite a Swiss court order blocking the move, a newspaper said Saturday. The court's ruling Friday apparently came too late, with the information on the eight having been sent along with the names of more than 240 other American clients of UBS, the Tribune de Geneve daily reported. "The information has already arrived in Washington," Alain Bischel, spokesman for Swiss bank regulator FINMA, told the newspaper. The tribunal's order forbade Swiss bank regulator FINMA from giving the plaintiffs' "banking documents to...

Pajama expertise needed: Does anybody have a suggestion on a source for free, open license customer relations management software? I am thinking of something that I can train a precinct manager to use to facilitate voter involvement. I hope to cut down on nuisance contacts with each voter and maximize timely information delivery.

ELKHART -- A 26-year-old social worker was charged this week, accused of seducing a child whose welfare she was supposed to supervise for the LaGrange County Department of Family and Children. Tammy Ross, of Goshen, was charged Monday with felony child seduction in an incident that happened in mid-April in LaGrange County. Child seduction occurs when someone of authority engages in sexual conduct with a person who is at least 16 years old but younger than 18. A 17-year-old boy told a sheriff's deputy in May that he had been sexually involved with Ross, who was his case worker, according...

We are now a client state Britain has lost its sovereignty to the United States David Leigh and Richard Norton-Taylor Thursday July 17, 2003 The Guardian Britain has by now lost its sovereignty to the United States and has become a client state. As Tony Blair flies in to Washington today to be patted on the head by the US Congress, this is the sad truth behind his visit. No surprise, therefore, that the planned award to him of a congressional medal of honour for backing the US invasion of Iraq has been postponed. To be openly patronised in that...

New Internet Computer Co. CEO Gina Smith is leaving the Larry Ellison-backed Web-surfing gadget company she helped launch, CNET News.com has learned. Ellison's NIC Co. is one of the last players in the once-promising market for low-cost alternatives to the PC. The category attracted large names such as Sony, 3Com and Gateway, as well as start-ups such as Netpliance, all of which have stopped selling the devices over the past two years. Smith, a former technology reporter for ABC News and CNET, was Ellison's choice to head the company, of which he is chairman and majority owner. The company's namesake...