TV News LIES

Republican US representative Elise Stefanik – a staunch ally of Donald Trump who calls herself “ultra-Maga” – is ending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek re-election to Congress.

Stefanik wrote on X: “It is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York”.

Once considered the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for governor, Stefanik’s race became more complicated after Bruce Blakeman, the executive of Nassau county, entered the race. If she did manage to win the primary, she would have faced a tough battle to unseat New York’s Democratic governor Kathy Hochul, who has been polling far ahead in a state where Democrats far outnumber Republicans.

The state’s Republican chair, Ed Cox, said the party respected Stefanik’s decision and endorsed Blakeman. “Bruce Blakeman has my endorsement and I urge our state committee and party leaders to join me,” Cox said in a prepared statement. “Bruce is a fighter who has proven he knows how to win in difficult political terrain.”

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The latest tranche of files related to Jeffrey Epstein include more photos of the wealth adviser with rich and powerful people from all over the world.

The files released by the Department of Justice on Dec. 19 are in addition to previous releases from the House Oversight Committee, and a batch that USA TODAY received from the nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets.

Some of the records reviewed by USA TODAY are photos with no date, location, or other context. Other records are emails released in batches.

The names include a former president, famous entertainers, businessmen, and a former prime minister.

Former President Bill Clinton appears in multiple photos either with Epstein associates or with young women.

In one picture, a woman whose face is blacked out sits on the 42nd president's lap. Another photograph shows an unidentified person with their face blacked out along with Clinton in a hot tub. The former president is also seen in a picture swimming with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking and who women have accused of participating in their abuse.

Clinton rode on Epstein's private jet 26 times, according to a Business Insider analysis of flight logs.

Gates McGavick, a Justice Department spokesman, posted a Dec. 19 message on X that included the hot tub photo of Clinton in the hot tub with an unidentified person.

Clinton rode on Epstein's private jet 26 times, according to a Business Insider analysis of flight logs.

Gates McGavick, a Justice Department spokesman, posted a Dec. 19 message on X that included the hot tub photo of Clinton in the hot tub with an unidentified person.

"Beloved Democrat President," McGavick said in the post. "The black box is added to protect a victim."

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DoJ racing to redact documents ahead of deadline to release Epstein files - report

Congress has mandated that the Trump administration release a trove of Epstein-related files by tomorrow – and the Justice Department is racing to process thousands of pages of documents and images.

In an exclusive, CNN reports that the Justice Department is racing to redact thousands of pages in oder to protect victims, and address executive and legal privacy concerns. Per CNN, counterintelligence specialists “ were asked to drop nearly all of their other work”.

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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Wednesday that he will resign from the bureau next month, ending a brief and tumultuous tenure in which he clashed with the Justice Department over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and was forced to reconcile the realities of his law enforcement job with provocative claims he made in his prior role as a popular podcast host.

The departure would be among the highest-profile resignations of the Trump administration, coming as the firing of career agents has contributed to upheaval at the FBI and as Director Kash Patel faces continued criticism over his use of a government plane for personal purposes and social media posts about active investigations.

Bongino announced his departure, which had been expected, in a post on X in which he said he was grateful for the “opportunity to serve with purpose.” He did not say precisely when in January he would leave or reveal his future plans, but President Donald Trump, in response to a question earlier in the day about Bongino’s fate, said: “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.”

Bongino was always an unconventional pick for the No. 2 job at the FBI, a position that historically has entailed oversight of the bureau’s day-to-day operations and has been typically held by a career agent. Though he had previously worked as a New York City police officer and Secret Service agent, neither he nor Patel had any experience at the FBI before being picked for their jobs. But both came in pledging overhauls to an FBI they insisted had been weaponized against Trum

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Jack Smith, the former DOJ special counsel, claimed in closed-door congressional testimony on Wednesday that investigators had proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” that President Donald Trump “criminally” conspired to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Smith made the remarks in his opening statement to lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

“I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump’s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 election,” Smith said in his opening statement, which was obtained in advance by the Associated Press. “We took actions based on what the facts and the law required — the very lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor.

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley said Tuesday he is cutting ties with the professional wrestling organization, citing its close relationship with the Trump administration.

Foley, who’s long been critical of President Trump, said the president’s comments on the death of acclaimed actor-director Rob Reiner were the “final straw” compelling the wrestler to inform WWE he would no longer make public appearances on behalf of the company.

“While I have been concerned about WWE‘s close relationship with Donald Trump for several months — especially in light of his administration’s ongoing cruel and inhumane treatment of immigrants (and pretty much anyone who ‘looks like an immigrant’) — reading the President’s incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death is the final straw for me,” Foley wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

“I no longer wish to represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy,” he continued.

Foley said he told WWE talent relations Monday night that he “would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office.” He also said he would not re-sign his Legends deal when his contract expires in June.

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