The Trump administration is experiencing an unprecedented move by federal judges who are overstepping their constitutional limits and ordering Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) against President Trump.  The judicial activism is in support of ongoing Lawfare operations within the deepest ranks of the administrative state.

Remember, Lawfare in its purest form is not designed to win the final legal battle. Instead, it is a construct to use the law to create obstacles that will eventually fall under higher judicial review; but the larger intent is to impede the presidency, stall the inevitable, and maintain morale for the political activists and their media support systems.  Lawfare is a political construct intended to manipulate public opinion.

In the Dellinger v Bessent case, where President Trump has fired Hampton Dellinger at Treasury, a three-judge District of Columbia, Circuit Court, have intervened and maintained a TRO against President Trump blocking him from removing Dellinger from his position as Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel, at the Treasury Dept. [CASE pdf HERE]

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C. issued a temporary restraining order on February 12, restoring Dellinger to his position pending a further, preliminary order.  The District of Columbia U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the administration’s appeal in a 2-1 decision on Saturday, saying it was premature, given that Jackson’s order was only temporary.

Judge Florence Pan and Judge J Michelle Childs, both activist robed women, ruled to maintain the TRO and deny injunctive appellate relief.  Judge Gregory Katsas dissented from the Lawfare decision saying while TRO’s are not usually appealable, in this instance the TRO violates the Article II constitutional power of the President to conduct his official duties.  [Dissent Outlined Below]  Katsas would have granted the government’s stay.

Regardless of the DC Circuit Court decision, Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris has now filed an “APPLICATION TO VACATE THE ORDER ISSUED BY THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND REQUEST FOR AN IMMEDIATE ADMINISTRATIVE STAY” with the Supreme Court. [pdf HERE] The application by Acting SG Harris relies heavily on the dissenting opinion of Judge Katsas.

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This is a good compare and contrast scenario.  Yesterday Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump delegation.  [SEE HERE] The bitterness, tension and anger in the room was palpable; this was a hostile meeting and the Ukranian team acted like they were meeting with enemies.

When you understand how corrupt the Ukraine officials are, and when you accept that President Trump is ending the funding to their family bank accounts, the Ukraine anger toward the Trump administration is understandable.  The Ukranian government officials hate President Trump with a passion.

Compare yesterday’s meeting to what you see below.  The U.S. congressional delegation (CODEL) to the Munich Security Conference consists of key Republicans (DeceptiCons) and corrupt Democrats who fund the Ukraine money laundry.  A process that includes kick-backs of the proceeds to the bank accounts of the Republicans and Democrats present.   Watch the greeting:

This is why our senators were too busy to get Kash Patel confirmed over the 3 day weekend.

They had much more important business in Munich sucking up to the little dictator and welfare queen Zelensky. pic.twitter.com/nkaC4K88JM

— Patriot Lady (@angelwoman501) February 15, 2025

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse even tells Zelenskyy, “You’re among friends here.”

Watch again without sound.  Expand full screen if on laptop. Notice how Adam Schiff (at the end of the table) is looking at the cameras, then playing it smart because he can see the optics are not good.  All of these congressional delegation members receive kickbacks as part of their indulgence package, many sit on the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Senators include: Chris Murphy, Roger Wicker, Sheldon Whitehouse, Lindsey Graham, John Cornyn, Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons, Thom Tillis, Chris Van Hollen, Joni Ernst, Elissa Slotkin, Adam Schiff, and one more I cannot quite make out, possibly Peter Welch.

Every one of these senators are working against the Trump administration, openly or under cover. Every one!

Roger Wicker was Pete Hegseth’s legislative confirmation guide and the republican Senator who went bananas yesterday when Secretary Hegseth said Ukraine would not gain NATO membership.  You will easily remember Joni Ernst immediate opposition to Hegseth also.

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With a party-line 12-10 vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee, FBI Director nominee Kash Patel is now set for the next phase of two votes in the full Senate. Majority Leader John Thune will now schedule a cloture vote to close debate and then a subsequent full senate confirmation vote.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, Kash Patel, won the approval of the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, clearing the way for a vote to confirm a director who has called for a radical reshaping of the nation’s top law enforcement agency.

In a 12-10 party-line vote, the panel approved Patel’s nomination despite deep reservations by Democrats who said he is unfit to lead the bureau.

“We are inviting a political disaster if we put Kash Patel into this job,” said the panel’s top Democrat, Dick Durbin.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, a Republican of Iowa, said Patel had been fully vetted and subjected to “relentless attacks on his character” throughout the confirmation process.

Patel’s nomination has not yet been scheduled for full Senate debate and votes. (read more)

According to Glenn Beck, on Kash Patel’s first day the confirmed FBI Director is going to release the list of Epstein clients.

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Earlier today the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Robert F Kennedy Jr 52-48, with Senator Mitch McConnell (U-DC) the lone Republican joining all 47 Democrats to vote against him. Kennedy made pledges to protect existing vaccination programs in a bid to secure votes of hesitant lawmakers.

Completing the journey to align Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) with Making America Great Again (MAGA), Secretary RFK Jr will now run a Health and Human Services agency that coordinates more than $3 trillion in healthcare spending. Also under Secretary Kennedy are the Medicare and Medicaid programs that provide health insurance for over 140 million Americans, along with the National Institutes of Health.

