Secy. Pompeo: We will defend Americans until last minute

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:45 PM PT – Sunday, November 22, 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration will continue to build a coalition in the Middle East.

In an interview Sunday, Pompeo touted the administration’s historic peace deals and predicted other countries will rally around Israel. He claimed many other countries in the region share common interests and view Iran as a common enemy.

In Saudi Arabia where I’ll meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. I look forward to discussing our efforts to counter terrorism, deter Iran’s malign influence, promote respect for human rights, and expand our two-way trade relationship. pic.twitter.com/q9dxiejx0L

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) November 22, 2020

Earlier this year, the administration brokered several peace deals, which promoted positive relations between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan.

“Our policy has been consistent for the entire time that President Trump has been in office,” the Secretary of State said. “We’ve delivered on every commitment that we’ve made to countries throughout the Middle East, we’ve protected Americans, we’ve built up partners who want to be on America’s side, who want to partner with the United States of America.”

Productive meetings today with Qatari Amir @TamimBinHamad and Foreign Minister @MBA_AlThani_. As I depart Doha, I’m confident that we can build on our efforts to bring greater security and prosperity to the region. pic.twitter.com/dw48v52mUz

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) November 21, 2020

Pompeo vowed to promote American ideals and partnerships abroad for as long as the administration remains in power.

 

U.S. withdraws from ‘Open Skies’ treaty with Russia

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he departs the White House in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2020. – Trump said Thursday that the United States is withdrawing from the Open Skies arms control treaty with Russia, accusing Moscow of breaking the terms. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:45 PM PT – Sunday, November 22, 2020

The U.S. formally announced its withdrawal from the ‘Open Skies Treaty’ due to Russian violation of the pact.

On Sunday, the United States officially exited the decades-old treaty. This came after the Trump administration first stated its intent to pull out of the agreement back in May.

STATE DEPARTMENT: Effective today, the United States is no longer a party to the Open Skies Treaty. pic.twitter.com/gNrzb3bOti

— Christina Bobb (@christina_bobb) November 22, 2020

The administration pointed to Russia as the catalyst of the move. They alleged the country barred surveillance flights over Russian territories.

Today, pursuant to earlier notice provided, the United States withdrawal from the Treaty on Open Skies is now effective. America is more secure because of it, as Russia remains in non-compliance with its obligations.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) November 22, 2020

The treaty permits a collection of 34 countries to perform unarmed surveillance flights over other countries to collect data on their military operations.

 

Giuliani: Sidney Powell Not Part of Trump Legal Team

Sidney Powell is not part of President Trump's legal team currently trying to overturn election results in several key swing states, his personal attorney Rudy Guiliani said in a statement released Sunday afternoon.

The statement comes after Powell provoked controversy in an appearance on Newsmax TV Saturday night in which she alleged massive voter fraud in Georgia saying there were possible pay-for-play kick backs to public officials, possibly even Georgia GOP Gov. Kemp for a late grant to use Dominion Voting Systems.

"Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump Legal Team. She is also not a lawyer for the President in his personal capacity," reads the statement signed by Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, Trump campaign senior legal advisor and personal attorney to the president.

Powell appeared as recently as last week at a press conference alongside Giuliani, Ellis and other members of the Trump legal team, and took a turn at the microphone.

The announcement was also was made a day after a judge dismissed the campaign's lawsuit seeking to halt Pennsylvania officials from certifying Biden's victory in the state, dealing a major blow to Trump's flailing efforts to overturn his Nov. 3 election loss.

Powell, a conservative activist and former federal prosecutor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump expressed concerns after the news conference that Powell’s claims were too outlandish and would distract from other legal arguments, a person familiar with the discussions said.

The president had referred to Powell as one of his lawyers in a Nov. 14 tweet.

"Rudy Giuliani, Joseph diGenova, Victoria Toensing, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis, a truly great team, added to our other wonderful lawyers and representatives," Trump said in the tweet.

Tucker Carlson, an influential Fox News host, on Thursday criticized Powell for a lack of evidence to support her claims.

"She never demonstrated that a single actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another. Not one," Carlson said.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa who won reelection in this month's vote, told a Fox News radio program on Thursday that Powell's allegations were "offensive."

Powell is currently representing Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn in his effort to end a long-running criminal case against him.

Reuters contributed to this report.

© 2020 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

 

Trump Appeals Rejection of Effort to Block Pennsylvania Vote

President Donald Trump's campaign on Sunday appealed part of a ruling that clears the way for the battleground state of Pennsylvania to certify Democratic President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the Nov. 3 election.

In a court filing, the campaign asked the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals to review a decision by U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann.

The campaign filed a suit earlier this month, asking Brann to halt the state from certifying the results.

Brann's ruling, issued on Saturday, described the case as based on "strained legal arguments" and "speculative accusations."

In a court filing, the Trump campaign said it was focusing its appeal on the "narrow" question of whether Brann improperly refused to let them amend their lawsuit a second time.

For Trump to have any hope of overturning the election, he needs to reverse the outcome in Pennsylvania, which is expected to certify its election results on Monday.

Brann had denied a request by the campaign to add back allegations it dropped from the case, including a claim that its due process rights were violated.

"NO AUTHORITY" TO BLOCK VOTES

Under Pennsylvania law, the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state gets all the state's electoral votes.

A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the election, and Biden leads in the electoral vote count by 306-232.

Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on Saturday that Brann's quick ruling would help them get the case "expeditiously to the U.S. Supreme Court."

The lawsuit before Brann was filed on Nov. 9 and had alleged inconsistent treatment by county election officials of mail-in ballots. Some counties notified voters that they could fix minor defects such as missing "secrecy envelopes" while others did not.

Brann said in his decision that he had "no authority to take away the right to vote of even a single person, let alone millions of citizens."

Brann, nominated by former President Barack Obama, is a Republican and, according to his biography, a member of the Federalist Society, a group of conservative and libertarian lawyers, law students and scholars.

The Trump campaign and its supporters have filed dozens of lawsuits in six closely contested states. The campaign's only victories extended the Election Day voting hours at a handful of polling places in Nevada and set aside some provisional ballots in Pennsylvania, according to court records.

 

Dominion Unlawful Voter 2020 Cartoons

 

Dominion Voting Systems fail to show up for state hearing

Carri Dusza, a supporter of President Donald Trump, holds a sign that reads “Legal Votes Only” while demonstrating outside of where votes are still being counted in Pennsylvania, seven days after the general election on November 10, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 2:45 PM PT – Saturday, November 21, 2020

GOP leaders in Pennsylvania criticized the voting system ‘‘Dominion’ after their lawyers failed to appear at a committee hearing.

On Friday, Rep. Seth Grove (R-Pa.) slammed ‘Dominion’ for being unwilling to defend their product publicly.

He also noted the company has not released any post-election analysis of their machines, despite there being over a million Pennsylvania voters who relied on the system to cast their ballot in November.

“I am saddened to report to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania and the 1.3 million voters who trusted Dominion Voting Systems with their ballots that Dominion has hung you out to dry and slapped you in your faces,” Rep. Grove stated. “Not only is Pennsylvania more skeptical, but the actions of Dominion Voting Systems last night have led credibility to their accusers’ accusations.”

The Trump legal team alleged a glitch in ‘Dominion’s’ software, which switched votes from President Trump to Joe Biden. Meanwhile on their website, ‘Dominion’ claims their system tabulated votes accurately.

MORE NEWS: Ga. Gov. Calls For Audit Following Election Results Certification

 

Trump Warns 'Massive Fraud' to Be Uncovered in Michigan Vote

The Real President Elect.

President Donald Trump on Saturday predicted "massive fraud" would be uncovered in balloting in battleground Michigan, firing off a pair of tweets suggesting the race there is not over.

The posts aimed to refute contentions of Michigan Republican officials, state House Speaker Lee Chatfield and state Senate President Mike Shirkey that Biden's victory would stand.

"Massive voter fraud will be shown!" the president pushed back.

In another tweet, Trump said the lawmakers' Friday statement was "true, but much different than reported by the media. We will show massive and unprecedented fraud!"

Biden currently leads Trump by more than 150,000 votes in Michigan, The Hill reported.

Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel and Michigan Republican Party chair Laura Cox bolstered Trump's fraud claims, writing a letter to urge the Michigan Board of State Canvassers to conduct an audit before certifying the election.

"This board faces a stark choice: it can either ignore numerical anomalies and credible reports of procedural irregularities, leaving the distrust and sense of procedural disenfranchisement felt by many Michigan voters to fester for years; or it can adjourn for 14 days to allow for a full audit and investigation into those anomalies and irregularities before certifying the results of the 2020 General Election, allowing all Michiganders to have confidence in the results," they wrote.

Republicans have made Michigan the center of claims of voter fraud after two Wayne County officials refused to certify votes.

© 2020 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

 

Trump Campaign Seeks Expedited Appeal of Dismissed Pa. Case

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar

Pennsylvania officials can certify election results that currently show Democrat Joe Biden winning the state by more than 80,000 votes, a federal judge ruled Saturday, dealing President Donald Trump's campaign another blow in its effort to invalidate the election.

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Newsmax TV's Mark Halperin via text Saturday night the expedited dismissal is helpful for filing an expedited appeal and potentially raising the case to the Supreme Court.

Campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis also pointed to the decision as a positive development in their effort to push the case relatively quickly to the Supreme Court. In a joint statement, they said they would seek an expedited appeal to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, turned down the request for an injunction by President Donald Trump’s campaign, spoiling the incumbent’s hopes of somehow overturning the results of the presidential contest.

In his ruling, Brann said the Trump campaign presented "strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations ... unsupported by evidence."

"In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state," the opinion said. "Our people, laws, and institutions demand more."

Trump had argued the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law was violated when Pennsylvania counties took different approaches to notifying voters before the election about technical problems with their submitted mail-in ballots.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar and the seven Biden-majority counties that the campaign sued had argued Trump had previously raised similar claims and lost.

They told Brann the remedy the Trump campaign sought, to throw out millions of votes over alleged isolated issues, was far too extreme, particularly after most of them have been tallied.

"There is no justification on any level for the radical disenfranchisement they seek," Boockvar's lawyers wrote in a brief filed Thursday.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, tweeted shortly after Brann's ruling, saying "Another one bites the dust."

"These claims were meritless from the start and for an audience of one," he said in a statement. "The will of the people will prevail. These baseless lawsuits need to end."

The state's 20 electoral votes would not have been enough on their own to hand Trump a second term. Counties must certify their results to Boockvar by Monday, after which she will make her own certification.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf will notify the winning candidate’s electors they should appear to vote in the Capitol on Dec. 14.

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