Daily Archives: February 26, 2022

Referring to the Russia-Ukraine Crisis, Trump praised Putin as a genius and stated that China is going to be next under Bidens watch.

In a recent interview with the conservative talk radio program The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, former U.S. President Donald Trump confidently stated that China is going to be next and would absolutely be going after Taiwan.

He accused the Biden administration of being weak and assured the hosts that an invasion would never have happened under his own presidency. Trump also praised Putin as a genius for sending Russian troops into Ukraine under the guise of peace keepers. He stated, Heres a guy whos very savvy.

The hosts mocked President Joe Bidens tweets from two years ago in which he wrote: Im the only person in this field whos ever gone toe-to-toe with [Putin]. They claimed Russian invasions also took place under the Obama administration, suggesting the two leaders had weak positions on foreign policy.

As president, Trump was involved and invested in several Taiwanese affairs, especially in regards to military expansion. As an NPR article from 2020 pointed out, Trump made many efforts as president to forge a stronger partnership with Taiwan, including accepting a congratulatory call from Taiwans president on his win and dealing a multi-billion dollar arms sale with the Taiwanese military. Under his administration, a brand new $255 million dollar representative office was also opened in Taipei, the capital. Simultaneously during this time, Trump had continued to take an aggressive stance against trade with China by imposing tariffs.

China and Taiwan have had separate governments since 1949, when communists overtook the Republic of China in a civil war. They went on to set up the Peoples Republic of China, whereas the members of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan to establish their own separate government. Taiwan continues to declare its independence, while China continues to claim it as its territory under its One country, two systems stance.

In response to comparisons of the Russia-Ukraine Crisis to the situation between China and Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hya Chunying firmly reiterated Chinas One-China sentiments by noting that Taiwan is indeed not Ukraine and would always remain an inseparable part of Chinas territory. This, Hya continued, is an irrefutable historical and legal fact.

Tensions are on the rise as Taiwans need for military defense comes into question amidst an already strained relationship between it and China. Chinas air force has been spotted circling Taiwans skies.

Featured image via Fox News

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Donald Trump: 'China's going to be next,' will absolutely ...

After the election, Mr. Trump and associates had numerous interactions with Georgia officials, including a call in which he urged the secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to find 11,780 votes, the number of votes he would have needed to overcome the lead held in the state by President Biden.

It is the only known criminal inquiry that focuses directly on Mr. Trumps efforts to overturn the election results. In January, Fulton Countys top judge approved Ms. Williss request for a special grand jury in the matter.

In January 2020, Karl Racine, the attorney general for the District of Columbia, sued Mr. Trumps inaugural committee, saying it vastly overpaid his family business by more than $1 million for space at the Trump International Hotel during the January 2017 inaugural.

The lawsuit, which names the inaugural committee, the hotel, and the Trump Organization as defendants, is set to go to trial in September, after a judge ordered last week that it could move forward.

Mr. Racines office has subpoenaed a range of parties, including Melania Trump, the former first lady, and has questioned Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Thomas J. Barrack Jr., who chaired the inaugural committee.

A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol aided by more than a dozen former federal prosecutors is examining the role Mr. Trump and his allies may have played in his efforts to hold onto power after his electoral defeat in November 2020.

While the committee itself does not have the power to bring criminal charges, it could refer the matter to the Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to prosecute them through the Justice Department.

Michael Rothfeld and Jonah E. Bromwich contributed reporting.

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Where the Investigations Into Donald Trump Stand - The New York Times

Donald Trump may have lost the last US election and be under investigation over the 2021 Capitol riot, but the former president's dominance remains undented in the Republican party, where he is virtually unchallenged.

The 75-year-old billionaire is due to speak on Saturday at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida -- an opportunity to gild his popularity.

Even before his arrival at the hotel hosting the conference, Trump's presence is felt in the numerous red "Make America Great Again" hats and in speeches, like that of Senator Ted Cruz, rife with taunts and attacks on figures reviled by conservatives.

"Trump is so popular that whatever position he takes most Republicans feel that they have to go along with them or at least not overly criticize them," Aubrey Jewett, political science professor at the University of Central Florida, told AFP.

