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  • US attorney general defends not censoring special counsel on Biden memory

    US attorney general defends not censoring special counsel on Biden memory

    By Andrew Goudsward

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday defended himself against White House and Democratic criticism that he should have stopped a special counsel from discussing President Joe Biden‘s memory in a report on the president’s handling of classified documents.

    Special Counsel Robert Hur wrote that Biden, 81, might appear to any jury as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” in report last month that explained the decision not to bring charges against him for holding onto classified documents after leaving the vice presidency.

    “The idea that an attorney general would edit, or redact or censor the special counsel’s explanation for why the special counsel reached the decision the special counsel did – that’s absurd,” Garland told reporters at a press conference about a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit against Apple.

    Garland declined to say whether he thought Hur should have included an assessment of Biden’s memory, but noted that he committed to publicly releasing all reports by special counsels during his tenure.

    Hur found some evidence that Biden willfully retained sensitive government records after ending his eight years as vice president in 2017, but opted not to bring charges.

    The report ignited a political firestorm as it touched upon a core voter concern about the president’s memory as Biden seeks re-election. The White House and Democratic lawmakers blasted it as inappropriate from a prosecutor who declined to bring criminal charges.

    The White House declined to comment on Garland’s remarks.

    Donald Trump, the Republican candidate challenging Biden in the Nov. 5 U.S. election, has criticized the Justice Department for not charging Biden over the documents.

    Trump faces a federal indictment from a different special counsel for retaining classified documents, including some involving sensitive national security matters, after leaving office in 2021. Hur noted that Trump refused to hand them over, while Biden cooperated with investigators.

    Garland appointed Hur last year to lead an investigation after classified documents were found at Biden’s Delaware home and a former office in Washington. Special counsels, who are appointed to give sensitive investigations a degree of independence from the Justice Department leadership, typically release a report on their findings.

    Asked about the blowback from the White House, Garland noted that when Biden nominated him as attorney general, the president committed to the Justice Department’s independence and said the attorney general should not be “the lawyer for the president.”

    “I sincerely believe that that’s what he intended then, and I sincerely believe that’s what he intends now,” Garland said.

    (Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Will Dunham and Scott Malone)

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  • Trump eyes Sen. Marco Rubio as a potential VP pick

    Trump eyes Sen. Marco Rubio as a potential VP pick

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is moving up the list of former President Donald Trump’s potential vice presidential picks, according to six people familiar with the presumptive Republican nominee’s search for a running mate.

    Rubio is hardly alone in the field; the cast of hopefuls for the job is large enough to fill an entire season of “The Apprentice.” Trump estimated the number at 15 in a interview March 13 with Newsmax, and one of the sources said Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., are among those in the mix.

    “The list is long, and it’s extremely early in any kind of process,” a Trump adviser said. “No one has been directly reached out to yet, and I do not expect that for some time.”

    Two sources familiar with planning said there is a growing consensus around a June announcement of a vice presidential pick — at least a month before the convention — but there are no firm plans yet.

    But Trump’s apparent seriousness about Rubio, 52, a third-term senator, hints at his priorities and presents an intriguing set of potential complications.

    Rubio is young and telegenic, he has spent more time in federal office than Vice President Kamala Harris, and, at a time when Trump is bullish on his chances of winning over Latino voters, he would be the first nonwhite person ever to make a Republican presidential ticket.

    In other words, Rubio, the Miami-born son of working-class Cuban immigrants, looks good on paper and on television — a powerful combination for Trump.

    “It’s pretty clear from Trump’s orbit that Rubio is in play,” said a veteran Florida GOP operative. “It makes sense because he checks almost every box if they can get past both being from Florida.”

    The Constitution prohibits electors from voting for a president and a vice president from their own states.

    “The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves,” Article II, Section I, Clause 3 reads.

    But that didn’t stop Dick Cheney, a longtime Texan, from changing his residence to Wyoming in 2000 so he could run with Texan George W. Bush.

    It’s not clear whether Rubio would be interested in moving to be vice president, and he has raised the Constitution as a possible impediment — without fully ruling out the No. 2 slot — before.

    “We’re both from the same state, so that’s probably not going to work that way,” Rubio said when he was asked about joining a Trump ticket on Fox News in January.

    Spokespeople for Rubio and Trump both declined to comment for this article.

    Trump has declined to name candidates on his list, but he has given some insight into his thinking.

    “It’s very important you pick the right person in case something happens,” he told WABC radio in New York on Tuesday. “You want to have somebody that can step into that role and be great.”

    He added that he doesn’t think his choice will have much bearing on the outcome of his rematch with President Joe Biden.

    “In terms of an election, historically, it doesn’t help at all,” he said. “I guess it could hurt if you pick somebody that was a disaster.”

    The Trump team plans to test out top contenders on the campaign trail — auditions of a sort — at rallies and events in the coming months. It will also assess a necessary skill that Rubio has shown: the ability to raise money. He collected nearly $50 million for his 2016 presidential run.

    There’s a scenario being discussed in Florida political circles in which Rubio could resign his Senate seat to move to another state and join the ticket. That would give a big plum to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s vanquished rival from this year’s primary, in the form of a Senate appointment to hand out.

    “The more interesting part is what it means for Rubio’s Senate seat and who DeSantis would appoint,” the veteran Florida GOP operative said.

    Eight years ago, Trump and Rubio exchanged heated barbs — including some thinly veiled shots at each other’s manhood — when they competed for the 2016 GOP nomination. Trump nicknamed Rubio “Little Marco” during that campaign, and Rubio fired back that Trump had “small hands.”

    But their relationship improved as Rubio backed Trump’s White House agenda and endorsed him right before January’s Iowa caucuses this year.

    Dasha Burns reported from Palm Beach, Florida; Matt Dixon reported from Tallahassee, Florida; and Jonathan Allen reported from Washington, D.C.

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • Leonard Leo, Koch networks pour millions into prep for potential second Trump administration

    Leonard Leo, Koch networks pour millions into prep for potential second Trump administration

    WASHINGTON — Huge funding from influential conservative donor networks is flowing into a conservative venture aimed at creating a Republican “government-in-waiting,” including over $55 million from groups linked to conservative activist Leonard Leo and the Koch network, according to an Accountable.US review shared exclusively with NBC News.

    Launched by the Heritage Foundation in April 2022, Project 2025 is a two-pronged initiative to develop staunch conservative policy recommendations and grow a roster of thousands of right-wing personnel ready to fill the next Republican administration. With former President Donald Trump now the GOP’s presumptive 2024 nominee, the effort is essentially laying the groundwork for a potential Trump transition if he wins the election in November.

    With contributions from former high-level Trump administration appointees and an advisory board that has grown to over 100 conservative organizations, proponents describe Project 2025 as the most sophisticated transition effort that has existed for conservatives. The initiative includes a manifesto devising a policy agenda for every department, numerous agencies and scores of offices throughout the federal government.

    In this Nov. 16, 2016 file photo, Federalist Society Executive Vice President Leonard Leo speaks to media at Trump Tower in New York. Leo is advising President Donald Trump on his Supreme Court nominee.  (Carolyn Kaster / AP file)
    In this Nov. 16, 2016 file photo, Federalist Society Executive Vice President Leonard Leo speaks to media at Trump Tower in New York. Leo is advising President Donald Trump on his Supreme Court nominee. (Carolyn Kaster / AP file)

    Since 2021, Leo’s network has funneled over $50.7 million to the groups advising the 2025 Presidential Transition Project as part of its “Project 2025 advisory board,” according to tax documents reviewed as part of the analysis by Accountable.US, a progressive advocacy group. That sum includes donations from The 85 Fund, a donor-advised nonprofit group that funnels money from wealthy financiers to other groups, and the Concord Fund, a public-facing organization.

    In 2022, the donor-advised fund DonorsTrust, which received more than $181 million from Leo-backed groups from 2019 to 2022, contributed over $21.1 million to 40 organizations advising Project 2025. It contributed nearly $20 million to 36 nonprofit organizations advising Project 2025 in 2021.

    Leo, a top conservative megadonor, has worked to shift the American judiciary further to the right, having previously advised Trump on judicial picks while he was in office and helping to build the current conservative Supreme Court majority.

    In addition to Leo’s funding to organizations advising Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s own donations surged in 2022. It contributed $1,025,000 to nine of the advisory groups, up from a total of $174,000 in grants to other nonprofit groups a year earlier.

    The Heritage Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The review by Accountable.US also found that oil billionaire Charles Koch’s network directed over $4.4 million in 2022 to organizations on Project 2025’s advisory board via its donor conduit, Stand Together Trust.

    Project 2025’s vision for the next conservative administration’s energy agenda would rapidly increase oil and gas leases and production through the Interior Department to focus on energy security, and proposals include reforming offices of the Energy Department to end focus on climate change and green subsidies.

    The Environmental Protection Agency would cut its environmental justice and public engagement functions, “eliminating the stand-alone Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights,” according to a proposal drafted by Mandy Gunasekara, a former chief of staff at the EPA under Trump.

    The advisory board for Project 2025 includes representatives from conservative groups led by veterans of the Trump administration, such as America First Legal, the Center for Renewing America and the Conservative Partnership Institute, as well as conservative mainstays like the Claremont Institute, the Family Research Council and the Independent Women’s Forum.

    Accountable.US executive director Tony Carrk warned that Project 2025’s stark conservative program and its advisory groups are made possible by funding from right-wing donors’ funneling tens of millions of dollars to the effort.

    “The ‘MAGA blueprint’ isn’t a one-off project — it’s backed by the same far-right figures who have long dictated the conservative agenda,” Carrk said. “Leo, Koch and others should be held to account for propping up a policy platform that puts special interests over everyday Americans and poses an existential threat to our democracy.”

    While the groups advising Project 2025 haven’t been supporting a candidate outright, many of the people leading them or with longtime affiliations have close ties to Trump after having served in his administration. NBC News projects that Trump has now clinched the delegate majority for the Republican nomination, setting up a rematch with President Joe Biden in November.

