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Trump Surrogate: Trial Is Embarrassment of Abuses

Donald Trump campaign surrogate David Gelman told Newsmax on Monday that the business records case against the former president which started earlier in the day is a multi-level embarrassment for the Department of Justice.

"This is what they call, Eric, an embarrassment," Gelman said on "Eric Bolling The Balance." "And I'm sure you heard President Trump say that today, before he went into the court. It's an embarrassment. It's an embarrassment that he's there today. This is an embarrassment of the weaponization of the DOJ. This is just an embarrassment of the Justice Department in general."

Trump excoriated all of the power brokers involved outside of the courthouse Monday, saying, "This is a Biden witch hunt to keep me off the campaign trail. So far, it's not working because my poll numbers are higher than they've ever been."

Gelman added to that. 

"How can a person who is running for president of the United States, and winning and being at the top of that, now having to go to New York City and sit in court every single day — except Wednesdays — and now have to hear lies after lies about a potential, or an alleged crime, where the statute of limitations ran out five years ago?" Gelman told Bolling.

"Boggles my mind."

NYC Man Convicted Over Gunsmithing Hobby After Judge Says 2nd Amendment 'Doesn't Exist in This Courtroom'

Judge Abena Darkeh

A Brooklyn man has been convicted of 13 weapons charges after having been arrested and charged in 2022 for building his own firearms. Dexter Taylor’s ordeal could become a landmark Second Amendment case in light of the Bruen ruling handed down in the same year.

The jury found Taylor guilty of second-degree criminal possession of a loaded weapon, four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, five counts of criminal possession of a firearm, second-degree criminal possession of five or more firearms, unlawful possession of pistol ammunition, violation of certificate of registration, prohibition on unfinished frames or receivers. Two lesser charges, including third-degree criminal possession of three or more firearms and third-degree possession of a weapon, were not voted on.

Taylor, a 52-year-old New York native and a software engineer, discovered the world of gunsmithing years ago. He decided to take it up as a hobby and possibly turn it into a business later. However, when a joint ATF/NYPD task force discovered he was legally buying parts from various companies, they opened up an investigation that led to a SWAT raid and arrest. 

He is currently being jailed on Rikers Island as he awaits sentencing. Taylor’s conviction highlights the ongoing battle for gun rights. During an interview with Vinoo Varghese, Taylor’s defense lawyer, he detailed how Taylor’s trial proceeded and highlighted a distinct bias in favor of the prosecution.

Varghese described how Taylor became fascinated by weapon science during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which inspired him to take up his gunsmithing hobby. “He ended up building, I believe it was eight pistols and five rifles or six rifles, AR-style rifles, and then eight or nine Glock pistols that he built,” Varghese said.

In an interview prior to his conviction, Taylor told RedState:

I found out that you can actually legally buy a receiver and you can machine that receiver to completion, and you buy your parts and you put them together and you’ve got a pistol or a rifle. And once I saw that I was hooked. I was like, ‘This is the coolest thing ever. This is the most cool thing you could possibly do in your machine shop.’

From the beginning of Taylor’s trial, it was evident that the court would be biased against the defendant, according to Varghese, who explained that two judges presided over his case before the current official, Judge Abena Darkeh, took over.

The judge disrupted Varghese’s opening statement multiple times as he tried to set the stage for Taylor’s defense. Even further, she admonished the defense to refrain from mentioning the Second Amendment during the trial. Varghese told RedState:

She told us, ‘Do not bring the Second Amendment into this courtroom. It doesn’t exist here. So you can’t argue Second Amendment. This is New York.'

Varghese said he had filed the appropriate paperwork to “preserve these arguments for appeal” but that the judge "rejected these arguments, and she went out of her way to limit me.”

During the trial, the prosecution attempted to paint Taylor as a dangerous individual who was building dangerous firearms in his basement. In this vein, the prosecution objected to allowing Taylor’s family in the courtroom to show support, nor did they allow his upstairs neighbor, who knew about Tayor’s hobby, to testify on his behalf. Varghese described the prosecutor’s opening statement:

He opens up, and he says that Mr. Taylor had a parade of horror. He was building this horrible place. When they saw this horror that he was making under the noses of his neighbors because all of those guns intended to hit their targets, basically implying that he was going to do some harm with these things.

