Donald Trump

Given a chance to explain why she thinks Donald Trump didn't commit any crimes in his alleged payment of hush money to a porn star, Rep. Claudia Tenney passed.

Instead, a spokeswoman for Tenney reiterated the congresswoman's attack on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 

In a press release on Friday, Tenney called Bragg "Soros-backed" -- a controversial phrase that the Anti-Defamation League has characterized as antisemitic because it casts Soros, who is Jewish, as the leader of a conspiracy and a "puppet master."

Meg Deenen, a spokeswoman for Tenney, defended the use of the term based on a $1 million contribution George Soros made to Color of Change PAC, which backed Bragg in his Democratic primary campaign for District Attorney.

News broke Friday that the former president was indicted by a New York Grand Jury for allegedly paying $130,000 in hush money to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress whom Trump was reportedly involved with, though Trump has denied an affair.  If the payment was made and was intended to help his 2016 presidential campaign, it violated campaign finance laws.

Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, has already been convicted and served a prison term on similar charges, and may be a witness against Trump in the case.  Cohen has claimed he was working at Trump's direction in making the alleged payment.  

A Grand Jury was investigating similar charges against Trump when Bragg took office in 2022. Bragg was reportedly dissatisfied with the strength of the case at that time, and two prosecutors in his office resigned over the disagreement. Bragg reopened the investigation after members of the Trump organization were convicted on tax fraud charges.

Trump's attorneys have reportedly confirmed the pending indictment against the former president, but it has not yet been unsealed, and we don't know what specific charges it might contain.

Tenney called the indictment a "witch hunt" and "a political persecution with purely malicious intent" in a press release, but offered no facts or evidence to support her claim.

She also attacked Bragg for allowing "violent criminals to walk the streets, downgrading 52 felony charges to misdemeanors."

Bragg is one of a cadre of District Attorneys in large cities across the nation pushing progressive reforms in criminal prosecutions. Critics of such policies -- including Tenney -- say crime is increasing in these cities.  Progressive policies likely cost Chesa Boudin, the district attorney in San Francisco, one of the most progressive cities in the U.S., his job. He became hugely unpopular, characterized as "soft on crime," and was ousted in a recall election.

Bragg made headlines when he took office with his "Day One" memo in which he said the prosecution of low-level offenders, including low-level felonies, was clogging an already overburdened court system.  He asked prosecutors to concentrate on violent crimes. 

According to at least one poll, Bragg's policies are not going over well with New York City residents. The conservative editorial board of the New York Post has attacked Bragg's policies.

But when asked why Tenney believes Bragg's policies, which she attacked, are related to the potential prosecution of Trump, Tenney did not respond.

The Batavian contacted Tenney's staff after receiving the press release Friday because of the "Soros-backed" phrase in its first sentence.  The tendency in some circles to paint Soros as the source of evil is widely considered to be antisemitic. 

The ADL states:

Even if no antisemitic insinuation is intended, casting a Jewish individual as a puppet master who manipulates national events for malign purposes has the effect of mainstreaming antisemitic tropes and giving support, however unwitting, to bona fide antisemites and extremists who disseminate these ideas knowingly and with malice.

The Batavian asked Tenney's office, "Is it Rep. Tenney's intention to perpetuate an antisemitic stereotype by saying Alvin Bragg is 'Soros-backed'?' and if she thought Bragg was prosecuting Trump in order to do the bidding of Soros?

Deneen responded, "It is ludicrous to suggest that stating who George Soros’s donations have supported and criticizing his pro-crime policies is anti-Semitic. The accusation is completely preposterous and, frankly, wildly inappropriate."

The Batavian asked multiple questions in its email, not just about the "Soros-backed" statement, but for the evidence Tenney believes exists that would exonerate Trump. What evidence does she have in her possession, that gives her confidence the Grand Jury is less than impartial and acting with Bragg to pursue a political prosecution?  We then followed up with similar questions, after receiving the response above, and noted that to whatever degree Soros might be involved with Bragg, it seems irrelevant to the prosecution of Trump unless Tenney has evidence or facts to back up the assertion.

