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Former GOP Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich suggested Wednesday that Donald Trump communicates better than Ron DeSantis but it didnt come off as complimentary to many. (Watch the video below.)

One of Trumps great advantages is he talks at a level where third, fourth and fifth grade educations can say, Oh yeah, I get that. I understand it. Gingrich told host Laura Ingraham on her Fox News show.

The comment drew mockery from online critics. The fact that [Trump] speaks to the children says everything you need to know about the educational level the Right is shooting for, one person on Twitter wrote. I dont see where thats good for somebody thats running a country. SMH, another commented.

Gingrich was assessing the strengths of the two leading Republican candidates for president after DeSantis officially entered the race on Wednesday. He praised the Florida governors intelligence but questioned his communication skills after Ingraham played a clip of DeSantis making a convoluted comparison involving financial institutions and elections.

Gingrich, a Fox News contributor, recommended that the Florida governor boil down the message to a slogan.

Here are other reactions to Gingrichs remarks about Trump:

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Newt Gingrich's Unintentional Burn Of Donald Trump Is Priceless - Yahoo News

Former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal predicted Wednesday that an indictment for Donald Trump in the classified documents scandal is coming soon and explained why it will be the former presidents worst nightmare.

Katyal, appearing on MSNBCs Deadline: White House, noted to anchor Nicolle Wallace how neither Attorney General Merrick Garland nor special counsel Jack Smith, whom Garland appointed to lead the investigation, are overtly political, much to Trumps annoyance.

Garland, although a political appointee, has a long-standing reputation in Washington of being bipartisan, of being a careful and respected jurist on both sides of the aisle, Katyal said.

Smith, meanwhile, is independent.

So, as between those two, when were talking about something as sensitive as Do you indict a former president?, it would make all the sense in the world that thats a Jack Smith determination, Katyal said.

And thats what Donald Trump is afraid of, he added. Hes afraid of having someone independent do this. If its someone political, at least he can trash it as being political or this or that. So this is Trumps worst nightmare.

Amid reports Smiths investigation has almost concluded, Katyal noted Justice Department rules are to bring prosecutions when they are ready and you dont really look to external influences or things like that.

My expectation is this is going to be soon, he added.

Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb this week said the Department of Justice has a tight case against Trump for allegedly refusing to return classified documents after leaving the White House.

Trump denies any criminal wrongdoing.

Watch the interview here:

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Ex-DOJ Official Predicts When Donald Trumps Worst Nightmare Will Happen - Yahoo! Voices

As White House and congressional Republican negotiators met to hammer out a way to raise the nations debt limit, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., cast blame for the nations $31 trillion-plus debt on the most recent Republican president, Donald Trump.

The debt limit could be met as soon as early June, and a failure to raise the limit could force the government to default on payments to bondholders, federal employees, contractors and beneficiaries of programs such as Social Security. Republicans have proposed raising the limit in tandem with spending cuts, but the White House considers the scale of the Republicans proposed cuts untenable.

In a May 12 tweet, Jeffries said Republicans were to blame for much of the debt. Jeffries wrote, "Trump ran up more debt than any other President in American history. He wants Republicans to force a dangerous default if they dont get their way. We cannot let right-wing extremists hold our economy hostage."

Strictly speaking, former President Barack Obama accumulated more debt than Trump. But Trump accumulated the most debt per year served in office.

Jeffries office did not answer an inquiry for this article.

What are the numbers?

Treasury Department data shows the gross federal debt rose by about $7.8 trillion on Trumps watch. But that wasnt the biggest increase of any president in raw dollars.

The record for the largest increase was set by President Barack Obama, with more than$9.5 trillion.

One caveat: Obamas figure is larger than Trumps partly because Obama served eight years, while Trump served four.

If you adjust the measurement for that reality by looking at debt accumulated per year in office, Trump does stand alone.

If you divide the debt accumulated during each presidents tenure by the number of years they served, Trump oversaw an increase in the debt of almost $2 trillion per year. President Joe Biden has overseen the addition of almost $1.6 trillion per year in his two-and-one-third years in office, which ranks second. In third place is Obama, who presided over the addition of nearly $1.2 trillion a year.

