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Winston Churchill once famously said that “nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” For Donald Trump, the failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania could prove politically exhilarating. After rising with a fist pump and a call to fight on, Trump seems to have gone from being a movement to a mythological figure with his supporters. All he needs now is a big blue ox named Babe to return to the campaign trail. This assassination attempt should also concentrate the minds of everyone on the escalating rhetoric in this campaign, particularly the media in maintaining inflammatory...

(How is that for an iconic picture?) As surely you know by now, someone attempted to assassinate Trump last night and did succeed in shooting him in the ear. We covered an eyewitness who said he saw the shooter setting up. He says he tried to warn the Secret Service and law enforcement, but he was ignored. And of course, we have much, much more coverage than that. Just keep scrolling. However, Chaya Raichik, a.k.a. Libs of TikTok, is one of many people who is pointing out an uncomfortable fact tonight: Biden said to “put Trump in a bullseye." A...

The Supreme Court’s decision on Friday in Fischer v. U.S. struck down one of the most common charges against January 6 defendants. “Obstruction of an official proceeding” had been used in hundreds of cases, and those convictions are now invalid. But the biggest impact of the decision may occur elsewhere. For years, calling January 6 an “insurrection” has been a litmus test for press, pundits and politicians. Members of Congress such as Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) claimed a conspiracy of “armed and organized insurrectionists.” The claim is legally absurd but politically advantageous. It now seems like the insurrection increasingly looks more...

This week the US Supreme Court decided that presidents have immunity from prosecution for actions within the scope of their constitutional authority. Some Democrats found fault with this decision. Democratic Party activist Van Jones called it "a dangerous expansion of presidential power. It is, in effect, a license to thug. It would give a reelected Trump legal authority to prosecute his political opponents. Individuals who question the honesty and accuracy of a Trump election victory could be put on trial and in jail." Biden-Harris Campaign Co-Chair Mitch Landrieu warned that "this decision will allow a president to send SEAL Team...

The Washington Post is reporting that Special Counsel Jack Smith may try to convict former president Donald Trump all the way through the election and up to 11:59 am on January 20th. After the oath, the Justice Department has long maintained that it will not prosecute a sitting president.There is also a long-standing policy of the Justice Department to abstain from criminal proceedings before an election to avoid the appearance of trying to influence the outcome. Smith has signaled that he will discard that policy and that he is prepared to try Trump not only up to the election but...

Many of us have expressed alarm at the politicization of the criminal justice system in New York by figures such as Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It now appears that New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin is angling to get into the lawfare frenzy. The conviction of Trump on 34 felonies has either thrilled or repelled citizens. For many of us, it is a sign of the degradation of our legal system. Even the chief CNN legal analyst has acknowledged that Bragg contorted the law to bring the recent case against former President Donald Trump...

For each of us, there often comes a moment when our principles are put to an undeniable and unavoidable test. It may be as simple as cheating on a test, shoplifting a product, or admitting to a wrong. It is natural to want to avoid such moments, particularly when we cannot even admit to ourselves that we may not be the person we have long claimed to be.For Attorney General Merrick Garland, that moment of truth has finally arrived. Garland has long maintained that he is an apolitical attorney general who does not even consider the political consequences of his...

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said Thursday he was shocked by how quickly Hunter Biden’s various defenses in his gun trial have “collapsed.” Biden’s trial began Monday and he is confronting three federal gun charges brought by Special Counsel David Weiss in September, which include providing false statements and knowingly possessing a gun while being addicted to drugs. Turley asserted on “America’s Newsroom” that the prosecution effectively countered Biden attorney Abbe Lowell’s argument that his client’s laptop, which is a key piece of evidence in the trial, is not fully authentic as well as the argument that Biden...

As the dust starts to settle on Trump’s conviction newly-minted status as an Outlaw President, legal scholars are starting to weigh in on the severe problems with Alvin Bragg’s case. First up, Ed Whelan passes on this this piece by Mr. Elie Honig, explaining some of the problems with the conviction: Trump's superpower is the ability to bring out the worst in both his supporters and his opponents. Bragg's prosecution sure strikes me as blatant example of latter, for reasons CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig spells out in this powerful piece. https://t.co/y6CGA6Ald9 — Ed Whelan (@EdWhelanEPPC) May 31, 2024...