Neither Tenney nor Deneen responded to the additional questions.

The "Soros-backed" trope appears to be a GOP talking point in defense of Trump, and Soros responded to it, stating, "As for Alvin Bragg, as a matter of fact, I did not contribute to his campaign, and I don’t know him."

Writing for the Spectator, Oliver Wiseman said the GOP may be side-stepping the charges against Trump with the phrase "Soros-backed," but it isn't completely without relevance.

"There’s nothing far-fetched or conspiratorial about calling Bragg Soros-backed. Soros gave $1 million to the Color of Change PAC, which backed Bragg’s election. Soros’s son, Jonathan, gave directly to Bragg, as did his wife. And Soros has been a vocal supporter of progressive prosecutors like Bragg around the country. It may be a deflection for Republicans to talk about Bragg’s ties to Soros, but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist."

Here is the full press release from Friday:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today released the following statement in response to the indictment of former President Donald Trump: 

"Soros-backed District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s witch-hunt targeting President Donald Trump is a political persecution with purely malicious intent,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Bragg has repeatedly allowed violent criminals to walk the streets, downgrading 52% of felony charges to misdemeanors. Yet now he has decided to spend precious taxpayer dollars and resources on this outrageous case against Donald Trump, and only after he announced he was running for president. Every American should be concerned about this gross abuse of power and the politicized two-tiered system of justice we now have in America. I once again call on Governor Kathy Hochul to act. Uphold the rule of law and remove Alvin Bragg from office for, among other things, his failure to enforce the law and his blatant politicization of the criminal justice system. ” 

Photo: File photo of Claudia Tenney by Howard Owens.

President Donald J. Trump was impeached for alleged crimes while in office for a second time today and Rep. Chris Jacobs did not join his house colleagues in accusing the president of inciting an attempted insurrection on Jan. 6.

Jacobs released the following statement:

“The events of last week were horrific, and the violence we witnessed has no place in our democracy. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions. I want to thank the brave men and women of the United States Capitol Police who showed true heroism while protecting me, my colleagues, and thousands of staff members and aides. 

“Our nation is clearly divided. Healing this division and moving the country forward should be our first and foremost priority. This rushed impeachment proceeding accomplishes none of these goals, especially given that the President has agreed to an orderly and peaceful transition of power on January 20th, 2021.

“Impeachment has been used rarely in our nation’s history, and when it has been used the House of Representatives has carried out a full and deliberate process complete with an investigation, hearings led by the Judiciary Committee, and a mark-up of the articles of impeachment before a vote is called. We witnessed none of that today. The process was rushed, avoided due process, and set a dangerous precedent to further politically weaponize impeachment. 

“Because of the abbreviated process, the short length left in the President’s term, and his commitment to a peaceful transition, I voted against the articles of impeachment today. Our nation has significant challenges we still need to address – including the on-going COVID-19 crisis.

“Our focus should be on tackling these very serious and pressing issues while we work to heal a deeply divided nation. Now is the time to move forward, not take additional divisive action at a time when our country cannot bear it. 

“The peaceful transition of power is a hallmark of our American democracy; it is what sets us apart. Now more than ever, I believe all Americans need to see that transition process occur, as it always has, to reaffirm that our democracy is still strong, healthy, and unbreakable.

Ten Republicans joined the Democratic majority in voting for impeachment.

Trump invited his supporters to Washinton, D.C., on Jan. 6, the date both houses of Congress were to meet in joint session to certify the Electoral College votes, to "stop the steal." At the rally, Trump falsely claimed he won the election by millions of votes, by a landside, and told the crowd of supporters that they needed to march to the Capitol Building and Cheer members of Congress who stood strong with him but suggested VP Mike Pence wouldn't have "the courage" to send certification back to the states. 

