Tag: Trump

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Politics

Supreme Courtroom erases ruling in opposition to Trump over his Twitter account

Supreme Court erases ruling against Trump over his Twitter account

President Donald Trump uses a cell phone during a small business reopening panel discussion in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, the United States, on June 18, 2020.

Leah Millis | Reuters

The Supreme Court on Monday overturned a federal appeals court ruling that former President Donald Trump violated the Constitution by blocking his critics on Twitter.

The judges cleared up the decision of the 2nd US Court of Appeals and sent it back to the lower court with instructions to dismiss the case as “in dispute” or no longer active, as Trump is now a private individual. The lawsuit means that the decision of the lower court no longer binds future judges.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd Circle decided unanimously in 2019 that Trump was acting in his official capacity when he used the block function of Twitter. In this way, the court said, Trump effectively banned people from a public forum, which went against the first amendment.

The announcement on Monday was made in an order list and without a written explanation of the court’s arguments. No disagreements were found.

Judge Clarence Thomas unanimously wrote that he agreed to the decision to overturn the 2nd Circuit Opinion as Trump was no longer in office.

Thomas said the petition highlighted “the main legal difficulty surrounding digital platforms – namely that applying old teachings to new digital platforms is seldom easy”.

“For example, respondents indicate that some aspects of Mr. Trump’s account resemble a constitutionally protected public forum,” Thomas wrote. “But it seems pretty strange to say that something is a government forum when a private company has full authority to get rid of it.”

The lawsuit was filed by people who were blocked by Trump on Twitter and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

It was known as Trump v Knight First Amendment Institute, No. 20-197 until the change in administration, at which point the case automatically became known as Biden v Knight First Amendment Institute.

The Justice Department had originally asked the Supreme Court to overturn the 2nd Circle decision, but asked the judges to dismiss the case as in dispute on January 19, the day before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, because of the change in administration .

The Knight First Amendment Institute agreed that the case was contentious for another reason. The legal group said the case came up for discussion after Twitter kicked Trump off its platform in January following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In a statement, Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight Institute, said the case “is a very simple principle that is fundamental to our democracy: officials cannot exclude people from public forums just because they are with them disagree. “

“While we would have liked the Supreme Court to keep the Second Circle decision on the books, we are pleased that the Court of Appeal’s reasoning has already been adopted by other courts, and we are confident that they will how the public shapes them, will continue to shape them. ” Officials use social media, “said Jaffer.

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Business

N.Y. Seeks Trump Insider’s Data, in Obvious Bid to Achieve Cooperation

N.Y. Seeks Trump Insider’s Records, in Apparent Bid to Gain Cooperation

Manhattan prosecutors investigating former President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization have cited the personal banking records of the company’s chief financial officer, questioning gifts he and his family received from Mr. Trump.

Over the past few weeks, prosecutors have trained their focus on the executive Allen H. Weisselberg in what appears to be a determined effort to win his collaboration. Accused of no wrongdoing, Mr Weisselberg has overseen the Trump organization’s finances for decades and could hold the key to a possible criminal case in New York against the former president and his family business.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. is investigating, among other things, whether Mr. Trump and the company falsely tampered with property values ​​for credit and tax breaks.

It is unclear whether Mr. Weisselberg would cooperate with the investigation and neither his attorney, Mary E. Mulligan, nor Mr. Vance’s office would comment. However, should a review of his personal finances reveal possible misconduct, prosecutors could use this information to urge Mr. Weisselberg to take them through the inner workings of the company. The 73-year-old accountant began his career with Mr. Trump’s father.

Regardless, prosecutors are demanding a new round of internal documents from the Trump Organization, including ledgers of several of its more than two dozen properties that the company failed to turn over in the past year, according to knowledgeable people. who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.

The ledgers provide a line-by-line breakdown of each property’s financial health, including daily earnings, checks, and receipts. Prosecutors could compare this information with the information the company provided to its lenders and local tax authorities to determine if it fraudulently misled them.

Mr. Vance’s office has also cited records from several banks that Mr. Trump or his company had accounts with, including JPMorgan Chase and Capital One, according to people with knowledge of subpoenas issued at the banks.

The previously unreported developments underscore the escalation of the investigation after Mr Vance’s office received Mr Trump’s tax filings and other underlying financial documents in February. You were released on Mr. Trump’s objections after a protracted legal battle that culminated in a ruling by the United States Supreme Court.