"Because if they do, the president is going to take political revenge."

- 'Future of the party' -

Trump's influence looms large as midterm legislative elections approach in November, with the political risks to Republicans who don't fall in line implied in some of his statements.

Last month, Trump suggested he might pardon those who participated in the January 6 assault on the US Capitol if he were reelected president, a provocative proposal met with little pushback from Republicans save a handful, including New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who said those who stormed the seat of US democracy to stop the certification of Democratic President Joe Biden's election win needed to be held accountable.

The former president continues to insist the election was stolen, despite 50 percent of Republican voters wanting to put those accusations aside and look to the future, according to a Politico poll published earlier this month.

"I think many of the Republican leaders, including a lot of campaign managers, would rather put that behind them," Jewett said.

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"They don't see it as the future of the party. They'd rather not talk about any issues that could be controversial with voters."

But Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, underscored that Trump "is still a person whose endorsement is sought after, especially in the most conservatives areas."

She added, however, that "we are increasingly seeing that some of the language and tone things don't work as well with woman voters. And they are often the swing voters."

- DeSantis, a possible adversary?

Trump's dominance is such that few other leading voices stand out in the party, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appearing to be the only possible exception.

On Thursday, DeSantis' CPAC speech, in which he again criticized Biden and presented himself as a defender of individual freedom against a heavy-handed federal government, was met with cheers and applause.

Some of his policies in Florida, such as prohibiting Covid-19 mask mandates in schools, made him a favorite of media like Fox News.

While DeSantis hasn't said he's aiming for the White House, he also hasn't ruled it out even if Trump runs.

A poll released this week by the University of North Florida found that among Republicans registered in the state, the governor is almost neck and neck with Trump as a favorite for president.

"As a governor, DeSantis has a very good feel of the economical issues that affect local governments and local businesses," MacManus said.

"And he's able to speak about the economy in a way more meaningful to people as the grassroot. And right now the economy is the big issue."

A possible sign of DeSantis' growing influence, according to the New York Times, is that he's drawn Trump's ire by refusing to declare he won't run for president in the 2024 election even if the former president stands.

Trump, who was a key contributor to DeSantis' rise from little-known politician to governor of Florida -- a key state in presidential polls -- expects loyalty.

"I think that, at this point, it will be political suicide if DeSantis comes out against Trump," said Jewett.

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US Republican party in the long shadow of Donald Trump at key conference - Yahoo News

Utah has a very different political culture here. Navigating that can be difficult, Carson Jorgensen, chair of the states Republican Party, said. The culture is very much influenced by their friends and neighbors and faith, and we are very tight knit communities.

The two leading Republican challengers to Lee former state legislator Becky Edwards and business and community leader Ally Isom both campaign on the premise that Utahns are collectively disgruntled with Lee and ready for fresh leadership.

But its his relationship with Trump thats at the heart of their critiques. Lee started out as a skeptic who protested Trumps nomination at the 2016 National Republican Convention. A month before Election Day, Lee called on Trump to drop out of the race, citing the Access Hollywood tape as the tipping point.

Then Lee took a full MAGA turn after Trump was elected. By the subsequent midterms, Lee was one of Trumps staunchest allies in the Senate.

Trump even interviewed Lee in 2018 as a candidate to fill a vacant Supreme Court seat and the senator said he wouldnt say no should an invitation come. The following spring, Lee pledged his allegiance to Trumps reelection bid.

Trumps criticized Mike, and Mikes criticized Trump, Jorgensen, the states GOP chair, said. But at the end of the day, Mike was one of his staunchest allies.

When Lee pivoted to Trumps corner, many Utah Republicans held their noses at what seemed to be a purely political shift. In the predominantly Latter-day Saint state, Trump had never been as popular as in other conservative-minded states. Trumps brashness, promiscuity and rhetoric on immigration tarnished him in the eyes of many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2016, Trump fared worse in Utah than any other red state.

While Utahns warmed up considerably toward Trump after his election, it was not enough to overcome one of Lees Trump-related transgressions his seeming use of his Latter-day Saint faith as a justification for his support.

