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Biden’s Title IX rules are a victory for powerful teacher unions fueling Dem campaigns

The Biden administration’s actions finalizing revised Title IX regulations represent a victory for powerful teachers unions, which have fueled Democrats’ 2024 election campaigns. On Friday morning, the Department of Education finalized sweeping new Title IX rules that it said will “strengthen vital protections” from sex-based harassment and prevent discrimination based on gender identity. The regulations dismantle Trump-era actions that bolstered protections, but also prescribed a strict grievance process that ensures the accused are treated as innocent until proven guilty. The nation’s two largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, have for months heavily advocated for the regulations to be finalized. During the current election cycle, the two unions have funneled millions of dollars to Democrat-aligned political action committees, but virtually nothing to Republicans, according to federal filings. “Prior to the 2020 rule, there was progress on changing the culture of sexual violence on our education campuses, as well as improvements to student safety. But the Trump-DeVos rule quashed open discussion of sexual harassment and gender-based violence,” AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote in a comment letter supporting the Biden administration’s regulations. BIDEN PLANS EVEN BIGGER STUDENT LOAN HANDOUT, DUMPING THE BILL ON YOU Weingarten added that the administration’s rules – which are set to go into effect in August – would “remove dangerous regulations put in place in 2020 and put us back on the path of honestly discussing the modern realities of equal access to education.” In a separate comment letter, NEA President Rebecca Pringle similarly praised the regulations and urged the Department of Education to act expeditiously to finalize them. BIDEN BRAGS SUPREME COURT ‘DIDN’T STOP’ HIM FROM CANCELING STUDENT LOANS: HE’S ‘HAPPY TO BREAK THE LAW’ “We commend the Department for this proposed rule, which restores crucial protections, creates uniform processes, and provides much-needed clarification and formalization of protections that further the broad mandate of Title IX to prohibit sex discrimination in education,” Pringle wrote to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Assistant Secretary Catherine Lhamon. Pringle’s letter emphasized the importance of the regulations’ expansion of Title IX protections to include transgender students. She said they would protect a transgender student who is “discriminated against and shamed when told they cannot use the bathroom.” According to NEA, the regulations would prohibit schools from excluding students from any educational activity because of transgender status; prohibit “misgendering” transgender students or teachers, force the use of a name selected by a transgender student or teacher, and require students to be allowed to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. “The Department’s clarification of Title IX protections moves us closer to making our schools places where we are all free to thrive and support one another for who we are and where students across race, background, and gender have the freedom to learn without fear or intimidation,” Pringle continued. CONSEQUENCES OF BIDEN’S PLAN TO CANCEL STUDENT LOAN DEBT, ACCORDING TO EXPERTS: ‘ENORMOUS CONSEQUENCES’ In addition to the expanded protections for transgender students in schools under Title IX, the regulations would also undo sexual assault due process rules put in place by the Trump administration. Colleges will no longer be required to hold live hearings to allow students to cross-examine one another through representatives. Instead, college officials will be able to interview students separately, allowing each student to suggest questions and get a recording of the responses. In evaluating the parties’ evidence, a school must use the “preponderance of the evidence” standard of proof unless the school uses the clear-and-convincing evidence standard in all other comparable proceedings. Department of Education officials first proposed the regulations in 2022, but have delayed finalizing them to review the tidal wave of more than 240,000 public comments. The Trump-era regulations were finalized by then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in May 2020.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Civil liberties, students’ rights and conservative legal groups have called on the Biden administration to preserve the 2020 regulations. AFT and NEA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

WATCH: Anti-Biden protester derails Kennedy interview with blood-curdling screams

