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Iran to defy uranium enrichment limits of 2015 nuclear deal after assault

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, attends a nuclear deal review meeting in Tehran.

Raheb Homavandi | Reuters

WASHINGTON – Iran will begin 60% enrichment of uranium, a significant step towards weapons-grade materials, in response to an attack on a key nuclear site, the country’s leading nuclear negotiator told state media on Tuesday.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency, which oversees the surveillance and inspection of nuclear facilities, of Tehran’s decision. It is estimated that 90% of the enriched uranium is needed to develop a bomb.

The move comes two days after Tehran announced that Natanz’s underground nuclear facility has suffered a power outage. The facility in Natanz was previously affected by cyber attacks.

The Iranian Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency, described the event on Sunday as an act of “nuclear terrorism”. A day later, Iran officially accused Israel of being behind the attack and vowed revenge.

Continue reading: Iran calls Natanz nuclear failure blackout “nuclear terrorism”, while the Israeli media point to a cyber attack

The Natanz blackout coincided with the arrival of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Secretary Benny Gantz.

The Israeli government did not publicly comment on the incident. The White House said Monday the United States was not involved in the attack.

A view of the Natanz uranium enrichment plant 250 km south of the Iranian capital Tehran.

Raheb Homavandi | Reuters

Iran’s decision to increase uranium enrichment comes because the Biden government is working to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal.

The JCPOA brokered by the Obama administration lifted sanctions against Iran, which had paralyzed its economy and cut its oil exports roughly in half. In exchange for billions of dollars in sanction relief, Iran agreed to dismantle part of its nuclear program and open its facilities to wider international inspections.

In addition to the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia and China were also signatories to the agreement.

In 2018, then-President Donald Trump kept an election promise and unilaterally withdrew the United States from the JCPOA in what was dubbed the “worst deal ever”. Trump also reintroduced the previously lifted sanctions against Tehran.

After Washington withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal, other signatories to the pact struggled to keep the deal alive.

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Intelligence Report Calls China Greatest Menace to U.S.

Intelligence Report Calls China Biggest Threat to U.S.

China’s efforts to expand its growing influence pose one of the greatest threats to the United States, according to a major annual intelligence report released Tuesday that also warned that Beijing is capable of cyberattacks affecting the critical infrastructure in the United States Temporarily disrupt the United States.

In the report, China’s quest for “global power” ranks first on the list of threats, followed by Russia, Iran and North Korea. There are usually few general revelations in the annual reports that are a collection of approved reviews, although the ranking of intelligence threats and how they change over time can be meaningful.

“Beijing, Moscow, Tehran and Pyongyang have demonstrated the ability and intent to advance their interests at the expense of the United States and its allies despite the pandemic,” the report said. “China is increasingly a peer-to-peer competitor, challenging the US in a variety of areas – particularly economic, military, and technological – and pushing to change global norms.”

The section on Iran could influence negotiations on the re-entry of the United States into the nuclear deal. It is important that the intelligence services assess that Iran “is not currently engaged in the most important nuclear weapon development activities” required to build a nuclear device. However, according to the report, Iranian leaders will most likely be reluctant to hold talks with the United States without relieving sanctions.

The intelligence rating also offered a grim assessment of Afghanistan, just days before President Biden will announce when he will be pulling the last troops out of the country. Intelligence agencies believe the prospects for a peace deal remain slim and the Taliban are likely to make profits on the battlefield, the report said. Over the past few weeks, officials who said American troops should stay longer have used the assessment to reinforce their arguments.

China’s strategy, according to the report, is to drive wedges between the United States and its allies. Beijing has also used its success in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic to promote “system superiority”.

The report predicts that China will urge the Taiwanese government to move forward with unification and will criticize the United States’ efforts to step up engagement with Taipei. However, the report did not predict any direct military conflict.

China is using its electronic surveillance and hacking capabilities not only to suppress dissent within its country, but also to intervene that affects people outside its borders, the report said. China also poses a growing threat from cyberattacks against the United States, and intelligence agencies assess that Beijing “can at least cause localized, temporary disruptions to critical infrastructure in the United States.”

