The special grand jury part of the investigation into whether former President Donald Trump interfered in the 2020 presidential election has published part of its report.
Want to see part of the official report? Look below!
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The Manhattan judge overseeing the hush money case against former President Donald Trump has refused to step away from the case despite his past contributions to Democrats
Merchan rejected the arguments and referenced findings from the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, which he consulted prior to Trump’s recusal request.
Judge Juan Merchan affirmed his ability to be “fair and impartial” in an opinion rejecting arguments from Trump’s legal team stating that he should recuse himself, according to Fox News.
“We see nothing in the inquiry to suggest that the outcome of the case could have any effect on the judge’s relative, the relative’s business, or any of their interests,” the advisory committee wrote.
Regarding the allegations of personal bias, Merchan said Trump’s team had failed to make a substantive argument.
“Defendant has failed to demonstrate that there exists concrete, or even realistic reasons for recusal to be appropriate, much less required on these grounds,” Merchan wrote. “The speculative and hypothetical scenarios offered by Defendant fall well short of the legal standard.”
Merchan donated $15 to then-candidate Joe Biden’s campaign, $10 to the Progressive Turnout Project and $10 to Stop Republicans during the 2020 election cycle.
Former President Donald Trump seems unconcerned with Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into his alleged involvement in the $130,000 hush payment made to former pornstar Stormy Daniels.
On Monday, Trump’s attorneys revealed the former president would not testify in the grand jury investigation into the 2016 payment.
“We have no plans on participating in that proceeding,” Trump attorney Joe Tacopina told ABC News on Monday. “Decision needs to be made still. There’s been no deadline set, so we’ll wait and see.”
The Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating whether Trump falsified business records in connection with a $130,000 payment Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels before the 2016 election. Prosecutors allege the “hush money” was to keep her from talking about a long-denied affair.
Trump has adamantly denied the affair.
On Friday, Cohen reportedly met with prosecutors for over seven hours in the latest sign the investigation into Trump is heating up. The former Trump adviser is scheduled to testify before a grand jury on Monday. (RELATED: Michael Cohen To Testify Monday In Trump Probe)
“My goal is to tell the truth,” Cohen told reporters outside the courthouse, according to the AP.
“This is not revenge,” he added. “This is all about accountability. He needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds.”
Last week, The New York Times reported prosecutors are getting closer to formally charging Trump.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office recently signaled to Donald J. Trump’s lawyers that he could face criminal charges for his role in the payment of hush money to a porn star, the strongest indication yet that prosecutors are nearing an indictment of the former president, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.
The prosecutors offered Mr. Trump the chance to testify next week before the grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the potential case, the people said. Such offers almost always indicate an indictment is close; it would be unusual for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, to notify a potential defendant without ultimately seeking charges against him.
In New York, potential defendants have the right to answer questions in the grand jury before they are indicted, but they rarely testify, and Mr. Trump is likely to decline the offer. His lawyers could also meet privately with the prosecutors in hopes of fending off criminal charges.
Any case would mark the first indictment of a former American president, and could upend the 2024 presidential race in which Mr. Trump remains a leading contender. It would also elevate Mr. Bragg to the national stage, though not without risk, and a conviction in the complex case is far from assured.
On Monday, former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court to plead guilty to charges related to Donald Trump’s civil fraud case.
Weisselberg pleaded guilty to perjury charges stemming from his testimony in former President Trump’s civil fraud trial.
The top executive was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million, plus interest.
The Hill reports:
Weisselberg’s charges stem from his testimony in October during the civil fraud trial, where he testified that he “never focused on” Trump’s Manhattan triplex that was listed on the former president’s financial statements as 30,000 square feet in size – despite actually being less than 11,000 square feet.
But after Weisselberg testified, Forbes published an article accusing him of lying under oath, citing years old correspondence between the magazine and Trump Organization executive.
“A review of old emails and notes, some of which the attorney general’s office does not possess, show that Weisselberg absolutely thought about Trump’s apartment—and played a key role in trying to convince Forbes over the course of several years that it was worth more than it really was,” Forbes wrote in its Oct. 12 article.
When confronted by state lawyers about the Forbes article, Weisselberg conceded that the triplex in the former president’s 5th Avenue Trump Tower was only 10,996 square feet.
Weisselberg is among several top executives at the Trump organization who were barred last month from operating their business in New York for a range of two to three years. That ruling came from Judge Aurthur Engoron, who also banned Trump and his children from operating the business.