When Varghese countered this narrative during his opening statement, the judge interrupted him again. “There’s no crime here, there’s no allegation of violence,” Varghese recounted, saying, “I got up and said, ‘You’re going to learn what Dexter is, who he is. You’re going to learn that he never fired these guns.’”

The judge interrupted again and asked the lawyers to come to her chambers for the second time.

Varghese explained that he believed the only chance of having the case go in his client’s favor was through jury nullification, which occurs when members of a jury believe a defendant violated a law, but decide against prosecuting them because they disagree with the law itself, or other reasons.

Judge Darkeh attempted to shut this argument down and led the jury to believe they would face consequences if they did not vote to convict Taylor. In reality, this is not the case. Jury nullification is not illegal, according to Varghese.

“I actually argued that jury nullification is allowed because there is some law from the High Court of New York that talks about lawyers who made jury nullification arguments. And basically, they said that judges shouldn’t encourage it, but they can’t prevent it. I actually made a pitch directly to Judge Darkeh to allow me to argue during nullification. She, of course, rejected that.”

He added: “She basically said, ‘You must vote guilty’ without saying ‘you must vote guilty.’”

He characterized Judge Darkeh as “the most aggressive prosecutor in the room.”

On April 16, when it was almost time for the court to close for the day, the jury returned with a verdict. They found Taylor guilty of all but two counts. He was immediately taken into custody.

The lawyer described what happened after the verdict was read. “When the verdict was read, his mom started crying in the back, and he said to me: ‘Vinoo, please comfort my mother.’”

Varghese continued, saying Taylor also “turned around to his mother after the jury was done, he said to his mom, ‘God bless you, mom.’”

Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, and it appears Judge Darkeh will likely make an example out of him to send a message to others who might consider building their own firearms in New York, according to Varghese. He could be facing between 10 and 18 years in prison.

However, the battle is far from over. Both Taylor and Varghese are committed to fighting this case to the end – even if it means taking it to the U.S. Supreme Court. “We have a shot at winning in federal court,” the attorney said.

Taylor’s family has set up a GiveSendGo campaign to help with his legal fees.

To learn more about Dexter Taylor’s case, you can watch our interview with him below:

.@DoniTheDon_ and I had a very serious conversation with @futureradiocast about his gun case in New York City.

The government is trying to lock him up for 18 years for manufacturing his own firearms.

Check out this clip.

I'll be writing about this later with more detail. pic.twitter.com/ymEZmQR3SB

— Jeff Charles, An Awful Pundit🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) December 13, 2023

 

Chaotic Scene As NYPD Descends Upon NYU in Riot Gear, Arrests Dozens of Pro-Hamas Extremists

It’s another night in New York City, and these days, that means it’s another evening of radical pro-Hamas protesters taking over the campuses of once-proud institutions like Columbia University and NYU. Although folks like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) will try to tell you that the demonstrations are oh-so-peaceful, and President Joe Biden will try to claim that there are good people on both sides of the issue, the truth of the matter is that many of these activists are loudly pledging their allegiance to Hamas terrorism, condemning America, and shouting their hatred of Jews.

It’s sick stuff.

The NYPD finally had enough Monday night and descended in riot gear upon the unruly hordes at NYU to put a stop to the madness.

It was a chaotic scene:

It wasn’t only students who were arrested—it was radical professors (are there any other kind these days?).

Cops in riot gear cuffed the protesters – who are demanding NYU divest from holdings tied to Israel over the ongoing violence in Gaza — with zip ties and led them to police buses, the university’s student-run newspaper Washington Square News reported.

NYU faculty members linked arms and stood side-by-side to form a human barrier between a swarm of cops and student protesters, according to a video shared by a City reporter. The professors were the first to be arrested.

This crowd is not alone in feeling the consequences of their despicable behavior:

---

More madness:

Ilhan Omar's Defense of Daughter and Columbia Protests Just Makes Things Worse

Consequences Come for Ilhan Omar's Pro-Hamas Daughter, and Her Reaction Is Priceless

---

Wonder how your proselytizing will fare in jail, professor?