An interview with a prominent Kennedy family member was derailed by an anti-Biden protester on Thursday with blood-curdling screams. Speaking with liberal outlet CNN ahead of her family offering its endorsement of President Biden in Philadelphia, Kerry Kennedy — the sister of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — was overshadowed by a male protester yelling unintelligibly immediately behind her. The protester appeared only briefly in CNN’s shot of the interview, but video posted on X by a reporter from another outlet captured the man standing behind Kennedy screaming that he has rights and was allowed to be at the event before being physically removed. It was not immediately clear what the man was protesting about. KENNEDY FAMILY CHOOSES POLITICS OVER FAMILY WITH ENDORSEMENT IN 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE Following the outburst, the Kennedy family, led by Kerry Kennedy, officially endorsed Biden’s re-election bid. The endorsement came as a snub to RFK Jr., who they say is acting as a “spoiler” to Biden’s re-election chances and could lead to a victory for former President Donald Trump in November. RFK Jr. reacted to the endorsement in a post on X, praising his family, but also noting that other family members were supportive of and working for his campaign. “I hear some of my family will be endorsing President Biden today. I am pleased they are politically active — it’s a family tradition. We are divided in our opinions but united in our love for each other,” he wrote. “I hold this as a possibility for America, too. Can we disagree without hating our opponents? Can we restore civility and respect to public discourse? I think we can.”  WATCH: NEW BIDEN CAMPAIGN AD MAKES SUBTLE CLAIM ABOUT PRESIDENT’S MENTAL FITNESS “My campaign, which many of my family members are working on and supportive of, is about healing America — healing our economy, our chronic disease crisis, our middle class, our environment, and our standing in the world as a peaceful nation. But this will only happen if we heal our national conversation, and move from rage and fear into love and respect,” he added. Last month, the Democratic National Committee launched an effort to silence the threat to Biden’s re-election from third-party candidates, namely Kennedy, in the form of a team that is expected to actively combat them with legal challenges and opposition research. Since its inception, members of the team have posted near-constant criticism of RFK Jr. on social media and have frequently referred to him as a “spoiler” candidate. They have also claimed that Kennedy is in cahoots with Trump in order to help him win. Earlier this month, the DNC accused RFK Jr.’s campaign of acknowledging its role as a “spoiler” after a woman associated with the campaign was captured on video discussing campaign strategy and how Trump could win the state of New York with the independent candidate on the ballot in November. According to video reviewed by Fox News Digital, a self-identified Kennedy campaign staffer told a room of Republicans in New York that the only way Trump could win the traditionally Democrat state in November was with Kennedy on the ballot. “If it’s Trump vs. Biden, Biden wins. Biden wins six days, seven days a week. With Bobby in the mix, anything can happen,” the staffer said. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Fence-cutting migrants busted by feds

