Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is pushing for Judge Juan Merchan to put President-elect Donald Trump's case on ice until after his presidency.Trump, who pleaded not guilty, was convicted by a New York City jury on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. His sentencing, which was originally slated for July, has been postponed multiple times.'A pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax.'Following Trump's presidential victory in November, Merchan agreed to allow the defense to file a motion to dismiss the case.Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued that the November election result was "a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANY's 'People,'" referring to Bragg. He further contended that moving forward with the case would be "uniquely destabilizing" for the country.On Tuesday, Bragg's office rejected Blanche's request to dismiss and argued that the case should be put on hold until the conclusion of Trump's presidency.The prosecution wrote, "President-elect immunity does not exist. And even after the inauguration, defendant's temporary immunity as the sitting President will still not justify the extreme remedy of discarding the jury's unanimous guilty verdict and wiping out the already-completed phases of this criminal proceeding.""No principle of immunity precludes further proceedings before defendant's inauguration. And even if judgment has not been entered at the time of defendant's inauguration, there is no legal barrier to deferring sentencing until after defendant's term of office concludes," the prosecution's filing continued.Bragg's office argued that issuing a stay in the case and waiting to sentence Trump in 2029 would exempt the president-elect "from any immediate obligations in this case during his time in office, while at the same time respecting the public interest in upholding the rule of law and preserving the meaningful aspects of the criminal process that have already taken place."Steven Chueng, Trump's spokesperson, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the prosecution's filing was "a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax.""This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed, as President Trump must be allowed to continue the presidential transition process and execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this, or any other, witch hunt," Chueng continued. "The sooner these cases end, the sooner our country can unite behind President Trump for the betterment of all Americans."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Republican congressman sounded the alarm about mysterious drones seen over New Jersey and laid out the case that they may have been launched from an Iranian "mothership."Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey made the comments on Fox News while speaking to host Harris Faulkner on Wednesday. He said he gathered the information from sources as a member of the Transportation Committee and the Aviation subcommittee. 'Whether it is Iran, and I think it very possibly could be, they should be shot down.' "From very high sources, very qualified sources, very responsible sources, I'm gonna tell you the real deal," said Van Drew. "Iran launched a mothership probably about a month ago that contains these drones. That mothership is off the east coast of the United States of America. They've launched drones, [from] everything we can see or hear," he added. "I don't say this lightly."At least 11 drone sightings were made near the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, with some described as drone clusters. Some have estimated that the drones were as large as SUV vehicles. Videos on social media appeared to show the drone clusters in the night sky. "Van Drew said that the possibility of the drones being from the U.S. military has been ruled out and that if they are from some foreign country or the work of a very sophisticated amateur, the drones should be shot down," he continued. "Know that Iran made a deal with China to purchase drones, motherships, and technology in order to go forward," Van Drew explained. "These drones should be shot whether it was some crazy hobbyist that we can't imagine, or whether it is Iran, and I think it very possibly could be, they should be shot down. We are not getting the full deal."He added that the military is on alert over the incidents.Van Drew had previously compared the drone threat to the infamous Chinese spy ballon incident from 2023. "First, a Chinese spy balloon drifted across U.S. airspace for a week," he said on social media. "Now, unidentified drones are flying over New Jersey, avoiding radar detection. Gaps in our airspace are being exploited, and because of it, the safety of Americans is at risk." On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri opined that the military was not being forthcoming about what the drones actually were. "If our government really doesn’t know what these giant drones are over New Jersey and our military bases, they’re even more incompetent than we thought. Time for them to level with us about what’s really going on," he wrote. Video of Van Drew's comments can be viewed on his YouTube account. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Rumors have begun circulating that President Biden will issue preemptive pardons for many people he believes Donald Trump will go after as president — including Dr. Anthony Fauci. “It doesn’t seem like you could do that, but they’ll try it anyway,” Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program” tells guest Senator Rand Paul. “I’ve sent referrals, criminal referrals, on Anthony Fauci twice to the Department of Justice without really a response. Merrick Garland hasn’t done his job; he’s probably been the most partisan attorney general we’ve ever had. I will send those referrals again if they preemptively pardon Anthony Fauci,” Paul explains. “It will seal his fate as the architect, author, and godfather of the pandemic,” Paul continues. “He’s the one that funded it; he’s the one that funded the research in Wuhan; he’s the one that allowed the research not to be scrutinized.” “There was a safety committee that was supposed to scrutinize dangerous research. It was set up because of fear of exactly this happening. There have been scientists