School board votes to oust ‘Moms for Liberty’ co-founder amid Florida GOP sex scandal
A Florida school board passed a resolution Tuesday calling for Moms of Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler to resign from its school board after she and her husband, the Republican Party state chairman, became embroiled in a purported sex scandal. The Sarasota County School Board voted 4-1 for Ziegler to step down, with board Chair Karen Rose saying that the woman’s continued presence on the board would only cause “irreparable harmful distractions” in light of the media scrutiny surrounding the scandal. Ziegler’s husband, Christian Ziegler, has been accused of raping a woman inside the woman’s Sarasota home on Oct. 2. He denies the allegations and has not been charged with a crime at the time of this reporting. MOMS FOR LIBERTY TAKES CENTER STAGE AGAIN IN 2024 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE Bridget told police previously that she, the victim and her husband had consensual sex together for over a year before the alleged crime occurred, according to reports. According to text messages cited in the affidavit, the woman and the Zieglers had planned to again have group sex that day, but the woman backed out after Bridget “couldn’t make it.” The board’s resolution is not legally binding. However, it sends a strong message that the board wants her ousted. Only Florida’s Republican governor can remove a school board member, and only under certain conditions, such as a criminal charge. MOMS FOR LIBERTY RIGHTEOUS FIRE IS SPREADING FAST “I personally care about Bridget and her family and deeply regret the necessity for this course of action,” Rose told The Associated Press. Bridget is co-founder of the conservative Moms for Liberty group, a conservative political organization that advocates against school curricula that mention LGBT issues, race and ethnicity and critical race theory. The group began by campaigning against COVID-19 restrictions in schools, including mask and vaccine mandates. She also championed the Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which bans school employees or third parties from giving classroom instruction on “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade in Florida. Democrats and other critics say the Zieglers are hypocritical because the alleged sexual activities are at odds with the conservative views they espouse. Bridget has served on the board since 2014, when she was appointed by then-Gov. Rick Scott, and had previously been its chair. She voted against the resolution, saying she was “disappointed” but gave no indication she would step down. Prior to the meeting, several dozen people marched outside carrying signs and chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, Bridget Ziegler has got to go.” Among the signs’ slogans were “Ban Bridget, not books” and “Real women aren’t homophobes.” The vote comes as Christian Ziegler faces a vote on Sunday to remove him from his $120,000 a-year job in light of the rape allegations and the alleged affair, according to the Orlando Sentinel. So far, he has steadfastly refused to resign even as Gov. Ron DeSantis and most state Republican leaders want him out, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Fox News’ Pilar Arias and Jessica Chasmar as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump cannot assert presidential immunity in E Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit, appeals court rules
Former President Trump cannot assert presidential immunity in a defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, a U.S. appeals court ruled Wednesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a federal judge’s decision not to allow Trump’s blanket claim of presidential immunity in the case, prompting the former president’s legal team to seek a review from the U.S. Supreme Court. “The Second Circuit’s ruling is fundamentally flawed and we will seek immediate review from the Supreme Court,” said Alina Habba, one of Trump’s lawyers in the case. The appeal was heard on an expedited basis, ahead of his scheduled trial on Jan. 16, 2024. JUDGE DISMISSES TRUMP COUNTERCLAIM IN E. JEAN CARROLL DEFAMATION CASE In the lawsuit, Carroll is seeking at least $10 million in damages from Trump over comments he made about her in June 2019, during his presidential term in the White House. Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, initially accused Trump of rape and sexual assault in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. In response, the former president denied ever knowing Carroll and said she made up the rape claim for attention. She then sued in November 2019. FEDERAL JUDGE DENIES TRUMP’S 4TH ATTEMPT TO STOP E JEAN CARROLL LAWSUIT, CALLING APPEAL ‘FRIVOLOUS’ In December 2022, Trump asserted presidential immunity shielded him from the lawsuit. The president’s unique office grants him complete immunity from many types of civil lawsuits while in office. This delay, however, was ultimately cited by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan when he rejected Trump’s bid to dismiss Carroll’s case and refused to let Trump raise an immunity defense. TRUMP SUES E. JEAN CARROLL FOR DEFAMATION On Wednesday, the 2nd Circuit said those decisions were correct. “A three-year-delay is more than enough, under our precedents, to qualify as ‘undue,’” the three-judge panel wrote in its opinion. TRUMP VIDEO OF E JEAN CARROLL DEPOSITION RELEASED: ‘SHE WOULDN’T BE MY TYPE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM’ Robbie Kaplan, the attorney for E. Jean Carroll, responded, “We are pleased that the Second Circuit affirmed Judge Kaplan’s rulings and that we can now move forward with trial next month on January 16.” Trump has pursued similar immunity defenses in his federal criminal case in Washington, where he is accused of inciting a riot, disrupting an official proceeding and for unlawfully trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump is the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, when he seeks a rematch against President Biden in the 2024 U.S. election. Trump currently leads Biden in head-to-head polls and holds a tremendous lead over other Republican candidates, including Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. The case is Carroll v. Trump, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Reuters contributed to this report.
