DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Mr. Manafort, 75, was an adviser for Bob Dole’s presidential campaign in 1996 and managed the Republican convention that year. He was brought on to Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign in the spring as the candidate was facing an effort to deprive him of the delegates necessary to become the nominee at the convention. Mr. Manafort’s involvement with Mr. Trump’s campaign was relatively short-lived. Later, Mr. Manafort was ensnared in the investigation by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, into ties between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russian officials. Mr. Trump praised him for not cooperating with the government investigation and pardoned Mr. Manafort at the end of his presidential term.

Persons: Manafort, Bob Dole’s, Trump’s, Robert S, Mueller III, Trump, Mr Organizations: Republican, Trump, Washington Post, Republican Party Locations: Russian, Ukraine

☆ Chief Counsel at R.N.C. Pushed Out After Two Months on the Job
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Maggie Haberman | More About Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Charlie Spies, the Republican National Committee’s chief counsel, was pushed out of his new role just two months after taking the job, amid a storm of controversy over conflicts involving other clients at the firm where he still works, according to two people briefed on the matter. Spies, a veteran election-law lawyer whom the R.N.C. A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign and the R.N.C. His past work — including for the presidential campaign of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the super PAC supporting Jeb Bush against Donald J. Trump during the 2016 Republican primary and Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee — was highlighted for Mr. Trump by people seeking to oust Mr.

Persons: Charlie Spies, Ron DeSantis, Jeb Bush, Donald J, Mitt Romney, —, Trump, Mr, Spies Organizations: Republican National Committee’s, Trump, Gov, PAC, Republican, Mr Locations: Florida

It might seem strange that prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office are eliciting such testimony about their central witness, especially given that the defense has already begun attacking Mr. Cohen’s credibility. Mr. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal crimes in 2018, was often belligerent as he did Mr. Trump’s bidding. It appears that the district attorney’s office will seek to turn that to their advantage: So far, they’ve drawn smiles and chuckles from jurors when asking witnesses to discuss Mr. Cohen. “I didn’t want to receive a million frustrating phone calls from Michael,” said the lawyer, Keith Davidson, who in 2016 represented a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who received the hush money. Prosecutors have accused the former president of falsifying business records to cover up the hush money deal and charged him with 34 felonies.

Persons: Cohen, they’ve, “, Michael, ”, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Trump Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan

Ron DeSantis of Florida met on Sunday morning, according to three people briefed on the meeting, the first time they’ve done so since the end of a bruising Republican presidential primary that Mr. Trump won while relentlessly attacking Mr. DeSantis. Mr. Trump is looking to bolster his fund-raising, an ability Mr. DeSantis demonstrated during the primary by tapping into a network of well-funded donors. And Mr. DeSantis — who has made clear he is interested in running for president again in 2028 — is seeking to shed the negative weight of his disappointing campaign. A spokesman for Mr. Trump didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. A spokesman for Mr. DeSantis declined to comment.

Persons: Donald J, Ron DeSantis, Trump, DeSantis, —, Mr, Steve Witkoff, DeSantis — Organizations: Trump, Gov, The Washington Post, Mr Locations: Florida, Hollywood, Fla

☆ Fairness, a Trump Obsession, Is Central to Jury Selection in His Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Maggie Haberman | More About Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Over much of his life, Donald J. Trump has measured the world in terms of whether it is treating him or people he likes “unfairly.”Mr. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, a wealthy businessman and the son of a wealthy and well-connected real-estate developer, has used the word in a wide variety of contexts. News outlets, he often insists, treat him “unfairly.” Political rivals and critics treat him “unfairly.” Prosecutors who have charged him with crimes treat him “unfairly.”“No politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been treated worse or more unfairly. You can’t let them get you down. You can’t let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams,” Mr. Trump said of himself in 2017.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, “, ” Mr, ” “, — Organizations: ” Prosecutors Locations: United States

☆ A Weary Trump Appears to Doze Off in Courtroom Ahead of Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Maggie Haberman | More About Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump seemed alternately irritated and exhausted Monday morning, as his lawyers and prosecutors hashed out pretrial motions before jury selection in his criminal case. Even as a judge was hearing arguments on last-minute issues in a criminal case that centers on salacious allegations and threatens to upend his bid for the presidency, Mr. Trump appeared to nod off a few times, his mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest. The former president’s lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, passed him notes for several minutes before Mr. Trump appeared to jolt awake and notice them. At other times, Mr. Trump whispered and exchanged notes with Mr. Blanche. He sat motionless while his own words from the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape — on which bragged about grabbing women’s genitals — were read from a transcript by a prosecutor.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Todd Blanche, jolt, Blanche