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • Biden expands his fundraising advantage over Trump

    Biden expands his fundraising advantage over Trump

    President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign expanded its fundraising advantage in February, with plans to unload a barrage of ads against former President Donald Trump.

    The Democratic president’s campaign account officially reported taking in $21 million in February, according to its report filed with the Federal Election Commission late Wednesday, ending the month with $71 million cash on hand.

    That left the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee with a combined $97.5 million cash on hand as of the end of February, more than double the $44.8 million in the bank between Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee. Those totals don’t include either side’s joint fundraising committees.

    While Biden is running behind Trump in early general election polling averages, his widening cash lead is an advantage. Trump’s fundraising has lagged this cycle compared to 2020, and he has diverted millions of dollars to a leadership PAC that is helping cover his legal expenses. (Biden’s campaign, by comparison, reported spending just $122,000 on legal services.)

    That financial disparity is a key part of Biden’s strategy to swamp Trump in early and intense ad spending, which has already started this spring with a $30 million TV and digital ad buy. But Biden’s fundraising still lags behind the prior incumbent during the same period in 2020.

    When touting his own small-dollar totals at a Dallas fundraiser Wednesday night, Biden also mocked his opponent’s financial situation.

    “Donald, I’m sorry I can’t help you,” Biden said, according to a pool report.

    While Biden’s campaign spent just $6.3 million in February, that number should be much larger in March. Since the president’s State of the Union address earlier this month, his campaign launched a new swing-state ad campaign and spent $1.9 million last week alone on television and digital advertising, according to AdImpact.

    Biden’s campaign also touted $10 million raised in the 24 hours after the State of the Union earlier this month.

    Biden’s campaign showed some ramp-up in February. Payroll grew slightly last month, from a bit shy of $1.2 million in January to more than $1.6 million in February. But that number is expected to balloon in March, when the campaign will onboard more than 300 staffers and build out its once-skeletal staff in swing states.

    Other major expense categories included $1.6 million on media production and buys, $700,000 on travel and $261,000 on text messaging.

    The campaign also spent nearly $2,000 at Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, the Delaware-based chain and longtime Biden favorite that has a location near his Wilmington campaign headquarters.

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  • Trump is having trouble getting cash for his bond. And he’s growing frustrated.

    Trump is having trouble getting cash for his bond. And he’s growing frustrated.

    The prospect that Donald Trump may fail to post a bond by Monday’s deadline for the $464 million civil fraud penalty against him and his co-defendants has frustrated the former president and some members of his inner circle, a Trump ally and two campaign sources familiar with the situation told NBC News.

    Trump, the billionaire developer who is seeking a return to the White House, finds himself in the unenviable position of hitting up high-dollar donors not just for campaign cash — for which he has an urgent political need — but also to see whether they might guarantee his bond, according to a Trump ally who received such a call from a member of the presumptive GOP nominee’s team. The source asked not to be named to speak candidly about sensitive conversations.

    New York state Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling in Trump’s civil fraud trial was made official Feb. 23, starting the clock on a 30-day automatic stay of the judgment. That period is set to expire Monday, at which point New York Attorney General Letitia James could start seizing Trump’s assets unless an appeals court steps in.

    Failure to secure a bond by Monday’s deadline could lead the state to seize Trump’s bank accounts or properties — from Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan to his resorts, golf courses or plane.

    In a filing Monday, Trump’s attorneys said securing a bond for nearly a half a billion dollars by next week’s deadline was “a practical impossibility,” despite their best efforts — including “approaching about 30 surety companies through 4 separate brokers.”

    Their petition to pause enforcement of Engoron’s judgment is still pending before an appellate court, which could intervene on his behalf.

    A source close to the Trump family said Trump’s defense team is gaming out its options, including ways Trump could appeal Engoron’s ruling without having to put the bond up and what would happen if they can’t secure the required sum. There’s also the belief that seizing Trump’s assets or liquidating them at “fire sale” prices, as Trump has warned, could prove to be rocket fuel for his campaign.

    “They’re looking to appeal the actual requirements to have to put up this amount of money to appeal and then, obviously, the appeal itself on grounds it’s a violation of the Eighth Amendment,” the source said. “They have to figure all those machinations out.”

    The Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Monday’s filing seeking to pause execution of the $464 million judgment was filed on behalf of Trump and his co-defendants, including his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, who have been running the Trump Organization since their father took office in 2017.

    State attorneys have argued that Trump intentionally overstated his wealth on loan applications. His critics have tried to use the civil fraud case to undermine his business image, and they may seek to capitalize on the notion that he can’t afford to pay the bond.

    Trump has raged against the judge’s and James’ handling of the case on his social media platform, attacking a “corrupt Communist system” late Monday and then writing Tuesday morning: “I would be forced to mortgage or sell Great Assets, perhaps at Fire Sale prices, and if and when I win the Appeal, they would be gone. Does that make sense? WITCH HUNT. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!”

    “You can’t reverse selling off Trump Tower on a fire sale at a discounted price,” Trump attorney Alina Habba said in a Fox News interview Wednesday. “We can’t fix that if we win on an appeal. So it’s complete injustice.”

    But while Trump’s attorneys and accountants may be fretting over the bond issue, his campaign has leaned into it, as it has with his other legal battles. The campaign fired off an “emergency memo” fundraising appeal Wednesday with the heading “Keep your filthy hands off of Trump Tower.”

    “Insane radical Democrat AG Letitia James wants to SEIZE my properties in New York. THIS INCLUDES THE ICONIC TRUMP TOWER!” the call for donations to the Trump joint fundraising committee reads in part.

    Some of Trump’s allies believe the images of agents of the state of New York attempting to seize his properties would only further galvanize supporters and lend weight to their argument that he’s being unfairly targeted by the justice system.

    Such a move would provide a “massive” boost to the Trump campaign, longtime Trump adviser Steve Bannon told NBC News on Wednesday.

    “She’s not that dumb,” Bannon said of the possibility that James would authorize seizing Trump’s assets.

    The source close to the Trump family said that for Trump’s advisers, “that is part of the calculation — whether this continues to help or if, in some way, it hurts him. The one way is if it affects the pocketbook or the case.”

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • Mar-a-Lago culture would have led many to commit crimes

    Mar-a-Lago culture would have led many to commit crimes

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.— A longtime employee of Donald Trump, who testified before a grand jury in the case involving the former president’s handling of classified documents, described a culture of loyalty around Trump that drives people toward extreme lengths to protect him.

    Brian Butler, who is referred to in the classified documents indictment as “Trump Employee 5,” delivered bombshell testimony last year to federal prosecutors, who used the information to charge Trump later. Butler, a central witness in the case, is one of several Trump employees who could play major roles at trial.

    In an interview with NBC News in Palm Beach, Butler recalled his time testifying before a grand jury last year after having met with special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, D.C.

    There were “about 20” jurors, he said, including one who appeared to be sleeping. “I could see their eyes shut,” he said.

    The interview with jurors took place in a “dark room, kind of like an old room,” he said. “It was like being in a closet.”

    None of the jurors asked questions, he said. But one topic of interest was what actions he took on June 3, 2022, when Walt Nauta, who was Trump’s valet and continued to work for him after he left the White House, asked him to load boxes containing documents onto Trump’s plane in Florida, Butler said in a segment that aired on MSNBC after the NBC News interview.

    “So we talked about, you know, June 3, obviously, the moving of boxes, luggage, to the plane. I talked about, you know, the conversations with Carlos [De Oliveira], you know, over June until July, August — all the way up until just prior to his indictment,” Butler told MSNBC’s Ari Melber in an interview that aired Wednesday.

    De Oliveira, who was a property manager at Mar-a-Lago, is a co-defendant along with Nauta.

    “I mean, we were in constant contact. We were friends. We talked about a couple of meetings, I mean, some phone calls that I received, asking about him, but I mean, I answered everything honestly,” he added.

    Butler also said he was “very forthcoming” in his interviews with the Justice Department team. He said there were four or five meetings over a few months, adding he thought that included the time he testified in front of the grand jury.

    But Butler said prosecutors from Smith’s office “were interested in everything.”

    Butler, a 20-year Mar-a-Lago employee, told Smith that he believes the culture surrounding Trump could make those around him more likely to break the law — including on Trump’s behalf. He talked about the actions of De Oliveira.

    “I said, ‘I bet you 95 out of 100 people in Carlos’ shoes would do exactly what he did,’” Butler said. “I think there’s many people that would do his bidding for him if he asked, absolutely. Look at Weisselberg.”

    Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization finance chief, pleaded guilty this month to lying under oath in Trump’s civil tax fraud case and has remained steadfastly loyal to Trump. He now faces a second stint behind bars.

    In the MSNBC interview, Butler was asked whether others gave him the impression that Trump knew the things that happened were bad or illegal and he didn’t want that on video.

    “Oh, absolutely,” Butler told Melber, citing concerns from Trump about the video.

    Facing charges alongside Trump in the documents case are Nauta and De Oliveira, who was charged by federal prosecutors with trying to delete security video at the club and accused of telling another employee that “the boss” wanted it gone.

    Nauta and De Oliveira were with Trump last week at a hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida, with their attorneys trading notes during the appearance before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon.

    Butler, in a CNN interview in which he revealed his identity for the first time, described a close friendship with De Oliveira and offered years of text conversations attesting to their ties. He said De Oliveira was deeply loyal to Trump.

    His own view of the Palm Beach club began to change after Trump won the 2016 presidential election and new members joined the club, appearing interested only in what access they could glean from the new president. There was one foreign billionaire “who would only go when he was there,” Butler recalled.

    Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla (Joe Raedle / Getty Images file)
    Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla (Joe Raedle / Getty Images file)

    “It became very transactional,” he said. “You see the same people here, coming to kiss the ring every day.”

    After he left his job at the club in November 2022, Butler said, it wasn’t long before he heard from Trump directly. “It was the day after Thanksgiving,” he said, “and he wanted to know why I left.”