The Trump organization declined to comment. In the past, Republican Trump has denied any wrongdoing and described the investigation as a longstanding and politically motivated “fishing expedition”. Mr Vance, a Democrat, recently announced that he was not seeking re-election.

The investigation focused on some of Mr. Trump’s best-known properties: the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the Trump Hotels in New York and Chicago, and the Seven Springs Estate in Westchester County. In addition to potential tax and bank fraud, prosecutors are examining statements made by the Trump Organization to insurance companies about the value of various assets.

Prosecutors have cited documents from a company hired by Deutsche Bank, one of the former president’s main lenders, to assess the value of three Trump hotels on Deutsche Bank loans. The company was reviewing the operation of restaurants, bars and gift shops in the hotels, said one respondent.

Last year, prosecutors summoned Deutsche Bank itself and Mr Trump’s other major lender, Ladder Capital, who sold its loans to the Trump Organization years ago. Both banks work together with the prosecutors.

It is unclear whether the prosecution will ultimately bring charges. However, if a case were created against the Trump organization based on the loan records, the company’s lawyers could argue that Deutsche Bank and Ladder Capital are sophisticated financial institutions that have done their own analysis of Mr Trump’s real estate without themselves relying on the company’s internal reviews. The attorneys could also emphasize that it is customary and appropriate in the New York real estate industry to make different valuations of a property depending on the situation – for example, when applying for a loan or when challenging local property taxes – also because there are different methods of calculating Property values.

Your questions about Donald Trump’s taxes answered

Has Donald Trump implemented his taxes?What are investigators looking for?Will the public ever know what’s in Mr. Trump’s taxes?What’s next?

If the prosecutor were to indict Mr Trump – far from certain – the outcome would be the potential criminal case against a former president. For his part, Mr. Trump dismissed the investigation as a politically motivated “fishing expedition” and vowed to “keep fighting”.

External accountants also review the information provided to local tax authorities, which may reduce the likelihood of fraud. Mr Trump has argued that his tax returns were “filed by one of the largest and most prestigious law and accounting firms in the United States”.

In addition to the fraud investigation, Mr. Vance’s office remains focused on his original objective: the role of the Trump Organization in paying hush money during the 2016 presidential campaign to two women who said they did business with Mr. Trump.

Former Mr. Trump personal attorney and fixer Michael D. Cohen paid $ 130,000 to buy the silence of one of the women, Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic film actress who appeared as Stormy Daniels. The Trump Organization later made a refund to Mr. Cohen, and Mr. Vance’s office has verified that the company has properly recorded the $ 130,000 payment.

Mr Cohen, who pleaded guilty to collecting federal campaign funding fees in 2018 for his role in the hush-money system, has long implicated Mr Weisselberg, claiming that he helped develop a reimbursement masking strategy. The federal prosecutor who charged Mr. Cohen did not accuse Mr. Weisselberg of wrongdoing.

Mr Cohen is now cooperating with Mr Vance’s investigation and has met with prosecutors several times, including to review some of Mr Trump’s financial documents. Lanny Davis, an attorney for Mr. Cohen, declined to comment.

The prosecutor also questioned Mr. Weisselberg’s former daughter-in-law, Jennifer Weisselberg, she said. Ms. Weisselberg got involved in a bitter divorce from Mr. Weisselberg’s son Barry, who manages the Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Ms. Weisselberg said in an interview that prosecutors asked her about a number of gifts Mr. Trump and his company gave to the Weisselberg family over the years. These include an apartment in Central Park South for Mrs. Weisselberg and her ex-husband, cars rented for several family members, and private schooling.

Examining the gifts appears to be part of an effort to paint a picture of Mr. Weisselberg’s financial life, as is common when prosecutors seek the cooperation of a potential witness. It is unclear whether prosecutors suspect wrongdoing related to the gifts.

James B. Stewart and Steve Eder contributed to the coverage. Susan C. Beachy contributed to the research.

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Politics

Trump Is Sued by Two Police Officers Over Capitol Riot

Trump Is Sued by Two Police Officers Over Capitol Riot

Two Capitol police officers on duty at the U.S. Capitol during the deadly January 6 riot sued former President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, saying he was responsible for the physical and emotional injuries they suffered as a result of the events suffered that day.

Supporters of Mr. Trump overran the Capitol as Congress confirmed Joe Biden’s victory over Mr. Trump in the November presidential election. Prior to the incursion, Mr. Trump spoke at a nearby rally calling on his supporters to “show strength” and “fight like hell”.

Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died in the chaos. Mr Trump was later charged by the House of Representatives with “incitement to rebellion” but was acquitted in February after a brief Senate trial in which few Republicans broke their ranks to vote guilty.

The Capitol Police officers who sued Mr. Trump, James Blassingame, and Sidney Hemby have filed their complaints in the District of Columbia Federal District Court, each demanding more than $ 75,000 in damages plus punitive damages.

The lawsuit is the first to be brought against the former president by Capitol police officers. The force has more than 2,000 officers.

The officials’ and Mr Trump’s lawyers could not be reached for comment early Wednesday. Mr Trump previously denied responsibility for the attack.

The complaint alleged that the “insurgent mob” that stormed the Capitol was “fueled by Trump’s actions for many months into believing,” his false claims of widespread electoral fraud in November. The complaint also stated that Mr Trump’s supporters believed the raving about the Capitol was their last chance to prevent Mr Trump from being unjustly evicted from the White House.

Mr Trump “ignited, encouraged, sponsored, directed and supported and aided” the mob that overran the building and attacked police officers inside, the complaint said. It cited Mr Trump’s January 6 speech and other conduct, including failure on that day to “take timely action to deter its supporters from continuing violence”.

During the attack, Officer Hemby, an 11-year-old Capitol Police veteran, was outside the building, pressed against his side and sprayed with chemicals that burned his eyes, skin and neck. One member of the mob shouted that he was “disregarding the badge”.

Officer Hemby is still in physiotherapy for the neck and back injuries he sustained on Jan. 6 and “has tried to cope with the emotional aftermath of a relentless assault,” the complaint said.

Officer Blassingame, a 17-year veteran with the Force, sustained head and back injuries during the riot, followed by back pain, depression and insomnia.

“He is haunted by the memory of an attack and the sensory effects – the sights, sounds, smells and even the taste of the attack remain close to the surface,” the complaint said. “He is to blame for not being able to help his colleagues who were attacked at the same time. and survive where other colleagues haven’t. “

The Capitol and Metropolitan Police departments have said a total of at least 138 of their officers were injured during the riot. The injuries ranged from easy bruising to concussions, broken ribs, burns, and even a minor heart attack.

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Health

Trump former Covid vaccine chief Slaoui out at different firms after sexual harassment declare

Trump former Covid vaccine chief Slaoui out at other companies after sexual harassment claim

Moncef Slaoui, the former head of GlaxoSmithKlines’ vaccines division, listens as U.S. President Donald Trump makes remarks on coronavirus vaccine development in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on May 15, 2020. The Trump administration, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, announces plans for a major effort to manufacture and market a coronavirus vaccine by the end of 2020.

Drew Angerer | Getty Images

Two other companies split the day after he was fired from a GlaxoSmithKline-controlled company on allegations of sexual harassment of Moncef Slaoui, the Trump administration’s former Covid vaccine chief.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals announced Thursday that the former head of Operation Warp Speed ​​has resigned as chief scientist with immediate effect. Vaccine developer Vaxcyte said in an SEC filing posted on its website Thursday that Slaoui had agreed to step down as chairman at the company’s request.

Slaoui was fired as chairman of Galvani Bioelectronics, a joint venture between GSK and Verily, on Wednesday after a woman sent GSK a letter saying he sexually molested her a few years ago while she worked there.

GSK said an investigation by an outside law firm “substantiated” its claims. Slaoui, 61, had spent 30 years at GSK overseeing vaccine development at this pharmaceutical giant. He was the chief scientist for the development of the US government’s Covid vaccines for Operation Warp Speed ​​under the former Trump administration.

“The Centessa management team and board of directors were concerned to hear about Dr. Slaoui yesterday’s news,” said Dr. Saurabh Saha, CEO of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, in a statement.

“Centessa is committed to promoting a culture of respect that is free from harassment and discrimination of any kind, and is unwaveringly committed to maintaining a work environment that reflects our strong values ​​as a company.”

Vaxcyte told CNBC in an email Thursday that the company was made aware of the sexual harassment allegations on Wednesday and immediately requested Slaoui to step down from the company’s board of directors.

“Vaxcyte is committed to the highest standards of business conduct and ethics, including a safe and inclusive workplace,” said the company.

GSK said Wednesday that Slaoui was fired one month after receiving a letter from the company “containing allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior by Dr. Slaoui against a GSK employee.”