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, added a new item to the list: a $60 Bible. Days before Easter, Mr. Trump posted a video on his social media platform in which he encouraged his supporters to buy the “God Bless the USA Bible,” named after the ballad by the country singer Lee Greenwood, which Mr. Trump plays as he takes the stage at his rallies. “All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It’s my favorite book,” said Mr. Trump, who before entering politics was not overtly religious and who notably stumbled while referencing a book of the Bible during his 2016 campaign. “It’s a lot of people’s favorite book.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ”, Lee Greenwood, “

“If Donald Trump is at the top of the Republican ticket, the risk of one-party rule by a Democratic Party captured by the progressive left is severe,” she wrote. In a statement, the Haley campaign praised Americans for Prosperity Action as an ally. “We thank them for their tremendous help in this race,” the statement read. We have a country to save.”The endorsement from the group, which was announced in November, was crucial for Ms. Haley. It came as she was trying to gain traction against Mr. Trump, particularly given how small her team was at the time.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, Seidel, Ms, Haley’s, Haley, “, Trump Organizations: Republican, Democratic Party, Prosperity, Mr Locations: South Carolina, Iowa

For the past few months, we’ve been asking our listeners to write in with questions, and we’ve gotten some great ones. Things like: How does polling work? Does Joe Biden’s stance on Gaza present a campaign challenge? And who might Donald Trump select as his running mate? But as we were sorting through them, an underlying theme started to emerge: People can’t seem to fathom that we’re careening toward a Biden-Trump rematch — and they want to know if anything could alter this seemingly inevitable reality.

Persons: we’ve, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump Organizations: Biden, Trump Locations: Gaza

Donald J. Trump might one day have to pay E. Jean Carroll the $83.3 million she was awarded, but that day is not today. Mr. Trump called the jury’s decision “Absolutely ridiculous!” and vowed to appeal the verdict, a process that could take months or more. And while he is waiting for an appellate court to rule, Mr. Trump need not cut Ms. Carroll a check. Mr. Trump can pay the $83.3 million to the court, which will hold the money while the appeal is pending. This is what he did last year when a jury ordered him to pay Ms. Carroll $5.5 million in a related case.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Jean Carroll, Carroll

“I just wanted to defend myself, my family and, frankly, the presidency,” Trump said in his under four-minute appearance on the stand. And though the judge told the jury to disregard those remarks, Trump got his message across. Casting himself as the victim of a witch hunt, Trump has highlighted his four criminal indictments in fund-raising emails. He revels in media coverage of his motorcade speeding to various courthouses. And his confrontational performances in front of judges and juries are calculated for maximum attention.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jean Carroll, “, ” Trump, Trump, Al Capone, Casting Organizations: Trump Locations: New Hampshire, New York

Straining to recover after a bruising defeat in Iowa, Gov. At the same time, the shift could put new pressure on Ms. Haley in South Carolina, where she once served as governor. As Mr. DeSantis’s team licked its wounds on Wednesday, his super PAC, Never Back Down, trimmed operations in several places, including Nevada. Other staff members were also laid off, including almost the entire online “war room” team, a person with knowledge of the matter said. It was unclear how many people in all lost their jobs.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Haley Organizations: Gov, PAC Locations: Iowa, Florida, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada

A Radical AgendaTo be sure, some of what Mr. Trump and his allies are planning is in line with what any standard-issue Republican president would most likely do. For example, Mr. Trump would very likely roll back many of President Biden’s policies to curb carbon emissions and hasten the transition to electric cars. He has said he would fundamentally re-evaluate “NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission” in a second term. After some demonstrations against police violence in 2020 became riots, Mr. Trump had an order drafted to use troops to crack down on protesters in Washington, D.C., but didn’t sign it. “You look at any Democrat-run state, and it’s just not the same — it doesn’t work,” Mr. Trump told the crowd, calling cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco crime dens.

Persons: Trump, Biden’s, it’s, ” Mr, I’m, ” Organizations: U.S, NATO, Washington , D.C, Democratic Locations: United States, Mexico, Washington ,, Iowa, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco

The super PAC supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida in his presidential campaign, which has seen a series of changes in the last month, went through another shake-up this week when it fired its new chief executive officer who had stepped in just nine days earlier, according to two people briefed on the matter. Ms. Davison was not alone in being fired, according to the people briefed on the matter. A spokeswoman for the group, Erin Perrine, was dismissed, they said, with more departures possible. The changes come as the primary enters the intense final weeks before the first nominating contest, and as Mr. DeSantis was in the Iowa celebrating the final stop in his tour of the state’s 99 counties — an achievement made possible by the organizational muscle and money of his allied super PAC, which is suffering its third round of upheaval in recent weeks.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Kristin Davison, Scott Wagner, Mr, DeSantis, Adam Laxalt, Davison, Erin Perrine Organizations: Gov, PAC Locations: Florida, Iowa