It occurred at an October 2020 Trump rally in Arizona, where Lee was in attendance, but didnt expect to speak. When Trump invited him onstage, Lee offered an impromptu pitch to two of Trumps most unconvinced voting blocs, Hispanics and Latter-day Saints.

He first addressed his comments to his hermanos hispanohablantes, dusting off his rusty Spanish from a two-year Latter-day Saint mission in Texas. Viva Donald Trump! he continued. He then turned his attention to his co-congregants.

To my Mormon friends, my Latter-day Saint friends, think of him as Captain Moroni, Lee yelled, comparing Trump to a prophet in the Book of Mormon. He continued by paraphrasing the religions scripture, but in reference to Trump: He seeks not power, but to pull it down. He seeks not the praise of the world or the fake news, but he seeks the well-being and the peace of the American people.

To many Latter-day Saints, it was an unforgivable blunder. Previously, Lee had undertaken a weekslong slugfest against a church-owned news organization and quoted a Latter-day Saint hymn to justify his opposition to a Covid-19 relief bill.

But comparing Trump the same man who privately mocked Latter-day Saint underwear to a holy prophet was a step too far. Between January 2021 and January 2022, Lees support among Latter-day Saints dropped by eight percentage points, according to Deseret News/Hinckley Institute polls.

You dont take him before the Senate Ethics Committee because he invoked Captain Moroni, right? one Utah political consultant explained. It doesnt rise to that level of inappropriate. But it just leaves people with a bad taste in their mouth.

Lees relationship with Trump isnt the sole issue in the primary. Many Utahns remain averse to the MAGA wing of the Republican Party in general. Lees challengers have also targeted his so-called obstructionism. Those in Lees inner circle praise his willingness to be a human barricade against bad legislation, but his opponents frame it as an unwillingness to govern.

Lee was the only senator to vote against bills speeding up ALS insurance benefits and creating museums for Latinos and women. Most recently, Lee was the lone senator to oppose the formation of a national historic site at the location of a Japanese internment camp in Colorado. Lees communications director told the Associated Press that the senators objection was not of the site itself, but of any increase of federally owned lands.

Former state legislator Becky Edwards is one of the leading Republican challengers to Sen. Mike Lee.|Rick Bowmer/AP Photo

Utahns want a more productive, proactive and inclusive type of Republican, and a more productive, proactive, inclusive type of conservative, said Edwards, a conservative who voted for Biden in 2020, when he won over a higher share of Utah voters than any Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Isom, too, has a fraught relationship with her party. A former spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she left the GOP in 2016, though she says shes always identified as a classic conservative and has since returned to the party. Political observers in Utah note that Isom is positioning herself as equally conservative, if not more so, than Lee only without the MAGA support.

Both candidates have used their own distance from the establishment GOP to hammer what they see as Lees blind allegiance to party and to the former president.

When the Republican National Convention convened in Salt Lake City this month and deemed the Jan. 6 insurrection as legitimate political discourse, Edwards joined Utah Sen. Mitt Romney in quickly denouncing the partys statement. No such comment came from Lee.

Senator Lees silence is deafening, isnt it? Isom said.

Earlier this month, Isom called on Lee to drop out of the race and honor his commitment to serve only two terms. Twelve years ago, Lee won incumbent Sen. Bob Bennetts seat in part by campaigning on Bennetts broken promise to serve only two terms. Lee has supported Senate legislation that would limit officeholders to 12 years of service, promising he would comply should the legislation pass.

Unfortunately, for a lot of people in elected office, its circumstantial ethics, former Utah governor Gary Herbert said. Thats a legitimate criticism of Lee. Men shouldnt be commanded in all things. You should do things that are right and proper, regardless of if its a rule or not.

Herbert who has a close relationship with all three GOP candidates, including Isom, his former deputy chief of staff has yet to make an endorsement.

Then-Utah Gov. Gary Herbert speaks with Ally Isom, his then-deputy chief of staff, in 2012.|Jim Urquhart/AP Photo

Knocking off Lee wont be easy. Early polls show the senator with a massive lead over both GOP challengers, though his approval rating among Utah voters dropped to 42 percent this month.

