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Capitol Police Officers Sue Trump and Allies Over Election Lies and Jan. 6

Capitol Police Officers Sue Trump and Allies Over Election Lies and Jan. 6

A few weeks after the election, the lawsuit said, a key organizer of the stop-the-steal movement that was making false claims of electoral fraud, Ali Alexander, appeared at a rally outside the Georgia State Capitol with the leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio. “We’ll stop the theft,” the suit quotes Mr. Alexander. “But first we will stop the certification.”

Mr Alexander’s attorney, Baron Coleman, has repeatedly said that his client is not being investigated in relation to the riot. Mr Tarrio was out of Washington on January 6, but was sentenced to five months in prison this week for possessing illegal weapons and burning a Black Lives Matter flag that came from a historic after a separate pro-Trump rally in December Stolen black church in Washington was also engulfed in violence.

The lawsuit mentions further steps on the way to January 6th: In late November, it is said, a California-based political organizer named Alan Hostetter, who believed the election had been stolen, posted a video on the Internet alleging it was stolen that people “at the highest level” are levels ”must“ be done with one or two or three executions, for example ”.

Mr. Hostetter, who was charged with conspiracy to storm the Capitol in June with members of the Three Percent Militia Movement, also said in the video that he will “return to Washington with a million patriots and we will encircle this city.” . “

On Jan. 6, the suit features a picture of stop-the-steal activists inciting the mob of Trump supporters gathered in Washington with lies about the election, which the president then repeated in a speech near the White House. Members of the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenter movement are believed to have led the local mob in the attack on the Capitol.

Mr Trump, the lawsuit says, knew that “the situation in the Capitol was grim,” but did not condemn the rioters. Instead, two hours after the first violation, he posted a video repeating his lie that the election had been stolen and stolen, telling the attackers that he loved them.

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High Pennsylvania Republican Vows to Assessment 2020 Election Outcomes

Top Pennsylvania Republican Vows to Review 2020 Election Results

The top Republican in the Pennsylvania State Senate promised this week to carry out a broad review of the 2020 election results, a move that comes as G.O.P. lawmakers continue to sow doubts about the contest’s legitimacy by pushing to re-examine votes in battleground states like Arizona.

State Senator Jake Corman, who serves as president pro tempore of the G.O.P.-controlled chamber, made the comments in an interview with a right-wing radio host, and they were first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday. His remarks were the strongest sign yet that Pennsylvania — which President Biden won by more than 80,000 votes — may press forward with a review of 2020 results, despite no evidence of voter fraud that would have affected the outcome.

In the interview, Mr. Corman said that he wanted to begin “almost immediately” and that hearings would begin this week. He added that he expected to use the full power of the state’s General Assembly, including subpoenas, to conduct the review, which he referred to as a “forensic investigation.”

“We can bring people in, we can put them under oath, we can subpoena records, and that’s what we need to do and that’s what we’re going to do,” Mr. Corman said. “And so we’re going to move forward.”

Previously, State Senator Doug Mastriano, a Republican and vocal proponent of former President Donald J. Trump’s falsehoods about the election, had called for a review of results in three counties.

Until recently the chair of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, he sent letters requesting ballots, records and machines from Philadelphia County, which encompasses the state’s largest city and which Mr. Biden won with over 80 percent of the vote; York County, south of Harrisburg, which Mr. Trump won handily; and Tioga County, in the northern part of the state, which Mr. Trump also carried with ease. All three counties refused to comply, and Mr. Mastriano’s legal authority to enforce the requests remains unclear.

Last week, Mr. Corman removed Mr. Mastriano from his position as chair of the committee and installed State Senator Cris Dush, also a Republican, to lead the panel and oversee the review.

In the interview, Mr. Corman expressed his own doubts about the election.

“I don’t necessarily have faith in the results,” he said. “I think that there were many problems in our election that we need to get to the bottom of.”

Mr. Corman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Veronica Degraffenreid, who as the acting secretary of the commonwealth oversees Pennsylvania’s elections, has discouraged counties from participating in any election reviews, noting that any inspection of voting machines by uncredentialed third parties would result in their decertification, and that counties would have to bear the considerable costs of replacing the equipment.

“The Department of State encourages counties to refuse to participate in any sham review of past elections that would require counties to violate the trust of their voters and ignore their statutory duty to protect the chain of custody of their ballots and voting equipment,” Ms. Degraffenreid’s office said in a statement last month.

It remains unclear exactly how Mr. Corman and the Pennsylvania Senate will proceed with their review, including what they might seek in terms of equipment and records, and which counties they might focus on. Mr. Corman did say that, after talking with fellow legislators in Arizona, he was looking for a “neutral arbiter” to help carry out the review — a potential nod to how the Maricopa County review became widely ridiculed in part because the chief executive of the company carrying out the re-examination had promoted conspiracy theories about rigged voting machines costing Mr. Trump victory in the state.