talking about this for 20 years, worried that this is going to happen. Anthony Fauci sidestepped the safety committee and allowed this research to go on,” he explains. “Then when it came forward that he had done it, he was like, ‘Oh, nothing to see here, we didn’t really do it. Oh, well, we funded EcoHealth, and they funded Wuhan, but oh, nothing to see here,’” he continues. “And then he had the gall to say it wasn’t gain-of-function and it wasn’t dangerous. That’s a lie.” Which is why Paul doesn’t believe a presidential pardon will do much for Fauci at this point. “If the president pardons him, I think it’ll just cement his role in history as being the architect of gain-of-function,” Paul tells Glenn, who believes that this is where Trump’s appointed FBI director, Kash Patel, can come in. “I hope he releases just the raw evidence that has been gathered,” Glenn says. “You know, kind of like the Twitter files, where we can see all the stuff that has been classified that should be seen by the American people.” “The FBI did do their job. They did a report, and they said that they thought COVID came from a lab, that the virus or the pandemic started with a lab leak, but they haven’t released their report. They’ve been told to declassify it,” Paul says, adding, “I truly believe Kash Patel will look at that.” Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Police are investigating "Kill your CEO" graffiti spray-painted in white on multiple businesses over the weekend in Chicago, WLS-TV reported.The vandalism comes after the targeted, fatal shooting last Wednesday of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in New York City, the station said.'F*** him may he rest in piss.'As you might guess, it wasn't an isolated case.WLS in a related report said a New York Police Department bulletin was issued Tuesday warning of increased risk for health care executives and the possibility of copycat perps.The station, citing the bulletin, said online posts have listed the names and salaries of several health insurance executives, multiple "Wanted" flyers highlighting corporate executives have been posted throughout Manhattan, and social media users continue to celebrate Thompson's death.WLS said many social media posts have heralded shooting suspect Luigi Mangione as a "martyr" — and the NYPD encouraged companies to increase precautions and security for executives since Thompson's fatal shooting could "inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence."According to the station, the NYPD bulletin said "both prior to and after the suspected perpetrator's identification and arrest, some online users across social media platforms reacted positively to the killing, encouraged future targeting of similar executives, and shared conspiracy theories regarding the shooting."WLS said the bulletin called out a viral social media post listing the names and salaries of eight health insurance company CEOs and that some online users viewed it as "a hitlist and that CEOs should be afraid."The station added that the "Wanted" posters in Manhattan showed images of corporate executives and bullet-shaped graphics warning, "UnitedHealthcare killed everyday people for the sake of profit. As a result Brian Thompson was denied his claim to life. Who will be denied next?" and "Wall Street CEOs Should Not Feel Safe, Deny, Defend, Depose." Bullet casings found at the scene of Thompson's killing in front of a Manhattan Hilton hotel apparently were inscribed with words such as "delay” and “deny" which reportedly refer to health insurance claim denial tactics.WLS added that the bulletin also included examples of online users saying Thompson deserved to be murdered due to his role in the health insurance industry, such as: "My mom was denied chemo multiple times and suffered tremendously they missed her cancer for two years because she was constantly denied... she will have life altering damage because of it. F*** him may he rest in piss."Blaze News previously reported that just hours after Thompson was fatally shot, controversial, polarizing former Washington Post writer Taylor Lorenz posted online, "And people wonder why we want these executives dead."What's more, Lorenz doubled down on her comments, telling Piers Morgan of "Piers Morgan Uncensored" on Monday that she "felt, along with so many other Americans, joy" upon learning of Thompson's slaying.Glenn Beck, co-founder of Blaze Media, wrote an op-ed the day after Thompson's death that his killing "highlights a rising tide of anti-institutional rage" and that we have a choice "about whether we will uphold the principles of justice or descend into chaos."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed Wednesday that he will be resigning from his post before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20. Wray announced he will resign just seven years into his 10-year term in the aftermath of external pressure for him to step down, most notably from Trump. Trump has instead decided to nominate Kash Patel for the role, indicating to Wray that he would either have to resign early or be fired. 'It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me.'"My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work," Wray said.“It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me," he continued. "I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI."Trump nominated Wray to take over as FBI director in 2017 during his first presidential term. At the time, Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey after he launched the now-debunked investigation into the Russia hoax in 2016. Wray was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate in 2017, but this time around, Trump's nominees may have a harder time. Patel himself has taken to the Hill this week to meet with senators and to lock down the votes for his confirmation. Other Trump nominees, most notably Pete Hegseth, who was nominated to head the Department of Defense, have faced their fair share of scrutiny and pushback from establishment Republicans in the Senate. Trump's nominees like Patel and Hegseth can afford to lose only three votes from Republicans, assuming that Vice President-elect JD Vance participates in the vote as a tie-breaker. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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