Lees relationship with the former president is somewhat complicated Lee cosponsored the First Step Act, perhaps the Trump administrations chief legislative achievement, but refused to challenge the results of the 2020 election, drawing Trumps ire. Trump and Lee did not speak for over a month after the Jan. 6 insurrection, add Lee called it a very, very bad thing that happened. Weeks later, Lee participated in a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump has yet to endorse a candidate in the Utah Senate race.

The Lee campaign declined an interview for this story.

The longer both Republican challengers stay in the race, though, the greater risk they run of slashing whatever hope they have to defeat Lee. In interviews, both Isom and Edwards downplayed their concern of splitting the anti-Lee vote, but multiple sources close to the campaigns confirmed that feelers have been put out to foster a conversation about one of the candidates dropping out.

Similar conversations were had prior to either candidate entering the race. Sharlee Mullins Glenn, founder of the nonprofit group Mormon Women for Ethical Government, spoke to both Isom and Edwards about pursuing other races before the two launched their respective Senate campaigns, sources say. (Glenn was not speaking for the nonpartisan organization.)

It doesnt appear that theyre taking votes away from Sen. Lee, said Jason Perry, director of the University of Utahs Hinckley Institute of Politics, which has surveyed Lees approval rating. Theyre mostly taking votes away from each other.

The Utah GOP employs a dual-path nominating system, in which prospective candidates can earn their spot on the primary ballot by either the traditional convention route or by gathering signatures. Lee rode the tea party wave in 2010 to oust the incumbent Bennett in the convention Bennett finished in third place among delegates, and the top two candidates, Lee included, moved onto the primary.

Ben McAdams, perhaps the states most prominent Democrat, considered running, but said it became clear that no Democrat would win a statewide race in Utah.|Rick Bowmer, File/AP Photo

For the general election, a host of unlikely operators is working to give him a tougher fight than in his two previous reelection campaigns, where he won easily. Ben McAdams, a former Salt Lake County-based Democratic congressman who was defeated in 2020, has spent the last several months rallying voters behind a candidate outside of his party.

Evan McMullin, the 2016 independent presidential candidate, announced last year that hes entering the Senate race as an independent, and McAdams has been outspoken in his support for the challenger. Lee ironically voted for McMullin in 2016, in protest of Trump.

McAdams, perhaps the states most prominent Democrat, considered running, but said it became clear that no Democrat would win a statewide race in Utah.

I have good favorability ratings in the state of Utah, McAdams said. I have high name ID. And I looked closely at the race and I can tell you, it is not a race that a Democrat is going to win.

For the past several weeks, McAdams has invited delegates for the states upcoming Democratic nominating convention into his home, in 20-person cohorts, to give them the McMullin sales pitch. So far, hes spoken to over 100, and the vast majority about 95 percent, he says are convinced to not put forward a Democratic candidate in this race and instead support McMullin.

Its an approach that has incensed Kael Weston, the lead Democrat running, who told the Deseret News it is fundamentally disenfranchising.

Lee certainly is vulnerable, one political consultant said. We dont know just exactly how vulnerable because hes never been tested before. We dont know how hell react to that pressure.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated Sharlee Mullins Glenns status with the nonprofit group Mormon Women for Ethical Government. She did not leave the group in 2019.

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Hard pivot toward Trump proves costly for red-state ally - POLITICO

When the Houses lawsuit seeking to enforce a subpoena against former Trump White House Counsel Donald McGahn was randomly assigned to Jackson in 2019, the consensus among court watchers was that Trump was likely to be fileted. What emerged from Jackson was an 118-page jeremiad that did not mince words in dissecting Trumps claim that his advisers had an absolute right to ignore Congressional subpoenas at his direction.

Stated simply, the primary takeaway from the past 250 years of recorded American history is that Presidents are not kings, Jackson wrote, dismissing the longstanding argument as a fiction and a proposition that cannot be squared with core constitutional values.

Beyond that decision and another in which Jackson blocked the Trump administration from expanding the use of expedited deportation proceedings, there are few rulings with clear political overtones.

Theres very little there that can legitimately be characterized as radical. Shes a judge who takes pains to find and apply the law in an evenhanded manner with a balanced tone, said Tomiko Brown-Nagin a constitutional law scholar and dean of the Harvard-Radcliffe Institute.