But the students got some tough lessons too:

The protesters—agitators, let’s call them—were warned that they were crossing the line:

…police blasted a message over a megaphone, ordering the group to disperse or face arrest for trespassing, according to the newspaper [the Washington Square News].

Once the cops moved in, they also tore down tents that students erected Monday morning as part of a “Gaza Solidarity” encampment at the private university’s Gould Plaza on West 4th Street.

Earlier in the day, NYU’s director of Campus Safety informed protesters that they would “face consequences” if they did not leave the encampment by 4 p.m., WSN reported. 

The agitators had breached security barricades, and that apparently was a bridge too far:

“With the breach of the barricades early this afternoon, that requirement was violated, and we witnessed disorderly, disruptive and antagonizing behavior that has interfered with the safety and security of our community,” Campus Safety head Fountain Walker said to the crowd at the encampment, according to the college paper. “If you leave now, no one will face any consequences for today’s actions — no discipline, no police.”

But they didn’t listen.

Protesters are still marching on the streets of Manhattan as of this writing. 

While one might find some sympathy for those suffering in Gaza due to the Israel-Hamas war, these agitators forget or ignore entirely that it was Hamas that brought on this battle with their savage, inhuman Oct. 7 attacks against the Jewish state, where they wantonly raped innocents and killed over 1,200 people. 

These “demonstrations” are a sad commentary on our society, and it’s incomprehensible that so many in our university system are openly celebrating terrorists and condemning the democratic countries of Israel and the United States.

Deplorable, as Hillary might say.

This story is still ongoing Monday night, and RedState will keep you updated as events warrant.

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Pro-Hamas Activists March on NYPD HQ After Police Dismantled NYU's Pro-Hamas Camp

In the words of fictional detective Alonso Harris, "Do you want to go to jail, or do you want to go home?” That’s pretty much the choice New York’s finest gave to the hordes of pro-Hamas supporters who gathered on the campus of New York University. Like their brethren at Columbia University, they established a terror camp (via NY Post): 

New York University students are jumping on the anti-Israel tent camp bandwagon. 

The downtown Manhattan university has become the latest pricey college to see students set up encampments on campus as they protest Israel and the war in the Gaza Strip. 

The protesters made camp across NYU’s Stern School of Business in Manhattan on Monday morning as they called on the school to divest from the Jewish state and push for an end to its campaign across the Palestinian enclave. 

The students were seen waving Palestinian flags on the streets and sidewalks, with others hanging up signs to “Honor the Martyrs of Palestine.” 

Unlike Columbia, NYU let the police do their job and restore order. At least that’s what I hope:

The police action has led to pro-Hamas activists marching on One Police Plaza, where they’re chanting “Flood 1PP.” That’s terrorist talk for 'attack:'

So, are these terrorist threats? They want to attack police officers. Also, I would hope the media would now see these pro-Hamas thugs are decidedly anti-peaceful regarding their demonstration here. Jewish students are fleeing and hiding for their safety. These clowns are now chanting about storming the NYPD headquarters. Does anyone in liberal America have a pulse on this because it's fairly obvious to everyone this is who the Democrats are.

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

 

If Columbia University's President Considers This a Form of Protesting, The Terror Camp Isn't Coming Down

There’s no way Columbia University’s quasi-terror camp will be torn down soon. An army of pro-Hamas students and now faculty have joined this egregious and heinous display of antisemitism. It has become the Left’s Charlottesville. The only thing missing from these encampments is tiki torches, but they follow the same script: kill all the Jews. 

Columbia College NYC
Columbia University staff walk out of work .

This is the problem at this school and every one of them should be fired. pic.twitter.com/Zvpr5ImzLs

— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) April 22, 2024

Why aren’t the police moving in as they did at New York University last night? Columbia is private property. They can’t do anything unless the president’s office gives New York’s finest the greenlight. That’s never going to happen, given President Minouche Shafik’s views on terrorism, which she feels is another form of protest: 

FLASHBACK: At an event just two months after 9/11, Columbia University's current president Minouche Shafik

 

remarked that terrorism "is a form of protesting" pic.twitter.com/UkSP4iqDZu

— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) April 22, 2024

So, for the many people who were wondering why Columbia University is silent on the antisemitic incidents and enabling pro-Hamas activism, that’s all you need to know. The Ivy League has a long and sordid history of antisemitism, with the initial phase mostly to maintain the institutions along white, Anglo-Saxon lines. Now, it’s to ensure that the terrorists on campus feel safe and have a platform from which to spread their hatred of Jews. These kids are going to run the country in some respect soon. That’s an even more frightening concept. 