There are few surprises when it comes to assessing the secret service in Russia. It makes it clear that American spy agencies still view Moscow as a pre-eminent threat, despite many viewing Moscow as a declining power. They discover that a Russian supply chain hacking operation has created vulnerabilities in around 18,000 computer networks around the world. The assessment said that while Russia would avoid direct conflict with America, it would use campaigns of influence, mercenary operations, and military exercises to advance its interests and undermine those of the United States.

While the report highlights the traditional types of national security threats the nation faces, it gives a nod to the challenges of climate change and global pandemics that the Biden government has announced that intelligence agencies will investigate more closely. The threats are largely long-term, but can also have short-term effects, the report said.

“The American people should know as much as possible about the threats our nation faces and what their intelligence agencies are doing to protect them,” said Avril B. Haines, the director of the national intelligence agency whose office wrote the report published.

The new report is followed by statements from Congress by Mrs Haines; William J. Burns, the CIA director; and other senior intelligence officials on Wednesday and Thursday.

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Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen asks decide to droop residence confinement

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen asks judge to suspend home confinement

Michael Cohen leaves the Manhattan Attorney’s Office in New York City on March 19, 2021.

Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

Michael Cohen, former personal attorney for ex-President Donald Trump, on Monday called on a federal judge to suspend his criminal sentence as the judge parses his request to declare satisfied his punishment by job and education loans received in jail.

The request came because Cohen is expected to meet separately for the ninth time later this week with investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Cyrus Vance Jr., who are conducting an extensive criminal investigation into Trump and the Trump Organization, a source with the case said CNBC.

Cohen’s motion for a verdict has nothing to do with his collaboration with Vance’s investigation into the most serious criminal prosecution Trump currently faces.

Vance is known to be investigating how the Trump firm recorded hush money payments that Cohen made possible for two women in 2016 and is investigating Cohen’s allegations to Congress that the Trump organization artificially manipulated the valuation of real estate assets for financial gain .

In a letter to US District Judge John Koetl, Cohen wrote that his daily detention in Manhattan continues to be “a day Mr. Cohen is illegally detained”.

Cohen wrote that he wanted Koetl “to order his release pending a decision” as to whether his criminal conviction has already been fulfilled.

He also wrote: “The impetus for this request stems from the known fact that the Bureau of Prisons is walking through these petitions noticeably slowly in order to discuss resolve, particularly on matters such as the one before Your Honor, in which the petitioner is released from custody will be 7 months. “

If Koetl approves this motion, Cohen could freely leave his Upper East Side domicile, at least until the judge finally decides on his legal offer to declare his sentence complete.

Cohen, guilty of tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and making a false declaration to Congress, was released last spring after serving just over a year of his three-year prison sentence on coronavirus concerns would have.

In his pending petition to Koetl in Manhattan federal court, Cohen argued that his sentence was completed because of classes and assignments he completed in prison, which bought him time under the First Step Act signed by Trump. Cohen argues that its last possible release date is May 29th.

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Cohen told CNBC, “This letter to Judge Koetl and my underlying Habeas Corpus letter seeks judicial intervention to compel the Bureau of Prisons to give me what I am entitled to under the terms of the First Step Act . No more and no less. “”

And Cohen added, “This petition has nothing to do with my ongoing work with the prosecutor [New York state] Attorney General or any other investigation I am involved in. “

New York attorney general Letitia James is conducting a civil investigation into the Trump Organization that, like Vance’s criminal investigation, examines whether the company has misrepresented the value of the same real estate assets at different times, benefiting from lower tax expenses and insurance costs if Ratings were lower than stated for loan purposes.

The federal prosecutor argued that Cohen was not entitled to any time credits he had identified for any work or course he had identified, “largely because Cohen did not have a need to reduce his risk of relapse in any of the areas in which he took courses or work.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York who opposed Cohen’s offer declined to comment on Monday.

In his letter on Monday, Cohen also drew Koetl’s attention to a filing in another case involving a federal inmate in which prosecutors apparently dropped two “misguided and flawed defenses” that they had used in Cohen’s case.