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. — Multiple groups of illegal immigrants, including one group who sliced open border fencing to enter deeper into the U.S., were stopped by Border Patrol agents last week, as officials are drawing on more resources and tools to prevent them from fleeing into the U.S. Fox News Digital was on the ground in the El Paso Sector, as Border Patrol agents on an early morning patrol caught multiple groups of illegal immigrants moving into the U.S. One group, consisting mostly of Ecuadorians, was caught down a main road from the bollard border wall separating the U.S. and Mexico. The group were checked, given water, made to take off shoelaces and hand over their belongings, before being put into a transport van to the local Border Patrol station. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS There, they will be subject to Title 8 removal proceedings, which could include a quick return to their country of origin via expedited removal, or it could mean entry into the United States as they await their immigration removal proceedings and a court hearing.  In another section near the port of entry, agents nabbed a group of migrants from Ecuador, Bolivia and Guatemala who had cut a hole in the border fence, but had been stopped by agents just feet from the hole. The fencing is, in some areas, reinforced by bollards, which in turn are sometimes filled with concrete in an effort to make cutting them harder. The group included two small children. Agents have also found makeshift ladders and rope discarded near parts of the wall that are harder to cut through. SPIKE IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM THIS US ADVERSARY BLOWS LID OFF PREVIOUS YEAR’S RECORD It’s an area where smugglers have operated for years and they are notoriously vicious. They will leave migrants behind if they get injured, or send them across, knowing that they are in danger to the elements. This was the area where, in 2021, smugglers heartlessly abandoned a five-year-old and three-year-old girl, dropping them over the fence before they were rescued by agents. Border Patrol Agent Claudio Herrera told Fox News Digital that there were nearly 600 rescues of distressed migrants in FY 23, and so far in FY 24 there have been more than 320. “Unfortunately, we have seen in the past how these transnational criminal organizations stash these migrants south of the border. And they don’t give them food or enough water. By the time they’re already arrived at our borders, they’re already dehydrated,” he said. During some migrant surges, majorities of illegal immigrants have been turning themselves in the hope of being released. Here, that isn’t the case. One agent told Fox that the vast majority of encounters (as high as 95%) are migrants who are trying to evade Border Patrol rather than giving themselves up, suggesting that they’ve been briefed by smugglers that their chances of being returned are high. Apprehensions in the sector are down sharply from last year. There were 427,471 in FY 23 by Border Patrol. So far in FY 24, which began in October, there have been just over 150,000. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) puts that decrease in part due to a multi-layered enforcement strategy that combines existing barriers, technology including autonomous surveillance towers, K-9 units and recent cooperation with state police to stop illegal entrants. CAUGHT ON CAMERA: CROWDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CUT RAZOR WIRE, RUSH ACROSS BORDER INTO TEXAS “We are doing a fantastic job interdicting these individuals from smuggling schemes, in vehicles or also in the stash houses. We also have our checkpoints. We also have canines. We also have horse patrol, ATVs, you name it. We have all these different assets that help us do our job better,” Herrera said. Elsewhere in the sector, Texas has also fortified existing barriers with extra layers of razor wire, a move that has led to a legal battle with the federal government. But looming over the Sunland Park area is Mount Cristo Rey, where there can be no border barriers, due to the jagged terrain, and small white obelisks mark where the U.S. ends and Mexico begins. It’s a perilous area for migrants and agents alike. Agents with whom Fox was embedded spotted a helicopter from CBP’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) flying low over the mountain’s border with Mexico, and followed up the ominous mountain, where cartel scouts were situated just on the Mexican side. A group of adult male migrants whom they were overseeing, but who had not yet reached the U.S., quickly turned back upon seeing the agents.  But the scouts remained just feet from the border, gesturing vulgarly at the agents and filming them and Fox’s reporter. The Border Patrol vehicle headed up the mountain and later returned, at which point the scouts had inched across into the U.S. side, but fled back over to the Mexican side when they saw the vehicle. For the agents though, they don’t need to spend much time up in the mountains. With the extra levels of surveillance, including the autonomous surveillance towers that use AI to track and identify migrants, agents can track any migrants clambering across the mountain and wait for them at the bottom when they come down and have tired themselves out. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.

Weather update: IMD issues heatwave, rainfall alert in these states till April 22, check forecast here

In Central India, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh are likely to witness isolated to scattered rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds from April 19 to 22.

Third House Republican calls for Speaker Johnson’s ouster over $95B foreign aid plan

A third House Republican lawmaker is jumping on board the effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., over his plan for foreign aid. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., released a statement shortly after Johnson’s plan – four bills that amount to $95 billion in spending – survived a key procedural vote on the House floor with more Democratic support than Republican. He bashed House GOP leaders for not linking his foreign aid proposal, particularly a bill sending money to Ukraine, to U.S. border security measures – frustration shared by other conservative foreign aid skeptics who voted to block the plan from getting a vote on final passage. “[R]ather than spending the resources to secure our southern border and combating the invasion of 11 million illegals and despite repeated promises there would be no additional money going to Ukraine without first securing our border, the United States House of Representatives, under the direction of the Speaker, is on the verge of sending another $61 billion to further draw America into an endless and purposeless war in Ukraine,” Gosar said in a statement. “I have added my name in support of the motion to vacate the Speaker.  Our border cannot be an afterthought.  We need a Speaker who puts America first rather than bending to the reckless demands of the warmongers, neo-cons and the military industrial complex making billions from a costly and endless war half a world away.” He’s signed onto a resolution filed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., last month in protest of Johnson’s handling of foreign aid and government spending, known as a motion to vacate – under current House rules, just one lawmaker is needed to file it to trigger a House-wide vote on booting the speaker. Greene refused to discuss the motion to vacate with reporters after the foreign aid vote on Friday. She posted on X soon after, however, “And now there are three. Thank you to [Paul Gosar] for cosponsoring my motion to vacate Speaker Johnson!” House leaders do not have to put Greene’s resolution up for a vote unless she files it at “privileged,” at which point it’s required that lawmakers act on it within two legislative days.