House to vote on bipartisan resolution demanding Harvard, MIT presidents resign over antisemitism testimony
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bipartisan resolution Wednesday calling for the “immediate resignation” of Harvard President Claudine Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth after the boards of each respective institution decided to support the leaders despite their testimony about antisemitism on their campuses. The resolution was announced on Tuesday hours after the fellows of the Harvard Corporation reaffirmed their support for Gay as the “right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing” early Tuesday morning. House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as well as Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., afterward introduced a resolution condemning the testimony of Harvard, MIT and UPenn’s presidents and calling for “the immediate resignation of the remaining presidents at Harvard and MIT.” Just two days after the hearing last week, MIT’s Executive Corporation had already pledged “full and unreserved support” for Kornbluth, issuing a statement that championed “her outstanding academic leadership, her judgment, her integrity, her moral compass, and her ability to unite our community around MIT’s core values.” When the presidents of UPenn, Harvard and MIT were asked if calling for the genocide of Jews violates university policies on bullying and harassment, “Presidents Elizabeth Magill, Claudine Gay, and Sally Kornbluth were evasive and dismissive, failing to simply condemn such action,” the resolution says. Specifically, Magill stated, ‘‘It is a context-dependent decision”; Gay insisted that it ‘‘depends on the context”; and Kornbluth responded it would only constitute harassment if it were ‘‘targeted at individuals.” STEFANIK SHREDS HARVARD OVER ‘COMPLETE MORAL FAILURE’ AFTER ALLOWING CLAUDINE GAY TO REMAIN PRESIDENT “President Magill has resigned, and the other Presidents should follow suit,” the resolution, which will require support from two-thirds of the House to pass, says. “Acts of hate, intimidation, discrimination, and violence-based on ethnicity or religion have no place in our country or in the global community.” Under mounting pressure from donors, Magill resigned on Saturday, and MIT on Tuesday announced Dr. J. Larry Jameson, who was dean of the university’s medical school, will serve as the interim president of the university. “This is not a partisan issue but a question of moral clarity which is why our colleagues from across the aisle have come together with us to introduce a resolution condemning antisemitism on university campuses as well as the morally bankrupt testimonies of the University Presidents from Harvard, Penn, and MIT during last week’s House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing,” Stefanik said in a statement Tuesday, announcing the resolution. “We are only just beginning to address the pervasive rot of antisemitism that has infected America’s higher education system and we will not stop until it is rooted out and those responsible for fostering its growth are held accountable. Antisemitism has no place in America.” “These are Ivy League university presidents that were asked a softball question: ‘Does calling for the genocide of Jews count as harassment under their school’s policies?’ That’s not a trick question, and it’s infuriating that these leaders of young people would try to equivocate with some nonsense about ‘it depends on the context.’ Sub out Jews for any other persecuted minority group and they would never have given that answer. They failed the test, and just like their students there are no makeups,” Moskowitz said. “When Chair Stefanik asked the presidents of MIT, Harvard, and University of Pennsylvania if calling for the genocide of Jews constituted harassment and violated their codes of conduct, we should have heard a simple and resounding ‘yes.’ This was not a hard question – in fact, it was probably the easiest question they could have answered. The abject failure of these presidents to defend even the most basic of human rights – the right to exist – against hypocritical wokeism exposed the moral bankruptcy at these elite universities to the world,” Scalise said. MIT ALUMS RIP ‘DISASTROUS’ ANTISEMITISM TESTIMONY BUT STOP SHORT OF CALLING FOR RESIGNATION “Students are scared to be Jewish on campus and these presidents’ answers before Congress reinforced their failures of leadership over the last few months. I will always defend the right to free speech, even when what’s being said is incredibly offensive. But, I won’t sit back when words and actions violate the law, instill fear, and put students in danger,” Gottheimer said. The resolution risks dividing the Democratic caucus. Last week, Rep. Kathy Manning, D-N.C., who is Jewish and chairs the House’s antisemitism task force, split with Stefanik regarding a letter calling for the ouster of all three university presidents. Manning further alleged on X Tuesday that the House GOP Chair “didn’t