With the closing arguments set for Tuesday in the trial of former president Donald Trump, defense counsel are in a rather curious position. There is still debate among legal experts as to the specific crime that District Attorney Alvin Bragg is alleging. Trump’s lawyers are defending a former president who is charged under a state misdemeanor which died years ago under the statute of limitations. It was then zapped back into life in the form of roughly three dozen felonies by claiming that bookkeeping violations — allegedly hiding payments to Stormy Daniels to ensure her silence about a supposed affair...

Now, first, before we get this legal deep dive going, let’s be clear. We haven’t seen Professor Turley call for jury nullification—not even by a proverbial wink. What we are saying is that what he is documenting is enough for us to say if this author was on the jury, we would engage in jury nullification. Why? In order to vindicate Trump’s constitutional rights. Mr. Turley published a thread that started with this post: The Hill is out with my column on the closing arguments scheduled for next week in the Trump trial. A hung jury seems the most likely...

Below is my column on Fox.com on the closure of the government and defense cases in the Trump trial. It is clear that the government is going to achieve its objective in avoiding a direct verdict and giving this matter to the jury, which it hopes that the paucity of direct evidence of a crime will be overcome with an abundance of hostility to Donald Trump. As I previously have written, I am still hopeful that these jurors will vindicate the New York legal system with at least a hung jury. In the end, we will see if a Manhattan...

Jury members in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial are being "treated like chumps," says legal analyst Jonathan Turley. He also believes star prosecution witness Michael Cohen suffered a "dramatic implosion" on Thursday. Turley, who is a frequent Fox commentator and professor at George Washington University Law School, expresses extreme doubt in a blog that the prosecution has any basis for conviction and poses the question of whether the jury "is realizing that they are being played by the prosecution." He also says: "With the dramatic implosion of Michael Cohen on the stand on Thursday with the exposure of another...

Yesterday, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) had a much covered interaction with CNN’s Manu Raju who asked him about Trump’s criminal trial and whether he was guilty of the underlying criminal conduct. Romney responded “I think everybody has made their own assessment of President Trump’s character, and so far as I know you don’t pay someone $130,000 not to have sex with you.” I have previously defended Romney in his votes on impeachment despite our disagreement on the constitutional standard. I also understand that he was making a more general comment on character.However, his response is precisely what Manhattan District Attorney...

On Monday, conservative attorney, legal scholar, and commentator Jonathan Turley weighed in on the day's testimony by Michael Cohen in the ongoing New York trial of former President Donald Trump. Mr. Turley's comments about Cohen were, to say the least, sharply pointed.Michael Cohen apparently wants a reality show but, if his testimony Monday is any indication, reality is about to sink in for not just Cohen but the prosecutors and the court.In stoking interest in his own appearance, the former Trump counsel promised the public that they should be “prepared to be surprised.” Thus far, however, Cohen has offered nothing...

While pundits, politicians and the press have long expressed outrage over attacks on judges by former President Donald Trump, many are now attacking any judge who delays any trial of Trump before the election. Democrats have accused Judge Aileen Cannon of being politically compromised, if not conspiratorial, in her delay of the Florida trial over the mishandling of classified documents. Yet, there is ample reason for the delay that many of us anticipated in this type of case when it was filed.For months, many of us have said that we doubt that this type of trial could be held on...

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley appeared on FOX News on Monday and explained why Trump is not likely to get a fair trial in New York. The trial has entered the jury selection phase and this is key, according to Turley. He suggests that even if the court tries to find jurors who don’t dislike Trump, that Trump haters will lie just to get on the jury. The people who are going after Trump know this. In fact, they’re probably counting on it. Transcript via Real Clear Politics:

Fox News legal analyst and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley believes that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is wading into uncharted territory. During an interview on Fox News, Turley spoke about jury selection for Bragg’s case beginning Monday, which involves allegations of a “hush money” scheme and cover-up. Turley called Bragg’s case against Trump “legally absurd.”

Fox News legal analyst Jonathan Turley said Monday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” that former President Donald Trump’s New York trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to payments to porn star Stormy Daniel is “absurd.” Host Dana Perino said, “Jonathan, you wrote about Cicero saying ‘the more laws, the less justice,’ and that you seem the same here. How so?” Turley said, “Well, the more cases against Trump, the less justice we receive as a people. You know, the opponents of Trump would have been far better off with just one case, the Mar-a-Lago case. That’s based on...

Minnesota has remained close with Biden leading by three four and now two points, all nearly a statistical tie. Many pundits and pollsters have assumed that Minnesota is a safe Democratic state in 2024...this poll indicates that is not the case.