US judge denies Trump’s bid to halt Jan. 6 lawsuits while he fights criminal charges in 2020 election case

Donald Trump lost a bid Thursday to pause a string of lawsuits accusing him of inciting the U.S. Capitol attack, while the former president fights his 2020 election interference criminal case in Washington. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington denied defense lawyers’ request to put the civil cases seeking to hold Trump responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on hold while the criminal case accusing him of conspiring to overturn his election defeat to President Joe Biden plays out. It’s the latest legal setback for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, whose trial in a separate criminal case related to hush money payments made during the 2016 campaign began this week with jury selection in New York. TRUMP SAYS BIDEN ‘SHOULD BE IN JAIL’ AND ‘ON TRIAL,’ WHILE BLASTING NY CASE: ‘THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING’ The lawsuits brought by Democratic lawmakers and police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 seek civil damages for harm they say they suffered during the attack, which aimed to stop Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory. Trump has claimed he can’t be sued over the riot that left dozens of police officers injured, arguing that his words during a rally before the storming of the Capitol addressed “matters of public concern” and fell within the scope of absolute presidential immunity. Washington’s federal appeals court ruled in December that the lawsuits can move forward, rejecting Trump’s sweeping claims that presidential immunity shields him from liability. The court, however, said Trump can continue to fight, as the cases proceed, to try to prove that his actions were taken in his official capacity as president. In court papers filed last month, Trump’s lawyers told the judge that “basic fairness to criminal defendants” warrants pausing the civil cases until after the 2020 election criminal case is resolved. They argued that allowing the lawsuits to proceed could force Trump to “prematurely telegraph” his defense strategies in the criminal case. Mehta, who was appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama, said the public has an interest in the prompt resolution of the civil lawsuits in addition to the criminal case. And the judge said “appropriate safeguards” can be put in place to allow for the lawsuits to advance without infringing on Trump’s Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week on Trump’s claim that he is immune from criminal prosecution in the election interference case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. The ruling will determine whether Trump will have to stand trial in the case accusing him of a sprawling conspiracy to stay in power after Americans voted him out of office.

New Trump voter fraud squads begin gearing up for ‘election integrity’ fight

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee say they’ll field a massive team of 100,000 lawyers and volunteers in the key battleground states to monitor and possibly challenge the counting of votes in November’s election. In a statement released Friday morning, the Trump campaign and the RNC touted the launch of what they called “the most extensive and monumental election integrity program in the nation’s history.” The program is expected to be a crucial part of what the RNC calls its “commitment to ensuring transparency and fairness in the 2024 elections.” “Election integrity is the foundation of our democracy,” recently installed RNC chair Michael Whatley said in a statement. “Through this unprecedented program, we are mobilizing lawyers and volunteers who are committed to preserving the sanctity of our elections.” WATCH: NEW RNC CHAIR SAYS ELECTION INTEGIRTY TOP PRIORITY The Trump campaign and the RNC say that they plan to deploy what they describe as “aggressive attorneys” to monitor voting machine testing, early voting, Election Day voting, mail-in ballot processing, and canvassing, audits and recounts following the election. HEAD HERE FOR LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL  According to the announcement, the plans also call for hotlines in the battleground states, which poll watchers and concerned voters can call to report potential problems. “Lawyers will guide poll watchers through the appropriate election code and provide clarity on how various issues should be answered, resolved or escalated,” according to the announcement. “This system will be operational from the first day of early voting through election day – and afterward if necessary. A majority of states enforce rules regulating partisan monitoring at polling sites, in order to prevent voter intimidation and obstruction of voting. While partisan monitoring is permitted, it isn’t allowed to interfere in the voting process other than to report issues. The new program underscores the former president’s emphasis on election integrity. For years, Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that his 2020 election loss to President Biden was due to massive voter fraud. And he has been indicted in two criminal cases for his alleged efforts to undermine and overturn those election results. The former president and his allies have also claimed that Democrats will try to rig the 2024 election. “Having the right people to count the ballots is just as important as turning out voters on Election Day. Republicans are now working together to protect the vote and ensure a big win on November 5th!” Trump said in a statement. The RNC — under then-chair Ronna McDaniel — announced in October that it planned to recruit and train tens of thousands of poll workers and watches in the crucial battleground states in the 2024 election. After Trump became the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, he installed Whatley as RNC chair, and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair. Whatley and Lara Trump, as well as RNC chief counsel Charlie Spies, hammered out the new program. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

