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GOP allies argue Trump can’t get fair trial from Obama appointee in DC

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GOP allies argue Trump can’t get fair trial from Obama appointee in DC


Republican allies of Donald Trump are stepping up their attacks on Washington, D.C., District Judge Tanya Chutkan and the D.C. court itself, arguing it would be impossible for the former president to get a fair trial in the nation’s capital city.

Judge Chutkan’s ruling against Trump two years ago in a legal dispute over handing his presidential records to House investigators and the tough sentences the Obama appointee handed down to Jan. 6 defendants are drawing scrutiny and criticism from Trump’s allies. 

Her record of contributing money to former President Obama’s presidential campaigns and the political leanings of D.C.’s residents, who would serve on the jury, are also coming under Republican attack.   

A growing number of Republicans say the odds in the D.C. District Court are so stacked against Trump that a guilty verdict would lack legitimacy.

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“I don’t think any Republican much less any America-first type Republican could ever expect to have a fair trial in a D.C. setting with a D.C. judge and D.C. jury. It’s all meant to rubberstamp what they already want to see happen,” said Ned Ryun, the founder and CEO of American Majority, a national grassroots conservative group.  

“Of course it’s a rigged game. I think any fair-minded person would step back and say, ‘If you really want this to be a legitimate pursuit of justice, you would not be having it in D.C.,’” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair, I don’t think it will be legitimate.” 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused Chutkan of having “a reputation for being far left, even by D.C. District Court standards.” 

He noted that she had set aside “numerous federal death penalty cases” and “is the only federal judge in Washington DC, who has sentenced Jan. 6 defendants to sentences longer than the government requested.”  

Even Trump’s political rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, came to his defense by arguing that he won’t get a fair trial.  

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“Washington, DC, is a ‘swamp’ and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality,” he posted on Twitter.  

He argued that the “politicization of the rule of law” is causing national decline and pledged “to end the weaponization of the federal government.”  

The other federal case against Trump will take place in Florida under District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee. That case involves charges related to Trump keeping classified  documents at his estate at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

In the Jan. 6 case, Trump faces charges related in part to the mob of his supporters who invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to interrupt the congressional certification of the Electoral College vote. The mob marched near the District of Columbia District Court served by Chutkan, who was chosen as part of a random draw to preside over the Trump case.

None of this has stopped supporters of Trump from arguing it is unfair for him to be tried there, suggesting they see it as a strong political argument to make as he seeks another win in a GOP presidential primary.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a prominent Trump ally in the House, took aim at Washington’s overwhelmingly Democratic voter registration in her arguments.  

“Those are not his peers. Everybody knows this. Everyone knows he has no shot of a fair trial in the Washington, D.C., court system,” she said of the makeup of the District’s jury pool.  

“He’s being indicted for saying the election was stolen. You know who else said the election was stolen? Hillary Clinton,” she said, referring to an interview former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave in 2019 in which she dismissed Trump as an “illegitimate president” and accused him of voter suppression. 

President Biden carried Washington, D.C., with more than 92 percent of the vote in the 2020 election while Trump won only five percent. Clinton beat Trump in D.C. in 2016 with nearly 91 percent of the vote.  

Republican predict that Trump will almost certainly face a guilty verdict in a trial that takes place in Washington, D.C. They say he has a better chance of winning on appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court, depending on the makeup of any appellate panel that rules on his  case.  

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“The likelihood that a D.C. jury will vote to convict Donald Trump is exceptionally high and the facts don’t matter. The laws don’t matter. They hate him,” Cruz said on his podcast, “Verdict.” 

“That’s a big part of the reason why the Biden [Department of Justice] wants to bring this case in D.C., which means with a far-left judge and a far-left jury, there is a very real possibility that Donald Trump ends up being convicted,” he said.  

Cruz on Thursday retweeted a report that Chutkan had donated money to Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012 before she was confirmed to the federal bench in 2014.  

He predicted the conviction wouldn’t stand on appeal and that his case would ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.  

Trump on Wednesday called for the trial to be moved to West Virginia, a state he carried with 29 percent of the vote in 2020. 

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“The latest Fake ‘case’ brought by Crooked Joe Biden & Deranged Jack Smith will hopefully be moved to an impartial Venue, such as the politically unbiased nearby State of West Virginia!” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.  

Republicans are scrutinizing Chutkan’s record on the bench, especially her rulings in cases related to Trump and people who overran the Capitol on Jan. 6. 