According to GSK, Slaoui’s actions “constitute an abuse of his leadership position, violate company guidelines and contradict the strong values ​​that define GSK’s culture.

Slaoui Reuters reported from Massachusetts-based Centessa Pharmaceuticals in mid-February to advise on its drug development programs, which focus on areas such as hemophilia, cancer and kidney disease. Since 2017 he has been a partner at Medicxi, the investment firm Centessa founded.

That year, Slaoui joined Vaxcyte’s board of directors where he became chairman in May 2018.

Slaoui apologized on Wednesday following the allegations and said he was “deeply sorry”. He said he would be taking leave from other healthcare companies and a venture capital firm to focus on his family.

“I would also like to apologize to my wife and family for the pain this is causing,” Slaoui said in a statement. “I will work hard to recover from everyone who has affected this situation.”

– CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this report.

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Politics

Former NYPD cop Sara Carpenter arrested in Trump Capitol riot

Former NYPD cop Sara Carpenter arrested in Trump Capitol riot

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

A retired New York police officer who was seen on surveillance tape shaking a tambourine while walking around the U.S. Capitol with a crowd of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, was arrested Tuesday morning.

Sara Carpenter, 51, is the youngest of a number of past or current law enforcement officers charged in connection with the uprising that began with protests against the election of President Joe Biden.

Carpenter, who surrendered on Tuesday, told FBI agents in January that she had gone to the Capitol with others after hearing that then-President Donald Trump had ordered her “to march to the Capitol.”

Five people died in the riot, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Two other police officers defending the Capitol that day killed themselves shortly after the riot that injured nearly 140 other police officers.

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Carpenter retired from the New York Police Department in 2004 after about 10 years of service. In the 1990s she worked as a spokesperson for the NYPD.

Detective Sophia Mason, a current police department spokeswoman, said in an email: “The NYPD worked closely with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which culminated in the arrest of Sara Carpenter. “

Carpenter was released on personal note by a judge after appearing on videoconference in federal court in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday. She will be charged with offense for knowingly entering or staying in a restricted building or site without legal authority, for disorderly or disruptive behavior in a restricted building or site, and for violent entry and disorderly behavior on the Capitol site.

“Any participation on January 6th [riot] is serious behavior, “US assistant attorney Josh Hafetz said at the hearing.

However, prosecutors said Carpenter’s collaboration with the FBI, her voluntary surrender, and other factors led Brooklyn and Washington prosecutors to agree that a non-monetary loan would be enough to ensure they return to court and will protect the security of the community. “”

Under the terms of this bond, Carpenter’s travel is restricted to New York City or Long Island, unless it is a visit to Washington to appear in court and meet with a lawyer there. She had given her passport when she surrendered to the FBI.

The DOJ is submitting a photo of a tambourine as part of a statement of fact pertaining to former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter who participated in the Capitol Riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Carpenter case, along with hundreds of other criminal cases against alleged Capitol rioters, is being prosecuted in the District of Columbia Federal Court.

The court record says the FBI received an anonymous tip on Jan. 7 that Carpenter called a relative and said she was in the Capitol and was gassed tearfully during the invasion. The tipster gave the address of Carpenter in the borough of Queens in New York City.

Carpenter told FBI agents during an interview on Jan. 18 that she drove to Washington on Jan. 5 and “went to the rally point where Trump’s Twitter page instructed all supporters about the election fraud the next morning.” to hear “, it says in the file.

For months after the November presidential election, Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed that he won the election and that Biden’s victory was the result of widespread electoral fraud in several states.

Federal and state courts have consistently denied these allegations, as has Trump’s then Attorney General William Barr.

On January 6, Trump, his family members and various allies held a rally outside the White House, again making false statements about the election and calling on supporters to help them reverse the election results. These results were to be confirmed that day by a joint congressional session chaired by then Vice President Mike Pence.

According to the file, Carpenter said to FBI agents, “She heard President Trump’s words on the giant televisions and speakers telling people to back off, not go and march to the Capitol.”

“Carpenter stated that she started walking to the Capitol with a large group of people around 1:00 pm. Carpenter stated that she entered the Capitol rotunda, watching other people walking around with objects. ” Filing said.

Carpenter told FBI agents that she saw police screaming for people to get out and then pushing and shoving the crowd. Carpenter said she was trampled and sprayed with pepper as she left the Capitol building. “

The DOJ is submitting photos as part of a statement of fact that identifies former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter (dressed in a red hat, green jacket, and gray backpack) participating in the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.

