Publisher Scott Kaspar and Editor-in-Chief Mark Vargas each release op-eds on Newsmax calling for party to unite around Trump and call out injustice.

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Kaspar: Trump Faces Legal Challenges - GOP Silence Deafening ([link removed])
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Former President Donald Trump makes a statement at the end the first day of his civil trial at New York State Supreme Court on Oct. 2, 2023 in New York City. New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James is seeking $250 million in damages. (Source: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

While Donald Trump Challenges Bogus $18M Valuation of Mar-a-Lago in New York State Court, Establishment Republicans Remain Silent
By Scott Kaspar

Last Tuesday, New York judge Arthur Engoron found 45th president and presidential candidate Donald Trump, his sons Eric and Don Jr., and their business, the Trump Organization, liable for fraud ([link removed]) .

The crime?

Inflating the value of their assets to secure bank loans — loans that they repaid, on time and with interest.

And while none of the Trump Organization’s banks have been anything but pleased, Judge Engoron revoked the Trump Organization’s business certificates and has ordered the dissolution of its New York businesses, including the iconic Trump Tower on New York's 5th Avenue in Manhattan.

As President Trump stated on Truth Social ([link removed]) , the alleged fraud stems from financial statements submitted to banks with loan applications that provided valuations of Trump Organization assets.

Among the valuations that Judge Engoron has scoffed is that of President Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.

Relying on property tax assessments, the judge found that Mar-a-Lago is worth only $18 million ([link removed]) — far less than the valuations ranging from $427 million to $612 million included in President Trump’s financial statements.

Judge Engoron’s $18 million valuation of Mar-a-Lago demonstrates the intellectual dishonesty of his ruling.

Mar-a-Lago is a massive 20-acre estate and the only one on Ocean Boulevard that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the intercostal.

Hence the name, which translates to: "Sea to Lake."

We need only look at the recent land acquisition by Citadel founder and billionaire Ken Griffin to recognize that President Trump’s proposed valuation of Mar-a-Lago is spot on.

In an attempt to create his own version of Mar-a-Lago, Griffin has spent the past several years acquiring 8 adjoining lots ([link removed]) on Palm Beach Island totaling about 25 acres at a cost of $450 million — and that’s just for the land.

It's Griffin’s intention to build a
sprawling mansion ([link removed]) for himself and a separate home for his mother on the property.

Moreover, recent sales of lots located nearby Mar-a-Lago far exceeded $18 million for what amounts to less than two-and-one-half percent of the acreage.

And while President Trump and his supporters are outraged by the activist judge’s ruling, Establishment Republicans and their preferred presidential candidate, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., remain silent.

On the same night that Judge Engoron’s ruling came down, the RNC held its second Republican presidential debate.

Was there any outrage expressed by any of the candidates or any of the RNC officers?

No. Not one word was even mentioned.

Sadly, this comes as no surprise, because the first RNC presidential debate took place the evening of the same day when President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuiliani had been booked in Atlanta, Georgia for the crime of representing his client.

Not one word of outrage ([link removed]) was expressed by any of the presidential candidates.

In fact, Mayor Giuliani’s name never came up.

Judge Engoron’s ruling should be setting off alarms, and Gov. DeSantis and the other presidential candidates should stand in unity with President Trump, calling out this injustice.

After all, Gov. DeSantis said he will start slitting throats ([link removed]) of permanent Washington should he win the presidency.

The weaponization of our justice system is the single greatest existential threat to the fate of the American experiment.

We cannot be a system of law and order only when it’s in the political best interests of the party in power. Those are the tactics of communist China and Russia that DeSantis and the other Republican presidential candidates claim to oppose.

This must be our line in the sand.

It should not be partisan.

Democrats also should stand against the weaponization of the American system of justice, because if the injustice of Judge Engoron’s ruling against President Trump is tolerated now, those tactics can be equally applied against Democrats when the Republican Party next retakes the White House, if not in 2024.

The rules of the game will have forever changed.

That game must be won by those of us outside of the D.C. beltway. Fast.

Scott Kaspar is a lawyer licensed in Illinois, Iowa, Colorado, and California, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He regularly appears on television and radio, providing legal analysis. He also is the Publisher of Illinois Review, the largest conservative news source in Illinois.

© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Vargas: Uniting Around 45th President Means Nation Survives ([link removed])
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On Feb. 1, 2018, President Donald Trump spoke at the Republican National Committee (RNC) winter meeting at the Trump International Hotel, in Washington, D.C. (Source: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
By Mark Vargas

In many states, various athletic programs — including baseball, softball and football, have implemented a “mercy rule” that says a game must be called if one team is beating the other by a margin of 40 or more points.

In fact, from 1992-2003, Iowa high school football rules ([link removed]) stated that if a team was winning by a margin of 50 points or more — the game would end.

In 2003, the rules were changed. If a team held a 35-point lead or more, the clock would run continuously.

Either way — the point was to end the other team’s suffering as soon as possible.

The Republican National Committee should apply the same rule.

The frontrunner — by a long shot — President Donald Trump is leading his nearest opponent 63-12, according to the latest poll ([link removed]) .

Trump leads second place Ron DeSantis by 51 points.

Trump leads third place Vivek Ramaswamy by 56 points.

In fourth place, both Nikki Haley and Mike Pence are tied – and they trail Trump by 58 points.

In fifth place, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie trails the frontrunner by 60 points.

The GOP debates, which Trump is rightfully choosing to skip are falling flat as well --- and not just in ratings.

A recent post debate
poll ([link removed]) showed that an overwhelming majority of Republican voters support President Trump over any other Republican candidate – proving the debates to be a total waste of time and money.

Not to mention an embarrassment as Democratic voters watch the debates in amusement as candidates who trail the frontrunner by over 50 points, talk about “when I’m elected President.”

The “D” in “debate” now means “delusional.”

And a recent article in Forbes ([link removed]) highlighted that many of DeSantis’ major donors are abandoning ship.

In fact, out of 50 wealthy donors who previously supported DeSantis, 24 have chosen not to donate a single penny to his failing presidential campaign.

Why?

Because there is no path to victory.

Keeping the Republican candidates in the race only strengthens President Biden’s re-election campaign — and that can’t happen. Our country can’t sustain another four years of the Biden administration.

Think about it:

Team Biden has brought us socialism and tyranny, which has weaved itself into the fabric of our society.

Under the Biden regime, conservative voices are canceled and silenced.

Our southern border is out of control and illegal immigration is at all-time highs, thanks to the Biden administration.

Our nation’s 46th president has managed to embolden our enemies, and endanger our citizens’ lives at home and abroad.

Joe Biden has single-handedly brought us the most weaponized Department of Justice, deployed to weaponize political enemies.

Our major cities are no longer safe.

The lawful right to bear arms is under assault.

And under the Biden regime, every day, hard working Americans continue to struggle to pay their bills.

It’s time for the Republican Party to implement the “mercy rule” and bring an end to this charade and unite around the 45th president of the United States.

Our survival as a country depends on it, now more than ever.

From 2007-2010, Mark Vargas served as a civilian in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, traveling to Baghdad, Iraq 14 times. Follow Mark on X: @markavargas. Read Mark Vargas' Reports — Click Here Now ([link removed]) .

© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
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