November 29, 2017
How Fox News Host Judge Jeanine Pirro Became Trumps Wartime Ally
The judge who President Donald Trump listens to and respects the most doesnt sit on the Supreme Court. She has a show on Fox News that airs on the weekends.
Jeanine Pirro, a former district attorney who hosts Justice with Judge Jeanine on the conservative cable-news giant, is among an exclusive club of right-leaning, Fox-affiliated hosts whom President Trump not only tunes in to regularly but also consults privately for advice on political and policy matters. And its not just Trump. Pirro also has become a confidant to the presidents family and those in his inner circle, as well.
The Daily Beast spoke with six sources who have come in and out of Trump-world during his political rise. All regard Pirro as a Trump whisperersomeone who the president sees as a good friend and wartime ally, as one White House official described.
Last week, The New York Times reported that Pirrowho had been interviewed during Trumps presidential transition for the role of deputy attorney generalmet with the president in the Oval Office on Nov. 1. During that meeting, she blasted Attorney General Jeff Sessions for, among other alleged missteps, not investigating the widely disproven Uranium One scandal.
According to the Times, Pirro told Trump that a new special counsel should be appointed to investigate the issue, which is based on the faulty premise that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unilaterally approved a uranium deal in exchange for donations to her familys foundation (in reality, the State Department was one of nine votes). The non-scandal has had tremendous reach in conservative-media circles, including Pirros own program. Via a Fox News spokeswoman, Pirro told the Times that everything I said to President Trump is exactly what Ive vocalized on my show.
A source briefed on the meeting confirmed the detail in the Times story to The Daily Beast and added that the two also talked about the presidents own Russia-related troubles and the related investigations, Clinton in general, President Barack Obama, former FBI Director James Comey, and alleged media bias against Trump and his team and supporters.
The White House press office and Pirro did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
Beyond that meeting, Pirro has visited the Trump White House on multiple occasions and conducted a friendly interview with the president in the West Wing for her show in mid-Mayjust a few days after Trump fired Comey.
Trump is a fan and an avid viewer of Justice, which airs on Saturday nights, and has tweeted support for Pirro and her show. The feelings are clearly mutual.
During the 2016 presidential race, Pirro was often spotted swinging through Trump Tower by campaign staff, to show support and bounce around ideas with aides and Trump family members.
Following the publication in October 2016 of the infamous grab em by the pussy tapewhich kicked off a flood of sexual-assault and harassment allegations against Trumpscores of Republicans and conservatives distanced themselves from the future president. But not Pirro.
[Trumps] words are disgusting, devastating, and embarrassing, she said in an Opening Statement, shortly after the Access Hollywood footage came out. Its the kind of locker-room and frat-house talk that personally infuriates me. But guess what? I still, without a doubt, support Donald Trump.
Trump ended up surviving the infamous video and the sexual-misconduct allegations. And the month before he was inaugurated, Pirro celebrated on-air by declaring: The man is going to deliver, its a new era.
Since the start of that new era, Pirro has been seen by the administration as a top ally and advocate. Clips from her show are known to circulate within the White House and among senior staff, as well, including a monologue that aired in late Marchafter the initial House version of Trumpcare tanked spectacularlyin which Pirro called on House speaker Paul Ryan to quit his job.
I want to be clear, Pirro underscored, this [failure] is not on President Trump.
Over time, Judge Jeanine has ingratiated herself with the Trump clan as well, including Eric Trump, Lara Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. Pirro hosted Trump Jr. in-studio in June to aggressively trash Comeys conduct and character, and to give cover to the president as he was facing the beginning of the chaos and blowback resulting from the FBI directors firing.
The family loves her, absolutely, a Republican close to the White House and Trump family said. When Eric and Lara had their new baby, she was messaging with them about how blessed they were.
Pirro is no stranger to politics. In 2005, she launched a campaign to unseat Clinton from the U.S. Senate, only to drop her bid amid poor fundraising and a similarly bad public response. Later, she ran to be the attorney general for the state of New York, only to lose to Andrew Cuomo.
Whether or not a return to politics is in her future, Pirro remains close to the people best positioned to help make such a run happen. Earlier this month, she had a sit-down with Steve Bannon, the Breitbart chairman and Trumps former chief strategist, at his Washington, D.C., house on Capitol Hill, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
I think shes fantastic, Darrell Scott, a Cleveland-area pastor and alumnus of Trumps presidential transition team who still works with the administration, texted The Daily Beast. Brilliant, articulate, friendly and a fast driver.
The pastor was referencing the news that Pirro was ticketed after being clocked driving an astonishing 119 mph in a 65-mph zone in upstate New York early Sunday afternoon.
I had been driving for hours to visit my ailing 89-year-old mom and didnt realize how fast I was driving. I believe in the rule of law and I will pay the consequences, Trumps favorite judge said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-fox-news-host-judge-jeanine-pirro-became-trumps-wartime-ally
January 2, 2018
Porn Industry Looks Back on One Year Under President Trump: I Dont Feel as Protected
by MeDaryl • Cars • Tags: Bullying, Censorship, Donald Trump, Harassment, Internet pornography, Porn, Pornographic film, Pornography, Republicans, Russia, Sex
Porn stars wiggled and jiggled, peddling their flesh to online consumers via webcam as IRL fans gaped behind booths and velvet ropes during the annual AVN Adult Entertainment Expo held in Las Vegas earlier this year. At the same time, over two thousand miles away in Washington, D.C., a man who believes in grabbing women by the pussy was sworn into office, sending a ripple of fear throughout the adult industry. Yes, few knew what to expect for 2017, the first year under the Trump administration.