care about protecting Jewish students.” “All she cared about was calling for the resignation of university presidents to score political points,” Manning wrote. “Rep. Stefanik is trying to get a soundbite & media hits.” In the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, considered the deadliest attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, the Anti-Defamation League has recorded 2,031 antisemitic incidents, 400 of which occurred on college campuses, a more than 330% increase from the year prior, the resolution notes. It goes on to say how, “Jewish and Israeli students have faced physical violence, hate-filled disruptions in the classroom, calls from students and faculty advocating for the elimination and destruction of Israel, and other forms of persistent harassment.” Harvard’s board went through extensive deliberations over the weekend and into Monday regarding calls from 74 House members from both sides of the aisle demanding Gay, as well as the presidents of MIT and UPenn, be removed. More than 500 Harvard faculty members, however, had written the board demanding the university support Gay and “defend the independence of the university and to resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom.” Billionaire Harvard alum Bill Ackman also sent a letter demanding Gay’s ouster, claiming her “failure to condemn the most vile and barbaric terrorism the world has ever
Top Republicans roll out bill to bar VA healthcare processing systems from being used for illegal migrants
FIRST ON FOX: Top Republicans in the House and Senate introduced legislation Wednesday to prevent Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) healthcare resources from being used for illegal migrants. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Rep. Mike Bost, R-Il., chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, rolled out the legislation — known as the No VA Resources for Illegal Aliens Act — after Fox News Digital reported on complaints that the Biden administration VA is providing healthcare administrative services to illegal immigrants, potentially exacerbating long wait times for American veterans. “Joe Biden is putting illegal immigrants over America’s veterans,” Tuberville said in a statement. “It is outrageous. Our veterans should not be forced to wait in long lines at VA medical centers and clinics to get the care they EARNED while illegal immigrants waltz across our open border and get taxpayer-funded healthcare they NEVER earned.” VA’S ROLE IN MIGRANT MEDICAL CARE DRAWS SCRUTINY FROM ADVOCATES AS BORDER CRISIS INTENSIFIES “Joe Biden’s failed border policies have created a humanitarian and national security crisis. Now it appears he’s taking resources away from our veterans to facilitate healthcare for illegal migrants,” Bost said in a statement. “As a Marine, I believe any dollar taken away from a veteran is a promise broken to those who served.” When an illegal immigrant in ICE detention requires healthcare, they are typically treated on-site by medical professionals. However, if a specialist or emergency care is required, they may be transported to an independent private provider. VETERANS PLAGUED BY ERRORS IN HEALTH BENEFIT SYSTEM DUE TO COMPUTER MISHAP In such cases, ICE contracts with the VA’s Financial Service Center (VA-FSC) to process reimbursements to those providers. According to a report from July, ICE has hundreds of letters of understanding in which ICE’s Health Service Corps (IHSC) will reimburse providers at Medicare rates. That uses the VA-FSC’s Healthcare Claims Processing System — a portal that allows providers to submit and view claims and access other resources. The arrangement long predates the Biden administration. It was outlined in a 2020 memo during the Trump administration, and the VA previously told Fox News Digital that it has an interagency agreement with the IHSC since 2002 to provide processing. The agency stressed that it is not the VA that either provides healthcare or pays for it. SENATE DEMS SAY ANY CHANGES TO ASYLUM SYSTEM MUST BE COUPLED WITH AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “VA does not provide or fund any health care services to individuals detained in [ICE] custody. At no time are any VA health care professionals or VA funds used for this purpose,” VA press secretary Terrence Hayes told Fox News Digital earlier this month. “[IHSC] provides and pays for all health care services for individuals detained in its custody.” Joining Tuberville and Bost in sponsoring the bill are Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), along with House Reps. Keith Self (R-Texas), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa). Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Weather update: Dense fog predicted in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, UP, rains in southern states; check latest IMD forecast
From Friday till the end of this week, there may be light to moderate rainfall in several locations along with sporadic thunderstorms and lightning over Kerala, Mahe, and Tamil Nadu.