Some members of Congress plan to introduce at least one resolution in the House on Monday to impeach President Donald Trump following a riot -- what has been called an insurrection or attempt to overthrow the government -- by hundreds of his supporters at the Capitol Building on Tuesday.

Rep. Chris Jacobs said he does not support impeachment.

“To carry out an unprecedented, politicized, and rushed impeachment proceeding with less than two weeks left in the President’s term would have catastrophic effects on the civil fabric of our nation," Jacobs said in a prepared statement. "President Trump has committed to a smooth and orderly transition of power and that should be our focus for the next 10 days."

Congress was in joint session at the time, meeting to certify the Electoral College votes confirming Joe Biden as the victor in the nation's Nov. 3 presidential election.

Trump has made numerous baseless claims of a stolen election. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud nor that he actually won by "millions of votes" as he has claimed. Trump and his team have filed 62 lawsuits claiming election irregularities and all but one of them have been dismissed by state and federal courts, including two that reached the conservative-controlled Supreme Court. In cases where Trump's attorneys were asked to produce evidence of fraud, they've admitted they have no evidence to present. 

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Trump staged a rally in Washington, D.C., inviting his followers to come to the nation's capitol to "stop the steal."

At the rally that morning, Trump said, "You'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength. You have to be strong."

There are news reports of Trump followers threatening the life of Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Police officers have reported finding off-duty police officers and military veterans among the protesters who came prepared for violence. 

Five people died during the riot, including a capitol police officer and war veteran, Brian D. Sicknick, who was reportedly bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher. Two Trump supporters died -- a woman from San Diego who was shot by Capitol police while she was part of a group trying to breach a section of the Capitol Building, and a Trump supporter who was trampled to death by other Trump supporters. 

Trump has condemned the actions of the rioters. 

"The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy," Trump said. "To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay."

It's unclear what path the House might take leading up to a vote on articles of impeachment. If passed, the articles would be transmitted to the Senate. It would be up to the Senate to decide whether to hold a trial. Trump could only be removed from office if the Senate voted to convict him of charges in the articles of impeachment. Some legal scholars believe Trump could be potentially be tried by the Senate even after he leaves office.

If convicted, he would be barred from running for federal office again.

Here's Jacobs' full statement: 

“The events of this past week represent a dark period for our nation. The kind of reprehensible violence we saw has absolutely no place in our democracy, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. I cherish our First Amendment right to protest, but we must settle our differences peacefully, not with mob rule. Right now, many feel disenfranchised, our nation is divided, and tensions are high. The last thing our country needs is more division.

“To carry out an unprecedented, politicized and rushed impeachment proceeding with less than two weeks left in the President’s term would have catastrophic effects on the civil fabric of our nation. President Trump has committed to a smooth and orderly transition of power and that should be our focus for the next 10 days.

President Donald Trump, in the final month of his one term, issued 15 pardons today, including a pardon for former NY-27 congressional representative Chris Collins, who entered a guilty plea more than a year ago to federal crimes stemming from insider trading activity. 

Collins also admitted to lying to the FBI about using information that wasn't available to the public about Innate Immunotherapy to tip his son and other associates that led them to dump stock in the company before news of a failed trial reached other investors.

Even while under federal indictment for the crimes, Collins ran for reelection and won.

Collins was the first member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2016 and served on the transition team after Trump beat Hillary Clinton.  

The second member of Congress to endorse Trump was Duncan Hunter Jr., of El Cajon, Calif. Hunter was also convicted of federal crimes related to his misuse of campaign donations for his personal benefit. Today, Trump also pardoned Hunter.

Photo: File photo: Collins, with his wife standing beside him, at a press conference in August 2018 when he denied the insider trading charges that had been filed against him that day in New York City.

Mike O'Reilly lives in Queens, a borough of New York City that most in Western New York think of as a liberal bastion. Yes, a Trump bumper sticker on your car will result in insults and raised fingers but there's more support there for Trump than you might think, O'Reilly said today standing next to his private plane wrapped to express his support for the president's reelection.

