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--:-- Host John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible. Financial geniuses. Monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit Progressive.com to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.
--:-- Host John Bickley: The judge in Donald Trump's New York hush money trial has delayed a decision on tossing out the case. It was really only brought in the first place to try to prevent him from being elected. And since it didn't succeed, I think it should land on the dustbin of history. Is the lawfare effort against Trump running out of steam?
--:-- Host John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, November 13th, and this is Morning Wire. The now-fired FEMA worker who told employees to avoid homes displaying Trump signs is speaking out. FEMA always preaches avoidance first and then de-escalation. So this is not isolated. And now that Republicans have secured the Senate, they vote today on which lawmaker takes the lead in that crucial chamber. This is a secret ballot. It should be an open ballot. I think that everybody in America should know who is voting for whom.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. With Trump in, we can finally exhale. But the fact of the matter is, our nation is broke, and that debt is a house of cards that can't quickly be dismantled. The strategy remains the same. Diversify your savings with Birch Gold. They'll help you convert an IRA or 401k into an IRA in physical gold. Now through Black Friday, get a free one-ounce Silver Eagle for every $5,000 purchased. Text WIRE to 989898 to get your free comprehensive info kit on gold investing. Trust Birch Gold, as I do, to protect your savings and secure your financial future. Again, text WIRE to 989898 today.
--:-- Host John Bickley: The New York hush money case was further delayed this week by Judge Juan Mershon. Here to discuss the latest developments in the Trump lawfare saga is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo. Hey, Amanda. So first, tell us about this delay ordered by Judge Mershon and what it means for the case.
--:-- Amanda Presta Giacomo: So Mershon was expected to decide yesterday on how a July Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, which was favorable for Trump, affected this hush money conviction. Trump's team wanted the conviction tossed on those grounds. Instead, Mershon froze the case until at least November 19th. He made that decision to give prosecution more time to respond to Trump's more recent request that the case be outright dismissed since he won the 2024 election.
--:-- Amanda Presta Giacomo: In an email sent to the judge, a Trump attorney said that a dismissal is necessary to avoid unconstitutional impediments to President Trump's ability to govern. That language is notable since it's the same reason those two federal cases against Trump are being dropped by the DOJ. Manhattan DA Elvin Bragg's office agreed to the delay and actually initiated the request for one, citing unprecedented circumstances, again, related to Trump's 2024 victory.
--:-- Amanda Presta Giacomo: Meanwhile, sentencing is still set for November 26th, but that date is now in serious doubt in light of these recent developments. So not entirely surprising, but still potentially significant delays here.
--:-- Amanda Presta Giacomo: What are the arguments for this case to be dismissed entirely? Well Trump team seems to be claiming that any continued prosecution is unconstitutional because it going to get in the way of Trump duties as president As I mentioned earlier it why the federal cases are being dropped They also cited the Supreme Court ruling on immunity for the case to be outright dismissed That view has been shared by other legal scholars, too.
--:-- Amanda Presta Giacomo: Coley Stimson from the Heritage Foundation said last week that a, quote, normal judge would have dismissed the case based on that immunity ruling, seeming to reference Mershon's hostility toward Trump. Morning Warrior also spoke to Harmeet Dillon, founder of the Dillon Law Group, about a potential dismissal. And here's what she told us.
--:-- Harmeet Dillon: He should dismiss this case. Should have dismissed it before. He knows it's an exercise in futility at this point. Trump's not serving any time in prison. If he wants to do the right thing and help unite the country, like everyone should be doing at this point, we should put an end in prosecuting people for their political beliefs and for their political leadership. Our side shouldn't do it. The other side shouldn't do it. Maybe he'll do the right thing.
--:-- Amanda Presta Giacomo: There are still other pending cases against Trump. What are the latest developments there? So the federal cases are not going to move forward. Special counsel Jack Smith, days after Trump's win, asked for a delay in the 2020 election interference case until December 2nd. That's so the DOJ can figure out its next move, likely winding down those charges.