“I think it’s important that we get people involved that don’t have ties to anybody, that are professional, that will do the job so that we can stand behind the results,” Mr. Corman said.

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Giuliani, Bannon, Flynn, Lindell pushed pro-Trump election lies at Guo Wengui social gathering

Giuliani, Bannon, Flynn, Lindell pushed pro-Trump election lies at Guo Wengui party

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon (R) greets fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui before introducing him at a news conference on November 20, 2018 in New York, on the death of of tycoon Wang Jian in France on July 3, 2018.

Don Emmert | AFP | Getty Images

It was supposed to be a celebration for a movement that opposes the Chinese Communist Party.

Instead, the swanky private party, held in June at the top of One World Trade Center, served as a platform for several of former President Donald Trump’s allies, including former advisor Steve Bannon and personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, to spew anti-government rhetoric and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

The invitation-only event was hosted by a couple of shadowy nonprofits, the Rule of Law Foundation and the Rule of Law Society. They are linked to Guo Wengui, a wealthy exiled businessman from China who is an ardent opponent of that nation’s ruling Communist Party.

CNBC obtained a copy of the invitation, which lists Guo, Bannon and the two new chairs of the nonprofit organizations as speakers for the event. You can view the invitation here.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and former Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn, both known for pushing the false theory that claims the election was stolen from Trump, also spoke at the June 3 gathering.

“It’s like on the battlefield because this is warfare,” Flynn said at the event, which included lunch, dinner and afternoon tea. “This is warfare that we are in.”

It was streamed on YouTube, which has 30,000 views so far. Neither the YouTube video nor the invitation to the event have been reported on.

Read some of the remarks made at the event:

A person familiar with the event said there could have been up to 200 people in attendance at Aspire, a catering hall located on the 102nd floor of One World Trade Center.

A sales manager at Aspire would not confirm details of the Guo-supported event, although the manager said a 12-hour, 200-guest event with lunch and dinner stations could cost nearly $185,000.

The Rule of Law Society and the Rule of Law Foundation describe themselves as a resource for whistleblowers who want to safely speak out against the Chinese government. Guo fled China in 2014 in anticipation of corruption charges. After he blasted China’s leadership, warrants were reportedly issued for his arrest on charges that included corruption and bribery.

Press representatives for the Guo-linked foundations, Bannon, Flynn and Giuliani did not respond to requests for comment.

A misinformation offensive

The conspiracy theories and speakers heard at the event fit a pattern for the Guo-backed organizations. The nonprofits are cited in a report by Graphika, which describes a “network [that] acts as a prolific producer and amplifier of mis- and disinformation, including claims of voter fraud in the U.S., false information about Covid-19, and QAnon narratives.”

Bannon left his role as chair of the Rule of Law Society last summer. His departure from the board came around the time he was arrested on Guo’s yacht for allegedly defrauding donors through his “We Build the Wall” fundraising campaign. Bannon pleaded not guilty at the time and was later pardoned by Trump.

The invitation to the June event lists Dinggang Wang, a Guo associate and anti-Chinese government YouTube star, as a new chair of the Rule of Law Society. Wang, according to a report by NBC News, appears to have previously helped spread Covid misinformation and conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, during the election.

The invitation lists among its topics the “Chinese Communist Party Virus” and “CCP’s existential threat to the US and the world.” But there is no clear indication that people would discuss the 2020 election. Biden defeated Trump, who has continued to lie about how it was stolen from him.

The event was described as a commemoration of a Guo-linked movement known as the New Federal State of China.

“It is with great pleasure and joy that we invite you to join us in New York City for the first anniversary of The New Federal State of China (NFSC),” the invitation read.

At the event, Bannon and Lindell contended that China interfered in the election.

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A government report, declassified in March by the director of national intelligence, said there were “no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 U.S. elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation or reporting results.”

The report also noted that intelligence agencies found that China “did not deploy interference efforts and considered but did not deploy influence efforts intended to change the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.” The report does note that intelligence analysts also assessed that “China did take some steps to try to undermine former President Trump’s reelection.”

Flynn at the Guo-backed party falsely claimed that Trump won the election over Biden. Giuliani took aim at Hunter Biden and the Biden family as a whole, among other conspiracies.

The election claims made by Trump, Bannon, Lindell, Flynn, Giuliani and other allies of the former president have been debunked across the board, including by Republicans and one-time members of the Trump administration.

Then-Attorney General Bill Barr told The Associated Press shortly after Biden was projected to be the winner of the 2020 election that the FBI found no signs of widespread voter fraud.