In December 2021, she gave a five-year prison sentence to a Florida man who dispensed a fire extinguisher in the Capitol and threw it and a wooden plank at Capitol police. At the time, it was the longest sentence imposed on a Jan. 6 defendant.  

In another 2021 sentencing, she dismissed the prosecution’s recommendations that a defendant serve a period of home confinement as too light a punishment and instead sentenced the individual to 45 days in jail, proclaiming: “There have to be consequences for participating in an attempted violent overthrow of government.”  

Chutkan as the presiding judge will have the power to make hugely important decisions in the case, such as whether an appellate court should hear some of the process arguments before the trial goes to verdict.  

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She will also have say over the timing of the case and the penalty if Trump is found guilty.  

Trump’s legal team has sought to delay the start of his trial in the Southern District of Florida on charges that he violated the Espionage Act and conspired to obstruct the FBI’s efforts to recover classified documents from his Mar-a-Lago residence until after the 2024 election.  

Trump faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each of two counts of obstructing the vote certification proceedings.  

He also faces a maximum punishment of ten years in prison for conspiring against the right to vote and another maximum of five years incarceration for defrauding the United States. 

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Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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Washington, D.C

Bucks County man admits to killing mother after assaulting police officer in Washington, D.C., officials say

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Bucks County man admits to killing mother after assaulting police officer in Washington, D.C., officials say


NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) — A 49-year-old man admitted to killing his mother after he assaulted an officer in Washington D.C., the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said on Monday. 

The DA’s office said 49-year-old William Ingram was taken into custody in Washington for assaulting an officer and damaging a police vehicle and told several D.C. Metro officers he killed his mother, 82-year-old Dolores Ingram. 

So far, William Ingram has only been charged with stealing his mother’s vehicle. More charges will be filed against him at the appropriate time, the DA’s office said. Officials are investigating Dolores Ingram’s death as a homicide. 

Dolores Ingram was found dead Sunday morning inside a condominium on Beacon Hill Drive after Bucks County dispatchers received a call from the D.C. area to check on her well-being, according to the DA’s office. 

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Investigators found blood on a windowsill outside the first-floor condo and more blood smeared on the walls and windows, the DA’s office said. The furniture inside the condo “appeared in disarray,” according to officials. 

The DA’s office said officers had to force themselves into the home because the door was locked, and the living room appeared to have been cleared out. 

Officers inside the condo discovered Dolores Ingram under a pile of furniture and clothes, according to the DA’s office. The DA’s office said an officer noticed her foot, which was cold, and there “appeared to be no signs of life.” The DA’s office said Dolores Ingram appeared to have sustained severe head trauma. 

A witness told police they were awakened at 1 a.m. on Saturday to the sound of loud banging. The witness reviewed her home camera at 1:42 a.m. and told police she saw William Ingram running out of the condo shirtless, but he came back a minute later. 

Several hours later, the camera showed William Ingram leave the condo with a duffel bag and the witness didn’t see him since.

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The DA’s office said William Ingram left in his mother’s 2015 Honda Civic and left his vehicle in the condo complex’s parking lot. 

Investigators used license plate readers to track William Ingram at several locations traveling away from the condo, according to the DA’s office. 

Police couldn’t find Dolores Ingram’s key to her Honda Civic during a search of the condo, but they found a key fob for William Ingram’s car next to his mother’s body, according to investigators. 

An autopsy on Dolores Ingram will be conducted Tuesday. William Ingram remains in custody in Washington, according to the DA’s office. 

The homicide is under investigation by the Bucks County DA’s Office and the Northampton Township Police Department, along with help from the Metropolitan D.C. Police Department. 

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DC Fire and EMS brave the summer heat wave

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DC Fire and EMS brave the summer heat wave


WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — With soaring temperatures come tough conditions for D.C.’s brave men and women who are no strangers to the heat. On Monday, DC Fire and EMS crews were gearing up for an especially warm week in the District.

“If you can imagine a winter coat, sweatpants, boots, gloves and then a backpack full of lead on your back, and then you have to go into a building on fire,” said DC Fire and EMS Acting Assistant Chief of Operations Daniel McCoy of wearing 80 pounds of firefighting gear in high temperatures.

The already strenuous job is made even harder in the heat.

“Your core temperature is already starting to go up so you have less time to operate inside the building,” said McCoy.

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He says it’s an all-hands effort to keep their crews safe in the summer.

“We’ll rotate crews faster and earlier than we would if it were cooler outside, to make sure our firefighters don’t overheat,” said McCoy.