Source: Ministry of Justice.

The file also notes that Carpenter said during her interview that she recorded a video of the interior of the Capitol building on her cell phone. She texted an FBI agent on January 19 with the footage.

The Capitol closed-circuit television video shows Carpenter in a red hat, green coat, and black boots with a backpack as he enters the Capitol rotunda with a crowd.

Before leaving the rotunda, Carpenter can be seen on a video “turning back into the room and rising” [her] Hands in the air, “said the file.

The DOJ is submitting photos as part of a statement of fact that identifies former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter (dressed in a red hat, green jacket, and gray backpack) participating in the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.

Source: Ministry of Justice.

“She holds a tambourine in her left hand, which she shakes several times before turning around and leaving the rotunda,” the file says.

A search of Carpenter’s house on March 2 found the clothes she was wearing in the Capitol that day, as well as the backpack.

“Carpenter also volunteered to provide the tambourine that she confirmed was wearing in the Capitol,” the file said.

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Politics

$325,000 Settlement for Trainer Over Trump References Eliminated From Yearbook

$325,000 Settlement for Teacher Over Trump References Removed From Yearbook

For years, Susan Parsons said she had been directed by administrators to remove “controversial” content from the yearbook for Wall Township, NJ high school

Ms. Parsons, a teacher and yearbook advisor, said in court records that she was required to “erase” a feminist bumper sticker on a student’s laptop, Photoshop clothing on shirtless students, and questionable hand movements on a school trip to Bermuda.

But it wasn’t until 2017 that a particular issue got Ms. Parsons and the district into a national firestorm over freedom of expression and political opinion.

Ms. Parsons was suspended after removing a reference to Donald J. Trump on a student’s shirt, which drew widespread news media attention and death threats, according to a lawsuit she filed against the school district.

Ms. Parsons said she had been instructed by the director’s secretary to remove Mr. Trump’s name and “Make America Great Again” slogan. Ms. Parsons was then publicly scapegoated and silenced by the district, the lawsuit said.

On Tuesday, the county council approved a $ 325,000 settlement to resolve their claims. About $ 204,000 will be paid to Ms. Parsons and the remainder will cover her legal fees and expenses, according to the settlement, according to which the district’s insurers will pay the costs.

“We are delighted that Susan was able to achieve the justice she deserves,” said Christopher J. Eibeler, her lawyer, on Saturday. Under the agreement previously reported by NJ.com, the district denied any wrongdoing.

The district and its attorney did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday. Cheryl Dyer, who was the superintendent at the time the photo was changed, said she had retired from the district and could no longer speak for it.

In her lawsuit, Ms. Parsons said it was unethical to heavily edit yearbook photos and complained to the administration that the “yearbook should reflect reality”.

In December 2016, she was told to remove the reference to Mr. Trump on the student’s shirt after going to the administration office to pick up drafts of the yearbook pages.

Ms Parsons said she agreed to change the photo but was confronted by the student after the yearbooks were handed out in June 2017. “Why did you remove the word Trump from my shirt?” Asked the student. She told him to speak to the headmaster.

Later that day, one of the student’s parents emailed Ms. Parsons saying the student’s picture was “edited without his / our permission.”

“I would like to understand who made this decision,” said the email according to the lawsuit. “We thought the shirt he was wearing was appropriate.”

Two other students then complained that a Trump logo and a quote attributed to Mr. Trump had been removed from the yearbook.

Ms. Parsons said in her suit that the logo was cut out by a photo seller and that a student who was working on the yearbook accidentally left off the quote. Even so, outrage has already exploded in Wall, a community of about 25,000 people near the Jersey Shore that voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Ms. Parsons said the school authorities had launched a public campaign to protect themselves from responsibility by creating a “false narrative” blaming them for the changes.

For example, Ms. Dyer sent a letter to parents on June 9, 2017, in which, according to court records, she falsely stated that “the high school administration had no knowledge of political censorship and does not condone our students.”

On June 12, 2017, the student, whose logo had been removed, appeared on one of Mr. Trump’s favorite programs, Fox & Friends, and said, “The person or persons who did this should be held accountable, as this is a violation of mine and other people’s initial customization rights. “

That same day, Ms. Parsons said, she was called to a meeting with Ms. Dyer and suspended. Days later, Mr. Trump drew more attention to the subject and deciphered the “yearbook censorship” in high school in a Facebook post.