Trump’s campaign still went on to spend millions to fight a losing battle against the election results. As Congress was signing off on the election results Jan. 6, Trump encouraged his supporters to march on Capitol Hill. The ensuing riot and invasion of Congress led to several deaths and hundreds of federal prosecutions.

Here are some of the notable things said by the leading pro-Trump voices at the One World Trade Center event.

Steve Bannon

Steve Bannon speaks at one year anniversary celebration of the New Federal State of China.

Source: Rule of Law Society | YouTube

“The quality of people that you have brought here today. You are going to have Gen. Mike Flynn. You are going to have Mike Lindell,” Bannon said. “He’s [Lindell] suing Dominion because of the Chinese Communist Party. He’s going to show in court that the Chinese Communist Party actually did cyberattacks on our Nov. 3 election,” Bannon noted.

Moments before Lindell spoke at the event, Bannon said that Lindell’s lawsuits against voting machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic will prove that China interfered in the 2020 election to defeat Trump. Dominion is also suing Lindell.

“Here’s what’s important. He has a lawsuit that he’s going to take to the Supreme Court that’s going to show the Chinese Communist Party interfered in the 2020 election to defeat Donald J. Trump,” Bannon said of Lindell.

Lindell’s claims have been debunked.

Mike Flynn

Source: Rule of Law Society | YouTube

Before Lindell took the stage, Flynn, whom Trump forced out barely a month into his administration, gave his take on the election and suggested that people are planning further fights against the federal government.

“I’m fed up with our government. I’m fed up with the corruption that we’ve experienced and that has been exposed,” Flynn told the crowd. “We have hundreds of millions of people in this country that they see it for what it is. They see the authenticity of a Donald Trump. They know President Trump won this last election. There’s no doubt about it.”

He added: “Where are we as America today? Where are we? And I will tell you. There are hundreds of millions of people around this country that are not about to give this country up. There are patriots everywhere. And I mean 10’s, 20 million people.”

Trump pardoned Flynn in November, two years after the retired lieutenant general pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

Mike Lindell

Steve Bannon and Mike Lindell speak at one year anniversary celebration of the New Federal State of China.

Steve Bannon and Mike Lindell speak at an event celebrating the first anniversary of the Inauguration of New Federal State of China.

Lindell, the pillow kingpin who became a leading voice on the extreme right, showed a clip from his new film titled “Absolutely 9-0.” In the film clip, Lindell speaks to an anonymous cybersecurity expert who claims to have proof that China interfered in the election.

The conservative-leaning outlet The Dispatch spoke to experts who questioned the legitimacy of many of Lindell’s claims in the film. This month, Lindell hosted what he called a “Cyber Symposium,” where he said he would make public the evidence he had showing that China hacked the 2020 election. Reporters who attended the event said Lindell did not show any evidence proving his claims.

The private anti-China event in June proved to be another moment for Lindell to push his election claims. Lindell claimed in his speech that he found evidence showing China’s attempts to interfere in the election.

“When this does get to the Supreme Court the biggest win here is that they look at it. They have to look at it and they’re going to be heroes because we are going to show them that the CCP used the Democrat Party to attack our country through these machines,” Lindell said.

Lindell explained in a phone interview Wednesday with CNBC that he was invited to the event by Bannon himself and he did not know Guo.

Lindell stood by his belief that China interfered in the election. However, he would not commit to a specific date to release his purported evidence to the public. He also said he had not seen the report by the U.S. intelligence community that explains China did not interfere in the presidential election.

“This happened. It’s real,” Lindell told CNBC. “It’s one of the biggest cover-ups of the biggest crime in history.”

Rudy Giuliani

Source: Rule of Law Society | YouTube

Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and mayor of New York, was among the last speakers at the event. Giuliani’s license to practice law was suspended both in New York and Washington, D.C., due to the false election claims he is spreading.

At the Guo-backed event, Giuliani took aim at Covid restrictions that were put in place by Democratic governors.

“You could see what I call the dictatorial instincts of socialists in Gov. Newsom, in Gov. Whitmer, in Gov. Cuomo. Just give them a little opportunity to exercise authority and they are going to slam down on you,” Giuliani said, slamming his hand onto the podium.

“Arresting people in handcuffs for not wearing a mask?” Giuliani asked the crowd. “Looks a little like Berlin in the 1930s, huh?” he later added, referring to Nazi Germany.

Giuliani then revisited the Hunter Biden conspiracy. Giuliani’s New York City apartment was raided almost two months before the Guo event. It was reportedly part of a probe into the former New York mayor’s dealings in Ukraine. Giuliani had been trying to dig up dirt on Biden’s son’s business dealings in Ukraine during the election.