--:-- Amanda Presta Giacomo: He's expected to leave his position before Trump takes office. Trump famously said that he would fire Smith in, quote, two seconds if he's still there when he gets to the White House. The DOJ, though, is still moving full speed ahead in prosecuting J-6 defendants. The department made that clear last week and said that Trump's win will not be affecting that.
--:-- Amanda Presta Giacomo: The federal case related to classified documents is currently on appeal by the DOJ after a Florida judge dismissed it. Then there's the state election case in Georgia. We're still waiting to find out if DA Fonnie Willis and her office will be allowed to prosecute Trump because of her apparent misconduct related to hiring her boyfriend, Nathan Wade, to be on that case.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Amanda, thanks for reporting. You're welcome.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: If I had needed this product, it's what I'd use. See how NetSuite can future-proof your business. And speaking of the future, download the CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at netsuite.com slash morningwire. This guide is free to you at netsuite.com slash morningwire. Again, that's netsuite.com slash morningwire.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: A FEMA supervisor who was fired after she ordered workers to skip houses with Trump signs is breaking her silence, and she's accusing the agency of scapegoating her. Marnie Washington said Monday that this kind of avoidance is widespread within the agency. Here with the latest details is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham.
--:-- Megan Basham: So, Megan, The Daily Wire, which produces this podcast, broke the initial story that in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Florida FEMA supervisor Marnie Washington directed her team to skip over homes that had indicators of Trump support in the yard. Now Marnie is speaking out. What is she saying?
--:-- Megan Basham: Well, she's saying that she was following FEMA directives that have also been implemented in other states. So she said in this interview that it's standard protocol in the agency to skip over some homes where workers believe they could experience unwelcome behavior or political hostility. And that was something that she called avoidance.
--:-- Megan Basham: And she suggested that Trump supporting homes are seen as potentially hostile. And that why she gave the order. And this is key. She said that she had the approval of her superiors at FEMA to do this. So for its part FEMA has completely disavowed Washington's actions. In a statement on Saturday, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called Washington's behavior reprehensible and said that it was a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.
--:-- Megan Basham: But Washington told podcaster Roland Martin that this was actually standard practice and probably occurred after Hurricane Helene in the Carolinas as well. This is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance, not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas.
--:-- Megan Basham: Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they do not know. But if you ask the DSA crew leads and specialists what they are experiencing in the field, they will tell you. And then to go along with that, an unnamed former FEMA official told the New York Post that skipping the homes of Trump supporters has been an open secret within the agency for years. But FEMA is completely denying that, basically saying that this was a rogue employee's decision, which she now forcefully disputes.
--:-- Megan Basham: So the organization is not supplying any hard evidence that Trump supporters were more dangerous than anyone else. But Washington herself did seem to draw a correlation between Trump signs and hostile behavior, though she didn't really go into detail. Once we start seeing a trend, for example, if they just so happen to have these Trump campaign signs in front of their home, and that's the characteristic that's coming along with that, we have to proceed with precaution.
--:-- Megan Basham: Washington claims that she's not a partisan. And she also claimed that if Trump supporters had come out asking for help, her workers knew to offer it. If any of those residents come outside, they have the Trump campaign signings and they say, hey, I want to register. We'll welcome them arms. We will let you register. Great. Wonderful. But we will not subject our people to continuous verbal abuse or hostile encounters.
--:-- Megan Basham: But I think it's important to note that she said FEMA decides to avoid certain homes due to community trends. So it's fair to say that Washington is accusing FEMA of throwing her under the bus here. Yeah, absolutely. That's what she's saying.