Republicans seemed to concede that there wasnt a lot in Jacksons judicial record to view as outlandish or extreme. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell noted that Jackson has only authored two opinions on the D.C. Circuit since she joined that court eight months ago. But he quickly said what makes him most concerned about Jackson is that liberals support her.

Judge Jackson was the favored choice of far-left dark-money groups that have spent years attacking the legitimacy and the structure of the court itself, McConnell said.

Indeed, just as Republican presidents now routinely look beyond a nominees rulings or writings to assure themselves of his or her conservative bona fides, Democratic presidents and liberal groups do the same.

Their sense that Jackson would be an unapologetically left-leaning justice stems in part from her resume: Biden and his aides have proudly boasted that, if confirmed, she will be the first former federal defender to serve on the nations highest court. Thats the kind of experience that liberal legal activists have been for at all levels of the court, arguing that too many judges are former federal prosecutors and tend to harbor a pro-prosecution perspective.

Still, over most of his career, Biden has been more closely identified with tough-on-crime policies than with the criminal justice reform movement that remains ascendant in liberal circles.

Biden and his top aides seemed to take the back-to-the-future approach in public Friday as the president and even the nominee herself seemed eager to offer assurances that her work as a defense lawyer did not mean she was pro-criminal or anti-police.

She comes from a family of law enforcement, the president said, flanked by Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris. He went on to quote a police unions statement expressing confidence that Jackson would treat issues related to law enforcement fairly and justly.Advocates for more professional and career diversity on the bench welcomed the mention of Jacksons work as a public defender, but some found the appeals to law enforcement seemed like pandering to Republicans.

This discussion around law enforcement felt like a political moment of wanting to set the stage for confirmation hearings, said Judith Dianis of the Advancement Project, a civil rights group. I would love to hear more about her experience as a public defender. I didnt feel like that part was balanced.

In his speech Friday, Biden praised Jacksons strong moral compass and said she possesses the courage to stand up for what she thinks is right, but he said she doesnt improvise on the bench.

Her opinions are always carefully reasoned, tethered to precedent and demonstrate respect for how the law impacts everyday people, the president added. It doesnt mean she puts her thumb on the scale of justice one way or the other but she understands the broader impact of her decisions.

Biden called Jackson a proven consensus builder, but the public evidence for that is limited. Shes been on the D.C. Circuit, which generally sits in three-judge panels to consider cases, for less than nine months. Prior to that, she sat in the same courthouse, ruling on cases solo as a district court judge.

The presidents reference to Jacksons ability to work across the ideological divide appeared to allude to her service on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which sets guidelines federal courts use to try to encourage more uniform sentences in criminal cases. Judge Jackson was known for working with Democrats and Republicans to find common ground on critical issues, Biden said.

Legal experts said Jacksons work on the relatively obscure commission isnt much of an indicator of whether she would be able to bridge ideological divides on the nations highest court or even whether she would try to.

I think one of the biggest unknowns with Judge Jackson is: Whats her ability to build coalition on a nine-member court? said South Texas College of Law professor Josh Blackman.

As a former law clerk to the justice she has been nominated to replace Justice Stephen Breyer Jackson could be an heir to his approach of trying to rein in the courts conservative bent by narrowing cases and seeking compromise decisions where possible. But Breyer had his most success doing that when the court was split, 5-4, between Republican appointees and Democratic ones. Now that its a 6-3 court under firm control of conservatives, the opportunities for bridge-building and even the wisdom of doing so are less evident.

Some dont see in Jackson the stridency often expressed by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who has emerged as the courts liberal stalwart in the wake of the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Shes probably closer to Breyer than she is to Sotomayor, Blackman said of Jackson. He also noted the interpersonal dynamics of the nations highest court are unique and not entirely predictable.

Judge Jackson and Justice Jackson may not be the same person, Blackman noted.

If Jackson is confirmed, one of the earliest tests of how she changes the court will come this fall, as the justices take up longstanding challenge to affirmative action in college admissions. The marquee case is a suit filed against Harvard in 2014, arguing that the schools policies to try to boost admission of Black and Hispanic students amount to illegal discrimination against Asian Americans.