“You can’t go through three days without a crime being committed by one of the Bidens,” Giuliani said while describing the evidence he has reviewed against the Biden family, including a hard drive, a copy of which was purportedly provided to the New York Post.

“They are basically a crime family. They started 30 years ago selling his office, for little money. Then big money. Then when he became vice president, there’s a pattern to it.”

Video of the event:

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Potential G.O.P. Takeover of Atlanta-Space Election Board Inches Ahead

Potential G.O.P. Takeover of Atlanta-Area Election Board Inches Forward

The Georgia state electoral committee on Wednesday appointed a Republican majority body to review the performance of the Fulton County’s electoral committee, another step towards a possible Republican takeover of the electoral system in the state’s largest Democratic district.

The three-person body will include two Republicans and one Democrat: Rickey Kittle, a Republican member of the Catoosa County Electoral Committee; Stephen Day, a Democratic member of the Gwinnett County Electoral Committee; and Ryan Germany, attorney in the office of Brad Raffensperger, Republican Secretary of State.

The moves related to the Fulton County Electoral Committee came as Republican-controlled legislatures across the country to gain more power over the electoral administration, often attempting to evade election officials and hand them over to partisan lawmakers. Those efforts come as former President Donald J. Trump continues to spread lies and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Republicans have also pushed for many Georgia district electoral committees to be restructured, potentially allowing more local GOP officials to take up positions.

The State Election Board was required to appoint the body to review Fulton County under the Georgia Republican Electoral Law passed in March. Republican lawmakers representing the county moved for the review last month.

Fulton County, the largest in the state and encompassing much of Atlanta, has a long history of struggling with elections, including a disastrous June 2020 primary that left the polling line for hours.

But Democrats across the state have denounced the demand for a performance review there, noting that there had been no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the past year and that election results were confirmed by three recounts and audits. The Democrats see the request as a political ploy at best and as a partisan takeover of power in the most momentous district for their party in Georgia at worst.

President Biden won Fulton County in November with 73 percent of the vote and more than 380,000 votes. It is home to most of the colored voters in the state. Mr Trump and his Republican allies have falsely denied Mr Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia, which was solidly Republican for a long time but targeted the Democrats in the presidential election and two Senate runoffs last year.

Suffrage groups criticized the review panel – all white and mostly Republican – for being unrepresentative of Fulton County.

“Fulton County’s voters deserve better,” said Lauren Groh-Wargo, executive director of Fair Fight Action, a Georgia constituency founded by former Democratic candidate for governorship, Stacey Abrams.

The Review Board is one of several provisions in Georgia’s new electoral law that creates the basis for partisan legislators to take over electoral administration.

But any change in control of the Fulton County Electoral Committee would be a lengthy process that, given the many steps required by electoral law, would likely take months.

Mr. Raffensperger, the Foreign Minister, showed his support for the body and wrote on Twitter: “I have long said that the state needs the authority to intervene when counties have consistently let their voters down.”

“I am confident that the performance review team will do a good job and I hope Fulton will cooperate in this process,” he said.

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Trump pushed DOJ to overturn 2020 election outcomes: Home panel

Trump pushed DOJ to overturn 2020 election results: House panel

Then-President Donald Trump put pressure on his new acting attorney general to overturn the 2020 vote, telling him, “Just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen,” it says a phone call that was posted on Friday to a House Committee.

Trump also suggested he consider replacing the Justice Department leadership, according to the records of then-Assistant Attorney General Richard Donoghue, who called on Dec. 27.

Donoghue’s report on the call shows that Trump “directly directed our nation’s chief law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency,” said House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y in a press release.

The committee has already started scheduling witness interviews “to investigate the full extent of the former president’s corruption,” Maloney said.

Donoghue’s notes do not specify which Republican lawmaker Trump was referring to to overthrow Joe Biden’s victory. But Trump mentioned GOP representatives Jim Jordan from Ohio, Scott Perry from Pennsylvania, and Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin elsewhere on the call.

Jordan spokesman Russell Dye told CNBC in a statement that the congressman “has not pressured anyone in the Justice Department about the 2020 election, has not pressured them,” and that he “continues to agree with President Trump that it is perfectly.” is appropriate to raise concerns about electoral integrity. “

Johnson “had no discussions with President Trump about the DOJ questioning the election results,” said his spokeswoman Alexa Henning.

Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y., speaks during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on DC statehood on Tuesday, February 11, 2020.

Caroline Brehman | CQ name call | Getty Images

The notes also show that Rosen and Donoghue are trying to inform Trump that his claims of widespread electoral fraud are not supported by evidence. Just four days before the call, Rosen became Trump’s incumbent AG after the resignation of William Barr.

“Much of the information you are receiving is inaccurate,” the phone notes shared with Trump said.

Later in the conversation, Trump claimed, “These people who say the elections are not corrupt are corrupt,” the notes read.