Recognition…via Susan Parsons

Ms. Dyer said at the time that the changes in the yearbook were “Censorship and the Possible Violation of First Adjustment Rights.”

“This claim is taken very seriously and a thorough investigation into what happened is being vigorously pursued,” she said in a 2017 statement. The student dress code did not prevent students from expressing their political views or becoming a political figure support said she said.

Ms. Parsons told the New York Post: “We have never done anything against a political party.” This prompted Ms. Dyer to email Ms. Parsons’ union representative to remind her that she did not have permission to speak to the newspaper.

Ms. Parsons said the superintendent cited a district media policy that was like a “gag order” preventing her from defending herself.

Recognition…New Jersey Supreme Court

Ms. Parsons, who said on court records she voted for Mr. Trump in 2016, said she was soon inundated with hate mail and harassing phone messages referring to her as a Nazi, communist, anti-American and “traitorous liberal.” ”

She said she was afraid to use her name when ordering takeout and was worried that the drivers might try to beat her if she went on bike tours.

When she returned to school in September 2017, she was “disrespected and ridiculed” by students and others who accused her of removing Trump references from the yearbook.

She sued the district in May 2019 and retired in February 2020.

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Politics

Putin pushed Biden misinformation to Trump allies throughout election

Putin pushed Biden misinformation to Trump allies during election

Russian President Vladimir Putin will chair a meeting with members of the government in Moscow on February 5, 2020.

Aleksey Nikolskyi | Sputnik | Kremlin | Reuters

Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, approved intelligence services to promote misinformation about President Joe Biden through the U.S. media and people close to then-President Donald Trump in an effort to increase Trump’s election chances, a U.S. intelligence report said Tuesday.

Specifically, the report said that Putin was “in control of the activities of Adriy Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who played a prominent role in Russia’s electoral influence”.

Derkach, who has ties to Russian intelligence, is known to have met with Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney who spent months making discredited allegations against Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

The results are the second “key verdict” in the released National Intelligence Council report on “Foreign Threats to the 2020 US Federal Election”.

That section states: “We evaluate that Russian President Putin authorized and conducted a number of Russian government organizations to influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party to ex-President Trump support to undermine public confidence in the electoral process and exacerbate socio-political divisions in the US. “

“Unlike in 2016, we have not seen any sustained Russian cyber efforts to gain access to the electoral infrastructure. We have great confidence in our assessment. Russian state and electoral representatives, who all serve the interests of the Kremlin, have the US -Influences the public in a consistent manner, “the report said.

“A key element of Moscow’s strategy in this electoral cycle has been the use of officials associated with Russian intelligence to spread narratives of influence – including misleading or unfounded allegations against President Biden – on US media organizations, US officials and prominent US individuals, including some related parties, transferring former President Trump and his administration. “

This is the latest news. Check for updates again.

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Politics

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen aids DA Vance felony probe

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen aids DA Vance criminal probe

Michael Cohen, former attorney for President Donald Trump, testifies before the House Oversight Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC on Wednesday, February 27, 2019.

Matt McClain | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Senior officials in the Manhattan Attorney’s Office this week asked ex-President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen to return for his eighth interview with the firm, which is conducting a far-reaching criminal investigation related to the Trump Organization.

One person familiar with the case said that when Cohen was interviewed for the seventh time by officials via videoconference earlier this week, he was asked to be available for a face-to-face interview at DA Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office soon.

Cohen, who is now an avowed enemy of Trump, agreed, the person said.

Cohen declined to speak to CNBC, as did Vance’s spokesman Danny Frost. A Trump Organization spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The interest in speaking to Cohen repeatedly comes because Vance has strengthened its investigative team, recently gained access to Trump’s financial records, and reportedly broadened the scope of his investigation to investigate Trump’s longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg and the Sons of Weisselberg.

One of these sons works for the Trump Organization and runs the company’s Central Park ice rinks. The other works for Ladder Capital Finance, which has borrowed Trump’s company nearly $ 300 million in connection with four buildings in Manhattan. Vance is known to watch the Trump organization rate its buildings.

These developments, as well as Vance’s long-awaited announcement on Friday that he will not seek re-election this fall, have sparked speculation that the prosecutor will attempt to indict Trump or officials at his company in the coming months.

Vance’s investigation originally focused on how the Trump organization recorded hush money payments made or facilitated by Cohen, prior to the 2016 presidential election, to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and playboy model Karen McDougal.