Why president-to-president comparisons are hard

The blame game on federal debt is not clear cut.

Much of the current federal debt stems from mandatory payments, such as those for Social Security and Medicare. These began spiking when the baby boom generation started drawing heavily from these programs around 2010. Not coincidentally, thats when the federal debt began accelerating.

Generations of politicians in both parties approved and modified these programs long before Trump took office.

"It is always challenging to figure out how much spending was on whose watch," said Steve Ellis, president of the federal budget-watching nonprofit group Taxpayers for Common Sense.

The biggest single spikes in the federal debt came from the initial rounds of coronavirus relief legislation in 2020. Trump signed them, but they passed with broad bipartisan support.

"Everyone, including me, said it was worth it, and without it, things would have been worse," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the center-right American Action Forum. "So, (its) not fair to blame Trump exclusively for something everyone thought was needed."

Our ruling

Jeffries said Trump "ran up more debt than any other president in American history."

Obama ran up more debt than any other president in American history. If you look at debt accumulated on a per-year basis, Trumps rate of increase in the debt was higher over four years than over Obamas eight.

Assigning debt to a particular president can be misleading because so much of it traces back to decades-old, bipartisan legislation that set the parameters for Social Security and Medicare.

The statement contains an element of truth but ignores evidence that would give a different impression, so we rate it Mostly False.

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Did Donald Trump rack up more debt than any other president? - PolitiFact

Authorities say a 19-year-old Missouri man with a Nazi flag in the truckcrashed a U-Haul into security barriers near the White House late Monday night. The Nazi flag that authorities say he had with him was later photographed unfurled on the ground near the truck. He could face multiple charges, including threatening to hurt the president.

Trump Jr. wrote, If the threat of white supremacy is so real, why do they have to outsource all the hate?

Donald Trump Jr., the son of the former president, soon retweeted a post that expressed skepticism about the official version of events and added more skepticism of his own. He said of federal law enforcement, You would think they would be able to do a much better job at creating fake crimes and fake hate. Later, in a tweet that drew attention to the suspects Indian name, Trump Jr. wrote, If the threat of white supremacy is so real, why do they have to outsource all the hate?

That wasnt the first time weve seen Trump Jr. accusing federal authorities of exaggerating the white supremacist threat.Last Saturday, after about a hundred members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front marched in Washington, Trump Jr. suggested the marchers were all feds: Do we really want to pretend its not a fed operation? he asked on a podcast. He was preaching to the choir of conspiracy theorists across platforms that echoed similar sentiments. Popular podcaster Joe Rogan joked with guest Matt Taibbi that the marchers had to be federal agents because, he said, there were no fat people among them.

Those high-profile people werent alone. In fact, claiming that federal authorities are falsely connecting crimes to white supremacists has become a trend. Almost as fast as the Secret Service descended on the man in the U-Haul, far-right MAGA followers launched a counteroffensive against any implication that the driver was one of theirs. Were in an interesting moment when followers and close associates of a former president seem compelled, sometimes in unison, to deny any association with the authoritarian, white supremacist, white nationalist or even neo-Nazi ideologies some of them seem to espouse. To paraphrase a character in Shakespeares Hamlet, Methinks they doth protest too much.

This new strategy involves claiming that any violent incident by someone who even appears to have such leanings is not just a false flag operation but maybe a false flag operation staged by the government. These claims happen so quickly, in such large volume and across so many social media platforms, that the word feds was trending on Twitter for much of Tuesday morning. At that time, we didnt yet have the report from authorities that the U-Haul suspect had praised Hitler to police and told them that his intent was to kill President Joe Biden. Facts werent needed. Someone had to defend the honor of MAGA loyalists.

The same strategy of feigned disbelief was on display after the May 6 mass shooting at a mall in Allen, Texas. The police reported that the Latino suspect had neo-Nazi ideation and wore associated patches and tattoos, but the MAGA faithful pretended it was all a government ruse designed to make them look bad. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tweeted: Only dumb white people would believe that a Mexican gang member is killing people for white supremacy.