That defense is that Cohen’s claim for a judgment from Koetl is not legally ripe because the First Step Act has not been fully enforced and because he has failed to exhaust the administrative complaints to the US Bureau of Prisons.

Cohen began working with Vance’s probe before going to jail and continued speaking with investigators while he was incarcerated and after his release to detention center.

Cohen last met with top officials in Vance’s office in mid-March.

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Biden Picks Trump Critic Chris Magnus to Run Border Company

Biden Picks Trump Critic Chris Magnus to Run Border Agency

“I’ve been thinking about how I really wanted to treat people differently,” he said. “And it had an impact, that’s for sure.”

Chief Magnus began his law enforcement career as a dispatcher in the Lansing Police Department in 1979, rose through the ranks to become Chief of Police in Fargo, ND, in 1999, helping set up a refugee liaison program.

Later, as the chief of police in Richmond, he helped fight violent crime. In 2014, one of his last years in the department, the city recorded only 11 murders, the lowest number in more than four decades. That year Chief Magnus was photographed holding the Black Lives Matter sign and when criticized by the local police union said he would do it again.

However, in Richmond, Chief Magnus also faced a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by seven black sergeants, lieutenants and captains, despite a 2012 jury rejecting all claims. In 2015, a former Richmond police officer settled a dismissal suit with the department after saying he was fired for complaining that Chief Magnus sexually molested him and committed racial slurs. Chief Magnus called the allegations “completely wrong”.

“At that time, there were still people who said I was an easier target because I was a gay man,” he said. “This is not the first time in my career that I’ve seen it.”

In Tucson last year, Chief Magnus drew fire again when it took the department two months to release the body camera video of the death of a 27-year-old Latino man, Carlos Ingram Lopez, who repeatedly asked for water while he was withheld was by police officers.

Chief Magnus blamed the delay on a bureaucratic breakdown and said he didn’t see the video right away. But he said he wish he had done more to see it for himself. “We should have asked to see the video but it didn’t and when we finally saw it we were obviously very concerned about it,” he said. Chief Magnus offered to resign during a press conference when the video was released, but the mayor kept him updated and praised his work in a statement Monday.

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Nike, FedEx focused by progressive group calling for greater company taxes

Nike, FedEx targeted by progressive group calling for higher corporate taxes

A FedEx employee loads deliveries in San Francisco.

Getty Images

A progressive group urging Congress to raise the corporate tax rate is launching an advertising campaign for FedEx and Nike, two large American companies with light federal taxes, the group said on Monday.

Tax March, which held dozens of demonstrations in 2017 urging former President Donald Trump to publish his tax returns, plans to post ads for FedEx on Tuesday. The television commercials will air in Washington, DC and in Memphis, Tennessee, where FedEx is headquartered.

A report by the Institute for Taxes and Economic Policy said FedEx “zeroed its federal income tax on $ 1.2 billion in pre-tax income in 2020 and received a $ 230 million discount.” The report says the lack of tax payments by some companies is likely related to historical tax breaks, as well as Trump’s 2017 tax reform plan and certain elements of the coronavirus relief act known as the CARES Act.

Tax March also plans to target Nike next week with a newspaper ad in the shoe giant’s home state of Oregon, according to Dana Bye, the group’s campaign leader. She said the newspaper ad will have a message similar to the TV ad that focuses on FedEx.

The institute’s report states that Nike did not “pay a cent of federal tax on nearly $ 2.9 billion in pre-tax income last year, but received a tax rebate of $ 109 million.”

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“FedEx will pay all federal, state and local taxes totaling over $ 20 billion between 2016 and 2020. During that time, Congress passed new tax laws to help companies like FedEx make additional investments in their employees The local economies have created new jobs and improved infrastructure. These changes were laws, not loopholes, “company spokeswoman Isabel Rollison said in a statement after the story was published.

After making her initial statement, Rollison later told CNBC, “FedEx will pay all US federal, state and local taxes totaling over $ 9 billion between 2016 and 2020.”

“FedEx has collected and remitted over $ 20 billion in taxes in the United States (individual income, payroll, customs fees, and state and local sales taxes) for the past five fiscal years 2016-2020,” she added.

