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Texas Republican introduces bill requiring CBP to screen migrants against federal terrorist watch list

Texas Republican introduces bill requiring CBP to screen migrants against federal terrorist watch list

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, will introduce a bill in the House of Representatives this week that would require federal immigration authorities to screen all migrants who come across the U.S. border against the FBI’s terror watch list. The measure, the Identifying Potential Terrorist at the Border Act of 2024, would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to screen each migrant that crosses the U.S. border, whether legally or illegally, against the terror watch list and detain those migrants until a cross-reference search of each one has been completed. “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall take into and maintain custody over an alien until the Commissioner cross references the name of such alien with the terrorist screening database and a result for such cross reference is received by the Commissioner,” the measure states. MIGRANT ON TERROR WATCHLIST ARRESTED ILLEGALLY CROSSING TEXAS BORDER PRIOR TO BIDEN, TRUMP VISITS: SOURCES “We are a land of laws, and it is past time this administration acts like it,” Williams said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Joe Biden is encouraging a deadly invasion of fighting-age men on American soil, and each day this Democrat-created influx of illegal aliens allows bad actors to slip past Border Patrol undetected. Under current law, CBP is not required to screen migrants against the terrorist watchlist database, and as we have seen too often, dangerous criminals are released into our nation who go on to harm American citizens and communities. BORDER PATROL STOPS RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON TERROR WATCH LIST AT SOUTHERN BORDER “My bill requires CBP to screen and detain all individuals attempting to cross the border until a match is returned on that migrant. Now more than ever, we must be aware of who is in our country as Republicans fight to restore law and order and end Biden’s deadly open border policies that are destroying America,” Williams added. Williams’ measure comes after Patrick Lechleitner, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), revealed earlier this year that a terrorist was allowed to roam freely in the U.S. for nearly a year after crossing into the country illegally at the border. At a February briefing, Lechleitner said the terrorist was arrested within 48 hours, only after ICE “became aware.” The admission from Lechleitner followed a report by The Daily Caller that federal authorities caught a terrorist illegally crossing into the U.S. via the southern border in March 2023. However, the terrorist was then released into the U.S. due to a “mismatch” after his name was run through the terror watch list, The Daily Caller reported. The unnamed terrorist was a member of al-Shabab and was captured last month in Minneapolis, according to the outlet. “A 27-year-old Somali native entered near San Ysidro, California, without inspection on March 13, 2023, and was arrested that same day by U.S. Border Patrol,” ICE spokesperson Erin Bultje told Fox News earlier this year. “On Jan. 18, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received information regarding the noncitizen’s threat to national security and took the noncitizen into ICE custody on Jan. 20, where he is currently detained in accordance with ICE policy, subject to the ongoing evaluation of their case.” Earlier this month, it was revealed that an individual on the terror watch list — 40-year-old Carlos Obed Yepez-Bedoya — was apprehended after illegally crossing the Texas border in February. CBP sources told Fox News Digital that Yepez-Bedoya was a “positive match” on the terror watchlist but did not name the terror organization. Williams’ measure comes as illegal immigration has become a major 2024 election issue and remains a thorny issue for President Biden and his administration. Polls show that more than half of Americans think large numbers of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. represent a critical threat to the country. The southern border crisis, now into its third year, has smashed multiple records with more than 2.4 million encounters in fiscal 2023 and over 300,000 in December alone, breaking the record for monthly encounters. There were 169 encounters of people between ports of entry at the southern border on the FBI’s terror watch list in 2023, according to CBP data. Fox News’ Lorraine Taylor, Adam Shaw, and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

MAGA-endorsed Bernie Moreno set to square off against incumbent Sherrod Brown in critical Ohio Senate race

MAGA-endorsed Bernie Moreno set to square off against incumbent Sherrod Brown in critical Ohio Senate race