A Trump spokeswoman did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request to comment on the committee’s release. A Perry spokesman also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has never admitted defeat to Biden. After his loss, Trump aggressively spread a wide range of baseless conspiracy theories in support of the false claim that the elections were rigged against him.

His lawyers and allies filed dozens of lawsuits in key states, all aimed at undoing Biden’s victory. No one was able to reverse the votes or change the results of the state elections.

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Donoghue’s notes are just the latest material House investigators have held up as evidence of Trump’s efforts to rely on government institutions to contest his electoral defeat.

Last month, Maloney’s committee dumped more than 200 pages of emails between DOJ officials and White House staff allegedly attempting to ask the Supreme Court to overturn major state election results.

Earlier this week, the DOJ announced former Trump administration officials that they would be able to partner with House and Senate investigations into Trump’s election reversal efforts in the final months of his only term in office.

Maloney’s committee has sent letters to Rosen and Donoghue asking them to appear for transcribed interviews. The panel has also asked former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark, former Assistant Attorney General Patrick Hovakimian, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Byung Jin Pak, and former Acting U.S. Attorney General Prosecutor for interviewing District Bobby Christine.

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Mnuchin refuses to sentence Trump election lie, Cybereason accepts Biden win

Mnuchin refuses to condemn Trump election lie, Cybereason accepts Biden win

The CEO of Cybereason said he and his company accept the results of the 2020 presidential election after one of their investors, Steven Mnuchin, declined to acknowledge that ex-President Donald Trump was spreading a lie about the contest being rigged.

In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday morning, Mnuchin was asked several times to acknowledge that Trump was lying about the 2020 election. Each time, he dodged the question, attempting to change the subject to his firm’s investment in the Israeli cybersecurity company.

“I’m focused on our investments, our business going forward,” Mnuchin said. He said he stayed out of the 2020 campaign and its aftermath.

After he was asked about Trump’s election lie a final time, he said he believed American democracy is working – and that he hopes Trump will think about running again.

“We have a great democracy. It’s working. It worked. I hope the president [Trump] considers running again down the road,” said Mnuchin, a wealthy businessman, investor and film financier.

Trump has continued to push what has become known as “the Big Lie” in statements to the media and in interviews with sympathetic television hosts, such as Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo.

The House of Representatives, including several Republican members, voted to impeach Trump for stoking the deadly Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill, which followed a “Stop the Steal” rally the then president headlined. The pro-Trump invaders – some of whom chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” who was vice president – delayed congressional confirmation of Joe Biden’s election victory by several hours.

The Senate acquitted Trump after he left office, although several GOP senators voted to convict.

Mnuchin was joined for the interview on “Squawk Box” by Cybereason CEO Lior Div, announcing that the former Treasury secretary’s new private equity firm is leading a $275 million investment in the company.

Div suggested in a follow-up statement to CNBC that Mnuchin’s answers were being misconstrued, and that his position would have no bearing on the company’s business relationship with the former Treasury secretary’s firm, Liberty Strategic Capital.

“Respectfully, I do not think that is what the Secretary said and, regardless, it certainly has no bearing on his relationship with Cybereason,” Div said in a statement provided to CNBC by a company spokesman on Wednesday.

“We have no political motivations and have chosen to work with Liberty because of their massive network and the understanding of the financial and government markets that Secretary Mnuchin and General Dunford bring to Cybereason. For example, the executive order issued by the Biden administration has accelerated the importance of EDR solutions like ours in the public market, and Liberty has the relationships to help accelerate our go-to-market strategy in the federal sector.”

A spokesman for Cybereason initially did not return requests for additional comment before publication.

After publication, the spokesman sent another comment from Div, in which he said the company backs the outcome of the 2020 election and President Biden’s administration.

“Cybereason supports the 2020 election results and the Biden administration. Our connection to Liberty is not political, it is a strategic partnership designed to help us further penetrate key markets, including the government,” Div said. “Both Secretary Mnuchin and General Dunford (appointed by [President] Obama to his Joint Chiefs of Staff) are part of Liberty Strategic Capital. Secretary Mnuchin will join our Board of Directors and General Dunford is joining our Advisory Board.”

Div himself also supports the 2020 election results and the new Biden administration, a spokeswoman told CNBC.

The incident is the latest example of how companies consider whether they should be speaking out on political issues, particularly if it pertains to their investors and employees.

After voting laws that have been deemed restrictive by critics were passed in Georgia, corporations felt pressured to respond. Several did, including Major League Baseball, which moved its All-Star Game from Georgia to Colorado.

In a recent example of the pressure, Toyota halted giving campaign contributions to Republican lawmakers who challenged the results of the election.