A New York Appeals Court allowed Trump and his sons to maintain control of the company temporarily while they attempt to appeal Engoron’s decision.
Engoron also “permanently” barred defendants Weisselberg and former corporate controller Jeffrey McConney from “serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State” and as a director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for three years.
“There was never an option to choose a jury trial,” a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital last month. “It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sued Trump in 2022, alleging he falsely altered his net worth on key financial statements to receive tax and insurance benefits. The documents, which detailed the value of the Trump Organization’s various assets, were sent to banks and insurers to secure loans and deals, which the state purports is evidence of fraud.
Michael Cohen is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit he faces from former President Trump.
The former Trump “fixer” says that Trump’s $500 million lawsuit against him is “retaliation” for his part in being a witness in Manhattan prosecutors’ criminal case against the former president.
“This suit combines the worst of Mr. Trump’s vindictive impulses. The Complaint, frivolous and scattershot, is an abusive act of pure retaliation and witness intimidation, albeit a ham-fisted one. It must be dismissed as a matter of law,” Cohen’s attorneys wrote in a court filing, according to The Hill.
“Former President Donald J. Trump has described his favorite Bible verse as ‘an eye for an eye,’ which fairly captures his long history of exacting brutal retaliation — both broadly against perceived political, professional, and personal enemies, and specifically against Defendant Michael D. Cohen. Some of this retaliatory conduct has been petty and mean-spirited; some of it is patently unlawful and includes witness tampering, obstruction, and civil rights violations. Mr. Trump often abuses the court system to this end,” Cohen’s attorneys wrote.
In the new dismissal motion, Cohen’s attorneys contended Trump’s suit must be tossed because many of Trump’s claims were brought too late, while others weren’t specific enough or did not show Trump suffered any harm.
Trump’s filed a lawsuit against Cohen last month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The suit alleges Cohen breached a confidentiality agreement and his attorney-client relationship with the former president, among other claims. The former president’s suit takes aim at Cohen’s book, podcast, and various media appearances, claiming he maliciously worked to acquire attention and wealth at Trump’s expense.
Trump’s lawsuit against Cohen came shortly after he was indicted in New York on 34 felony charges concerning allegations he orchestrated a plan with Cohen and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker to help squash politically damaging stories before they became public knowledge.
Former President Trump’s legal team is seeking a temporary stay in his New York civil fraud trial.
Trump’s legal team wrote in a 1,154-page court filing that Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision last week imposed “unauthorized, undemanded, overbroad relief” to the New York attorney general’s office, which will result in “significant, irreparable harm” to the former president and his business.
“Supreme Court clearly does not comprehend the scope of the chaos its decision has wrought,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in the filing.
Defense attorneys argue in the Friday filing that Engoron had “no rationale or legal authority” to dissolve Trump’s businesses or order additional directives.
“Supreme Court’s sprawling and punitive relief is both unprecedented in a civil action in this State and indefensible under the law or any reasonable view of the facts,” Trump’s legal team wrote.
“They also claimed the order would “unquestionably inflict severe and irreparable harm” to “innocent” employees who depend on Trump’s businesses for their livelihoods, suggesting it threatens termination for “hundreds of New York employees without any jurisdiction or due process.”
Trump attorney Chris Kise informed the court and prosecutors Thursday that the defense would seek a stay of the trial and the summary judgment Engoron had issued.
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Trump is narrowing down his search for his next running mate…
During a weekend interview, former President Donald Trump said he has two potential candidates in mind.
Trump mentioned Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem when asked during a Sunday interview with Maria Bartiromo
“Well, I have a lot of good people. We have a lot of really good people,” Trump said. “I have a lot of good ideas, but I haven’t — and there’s no reason to do that quickly.”
“I speak to everybody,” he said. “I called Tim Scott … and I said, ‘you’re a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself.’ When I watched Tim, he was fine, he was good, but he was very low-key, et cetera, et cetera.”
However, Trump admitted he’s still a ways off from making any final decisions on a running mate. The GOP frontrunner told Bartiromo that his priority in choosing a running mate will be choosing “someone who would be a good president.”
“I watched him in the last week defending me and sticking up for me and fighting for me,” he continued. “I said, man, I said, ‘you’re a much better person for me than you are for yourself’, because, for himself, he was low-key. For me, he’s been a real tiger. He’s been incredible. And others have too.”