When Cohen pleaded guilty to financial financing violations and other crimes in 2018, he told a federal judge that he arranged these payments on Trump’s orders to calmly approve the women over their allegations of having sex with Trump hold. The former president denies the women’s claims.

Cohen later testified to Congress that the Trump Organization would inflate and deflate the value of real estate assets to either gain favorable loan and insurance terms or to reduce the amount of taxes owed on them.

These Cohen allegations are now being investigated in both Vance’s investigation and a civil investigation by Attorney General Letitia James.

Vance court records suggest that his investigation is investigating possible “insurance and banking fraud by the Trump organization and its officials” and possible tax crimes.

Vance last month hired Mark Pomerantz, a private practice criminal defense attorney, as a special assistant prosecutor to work solely on the Trump investigation.

Pomerantz’s career included a stint as head of the criminal justice department of the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, where he was responsible for securities fraud and organized crime cases.

Pomerantz was one of the investigators who spoke to Cohen about the video call this week, along with Vance and other top officials in the office, NBC News reported.

The DA office also kept the consulting firm FTI to analyze Trump’s financial records.

In February, shortly after Pomerantz was hired, the US Supreme Court rejected Trump’s efforts to prevent Vance from obtaining his tax returns and other financial records from his longtime accountants through a grand jury subpoena.

The investigators received these documents immediately.

Cohen began working with Vance’s investigation in 2018 before being sentenced to three years in prison for his crimes in 2019.

Investigators from the district attorney’s office visited him at federal prison in Otisville, New York.

Cohen was released from prison last May on fear of being particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 due to several health problems.

He was thrown back in jail in July after defying demands from federal probation officers not to publish a book about Trump or anyone else while he was serving the remainder of his sentence.

About two weeks later, Cohen was released again after an outraged federal judge declared that he had been the victim of retaliation by the Bureau of Prisons for failing to meet this condition. Cohen later published his book on Trump called “Disloyal”.

Since then, Cohen has not only moderated the investigation with Vance, but also hosts a podcast, Mea Culpa, whose guests include other Trump critics such as Daniels and Rosie O’Donnell.

Audio Up, which produces the podcast, touted it Friday as “the fastest growing podcast in the world” with “5 million downloads”.

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Politics

Trump, Hungry for Energy, Tries to Wrestle Away G.O.P. Fund-Elevating

Trump, Hungry for Power, Tries to Wrestle Away G.O.P. Fund-Raising

“I fully support the Republican Party and key GOP committees, but I do not support RINOs and fools, and it is not their right to use my likeness or image to raise funds,” he said. But even when he tried to clarify that he supported his party, he put another plug on his own group. “When you donate to our Save America PAC at DonaldJTrump.com, you are helping the America First movement and doing it right,” he said.

Right now, the advisors say, Trump’s plan is to save money so he can remain a force in politics and help candidates challenge Republican dissidents like Representative Liz Cheney from Wyoming, who indicted him earlier this year.

Mr Trump, along with the national party, raised around $ 250 million between election day and President Biden’s inauguration. More than $ 60 million of that went to a new political action committee. This committee and the former president’s campaign committee were both transformed into affiliated political action committees. Mr Trump’s staff said this week that they have not started sending calls for funds since he left office but had planned to do so in the coming days.

The Republican clash could resonate particularly in the House.

If Mr Trump manages to convince donors to give him money instead of directly supporting Republican House candidates, he could cause problems for minority leader Kevin McCarthy, who is trying to retake the house in two years. He has to flip five seats to do this.

“If you control the money, you control the party,” said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor.

Some Republican strategists noted that Utah Senator Mitt Romney, the party’s 2012 presidential candidate, was the biggest fundraiser name in GOP politics less than a decade ago. Now he hardly recognizes his party.

The strategists have downplayed the threat Mr. Trump poses to Republican fundraising. “The donors who are unique to him and would be affected by this message are people who would not have donated at all,” said Josh Holmes, a political adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader.

Mr Holmes also said that when the Biden administration introduced new guidelines like a nearly $ 2 trillion relief bill, Republicans would band together in the opposition and develop new constituencies for fundraising.

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Politics

Trump tells donors to offer cash to him, not Republicans ‘in title solely’

Trump tells donors to give money to him, not Republicans 'in name only'

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida on February 28, 2021.