Hamas survivor refutes progressives downplaying terrorists’ sexual violence
A recently released Hamas hostage’s revelation of sexual violence against her fellow captives appears to refute anti-Israel progressives who tend to downplay or dismiss terrorists’ atrocities. Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48, was held hostage by Hamas with three of her children for 51 days following the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israelis. Her husband and eldest daughter were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the attack. CNN HOST CLASHES WITH PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT OVER HAMAS’ USE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE: ‘YOU TURNED IT BACK TO ISRAEL’ Goldstein-Almog and her children were released by the terror group, and the wife and mother gave an interview with the Israeli press on Dec. 11 about her time as a hostage. During her interview, Goldstein-Almog revealed she heard firsthand accounts of sexual violence from other female hostages by their Hamas captors. “I heard the testimony directly from girls and heard things second hand,” Goldstein-Almog said. “Some of the sexual violence happened well into our time in Gaza, not in the first week.” “But the way their bodies were desecrated, they don’t know how they will deal with that. It happened weeks into their time in Gaza,” she said. “If they were released earlier, they would’ve been saved from experiencing sexual violence,” Goldstein-Almog added. Goldstein-Almog said they “heard three stories firsthand of women saying they were sexually abused and we heard an additional story.” She added that “presumably, there are more instances” of sexual violence by Hamas. The former hostage also said she “was threatened once when they thought I was wandering around and looking free” in the first apartment they were taken to and that “there was a threat that” she would “be handcuffed, but it didn’t happen.” “I said I have kids and nothing happened to me,” Goldstein-Almog said. “It was the only time I felt under threat [of sexual violence].” A spokesperson for the Biden administration State Department noted earlier this month that one of the reasons Hamas does not want to release women hostages is because “they don’t want those women to be able to talk about what happened to them.” Many American progressives have been largely silent on Hamas’ sexual violence against Israelis, while some have downplayed or dismissed the reports of sexual assault. Briahna Joy Gray, a former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, tweeted earlier this month, “‘Believe all women’ was always an absurd overreach: woman should be heard, claims should be investigated, but evidence is required.” “The same is true of the allegations out of Israel,” Gray wrote in a Dec. 4 tweet. “But also, this isn’t a ‘believe women’ scenario bc no female victims have offered testimony.” “Zionists are asking that we believe the uncorroborated eyewitness account of *men* who describe alleged rape victims in odd, fetishistic terms,” Gray continued in a subsequent tweet. “Shame on Israel for not seriously investigating claims of rape and collecting rape kits,” she added. Progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was torched after she clashed with CNN’s Dana Bash over the lack of widespread condemnation of Hamas’ use of sexual violence against Israeli women during the Oct. 7 attacks. The Washington state Democrat suggested that wasn’t true, and claimed she had already condemned Hamas’ treatment of women, before quickly turning the conversation back to Israel. “But I think we have to remember Israel is a democracy. That is why they’re a strong ally of ours. And if they do not comply with international humanitarian law, they are bringing themselves to a place that makes it much more difficult strategically for them to be able to build allies, to keep public opinion with them, and frankly, morally, we cannot say that one war crime deserves another. That is not what international humanitarian law says,” Jayapal said. “With respect, I was just asking about the women, and you turned it back to Israel. I’m asking you about Hamas,” Bash said. The lawmaker said she had already answered the question and added, “We have to be balanced about bringing in the outrages against Palestinians. Fifteen thousand Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, three-quarters of whom are women and children.” “And it’s horrible,” Bash said. “But you don’t see Israeli soldiers raping Palestinian women.” “I don’t want this to be the hierarchies of oppressions,” Jayapal said. Jayapal has since issued a statement “unequivocally” condemning “Hamas’ use of rape and sexual violence as an act of war.” “This is horrific and across the world, we must stand with our sisters, families, and survivors of rape and sexual assault everywhere to condemn this violence and hold perpetrators accountable,” Jayapal said. Neither Jayapal nor Gray immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck contributed reporting.
Hunter Biden faces backlash after defying subpoena with press conference ‘stunt’: ‘Hold him in contempt!’