During his swearing in ceremony RFK Jr pledged to work to end chronic disease. Previously Kennedy said he wants to break any ties between employees at the U.S. drugs regulator and Big Pharma industry. Secretary Kennedy had high praise for President Donald Trump; saying, “God sent me President Trump” to fulfill his mission to turn the American system of health around. Swearing in ceremony below:

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Today, Robert F Kennedy Jr will become the first of this week’s trio of nominees to enter the arena.   RFK Jr was nominated for Secretary of Health & Human Services and his first day of inquisition occurs before the Senate Finance Committee.

The Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00am EST, with livestream links below.

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The House GOP is holding their planning conference in Doral, Florida.  President Trump is anticipated to attend and deliver remarks at 3:30pm EST.  Livestream Links Below:

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For 20-years we have called out the Machievellian nature of Mitch McConnell and his duplicitous agenda to support the UniParty apparatus in Washington DC.  Heck, even the name of this site, “The Last Refuge” came from our non-pretending association as to the nature of the root cause of our problems within the Republican apparatus.  Mitch McConnell has always been working for the other side.

Last night in the confirmation vote for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Mitch McConnell voted no.  In an almost identical way to former Senator John McCain refusing to repeal Obamacare, Mitch McConnell ends his time in the senate with a very planned, purposeful and public rebuke of President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the military.

Do not overlook that Senator McConnell intentionally waited, just like McCain, to cast his ‘nay’ vote until the end of the vote call.  McConnell did this with purpose and public intent, just like McCain.  Vice-President JD Vance then steps-in to a 50/50 vote to cast the tie-breaking vote.

Mitch McConnell now exits the chamber as Pete Hegseth is now confirmed despite him.

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President Trump was asked about Mitch McConnell’s vote as he departed California for the return to DC.  Video Below:

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The Democrats in the Senate are back to their old tricks of using delay tactics to stall President Trump’s nominees for cabinet positions.

The nomination of CIA Director John Ratcliffe passed out of the Senate Intelligence Committee with a vote of 14-3.  However, when the Majority Leader John Thune calls the Ratcliffe nomination to the floor for a full Senate vote, suddenly individual Senators start using procedural processes to delay the votes.

The issue is not about Ratcliffe per se’, without doubt Ratcliffe will pass a full senate confirmation vote without issue when it takes place.  The Democrats are using Ratcliffe to set the stage for delays in Pete Hegseth to be Defense secretary and Kristi Noem to be DHS secretary; along with a pending confirmation hearing set for Tulsi Gabbard (DNI) and Kash Patel (FBI).

This ultimately becomes the first test for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has previously said he would fully support a rapid confirmation process for all of President Trump’s nominees.  Former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did nothing to force the Upper Chamber to confirm, Senator John Thune does not want to be seen as following McConnell’s path.  WATCH:

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Leader Thune and Senator Barrasso (#2) are now pledging to keep the Senate in session until the nominees are confirmed.  This stops the Senators from going home but inevitably ends up on a game of attrition. Whose determination will last longest, the minority resistance or the Senate majority.

This activity in the Senate comes as the latest Presidential Tracking Poll shows a net approval of +14, President Trump’s highest approval rating ever.  The Democrats in the upper chamber are walking a narrow path of irrelevance; however, they are counting on their superiority in the Senate to outlast any negative public opinion.

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Stone cold and deliberate.  President Trump deliberately and with great intent, signed a massive number of pre-planned, organized, legally structured and laser focused executive orders while holding a press availability in the oval office.

You can review the Executive Orders Here.

As noted by Politico – […] [President Trump] spent 45 minutes taking dozens of questions from reporters in the Oval as he pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters — including those convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers and seditious conspiracy — and signed another swath of orders overhauling the federal government’s treatment of immigrants and withdrawing the country from the World Health Organization. “What a great feeling,” Trump said of returning back to the Oval. “One of the better feelings I’ve had.”

The pardons for J6 are for everyone.  The 15 sentence commutations noted are for those currently imprisoned after conviction with more under review.   The language of the J6 Pardons and Commutations is below:

This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.

Acting pursuant to the grant of authority in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution of the United States, I do hereby:

(a)  commute the sentences of the following individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, to time served as of January 20, 2025:

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Making the announcement Thursday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced Arkansas Republican Representative Rick Crawford would be the new Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).

As chair of HPSCI the position automatically elevates Rick Crawford onto the Gang of Eight, the legislative group that holds information within the legislative branch at the same level of information as the President.  Crawford now joins Mike Johnson, Tom Cotton and John Thune as the four republicans on the intelligence Gang of Eight.

Because of both the power and sensitivity of the HPSCI Chair position, the appointment comes directly from the Speaker of the House with no other member input.  Crawford is Johnson’s personal selection.

Additionally, Johnson announced the following members are added to the House intel committee: Ben Cline (Va.), Pat Fallon (Texas), Greg Steube (Fla.), Claudia Tenney (N.Y.) and Ann Wagner (Mo.).  Overall, a larger MAGA alignment on this very key intelligence committee.

WASHINGTON DC – […] The sea change on the panel is already triggering intense backlash from some Republicans on the committee and across the conference, who worry it’s a warning sign about the House’s willingness to stay independent of Trump. That’s to say nothing of Democrats, who fear the return of the partisan warfare that wracked the panel during Trump’s first term.

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