He says it’s also more common for the department to call for an additional alarm, or more trucks and personnel, to help fight fires in the summer.

Engine 5 in Georgetown is one of the department’s “rehab units,” dedicated to keeping crews comfortable and safe on scene.

“They set up a cooling station. They can help to monitor vital signs on site. Crews can have a snack and some water. The goal is to have the members to be ready as quickly as possible so that they’re able to provide additional service on the scene,” said McCoy.

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He said D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) also helps to coordinate cooling buses to provide respite for crews during long, strenuous firefighting efforts in the summer.

DC Fire and EMS also has additional ambulances staffed around the city this week ready to respond to increased calls for heat-related illness.



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7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Washington, DC in June 2024 – wyandottedaily.com

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7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Washington, DC in June 2024 – wyandottedaily.com


Washington, DC is a vibrant and exciting city with something to offer everyone. From its world-renowned museums to its stunning monuments, there’s no shortage of things to see and do in the nation’s capital. And while there’s no bad time to visit DC, June is an especially great time to experience all that the city has to offer due to many exciting events around the city.

So what are you waiting for? Book your trip to Washington, DC today and experience all that the city has to offer!

The weather in DC in June is typically warm and sunny, with average temperatures in the mid-70s. This makes it ideal weather for exploring the city’s many outdoor attractions, such as the National Mall and the Smithsonian museums. And with extended daylight hours, you’ll have plenty of time to see all that the city has to offer.

June is also a great time to visit DC because of the many special events and festivals that take place during the month. These include:

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1. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival

This free festival celebrates the traditional arts and culture of different regions of the United States, the United States, and around the world. It’s a great opportunity to learn about different cultures and see traditional crafts, music, and dance performances.

2. The Capital Pride Parade and Festival

This annual event celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and features a parade, festival, and other events. It’s a great opportunity to show your support for the LGBTQ+ community and celebrate diversity.

3. The National Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Season

The National Symphony Orchestra performs a variety of concerts throughout the summer at the Kennedy Center. These concerts feature a variety of music, from classical to pop to jazz. It’s a great way to enjoy a night of music under the stars.

4. The DC Jazz Festival

This annual festival celebrates jazz music and features performances by some of the world’s best jazz musicians. It’s a great opportunity to see some of the best jazz musicians in the world and experience the vibrant jazz scene in DC.

5. The Taste of DC

This annual food festival features food from over 50 of DC’s best restaurants. It’s a great opportunity to try some of the best food that DC has to offer and experience the city’s diverse culinary scene.

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6. The Washington Nationals Baseball Games

The Washington Nationals are DC’s Major League Baseball team. They play their home games at Nationals Park, which is located in the Navy Yard neighborhood. Catching a Nationals game is a great way to experience the excitement of Major League Baseball and cheer on the home team.

7. The Fourth of July Fireworks

The Fourth of July is a national holiday that celebrates the independence of the United States. In DC, the Fourth of July is celebrated with a spectacular fireworks display over the National Mall. It’s a great way to see the city’s iconic monuments and celebrate the Fourth of July in style.

Culture, Best Months to Visit, Nearby Transportation, Local Food, and Best Hotels

Culture

Washington, DC is a melting pot of cultures, with people from all over the world calling the city home. This diversity is reflected in the city’s many cultural institutions, such as the Smithsonian museums, the Kennedy Center, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. DC is also home to a vibrant arts scene, with many theaters, art galleries, and music venues.

Best Months to Visit

Washington, DC is a great place to visit year-round, but the best months to visit are April, May, September, and October. During these months, the weather is typically mild and pleasant, and there are fewer tourists.

Nearby Transportation

Washington, DC is easily accessible by plane, train, and car. The city is served by three major airports: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). Amtrak trains connect DC to cities all over the United States, and the city is also served by several major highways.

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Local Food

Washington, DC is a great place to try a variety of local foods. Some of the city’s most popular dishes include half-smokes, crab cakes, and mambo sauce. DC is also home to a number of great farmers markets, where you can buy fresh produce, meats, and cheeses.

Best Hotels

There are many great hotels to choose from in Washington, DC. Some of the city’s most popular hotels include the Willard InterContinental, the Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC, and the Mandarin Oriental, Washington, DC.

Conclusion

Washington, DC is a great city to visit any time of year, but June is an especially great time to experience all that the city has to offer. With its warm weather, special events, and festivals, there’s no shortage of things to see and do in DC in June. So what are you waiting for? Book your trip today and experience all that Washington, DC has to offer!



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