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Trump Is Stated to Have Known as Arizona Official After Election Loss

Trump Is Said to Have Called Arizona Official After Election Loss

President Donald J. Trump tried to call the Republican leader of Arizona’s most populous district twice last winter when the Trump campaign and its allies tried unsuccessfully to undo Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s narrow win in the state’s presidential contest . according to the Republican official and records from The Arizona Republic, a Phoenix newspaper.

But the leader, Clint Hickman, then chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said in an interview Friday that he put the calls – made in late December and early January – on voicemail and not returned them. “I told people, ‘Please don’t let the president call me,'” he said.

At the time, Mr. Hickman was being urged by the state’s Republican Party leader and Mr. Trump’s attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani to investigate allegations of fraud in the district election, which Mr. Biden had won by approximately 45,000 votes.

Liz Harrington, a spokeswoman for Mr Trump, said in a statement that “it is no surprise that Maricopa County’s electoral officials did not wish to investigate significant irregularities during the election,” although there was no evidence of widespread problems of choice in Arizona there. It did not directly address the calls allegedly made by Mr Trump. Two former campaign workers said they did not know about how to contact the Maricopa District official.

The Arizona Republic received the recordings of Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani’s phone calls following an inquiry under the Freedom of Information Act.

Mr. Hickman and the four other county overseers confirmed the election results and repeatedly called the vote free and fair. But the Republican-controlled state senate began its own review of all 2.1 million votes cast in the county, which has been heavily criticized by officials from both parties and is still ongoing.

The Arizona Republic reported that the calls came when Republican chairman of the state, Kelli Ward, tried to connect Hickman and other district officials with Mr Trump and his allies so they could discuss alleged irregularities in the district’s election.

Ms. Ward first told Mr. Hickman on November 13, the day after the Maricopa vote count sealed Mr. Biden’s victory in Arizona that the president would likely call him. But the first call didn’t come in until New Year’s Eve when Hickman said the White House operator called him while he was dining with his wife.

Mr Hickman said the operator left a voicemail message saying Mr Trump wanted to speak to him and asking him to call back. He did not do it.

Four nights later, the White House operator called Mr. Hickman again, he said. At that point, Mr. Hickman recalled, he had read a transcript of Mr. Trump’s call to Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia Secretary of State, whom Mr. Trump had pressured “to find more votes” to undo his defeat in the state .

“I saw what happened in Georgia and I was like, ‘I don’t want to be part of this madness and the only way I can get into it is to call the president back,'” Hickman said.

He sent the call to voicemail and did not return it as the county was in litigation over the election results at the time.

In November and December, Mr. Giuliani also called Mr. Hickman and the three other Republicans on the board, The Republic reported. That call to Mr. Hickman went to his voicemail, he said, and he didn’t return it.

Among those with whom he debated whether to return Mr Trump’s calls, Hickman said was Thomas Liddy, the Maricopa County’s chief litigation officer. Mr. Liddy is a son of G. Gordon Liddy, the key figure in the Watergate break-in.

“The story collides,” said Mr. Hickman. “It’s a small world.”

Annie Karni contributed to the coverage.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Recall Election Set for Sept. 14.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Recall Election Set for Sept. 14.

The Republican-led, pandemic-fueled campaign to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom received an official election date Thursday when the state lieutenant governor announced that voters would vote on the matter on September 14.

The date, just 75 days away and the earliest that district officials said they could manage to hold a special election, was released shortly after the California Secretary of State officially confirmed the recall request. And it came after Mr Newsom’s Democrats in the state legislature decided to speed up the process.

California is overwhelmingly Democratic and Mr Newsom is widely expected to get his way, especially as the state is out of the coronavirus crisis. The common wisdom of his advisors and allies was that he would benefit from a quick decision while Californians still bask in relief from the state’s economy reopening and before the fall forest fire season begins.

The schedule, put forward by another Democrat, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, also severely restricts the ability of potential challengers to take part in the vote, leaving them only about two weeks to compete in the race to succeed Mr. Newsom. More than 50 candidates are already on the ballot, and a handful of wealthy Republicans are campaigning seriously.

The special election is expected to cost about $ 276 million and marks the second time in the state’s history that Californians have voted on the removal of an incumbent governor. The first led to the removal of Gray Davis and the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003.

Mr Newsom and his supporters, who mocked the recall as the final act of right-wing extremist relevance, said Thursday that they applauded voters’ decision.

“This Republican recall is a bare attempt by Trump Republicans to take control of California – fueled by the same Republicans who refused to accept the presidential election results,” said Juan Rodriguez, head of the governor’s campaign organization.

Kevin Faulconer, former San Diego mayor and a Republican candidate, countered that “this movement is being driven by Californians from every community – Democrats, Republicans and Independents.”