Many of Jacksons supporters have said they relish the opportunity for her, as a Black woman, to defend affirmative action programs when the issue is argued at the high court later this year. However, its not at all clear that Jackson will take part in arguments on the Harvard case, since she has served on a prominent governing panel there Harvards Board of Overseers since 2016.

Jackson likely will participate in a companion case the high court has also agreed to decide involving a challenge to policies at the public University of North Carolina.

While its unclear exactly how argument in the cases will proceed and how Jackson will approach the recusal issue, theres little chance that her view will be decisive on the broader question. Affirmative action programs in higher education have been hanging by a thread at the high court for decades and they seem doomed in light of the six-justice majority of Republican appointees on the court following Trumps three appointments.

Still, if Jackson does take part in those cases, she is positioned to play a unique role similar to the one Justice Thurgood Marshall played in the courts private deliberations when he became its first Black member.

She brings a history and perspective that is completely different from every other person that is going to be sitting in the [conference] room when the justices leave the courtroom, Innocence Project Executive Director Christina Swarns said during the Twitter Spaces session. That is, whether directly or indirectly, influential to the way the court will perceive and address these issues.

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That time Jackson shredded Trump in a federal court ruling - POLITICO

While Biden hosted Zelenskyy at the White House last fall, Trump allies often point out that the former president didnt entirely deprive Ukraine of military aid during his tenure the U.S. did deliver Javelin missiles and other arms, a fact Trump backers cited during his first impeachment trial to blunt Democratic charges of coziness with Russia. But Trump also pushed Zelenskyy to pursue politically motivated investigations that might hurt Bidens White House bid as Zelenskyy sought more missiles from the United States.

We are ready to continue to cooperate for the next steps. Specifically we are almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes, Zelenskyy said on a July 25, 2019, call, the transcript of which became key evidence in Trumps first impeachment. Trump replied: I would like you to do us a favor, though, because our country has been through a lot, and Ukraine knows a lot about it.

Now Trump is seeking to undercut Bidens handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict by portraying himself as better-equipped to handle Moscow. Heres a look at how other key players in Trumps first impeachment are operating during the current Ukrainian invasion:

Bill Taylor: Taylor took over as the top U.S. envoy to Ukraine after his predecessor, Marie Yovanovitch, was removed following a conspiracy theory-laden campaign by Trump allies, led by Rudy Giuliani. During the subsequent impeachment probe, Taylor testified to investigators about concerns among Trumps handpicked advisers that the then-president had tied security aid to demands for an investigation of Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and discredited theories that blamed Ukraine, rather than Russia, for interference in the 2016 election. Recently Taylor has become a frequent presence on national TV analyzing Russias incursion into Ukraine and the Wests response.

Rudy Giuliani: Trumps longtime adviser and lawyer played an integral role in pressuring Ukrainian leaders to investigate Joe Biden, who had just entered the 2020 presidential race. Giuliani aligned himself with pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs and even a Ukrainian lawmaker since deemed by intelligence agencies to be a Russian agent. In recent days, hes joined the pro-Trump chorus criticizing Bidens handling of Ukraine.

Mike Pence: Trump pushed his vice president, a key conduit between his administration and Ukraine, to skip Zelenskyys inauguration in April 2019, a decision that came as the newly elected Ukrainian president was seeking U.S. recognition to show solidarity against Russia. Pence later met with Zelenskyy in Warsaw, where they discussed Trumps decision to freeze military assistance. Pence has tangled with Trump in recent months by publicly emphasizing that he had no authority to overturn the 2020 election, but he has also piled on Biden without mentioning earlier events or his role in the impeachment saga.

Jennifer Williams, an aide to Mike Pence, and Alexander Vindman testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump.|Alex Brandon/AP Photo

Alexander Vindman: A national security adviser who listened in on Trumps fateful July 2019 call with Zelenskyy, he became one of the key witnesses against Trump during the 2019-2020 impeachment process. He testified that he thought Trumps call undermined national security by essentially pressuring an ally to help the presidents domestic political fortunes. Vindman was removed from his post shortly after Trumps first trial; more recently, he sued Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., Giuliani and other close Trump allies, alleging attempted intimidation during the proceedings. Since Russia began its current invasion of Ukraine, Vindman has spoken out in support of Bidens handling of the conflict.