The main super PAC supporting Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign has been rocked by another significant departure, as Adam Laxalt, a friend and former roommate of the Florida governor, has stepped down as chairman of the group. Mr. Laxalt, who unsuccessfully ran to become a Republican senator in Nevada in 2022, lived with Mr. DeSantis when he was training as a naval officer. He said in the note that he was still committed to Mr. DeSantis’s becoming president. The departure represents the second major departure from Never Back Down in the last two weeks. In a statement put out by the group after the resignation, Mr. Jankowski said that his differences at the group went “well beyond” strategic arguments, without explaining more.

Persons: Ron DeSantis’s, Adam Laxalt, Laxalt, DeSantis, “, ” Mr, DeSantis’s, Chris Jankowski, Jankowski Organizations: Republican, The New York Times Locations: Florida, Nevada

At Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida, she and another lawyer, M. Evan Corcoran, advised the former president that he needed to obey the government’s demands that he return the classified material. The indictment filed by Mr. Smith in June accuses Mr. Trump of illegally holding on to 32 classified national security documents and then conspiring to cover up his actions with two of his aides at Mar-a-Lago. The case is set to go to trial in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla., at the end of May. It was unclear what else Ms. Little testified to in her grand jury appearance. On Wednesday night, Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, denounced “misleading leaks” about the case that showed “utter disregard” for attorney-client privilege.

Persons: Trump, Ms, Little, Evan Corcoran, Smith, Corcoran, Smith’s, Steven Cheung Organizations: ABC News, Mr, Mar, Federal, Court Locations: Georgia, Florida, Fort Pierce, Fla

The political network founded by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch has endorsed Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential nominating contest, giving her organizational muscle and financial heft as she battles Gov. The commitment by the network, Americans for Prosperity Action, bolsters Ms. Haley as the campaign enters the final seven weeks before the Iowa caucuses. Since the first Republican primary debate, Ms. Haley has steadily climbed in polls, even as Mr. DeSantis has slipped. Mr. Trump remains the dominant front-runner in the race. Nikki Haley is that leader.”

Persons: Charles, David Koch, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Donald J, Trump, Ms, Haley, DeSantis, Donald Trump, ”, Emily Seidel Organizations: Prosperity Locations: Florida, Iowa

Prosecutors felt they needed an industry insider to flip on others in the business, explain the intricacies of lending agreements and serve as a narrator on the witness stand. In Mr. Braun, who had made clear he was desperate to get out of prison, they thought they had an ideal candidate. They were still going back and forth with his lawyer about a deal that would have freed him from prison when Mr. Trump commuted his sentence. Prosecutors instantly lost their leverage over Mr. Braun. The investigation into the industry, and Mr. Braun’s conduct, remains open but is hampered by the lack of help from an insider.

Persons: Braun, Trump, Prosecutors, Braun’s, — Organizations: Department, U.S, Prosecutors, Justice, Trump Locations: Manhattan

Even amid the uproar over President Donald J. Trump’s freewheeling use of his pardon powers at the end of his term, one commutation stood out. Jonathan Braun of New York had served just two and a half years of a decade-long sentence for running a massive marijuana ring, when Mr. Trump, at 12:51 a.m. on his last day in office, announced he would be freed. Mr. Braun was, to say the least, an unusual candidate for clemency. A Staten Islander with a history of violent threats, Mr. Braun had told a rabbi who owed him money: “I am going to make you bleed.” Mr. Braun’s family had told confidants they were willing to spend millions of dollars to get him out of prison. At the time, Mr. Trump’s own Justice Department and federal regulators, as well as New York state authorities, were still after him for his role in an entirely separate matter: his work as a predatory lender, making what judges later found were fraudulent and usurious loans to cash-strapped small businesses.

Persons: Donald J, Jonathan Braun, Trump, Braun, “, Mr, Braun’s, confidants, Trump’s Organizations: New, Justice Department Locations: New York, Staten

Mr. DeSantis has a long history throughout his political career of cycling through different teams, a fact that people who have worked for him have attributed to his micromanaging style. His allies have questioned the messaging and depth of the ad-buying by the super PAC, according to two people briefed on the matter. A third said some allies believed Mr. DeSantis was being blamed by voters for the negative spots. Since they came into existence nearly 15 years ago, super PACs have traditionally handled negative messaging and advertising against a candidate’s rival. The group’s main strategist, Jeff Roe, and a board member, Scott Wagner, who is a college friend of Mr. DeSantis, had a heated argument during a discussion about money, according to people briefed on the matter.