Trump-endorsed businessman Bernie Moreno moved on in the Ohio GOP Senate primary on Tuesday night, setting up a match-up with entrenched Democrat incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown in a race that is expected to focus on Brown’s support of President Biden and Democrat concerns over the MAGA agenda.   Moreno defeated his two Republican opponents on Tuesday after campaigning on his status as a political outsider and former President Trump’s endorsement in a state that Trump carried by 8 points in 2020 and that political experts believe is one of the GOP’s best opportunities to inch closer to taking back control of the U.S. Senate. In the days leading up to the election, Moreno, Trump, and their allies signaled they would focus their attacks on the perception that Brown is a “moderate” and argue that he is in fact a rubber stamp for Biden. “Ohio needs to defeat your horrendous radical left, Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown, who pretends he’s my best friend,” Trump told Moreno supporters at a Dayton area rally over the weekend.  “He pretends he’s my best friend until he gets in, and then he goes radical left all the time. You know, if you listen to his commercials, he sounds like he’s running with Trump. He’s not.” TRUMP REVEALS ‘VERY FIRST ACTIONS’ HE’LL TAKE AS PRESIDENT DURING OHIO RALLY, HAMMERS BIDEN’S BORDER POLICIES While Brown is expected to attempt to thread the needle between being a Democrat and running in a now dependably red state, he carries a record of voting with Biden nearly 100% of the time. Moreno has already signaled he plans to focus on Biden’s low approval numbers and polling that shows dissatisfaction with the economy.   “He’s never been up against somebody who was well-resourced,” Moreno recently told “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy.” “He’s never been up against somebody who had an actual contrast between him and the candidate and, most importantly, he’s never been up where he’s at the top of the ticket versus President Trump.” VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR FLIP-FLOPS ON SUPPLYING ENERGY TO CHINA IN MIDDLE OF RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN “So Sherrod Brown has got to overcome his attachment to Biden, his terrible record. People are going to vote with [their] pocketbook in November, and this is going to be the time we finally retire him.” On Tuesday night following his victory, Moreno took direct aim at Brown referring to him as a “commie” and rejecting the idea that he has fought for the middle-class during his tenure. “Think about it, this guy been in office since Richard Nixon was president,” Moreno said. “This guy’s been in elected office, never had a job in the private sector, and what does he do? He says he advocates for working-class Americans.” “So let’s dissect that for a second,” Moreno continued. “Under Sherrod Brown’s watch, China has gone from a $4 billion trade deficit to a $235 billion a year trade deficit with America. The middle class in this country has shrank under his watch, we’ve lost factory after factory under his watch. We are now, with his leadership, so called, of the Senate Banking Committee, we’ve seen a absolute obliteration of local and small and regional banks. That’s all happening under Sherrod Brown’s watch.” Brown is expected to position himself as a candidate who works across the aisle, hammer Moreno on his attachment to President Trump, and continue the Democrat strategy of labeling Republicans as extremists on abortion.  “I watched three rich guys, three millionaires, who have spent already combined more than $25 million to shall we say win this Senate seat, no mention of the cost of prescription drugs, no mention of manufacturing jobs, the dignity of  work, no mention of pensions or veterans, no mention of really how to secure the border,” Brown said. “The one substantive thing that they did say is they all stand with a national abortion ban even though Ohio voters…by 13 points said they want reproductive rights for Ohioans. So, the debate didn’t really surprise me but didn’t really deal with issues that affect Ohioans every day.” TRUMP PROMOTES ABORTION COMPROMISE AS DEMOCRATS PUSH ISSUE IN 2024 RACE Brown has criticized Moreno and his GOP opponents on abortion several times on social media during the primary campaign. “Bernie Moreno thinks women need help with their baby strollers, not access to abortion,” Brown posted on X responding to a comment from Moreno arguing that he is “pro-mom” and “pro-family” when it comes to abortion. Abortion has been a hot button issue in the Buckeye State over the past year leading up to a November election where Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to enshrine abortion access into the state’s Constitution. Moreno will transition from a primary race where he made the case he was the most conservative candidate on abortion to a general election race where abortion access has proven to be popular with voters. Brown lost three suburban counties in 2018 including Butler County, Delaware County, and Licking County. The abortion access referendum won in all three of those continues last November. In Clermont County and Warren County, where the abortion vote narrowly lost, the vote outperformed Brown’s 2018 percentage by double digits. Trump carried all five of those counties in 2020. Ohio is one of 3 states that the Cook Political Report ranks as a “toss up” as Republicans attempt to take back control of the Senate in November. Democrats currently control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a very favorable Senate map in 2024, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs.  

Sen. Eric Schmitt dismisses concerns over skeptical justices in censorship Supreme Court case

Sen. Eric Schmitt dismisses concerns over skeptical justices in censorship Supreme Court case