A Nike representative did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

President Joe Biden said he would raise the corporate tax rate to 28% to fund his $ 2 trillion infrastructure reform package. Since then, he has stated that he is ready to negotiate a possible corporate tax hike as moderate Democrats like Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., pushed the tax rate back to 28%.

Bye said the campaign will cost nearly $ 500,000 in total. It will also include digital ads on Facebook and other platforms.

The TV ad, which was first reviewed by CNBC, targets FedEx as one of several companies that have recently paid little to no federal corporate income taxes.

“Tell Congress, it’s time to put people first,” said a voice-over on the FedEx ad. “Let companies like FedEx pay their fair share.”

FedEx recently told CNBC that it opposed a corporate tax hike to pay for Biden’s infrastructure plan. Stakeholders like the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have also spoken out against the idea of ​​raising the corporate tax rate to pay for the infrastructure.

“I think the biggest message we’re trying to make with this campaign is that we can’t let tax evaders like FedEx drive the tax debate,” Bye said.

Tax March is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501 (c) (4) dark money organization that donated just over $ 60 million to democratic groups, including millions to Super-PACs, during the 2020 election , the Biden support the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Tax March’s campaign is one of the first to adopt companies since Biden became president. Corporations are under pressure to respond to new electoral laws recently passed in Georgia.

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U.S. Strikes Agreements with Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala on Migration Enforcement

U.S. Strikes Agreements with Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala on Migration Enforcement

The government of Biden announced on Monday that it had reached agreements with the governments of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala that these countries should step up the enforcement of migration against the border with the United States.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the three countries had increased their numbers of police officers and troops to deter migrants, including families with children, from making a dangerous journey north.

Mexico has told the United States that it will maintain 10,000 soldiers on its own southern border to double the number of migrants preventing it from traveling north, Ms Psaki said. Guatemala has added 1,500 soldiers to its border with Honduras and has set up a series of a dozen checkpoints along the route that many migrants take on their way to the United States.

She also said that Honduras recently “increased” 7,000 police and troops to disperse a contingent of migrants who had gathered to travel north in search of refuge.

“The aim is to make the journey more difficult and to make it more difficult to cross the border,” said Ms. Psaki.

The announcement of the agreements reflected several made by the Trump administration. In the summer of 2019, President Donald J. Trump agreed to drop his threat to impose tariffs on Mexico after the country agreed to send thousands of troops to intercept migrants making their way north to the United States border Find.

Ms. Psaki recognized the work of Roberta Jacobson, a former US ambassador to Mexico who served as senior border advisor on the National Security Council. Ms. Jacobson said last week that she intended to leave the administration by the end of the month as originally planned.

The Biden government has repeatedly stated that part of combating illegal immigration from Central American countries is to work diplomatically to reduce the crime, corruption and poverty that often drive people to leave their homes, to seek refuge.

President Biden last month appointed Vice President Kamala Harris with long-term efforts to improve conditions in the region. The agreements with the countries are an early test of the cooperation Ms. Harris needs to carry out this mission.

“These discussions last for a period of time and take place at different levels of government both here and in these countries,” Ms Psaki said.

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White Home to host Google, Intel CEOs to debate chip provide chain

White House studying supply chain 'stress tests' after semiconductor shortages, sources say 

President Joe Biden holds a chip in his hand before speaking in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, USA, on February 24, 2021, ahead of the signing of an ordinance to remedy a global semiconductor shortage.

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

Executives from companies like Google parent Alphabet, AT&T, Intel and General Motors will attend a virtual summit at the White House on Monday to address the global semiconductor shortage.

The summit comes when the Biden administration embarks on a review of key U.S. supply chains, including those for semiconductors, high-capacity batteries, medical supplies and rare earth metals. The shortage of computer chips is affecting a number of industries, from electric vehicle manufacturers to medical supplies.

Automakers like GM and Ford recently had to cut production estimates or extend downtime to address the shortage. The supply chain was initially at risk at the start of the Covid pandemic, as a large part of the world’s chips are manufactured in Asia, where the crisis first appeared.