Ill never forget when Trump came into office. It was during my very first virtual reality scene in Vegas. The news came as a shock and nightmare, recalls adult actress Alex Harper. Even for someone like me who is work-oriented and driven, it was hard for anyone to concentrate.
Despite having appeared in a softcore porn, distaste for the former reality-TV star turned president morphed into an unprecedented loathing among porn stars, and in 2017, formerly open supporters of Trump clamped down as fear of losing work kept them quiet. (Even now, adult stars hesitate to comment on politics, often declining interviews at the mere mention of Trump.) Accused of breaking the cardinal rule of consentgroping one of porns leading ladies without permission (or consequence)the porn industry rallied behind Jessica Drake, with #notmypresident hashtags creating a hostile divide between Republican and Democratic-leaning adult stars. Politics became a shameful secret, as conservatives in the industry were more apt to divulge closeted fetishes than risk being on the wrong side of porns majority.
It was the year politics became more intimate than sex.
Two months into the Trump administration, Russia declared war on pornblocking the popular porn company Brazzers, which according to a Russian court ruling had a purely negative impact on the human psyche. Panic ensued in the States over whether our own government would follow suit, given how the GOP platform branded porn a menace and public health crisis, and Trump idolizes Russian leader Vladimir Putin. A ban like that couldve crippled the online market, where adult companies are now more reliant on internet profits than DVD sales. With baited breath, the industry waited. And waited. Yet nothing happened.
Iconic porn company Evil Angel, one of the pillars of adult entertainment, remained steadfast, having already facedand been acquitted ofan obscenity charge in 2008 under the last Republican president. Evil Angels Chief Financial Officer Adam Grayson says 2017 was a great year for the company, noting that for the adult industry not much happened in the first year of Trumps presidency. Our team of directors continued to create market-moving content while we expanded our reach in many markets, he says. Sorry to say for all the alarmists out there, but the administration had no impact on any of it. Were hoping 2018 is even more exciting and profitable.
Business figures may not have been impacted but morale certainly was. Under the care of the Obama administration, the campaign of hope as some called it, porn stars had a sense of security that is currently lacking.
Anxiety about being a sex worker has increased under the current administration, according to adult actress Tasha Reign. She harbors concerns over whether or not women in the adult business will be granted the same rights and protections as other women. I feel like the country I live in has shifted, says Reign. I dont feel as protected as I used to. If I was raped at a party, would anyone believe me? Reign is concerned not just for the fair treatment of sex workers but for every marginalized group, and worries that minorities are less safe these days under President Trump.
Regardless of which side youre on, most would agree that Trump acts unpresidentialmocking fellow colleagues and name-calling online, thereby normalizing bully behavior. James Bartholet, whos played Trump in several XXX parodies, feels this is one of the ways in which Trump has negatively impacted the adult industry. The president puts these tweets out, setting a bad example, making it seem cool to be a bully, saying whatever you want online, says Bartholet. Bullying can be the cause of deep depression. Being in porn doesnt give us thick skin. Some of us are fragile and this online bullying has to stop.
Its damn near impossible to demand that people take online bullying seriously when the leader of our country obviously doesnt. Unfortunately, porn stars are easy, accessible targets for online harassment and earlier this month, porn superstar August Ames took her own life after receiving a slew of online death threats over a controversial tweet.
With over half a decade of experience in the adult business, Anikka Albrite doesnt feel much will change in the industry. Regardless of who is in office there will always be a storm to weathersome worse than others. Theres been a lot of panic and uncertainty with Trump in office, says Albrite. Whether its Trump or someone else who wants to shut us down, itll come up again and with a Republican government and Senate its more likely to be serious the next time around. Still, Albrite remains optimistic, hoping something good can come from current political pressureslike a pearl fashioned out of irritation in an oyster.
Albrites husband, three-time AVN Male Performer of the Year recipient Mick Blue, tends to agree with his wife. From a performers and directors standpoint, the adult business keeps chugging along with little variation. On the subject of politics, what the Austrian native finds most interesting is how little say people here have in the political system. In Austria the people who vote have more say in who gets elected, says Blue. In America you have the choice of two people who are essentially pre-elected by the political parties. Every year I hear people say the system should change but there seems to be little interest in changing it.
As this year draws to a close, the porn industry may be a little too relaxed. Trump, if anything, is unpredictable. With the repeal of net neutrality set to take effect in 2018, the adult industry may suffer yet. A popular adult content producer/performer in the UK, Harriet Sugarcookie, wants to remind American porn producers about the importance and impact future online regulations may have. Noting issues with porn production since the UK government has eroded internet freedom to attack the adult industry, Harriet SugarCookie says the measures taken in the UK have been more involved than what Trumps done to porn here in the U.S. I think everyone in America should keep an eye on how the new age verification laws are implemented in the UK as I think America could follow if this form of censorship is successful in the UK, says Sugarcookie. It would change how people are able to watch porn.
Such a change would drastically alter how the adult industry regulates and profits from content. Trumps made few efforts to cripple the pornography industry in his first year but theres still three years to go.
Its understandable as a sex worker to be cautious during Trumps presidency, says Alex Harper. He may be the President of the United States, but hes also the face of sexism, racism, ignorance, bigotry, and chauvinism. Those are valid reasons to be afraid of an average Joe, let alone someone with power. That is where the fear lies.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/porn-industry-looks-back-on-one-year-under-president-trump-i-dont-feel-as-protected