The fact that people who arent white have been known to identify with white supremacy didnt stop people from making arguments that law enforcements reports about the Allen shooter were wrong. Twitter CEO Elon Musk also joined in and claimed the shooters alleged ideologies seemed suspicious.

There are three reasons why this strategy of denying the validity of reports linking violent crimes to white supremacy and deflecting them onto scheming federal agents has become so prevalent.

The same strategy of feigned disbelief was on display after the May 6 mass shooting at mall in Allen, Texas.

First, the strategy sends a reassuring message to far-right adherents who might think that a hate-fueled mass shooting, or other violent attack, is their cue to leave the MAGA movement. Well-publicized claims that such crimes or the hateful marchers dressed in khaki cargo pants arent real, provides the kind of solace that helps delude adherents into sticking around. Effectively, the message to the MAGA masses is, Dont worry.We didnt do this.

Second, denial and deflection tactics help far-right extremists convince themselves that the problem of violence associated with white nationalism is overblown. It encourages far-right opinion writers to cherry-pick anecdotes in an attempt to demonstrate that the racism problem isnt as bad as its made out to be. But the data tells another story. Violent hate is on the rise.

In 2020, Christopher Wray, the then-FBI director who'd been appointed by Trump, said in testimony before Congress that the Bureaus data indicates that motivated violent extremistsin recent years have been responsible for the most lethal activity. Similarly, President Biden told the graduating class of Howard University last Saturday that white supremacy is the most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland.

Third, the deniers and deflectors are increasingly aware that the feds, as they consistently call them, are not only investigating their leader but may be close to indicting him. They fear whats coming. If and when charges come, folks such as Donald Trump Jr. will need to be able to refute any charges by repeating the mantra that the feds make stuff up, including, even criminal cases. Theyll likely tell their followers that the folks who investigated Trump are the same people who staged violent incidents to make it look like MAGA followers were responsible.

Denial, deflection and delusion. Thats not just a Trump Jr. thing. It's also the strategic opiate of the chronically unaware. Sad to see how often it works.

Link:
Donald Trump Jr.'s response to White House U-Haul crash reveals ... - MSNBC

Trump calls Jan 6 a beautiful day during CNN town hall

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Donald Trumps legal troubles could be hotting up after the National Archives found a trove of records proving the former president knew he was breaking rules by taking classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, according to a report.

The National Archives sent a letter, obtained by CNN, to Mr Trump this week revealing it had found 16 records showing he and his top advisers were aware of the correct declassification process when he was president.

The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records, wrote archivist Debra Steidel Wall.

These records will be turned over to Special Counsel Jack Smith as part of the criminal investigation into Mr Trumps handling of classified documents.

The revelation comes as Mr Trump continues to lash out at Ron DeSantis, as the Florida governor prepares to launch his 2024 campaign next week.

After campaigning for five months, and going nowhere but down, it looks like Ron DeSanctimonious will soon be entering the race. He has ZERO chance, and MAGA will never forget! Mr Trump fumed on Truth Social on Thursday night.

President Joe Biden would be vaulted to a massive lead over Donald Trump if the former president faces further criminal charges from the federal and state criminal investigations into his conduct, according to a new poll obtained by The Independent.

The poll of 1,571 registered voters was conducted by WPA Research, a Republican polling firm. The CEO of WPA is an adviser to Never Back Down, the Super PAC supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but the survey was conducted independently without his input and was not sponsored by the Super PAC.

It found that voters currently prefer Mr Biden over Mr Trump by a margin of 47 per cent to 40 per cent, including a 14-point lead for the sitting president among registered independents.

Ariana Baio20 May 2023 07:00

FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when they searched a vast repository of foreign intelligence for information related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a heavily blacked-out court order released Friday.

FBI officials said the violations predated a series of corrective measures that started in the summer of 2021 and continued last year.

But the problems could nonetheless complicate FBI and Justice Department efforts to receive congressional reauthorization of a warrantless surveillance program that law enforcement officials say is needed to counterterrorism, espionage and international cybercrime.