    Trump said Butler could come back if he ever wanted. The call didn’t strike Butler as unusual at the time, but he now believes Trump may have been trying to show him the loyalty he himself expects of those around him.

    “Now, it all feels totally different,” Butler said.

    Trump was indicted last year on 40 felony counts over his alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House and willful obstruction of federal investigators who were trying to retrieve them. He has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

    Trump’s co-defendants, Nauta and De Oliveira, have also pleaded not guilty to the related charges against them.

    Cannon hasn’t set a date for Trump’s trial in the classified documents case. Government prosecutors and defense attorneys have both said they believe it could take place over the summer.

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • In Texas, Biden targets Senator Ted Cruz, raises millions

    By Jeff Mason

    DALLAS (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden assailed Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz in his home state on Thursday as part of a fundraising tour that has raised millions for Biden’s re-election campaign.

    Biden, at a fundraiser at the Dallas home of lawyer Russell Budd, urged donors to support U.S. Representative Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat held by Cruz.

    “The stakes couldn’t be higher across the board. And with your help, we’re going to win up and down the ticket, and that includes here in Texas,” Biden said.

    “You’ve got to elect Colin as your next senator… so Ted Cruz joins another loser, Donald Trump,” Biden said, referring to his likely Republican opponent in the November presidential election.

    Budd announced that the event, the first of two fundraisers for Biden in Texas Thursday evening, raised $2.5 million, adding to the tally collected by Biden this week on a Western swing. Biden’s campaign raised more than $53 million in February and reported it has $155 million cash on hand.

    Trump’s campaign reported Wednesday it had raised $10.9 million in February.

    Cruz, who lost the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, has been a frequent Biden critic, particularly on Biden’s handling of migration along the Texas border with Mexico.

    Polls show a tight race between Cruz and Allred, a former professional football player and House Representative.

    (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons and Gerry Doyle)

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  • Letitia James counters Trump claim he can’t raise $464 million bond as deadline looms

    Letitia James counters Trump claim he can’t raise $464 million bond as deadline looms

    Lawyers with New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office cast doubt on former President Donald Trump’s claim that he cannot find a company to lend him the $464 million bond he needs to appeal the judgment in his financial fraud trial. In Georgia, meanwhile, Trump and some of his co-defendants in the election interference and racketeering case are given the green light to appeal Judge Scott McAfee’s decision to allow Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue her prosecution of them. The lawyers say they will now approach the Georgia Court of Appeals in an attempt to have Willis removed and the charges dismissed. Here are the latest legal developments facing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024.

    New York financial fraud

    James’s office: Trump’s bond claims don’t add up

    Key players: New York Attorney General Letitia James, Judge Arthur Engoron

    • Lawyers on James’s team submitted a filing Wednesday to a New York appeals court in response to Trump’s request to significantly reduce or stay the $464 million bond required to be paid on Monday to appeal the judgment in his New York financial fraud trial, CNN reported.

    • Trump’s lawyers stated that their loan requests had been turned down by 30 insurance companies, but did not specify what collateral they had offered in return.

    • In the filing, James’s team wrote that Trump’s lawyers “supply no documentary evidence that demonstrates precisely what real property they offered to sureties, on what terms that property was offered, or precisely why the sureties were unwilling to accept the assets.”

    • On Monday, Trump’s lawyers told the appeals court that the former president faced “insurmountable difficulties” in raising the money for the bond, and Trump himself complained on social media that, thanks to Engoron’s ruling, he “would be forced to mortgage or sell Great Assets, perhaps at Fire Sale prices,” in order to do so.

    • James’s lawyers made sure to link Trump’s failure to secure a loan with the central issue of the fraud trial: that Trump had been found to have inflated the value of his assets.

    • “As far as the Court can infer, sureties may have refused to accept defendants’ specific holdings as collateral because using Mr. Trump’s real estate will generally need ‘a property appraisal’ … and his holdings are not nearly as valuable as defendants claim,” the filing stated.

    • James, who has already given Trump a 30-day grace period to come up with the bond amount, has stated that if Trump is unable to pay it, she would go after his real estate holdings and could freeze his bank accounts.

    Why it matters: Unless the appeals court intervenes on his behalf, or Trump is given a significant loan from a wealthy friend, Monday’s deadline for payment could mark a painful turning point for the former president.

    Georgia election interference

    Judge McAfee grants defense attorneys’ request to appeal decision on Willis

    Key Players: Judge Scott McAfee, Georgia Court of Appeals, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, former lead prosecutor Nathan Wade, Trump lawyer Steve Sadow

    • On Wednesday, McAfee granted a request by lawyers for Trump and some of his co-defendants that allows them to appeal his decision to let Willis remain on the sprawling election interference case, the Associated Press reported.

    • The attorneys for the defendants had sought to have Willis disqualified, alleging that her romantic relationship with Wade represented a conflict of interest because, they claimed, she benefited financially from hiring him.

    • In his ruling, McAfee rebuked Willis’s “tremendous” lapse in judgment, but allowed her to stay on the case on the condition that Wade step down.

    • Wade promptly tendered his resignation, but that was not enough to satisfy Sadow and the other defense lawyers, who will appeal McAfee’s decision to the Georgia Court of Appeals. “The defense is optimistic that appellate review will lead to the case being dismissed and the DA being disqualified,” Sadow said in an email to the Associated Press.

    • The appeals court will ultimately decide whether to accept the case.

    • Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted by Willis on multiple felony counts stemming from their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

    Why it matters: The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement to AP that the defense attorney’s appeal of McAfee’s ruling would not delay the trial from moving forward. But if the Georgia Court of Appeals court does hear the appeal, it could decide to remove Willis from the case, or dismiss the charges outright.

    Recommended reading

    ___________________

    Tuesday, March 19

    ___________________

    Former President Donald Trump says he may be forced to sell off his “Great Assets” at “Fire Sale prices” in order to raise the $464 million bond required as he appeals the judgment in his New York financial fraud trial. In a motion filed Monday, Trump’s lawyers seek to postpone payment of the bond as they appeal Judge Arthur Engoron’s judgment in the case. In the Jan. 6 election interference case, Trump’s lawyers file a brief asking the Supreme Court to rule that presidents have “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution for acts committed while in office. Here are the latest legal developments involving the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024.

    New York financial fraud

    With bond deadline approaching, Trump looks for alternatives

    Key players: Judge Arthur Engoron, New York Attorney General Letitia James

    • On Tuesday, Trump vented on social media about the March 25 deadline to post a $464 million bond while he appeals Engoron’s judgment in his civil financial fraud trial, The Hill reported.

    • “Judge Engoron actually wants me to put up Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for the Right to Appeal his ridiculous decision. In other words, he is trying to take my Appellate Rights away from me,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social. “Nobody has ever heard of anything like this before.”

    • “I would be forced to mortgage or sell Great Assets, perhaps at Fire Sale prices, and if and when I win the Appeal, they would be gone. Does that make sense?” Trump added.

    • New York law requires a defendant to pay 110% of a civil judgment into an escrow account while that person appeals the decision in a case.

    • Engoron ruled that Trump, his adult sons and his family business were guilty of carrying out years of financial fraud when they inflated the value of assets to obtain favorable bank and insurance rates.

    • Thanks to a loan from the underwriter Chubb, Trump has already posted a separate bond for nearly $92 million while he appeals the jury’s verdict in the E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit. But Chubb and 29 other lenders refused to give Trump a loan to pay the larger bond amount.

    • Trump now has limited options to raise the $464 million, the New York Times reported.

    • He can hope his court appeals will lead to a stay, quickly sell off real estate assets, obtain a gift from a wealthy supporter, ask James to extend the 30-day grace period she has already given him or file for bankruptcy.

    • If none of those options are available to Trump and he fails to pay the full bond on Monday, James could begin to seize Trump’s assets and freeze his bank accounts.

    Why it matters: Even as a politician, Trump’s brand has been synonymous with wealth. His New York real estate holdings, some of which were at the center of the financial fraud trial, are reportedly some of his most prized possessions.

    Jan. 6 election interference

    Trump asks Supreme Court to rule that presidents have ‘absolute immunity’ from prosecution

    Key players: Judge Tanya Chutkan, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court, Trump lawyer John Sauer, special counsel Jack Smith

    • On Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing that a president enjoys “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for his official acts,” Reuters reported.

    • “The president cannot function, and the presidency itself cannot retain its vital independence, if the president faces criminal prosecution for official acts once he leaves office,” Sauer wrote in the filing.

    • Trump is charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

    • His attorneys claim Trump’s actions were part of his official duties as president and argued in their brief that allowing him to be prosecuted would forever alter the job.

    • “The threat of future prosecution and imprisonment would become a political cudgel to influence the most sensitive and controversial presidential decisions, taking away the strength, authority and decisiveness of the presidency,” the filing states.

    • In fact, Trump is the first president in U.S. history charged with a crime after leaving office.

    • Smith has countered that Trump contested the election in an attempt to remain in power, and that no one is above the law.

    • Chutkan and the court of appeals both ruled in Smith’s favor, but Trump has appealed the matter to the Supreme Court.

    • An Ipsos/Politico poll released this week found that 70% of U.S. voters and 48% of Republicans reject Trump’s assertion that he is immune to criminal prosecution for acts committed while in office.

    Why it matters: While Trump’s lawyers argue that presidential power would be upended if the Supreme Court ruled that a commander in chief could never be prosecuted for acts committed while in office, prosecutors have focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. Left unsaid is what consequences might unfold if the Supreme Court enshrines protections for a president’s actions, whatever they may entail, while still residing at the White House.

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    ___________________

    Monday, March 18

    ___________________

    Lawyers for former President Donald Trump file an emergency appeal challenging Judge Scott McAfee’s ruling that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can continue to prosecute Trump and 18 others on election interference charges now that lead prosecutor Nathan Wade has stepped down. Trump’s lawyers tell a New York appeals court that he faces “insurmountable difficulties” in securing the $464 million bond from lenders that he is required to pay as he appeals the judgment in his financial fraud civil trial. Trump is also asking the court to lower the amount he must pay while he appeals the case. Here are the latest legal developments facing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024.