US officials and lawmakers have highlighted the potential safety implications of the country’s reliance on other countries for semiconductors. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said in February that “semiconductor manufacturing is a dangerous flaw in our economy and national security.”

For economic and national security reasons, the supply chain assessment set out in Biden’s February Executive Order seeks to assess “the resilience and capacity of America’s manufacturing and industrial defense base supply chains in support of national security [and] Emergency preparedness. “

The White House has also said it is trying to fill gaps in domestic production and supply chains that are “dominated or passed through nations that are becoming or becoming unfriendly or unstable”.

While the White House review does not specifically mention China, the directive is likely largely an attempt by the government to determine how dependent the US economy and military are on a critical group of Chinese exports.

According to the White House, the virtual summit will be hosted by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and NEC Director Brian Deese, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Attendees will discuss Biden’s American employment plan and strengthening the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, according to the White House.

Here is the full list of companies whose executives are expected to attend the summit:

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WATCH: Chip scarcity is slowing production of game consoles, cars, and more

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10 Weeks to the End Line: New York’s Mayoral Race Heats Up

10 Weeks to the Finish Line: New York’s Mayoral Race Heats Up

Raymond J. McGuire, a former former Citigroup black executive who campaigned heavily for voting Southeast Queens, traveled to Minneapolis last week with Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, to attend the trial of George Floyd’s death to participate.

And on Friday, Ms. Wiley – a black woman already supported by the powerful local 1199 Service Employees International Union – was endorsed by Representative Yvette Clarke, a Brooklyn Democrat and member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Dianne Morales, the most progressive candidate in the race, identifies as an Afro-Latina and has aroused great interest among grassroots left activists.

Mr. Stringer, with his significant war chest and list of prominent endorsements, competes with Ms. Wiley and Ms. Morales for the most progressive voters in town. Left activists, alarmed by the perceived strength of Mr. Yang and Mr. Adams – two other centrist candidates – are planning a strategy to better align a candidate or group of candidates with their vision.

A number of organizations, from the left Working Families Party to the United Federation of Teachers, are in the midst of support processes that could help voters narrow down their preferred candidates. Decisions can be made this week.

There is still time for the race to evolve. Ms. Garcia is deeply respected by some of the people who know City Hall best. Mr. McGuire and Shaun Donovan, a former federal housing secretary, have aired television commercials and Super-PACs are backing them, a dynamic that could improve their competitiveness, though neither is caught on fire.

Mr McGuire, in particular, was seen as a business favorite early on – with the fundraiser to prove it – but there is growing evidence that other candidates might also be acceptable to the city’s donor class.

Mr. Yang courted Mr. McGuire’s donors and encouraged them to take a portfolio management approach by investing in multiple candidates who support the business community, such as someone with direct knowledge of the conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity and private Describe discussions. The Yang campaign declined to comment.

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Blinken warns Moscow of penalties amid troop buildup close to Ukraine

Blinken warns Moscow of consequences amid troop buildup near Ukraine

State Secretary Antony Blinken holds a press conference at the end of a NATO Foreign Ministers meeting on March 24, 2021 at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Olivier Hoslet | Reuters

WASHINGTON – Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said Sunday he was concerned about the number of Russian troops gathering at the Ukrainian border and warned Moscow that “there will be consequences for aggressive behavior”.

“I have to tell you that I have real concerns about the actions of Russia on the borders of Ukraine. More Russian armed forces are gathered at these borders than ever since the first invasion of Russia in 2014,” Blinken said during an interview on “Meet the press “” Sunday.

“President Biden was very clear about this. If Russia acts ruthlessly or aggressively, there will be costs, there will be consequences,” said Blinken, adding that the United States was discussing the growing aggression at the border with allies and partners.

On Friday, Blinken partly spoke to his German and French colleagues about “Russian provocations against Ukraine”.

Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration had consulted with NATO allies about rising tensions and ceasefire violations.

“The United States is increasingly concerned about the recent escalating Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border,” she told reporters on Thursday, describing the matter as “deeply worrying.”