EXCLUSIVE: After the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday in the case of Murthy v. Missouri – which addresses the Biden administration’s ability to communicate with and direct social media companies and examines what constitutes persuasion versus coercion – Sen. Eric Schmitt encouraged Americans not to be discouraged by the skepticism implied by the justices’ questions. “I thought the arguments yesterday went well,” the Missouri Republican told Fox News Digital in an interview on Tuesday. “The record is very clear.”  SEN GRAHAM TOUTS TRUMP PLAN FOR UKRAINE LOAN IN OVERSEAS MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY In 2022, when Schmitt was attorney general, he joined then-Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to file a lawsuit against the Biden administration for “allegedly colluding with Social Media Giants,” particularly to censor free speech surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the results of the 2020 election.  According to published reports, a majority of the Court appeared doubtful about Schmitt and Landry’s lawsuit, claiming the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana had made an error in judgment.  BIDEN FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE HUNTER’S OUT-OF-WEDLOCK DAUGHTER DURING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH EVENT AT WHITE HOUSE “I’m hopeful that the Court will see it the same way that the lower court did in their issuing an injunction prohibiting this kind of censorship,” Schmitt said following the Supreme Court arguments.  U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty granted an injunction in the case in 2023, citing “substantial evidence” that warranted prevention of multiple federal agencies from communicating with social media companies regarding posts containing protected speech.  However, the Supreme Court removed many of the restrictions put in place by the injunction when it agreed to hear the administration’s appeal.  “I think it’s always tricky to try to guess what a justice is really thinking about the case based on some of the questions,” said Schmitt.  TOP DEMOCRAT IN TIGHT SENATE RACE BACKS CITIZENSHIP, VOTING RIGHTS FOR MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Justices seemed largely skeptical of the Republican-led effort to curtail the executive branch’s communication with the companies. One example pointed to by both Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan was that of White House correspondence with the news media, which is often looking to shape coverage, but isn’t considered a violation of the First Amendment.  The Court also prompted the plaintiffs on several hypothetical scenarios, wherein government guidance and communication could be necessary and important for public safety.  “A lot of the questions were focused on what kind of interaction – what was the nature of the interaction between the government and these Big Tech giants like social media companies? And that’s not new,” Schmitt explained.  FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN HELPS 13 MORE AMERICANS ESCAPE HAITI, SWIPES AT BIDEN ‘PATTERN OF ABANDONMENT’ He noted that similar questions were asked in lower courts that made rulings in their favor.  “When you look at all of [the discovery] and put it all together, it definitely shows not just coordination – which by some standards could be enough – but even the coercion standard, if that’s what the Court goes with,” the senator added. “It would be hard to believe that you couldn’t see that from the totality of the documents.” Despite the doubt projected by much of the questioning, Justice Samuel Alito noted to the Court, “Whatever coercion means … whatever happened here is sufficient,” in regard to the direction of Biden administration officials to private companies.  Schmitt further emphasized the scale of the Biden administration’s social media operation, explaining, “This wasn’t a one-off thing by one or two government officials.” “This is coming from agencies most Americans probably never heard of, working in coordination to do one thing – which was to silence dissent, principally over COVID-related issues,” he said.  A decision in the case is expected from the Supreme Court in the early summer. 

Former Hunter Biden associates to testify publicly in next phase of impeachment inquiry

Former Hunter Biden associates to testify publicly in next phase of impeachment inquiry

