Tag Archives: Dareh Gregorian

NBC News: Former Trump lawyer Alina [“Bimbo #4”] Habba’s appointment as U.S. attorney for New Jersey was ‘unlawful,’ judge rules

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The federal judge found that Habba “unlawfully held the role” of the state’s top prosecutor for more than a month.

A federal judge on Thursday found that acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s appointment was “unlawful” and her actions since July as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey may be declared void.

“The Executive branch has perpetuated Alina Habba’s appointment to act as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey through a novel series of legal and personnel moves,” U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann wrote in a 77-page ruling.

“Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,” Brann added.

Because the former Trump lawyer is “not currently qualified to exercise the functions and duties of the office in an acting capacity, she must be disqualified from participating in any ongoing cases,” the judge wrote.

Brann said his order is on hold pending appellate proceedings, meaning it will not take immediate effect to allow the Trump administration time to appeal the decision.

In his ruling, Brann cited numerous issues with how Habba was appointed. She was initially named interim U.S. attorney by President Donald Trump on March 24, replacing another person who’d been named interim U.S. attorney three weeks earlier.

Habba was sworn in on March 28, but interim appointments are capped at 120 days. Trump nominated her to be the permanent U.S. attorney on June 30, but the “Senate did not act,” Brann noted.

On July 22, the judges of the District Court of New Jersey invoked their statutory power to appoint a new U.S. attorney — Habba’s deputy.

“Trump Administration officials were not pleased with that appointment,” Brann noted, and “conceived a multi-step maneuver” to keep Habba on the job.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi fired Habba’s successor and appointed Habba as “Special Attorney to the Attorney General” and then named her to the opened deputy spot, which allowed her to become acting U.S. Attorney.

Brann found the moves were improper, and a way to sidestep the Senate’s role in the process. He also found that Habba hadn’t legally been appointed deputy, and that her appointment as interim U.S. attorney expired earlier than the government maintains it did.

The challenge to Habba’s appointment came from two criminal defendants, and the judge found she was disqualified from having any involvement with their cases.

Abbe Lowell and Gerald Krovatin, the attorneys for one of the men, said in a statement that Habba’s “appointment ignored the rules that give legitimacy to the U.S. Attorney’s office. We appreciate the thoroughness of the court’s opinion, and its decision underscores that this Administration cannot circumvent the congressionally mandated process for confirming U.S. Attorney appointments.”

The Justice Department and New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Brann, a Republican who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, is chief judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and was specially designated to hear the case.

The ruling comes on a day when Habba scored a huge legal victory dating back to her time representing Trump — an appeals court dismissed the New York attorney general’s $500 million fraud judgment against the president.

Habba, who’d been one of the attorneys on the case, posted about the ruling on X earlier in the day, calling the fraud action against him “politically motivated” and “legally baseless.”

“President Trump won — and justice won with him,” she wrote.

Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba’s appointment as U.S. attorney for New Jersey was ‘unlawful,’ judge rules
The federal judge found that Habba “unlawfully held the role” of the state’s top prosecutor for more than a month.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/alina-habba-former-trump-lawyer-new-jersey-us-attorney-unlawful-rcna226417

NBC News: White House reviewing Smithsonian exhibits to make sure they align with Trump’s vision

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The president signed an executive order this year ordering the removal of “improper ideology” from the museum system.

The White House is conducting an expansive review of the Smithsonian’s museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary to ensure they align with President Donald Trump’s view of history.

The assessment, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed to NBC News, will include reviews of online content, internal curatorial processes, exhibition planning, the use of collections and artist grants, and wording related to museum exhibit messaging.

The Smithsonian Institution includes 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo.

News of the review was outlined in a letter sent Tuesday to Lonnie Bunch, the institution’s secretary. White House senior associate Lindsey Halligan, Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley and White House Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought signed the letter.

“This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the president’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,” the letter says.

It directs officials at eight museums — including the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture — to turn over information about their current exhibits and plans to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary in the next 30 days.

Within 120 days, museums “should begin implementing content corrections where necessary, replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across placards, wall didactics, digital displays, and other public-facing materials,” the letter said.

“Additional museums will be reviewed in Phase II,” the letter said.

The review, which the letter said will include “on-site observational visits,” is aimed at making sure the museums reflect the “unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story” and reflect the president’s executive order calling for “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”

That order, which was signed on March 27, calls for removing “improper ideology” from the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo.

“This is about preserving trust in one of our most cherished institutions,” Halligan said in a statement. “The Smithsonian museums and exhibits should be accurate, patriotic, and enlightening — ensuring they remain places of learning, wonder, and national pride for generations to come.”

The Smithsonian said in a statement Tuesday that its work “is grounded in a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history.”

“We are reviewing the letter with this commitment in mind and will continue to collaborate constructively with the White House, Congress, and our governing Board of Regents,” the statement said.

NBC News reported in May that historical leaders and critics were questioning why exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall were rotating out. NBC News found that at least 32 artifacts that were once on display had been removed.

Among those items were Harriet Tubman’s book of hymns filled with gospel songs that she is believed to have sung as she led enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad, and the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” the memoir by one of the most important leaders of the abolition movement.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History also recently made headlines after it removed a placard referring to Trump from an impeachment exhibit, sparking concerns over his influence on the cultural institution. Mention of his two impeachments was restored to the exhibit after criticism of the removal.

In a statement, the Smithsonian said that the exhibit was temporarily removed because it “did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation.”

“It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case. For these reasons, we removed the placard,” the institution said.

Trump’s executive order called for changes at the museum system, charging that the “Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

“[W]e will restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness — igniting the imagination of young minds, honoring the richness of American history and innovation, and instilling pride in the hearts of all Americans,” the order said.

Trump has also gotten more involved at another federally controlled D.C. institution, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He named himself the center’s chairman and fired the bipartisan board of trustees after vowing there would be no “anti-American propaganda” at there.

“We don’t need woke at the Kennedy Center,” he said in February.

House Republicans have moved to rename the center the “Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts,” but the law creating the center prohibits any of the facilities from being renamed.

Trump seemed to acknowledge the House effort in a post on Truth Social Tuesday.

“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS. They will be announced Wednesday,” he wrote.

White House reviewing Smithsonian exhibits to make sure they align with Trump’s vision
The president signed an executive order this year ordering the removal of “improper ideology” from the museum system.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/white-house-reviewing-smithsonian-exhibits-make-sure-align-trumps-visi-rcna224588

NBC News: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem struggles to define habeas corpus at Senate hearing

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“Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country,” Noem said. “That’s incorrect,” a Democratic senator responded.

My God, how stupid is this woman?

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mangled a response to a question about habeas corpus at a Senate hearing Tuesday, referring to the constitutional right of due process as a “right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.”

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., asked Noem about the constitutional protection after noting that White House adviser Stephen Miller told reporters earlier this month that the administration was “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus, the right to challenge an arrest or imprisonment.

“I want to clarify your position,” Hassan asked. “What is habeas corpus?”

“Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country, and suspend their right to … ,” Noem responded before she was cut off by Hassan.

“That’s incorrect,” the senator said.

“Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people. If not for that protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no reason,” Hassan said, calling it a “foundational right.”

“So Secretary Noem, do you support the core protection that habeas corpus provides, that the government must provide a public reason in order to detain and imprison someone?” she asked.

Noem responded, “I support habeas corpus. I also recognize that the president of the United States has the authority under the Constitution to decide if it should be suspended or not.” 

Uhh … no, he doesn’t.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem struggles to define habeas corpus at Senate hearing
“Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country,” Noem said. “That’s incorrect,” a Democratic senator responded.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/rcna207986