President Joe Biden has vowed to take steps beyond the ballot box to block former President Donald Trump’s reelection in November 2022. The sensational pledge comes ahead of the launch of an extraordinary legal attack against Trump and raises a key date that could undermine Biden’s denial of White House involvement.
The significance of that date, Nov. 18, 2022, had not been previously reported, but it has emerged as the catalyst for a remarkable series of events that has sparked a legal war against President Trump in jurisdictions across the country.
On November 18th, three events occurred in the White House, or with the White House’s knowledge and involvement, that have led directly to a significant escalation of the legal war against President Trump.
Trigger – Biden’s promise to stop Trump
During a press conference on Nov. 9, 2022, the day after the midterm elections and just days after Trump declared his candidacy, Biden was asked about the possibility of Trump running against him in 2024.
Biden’s response shocked the room.
“We have to show that he will not come to power if he runs. We have to make sure that under the constitutional due diligence, he will not become the next president again.” [sic]” Biden said.
Biden’s surprising pledge to use constitutional means to block Trump’s reelection and not defeat him at the polls appeared to kick off efforts across the country. Biden’s pledge immediately triggered a flurry of legal activity, with three key developments occurring on Nov. 18, just nine days after Biden called for blocking Trump’s reelection.
The significance of these three events and the timeline that followed strongly suggest a coordinated effort by the Biden Administration that has resulted in Trump being indicted in Manhattan, Florida, Washington DC and Atlanta.
A year ago, a reporter asked Biden what he would do if Trump ran for president again.
“We have to show that if he runs, he will not have power by ensuring that he will not be the next president again under the proper authority of the Constitution.” pic.twitter.com/GNm3LpZz5q
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 1, 2023
The events of that day played a key role in reviving a seemingly dead business records investigation, spawning multiple federal investigations led by rogue prosecutors and heating up the election interference case, leading to a flurry of indictments against Trump, millions of dollars in legal fees, disrupted campaign travel and the widely criticized verdicts leading to 34 convictions so far in Manhattan.
Garland appoints Jack Smith
The most widely publicized of the three events on November 18 was the announcement by Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland that he would appoint Jack Smith as special counsel, a highly unusual appointment.
Smith has a history of unsuccessful prosecutions of prominent politicians and is known for his willingness to use vague federal statutes and legal extremes to eliminate those he prosecutes. His victory in the public corruption trial of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was overturned by a unanimous 8-0 condemnation by the Supreme Court, and his prosecution of former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards ended in one acquittal and a mismatched verdict on the others. The Justice Department declined to try Edwards again.
Special Counsel Jack Smith speaks to reporters in Washington, Friday, June 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) revealed the extent to which Smith was involved in prosecutions targeting conservatives during the IRS scandals during the Obama administration.
Most significantly, Smith is known for using vague interpretations of the law to pursue his targets in an overly aggressive manner.
Smith’s appointment as special counsel, which many leading lawyers and former U.S. attorneys general consider unconstitutional, is highly unusual in that at the time of his appointment he was not a Senate-confirmed position. Special counsels are traditionally appointed by Senate-confirmed officials, usually U.S. prosecutors, as was the case with Robert Hur, who was appointed by Garland to investigate Biden’s retention of classified documents.
Before Smith was appointed by Garland, federal prosecutors were in a stalled investigation into the matter. The Justice Department had sought to indict President Trump on sedition conspiracy charges in the aftermath of Jan. 6, 2020. Department officials reportedly could not muster the evidence and ultimately chose not to prosecute Trump.
Smith immediately changed the Justice Department’s policy.
His pursuit of the highly unusual case in Florida over President Trump’s secret documents and the case in Washington over alleged election interference fits his reputation.
In Florida, Smith sued Trump under the Espionage Act, rather than the usual law for unlawful retention of classified documents, and in Washington, in an unprecedented move, he accused Trump of trying to overturn the election results, though Trump and many legal experts have accused Smith of deliberately misreading the law to justify the prosecution.
Both extraordinary lawsuits have faced significant obstacles and have been postponed multiple times, making it unlikely either will be resolved before the election.
Smith’s wife, Katie Chevigny, has a history of donating to Democrats, including Joe Biden and far-left Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and she also helped produce a documentary about Michelle Obama. Become.
Nathan Wade spends a day at the White House
While Garland was making his announcement at the administration’s podium, an incredibly unusual and lengthy meeting was taking place in the White House Counsel’s office.
Nathan Wade, the county’s top prosecutor for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, spent eight hours in the White House counsel’s office on Nov. 18. The meeting came to light during discovery in the Fulton County case when lawyers for one of President Trump’s co-defendants, Mike Roman, received a bill from Wade.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a press conference at the Fulton County Government Building in Atlanta, Georgia on August 14, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Wade’s billing records show he was in the White House on official business: He claimed expenses during a trip to Georgia, charging $250 an hour for an eight-hour shift at the White House.