Former business associates of Hunter Biden are expected to testify publicly on Capitol Hill Wednesday as congressional Republicans begin the next phase of the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.  House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is expected to open the hearing by explaining that throughout the impeachment inquiry, investigators have “found no credible evidence of the Bidens providing any work product” and has “identified no legitimate value or document or even one single hour of work that the Bidens have provided their business partners.”  “What is apparent, after over a year of investigation, is that the Bidens do not work in any traditional sense of the word. They do not work as consultants. Or lawyers. Or advisors. The Bidens don’t sell a product or a service or a set of skills,” Comer will say, according to excerpts of his opening statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “The Bidens sell Joe Biden. Comer will say that Joe Biden “has taken action after action to further his family’s plans to get rich.” “The scam is simple. The Biden family promises they can make a foreign partner’s problems go away by engaging the U.S. government,” Comer will say. “It’s done over and over again. The Biden family promises Joe’s power, Joe Biden shows up, and millions of dollars come into the Bidens’ pockets.”  Comer will add: “Joe Biden is the Biden family’s closer.” Tony Bobulinski, a U.S. Navy veteran, will appear publicly for a joint hearing of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees Wednesday morning.  Jason Galanis, who is serving a 14-year prison sentence, will also testify but will do so virtually from Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security prison for male inmates in Montgomery, Alabama.  HUNTER BIDEN REFUSES TO ATTEND HOUSE HEARING WITH FORMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATES Democrats have invited Lev Parnas, a former associate of former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, to testify publicly as well.  In announcing the hearing earlier this month, Comer invited Hunter Biden to testify publicly as well, per the first son’s repeated requests. Through his attorney Abbe Lowell, Hunter rejected the invitation.  Lowell, in a letter to the committees, called the hearing a “carnival side show.” Comer also invited Hunter Biden’s former associate, Devon Archer. Archer is not expected to attend.  Comer, though, has said he has “called Hunter Biden’s bluff.”  HUNTER BIDEN ADMITS HE PUT HIS FATHER ON SPEAKERPHONE, INVITED HIM TO MEETINGS, BUT DENIES ‘INVOLVEMENT’ “Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come,” Comer said. “During our deposition and interview phase of our investigation, Hunter Biden confirmed key evidence, including evidence that his father, President Joe Biden, lied to the American people about his family’s business dealings and, in fact, attended meetings, spoke on speakerphone and had coffee with his foreign business associates who collectively funneled millions to the Bidens.”  Comer had subpoenaed Hunter Biden for a deposition scheduled for early December, but the president’s son defied that subpoena for a closed-door deposition, demanding a public hearing instead. Comer vowed to give Hunter Biden that public hearing after the committee had him for a deposition — like all other witnesses.  “When you’re investigating a family for this level of corruption you deserve the truth, the American people deserve the truth,” Comer said. “We’re giving Hunter Biden a venue to testify publicly.”  Hunter Biden appeared for his highly anticipated deposition last month before both the House Oversight and Judiciary committees and maintained that his father was never involved in and never benefited from his businesses.  The committee also heard testimony from James Biden, the president’s younger brother, who testified the same.  JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY CONSIDERED JOINING BOARD OF CCP-LINKED COMPANY, WITNESS TESTIFIES FROM PRISON Hunter Biden did admit, however, that he put his father on speakerphone with his business associates and invited him to drop by his business lunches.  Archer testified before the House Oversight Committee last year that Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone at least 20 times with business associates.  Without Hunter and Archer, the hearing Wednesday will feature testimony from Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC. Bobulinski testified behind closed doors that he personally met with Joe Biden in 2017 for more than 45 minutes.  Bobulinski also testified that Joe Biden “enabled” his son Hunter to sell access to the “most dangerous adversaries” of the U.S., including the Chinese Communist Party, Russia and others.   JOE BIDEN ‘ENABLED’ FAMILY TO SELL ACCESS TO ‘DANGEROUS ADVERSARIES,’ TONY BOBULINSKI TESTIFIES Galanis’ testimony will also focus on whether Joe Biden was involved in the businesses he worked on with Hunter Biden.  Galanis, who was interviewed by congressional investigators in prison last month, testified that Joe Biden was considering joining the board of a joint venture created by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after he left the vice presidency. Galanis also said that the words “lean in” were “used often by Devon and Hunter in our business dealings as a term for access to Vice President Biden’s political influence.” ERIC SCHWERIN CONFIRMS JOE BIDEN USED ‘ROBINWARE456’ EMAIL ALIAS WHILE SERVING AS VICE PRESIDENT Galanis is serving a 14-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to securities fraud based on bonds issued by a company affiliated with a Native American tribe in South Dakota. The funds were reportedly supposed to be used for certain projects but were instead used for his personal finances. He was sentenced in 2017. DEVON ARCHER: HUNTER BIDEN, BURISMA EXECS ‘CALLED DC’ TO GET UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR FIRED Democrats have blasted what they call the “hopeless impeachment investigation,” with the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., telling Fox News Digital the inquiry “originated with a bunch of lies told by an indicted liar in close proximity to Russian agents.”  “So who better than Lev Parnas himself — Rudy Giuliani’s right-hand man on the original

Federal appeals court puts Texas immigration law again back on hold hours after Supreme Court approved it

Federal appeals court puts Texas immigration law again back on hold hours after Supreme Court approved it