    Georgia election interference

    Trump appeals judge’s decision allowing Fani Willis to remain on case

    Key players: Trump lawyer Steve Sadow, Judge Scott McAfee, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, former lead prosecutor Nathan Wade, the Georgia Court of Appeals

    • On Monday, Trump and eight of his co-defendants filed an emergency appeal of McAfee’s ruling that allowed Willis to remain on the case against Trump and 18 others so long as Wade stepped aside, USA Today reported.

    • “The motion notes that the Court found that Willis’ actions created an appearance of impropriety and an ‘odor of mendacity’ that lingers in this case, but it nonetheless refused to dismiss the case or disqualify her,” the filing with the Georgia Court of Appeals states.

    • Willis and Wade admitted to having a romantic relationship, but denied conflict-of-interest claims by the defendants that Willis had benefited financially by hiring Wade or had lied when called to testify about that relationship.

    • Willis indicted Trump and 18 others for their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. So far, four of the defendants have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the others charged in the case.

    • McAfee has yet to schedule a date for the trial for the remaining defendants.

    • It is unclear whether the appeals court will take the case.

    Why it matters: While McAfee allowed Willis to remain on the case, the appeals process could further delay the trial against Trump and the other defendants until after the November election.

    New York financial fraud

    Trump asks appeals court to allow him to delay payment of bond

    Key players: Judge Arthur Engoron, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Trump lawyers Alina Habba and Clifford Robert, Trump Organization general counsel Alan Garten

    • Trump’s lawyers told a New York appeals court that the former president had approached 30 underwriters to try to secure the $464 million bond required for him to proceed with his appeal of Engoron’s judgment in the financial fraud trial, but none had agreed to lend him the money, CNN reported.

    • “The amount of the judgment, with interest, exceeds $464 million, and very few bonding companies will consider a bond of anything approaching that magnitude,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a court filing.

    • Trump is asking the appeals court to reduce the bond amount and to delay its payment until after his appeal is heard.

    • Last month, Engoron ordered Trump to pay the state $355 million plus interest for years of fraudulent business practices, including the inflation of his assets to obtain favorable loan and insurance rates.

    • Trump is appealing the decision, which obliges him to deposit 110% of the total amount owed into an escrow account as the appeals court hears the case.

    • In Monday’s filing, Garten also painted a dim outlook for Trump’s ability to raise the bond amount.

    • “Defendants have faced what have proven to be insurmountable difficulties in obtaining an appeal bond for the full $464 million,” he wrote, ABC News reported.

    • James has said that if Trump does not come up with the full bond amount, she would go after his real estate assets.

    • “Obtaining such cash through a ‘fire sale’ of real estate holdings would inevitably result in massive, irrecoverable losses — textbook irreparable injury,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in their filing.

    • Habba and Robert also argued that the bond amount was “unconstitutionally excessive.”

    Why it matters: During his trial, Trump told the court that he had $400 million on hand that he could apply toward a bond. Since then, he lost two high-profile cases, pushing his liabilities over half a billion dollars. He has paid a nearly $92 billion bond amount as he appeals a jury’s verdict in the defamation lawsuits brought by columnist E. Jean Carroll.

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  • How the most Latino neighborhood in Nevada foreshadows a big 2024 fight

    How the most Latino neighborhood in Nevada foreshadows a big 2024 fight

    NORTH LAS VEGAS — In the heart of the most Latino ZIP code in Nevada, shoppers at the sprawling Broadacres flea market mill around every weekend drinking micheladas and listening to live norteña music.

    Soon, they will be at the center of an expansive battle over Latino voters in 2024 — with potentially more wavering voters up for grabs than ever before and the results of the presidential election on the line.

    Historically, Latino voters — including different Hispanic communities motivated by different factors in different parts of the country, from Puerto Ricans in New York to Cuban Americans in Florida to Mexican Americans in the Southwest — have supported Democrats over Republicans in presidential elections by a comfortable margin. With some fluctuation, roughly two-thirds of Hispanic voters have broken for the Democratic candidate in the last several election cycles, with one-third going for the Republican.

    While it’s too early to tell if this election will change that, there are signs of a potentially significant shift: According to the latest NBC News poll, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are in a dead heat with Latino voters, with Trump at 42% and Biden at 41% (well within the poll’s margin of error and with a number of respondents undecided). Other surveys have also shown close splits. And while some experts caution against overstating the shift and note the large number of undecided Latinos in surveys like these, advocates from both parties see a more active and fluid fight for Latino support coming up in 2024.

    In a swing state like Nevada, where Latinos make up 20% of the electorate, movement among Latino voters could wind up deciding the presidential election in November. And the view from Broadacres Marketplace does not look encouraging for Biden.

    “I think we need someone new,” says Mario Alvarez, a naturalized immigrant from a small village in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

    Alvarez works weeknights stocking supermarket shelves; on the weekends, he runs a stall at Broadacres selling old video games and consoles. He voted Democratic in the last four presidential elections, including a vote for Biden in 2020. But now, mostly because of what he perceives as a faltering economy where everything is too expensive, he’s seriously flirting with a vote for Trump, despite less than complete enthusiasm for the man.

    “There’s a lot of stuff he does wrong. He’s got so much hate for some people he doesn’t like — you know, Hispanic people,” Alvarez said. “But at the same time, sometimes we have to look at what’s good for the country. And for the economy, he would be great.”

    The national picture

    This follows the well-documented gains that Trump made among Latino voters between 2016 and 2020, when Trump expanded his share of the Hispanic electorate by about 4 percentage points nationwide, according to NBC News exit polls. The margins were bigger in several key swing states, with Trump gaining between 5 and 10 percentage points in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia, the state exit polls showed.

    Some conservative Latinos see a broader shift to the right in these numbers that they’ve been predicting for years.

    “In this election, the Hispanic electorate is not baked in for one party or the other,” said Wadi Gaitan, spokesperson for the LIBRE Initiative, an arm of the Koch network of conservative advocacy groups focused on Latino voters.

    For years, Gaitan said, many Latinos have been drawn to the Republican Party on issues like reducing business regulations and supporting charter schools. And as Republicans have gained the upper hand in the messaging wars on issues like the economy and crime — as well as on immigration and other issues that historically motivated many Latino voters — that pull is stronger.

    “It’s a level playing field now,” Gaitan said.

    Yet a number of advocates and other experts say things haven’t gone quite that far yet.

    “When people say the Latino vote is up for grabs, that makes it sound like it’s all up for grabs, and that’s not true,” said Clarissa Martinez, vice president of the Latino Vote Initiative at UnidosUS, a liberal advocacy group.

    There has long been what Martinez calls a substantial “swing element” to the Hispanic electorate, meaning people who split their ballots between Republicans and Democrats. And it’s a fast-growing slice of the electorate — an estimated quarter of this year’s Latino voters will be newly registered. These segments of the Hispanic population have always been susceptible to persuasion and change.

    But Martinez agrees that some factors are changing the playing field in a way that could be beneficial to Republicans — as long as they take advantage of the opportunity.

    For instance, UnidosUS’ latest poll shows that four of the top five issues Latinos listed as the most important in this election have to do with the economy, including inflation, housing and the job market.

    “Democrats for some time rested on their laurels with these voters,” Martinez said. But now, “Republicans have positioned themselves successfully in the eyes of many voters as being stronger on the economy, and they will benefit from that unless Democrats figure out something to do about it.”

    Analysts tend to agree that this is largely a question of outreach and messaging, meaning both parties have an opportunity to make substantial gains with large portions of this increasingly competitive electorate.

    “This is a really important place where parties are going to have to decide if they’re going to invest their resources,” said Gaitan, of the LIBRE Initiative. “It’s going to come down to the party that not only shows up — because showing up is a key part — but also the party that makes a policy argument to why they should be elected.”

    The trend on the ground

    In Las Vegas, Trump’s 2020 gains among Latinos are visible in the metro area’s predominantly Mexican American neighborhoods. The state’s five most Latino voting precincts are all in North and East Las Vegas, some of them as much as 87% Hispanic. Trump made gains between 2016 and 2020 in each one, with Trump’s biggest improvement stretching as high as 16 percentage points, according to an NBC News analysis of redistricting and voting data.

    One of those precincts includes Broadacres flea market. Erika Castro, organizing director for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, grew up a few blocks away, and her family used to shop at the flea market for things like clothes and home decorations.

    Castro can’t vote: Her parents brought her to the U.S. from Mexico without papers when she was child, and she remains undocumented. But her job involves getting the U.S. citizens in her community to vote for progressive candidates and causes. When it comes to Biden and the national Democratic Party, she said that job is getting more difficult.

    “Democrats really need to make sure they have a strong vision in the way they’re going to actually deliver for these communities, because people are struggling,” Castro said.

    The chief concerns she hears as an organizer involve the cost of living, especially housing. As rent goes up for the people she talks to, sometimes by several hundred dollars with every lease renewal, wages stay more or less the same.

    Moreover, Democrats have not delivered on decades’ worth of promises about immigration reform — an important failure in a community where U.S. citizens live side by side with undocumented people, often in the same household.

    “For a lot of Latinos, they haven’t seen Democrats deliver on immigration; they’ve actually seen things get a lot worse,” Castro said. “That, coupled with people not being able to feed their families or keep a roof over their heads — that makes them a little bit disheartened.”

    One thing everyone agrees on: Biden and the Democrats cannot take Latino voters for granted.

    Even loyal Democrats think so. Alex Yuman, another naturalized Mexican immigrant with a shop at the flea market, said he’s voted Democratic as long as he’s been a citizen and plans to vote for Biden in November. But the lack of progress on immigration and economic support for his community has drained the enthusiasm from his vote.