Mr. Faulconer added, “Change is coming for California and retirement is coming for Gavin Newsom.”

Recall attempts are not uncommon in California, with every governor since 1960 faced with at least one. But getting a recall on the ballot is rare.

The campaign against Mr Newsom languished for months before a string of pandemic-induced missteps, court decisions and voter anger sent the governor – a liberal in a democratic state who was landslide-elected in 2018 – into a perfect political storm.

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Pence, Diverging From Trump, Says He Was ‘Proud’ to Certify Election

Pence, Diverging From Trump, Says He Was ‘Proud’ to Certify Election

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday night made his most forceful attempt yet to separate himself from his former boss, Donald J. Trump, on the issue of certifying the 2020 election results.

Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Mr. Pence defended the constitutionally mandated role he played in certifying the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, when a violent mob of Trump loyalists — some chanting “Hang Mike Pence” — stormed the Capitol while the president did nothing for hours to stop them.

“I will always be proud that we did our part on that tragic day to reconvene the Congress and fulfilled our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States,” Mr. Pence said, noting that as vice president, he had no constitutional authority to reject or return electoral votes submitted to Congress by the states. “The truth is, there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.”

It was the furthest that Mr. Pence, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, has gone yet in defending his role that day or distancing himself from Mr. Trump, to whom he ingratiated himself during their four years together in office.

In the speeches Mr. Pence has delivered since leaving the White House, he has gone out of his way to praise Mr. Trump and his agenda, even reiterating some of the former president’s grievance-fueled messaging that latches onto the country’s culture wars.

On Thursday night, Mr. Pence argued that “critical race theory,” a graduate school framework that has found its way into K-12 public education, was effectively “state-sanctioned racism.”

And he spent much of his speech reciting what he said were Mr. Trump’s accomplishments on many issues, including free trade, border security and relations with China. “President Trump changed the national consensus on China,” he said.

Mr. Pence also compared Mr. Trump to former President Ronald Reagan.

“He too disrupted the status quo,” Mr. Pence said. “He challenged the establishment. He invigorated our movement and set a bold new course for America.”

But so far, Mr. Pence has only tiptoed around the issue of how to remain the loyal soldier while distancing himself from the events of Jan. 6.

Speaking at the Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in Manchester, N.H., this month, Mr. Pence admitted that he and Mr. Trump might never see “see eye to eye” about the Capitol riot, stopping short of criticizing one view over another.

On Thursday night, he declined to state firmly that he and Mr. Trump had lost the 2020 election, a reality that the former president has continued to deny.

“I understand the disappointment many feel about the last election,” Mr. Pence said. “I can relate. I was on the ballot. But there’s more at stake than our party or our political fortunes in this moment. If we lose faith in the Constitution, we won’t just lose elections — we’ll lose our country.”

Whether Mr. Pence will succeed in having it both ways — being viewed as an ally and a critic of Mr. Trump — remains to be seen. Polls show that a majority of Republican voters believe that Mr. Trump won the 2020 election and buy into his baseless claims about voter fraud.

Mr. Pence is also testing the patience of a man who still looms over the political landscape and the Republican Party. While Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence have spoken several times since leaving office, Mr. Trump has showed flashes of frustration with his former loyal No. 2.

In private and at a Republican National Committee donors event at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s resort in Florida, shortly after a book deal for Mr. Pence was announced, the former president has mocked Mr. Pence for certifying President Biden’s Electoral College victory, according to people familiar with the discussions as well as a detailed description of the remarks that evening.

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Stephen Ross-funded PAC spent over $1 million going into NYC major election

Stephen Ross-funded PAC spent over $1 million going into NYC primary election

A super PAC funded largely by real estate billionaire Stephen Ross spent just over $1 million to influence New York City’s primary race for City Council, with part of that investment going against progressives who are running for key council posts.

The organization, Common Sense NYC, has raised over $2 million. Ross, the chairman and founder of the real estate giant Related Companies, donated $1 million, and Ronald Lauder, also a billionaire and the youngest son of makeup legend Estee Lauder, contributed $500,000. Ross and Lauder have a combined net worth of over $12 billion, according to Forbes.

Ross, who is also the owner of the Miami Dolphins, came under fire in 2019 when he hosted a fundraiser in the Hamptons for former President Donald Trump. Equinox and SoulCycle, two luxury fitness brands owned by Related Companies, distanced themselves from the Trump event as customers threatened to boycott. In August, CNBC reported that Lauder, who has been a friend of Trump’s for years, had yet to start raising money for the then-president’s reelection campaign.

The financial might of the group was evident in the 24 hours before the official primary day. The New York City Campaign Finance Board shows that the organization spent over $100,000 and distributed at least nine mailers on Monday, the day before the election, opposing a group of progressive City Council candidates.