Ariana Baio20 May 2023 06:00

The Georgia prosecutor investigating whether former president Donald Trump and his allies broke the law while trying to overturn his 2020 election in Georgia is seemingly hinting that any grand jury indictments in the case would likely come in August.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sent a letter on Thursday to other Fulton County judges indicating that she plans to have much of her staff work remotely during the first three weeks of August.

In the letter, Ms Willis asked that judges not schedule trials and in-person hearings during part of that time.

Thank you for your consideration and assistance in keeping the Fulton County Judicial Complex safe during this time, Willis wrote in the letter, first reported by The New York Times.

The Georgia investigation is one of several that threatens his campaign for 2024 president.

Ariana Baio20 May 2023 05:00

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is confident in his abilities to win the 2024 presidential election, according to statements he made on a call as heard by The New York Times.

On Thursday, Mr DeSantis reportedly called donors and supporters to unofficially declare his campaign.

On the call, Mr DeSantis allegedly said, You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing,- Biden, Trump and me.

And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people arent going to change their view of him, Mr DeSantis added.

Ariana Baio20 May 2023 04:00

Donald Trump has again complained that he is the victim of what Republicans baselessly claim is the weaponisation of the federal government.

The one-term president made the remark in response to the Jim Jordan-led House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing on Thursday.

The committee descended into chaos with lawmakers shouting at each other as two suspended FBI agents and one fired agent spoke about how the agency had retaliated against them for claims they had made about it.

Ariana Baio20 May 2023 03:00

The Georgia prosecutor investigating former president Donald Trump and his allies possible interference in the 2020 election has indicated there could be an indictment by August.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sent a letter to Fulton County judges asking to not schedule trials during the first three weeks of August and announced remote working days for most of her staff.

Already, Ms Willis has requested additional security around the courthouse.

Ms Willis and her office have spent more than two years investigating the case.

Ariana Baio20 May 2023 02:00

Chris Christie, the former Governor of New Jersey and former presidential candidate, is apparently gearing up to announce another bid for 2024 president.

Mr Christie, who has been outspoken about his disdain for Donald Trump, told supporters last month during an event in New Hampshire that, Tonight is the beginning of the case against Donald Trump.

Youre not going to beat someone by closing your eyes, clicking your heels together three times and saying, Theres no place like home. Thats not going to work. In American politics, you want to beat somebody? You have to go get them, he added.

Though Mr Christie has not formally announced a campaign, rumours are swirling that he may announce next week as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also expected to.

Ariana Baio20 May 2023 01:00

Donald Trumps former attorney has boldly predicted that the former president is going to jail as the criminal investigation into the trove of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago continues to heat up.

Ty Cobb, who worked as a White House attorney for the Trump administration from July 2017 to May 2018, told CNN that he believes the evidence against Mr Trump will lead to a conviction and prison time.

Ariana Baio20 May 2023 00:00

After a two-year investigation by a Trump administration prosecutor charged with undermining and discrediting the FBIs probe into alleged ties between former president Donald Trumps 2016 campaign and the Russian government has ended after four years and just a single criminal conviction, a report on the findings of that investigation found that the FBI was justified to open a preliminary probe into the matter.

Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg report:

An investigation into the origins of the FBIs probe into ties between Russia and Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign has finally been concluded

Ariana Baio19 May 2023 23:00

CNNs town hall with Donald Trump proved so divisive that even its own staff have taken issue with the event - with Christiane Amanpour the latest of the networks high-profile names to voice their dissatisfaction.

The New Hampshire event drew 3.3 million viewers, who watched as the former president sparred with CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins, whom Mr Trump referred to as a nasty person.

Speaking in an address to Columbia Journalism School on Wednesday, Amanpour said if she were Collins, she would have dropped the mic as soon as Mr Trump called her nasty, adding that she had spoken with the networks CEO Chris Licht and told him the ex-president should not have been able to appear in that particular format.

Ariana Baio19 May 2023 22:30

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Trump slams DeSantis as damning evidence found in classified documents probe live - The Independent