    “They want something from us, they want our vote,” he said. “But they don’t want to give us anything.”

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • Judge says Michael Cohen may have committed perjury, denies early probation end

    Judge says Michael Cohen may have committed perjury, denies early probation end

    NEW YORK — A federal judge suggested Wednesday that Michael Cohencommitted perjury under oath, giving fresh support to former President Donald Trump’s claims that his onetime personal lawyer — poised to be a star prosecution witness at his upcoming New York criminal trial — is an untrustworthy liar.

    Judge Jesse M. Furman in Manhattan questioned Cohen’s truthfulness in a written order denying his request for early release from the court supervision that followed his three-year prison sentence for crimes including tax evasion, lying to banks and Congress, and violating campaign finance laws.

    Furman cited Cohen’s testimony at Trump’s civil fraud trial in a Manhattan state court last October. On the witness stand, Cohen insisted he wasn’t actually guilty of tax evasion even though he pleaded guilty to the charge in 2018. Asked if he had lied to the federal judge who accepted his guilty plea, Cohen said, “Yes.”

    “Cohen repeatedly and unambiguously testified at the state court trial that he was not guilty of tax evasion and that he had lied under oath” to the late Judge William H. Pauley III, Furman wrote.

    He said Cohen’s testimony “gives rise to two possibilities: one, Cohen committed perjury when he pleaded guilty before Judge Pauley or, two, Cohen committed perjury in his October 2023 testimony.”

    “At a minimum, Cohen’s ongoing and escalating efforts to walk away from his prior acceptance of responsibility for his crimes are manifest evidence of the ongoing need for specific deterrence,” Furman wrote as he explained why he left in place the court supervision that is scheduled to end later this year.

    Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly attacked Cohen’s credibility, saying he “committed MASSIVE PERJURY” in the civil fraud case “at a level seldom seen on the stand before.”

    Trump, who was accused in the case of lying about his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals, reacted after Cohen backtracked from initial testimony that Trump had directed him to boost the value of assets to “whatever number Trump told us to.”

    Pressed on cross-examination, Cohen conceded that Trump never told him to inflate the numbers — though Cohen later said Trump signaled it indirectly, and “we understood what he wanted.”

    Trump lost the case and was ordered last month to pay a $454 million penalty.

    In response to Furman’s findings, Cohen sent reporters a statement from his lawyer, E. Danya Perry, in which she said she takes exception to the judge’s conclusion, calling it “factually inaccurate and legally incorrect.”

    “Judge Furman did not have a front seat to the testimony at the lengthy trial,” she said. Perry added that the trial judge ultimately stated that Cohen “told the truth.”

    “And Judge Furman ignores that Mr. Cohen has never disputed the underlying facts of his conduct, and also what many of Judge Furman’s own colleagues on the bench have long noted: that defendants often feel compelled to agree to coercive plea deals under severe pressure,” she said. “That is exactly what happened to Mr. Cohen.”

    Trump lawyer Alina Habba said Furman “confirmed what we already know: that Michael Cohen committed perjury and should be prosecuted. As the Manhattan DA says on their website ‘one standard of justice for all.’”

    The judge in the civil fraud trial, however, did deem Cohen credible. In his decision, Judge Arthur Engoron wrote that Cohen proved truthful despite “seeming contradictions” in his testimony and the cloud of his guilty plea. Engoron said that while Cohen had an “incentive to lie” after falling out with Trump, he found the ex-lawyer’s testimony credible based in part on his relaxed manner and the general plausibility of his statements.

    In his ruling, Furman also decided not to impose sanctions against a lawyer who cited three bogus artificial intelligence-generated legal case citations in a court filing because he was unaware Cohen had plucked them from research he conducted using Google Bard. Perry discovered that the cases weren’t real and told the judge.

    When Cohen pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2018, he said Trump directed him to arrange the payment of hush money to two women to fend off damage to his 2016 presidential bid. Federal prosecutors did not charge Trump. Before Cohen was sentenced, federal prosecutors attacked his credibility.

    Last year, Trump pleaded not guilty in New York state court in Manhattan to 34 felony charges alleging that he falsified internal business records at his private company to cover up his involvement in the payouts.

    Cohen is a key prosecution witness in Trump’s hush-money criminal trial, which has been delayed until at least mid-April after the defense complained about a last-minute evidence dump from a 2018 federal investigation into Cohen and the hush-money matter.

    After ex-Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty this month to lying during his fraud case testimony, Trump’s lawyers accused the Manhattan district attorney’s office of turning “a blind eye” to Cohen’s alleged perjury.

    In a March 4 letter to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche wrote that the prosecution’s “conscious choice to ignore obvious and admitted criminal conduct by Cohen and to instead deploy unethical, strong-armed tactics against an innocent man in his late 70s underscores the irresponsibility of your conduct in office.”

    Bragg’s office didn’t respond publicly to Blanche’s letter.

    Trump’s lawyers sought to have Cohen barred from testifying at the hush-money trial, arguing in a court filing that “Michael Cohen is a liar. He recently committed perjury, on the stand and under oath, at a civil trial involving President Trump. If his public statements are any indication, he plans to do so again at this criminal trial.”

    Hush-money trial Judge Juan M. Merchan rejected that argument, saying he was “unaware of any perjured testimony” Cohen had given in the criminal matter, nor could he find any precedent for keeping a witness off the stand “because his credibility has been previously called into question.”

    In essence, he wrote in a decision Monday, Trump’s lawyers were arguing Cohen should not be allowed to testify “because his past actions suggest that he will commit perjury,” putting emphasis on “suggest.”

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  • Judge allows Trump to appeal Fani Willis disqualification ruling

    Judge allows Trump to appeal Fani Willis disqualification ruling

    Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee on Wednesday cleared the way for former President Donald Trump to appeal the judge’s ruling that ultimately kept Fulton County DA Fani Willis on the election interference case.

    McAfee granted the joint request from Trump and some of his codefendants to obtain a certificate of immediate review — which allows them now to appeal the ruling up to the Georgia Court of Appeals.

    McAfee in his order said the order “is of such importance to the case that immediate review should be had.”

    It will now be up to the Georgia Court of Appeals to determine whether or not to take the issue.

    PHOTO: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case, March, 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (Alex Slitz/AP)
    PHOTO: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case, March, 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (Alex Slitz/AP)

    McAfee said he intends to keep moving forward with the case while Trump and his codefendants pursue their appeal.

    MORE: Jim Jordan threatens Fani Willis with contempt if she doesn’t comply with subpoena in federal funding probe

    “The Court intends to continue addressing the many other unrelated pending pretrial motions, regardless of whether the petition is granted within 45 days of filing, and even if any subsequent appeal is expedited by the appellate court,” the order said.

    Trump’s attorney in a statement called the move from McAfee “highly significant.”

    “The defense is optimistic that appellate review will lead to the case being dismissed and the DA being disqualified,” said Steve Sadow, Trump’s attorney.

    The DA’s office in a statement highlighted the McAfee’s decision to keep the case moving, saying they will “work to move [the case] forward to trial as quickly as possible.”

    “As the case is not stayed during the appeal, this office will work to move it forward to trial as quickly as possible,” spokesperson Jeff Disantis said in a statement. “We will limit our comment on the appellate matter to what we file with the Court of Appeals during the briefing process.”

    Nathan Wade, the lead prosecutor in Trump’s election interference case, resigned Friday as special prosecutor following a ruling by McAfee. Wade’s resignation came hours after McAfee declined to outright disqualify Willis, but ruled either she or Wade must step aside from the case due to a “significant appearance of impropriety” stemming from a romantic relationship between Willis and Wade.

    Judge allows Trump to appeal Fani Willis disqualification ruling originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

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  • Michael Cohen won’t face sanctions after generating fake cases with AI

    Michael Cohen won’t face sanctions after generating fake cases with AI

    NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal judge on Wednesday declined to sanction Michael Cohen, the former lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump, for mistakenly giving his lawyer fake case citations generated by artificial intelligence, while calling the episode “embarrassing” for the lawyer and Cohen himself.

    U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan also refused to end court-supervised release for Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and later served time in prison, and suggested that Cohen may have perjured himself.

    The decision came as Cohen prepares to be a star witness against Trump in the former president’s upcoming criminal trial, concerning whether Trump covered up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to aid his successful 2016 presidential run.

    (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

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  • Clueless Trump backers trash Democrats over Jevin Hodge sex abuse issue

    Clueless Trump backers trash Democrats over Jevin Hodge sex abuse issue

    A lack of self-awareness doesn’t quite explain it. Obliviousness, possibly. Delusion, probably. Cluelessness, absolutely.

    Brainwashed? Yeah, that must be it.

    Publicly criticizing Arizona Democrats over the resignation of state Rep. Jevin Hodge, while knowing the many, many problems Donald Trump has had concerning sexual abuse allegations, is something no MAGA Republican with half a brain would dare to do.

    Enter Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman and the social media “War Room” geniuses who speak for Trump’s toady-in-chief and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake.

    A fake elector foolishly enters the fray

    Hodge resigned from his recently appointed position in the state House after The Arizona Republic reported that he was sanctioned for violating sexual violence and sexual abuse standards while a student at George Washington University nine years ago.

    Hoffman could not contain himself.

    You may remember Hoffman as one of the 2020 fake electors who tried to overturn Arizona’s election and transform Trump into a dictator, for which he and the other electors are being investigated (and hopefully indicted) by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.

    Hoffman took Hodge’s resignation as an opportunity to trash Democrats, as well as Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, whose honest approach to his job irritates Hoffman.

    Hodge’s problems are worse than Trump’s?

    The now former Rep. Jevin Hodge

    The now former Rep. Jevin Hodge

    In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Hoffman said, “The ‘moral, thoughtful’ far-Left Democrat legislator @stephen_richer fawned over has resigned due to a slew of Sexual Violence allegations. Stephen is so desperate to be loved by Democrats he will praise and endorses even the worst of them.”