John Bolton: The former Trump national security adviser refused to testify during the House impeachment investigation, even as other witnesses revealed he sounded grave alarms about Trumps handling of Ukraine and called Giulianis involvement a hand grenade. Instead, Bolton waited to offer testimony until just before the Senate trial as news of his impending book began to circulate and the GOP-controlled Senate denied his offer. This year, Bolton has begun vocally criticizing Bidens handling of Ukraine despite having withheld his evidence against Trump during the key moments of the impeachment probe.

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How the Ukraine invasion connects to Trump's first impeachment and where the players are now - POLITICO

While anti-war protestors flood the streets throughout Russia, and Ukrainian citizens are conscripted to fight off a foreign invasion, Donald Trump Jr., Ben Shapiro, and Steve Bannon are using the attack on Ukraine as a springboard to voice their right-wing views on anti-LGBTQ+ inclusion in the U.S.

Russian President VladimirPutin, who has been vocal in his anti-LGBTQ+ politics for years, is finding his opinions on the matter signal boosted by right-wing conservatives. Rather than touting Donald Trump's recycled "America First" ethos to diffuse a war already at hand, his eldest son is fueling further aggression and intolerance in the world.

On Thursday morning, Trump Jr. took to Twitter to say:

Last year, Putin revitalized his warpath beating down "Western liberalism." In a speech given at theannual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club held at the Black Sea resort of Sochi said that Russia should stick to its own "spiritual values and historical traditions," according to coverage of the speech that year by The Washington Post.During that same speech, Putin went on to say that the idea of children being "taught that a boy can become a girl and vice versa" is monstrous and "on the verge of a crime against humanity."

Related:From Russia with hate: How Putin's anti-LGBT crackdown led to the persecution of gay men in Chechnya

Putin's views on the LGBTQ+ community, and his belief that the modern push towards inclusion and acceptance of those who shirk the social, sexual, and emotional confines of gender binary, have an audience here in America in the form of public-facing right-wingers like Trump Jr. and his peers. The strained consensus is that our nation's efforts to strengthen inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community make the U.S. in some way "weak" and a target for foreign aggresion.

Ben Shapiro was in the same mindset on Thursday morning when he shared his own views on the matter:

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Steve Bannon, ex-advisor to former President Trump, preceded these statements by Shapiro and Trump Jr. during Wednesday's episode of his show "War Room." During the segment joined by Erik Prince, aprivate military contractor, Bannon said"Putin ain't woke. He is anti-woke." From there Bannon and Prince went on to have a lively exchange about bathroom policies.

Watch the "War Room" exchange below:

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Kelly McClure is a journalist and fiction writer who lives in New Orleans. She is Salon's Nights and Weekends editor, and her work has been featured in Vulture, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Vice, and elsewhere. Her first novella, Something is Always Happening Somewhere, comes out on May 13, 2022 via WolfieVibes Publications.

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Donald Trump Jr., right-wing media use Russia's invasion of Ukraine to attack the U.S. - Salon

Run, run as fast as you can, you cant catch me, Im the gingerbread man.The House Committee investigating the Jan. 6th attack on the capital will never catch Donald Trump.No one will ever find him guilty because of shady financial dealings.Hes the Gingerbread Man.

The former president complains bitterly about the unfair attacks against him and his cronies.But these are only crocodile tears.You cant buy this kind of publicity.

The reason he and other plutocrats will not be caught is that they have established a set of buffers to protect themselves.The buffers arelawyers, legislators, and lobbyists. They rotate among themselves and wear several hats.This cabal of crooks has gamed the system.They try to fool average people into thinking they also can play the game with success.

Many people are pawned off into thinking that the most important things in life are white supremacy, the border wall, opposing abortions,opposing critical race theory, opposing gays, opposing vaccines, opposing masks, opposing the equal rights amendment,or anything else that they think will fly.The lawyers, legislators, and lobbyistsdont really care about any of these importantissues.