--:-- Megan Basham: The Daily Wire did reach out for comment before publishing that initial report and Washington provided no comment. But now after FEMA's response, she's coming forward. Clearly, she feels that they're scapegoating her. FEMA is very well aware of the incidents that take place, not just with my crew, but with all of the crews in the state that's declared. And instead of just saying, hey, this is how we're going to mitigate it to protect our people, they decided to fire me and make sure Donald Trump knows that they are loyal to him because they fear retribution.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Megan, thanks for reporting. Anytime.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Election Day may be behind us, but there's still one more race that has Washington in a frenzy. Who are the latest on the fight for Senate majority leader is Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice. Hey, Tim. So what can you tell us about this leadership battle?
--:-- Tim Rice: Yeah, John, today's the day we learn which senator will replace Mitch McConnell, the longest serving Senate leader in history, who's helmed the Republican conference since 2007. Utah Senator Mike Lee hosted a candidate forum for the three candidates yesterday and Senate Republicans will elect a new leader in a closed door vote later today.
--:-- Tim Rice: There are three candidates vying to replace McConnell. Florida Senator Rick Scott, Texas Senator John Cornyn, and South Dakota Senator John Thune. Scott, who was just reelected to a second Senate term, only declared his leadership bid in May, months after the two Johns threw their hats in the ring. That head start was one reason Scott was initially seen as an underdog, the other being his relative lack of experience.
--:-- Tim Rice: Thune, who's currently on his fourth Senate term, has been Senate minority whip, McConnell's number two, since 2021. Cornyn, also in his fourth term, preceded Thune as whip. But Scott gained an advantage in recent days thanks to endorsements from a number of crucial Trump allies, including Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson.
--:-- Tim Rice: Inside the Capitol, Scott has racked up endorsements from Senators Marco Rubio and Mike Lee and Florida Congressman Byron Donalds. So some momentum building for Scott in recent days. What could be behind that? Well, Scott's an outsider. Unlike Cornyn and Thune, he's seen as a bit of a renegade within the Republican Party.
--:-- Tim Rice: He ran an unsuccessful insurgent campaign to unseat McConnell as minority leader in 2022, saying at the time that the status quo was broken and big change is needed. Scott pledged to advance a bold conservative agenda and listen to Republican voters, a not so subtle dig at the so-called establishment leadership that McConnell represents.
--:-- Tim Rice: Scott has made similar promises this time around, saying the presidential election gave Republicans a mandate for change and vowing to change the way the Senate is run to get Trump's agenda done. All right, so Scott's outsider status seems like it's helping him a lot more this time around, but it's still anyone's game, correct?
--:-- Tim Rice: Yeah, that's right. Thune, who Musk called the top choice of Democrats, raised around $31 million for candidates this cycle while crisscrossing the country, attending over 200 campaign events. He's also got the endorsements of Senators Mark Wayne Mullen and Steve Daines, both of whom have Trump's ear. Cornyn raised $33 million for Republicans this cycle and has the endorsement of Missouri Senator Josh Hawley.
--:-- Tim Rice: So the Johns may not have the benefit of Scott's outsider status, but let's remember, being in leadership has its advantages too. Yeah, for sure. Now you've mentioned Trump a few times here. Obviously, the next Senate majority leader is going to work very closely with him. And so Trump is looming large in this race. Has he signaled his support for a candidate?
--:-- Tim Rice: He hasn't endorsed anyone outright, but he's not staying out of the race entirely. On Sunday, Trump said that he expects whoever replaces McConnell to greenlight recess appointments, a move that would allow Trump to quickly fill the ranks of his administration with his top choices without lengthy confirmation processes, something that dogged his previous administration.
--:-- Tim Rice: All three majority leader candidates quickly agreed with Trump, taking to social media to say that if chosen for the top spot, they will do whatever it takes to help Trump get his nominees through as quickly as possible. Well, it seems like a tight race, but we'll find out soon enough who Senate Republicans choose.
--:-- Host John Bickley: Tim, thanks for reporting. Thanks for having me.
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--:-- Host John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know. And now, a word from our sponsor. Z-Biotics is backed by a 100% money back guarantee. So if you're unsatisfied for any reason, they'll refund your money. No questions asked. So head over to zbiotics.com slash wire and use the code wire at checkout for 15% off.