Hunter Biden is facing intense backlash after holding a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday in which he refused to sit for a deposition before Congress, and declared his father, President Biden, was never “financially involved” in his business dealings. Calls to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress began almost immediately following the end of the press conference, while other critics pointed to the claims concerning his father’s relationship to his business dealings as “goalpost shifting.” “They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire life to public service,” Hunter said. “For six years I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here.” He added that “my father was not financially involved in my business,” saying he was not involved in his dealings with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, or his Chinese investments and others in the United States. HUNTER BIDEN WILL NOT SIT FOR DEPOSITION BY GOP, SAYS FATHER NOT ‘FINANCIALLY’ INVOLVED IN HIS BUSINESS “We have moved from Joe Biden saying he never discussed business with Hunter to a new argument of Joe Biden wasn’t financially involved at all with Hunter’s business & most media haven’t covered the changing stories. Hold Hunter in contempt & impeach Joe,” OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis wrote on X. “Hunter Biden refuses to comply with [Rep. James Comer’s, R-Ky.] subpoena to be deposed behind closed doors and demands a public hearing so he can tell sob stories on TV. Reminder that Don Jr. testified behind closed doors for over 40 hours about the Russia hoax. Hold him in contempt!” conservative commentator Greg Price wrote. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee quickly reacted on social media, pushing back against Hunter’s “stunt.” Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., both echoed those calls to hold Hunter in contempt, accusing him of mocking Congress with a “stunt,” and calling his refusal an “obstruction of justice.” “Hunter Biden, this ain’t Burger King. You can’t Have It Your Way when it comes to congressional subpoenas. Quit the stunts, make your way to the deposition room, and let’s talk,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., wrote. CALLS GROW FOR CONGRESS TO SUBPOENA JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S FLIGHT LOGS DESPITE DEMOCRAT ‘STONEWALLING’ Donalds also responded to Hunter’s claim he was being targeted by “MAGA Republicans,” declaring, “‘MAGA Republicans’ did not impugn Hunter Biden’s character. Hunter Biden did that to himself.” “What’s Hunter Biden so afraid of?” wrote Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. “This is one HELL of a new qualifier from Hunter Biden. Hunter now says, “My father was not financially involved in my business” FLASHBACK: Joe Biden used to say he has never talked about business with his family. This is a major shift from the Bidens,” GOP communications strategist Steve Guest wrote. WH SPURNS BIDEN FAMILY ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ AHEAD OF LIKELY IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY VOTE, HUNTER BIDEN DEPOSITION Abigail Jackson, the communications director for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., echoed Guest, noting that “we’ve gone from Joe Biden claiming he never even discussed business with Hunter to Hunter claiming Joe was never *financially* involved in his business. Big goalpost shifting and lots of lies from the Bidens.” “First, Joe Biden had no knowledge, then he had no involvement, and now he has no ‘financial’ involvement. Time to explain ‘10 held by H for the big guy,’ the reported bank records showing a money trail to Joe Biden, and Hunter’s messages saying Joe Biden financially benefited,” Republican National Committee strategic communications director Tommy Pigott wrote. Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Home Ministry directs to launch security review in Parliament as opposition raise concerns at all-party meet
Home ministry was asked to launch a security review of Parliament as members of the opposition at an all-party meeting demanded a thorough probe into the incident of two persons jumping into the Lok Sabha chamber.
U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether to restrict abortion drug next year
Mifepristone has been used to terminate pregnancies after FDA approval 20 years ago. A federal judge in Amarillo attempted to ban it by suspending its regulatory approval. This is the first time the high court will decide an abortion case since its overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Supreme Court takes challenge to Jan. 6 charge that could have implications for Trump
The Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to weigh in on Jan. 6 rioters’ case disputing an obstruction charge that could have implications for one of former President Donald Trump’s criminal cases. The justices agreed to review a lower court’s ruling that revived a charge against three defendants accused of obstructing an official proceeding. That charge refers to the disruption of Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith also brought an obstruction charge against Trump, among four counts brought against the 2024 Republican primary front runner. Trump’s trial in that case is slated to begin March 4th, but the Supreme Court’s decision to hear this case could impact Trump’s trial start date. SUPREME COURT AGREES TO DECIDE ON ABORTION PILL ACCESS, APPROVAL PROCESS Over 300 people have been charged by the Justice Department with obstructing an official proceeding in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. This case stems from three defendants – Garret Miller of Dallas, Joseph Fischer of Boston, and Edward Jacob Lang of New York’s Hudson Valley. A lower court judge earlier dismissed the obstruction charge against three defendants, ruling that their conduct didn’t warrant that charge. WHY JACK SMITH APPEALED DIRECTLY TO SCOTUS, WITH TRUMP TRYING TO DELAY CASE PAST THE ELECTION U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols found that prosecutors stretched the law beyond its scope to inappropriately apply it in these cases. Nichols ruled that a defendant must have taken “some action with respect to a document, record or other object” to obstruct an official proceeding under the law. Biden’s DOJ challenged that ruling, and the appeals court in Washington, D.C. agreed with prosecutors in April that Nichols’ interpretation of the law was too limited. SUPREME COURT: TRUMP MUST RESPOND TO SPECIAL COUNSEL’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY PETITION BEFORE CHRISTMAS Other defendants, including Trump, are separately challenging the use of the charge. Over 1,200 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the riot, and more than 650 defendants have pleaded guilty. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in this case in the coming months and issue a ruling by the summer. The Associated Press contributed to this report.