Colleges have always leaned heavily toward the left. There was also a cadre of anti-Israel professors, or the weirdo sociology professor who felt pedophiles shouldn’t be persecuted, but they were always in the minority. It’s astounding how much has flipped in less than a generation. Now, it’s common for someone on the Left to promote terrorist propaganda, pedophilia apologist talking points, and engage in vicious antisemitism because that’s what’s required of you.

Video recorded a few minutes ago and sent to us by a Columbia University student.

The tent city is growing and student protesters have now declared that they have taken over the university, turning it into a “Peoples’ University”

🇺🇸🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/kj7vSjI71y

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 21, 2024

Further evidence that placating the pro-Hamas unsanctioned mob currently taking over Columbia is part of her core beliefs.

Resign now. https://t.co/soVUlOGyPM

— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) April 22, 2024

Those in Columbia who have legitimate authority over this campus either cannot or will not exercise their authority to put an end to this flagrant violation of campus norms.

— Ayaan Hirsi Ali (@Ayaan) April 22, 2024

 

Democrat Minnesota Senator Nicole Mitchell Arrested For Burglary

Nicole Mitchell, a 49-year-old Democrat state senator from District 47 in Minnesota, was taken into custody on Monday morning in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, on suspicion of first-degree burglary.

Mitchell has not yet been officially charged. 

“A woman living in the 700 block of Granger Road called police at 4:45 a.m. to report an active burglary at her home, Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd said. Officers responded to the scene and arrested the 49-year-old Mitchell, according to local outlet Star Tribune.

Although Mitchell was raised in Woodbury, Minnesota, she was born in Fargo, North Dakota. In January 2022, Mitchell declared her intention to compete for the Minnesota State Senate.

She was elected in November of the same year to represent MN District 47, which includes Woodbury and a portion of Maplewood, as a senator.

Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) released a statement regarding her arrest.

”Knowing very few details at this time, I am shocked by the news of Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s arrest for first-degree burglary. The public expects legislators to meet a high standard of conduct. As information comes out, we expect the consequences to meet the actions, both in the court of law and in her role at the legislature,” Johnson said.

“The Senate DFL Caucus is aware of the situation and has no comment pending further information,” the Senate DFL Caucus said in a statement.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

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Fetterman Endorses Mitt Romney To Be Next Harvard President 😆

Democrat Senator John Fetterman has endorsed failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney to serve as the next president of Harvard University.

On Monday, Fetterman (D-Pa.), who graduated from Harvard in 1999 with Master of Public Policy degree, endorsed an op-ed written in The Washington Post stating that: “Harvard is in an almighty mess. Let Mitt Romney clean it up.”

The op-ed, written by David Rosen, went on to say that Romney (R-Utah) would utilize his “unique bridge-building character” to break apart Harvard’s “age of toxic polarization.”

“As we saw with the disastrous congressional testimony of then-President Claudine Gay, leadership matters,” Rosen wrote. “The university president must be the flag-bearer of our values. There is no doubt that there are other Americans of similar standing and stature, but Romney’s unique bridge-building character is precisely what Harvard needs in an age of toxic polarization. A Harvard alumnus, he is an eloquent and experienced administrator who has consistently demonstrated his political independence in defense of what is right, rather than what is expedient.”

The university has been without a permanent president since December. Former Harvard President Claudine Gay stepped down from her position after mounting charges of plagiarism and lingering questions about her capacity to combat anti-Semitism on the college campus following her catastrophic congressional hearing on December 5^th.

Currently, Harvard University’s veteran provost, Jewish physician and economist Alan Garber, is temporarily replacing Gay in the role. He took office on January 2^nd, 2024.

Like Fetterman, Romney is an alum of the Ivy-League University. He graduated in 1975 with a Juris Doctor degree.

The senator will reportedly have much free time on his hands, as he announced back in September that he will not be seeking a second term in the U.S. Senate.

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