Dems save Johnson’s $95B foreign aid plan from GOP rebel blockade

Speaker Mike Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid proposal survived a key test vote Friday morning, setting House lawmakers up to consider its four individual components sometime Saturday. Democrats bucked party norms to support the plan through a procedural hurdle known as a rule vote after conservative foreign aid skeptics defected from Republicans to try to block the plan. It passed 316-94. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee that advanced the proposal on Thursday night, said before the Friday vote, “Democrats are providing the votes necessary to advance this legislation to the floor because at the end of the day, so much more is at stake here than petty brinksmanship.” GOP REBELS DERAIL SPEAKER JOHNSON’S BORDER BILL AMID FURY OVER FOREIGN AID The rule vote now sets up debate on the four individual bills followed by amendment votes and four votes on passage sometime Saturday. It’s highly unusual for Democrats, or any opposition party, to cross the aisle on a rule vote, but it underscores the urgency that lawmakers on both sides feel about sending aid to foreign allies. It also illustrates the fractured House Republican Conference that Johnson is trying to manage, with the House Freedom Caucus and their allies having wielded outsized influence for much of this term.  Three of the four bills fund Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. A fourth bill includes national security priorities like the House’s recently passed crackdown on TikTok’s ownership, as well as the REPO Act, which would liquidate seized Russian assets and give that funding to Ukraine. SENATE VOTE ON MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT REACHES ‘UNPRECEDENTED TERRITORY’: CHAD PERGRAM Johnson’s push for foreign aid has infuriated members on the right of his House GOP conference, putting added pressure on the Louisiana Republican as he also navigates a historically slim majority. Earlier this week, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., threatened to oust Johnson if he did not step aside after a House vote on his foreign aid plan. Massie is now signed onto Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, R-Ga., motion to vacate resolution, which, if deemed “privileged” by Greene, would force the House to begin voting on Johnson’s potential ouster within two legislative days. ‘DEFINITION OF INSANITY’: FRUSTRATED HOUSE REPUBLICANS BLAST GOP REBELS’ THREAT TO OUST JOHNSON Massie said during debate ahead of the final vote, “I’m concerned that the speaker’s cut a deal with the Democrats to fund foreign wars rather than to secure our border.” Greene’s amendment to strip all Ukraine funding from the foreign aid bill is slated to get a vote on Saturday ahead of the vote on final passage.

‘Overtly political’ Trump trial risks eroding Americans’ faith in judicial system, experts say