    Imagine that. Condemning Richer because, Hoffman says, he “endorses the worst of them.”

    Really? Worse than a guy who has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women? The same guy Hoffman tried to install as an autocrat and still wants to be president?

    Worse than that same guy, Donald Trump, who was found guilty by a civil jury of the sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll, who was awarded $5 million, and then awarded $83.3 million more by a different jury in her defamation suit against Trump?

    Lake and others have missed ‘red flags’

    Joining Hoffman was Kari Lake’s “War Room,” which added to his post, “How did this massive red flag escape the VERY careful vetting process of Thomas Galvin and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors?”

    How did it escape them? Could it be the way Lake and Hoffman and the rest of MAGA are purposefully ignoring the 26 red flags waved by women against Trump?

    Trump and Lake invent: A new kind of terrorism

    The way they missed the massive red flags that the two E. Jean Carroll juries waved? The ones with all the huge dollar signs on them.

    Or, how about that great big red flag waved years back when Trump told Billy Bush on “Access Hollywood” that a celebrity like him can treat women as he wished? “Grab ’em by the p—-. You can do anything.”

    In resigning from state government Jevin Hodge denied the allegations against him and wrote in part, “Public service means knowing when to lead — and it also means knowing when to step aside.”

    He added that his work “on behalf of Arizona’s families to move Arizona forward has not changed. The work will not change — it will only have a different home.”

    A different home will be a difficult to find if Hodge wants to reenter politics. Unless, perhaps, he switches parties.

    Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

    For more opinions content, please subscribe.

    This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump backers foolishly trash Democrats over Jevin Hodge, sex abuse



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  • This state senator eviscerated Trump’s voter fraud claims. Now, he’s back on the Trump train.

    This state senator eviscerated Trump’s voter fraud claims. Now, he’s back on the Trump train.

    When former President Donald Trump’s campaign published a list of 51 Michigan state lawmakers who endorsed his candidacy last month, one name was surprising.

    Listed eighth among the 12 state senators touted as endorsing Trump: Ed McBroom.

    Three years ago, McBroom led an investigation into the many claims of voter fraud and electoral theft promoted by Trump and his allies. His final report amounted to a total evisceration of the stolen election myth they promoted — and still do to this day.

    In an interview, McBroom said that voting for Trump in Michigan’s GOP primary last month “wasn’t a hard decision” and that although he considered the possibility of other candidates, they “had zero chance” and “they weren’t going anywhere — and a couple of them I didn’t like.”

    Furthermore, McBroom, who said he didn’t have any discussions with the Trump campaign ahead of his endorsement, tried to explain why he and other Republicans who were critical in one way or another of Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election are now firmly back on board with his candidacy.

    “Nothing brings people together like winning,” McBroom said, adding: “And we want to win. And we’re supporting our ticket.”

    McBroom, whose state Senate district spans much of the Upper Peninsula, is hardly alone in that line of thinking. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.; and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp are among a group of Republicans who spoke out against Trump either for his effort to overturn the election or for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — and drew Trump’s sustained ire — who are now supporting his White House run.

    A number of former Trump administration officials and Cabinet heads, including most recently former Vice President Mike Pence, have declined to endorse him.

    McBroom said comparing Trump’s record with President Joe Biden’s shows that only one of them “clearly aligns” with McBroom’s priorities on the economy and foreign policy and with regard to the general stability of the U.S.

    “It didn’t mean I didn’t wait to see whether there were other candidates out there first — I did,” he said. “But there aren’t.”

    However, McBroom isn’t distancing himself from the findings of his report, which followed an eight-month investigation. The report debunked allegations of malfeasance and affirmed Biden’s more-than-150,000-vote victory in the state, concluding there was no basis or evidence to support repeated claims that the election results failed to reflect the will of the voters. The result in Michigan had, at the time, already been affirmed in court rulings and reviews conducted by the secretary of state.

    “As is often the case, the truth is not as attractive or as immediately desirable as the lies and the lies contain elements of truth,” McBroom said in a statement at the time, adding that many of the claims of fraud or theft were the result of “a misunderstanding or an outright deception.”

    The report had McBroom facing a firestorm, with blowback from constituents and even Trump himself. McBroom said that while “a very significant number of people” remain convinced Trump was cheated in 2020, that energy has waned.

    “As I and others have been able to explain to people what we found and what we didn’t find, and as those who continue to hold out the promise that they have the proof have actually failed to deliver on that, I think the fervor over that situation has diminished,” he said. “And I also think that a lot of folks who might not ever be convinced look at it and say, ‘Well, the best move at this point is to simply win this November and to stop trying to live in the past.’”

    Trump’s criticism following McBroom’s report was stinging; he suggested McBroom sought to “hide the truth” about the Michigan results, deriding him as a Republican in Name Only and questioning whether McBroom was “really a Democrat who could not otherwise get elected in Northern Michigan.”

    But McBroom said he “never took it personally.”

    “The same day I got criticism from [Trump], I got praise from President [Barack] Obama. My response to everyone who asked about it was neither of them read the report,” McBroom said of the response to his findings, which also offered support for Republican-backed changes to voting laws in the state. (McBroom said certain changes to state voting administration ahead of the 2020 election contributed to the distrust in the results.)

    “I would have loved to have had that moment to sit down [with Trump] and actually chat it out, discuss what I found,” McBroom continued. “But I never had that opportunity.”

    Asked about McBroom’s endorsement, as well as support from recent GOP critics, Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokesperson, said in an email that those officials are a part of a growing coalition forming to topple Biden.

    “Americans from all backgrounds, including Republicans, independents and disillusioned Democrats, are coalescing around President Trump and joining the greatest political movement in history so we can end Joe Biden’s chaos and make America strong, safe, and successful again,” she said.

    Meanwhile, the state Democratic Party said McBroom’s endorsement provided further evidence of Trump’s total takeover of the Michigan GOP.

    “Senator Ed McBroom should be ashamed of himself,” party Chair Lavora Barnes said in a statement. “Of all people, he knows just how dangerous Trump is and the threat he poses to our democracy here in Michigan. This is just another example of the fact that at its core, the Michigan GOP has fully embraced Trump and his MAGA extremism.”

    As for his message to voters in his home state this fall about the legitimacy of elections there, McBroom said that despite changes he feels have made the vote “less secure,” there “are still significant safeguards and processes in place that if somebody does something bad it will immediately just show.”

    “But most of all, here in Michigan, the election is so localized with your local people,” he added. “That and it’s so bipartisan. You’ve got clerks of all walks of life on both sides of the aisle. You’ve got the polling place workers and everything. It’s our friends and neighbors. And to believe that one of them is trying to steal the election would be awful. But more than that, to believe they’re part of a huge conspiracy, one way or the other, is impossible.”

    Unlike in 2020, when Biden led Trump in nearly every poll of Michigan, Trump has run ahead of Biden this time around in most recent surveys of the state, including one by Quinnipiac University this month. To an extent, that has surprised McBroom, who experienced the GOP wipeout in his state during the most recent midterm elections and hasn’t sensed that the suburban counties that were at the heart of Trump’s defeat — as his report detailed — have suddenly changed course.

    But, McBroom said, the early survey results could be showing that Trump is stronger in Michigan’s cities than he was in 2016 or 2020. And he continues to enjoy robust strength in the state’s rural communities, McBroom said.

    “So it’s possible that he can still assemble a winning coalition, something that a year ago I doubted very much but am now beginning to be convinced is possible after all,” he said.

    Approaching four years since the 2020 vote, Trump hasn’t retreated from his view that the election was stolen. On the trail and on his Truth Social platform, Trump still regularly promotes the false notion that he was robbed. McBroom would like to see him move on.

    “I don’t think that it’s a great message. I don’t think it helps advance what are his real strong points,” McBroom said, citing his economic agenda and promotion of “peace through strength,” among other things. “I don’t think he needs to continue to beat that drum.”

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • What the Mike Bost, Darren Bailey election results tell us about the Republican Party

    What the Mike Bost, Darren Bailey election results tell us about the Republican Party

    U.S. Rep. Mike Bost has apparently defeated former state senator Darren Bailey in the closely-watched March 19 primary race for southern Illinois’ 12th Congressional District, according to unofficial returns.

    While about 20% of votes were still being counted on Tuesday night, Bost declared victory and Bailey conceded.

    But the Associated Press had not called the race by late Tuesday. Four southeastern Illinois counties in the district had not reported any votes: Jasper, Lawrence, Edwards and Wabash counties.

    Bost was leading by 6 percentage points with 81% of the votes counted:

    • Bost: 46,377 votes, or 53% of the votes.

    • Bailey: 41,142 votes, or 47% of the votes.

    Counties may receive additional mail-in ballots until April 2. The results are unofficial until local election authorities complete their canvass of results next month.

    People across the country watched the 12th District primary race, which pitted two conservative, ex-President Donald Trump supporting Republicans against each other.

    Bost, R-Murphysboro, has been the 12th District’s representative for five terms.

    Bailey, R-Xenia, served in the Illinois House for one term and in the Illinois Senate for one session before running for governor in 2022. Bailey won the Republican gubernatorial primary but ultimately lost to Democratic incumbent J.B. Pritzker.

    It’s noteworthy that Bailey would garner a percentage of the vote in the upper 40s in a race where Bost had so many advantages: Bost is the incumbent, he had the support of the party leadership to aid his campaign with cash and troops on the ground and, perhaps most importantly, he had Trump’s endorsement.

    It could signal that Bailey’s uncompromising approach resonated with voters and may be where the Republican Party is heading, according to political analyst John Shaw, the director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

    Bost and Bailey’s campaign comes amid growing division within the Republican Party, often led by arguments against compromise from its far-right members.

    “Darren Bailey is running unabashedly as a candidate of disruption whereas Rep. Bost has been trying to position himself as a so-called governing conservative,” Shaw said ahead of Tuesday night’s results. “It’s unclear what the Republican Party really wants right now.

