Free Republic

Senate Democrats voted unanimously to shut down the Senate trial of President Joe Biden’s impeached homeland security chief Alejandro Mayorkas. The first vote of 51 Democrats to 48 Republicans, with one non-voting Republican senator, was reported at 3:18 p.m. on Wednesday. The vote, initiated by Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), declared that the first article of impeachment was “unconstitutional” because the charges against Mayorkas did not rise to the impeachable level of “high crimes.”

The man who choked a homeless person to death in a New York City subway last year is set to go to trial in October, a New York judge determined Wednesday. Daniel Penny pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the May 1 death of Jordan Neely, who was reportedly had a mental illness. Penny put Neely, a subway performer, in a fatal chokehold after he had been reportedly shouting at passengers and behaving erratically. The case attracted attention in political circles, sparking racial justice protests. An online fundraiser raised more than $3 million for his...

Thirteen Republican senators are urging GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to force a formal impeachment trial of President Joe Biden’s pro-migration border chief, Alejandro Mayorkas. Mayorkas was impeached on February 13 for refusing to enforce the nation’s border laws. But Democrats — and some pro-establishment GOP senators — are hinting they will ignore the House’s indictment and will not conduct Mayorkas’ trial in the Senate. The senators’ letter to McConnell said: We call on you to join our efforts to jettison this approach by Democrats to shirk their constant duty, ensure that the Senate conducts a proper trial and...

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is expected to testify in a Colorado trial aiming to determine whether former President Trump is eligible to be on the state’s 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban.” A lawyer for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which brought the case, said Monday that Swalwell will explain “how the mob” that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, “disrupted the core constitutional process of a peaceful transfer of power.”

Donald Trump, his adult children, and his former “fixer” Michael Cohen are among the witnesses the New York attorney general plans to call at an upcoming trial over her $250 million lawsuit against the former president. Trump, 77, is listed as “witness No. 27” in Attorney General Letitia James’ list of people her office anticipates possibly calling to the stand during the Manhattan Supreme Court trial, which could start as soon as Monday and last up to three months. James’ office, which is seeking at least $250 million and an order barring the ex-commander-in-chief from doing business in New York,...

Investigative reporter Julie Kelly says that Special Counsel Jack Smith “very well could ask a D.C. judge to deny Donald Trump’s release, to deny him bail once he is indicted, and arrested, and arraigned” on charges relating to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Kelly spoke to Breitbart News Sunday host Joel B. Pollak on SiriusXM Patriot on Sunday evening about the pending indictment of former President Trump, who said earlier this month that he had received a “target letter” suggesting he would be indicted.

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said that former President Trump is “scared s—less” after Trump pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to his handling of classified materials on Tuesday. “He’s scared s—less,” Kelly told The Washington Post. “This is the way he compensates for that. He gives people the appearance he doesn’t care by doing this.” Following his arraignment in Miami, Trump greeted supporters at a local restaurant and then returned to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., to deliver remarks to a cheering crowd.

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said on Sunday that Republicans need to address questions about abortion policy “head on” on the campaign trail, adding that the issue played a big role in the party’s disappointing 2022 midterm performance. “Abortion was a big issue in key states like Michigan and Pennsylvania,” McDaniel said on “Fox News Sunday.” “The guidance we’re going to give to our candidates is, you have to address this head on… many of our candidates across the board refused to talk about it.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday on FNC’s “Fox & Friends” that the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol Hill riot was a “show trial in the Stalinist tradition.” When asked if he would testify, Gingrich said, “Well, my attorneys are working all that out. I’m not directly engaged with the committee. But I will say, there has never been a more blatant misuse of the Justice Department this close to an election. You know, the ground rule used to be that 60 days out, they stopped all this stuff precisely to try to influence an election....

A black man in Tennessee will get a new trial after being convicted by an all-white jury who deliberated in a room adorned with Confederate symbols. Tim Gilbert, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2020 for aggravated assault and other charges stemming from a December 2018 dispute, was granted a new trial Friday by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. An attorney for Gilbert argued his right to a fair trial was violated because the jury deliberated in a room at the Giles County courthouse with an antique Confederate flag and a portrait of Confederate President Jefferson...