The level of access to the White House is remarkable: There are roughly 2,400 elected county prosecutors, and very few of them have ever been invited to set foot on the White House grounds, much less meet for hours with the White House’s top lawyers.
Wade was hired by Fulton County solely to assist with the Trump investigation, and it is unclear what other official business he had during his official meetings with the White House.
Mr. Wade played a key role in reviving Mr. Willis’ stalled prosecution of Mr. Trump, which appeared to gain new momentum after his Nov. 18 meeting.
Just days after that meeting, on December 15, 2022, a special grand jury from Fulton County Indictment The case against Trump and his co-defendants. Trump was indicted a few months later, in April 2023.
Wade resigned from the Trump lawsuit earlier this year after details of his personal relationship with Willis became public.
The case has been postponed indefinitely after multiple issues emerged, including the relationship between Willis and Wade and allegations of a cover-up.
Michael Colangelo leaves Biden administration for Manhattan district attorney’s office
The last of the three events on November 18th may be the most significant for Trump, but it has also been the least understood until now.
Deputy Attorney General Michael Colangelo, one of the nation’s highest-ranking law enforcement officials, has made a shocking move to become an assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in late 2022.
news broken Colangelo’s hiring was announced on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. If he gave two weeks’ notice, the standard for government jobs, and continued working at the Justice Department until joining the Manhattan district attorney’s team, Colangelo would have given his notice on Friday, Nov. 18 — the same day that Garland announced Smith’s appointment and his lengthy meeting with Wade and the White House Counsel’s office.
Matthew Colangelo (Department of Justice/Screenshot)
Colangelo was the third-highest-ranking official in the Justice Department as principal assistant attorney general at the time the Senate was considering the nomination of Deputy Attorney General Vanita Gupta. Colangelo’s decision to go from a high-ranking position with fantastic access to the White House and the potential for a sterling legal career to one with significantly less pay and prestige is unusual for an official in a city known for relentlessly pursuing both pay and prestige.
“This is roughly the equivalent of a four-star Army general resigning and joining the National Guard as a private,” said Will Scharf, one of Trump’s personal lawyers. Said Wednesday. “It’s a pretty crazy situation.”
“This is roughly the equivalent of a four-star Army general quitting his job and enlisting as a private in the National Guard.” Wilshire Matthew Colangelo left his No. 3 position at the Department of Justice to work for Alvin Bragg. pic.twitter.com/rYre1H3idY
— Live from Studio 6B (@lfs6b) June 5, 2024
Mr. Colangelo’s arrival in Manhattan coincides with a surprising resurgence of Trump investigative activity.
In early 2022, District Attorney Alvin Bragg The New York Times I got it. “He campaigned as the best candidate to take on the former president,” but he found himself at a standstill as he pursued Trump.
Mark Pomerantz, the special assistant on Trump cases, resigned from Bragg’s office in February 2022, frustrated with Bragg’s reluctance to continue pursuing the case after he had just taken office and struggled to find crimes worthy of prosecution.
But within weeks of Colangelo’s arrival in Manhattan, after multiple offices declined to file charges against Trump, the matter was reconsidered and charges were filed in April 2023, leading to Trump’s eventual conviction on 34 felony counts.
Trump is vigorously appealing that conviction.
Colangelo was highly critical of the case and gave his opening statement.
Mr. Schaaf, the Trump lawyer, sparred with ABC host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday over the Manhattan incident’s connection to Mr. Biden, but Mr. Stephanopoulos appeared unaware of any connection to Mr. Colangelo and flatly denied the possibility.
“What about the fact that Matthew Colangelo was standing over Alvin Bragg’s shoulder when he announced this verdict?” Scarfe told the stunned host, who paused for a moment before moving on to a new question.
Biden continues to deny any ties to Lauffer
Nov. 18, 2022, appears set to be a watershed moment in a generation of legal challenges against President Trump and in American political history.
Despite the evidence, Biden’s White House and campaign have consistently denied any coordination or direction from Biden or his team in the multiple charges against Trump and lawsuits in more than a dozen states seeking to use the 14th Amendment to keep Trump off the ballot.
Biden’s team even suggested they wouldn’t politicize the Manhattan trial, which was ongoing at the time, just hours before the campaign held a raucous news conference outside the courthouse.
On May 31, after Trump’s conviction, Biden was asked about his involvement in the legal battle against President Trump.
“Can you tell me? Donald Trump has called himself a political prisoner and has directly criticized you. What are your thoughts on that?” a reporter asked after President Biden defended Trump’s conviction in Manhattan.
In one of the most memorable scenes of all time, Biden flashed a toothy grin of satisfaction and slowly walked away.
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Bradley Jay is Capitol Hill correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter. translation:.