JBRGraphfx, of Churchville, wrapped the plane while it was the Genesee County Airport and O'Reilly has been on a tour of New York trying to do his part to flip the state from blue to red.

"I’m flying around the state," O'Reilly said. "I’m flying to as many airports as I can. I wanted to go to all of the airports but with the weather, I’m hoping to get 12 to 15 stops. The media coverage has been great and people are getting excited. The whole idea is to get people to vote and not just Republicans, not just independents, not conservatives but Democrats because I believe that the Main Street Democrats, they’re not going for all of this looney, left-liberal stuff.

"They not going for doing away with securing our borders and law enforcement, defunding police. Democrats don’t want this. They want what Trump has to offer. They want a strong economy. They want good jobs. They want to be able to support their family. They want safe streets, good schools. That’s what Trump is offering and that’s my real appeal — Democrats in New York, come out and vote for Trump. It’s OK."

Photo: Mike O'Reilly, and Tim Jessop and Devin Jessop of JBRGraphx.

Thank you #Truckers4Trump! pic.twitter.com/leBrV3wo0J

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 29, 2020

Overnight, President Donald Trump shared with his more than 86 million Twitter followers a video of the five "Trump Trailers" that were painted "Trump 2020" by local residents and paraded more than a week ago on routes 33, 77 and 5 on the west side of Genesee County.

The tweet has been retweeted 19,000 times and liked more than 84,000 times. The video now has more than one million views.

Previously: Photos: Five trailers supporting Trump's reelection put on display in western part of Genesee County

A group of local supporters of President Donald Trump say the Pledge of Allegiance before riding off in a "Trump Train" of five semi-trucks volunteers in Pembroke painted to read "Trump 2020." The five traliers were parked in strategic locations on Route 5 and Route 33 after the caravan.

Carrie Almond says she is "as stubborn as a Missouri mule" and it is that tenacity that has put "Rosie," the red, white and blue 2015 Thor Palazzo motorcoach, on an ambitious nationwide tour to elect a Republican president by registering GOP-leaning women to vote.

"I came up with the idea and we will keep going until November 7th or until the money runs out," said Almond, president of the National Federation of Republican Women.

She and other members of the NFRW parked the bus at the Old County Courthouse on Monday afternoon in an effort to rally the troops -- women who are leaning toward casting their ballot for Donald Trump.

She was welcomed by Rachael Tabelski, of Batavia, president of the Genesee County Women's Republican Club, and Genesee County Legislator John Deleo, among others.

Almond, an executive vice president of Citizens Bank & Trust, a northern Missouri financial institution, sees 2016 as a "critical election cycle, not only for the nation's highest office but for Republican political leaders down the line. And, during the "Destination: White House" tour that began on Mother's Day and already has hit 24 states, she said she likes what she has been hearing from the public.

"Women that I have heard from believe that this election is bigger than gender," she said. "They are telling me we can't afford a third term of Barack Obama's policies by putting Hillary Clinton in. They are concerned about the Supreme Court, national security, the economy and jobs."

Almond said "Rosie," which is named after Almond's grandmother, has logged 14,000 miles thus far, and will put on at least that many more as a swing to the West Coast is on the itinerary. During a stop in Ohio, Almond said she had the privilege of addressing the National Republican Convention in Cleveland.

"I spoke about the fact that we passed a unity resolution iln March calling for women to get behind our presumptive nominee (Trump) and that we will are traveling by bus to motivate our club members to get the vote out," she said, noting that around 23 million women in the United States are not registered to vote.

Founded in 1938, the NFRW lists a membership of 65,000 women who "do the work," Almond said, tasks such as coordinating voter registration rallies, making phone calls, and working during election days. She said her group has been fundraising continuously in an effort to keep the bus in gear.

"We're dialing for dollars and begging for money every day to keep Rosie on the road," she said. 