What Trump cares about is money.And the money rolls in.You cant catch me, Im the Gingerbread Man.

Phil Mayberry,Fernandina Beach

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Letter: Donald Trump reminds me of the gingerbread man - The Florida Times-Union

A majority of American voters say that Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinTrudeau announces sanctions on Putin, Russian foreign minister Overnight Defense & National Security Ukraine hangs in the balance Capitals' Ovechkin calls for 'no more war' with Ukraine MORE would not have invaded Ukraine had former President TrumpDonald Trump62 percent of voters say Putin wouldn't have invaded Ukraine if Trump were president: poll Noem: Biden should resign if he doesn't take stronger action against Russia Inhofe's chief of staff launches bid to replace him MORE still been in office, according to a newsurvey releasedon Friday.

A new Harvard Center for American Political Studies (CAPS)-Harris Poll survey released Friday found that 62 percent of those polled believed Putin would not be moving against Ukraine if Trump had been president. When looking strictly at the answers of Democrats and Republicans, 85 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats answered this way.

However, 38 percent of all Americans polled believed that Putin would have invaded Ukraine even if Trump had been president.

A majority of Americans polled 59 percent alsosaid they believed that the Russian president moved on Ukraine because Putin saw weakness in President BidenJoe BidenOvernight Defense & National Security Ukraine hangs in the balance On The Money Inflation held firm in January as omicron raged Photos of the Week: Ukraine, Ketanji Brown Jackson and stallions MORE, while 41 percent said that it was not a factor in Putins decision to invade Ukraine.

Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine late Wednesday, President Biden condemned what he described as an "unprovoked and unjustified attack" and expressed solidarity with Ukraine. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Russian financial institutions, Russian elites and their family members, the Nord Stream 2 AG the parent company of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and, the White House confirmedFriday, Putin himself, among other entities.

However, the U.S. has resisted calls to kick Russia out of the SWIFT international banking system, despite appeals from Ukrainian officials and some U.S. lawmakers.

The polling comes after Biden has suffered low approval ratingsin recent months. Since taking office, the president has had to navigate a multitude of issues, including a lingering COVID-19 pandemic, a chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan, infighting among Democratsover the administration's legislative agendaand now the invasion of Ukraine.

The Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey was conducted between Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 with 2,026 registered voters. The survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics. As a representative online sample, it does not report a probability confidence interval.

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62 percent of voters say Putin wouldn't have invaded Ukraine if Trump were president: poll | TheHill - The Hill

PALM BEACH, Fla. Conspiracy-minded followers of the enigmatic cult figure QAnon have developed a new popular theory inspired by the anime JoJos Bizarre Adventure which suggests that Donald Trump may soon unleash his stand.

Based on the speed and power of that most recent clip of Trump playing golf, I have to assume hes got the power of a Stand whos currently invisible to us, said Vaughn Roberts of the YouTube channel WhereWeGoVaughnWeGoAll. The way he keeps deflecting subpoenas and legal challenges at lightning speed, its the only explanation at this point.

Speculation along these lines has run rampant, with clue-hungry QAnon followers eager to jump on any detail to confirm evidence of Stand powers at use.

I made a post that got to the front page because we thought it was the first spirit photo of Trumps stand in action, but it turned out to be Barron Trump, said another commenter, JoJoBidensBizarrePresidency. How was I supposed to know the difference? That kid grows five more inches every time he steps in front of a camera. Either way, thanks for the gold I guess!

Its currently unknown how the former president could have acquired the theorized stand, said Roberts in a follow-up video rounding up the top ten most popular clues related to the theory. But we believe that it must have short-range abilities, with the ability to detect satanic pedophiles and possibly obliterate their genitals. Surely Trump will show the Stands true power soon and all will be revealed then. He sure does love to leave us on cliffhangers, just like JoJos!

At press time, proponents of the theory were speculating on whether Trumps stand might be named Dead Kennedys, Back In The U.S.A., or Ol Dirty Bastard.

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New 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' Inspired QAnon Theory Suggests Donald Trump Will Soon Unleash his Stand - Hard Drive