“Kristi Noem has been incredible fighting for me,” Trump added. “She said, I’d never run against him because I can’t beat him. That was a very nice thing to say.”
On Monday, former Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway advised the President to consider choosing a person of color for VP during an op-ed published in The New York Times.
“With a crisis on the border, economic dissatisfaction, fears about crime, a parents’ rights renaissance and multiple wars and threats across the globe, Mr. Trump’s deputy must be able to navigate chaos and challenges at home and abroad,” Conway wrote.
“Taking all of this into consideration, if I were advising Mr. Trump, I would suggest he choose a person of color as his running mate, depending on vetting of all possibilities and satisfaction of procedural issues like dual residency in Florida,” Conway wrote. “Not for identity politics a la the Democrats, but as an equal helping to lead an America First movement that includes more union workers, independents, first-time voters, veterans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and African Americans.”
Conway listed Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) among the potential options.
This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. Republished with permission.
A federal judge has issued an arrest warrant for Roy McGrath, the former chief of staff to two-term Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan.
McGrath is facing an eight-count federal indictment stemming from a criminal corruption investigation. Charges include wire fraud, including securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service. He also faces fraud and embezzlement charges connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
McGrath resigned from Hogan’s office a few months after the six-figure payment was reported.
One charge relates to allegations that McGrath falsified a memo that purports to show the Governor was informed of his then-chief of staff’s severance arrangement and signed off on the deal.
The former Governor, who until recently was mulling a White House bid has vehemently denied knowing or approving of a severance payment negotiated by McGrath.
U.S. District Court Judge Deborah Boardman issued the arrest warrant after McGrath failed to appear in Baltimore for the start of his criminal trial on Monday.
“Let’s hope he’s safe and there’s some mix-up,” Boardman told local outlet Maryland Matters on Monday.
Joseph Murtha, McGrath’s attorney, said he had attempted throughout the morning on Monday to reach his client and his wife.
“Most importantly, I’m concerned. I’m hoping he’s safe,” Murtha said. “These situations are very stressful, the uncertainty of going to trial can cause people to do things many people don’t think are appropriate. We hope that he’s safe.”
McGrath’s attorney noted t
McGrath also faces pending state criminal charges relating to alleged illegally recorded private conversations involving senior state officials without their permission during his employment at the Maryland Environmental Service and as chief of staff.
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Bad news for Donald Trump…
A recent poll found that a majority of swing state voters would not vote for Trump in the upcoming presidential election if he is convicted of a crime.
The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey found that among voters in swing states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, 53 percent of respondents said they were unwilling to vote for the former president if he is convicted in one of his multiple criminal cases.
Forty-six percent of respondents said they are “very unwilling” to cast their ballot for Trump if he is found guilty, while 7 percent said they are “somewhat unwilling.” Twenty-nine percent of respondents said they were “very willing” to vote for Trump if he is convicted of a crime, and 11 percent said they are “somewhat wiling.”
Black and Asian voters were also more likely to say they would not vote for Trump if he is convicted. Three-quarters of respondents who identified as atheist said they would be unwilling to vote for Trump if he is found guilty.
People who voted for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections were less likely to say a conviction would change their mind this time around, the survey found.
The former president is facing four separate indictments and has been charged with more than 90 felony counts, in addition to a civil fraud case.
Former President Donald Trump is responding to fresh claims that federal authorities are closing in on a new indictment against him.
On Wednesday, a former Trump associate testified before a federal grand jury in the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified materials.
“Today, in what can only be described as a bogus and deeply troubling effort to use the power of government to ‘get’ Trump, I fulfilled a legal obligation to testify in front a federal grand jury and I answered every question honestly,” Taylor Budowich, a former Trump spokesperson, wrote on Twitter.
“America has become a sick and broken nation—a decline led by Joe Biden and power hungry Democrats,” he added. “I will not be intimidated by this weaponization of government. For me, the need to unite our nation and make America great again has never been more clear than it is today.”
Budowich previously served as a spokesperson for Trump after he left the White House. He is now the head of MAGA Inc., a super PAC backing the former president’s 2024 bid.
The Florida grand jury hearing testimony is the latest development in the investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into whether Trump mishandled classified documents after leaving office.
Multiple outlets have reported that Trump has received a letter from federal prosecutors notifying him of the impending indictment.