The PAC may not be done trying to sway voters away from various City Council contenders. A leader of the committee told CNBC they’re leaving open the possibility of continuing their efforts into the November general election.

“In the event that there are competitive NYC Council races in the general election, Common Sense NYC may be involved. I personally don’t anticipate more than two or three Council races being competitive in November,” Jeff Leb, the PAC’s treasurer, said in an email to CNBC on Tuesday.

The sheer amount raised and spent going into Tuesday’s primary by the group, officially labeled an independent expenditure committee, shows the importance to business leaders of influencing the lesser known City Council races. The PAC’s messaging has been focused, in part, on pushing back on the idea of defunding the police and other progressive causes.

The New York City Council is the legislative body responsible for creating and voting on proposed New York City laws. A group such as Common Sense can raise and spend an unlimited amount of money on the City Council races they deem important. Wall Street executives have already poured over $9 million into the race for New York’s next mayor, with most of the big money going to former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

Longtime New York Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf told CNBC that beyond the group being worried about New York in a post-pandemic world, the move by the Ross-backed PAC to spend a ton against progressive candidates for City Council represents a power play by the real estate community.

“This is an attempt to … prove how powerful they are,” Sheinkopf told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday. Sheinkopf noted that members of the City Council have publicly taken on New York’s big business leaders and said Common Sense’s campaign is a test of how much power New York executives have going forward.

“Well, let’s say if they don’t win those races, will people be afraid of them? The fact is people aren’t afraid of them now. If they win, people will be more afraid. Power is about fear and not friendship,” Sheinkopf said.

The political strategist said that the City Council has become more and more progressive over the years and business leaders have often been criticized by those politicians, which led to the creation of PACs such as Common Sense NYC. “Business interests have been attacked by this council and there’s been an attempt to constrain the business community, including pushback on the power of the real estate community,” Sheinkopf said.

Leb defended the candidates the group supported in a separate email to CNBC.

“Common Sense NYC supported a broad slate of candidates who are pragmatic in their thinking and who are demonstrably qualified to help New York recover from the pandemic,” Leb said on Tuesday. “We are highlighting which candidates are qualified for local office and which are not, in races that are getting little attention otherwise. None of our funders played an active role in the operation or direction of Common Sense and they did not pick the races we engaged in.”

Leb, who is also a managing partner at Capitol Consulting, is ranked by City & State as one of the top lobbyists in New York.

The PAC has spent over $540,000 supporting 18 local candidates for office and nearly the same amount opposing eight others.

Representatives for Ross and Lauder did not respond to requests for comment before publication.

One of the big targets of Common Sense NYC has been Michael Hollingsworth, who is running for Brooklyn’s 35th District on the City Council. The PAC has spent over $100,000 opposing him. Two mailers against Hollingsworth were delivered to voters on Monday. One of the mailers reviewed by CNBC takes aim at Hollingsworth wanting to cut back on New York policing.

“While crime continues to go up, Michael Hollingsworth wants police funding to go down,” the mailer reads. “We must stop Michael Hollingsworth from defunding the police!” the ad says. The Gotham Gazette reports that Hollingsworth is supported by New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America and has received an endorsement by former gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon.

Hollingsworth responded to the campaign being waged against him in a tweet after this story was published.

“We are not beholden to the wealthy, real estate donors, or special interests. We’re with the people,” he said on Twitter.

Common Sense NYC has spent over $95,000 to oppose Jaslin Kaur, who running for District 23’s City Council spot. The district is located in Queens, and Kaur was recently endorsed by progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The City reported that Kaur was also endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

Common Sense NYC spent just over $26,000 on two mailers against Kaur that were distributed on Monday.

Others seeing opposition from the Ross-backed effort include John Choe, who is running in a primary for District 20’s seat, and Alexa Aviles, a contender for New York City’s District 38 seat who also saw an endorsement from Ocasio-Cortez.

Choe commented on the moves being made by the Ross-backed PAC in a tweet Tuesday in response to this story.

“As the founder of our neighborhood Chamber that helps small businesses, I challenge the notion these super PAC vultures represent anything more than the rapacious greed and hubris of the billionaire oligarchs who are slowly destroying our country,” Choe said on Twitter.

Aviles said the PAC’s decision to take aim at her represents a larger campaign being waged by the real estate industry.

“It’s no wonder that Common Sense NYC, Inc. is spending a ludicrous amount of money attacking our people-powered campaign in District 38,” Aviles told CNBC after this story was published. “After all, one of their top donors is Trump-supporting Stephen Ross, a billionaire real-estate developer focused on devouring up our neighborhoods. I’m proud that the real-estate industry recognizes that we will fight them back. Our campaign is unequivocally against the interests of billionaires, because we’re fighting for working people.”