A Texas law that empowers local police to arrest and deport migrants accused of entering the U.S. illegally has again been put on hold, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed its enforcement. The Supreme Court’s divided decision to allow Texas to assume border security duties marked a significant win for the state’s efforts to control illegal immigration from Mexico. It was short-lived, however, as hours later, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 order preventing the law, known as Senate Bill 4, from taking effect. The appeals court panel’s decision comes ahead of arguments before the court on Wednesday. SB 4 has remained in legal limbo since Gov. Greg Abbott controversially signed it into law in December. The Biden administration has sued to strike down the measure, arguing that the law would usurp federal authority on matters related to immigration enforcement. SUPREME COURT OKS LAW LETTING TEXAS POLICE ARREST MIGRANTS SUSPECTED OF ILLEGALLY CROSSING BORDER On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an early stay the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued on SB 4 in February. The ruling was not focused on the merits of the case. The court also did not explain its reasoning for ending the stay, but Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh suggested it could rule differently on the merits itself. “Before this Court intervenes on the emergency docket, the Fifth Circuit should be the first mover,” Barrett wrote. TEXAS LAWMAKERS PRAISE SUPREME COURT BACKING STATE LAW ALLOWING ARREST OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CROSSING BORDER “So far as I know, this Court has never reviewed the decision of a court of appeals to enter — or not enter — an administrative stay. I would not get into the business. When entered, an administrative stay is supposed to be a short-lived prelude to the main event: a ruling on the motion for a stay pending appeal,” she wrote. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a scathing dissent, accusing their conservative counterparts of inviting “further chaos and crisis in immigration enforcement.” “Texas passed a law that directly regulates the entry and removal of noncitizens and explicitly instructs its state courts to disregard any ongoing federal immigration proceedings. That law upends the federal state balance of power that has existed for over a century, in which the National Government has had exclusive authority over entry and removal of noncitizens,” Sotomayor said. The high court’s decision sent the case back to the Fifth Circuit, which blocked it again, setting up another Supreme Court battle. Mexico stands vehemently opposed to the Texas law and Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary said in a sharply worded statement that it would refuse to take any migrants back who are deported under the state law. The government said it “categorically rejects” any state or local government enforcement of immigration laws. “Mexico reiterates the legitimate right to protect the rights of its nationals in the United States and to determine its own policies regarding entry into its territory,” the government said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Why the Trump bond crisis looks like a concerted effort to ruin him

Why the Trump bond crisis looks like a concerted effort to ruin him

I wonder if this was the plan all along: trying to bankrupt Donald Trump? The way things are going, it certainly looks that way. The case brought by New York’s Democratic attorney general, Letitia James – who ran on a platform of investigating Trump – has spun out of control. Even if he did all the things she charged in her civil fraud suit, the businessman-turned-president has been put in an unbelievable, and really unacceptable position. DECODING TRUMP: HOW HE ENGAGED, DEFLECTED OR DUCKED MY QUESTIONS AT MAR-A-LAGO Much of the media is treating this story with undisguised glee, with almost no one raising the question of whether this is blatant overkill. As for the Democrats, even if it turns out they can’t beat him at the courthouse or the ballot box, maybe they can send him to the poorhouse. (Not really – he has vast real estate holdings – but the latest push could seriously damage the Trump Organization.) Trump’s lawyers have revealed that he’s unable to post a $454 million bond, despite approaching about 30 companies that provide appeal bonds, and has run into “insurmountable difficulties.” The former president posted on Truth Social: “Nobody has ever heard of anything like this before. I would be forced to mortgage or sell Great Assets, perhaps at Fire Sale prices, and if and when I win the Appeal, they would be gone. Does that make sense? WITCH HUNT. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!” James did a victory lap on ABC, vowing to enforce the penalty and saying that if necessary “we will ask the judge to seize his assets.” Or they could give Trump time to appeal. IN AI AGE, LYING AND DECEITFUL PUBLIC FIGURES ARE HARDER THAN EVER TO DETECT Trump was convicted of inflating the value of real estate assets to get a better deal on loans. Judge Arthur Engoron gave him no benefit of the doubt, and of course Trump constantly attacked him and Tish James. As I noted at the time, many real estate firms engage in overly generous valuations. The value of any given property in any given market is ultimately subjective. That’s why these company assessments, including Trump’s, contain a “due diligence” clause that essentially tells lenders to make their own determinations rather than just relying on the borrower. But there are lines that aren’t supposed to be crossed. It didn’t look good that his Trump Tower triplex was assessed at three times its actual size.  But overall, there were no identifiable victims. The banks made money and were happy. Trump’s company was happy. Nobody said they got screwed. But again, assume for the sake of argument that the Trump Organization was guilty as charged. What would be a reasonable penalty? The AG originally asked for $250 million. Then she later upped that to $370 million. Engoron imposed a fine of $355 million, giving James almost everything she wanted, and barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation for three years. Does this seem like a commensurate punishment, given that nobody lost a dime? Or does it appear that the judge and the attorney general are determined to wipe out his company? Isn’t it troubling that the companies approached by Trump said they had never had to deal with such a gargantuan bond request?   Keep in mind that this isn’t even a criminal case. SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES Trump’s dilemma is that he isn’t liquid enough to post a bond of that size, especially after putting up a $91 million bond in the second defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. (The former president has just sued ABC and George Stephanopoulos, who said Trump was held liable for rape when the judicial finding was sexual abuse, although the judge in that case said many people understood that to be rape.) Trump could avoid any seizure of assets by selling off a prime hotel or building, but the buyer, knowing of the pressure he faces, would have all the leverage to insist on a lowball price. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP There is something odious about the case and the unprecedented nature of the punishment. I don’t know how Trump will fare on appeal, but it has certainly convinced his supporters that his Democratic opponents are out to get him.