As a Manhattan courtroom braces for the unprecedented trial of former President Donald Trump, legal minds examine how the case – considered by some experts to be legally weak and politically motivated – could erode trust in America’s justice system.  The 45th president and presumptive GOP nominee for the 2024 presidential election was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to adult actress Stormy Daniels to conceal their alleged extramarital affair. But experts tell Fox News Digital that the “overtly political” nature and hollow legal grounds of the case could erode “respect and trust” in the rule of law that could take “a very long time” to restore.  TRUMP SAYS BIDEN ‘SHOULD BE IN JAIL’ AND ‘ON TRIAL,’ WHILE BLASTING NY CASE: ‘THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING’ “In my view, the prosecution that is currently underway against former President Trump in New York City is the most overtly political of the four criminal cases pending against him,” John Malcolm, former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Georgia, told Fox News Digital. He noted that Bragg had run for office touting the number of times he had sued Trump and vowing to go after him if he was elected as DA. Malcolm said Bragg had taken a relatively minor record-keeping charge that usually results in a civil fine or, at most, a misdemeanor – or which the statute of limitations ran a long time ago – and “ginned up” a 34-count felony indictment, claiming that the alleged false business entries had been intended to cover up the existence of another crime.  “In this case, that alleged crime is a federal campaign finance violation, even though neither the Federal Election Commission nor the Department of Justice chose to charge Trump with violating federal campaign finance laws,” Malcolm said.  “Moreover, these payments came from Trump himself, and there is no question that even if they were related to his campaign – which Trump vehemently denies – he would have been entitled to contribute as much money as he wanted to his own campaign,” said Malcolm.  TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL: MEET THE JURORS WHO WILL HEAR BRAGG’S CASE AGAINST THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Malcolm added that it is “ironic that in this case, a prosecutor who has developed a well-deserved reputation for going easy on actual felons, even violent ones, by allowing them to plead to misdemeanors is taking what should, at most, be a misdemeanor violation, and has ramped them up into highly questionable felony charges.” John Shu, a constitutional law expert who served in both Bush administrations, agreed with that sentiment, telling Fox News Digital that the prosecution “is particularly egregious because he…never would have twisted the law in this way in order to bring a similar case against a Democrat former president, and also because Bragg repeatedly either has refused to prosecute violent criminals or retail store thieves who hurt innocent New Yorkers or allowed them to plead out to minor charges.” “The many criminal cases against former president Trump all feature prosecutors who have stretched and twisted the law in order to ‘get Trump’ and harm his election chances,” Shu noted, adding that whenever Trump is in the courtroom or preparing for trial, he can’t be out on the road campaigning, fundraising or building his campaign field offices. “Not to mention the incredible mental and physical stress of being on trial for one’s liberty,” he added.  When asked to comment, Bragg’s office pointed to legal filings in the case that indicate his office has charged “defendants with first-degree falsifying business records at an average rate of just under once a week for the last decade,” listing five such cases brought between 2007 and 2019. The filing also notes that Bragg’s office “entered into ten deferred prosecution agreements with nine financial institutions between 2009 and 2019 — resulting in combined forfeiture and penalty amounts of nearly $3.2 billion — where the Office determined that it could institute criminal prosecutions against each financial institution for first-degree falsifying business records based on the intent to commit or conceal a federal crime.” TRUMP JUROR PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED FOR RIPPING DOWN RIGHT-LEANING POLITICAL ADS DISMISSED FROM TRIAL Syracuse University law professor Gregory Germain wrote in an analysis of Trump’s hush money case that it is “an important test for our legal system.”   Bragg, he said, “was under intense political pressure to bring these charges, even after his predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., decided not to do so.”  “Trump is very unpopular in Manhattan, and has acted boorishly and foolishly in verbally attacking parties, judges, court clerks and their families. But the law must be applied fairly and evenly to all parties, even those who are locally unpopular, and it is the District Attorney’s responsibility to assure equal treatment under the law,” said Germain.  Germain told Fox News Digital that when then-President Gerald Ford chose to pardon Richard Nixon for the Watergate scandal, he did so in an effort “to put aside vindictiveness and allow the political system to heal from what was a very difficult moment in its history.” “The idea of bringing prosecutions against former politicians raises very uncomfortable issues for the legal system,” he added. “A really good prosecutor has to be very careful to make sure that they have an extremely strong case before bringing a charge against the former president that is going to appear to be political,” he said. “This criminal prosecution just reeks of political motivations. And that’s a real problem for the legal system.” Germain noted in his analysis that Bragg sits in the chair once occupied by one of his legal heroes, Robert Morgenthau, who “refused to use his office for political purposes, and had the courage to admit when his office made mistakes.” “Bragg has a lot to live up to. This old case, with all of its legal difficulties, should not have been brought,” Germain