Persons: DeSantis, Chris Jankowski, Steve Helber, . Jankowski, “, Ron DeSantis, ”, Nikki Haley, Jeff Roe, Scott Wagner, Mr Organizations: Press Locations: China, Atlanta

☆ Pardon Recipients Seek to Sell Trump on His Own Sentencing Law
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Maggie Haberman | More About Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Trump, who has shown gains among Black voters in some recent polls, is hoping to win a slightly larger margin than he has in the past, with the potential to swing key states. Mr. Harris declined to discuss what took place in their meeting, but he expressed gratitude toward the Trump administration in a statement and praised the sentencing law. “The passing of the First Step Act and similar initiatives surrounding” criminal justice reform “has provided much needed relief for so many deserving individuals and families,” he said. An aide to Mr. Kushner and a spokesman for Mr. Trump did not respond to requests for comment. Not everyone around the former president believes that he should highlight the First Step Act, which Mr. Trump himself soured on soon after signing it.

Persons: Trump, Mr, Harris, “, ”, Kushner Organizations: Mr, Republicans

How Trump’s lawyers are trying to flip the scriptDonald Trump’s defenses in his federal election interference case are coming into focus: a mix of blame shifting, political attacks and a kind of legal gaslighting. The indictment by the special counsel, Jack Smith, accuses Trump of “a multipronged endeavor to overturn the 2020 presidential election, disenfranchise voters, and obstruct the transfer of presidential power,” in the words of one of Smith’s assistants. Defendants typically fight charges by denying responsibility. But Trump and his lawyers, at least so far, aren’t saying that he didn’t do what he’s accused of; they are saying that he did it, but for benign, even admirable reasons. Trump is trying to convince the court that the moves he made to cling to power were really “innocuous, perhaps even admirable conduct,” as prosecutors put it.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith, Trump, ” Locations: “

Two top officials on former President Donald J. Trump’s 2024 campaign on Monday sought to distance his campaign team from news reports about plans for what he would do if voters return him to the White House. Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, who are effectively Mr. Trump’s campaign managers, issued a joint statement after a spate of articles, many in The New York Times, about plans for 2025 developed by the campaign itself, and trumpeted on the trail by Mr. Trump, as well as efforts by outside groups led by former senior Trump administration officials who remain in direct contact with him. Ms. Wiles and Mr. LaCivita focused their frustration on outside groups, which they did not name, that have devoted considerable resources to preparing lists of personnel and developing policies to serve the next right-wing administration. “The efforts by various nonprofit groups are certainly appreciated and can be enormously helpful. However, none of these groups or individuals speak for President Trump or his campaign,” they wrote, calling reports about their personnel and policy intentions “purely speculative and theoretical” and “merely suggestions.”

Persons: Donald J, Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita, Trump, Wiles, LaCivita, ” Organizations: The New York Times, Trump Locations: The

Maryanne Trump Barry, a former federal judge who was an older sister of Donald J. Trump and served as both his protector and critic throughout their lives, has died. Ms. Barry died at her home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter. Ms. Barry, the widow of John Barry, a veteran trial and appellate lawyer, had been a federal judge in New Jersey, a position that Mr. Trump’s fixer, the lawyer Roy M. Cohn, was credited with helping her attain during President Ronald Reagan’s tenure. She retired from the bench in 2019, at a time when inquiries were brewing after a New York Times investigation into the family’s tax practices. Mr. Trump seemed to heed the words of few people as much as he did his sister’s, according to confidants.

Persons: Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald J, Trump, Barry, John Barry, Roy M, Cohn, Ronald Reagan’s, Mary L Organizations: New York Times Locations: Manhattan, New Jersey

Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who tried carving out a space in the Republican presidential field with a hopeful message built on his life story — the son of a single mother, he rose from poverty to become the only Black Republican in the Senate — announced on Sunday that he was suspending his campaign. “I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim,’” Mr. Scott said on Sunday evening on Trey Gowdy’s program on Fox News. “I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘No.’ But I do think they’re saying, ‘Not now.’”Mr. Scott said he had no intention of endorsing another candidate in the Republican primary race. “The best way for me to be helpful is to not weigh in,” he said. He also brushed off the idea that he could serve as someone else’s running mate.

Persons: Tim Scott of, Senate —, “, ‘, ’, Mr, Scott, Trey Gowdy’s, Trey, ”, Scott’s Organizations: Republican, Senate, Fox News, Republican National Committee Locations: Tim Scott of South Carolina

Search resuls for: "More About Maggie Haberman"

25 mentions found