International
Justice gives a pause to the trial of Trump for the assault on the Capitol
Judge Tanya Chutkan agreed this Friday to give a pause to the trial facing Donald Trump in Washington for the assault on the Capitol to give time to the special prosecutor, Jack Smith, to evaluate how to proceed after the Republican’s victory in Tuesday’s elections.
The magistrate authorized the suspension of the pending deadlines and the Government to present by December 2 its deliberations on the way forward in this criminal case, as requested by Smith.
His petition states that he needs the remaining deadlines to be annulled to determine “the appropriate path” in line with the policies of the Department of Justice, which prevent investigating presidents while they are in office.
The accusation
Trump, who beat Kamala Harris on Tuesday, and will be invested on January 20, is accused in the District of Columbia for his attempts to reverse the results of the elections he lost in 2020 and having allegedly instigated the assault on the Capitol.
The request recalls that, as a result of those elections, it is expected that Trump’s victory will be certified on January 6 and that the investiture will take place on the 20th of that month.
Smith stressed that the prosecutor’s office has consulted with the defense lawyers and pointed out that they have not opposed the pause.
The prosecutor will present a report on the Trump case for the assault on the Capitol
According to The New York Times, Smith had already started discussions with members of the Department of Justice on how to move forward after the elections in the two federal cases against Trump: the assault on the Capitol and the accusation in Florida for having taken classified documents from the White House when leaving power.
The Republican said during the election campaign that on his first day as president he would fire Prosecutor Smith and order the Department of Justice to close the cases against him that, he claims, are motivated by political persecution.
On November 21, Trump’s lawyers were scheduled to present their documentation to the judge on why he should not be tried in Washington after the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents enjoy broad judicial immunity.
Smith indicated in his note that by December 2 he can submit a report with the result of his deliberations.
The special prosecutor has not yet requested a pause in the process in Florida. That case was dismissed on July 15, but Smith claimed on August 26 to a court of appeals that it be restored.
The messes of the future US president with the Justice
Trump faces four parallel criminal trials: those two federal and two others in local courts in New York and Georgia.
The only one where there is a conviction is the one he has in New York for falsification of commercial records to cover up a payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels, with whom he allegedly had an affair in the past, to prevent it from harming him in his 2016 campaign.
The goal of Trump’s team, according to NBC News this week, is to dismiss all cases against him. In New York, the possibility of postponing the hearing scheduled for the end of November indefinitely is also contemplated.
According to the US Constitution, a president cannot forgive himself in a state accusation, as happens in New York, and in the case of Georgia, where he is accused of electoral interference, the governor could not pardon him either.
NBC News pointed out that the Department of Justice seems to have assumed that neither the process in Washington nor the Florida process can take place in the near future and now after the elections it sees no room to continue with them.
International
Mexico Arrests CJNG Leader “El Jardinero” in Nayarit
Mexican authorities arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero,” on Monday during a naval operation in the western state of Nayarit, delivering another major blow to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Flores was considered one of the top regional leaders within the cartel and had reportedly overseen criminal operations along Mexico’s Pacific coast. Security analysts viewed him as a potential successor to slain drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera.
The arrest was carried out by Mexico’s Navy Special Forces in a planned operation, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch.
The United States Department of the Treasury had previously identified Flores as a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker,” while U.S. authorities offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture and extradition.
A U.S. grand jury indicted Flores in 2021 on charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.
His capture comes months after the reported death of “El Mencho,” an operation that Mexican authorities considered a priority due to the cartel leader’s alleged involvement in a 2020 assassination attempt against García Harfuch.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
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