For more information about the NFRW or to donate to the cause, go to www.rosie16.com.

Three weeks ago, it could be argued, it looked like Donald Trump had the GOP nomination for president all but locked up.  

If he could come across as a bit more presidential, he would likely seal the deal.

Then came a flap about candidates' wives and pictures posted to Twitter, and a statement about punishing women who have illegal abortions, and the campaign started to unravel some.

Even Trump admits he made mistakes.

Trump lost to Ted Cruz in Wisconsin and the fight to secure the nomination has gotten more intense.

The key  thing, said Rep. Chris Collins said yesterday at Genesee Community College after handing awards to local high school artists, is that Trump is learning from his mistakes.

Collins is one of only two members of Congress to openly support Trump and is, along with Carl Paladino, Trump's campaign co-chair in New York.

"I can't sugarcoat the last couple of weeks," Collins said. "The fact is, he's laying low right now. He's going to have a big win in New York. That momentum will propel him forward. He's putting together a little more depth on his team. 

"I think, perhaps, two weeks ago, the bad week, may have set the stage for him to realize that people are hanging on his every word, every nuance. As a private-sector guy, on the golf course with your buddies, you can say anything you want to say, but not in front of 80 million Americans. I'm proud to support him for all the reasons we stated earlier, and I'm confident he is going to grow from the missteps."

Collins supports Trump because he likes his private-sector background, his business leadership experience, his positions on trade, immigration and foreign policy, but also said some of those positions need some finessing.

"As a guy coming out of our private sector, what are we used to?" Collins said. "Ask me a question and I answer it directly without any other thought. He's had some missteps and I don't agree with him on every issue.

"I certainly would not ban all Muslims, but I would certainly, and have said, we need to make that those who we don't know who they are, whether Syrian refugees or not, we don't know their background, they're not coming here until the director of the FBI can certify who they are. So I'll nuance, perhaps, Mr. Trump's statements in that regard.

"On the immigration issue, I certainly don't think we would ever put 12 million people on a bus and take them back across the border, but we can process the illegal immigrants in a way that (at) the end of the processing it's 'you come in this door, go out that door,' you have legal work papers, a Social Security number. We know you're a law abiding citizen, now you don't have to hide in the shadows. There are nuances to what he's said that I would take the edge off a little."

A recent column in the Chicago Tribune criticized Trump and Bernie Sanders on trade because they seemingly don't understand that a trade deficit in goods makes America stronger because it generates foreign investment and the U.S. benefits from an export surplus in services. A trade war or a trade surplus in goods could be economically disastrous.

Even so, Collins said he thinks Trump understands well the issues around trade and that America needs a trade policy that is fair and levels the playing field.

"If a manufacturer in China or India or Mexico has a 30, 40, 50 percent advantage, we're going to lose all our manufacturing jobs, and every manufacturing job creates five or six other jobs, so what happens with a tariff is we level the playing field and a lot of jobs are going to come back," Collins said.

"We're going to see some inflation," Collins added. "The good news about inflation at a reasonable rate, the debt we have is paid back in cheaper dollars down the road. We do have a goods / trade imbalance. We're going to have a lot more manufacturing.

"The thought that someone else might retaliate...the fact is, we're 25 percent the world's economy and less than 4 percent of the world's population. They want us to be 4 and 4, not 4 and 25. We're going to have to fight to keep 4 and 25. And I would also suggest many of the services and many of the high-tech goods we export are provided because the other countries don't have the ability (to make them) themselves. So they may not like that we're going to make underwear and socks and radios again here, because they want  to make it in China and Mexico, but when they need our jet engines and they need our aircraft and they need some of our other service, they're still going to buy them from us because they have no choice.

"To me, that's called a win-win. I hope it's not a trade war. I would say it's leveled the playing field and I would hope through it all, you would have other countries paying better attention to the environment, paying better attention to worker safety, paying better attention to what we would call wages and currency, because if their currency floats, if they're paying higher wages, if they're respecting the environment, if they're respecting workers' safety, then we don't have to (impose) a tariff.