    “With their continuing embrace with Donald Trump, they’re very comfortable with the politics of disruption,” Shaw added.

    Importance of 12th District primary

    Bost and Bailey share many of the same views on issues they see facing the state and the nation, including gun rights and immigration reform. But during the campaign, Bailey’s attacks on Bost’s record showed how he would do the job differently.

    Bailey opposed two immigration reform proposals from Bost’s tenure, for example, because they included pathways to citizenship for people who entered the U.S. without legal permission, even when those proposals included other provisions Bailey supports, like building Trump’s border wall.

    Bost describes himself as a governing conservative, which means he is willing to work with colleagues to reach a compromise.

    Bailey criticized Bost for making concessions, promised voters he wouldn’t budge on conservative platform issues and aligned himself with Republican U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Mary Miller, who represents Illinois’ 15th Congressional District.

    Gaetz and Miller endorsed Bailey in the 12th District race over Bost, their colleague in the House. They are both members of the influential and ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus. The group’s members led the first removal of a House speaker in history, which put GOP leadership in turmoil and halted work for weeks in October. Freedom Caucus members have also been among the main opponents to compromises involving government spending and border security.

    Bost, on the other hand, had the support of Republican Party leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik.

    Bost’s win with a slim majority of Republican voters in the 12th District ultimately signals they’re comfortable with a candidate who has strong conservative values but is also trying to keep the government open and programs functioning, according to Shaw. Still, a significant amount of voters showed they want something different with a vote for Bailey.

    In his victory statement Tuesday night, Bost referenced the fracturing GOP.

    “I’m hopeful we can work to reunify our party in advance of a critical general election,” Bost stated.

    A contentious campaign

    On the 2024 campaign trail, Bost and Bailey regularly traded attacks.

    Bost touted his experience and seniority in the U.S. House as an asset, noting he received important committee assignments like veterans’ affairs and agriculture, while Bailey framed it as a liability by labeling Bost a Washington insider.

    Bailey highlighted the small-donor donations funding his campaign and accused Bost of being supported by special interest groups.

    Bost fired back by describing Bailey as a career candidate continuously running for office because he’s motivated by ego.

    The candidates also publicly debated their support for Trump and privately fought for his endorsement in the race.

    Trump had previously endorsed both of them in their races during the 2022 general election: Bost for re-election to the 12th District and Bailey for governor. But in their matchup for the 12th District, Trump threw his support behind Bost in late February, a fact Bost highlighted in television ads during the campaign.

    And for some 12th District voters, Trump was the factor that determined how they cast their vote.

    On Tuesday afternoon at the only polling place in Freeburg, a handful of voters told the BND they picked Bost because he was the Trump-endorsed candidate. But another voter said they picked Bailey because his campaign signs promised he “fights like Trump.”

    “Out of the two, I think Trump is more on Bost’s side than Bailey,” 25-year-old voter Caleb Greason said of how he chose between the candidates.

    Bost hasn’t had a primary challenger since 2018, when he defeated Preston Nelson with 84% of the vote. (Nelson ran for the 12th District again in 2024 as a Democrat.)

    Bost faced a greater challenge with Bailey. The former state legislator made a name for himself opposing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. And the 12th Congressional District supported his run for governor; Bailey took more than 70% of their vote in the 2022 gubernatorial primary.

    In this race, primary results are especially important because the 12th District is solidly Republican, so its congressman is effectively chosen in the GOP primary rather than the general election when candidates from both parties are on the ballot.

    Democrat Brian Roberts will face Bost in the Nov. 5 general election, according to the unofficial primary results.

    BND visual journalist Joshua Carter contributed information to this report.

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  • Candidate predicts his own defeat and other interesting moments from March 19 primary

    Candidate predicts his own defeat and other interesting moments from March 19 primary

    Editor’s note: Handshakes and Headshakes are my quick takes on local events, groups or newsmakers whose actions, decisions or performance deserves to be celebrated or called out.

    In light of the March 19 primary, here’s an election edition of Handshakes and Headshakes. Let’s start with congratulations and hearty handshakes for all of Tuesday’s primary winners. And to the losers, well, there’s always the next election.

    Here are some thoughts about Tuesday’s election results.

    Headshake: Small percentage of population making serious decisions for everyone else

    David Taylor, center, Republican candidate in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District race, votes in the primary at Holly Hill Elementary in Amelia, Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
    David Taylor, center, Republican candidate in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District race, votes in the primary at Holly Hill Elementary in Amelia, Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

    It’s not exactly breaking news that voter turnout for primary elections tends to be about half that of general elections. But turnout across Greater Cincinnati on Tuesday was even worse than the national average of 27% for primaries. Hamilton County’s voter turnout was particularly woeful at 14.5%. Warren County had the highest turnout in the area (25.3%), followed by Clermont County (22.3%) and Butler County (19.6%), according to unofficial results from these counties boards of elections.

    Primaries are a chance for voters to choose which candidates they want to send to the general election and potentially hold office. When a small percentage of registered voters participate, that means they are shaping elections for the majority. And then some people want to complain about having to “pick between the lesser of two evils” in the general election.

    Maybe if voters were more engaged in the primaries, we might all feel better about our choices come November.

    Headshake: Ohio congressional candidate accurately (or should I say accidentally) predicts his defeat

    Derek MyersDerek Myers

    Derek Myers

    Ohio congressional candidate Derek Myers sent an email conceding his race hours before polls closed Tuesday. Myers said it was an accident. Turns out it was prophetic.

    Myers finished dead last in a field of 11 candidates running for the Republican nomination for the 2nd District House seat, earning 1.5% of the vote, according to unofficial results. It’s doubtful that the email snafu sealed Myers fate, but it couldn’t have helped.

    “Tonight did not go as we had hoped,” Myers began the email accidentally sent at 3:19 p.m., four hours before Ohio’s 7:30 p.m. poll closing time.

    No kidding.

    My heart goes out to Myers. As journalists working at the speed of news and under the pressure of deadlines and competition, such errors are the stuff of nightmares for us. To his credit, Myers took the whole thing in stride, even poking fun at the situation in an email sent at 8:56 p.m. announcing that he had “OFFICIALLY” conceded the race.

    “Anyone who works in communications knows it’s not uncommon to have speeches and releases prepared in the event of each outcome,” Myers said in a statement clarifying the concession gaffe. “It’s simply good strategy.”

    But terrible execution.

    Handshake: No Trump endorsement, no problem

    David Taylor, Republican candidate in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District race, campaigns during Ohio’s primary at Goshen High School, Tuesday, March 19, 2024.David Taylor, Republican candidate in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District race, campaigns during Ohio’s primary at Goshen High School, Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

    David Taylor, Republican candidate in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District race, campaigns during Ohio’s primary at Goshen High School, Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

    Unlike Bernie Moreno who got a much-needed boost from Donald Trump’s endorsement in the GOP race for U.S. Senate, David Taylor won his 2nd Congressional District race without the ex-president’s stamp of approval. Neither Trump nor retiring Congressman Brad Wenstrup endorsed in the race, yet Taylor emerged from an 11-candidate field with 25% of the vote.

    Given how heavily the district went for Trump in 2020, Taylor is practically a shoo-in come November. In a campaign commercial, Taylor, a concrete company operator from Clermont County, said he would physically go help complete the border wall if needed.

    If Trump gets reelected in November, taxpayers might want to take Taylor up on his offer of free labor. Especially since we are still waiting for Mexico to pay for it.

    Handshake: Phil Heimlich lost the election but he won my respect

    Former Hamilton County commissioner Phil Heimlich finished in the middle of the pack in Tuesday's GOP primary for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District.Former Hamilton County commissioner Phil Heimlich finished in the middle of the pack in Tuesday's GOP primary for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District.

    Former Hamilton County commissioner Phil Heimlich finished in the middle of the pack in Tuesday’s GOP primary for Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District.

    The minute Phil Heimlich decided to run as the anti-MAGA candidate in a Trump-loving district, his fate was sealed. He managed to get only 5% of the vote in 2nd Congressional District GOP primary, good for a middle-of-the-pack finish, according to unofficial election results. He didn’t earn a seat in Congress, but he did earn my respect.

    Heimlich, a former Cincinnati councilman and Hamilton County commissioner, cares about democracy. He is a rare-breed Republican these days who has the guts to speak out against Donald Trump’s lies, dangerous rhetoric and misdeeds. When Hamilton County’s GOP chairman was urging candidates to dodge an Enquirer survey about Trump and January 6 Capitol riots, Heimlich happily answered the questions: The events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 were an insurrection, pure and simple; Trump should not hold office if convicted of the serious felonies with which he is charged; the 2020 election wasn’t stolen.

    Those answers aren’t going to earn you many votes in Trump Country, but winning elections isn’t everything. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

    If you paid any attention to Heimlich’s campaign, then you’d know his answer to that question too.

    Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge can be reached at kaldridge@enquirer.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @kevaldrid. You can message him with any recommendations for handshakes or headshakes.

    Kevin S. Aldridge is the Opinion and Engagement editor for the The Enquirer.Kevin S. Aldridge is the Opinion and Engagement editor for the The Enquirer.

    Kevin S. Aldridge is the Opinion and Engagement editor for the The Enquirer.

    This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Myers accidentally concedes election; Trump’s endorsement means a lot

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  • Trump’s coalition boosted Bernie Moreno in the Ohio GOP Senate race, NBC News exit polls show

    Trump’s coalition boosted Bernie Moreno in the Ohio GOP Senate race, NBC News exit polls show

    Former President Donald Trump’s coalition lifted Bernie Moreno to victory in Ohio’s GOP Senate primary, according to NBC News exit polls.

    Moreno defeated state Sen. Matt Dolan and state Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Tuesday, NBC News projects, advancing to the general election to take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, also won his primary in Ohio.

    It’s clear Trump’s decision to endorse Moreno, a wealthy former car dealer, boosted him among his most ardent supporters, underscoring the former president’s sway in GOP primaries farther down the ballot. Aside from Brown, Ohio is also represented by Sen. JD Vance, whom Trump’s endorsement also propelled to victory in a GOP primary in 2022.

