The judge presiding over the civil case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James just ordered Donald Trump to pay $350 million in fines. Trump and his sons were also banned from operating or serving as officers of any New York business for at least two years.
 
This is an outrageous and blatantly obvious attempt by biased left-wing hacks to utterly destroy Donald Trump.  And you don’t have to take my word for it.
 
The Associated Press, not exactly a right-wing outfit, recently reviewed 70 years of New York civil fraud cases. Here’s what the AP concluded:
 
“Trump’s case stands apart in a significant way: It’s the only big business found that was threatened with a shutdown without a showing of obvious victims and major losses.”
 
This is clearly a case of selective prosecution, vindictive leftist lawfare, and political persecution. I hope and pray this verdict is quickly overturned on appeal. 



Sanctuary Churches
 
If you weren’t already angry enough over what’s happening at the border and because so many of our pastors aren’t involved in any issues outside their churches, there’s reason today to be even more angry about the border and a church that got involved in the wrong way.
 
Last month, you and every other American were given the finger after a mob of illegal aliens viciously beat two New York City police officers. Clearly, those newly arrived migrants weren’t in our country “just seeking a better life.”
 
But the effort to bring these thugs to justice has been a total fiasco. Of the seven illegal aliens charged in the assault, some were released without bail, and only two were put in jail and required to post bail. According to media reports, one is already out and the last detained illegal alien was just released.
 
You may recall that during the BLM riots, Kamala Harris, the vice presidential candidate of the Democrat Party, helped raise money to bail out the rioters. Well, other than being a terrible “Border Czar,” we can’t blame Kamala Harris for this.
 
A local Lutheran church posted the bail for this “cop beater.” The pastor told reporters, “Our church is basically a sanctuary. We assume that people are innocent until they are proven otherwise.”
 
I’d be really interested to learn if the pastor thinks Donald Trump is innocent or if people who came to Washington, D.C., on January 6th should be assumed innocent rather than hunted down all over the country.
 
Where is his mercy for the schools that are being overwhelmed?
 
Where is his mercy for the taxpayers who are being crushed by the financial burden?
 
Where is his mercy for the victims of criminal illegal aliens?
 
Has he ever put up money to help Angel Moms bury a child?
 
He doesn’t seem to care much about the innocent Americans who are being hurt, but only about the illegal aliens violating our laws.
 
Sadly, many religious organizations are actually helping to facilitate this invasion of our country.
 
 
 
Willis Goes Wild
 
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis found herself in an unusual position Thursday. Instead of asking defendants and witnesses tough questions, she was the defendant seated in the witness stand. And it was a wild hearing!
 
Reports out of the Atlanta courtroom are astonishing. If you want an example of the corruption that bedevils virtually every major American city, it was on full display in that courtroom Thursday.
 
Willis walked into the courtroom without a shred of remorse for her poor personal choices. She demonstrated no respect for the court and was repeatedly warned by the judge to tone down her overheated rhetoric.
 
The reason Willis was on trial is because she admitted to having a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, an outside attorney she hired to serve as a special prosecutor in the bizarre RICO case she brought against Donald Trump and multiple conservative activists.
 
Moreover, she rewarded her lover with an extremely generous contract (that would be taxpayer money). And he took her on lavish vacations. So, it appears as though she has financially benefited from the prosecution of Donald Trump and used it to pay off her boyfriend.
 
Among other things, Wade testified that he paid for the vacations with a business credit card and that Willis reimbursed him in cash, which she suggested came from her campaign account.
 
The timing of their relationship is important because Wade and Willis previously stated in court documents that they did not become romantically involved until 2022, after Willis filed charges against Trump. But a former friend of Willis’s testified Thursday that Wade and Willis were having an affair years before that.
 
In other words, the Fulton County district attorney lied to the court.
 
Many legal experts were stunned by Thursday’s proceedings. Some suggested Willis could be disqualified from this case, disbarred for her illegal and unethical behavior, and face prosecution for perjury. (By the way, she’s already been disqualified from one related case.)
 
Sadly, I doubt Willis fears the possibility of prosecution. If she is prosecuted for lying about her affair while trying to “get Trump,” I have serious doubts that a jury in Atlanta would convict her.
 
 
 
Putin Opponent Dead
 
There was sad news Friday morning that Alexei Navalny has died in prison. He was the last significant political leader who dared to challenge Vladimir Putin.
 
Navalny attempted to challenge Putin in the 2018 presidential election. But Putin and his allies began an aggressive lawfare campaign against him. He was charged with corruption, convicted, and banned from running for office. But the result of the election was never in doubt.
 
Navalny would periodically be dragged into courts, and subjected to what looked like “real trials.” But they were, in fact, show trials that Russia has always been famous for.
 
His family and supporters were routinely harassed. They were denounced as “Nazis.” The entire apparatus of the Russian intelligence services, whose first job is to counter any external threats, turned all their power against him, his family, and his supporters.
 
Navalny was censored by the Russian media, and there was at least one attempt to kill him. Of course, Putin denied any responsibility.
 
The Russian government wanted to make sure that Navalny couldn’t challenge its power again, so he was prosecuted and convicted again. This time, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
 
Wealthy oligarchs and other powerful forces in Russia said nothing to support him. The oligarchs are more interested in preserving their billions than in being a force for justice in Russia.
 
Friday morning, there was nonstop coverage on Fox News about his death. Many guests and some hosts were understandably angry. I am, too. It’s sad that there are authoritarian regimes like this. I am sad for his family.
 
But everything I just outlined above is being done to Donald Trump, to his supporters, to pro-life Catholics, to normal middle Americans exercising their constitutional rights, and to pastors who wanted to keep their churches open during COVID.
 
There is growing authoritarianism in our country today. Our intelligence agencies are conspiring with foreign intelligence agencies to take down a movement in America that seeks to stop the neo-Marxism of the left.
 
We are seeing in multiple cases how our legal system is being perverted for political purposes.
 
Here’s the bottom line: Russia has never been free. It was ruled by czars, then by communists, and today by the authoritarian Putin regime. We are not going to turn them into a democracy.
 
But America has always been free. Our history is the history of expanding freedom decade after decade. Until recent years, when powerful forces, including Biden and his allies, have been trying to methodically shrink our freedoms.
 
If someone wants to escape Putin, there is still a place like America to run to. But if we lose our liberty, there will be no place for us to go.
 
 
 
Good News 

• A California elementary school is canceling its $250,000 contract with the “Woke Kindergarten” program after a massive backlash. While this is an important victory, it is also a reminder of why parents and taxpayers must be informed and engaged. 

• Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita launched a new website for parents to report ideological indoctrination in school classrooms. 

• The largest Planned Parenthood abortion center in Des Moines, Iowa, has closed. 

• The New Hampshire legislature defeated efforts to enshrine abortion on demand in the state’s constitution. 

• An NCAA official has resigned in protest of radical transgender policies that discriminate against female athletes and permit “massive, authorized cheating” against girls. 

• The prayer app Hallow experienced a record number of downloads following its Super Bowl ad, and we can definitely use more prayer!