Continue reading: The US is concerned about Russian troop movements near Ukraine and is discussing regional tensions with NATO allies

In recent weeks, Moscow has increased its military presence along the Ukrainian border, raising concerns in the West about a burgeoning military conflict between the two neighboring countries. The Russian Defense Ministry has announced that it will conduct more than 4,000 military exercises this month to review the readiness of its armed forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits positions of armed forces near the front with Russian-backed separatists during his working tour in the Donbass region of Ukraine on April 8, 2021.

Press service of the Ukrainian President | Handout | via Reuters

Last month, the Ukrainian government said four of its soldiers were killed by Russian shelling in Donbass. Moscow has denied that it has armed forces in eastern Ukraine. Since 2014, Kiev has been fighting against Russian-backed separatists in a conflict that, according to the United Nations, killed at least 13,000 people.

Continue reading: The West is waiting for Putin’s next move as tensions between Russia and Ukraine mount

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow would move its armed forces over Russian territory at its own discretion, calling the escalating tensions “unprecedented”. He also suggested that Ukraine was on the verge of civil war that would threaten Russia’s security.

“The Kremlin fears that civil war could resume in Ukraine. And if civil war, extensive military action, resumes near our borders, it would endanger the security of the Russian Federation,” Peskov told the Associated Press . “The continued escalation of tensions is unprecedented.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of resuming “dangerous provocative actions” when calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, according to a Kremlin report. The Kremlin previously said it was concerned about mounting tensions in eastern Ukraine and feared that the Kiev armed forces would try to resume conflict.

Last week the Pentagon reiterated its call for the Kremlin to explain its decision to mobilize troops to the border.

“The Russians are busy doing a military build-up along the eastern border of Ukraine and in Crimea, which is still part of Ukraine, and that is worrying. And we want to know more about what they are doing and what their intentions are. That is that we do not believe that this is conducive to security and stability there, “Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Friday.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet in person with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg at Alliance headquarters in Brussels later this week.

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‘Just like the Tiger King Obtained Elected Tax Collector’: Contained in the Case That Ensnared Matt Gaetz

‘Like the Tiger King Got Elected Tax Collector’: Inside the Case That Ensnared Matt Gaetz

According to a person familiar with the matter, Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Gaetz met in Florida in 2017 through the close-knit group of prominent Trump supporters. Mr. Greenberg had no political experience prior to his election. Mr. Gaetz represents a district that is approximately 400 miles away.

Nevertheless, Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Gaetz have seen each other regularly over the past few years. They gathered at Mr. Dorworth’s in January 2019 to celebrate that Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican close to Mr. Gaetz, lifted a ban on smokable medical marijuana. The three men visited Washington together in June, and Mr Greenberg posted photos on social media of the White House lawn, including one of his daughter with Mr Gaetz and Mr Trump.

A few years ago – the exact date is unclear – Mr. Greenberg took Mr. Gaetz to the Lake Mary tax collector’s office for a weekend. The following Monday, an employee found that the alarm was disabled and the driver’s license was scattered across a desk. She checked the surveillance video and saw Mr. Greenberg at this desk with another man. When she asked Mr. Greenberg, he wrote back on text messages checked by The Times: “Yes, I showed Congressman Gaetz what our operation was like. Have i left something on? “

What the men did is unclear.

On a separate episode on a Sunday in September 2018, Mr. Greenberg wrote to a staff member that he had received an “emergency replacement” ID card from Mr. Gaetz by Tuesday, claiming that the Congressman had lost his ID. Mr Gaetz told Politico that he temporarily lost his wallet but found it before he needed the replacement ID.

Days after Mr Greenberg was first charged last year, a woman hit a tree with her car a few hundred meters from his home one morning. According to two people familiar with their relationship, the woman had previously had sex with Mr. Greenberg and received money from him for mobile payment apps. You left his house, people said.

When a neighbor called 911, according to a recording of the call, the woman screamed incoherently in the background. The neighbor said the woman was calling a friend. Moments later, on the end of the caller’s line, an unidentified man could be heard.

“She has a lump on her head,” said the man. “She has a small cut on her head. She is just very shaken. “