    Exit polls showed that there was plenty of overlap between Trump and Moreno supporters.

    A whopping 93% of Moreno’s backers approved of Trump’s job as president, while 78% of LaRose’s supporters and 57% of Dolan’s supporters said the same.

    Of Moreno’s supporters, 61% did not have college degrees, 80% were over age 45, and 60% considered themselves part of the MAGA movement, referring to Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

    Eight in 10 Moreno supporters said they believed the unfounded notion that President Joe Biden did not legitimately win the 2020 election, a higher share than Moreno’s two opponents — 60% of LaRose’s supporters said Biden did not win the 2020 election, while just 42% of Dolan supporters agreed.

    GOP primary voters were also asked whether it is important that Ohio’s next senator show support for Trump: 91% of Moreno’s supporters said it was important, compared to 65% of LaRose’s and 47% of Dolan’s.

    But the exit polls did include some warning signs for Moreno as he turns his attention to November, suggesting that Brown could have an opening with some Republicans. Brown will most likely need to win over some GOP voters to secure a fourth Senate term, because Trump won Ohio by 8 points in 2016 and 2020.

    Around 1 in 4 Republican primary voters overall said it was not important for Ohio’s next senator to show support for Trump.

    And 35% of GOP primary voters said they were “dissatisfied or angry” with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that protected the right to abortion, while 43% opposed a federal ban on abortion.

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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  • Biden wins Ohio Democratic presidential primary for president

    Biden wins Ohio Democratic presidential primary for president

    President Joe Biden won Ohio’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, the Associated Press projected.

    Biden and former President Donald Trump both exceeded the number of delegates needed to secure their respective nominations, News Center 7 previously reported.

    >> ‘It’s our duty;’ Tornado cleanup didn’t stop Clark County couple from hitting polls

    There were three candidates on the Democratic ballot: Biden, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Marianne Williamson, an author and activist.

    There are nine candidates on the Republican ballot, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. All but Trump have left the race.

    We will continue updating this story.

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  • Trump, other defendants waiting to see if judge will allow appeal of Fani Willis ruling

    Trump, other defendants waiting to see if judge will allow appeal of Fani Willis ruling

    Trump, other defendants waiting to see if judge will allow appeal of Fani Willis ruling

    Attorneys for former President Donald Trump and some of the other election interference defendants are waiting to see if the judge in the case will ask an appeals court to review his decision which essentially removed special prosecutor Nathan Wade from the case.

    It’s because this whole case is unprecedented. The attorney for one of the former election interference defendants believes Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will grant the motion and ask the Georgia Court of Appeals to review it.

    In Friday’s ruling, McAfee called Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ romantic relationship with Wade a “lapse in judgment,” but ruled it didn’t affect the case so long as one of them stepped down.

    Wade did just hours later.

    But now attorneys for Trump and some of the other defendants are appealing that decision.

    “The resignation of Mr. Wade is insufficient to cure the appearance of impropriety the court has determined exists,” a new court filing said.

    Scott Grubman represented former election interference defendant Kenneth Chesebro, who accepted a deal and pleaded guilty months ago.

    “I think it’s a very strong appeal. While I respect Judge McAfee’s decision, I do not agree with it,” Grubman said.

    He told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that there just is no precedent for this kind of trial and this kind of relationship between a DA prosecuting a case and her special prosecutor.

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    He thinks McAfee did the best he could but will not mind if the Court of Appeals takes a look at the decision and weighs in.

    “I would say, ‘Look, I think I got this right, but in fairness, this is an unprecedented situation, so let’s see what the court of appeals says,’” Grubman said.

    Other lawyers like former DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James believe McAfee got it right.

    “The judge looked at whether or not there’s an actual conflict, and he decided that there’s not, and I agree there’s really no evidence to support an actual conflict. But the appearance as it pertains to Nathan Wade was just too strong to leave him on the case,” James said.

    There was no comment from the DA’s Office Tuesday for this story.

    McAfee would have to agree to let the Court of Appeals hear this motion and then the Court of Appeals would have to agree to hear it themselves.

    Even if this was expedited, Grubman doesn’t think there’s any way this trial can happen before the November election.

    RELATED NEWS:

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  • GOP state House speakers face tide of challenges from the right

    GOP state House speakers face tide of challenges from the right

    COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican state House speakers in at least three states are facing open rebellion on their right flanks. The latest test is coming in Ohio’s primaries Tuesday.

    In recent weeks, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan got dragged into a primary runoff for his seat by a challenger endorsed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former President Donald Trump, after Phelan shepherded Paxton’s impeachment last year. In Wisconsin, a recall effort against state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos could fail due to a lack of valid signatures, but his standing on the right is perilous after narrowly surviving a primary challenge in 2022.

    Now, in Ohio, Republican primary challengers are trying to unseat a dozen of the GOP state representatives who helped Democrats elevate a different speaker in 2023 over the choice of the Republican caucus.

    Given the fracture among the Republican state representatives, neither of the Republican speaker candidates would have been able to win the speakership without Democratic votes. But defeating some of the members who elected state House Speaker Jason Stephens in 2023 may prevent him from getting another term in the role.

    The state-level turmoil shows how divides in the GOP over both ideology and style are permeating the party at all levels, from the presidential primary to former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster last year on down. And it demonstrates how these national-style fights are threatening state-level powerbrokers, the type of people whose local influence used to shield them from challenge.

     Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, on May 26, 2023.  (Eric Gay / AP)
    Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, on May 26, 2023. (Eric Gay / AP)

    Ohio state Rep. Ron Ferguson, who is leading a Republican faction against his GOP colleagues who voted for Stephens, told NBC News the primary challenges are about throwing out “people that put power over policy.”

    Stephens rejected Ferguson’s analysis of the situation. He became speaker last year after 22 GOP state representatives voted with Democrats to elect him instead of supporting state Rep. Derek Merrin, who had won the GOP’s internal caucus vote for speaker.

    “I’m extremely conservative from an ideological standpoint, but from a getting business done and operating and respecting other people, I think that’s the strength that I tried to bring to the table. And that seemed to win the day. And we’ve got to continue to do that throughout the legislative General Assembly,” Stephens said. “Some people have been able to see that others have tried to poison the well since last January and continue to do so as we roll into the primary.”

    State Rep. D.J. Swearingen, who backed Stephens and is now facing a primary challenge, told NBC News that the main issue was that “Derek was caught telling people that he was willing to punish those who didn’t vote for him in the caucus vote. There was going to be political retribution. And we all found out about this. So we were like, we don’t want to vote for this guy.”

    Merrin told NBC News in response that “this is 100% false.” According to Merrin, he offered to make Swearingen the chair of the state House Finance Committee “even after he voted against me in caucus to help unify both sides.”

    Now, Swearingen said that amid his primary campaign, “there’s this narrative now out there, that all of us that voted for Jason are somehow a bunch of liberals, which is totally ridiculous because if you look into our group, you have a group of conservatives who are pro-life, pro-gun, and most if not all of us have endorsed Donald Trump for president.” Nevertheless, the incumbent said, his primary opponent has compared him to a Nazi collaborator.

    The rhetoric has been similarly heated in Texas, where Paxton-backed Republicans are waging a revenge campaign against Phelan and other GOP incumbents who backed Paxton’s impeachment on corruption charges. Paxton was acquitted, and he and Trump have accused Phelan of pushing “fraudulent” charges and not being sufficiently conservative.

    That’s the complaint from the right against Vos in Wisconsin, too, where the long-tenured speaker has passed a raft of conservative legislation during his years in power. But he also refused right-wing pleas to overturn the 2020 election results and eventually shut down a probe he launched that found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

    Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos talks to the media at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. on Feb. 15, 2022.  (Andy Manis / AP)Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos talks to the media at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. on Feb. 15, 2022.  (Andy Manis / AP)

    Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos talks to the media at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. on Feb. 15, 2022. (Andy Manis / AP)

    Vos survived his next Republican primary by only a few hundred votes, and organizers attempted to recall him this month. They are awaiting a court ruling clarifying the district lines, which could affect whether they gathered the required number of signatures to recall Vos.

    Back in Ohio, Ty Mathews, a National Guard member challenging a GOP incumbent who backed the speaker there, said one of the reasons he was motivated to run was because his opponent and others had “betrayed the party” by supporting Stephens.

    “We call them the ‘Blue 22’ here in Ohio,” Mathews said, adding: “I thought that it was despicable, and not just the backdoor deals that were made, but [he] kind of had a pattern of this.”

    The Stephens-backing incumbent, state Rep. Jon Cross, told NBC News the infighting is “not even on [his] mind” and that people in his district “don’t have time to deal with or hear about” it.

    “I think that’s a message that my opponent just wants to drive. He just wants to cause more chaos and make it sound like there’s a lot of infighting. There’s not,” Cross said. “There’s probably one or two people in our caucus who are just grumpy that they didn’t get selected in leadership, they’re throwing temper tantrums, and so we’ve moved well past all them.”

    Cross hopes after the primary is over that instead of “turning the cannons on each other, we turn the cannons to the Democrats, and start focusing on — how do we get rid of [Sen.] Sherrod Brown? How do we get rid of [Rep.] Marcy Kaptur? How would they get rid of Joe Biden? And how do we unify as a party and start to focus on the real enemy, which is the Democrat policies, and the people that are in office that we disagree with.”

    Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, one of Stephens’ predecessors in the speakership, chalked the fight up to the pressures that have built inside the party as it gained power in the state.

    “This is the kind of thing that happens once you become a clear majority party, is that sometimes you have internal factions that develop,” Husted said. “And I think that Tuesday, once that’s done, the wounds will heal quickly and Republicans will be ready to go for November.”

    “There is a consequence when you don’t work together as a team,” Husted warned, “and I think that there are people who are paying the consequences.”

    This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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