"We're not going to have a tariff with Germany. We're not going to have a tariff with the European countries we are playing with on a level playing field. But if we don't stop the theft of our jobs through unfair trade with Mexico, Vietnam, China and the like, we're going to lose all our jobs."

Trump would be the closest thing the United States has had to a noninterventionist president in any of our lifetimes, and Collins fully supports that vision of foreign policy, he said.

"He is spot on when he says our country, which is broke, $20 trillion in debt, is running deficits and we can't take care of our infrastructure. The thought that we are protecting and watching out for the rest of the world, and they are not paying a fair share, not that we're going to turn a blind eye to atrocities, but let's face it, there are countries taking advantage of America and it's not that we have surpluses," Collins said, "We're running deficits. So I'm 100 percent in line with what he's saying. It is time for them pay their fair share. If we're going to defend them, they're going to pay for it. We can't get involved in every regional conflict. The rest of the world doesn't want us to. It's not our role to play, so I'm 100 percent with Trump on that."    

After his recent blunders, Trump has revamped his campaign staff with an eye toward being more strategic about securing delegates. He's put Paul Manafort into a key campaign role to take on that task.

Collins said, as a private-sector guy himself, he understands the need to learn on the job and adjust. Judging how Collins mingled with the high school students and their parents Saturday at GCC, he's grown into the job of Congressman himself. Compared to a couple of years ago, he's much more relaxed and he deftly displayed an individual interest in every student he spoke with.

Trump, Collins said, is learning, will learn and will make sure he's surrounded by nothing but the highest-caliber talent if he occupies the West Wing.

"I come back to the need to have a chief executive in office and there's only one left standing, and that's Donald Trump," Collins said. "Private-sector guy, 40 years experience making tough decisions knowing how to manage people, hiring the best and brightest. I'm convinced he will have the best cabinet that's ever been assembled by a president. There are no hangers-on. There are no retreads. He is going to hire the best people he can hire because they're the best people. He's not going to say are 'You're a Republican, a Democrat. What is your party affiliation? How much money did you give to the party?' That's not Donald Trump.

"It harkens back when I was county executive (in Erie County). When I had to hire my commissioners, all I wanted was the best and brightest who believed in serving the taxpayers, who understood the need for efficiency and the like. After the fact, it turned out, my deputy county executive was a Democrat. It turned out my head of economic development was a Democrat. I didn't ask those questions and neither will Mr. Trump. When it comes back to the president with his cabinet, I think you will have the best ever.

"What does the president do? He sets the 30,000-foot vision, not unlike Ronald Reagan, and this vision is clear. We're going to take our jobs back that were stolen by Mexico and China. We're going to stand tall against foreign adversaries whether it's Russia, North Korea or Iran. We're going to defeat ISIS. We're going to make sure we deal with immigration; keep our borders secure. That's his top-level focus. He's going to have advisors who make all that happen, with him as the conductor and the leader. He's a born leader and that's what we haven't had for seven and a half years."

Whoever becomes president will have a lot of power. If that's Trump, well, Trump has displayed his ego and controlling personality, but Cruz, Clinton and Sanders all might be tempted by the lure of easy executive orders. Asked if Congress should take action before the end of the year to curb the use of executive orders, Collins said he didn't think so.

"Executive orders have always been part and parcel of the executive powers of the president," Collins said. "There are lawsuits and judicial remedies for overstepping, which this president (Obama) has been slapped down on on more than one occasion. I don't really think there is a role for Congress to play other than for the public to understand executive orders are the lay of the land and Hilary Clinton is saying 'If you think Obama did a lot of executive orders, wait until I'm president.' It's a concern, but it's part of history and I think the court system will hold people in check."

NOTE: Chris Collins' views on the issues related to his support of Trump are consistant with what he said to us during his campaign in 2012.