A witness in Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial told a Wisconsin jury Friday that he didn’t feel threatened by the first man fatally shot by the accused gunman. Jason Lackowski — who went to Kenosha the night that Rittenhouse, 18, fatally shot two men and wounded another — recalled victim Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, “acting belligerently” when he was asking people to shoot him and taunting them to come at him by “false stepping.” “He did a few false stepping — making a step to entice someone to do something,” Lackowski testified. “After he did that a few times, I turned my...

A Florida engineer is adamant he spoke with Brian Laundrie on a deserted road near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina on Saturday morning. Dennis Davis’ alleged encounter with the boyfriend of slain Long Island native Gabby Petito comes as police receive tips that Laundrie may be traversing the trail, the world’s longest footpath. “There is no doubt in my mind I spoke to Brian Laundrie — none whatsoever,” Davis, 53, said. “Dog the Bounty Hunter’s daughter sent me an audio file of Brian’s voice and the voice was the same I heard.” A lost and dazed man allegedly waved...

Imagine purchasing a home and living in it and paying taxes on that home and property for decades. Then being told part of that property you paid taxes on is in violation and must be being taken away without compensation. Not only that, you’re responsible for footing the cost of removing the stuff you have on that land, like your fence or shed. Oh, and it has to be done in a few months time.

Beefed-up security came with a hefty price tag at the murder trial of ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd. The Minnesota city’s police department chalked up $2.9 million in overtime during the high-profile trial, which led to Chauvin’s conviction on murder charges, Fox affiliate KMSP-TV reported. The revelation came as Minneapolis police asked the city council at a Wednesday night hearing for $5 million in additional funding to offset spiraling costs, KMSP said.

WASHINGTON — Former President George W. Bush said Tuesday that the trial of Derek Chauvin has been conducted "fairly" as the nation awaits the jury’s verdict in the case. Speaking on NBC’s “TODAY” show in his first live television interview in three years, Bush was asked by co-anchor Hoda Kotb what impact he thought the verdict will have on the racial reckoning across the country.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters Thursday the upcoming impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump is about the “protection of the constitution and the preservation of our republic.” The 80-year-old California lawmaker made the remarks while speaking to reporters during Thursday’s press conference, explaining that Democrats will “insist upon the integrity and fairness of the proceedings” while recognizing the role that the Senate plays.

Friday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sounded off on the House sending over the article of impeachment citing President Donald Trump with inciting the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Blumenthal said on “CNN Newsroom” that the evidence of Trump inciting the riot is “pretty open and shut” given his speech and tweets leading up to and following the chaos that ultimately left five dead and others injured. With House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) set to send over the article of impeachment on Monday, Blumenthal said the trial “can happen in days, not weeks.”

Left-wing documentary filmmaker Michael Moore issued a stark warning to President Donald Trump as he delivered his farewell address to the nation on Wednesday, saying that the outgoing president should be tried, convicted, and imprisoned. “He has just left the White House for good. We the people have evicted him. I will go ahead & cancel the U-Haul. He now flies over the wreckage he has created, knowing we are not done with him,” Michael Moore said. “Trial. Conviction. Imprisonment. He must pay for his actions – a first-ever for him.”

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “All In” that President Donald Trump will have a full trial in the Senate “for his incitement of an insurrection.” Markey said I was very proud of the way in which the House of Representatives conducted the debate and ultimately cast the correct historical vote to impeach Donald Trump. I think that it’s the only answer that can be given. History must have recorded that there was a second indelible impeachment scarlet letter that was attached to Donald Trump and to his presidency. I think that the excellent work which they did...

A judge ruled Thursday that 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse will stand trial on six counts tied to events that occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin, August 25, 2020. Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, and attempted first-degree intentional homicide following the August 25th deaths of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during riots sparked by the police-involved shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse allegedly shot three people, two of whom succumbed to their wounds.