Trump warns that if he loses presidential immunity, so will ‘crooked’ Joe Biden

Former President Trump warned of the consequences of losing his presidential immunity argument, saying that if he loses that protection, so will “crooked” President Joe Biden.  The former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee argued that presidential immunity is essential to the proper functioning of the presidency in a Friday post to his Truth Social account.  “Without presidential immunity, it would be impossible for a president to properly function, putting the United States of America in great and everlasting danger!” he posted, in all capital letters. “If they take away my presidential immunity, they take away crooked Joe Biden’s presidential immunity.”  The Supreme Court of the United States is expected to hear arguments on presidential immunity Thursday, and eventually rule on whether Trump is immune from prosecution on charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference investigation.  Trump pleaded not guilty to charges brought by Smith, and has claimed presidential immunity.  TRUMP SAYS CRIMINAL TRIAL IS HAVING A ‘REVERSE EFFECT,’ AS HE CAMPAIGNS AT NEW YORK BODEGA, VOWS TO SAVE CITY Trump said that without immunity from prosecution, the presidency “will lose its power and prestige, and under some leaders, have no power at all.”  SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY CASE ON APRIL 25 “The Presidency will be consumed by the other Branches of Government. That is not what our founders wanted!” he wrote.  In another post, Trump argued that if a president does not have immunity, “the Opposing Party, during his/her term in Office, can extort and blackmail the President by saying that, ‘if you don’t give us everything we want, we will Indict you for things you did while in Office,’ even if everything done was totally Legal and Appropriate.”  “That would be the end of the Presidency, and our Country, as we know it, and is just one of the many Traps there would be for a President without Presidential Immunity,” Trump posted.  Pointing to his presidential predecessors, and 2020 and 2024 opponent Biden, Trump said: “Obama, Bush, and soon, Crooked Joe Biden, would all be in BIG TROUBLE.”  “If a President doesn’t have IMMUNITY, he/she will be nothing more than a ‘Ceremonial’ President, rarely having the courage to do what has to be done for our Country,” Trump continued, calling for the protection of presidential immunity. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”  TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL: MEET THE JURORS WHO WILL HEAR BRAGG’S CASE AGAINST THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Trump added that if immunity is not granted to a president, “every president that leaves office will be immediately indicted by the opposing party.”  “Without complete immunity, a president of the United States would not be able to properly function,” he said again. Trump posted about the issue on his Truth Social platform while he sat in a New York City courtroom for day four of his criminal trial stemming from charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.  Bragg charged Trump last year with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.  Trump and his attorneys sought to delay the trial, which began Monday, until after the Supreme Court ruled on the issue of presidential immunity on April 25. That request was denied.  Trump is required to be in court every day for the criminal trial, which is expected to last through early June. Court for the criminal trial is expected for every day except Wednesdays, and Monday, April 29.  Trump and his attorneys argued that the former president should be able to attend the Supreme Court arguments on immunity next Thursday, but Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, denied that request as well.  “Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I can certainly appreciate why your client would want to be there, but a trial in New York Supreme Court … is also a big deal,” Merchan said this week, rebuffing Trump lawyer Todd Blanche’s request. Merchan added, “I will see him here next week.” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has said it would fast-track the appeal, and a ruling on the issue of presidential immunity is expected by mid-June.  Trump’s criminal trial on charges brought against him by Smith has been put on hold pending resolution on the matter.  Smith charged the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Those charges stemmed from Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in August. This will be the second time this term the Supreme Court will hear a case involving the presumed Republican presidential nominee.  Last month, the Supreme Court sided unanimously with the 2024 presumptive Republican nominee in his challenge to Colorado’s attempt to kick him off the 2024 primary ballot.  The high court ruled in favor of Trump’s arguments in the case, which will impact the status of efforts in several other states to remove the likely GOP nominee from their respective ballots.  The court considered for the first time the meaning and reach of Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office again. Challenges have been filed to remove Trump from the 2024 ballot in over 30 states.