Joe Raedle | Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump is competing with the GOP’s fundraiser and beating its members, further complicating his status as the Republican Party leader.

“No more money for RINOs,” Trump said in a donation email Monday night, referring to “Republicans on behalf only,” a term used to beat up moderate GOP politicians accused of how Rule Democrats.

Trump, without specifying his goals by name, claimed that they “are doing nothing but violate the Republican Party and our large electoral base – they will never lead us to greatness.”

In an overt attempt to clarify this, Trump made a follow-up statement Tuesday afternoon in which he said, “I fully support the Republican Party and key GOP committees, but I do not support RINOs and fools.”

Trump added that “it is not their right to use my likeness or image to fundraise” – a reference to his growing feud with the Republican Party over the use of his name and likeness in their fundraising drives.

Both statements were sent by Trump’s Save America Political Action Committee, and both statements urged his supporters to donate to this PAC. “So much money is being raised and completely wasted by people who do not have the interests of the GOP in mind,” said Trump’s latest statement.

These inquiries reflected Trump’s recent Orlando speech – his first public statement after the presidency – in which he told a crowd of supporters that his own PAC was the only way to vote America First Republican Conservatives.

Redirecting Republican cash flow into his own war chest, if successful, could help Trump gain a grip on the party in order to undermine his perceived enemies therein. However, experts say promoting his own PAC could bring other benefits for Trump as well.

PACs like Save America can raise funds for political expenses like supporting candidates, and Trump could use it to lay the foundation for a presidential campaign in 2024. But they “can be used for almost anything else,” said Brendan Fischer. Director of the Federal Reform Program at the Campaign Legal Center.

“Given the amount of money raised, it is entirely possible that Trump could use Save America to maintain control and influence over the Republican Party and to personally help himself and his family members,” Fischer said in an interview with CNBC.

The Associated Press reported in early March that Save America had more than $ 80 million in cash.

Trump, who never officially admitted defeat to President Joe Biden, has barely resigned from politics since his tenure ended on Jan. 20. Trump has now presented himself as the de facto leader and future of his party at his Palm Beach, Florida home, while regularly targeting prominent Republicans who are still in office.

Even if Trump teases a possible 2024 presidential campaign on the Republican ticket, he is urging the Republican National Committee to stop using his name and image in their donation messages.

Trump’s attorneys sent cease and desist letters to the RNC, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senate Committee on Friday, NBC News reported.

On Monday, RNC chief attorney J. Justin Riemer denied the request, telling Save America attorney Alex Cannon that Trump and RNC chairman Ronna McDaniel had settled the dispute.

“We understand that President Trump has reaffirmed this [McDaniel] over the weekend he approves the RNC’s current use of his name for fundraising and other materials, including our upcoming Palm Beach donor retreat event that we look forward to seeing, “Riemer wrote in a letter to Cannon.

The letter, passed on to CNBC by the RNC, stated that the committee “has not sent or used his image on President Trump’s behalf or used his image since he left office, and would not do without his prior consent.”

Riemer added, “The RNC has, of course, the right to refer to public figures when it comes to a key political speech protected by First Amendment, and will continue to do so in pursuit of these common goals. “

Trump’s Monday night email deciphering “RINOs” and asking for donations to the Save America PAC appeared to contradict Riemer’s claim that Trump and McDaniel had reached an agreement on the matter.

A Trump spokesman did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the back and forth with the RNC. A contact for the Save America PAC did not respond to a request for comment.

The Republicans lost the White House and the Senate majority after Trump’s presidency. But the Republican Party and many of its leaders have allied themselves closely with Trump, whose popularity continues among huge segments of the GOP electorate.

Some Republicans have openly condemned Trump for his behavior before and after the January 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol, which resulted in five deaths and forced a joint session of Congress to go into hiding. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House, said in late February, “I don’t think so [Trump] should play a role in the future of the party or the country. “

But more Republicans have avoided criticizing Trump even after the invasion, which appeared to have little impact on the former president’s general support at his base. Others who initially distanced themselves from Trump after the deadly uprising, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, later reiterated their support for him.

Even Senate Minority Chairman Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Who convicted Trump of false conspiracies for election theft, recently said he would “absolutely” support Trump if he became a GOP candidate in 2024.

Meanwhile, numerous other Republicans who allegedly have presidential ambitions appear to have taken steps to launch their own campaigns while being careful not to cross Trump.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly heading to South Carolina, a major state on the president’s main map, next month to deliver his first public address since leaving office.